What happens when you look that horse in the mouth

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Welcome to the listening blog.  This month, all links will connect you to recordings rather than written articles.

Would you ever hire someone to buy a gift for you?  Have you ever given someone an "ironing board"?  Or got one?  Is gift giving more trouble than it is worth?  What do you think about gifts from companies?  Or the role of gifts in diplomacy? 

In commenting on this blog, you may be helping to train a robot

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Is it worrisome that computers are replacing workers?  Is the data that helps train this AI work that should be paid for?  Is gathering data for free like feudalism?

Arabana online

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Would a job like Karina Lester's appeal to you? How important is it to preserve minority languages?  What about dialects?  How much is language connected to geography?  Is globalization and migration destroying local languages?

An ode to the moocher and the urban forager

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Has internet shopping changed our style of life? Is it one of the causes of political discontent these days?  Is wandering without an aim or searching through a second-hand shop no longer something that is done in our efficient, fast-paced society?  If so, what have we lost, if anything? 

I'll believe when I see it (as long as it pushes my buttons)

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How big a problem do you think confirmation bias is in terms of helping to make fake news effective?  How can we fight against fake news and our own tendencies to believe what we would like to believe, or to react in anger?  Do you think fake news is or could be a factor in inciting violence-- in Slovakia as well as India?   Can fact-checking websites help? 

The baroness in the tree

This is the last recording you can comment on for March.
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Does living in a (fairly) big city like Bratislava ever make you long for the countryside?  Are you attracted to political activism as a way to make a difference? Would you ever be tempted to live in a tree like Miranda?  Or give (part of your life) to a cause?