Welcome to the Techdirt podcast! Each week (-ish, no promises), we'll post an episode here on Techdirt, or you can subscribe via Soundcloud, RSS or iTunes. Each episode begins with an essay, followed by a discussion, covering topic areas that are less news driven and instead more about larger ideas/concepts that we think are worth discussing. Enjoy!

Techdirt Podcast Episode 16: Rethinking Work, Income & Leisure: Albert Wenger On Basic Income

Techdirt

from the BIG-ideas dept

Wed, Mar 18th 2015 12:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Recently, there's been a growing discussion around the concept of a basic income guarantee and its potential to completely change how we think about work, income and leisure. Would it change the world for the better, or create more economic problems than it solves? Albert Wenger from Union Square Ventures joins us this week to discuss the potential of this revolutionary idea.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: albert wenger, basic income guarantee, economics, podcast

20 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 15: What's It Like To Drive For Uber And Lyft?

Innovation

from the the-gig-economy dept

Tue, Mar 10th 2015 12:39pm — Leigh Beadon

Services like Uber and Lyft have been disrupting the taxi industry, and plenty more industries, too. In fact, they are the progenitors of a new and growing "gig economy". But what's it like to actually drive for one? Podcast co-host Dennis Yang has been trying his hand as a driver for both services, and in this episode he shares his experiences and sparks off a discussion about the future of this economy.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: gig economy, podcast, ride sharing
Companies: lyft, sidecar, uber

3 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 14: Do You Need A Proprietary Platform To Be A Serious Media Company Today?

Techdirt

from the content-(management)-is-king dept

Tue, Mar 3rd 2015 12:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Techdirt has long operated on a homegrown content management system, but while we've been considering a switch to something open like Wordpress, many other media companies have been building their own proprietary platforms. What are the pros and cons of each approach, and are proprietary platforms necessary to be a "serious" media company in today's landscape?

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: cms, content, media, podcast, wordpress

4 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 13: Fair Use Protects Culture From Copyright, Not The Other Way Around

Culture

from the fair-use-week dept

Tue, Feb 24th 2015 12:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Today we're continuing our recognition of Fair Use Week with an episode of the Techdirt Podcast focused entirely on this critical (but commonly misunderstood) counterbalance to copyright law. Though framed by many copyright proponents as a frivolous exception, fair use is actually fundamental to protecting not just free speech, but everything about our shared culture of art, thought, conversation and criticism.

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Filed Under: copyright, culture, fair use, fair use week, podcast

3 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 12: Former CIA Employee Barry Eisler Explains Why You Shouldn't Trust The CIA

Techdirt

from the watching-you-watching-me dept

Tue, Feb 17th 2015 12:15pm — Leigh Beadon

If you checked out last week's episode, you know that Barry Eisler is a bestselling author with a lot to say about the publishing industry. What you might not know is that he also used to work for the CIA, and he's got a lot to say about that world as well. This week, Barry is back to talk about the culture and inner workings of the intelligence community.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: barry eisler, cia, edward snowden, nsa, podcast, privacy, surveillance

9 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 11: Barry Eisler Dissects The Publishing Industry

Techdirt

from the self-(publishing)-esteem dept

Tue, Feb 10th 2015 12:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Bestselling author Barry Eisler is best known among readers for characters like John Rain and Ben Treven in his thriller novels. Among watchers of the publishing industry, he's known for something else too: having navigated and found great success in both the legacy industry and the new world of self-publishing. In this episode of the Techdirt Podcast, he discusses the evolving culture and business model of publishing with his uniquely comprehensive insight.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: barry eisler, podcast, publishing
Companies: amazon

3 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 10: Is Cybersecurity A Real Issue Or Government Boondoggle?

Techdirt

from the and-why-is-it-focused-on-information-sharing? dept

Tue, Feb 3rd 2015 12:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Cybersecurity has become a big buzzword in Washington, and there have been plenty of calls for legislation, usually focused on "information sharing" setups that allow companies and the government to compare notes on threats without fear of any legal liability. But the actual issues of cybersecurity are never clearly defined, nor is the need for various legislative changes fully explained. Is the problem really as big as it's made out to be? Or is the whole thing just a bureaucratic turf war?

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: cybersecurity, hacking, podcast, privacy

19 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 9: Is Muni Broadband A Monopoly Killer Or A Killer Monopoly?

