Actually Useful
Actually Useful
Ariel Butters and Josh Stretten-Carlson
Why do so many once-beloved internet platforms end up toxic, predatory, and unusable? In an age where tech giants have monopolized our attention, privacy, and livelihoods, how can individuals claw back some agency? Every other Thursday, Actually Useful co-hosts Ariel and Josh talk with creators of radically useful consumer tech to explore what it takes to build and protect the loveliest parts of the internet. If you’re exhausted by parasitic products and feel trapped in an ecosystem of unethical, undelightful tech, this one’s for you.
The Darwinism of Dating Apps
Check us out on:Instagram | TikTok | YouTubeThis episode, we chat with feminist journalist Lyz Lenz about the agony of dating apps – their deceptive mechanics, the illusion of choice, their impact on gender inequity, and why the f*ck Trevor from Iowa thinks he can do better?? In Falcon Mode, we discuss app options for supporting older friends and family members as they navigate increasingly sophisticated scams. Check out Lyz’s…Books: This American Ex-Wife, Belabored, and God LandNewsletter: Men Yell at MePodcast: Dingus of the WeekWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Jun 4
51 min
The Sci-Fi to Silicon Valley Pipeline
We chat with author Justin Feinstein about his new novel, Your Behavior Will Be Monitored, about how weird it is to accidentally predict the future, and the role science fiction plays in defining our expectations of AI. In Falcon Mode, we investigate the surprisingly predatory world of teleprompter apps.Links:justinfeinstein.com or Justin’s instagramYour Behavior Will Be MonitoredFlesh and Code podcastHank Green’s video – Josh can you add the link for thisJustin’s interview with ClaudeAkinator, the mind-reading genie gameWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
May 21
1 hr 4 min
The Promises and Pitfalls of Self-Publishing
We chat with author Kate Crow about the economics and illusions of the self-publishing industry, how Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program has changed both traditional publishing and book culture, and which art form is the polar opposite of AI slop. In Falcon Mode, we tell you how to avoid paying for subscriptions when you inevitably forget to cancel during the free trial period.Links:Til Death Do We Start on Amazon or Bookshop.orgKate Crow on Instagram and TikTokKate’s websiteThat terrible Fortune article Josh mentionedDraft2DigitalKoboWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
May 7
49 min
AI Video, Slopaganda, and the Making of Meaning
We chat with Jeremy Carrasco (@jeremyfindsai) about the most common uses of AI-generated video, what to make of the US-Iran meme war, and why beloved intellectual property can only be what it is when it’s created by humans. In Falcon Mode, we chat about the new DualShot Recorder iPhone app, made by @derrickdowneyjr to solve his own frustrating problem. Links:@jeremyfindsai on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTubeJeremy’s publication, riddance.ai 404 Media articles on the US-Iran slopaganda war and where Facebook’s AI slop comes fromWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Apr 23
57 min
Meta’s Exploitation of Kids Has No Limit
We chat with Meta whistleblower Kelly Stonelake about Meta’s toxic culture being encoded into their products, how much they’re willing to exploit kids for profit at any cost, and what meaningful social media regulation might look like – especially after the landmark trials Meta lost in the days before we recorded this episode. In Falcon Mode, we chat about tools to help gig workers discover which delivery app is the least punishing to them. Links:Kelly’s Substack, OverturnedKelly’s website, kellystonelake.com Kelly’s documentationWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Apr 9
1 hr 21 min
You Might Be an Attention Activist
We chat about “human fracking,” how little we actually know about human attention, and the growing Attention Liberation Movement – a radical idea of agency that you’re probably already practicing! In Falcon Mode, we discuss platforms to strengthen renters’ rights. All the books we’ve mentioned in this episode:Attensity! by the Friends of AttentionMutual Aid by Dean SpadeHow to Do Nothing by Jenny OdellThe Shock Doctrine by Naomi KleinVulture Capitalism by Grace BlakelyThe Twilight of Democracy by Anne ApplebaumWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Mar 26
42 min
Sports Betting, Predictive Markets, and Financializing Everything
We chat about the explosive rise of sports betting, the underlying tech that makes it especially insidious, and how relentlessly gambling products are marketed to young men. In Falcon Mode, we give flowers to a hobbyist developer who solved the problem of creeps with smart glasses.Links:VICE Sports’ Out of Bounds, “The Sports Betting Boom”r/problemgambling keeps an incredible wiki of recovery resources (that aren’t funded by the gambling companies).We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Mar 12
51 min
Your Favorite Bookstore’s Favorite Audiobook App
We chat with Natalie Ponte from Libro.fm about generative AI abolitionism, the cult of early big tech, and why book people are so obsessed with Libro.fm, the audiobook platform that supports independent bookstores. In Falcon Mode, we chat about a crowdsourcing tool where people vote on whether or not something includes AI-generated content.Links:Libro.fm Natalie’s LinkedInNYT article about woman who “wrote” 200 romance novels using generative AIIs This AI? subreddit Voice narration studio’s example of professional narration vs. AI (at about the 40% scroll mark)We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Feb 26
53 min
LinkedIn Wants You Unemployed
We chat with recruitment fraud expert Jay Jones about scam jobs, the grift of hustle posting, and how LinkedIn profits from unemployment. In Falcon Mode, an app Ariel has imagined for over a decade is finally brought to life. Links:TheProfiler.org and JonesDoYouCopy.comNeighborCats - on iPhone, on AndroidWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Feb 12
43 min
AI Collisions, Shadow Ledgers, and Implementing AI That Doesn’t Suck
We chat with AI strategist Allen Martinez about constitutional AI, the cost of multiple AIs conflicting with one another, and how operators tasked with implementing AI can do it without making their product worse. In Falcon Mode, we have another “give me Google but make it actually work” – this time for city cyclists frustrated with Google Maps.Links:Noble Digital, Allen’s personal site, and his book, The Brand Experience AI Operating SystemFrom our news segment - 404 Media’s coverage of Palantir’s tech powering ICEWe’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok (reluctantly).
Jan 29
45 min
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