Broadband

from the the-debate-rages-on dept

Tue, Jan 27th 2015 12:32pm — Mike Masnick

Just this morning we wrote about a newly proposed bill that would stop states from blocking municipal broadband. This comes just a few weeks after President Obama similarly proposed having the FCC pre-empt state efforts to block cities from offering up their own broadband service. Muni broadband is often seen as a way to fight oligopolistic control of the broadband market by letting local communities offer another competitor (and often better, cheaper service). Critics, however, argue that local governments shouldn't be competing with private companies, and we shouldn't have governments getting into the broadband space at all. At the same time, they worry about the federal government stepping in to block states from making their own laws (though they don't seem to express similar concern about states blocking municipalities from making their own decisions). This week on the Techdirt podcast, we discuss municipal broadband and whether it's good government interference in the market, adding competition against incumbent legacy providers, or bad government interference in the market.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: broadband, muni broadband, municipal broadband

6 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 8: Threats To Internet Freedom, Recorded Live At BitTorrent

Techdirt

from the killswitch dept

Tue, Jan 20th 2015 12:28pm — Mike Masnick

The latest Techdirt podcast is a bit different from our usual fare. This was actually a panel discussion, held back in December at the offices of BitTorrent, right before they did a showing of Killswitch, a new documentary about the battle to control the internet. The panel discussion was wide-ranging, touching on issues from net neutrality to cybersecurity to surveillance, copyright, patents and more. I moderated the panel, which consisted of Evan Engstrom from Engine, Rainey Reitman from EFF, Eric Klinker from BitTorrent and Ali Akbarzadeh, the director of Killswitch. It was a good discussion about the various threats that are facing the internet today, and what's being done about them.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via iTunes, or simply plug the RSS feed into your favorite podcatcher app. Of course, you can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: ali akbarzadeh, eric klinker, evan engstrom, internet, internet threats, killswitch, net neutrality, podcast, rainey reitman, surveillance, techdirt
Companies: bittorrent, eff, engine

12 Comments

Techdirt Podcast Episode 7: Terms Of Service Are The New Constitution: Do They Need A First Amendment?

Techdirt

from the thinking-through-the-issues dept

Thu, Jan 15th 2015 12:28pm — Mike Masnick

We all know that the First Amendment of the Constitution is there to protect us from government interference with free speech. It has no impact on private companies and how they treat your expression. However, with so much speech now happening on the internet these days, private companies almost always have some ability to get in the way of your expression. Sometimes, we think this is good -- as it can be used to prevent harassment. But, it also means that there are always points of attack, where anyone (including the government) can put tremendous pressure on private actors to stifle free expression. For many of us, when it comes to free expression, the First Amendment of the Constitution isn't so much in play as private companies' terms of service are. Yes, those terms of service that no one reads and are often written up by bored lawyers to include so much legalize as to confuse everyone, are often all that now really stands between you and your ability to express yourself. Should we be concerned at how modern speech is almost always controlled by private terms of service, rather than the First Amendment, or is there enough openness and competition online that it doesn't really matter?

Filed Under: first amendment, free speech, podcast, terms of service, tos

16 Comments

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Techdirt Podcast Episode 16: Rethinking Work, Income & Leisure: Albert Wenger On Basic Income

from the BIG-ideas dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 15: What's It Like To Drive For Uber And Lyft?

from the the-gig-economy dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 14: Do You Need A Proprietary Platform To Be A Serious Media Company Today?

from the content-(management)-is-king dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 13: Fair Use Protects Culture From Copyright, Not The Other Way Around

from the fair-use-week dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 12: Former CIA Employee Barry Eisler Explains Why You Shouldn't Trust The CIA

from the watching-you-watching-me dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 11: Barry Eisler Dissects The Publishing Industry

from the self-(publishing)-esteem dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 10: Is Cybersecurity A Real Issue Or Government Boondoggle?

from the and-why-is-it-focused-on-information-sharing? dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 9: Is Muni Broadband A Monopoly Killer Or A Killer Monopoly?

from the the-debate-rages-on dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 8: Threats To Internet Freedom, Recorded Live At BitTorrent

from the killswitch dept

Techdirt Podcast Episode 7: Terms Of Service Are The New Constitution: Do They Need A First Amendment?

from the thinking-through-the-issues dept

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