For Tech’s Sake

Hosted by Elaine Burke & Kelly Earley

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111

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Join Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley as they look at tech through a critical lens – not evangelising or demonising it, but definitely throwing a bit of shade when it’s deserved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

June 11, 202638 min

Are data centres a drain? (with Prof Hannah Daly)

In this episode, Elaine is joined by energy researcher Prof Hannah Daly to discuss the energy strain data centres represent for Ireland, the greenwashing that enables their proliferation in the face of climate concerns, and the real costs – both financially and environmentally – of unchecked growth. *** Good things we recommend ***>> Hannah’s website >> Games by Sam (especially Clues by Sam and Bee Sort)  >> Connie’s GCN marathon fundraiser  >> Dublin Inquirer Summer School  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 4, 202645 min

Is technology making us lonely? (with Dr Colman Noctor)

Are we in danger of becoming a contactless society? That’s the concern of psychotherapist Dr Colman Noctor, who joined Elaine to explain why we need to push ourselves beyond the isolated safety of socialising through screens and flex our social muscles in order to really grow as people.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Colman’s TEDx talk >> Digital Intentionality Score  >> The Irish Hedgehog Survey >> Invasives.ie  >> IFI’s Ghost in the Machine screening *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 28, 202642 min

Get your clips out (with Aoife Barry)

This week, Kelly has lost her voice! So Elaine is joined by cultural commentator, previous guest, and co-host of Get Around to It, Aoife Barry, to discuss why our feeds are filled with short video clips, and how ‘clipping’ is used to simulate trends and fake virality. If you’re a fan of the band Geese, you may have already been subject to these manipulations.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Catch up with Aoife at AoifeBarry.com  >> Listen to Elaine and Jenny interview Aoife about her book Social Capital  >> Listen to the Chaotic Good interview on Billboard’s On the Record podcast  >> Check out the next Get Around to It table quiz on 8 July  >> Come see Elaine chat with Dr Abeba Birhane at IFI’s Ghost in the Machine screening >> Sign up for Out of the Archive and Into the Record, a Wiki Loves Pride event >> Check out the Open Accessibility Assessment Framework for Computer Peripherals and Consumer Electronics  >> Celebrate Reuse and Repair Week with Tog in Belfast *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 21, 202637 min

Do we like prediction markets? Yes/No

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are rocketing in popularity and raking it in as users bet on everything from the day’s weather to major political manoeuvres. In this episode, Kelly and Elaine discuss what’s sus about these platforms and how they are mired in manipulation.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Research from CCPC and MABS on financial literacy   >> An Post’s Letter to your Future Self >> Kelly’s favourite stamps, featuring Brian Friel and Eileen Gray  >> An Post’s digital stamps  >> GCN magazine stockists *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 14, 202644 min

Hitting the AI kill switch

This week, Kelly and Elaine have a chat about how all the AI hype and hate is pushing people to switch off. It’s a frank conversation about opting out of AI, where for some people it’s a trade-off and for others a struggle to go fully AI-free, and why it’s not anti-progress to say no, but a healthy challenge to techno-determinism.*** Good things we recommend ***>> For a laugh: the AI vapes website  >> For reference: the booed AI graduation speech  >> For satirical purposes only: Sinceerly  >> For hitting the nail on the head: Tom Fishburne’s comic  >> For AI-free Google search: udm14.com>> For an AI-free browser: JustTheBrowser.com or Stevo’s GenAI Blocklist  >> For an intense look at data tracking in your browser: Since You Arrived Vol. IV – taken*** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 7, 202645 min

Wikiphilia (with Amy O’Riordan)

This week Kelly and Elaine are sharing their love for Wikipedia – its endless interesting links, dedication to niche topics, and, of course, the ‘Personal Life’ section. Amy O’Riordan, bhainisteoir pobail le Pobal Éireann Wikimedia (AKA the community manager of Wikimedia Community Ireland) joins us for this chat about the famous online encyclopaedia’s challenges with AI, vandalism, content gaps and reliable sources, as well as the sheer passion of the volunteers that keep this great collaboration going.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Wikipedia, of course  >> Wikimedia.ie for more on the Irish Wiki community >> Wiki Loves Earth photography competition  >> Depths of Wikipedia by Annie Rauwerda  >> No Mow May 🌼  >> Birdfeeding advice from Niall Hatch at BirdWatch Ireland 🐦 *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 30, 202657 min

AI Ready… or not! (with Laura Grehan)

This episode features an appearance from Elaine’s mam, who helped her review the new AI Ready platform from the Irish government (AIReady.ie) – and it did not go down well! We were so disappointed with this fumbled effort at AI literacy, but luckily we had Laura Grehan to speak to about getting it right. Laura leads education, engagement and societal impact for the Adapt research centre, and her award-winning team has reached about 85,000 people with their #DiscussAI initiative and other programmes. *** Good things we recommend ***>> #DiscussAI’s AI literacy resources >> Age-Friendly AI, a national AI literacy initiative for older adults >> Our chat on AI literacy with Prof Aphra Kerr  >> The Verge report on switching unsupported Windows devices to Linux >> Lemoncello’s new album, Perfect Place  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 23, 202647 min

Instagram’s end to encryption

Pretty soon your private messages on Instagram will no longer be end-to-end encrypted. But you may not have even known they could be encrypted to begin with, as Instagram kind of buried that feature. Kelly and Elaine discuss what this means for messaging apps more broadly, while also lifting the veil on how private these apps really are (as well as having a rant about all the things they don’t like about Instagram). *** Good things YOU recommend ***>> Amy recommends the film Desk Set >> Katie and Vanessa recommend the show WeCrashed  >> El recommends the documentary Ghost in the Machine >> Dean recommends the book Braver New World, by John Kampfner  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social  FTS UpScrolled: fortechssakepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 16, 202655 min

AI for good? (LIVE! with Dr Abeba Birhane)

To celebrate our 100th episode, we invited our listeners to watch us in action live, with the return of special guest Dr Abeba Birhane, founder of the pioneering AI Accountability Lab. We had fun with a game of Good Tech, Bad Tech (trademark pending) followed by a meaty discussion with Abeba about the morality of AI, the challenge of being a critic of AI, and how she met the Pope and Shaggy (no, really).We are so grateful to everyone who came out for this live recording, and also to The Digital Hub, and Dee and Oisin from the Beár Bia podcast for making it all possible.All proceeds from this event went to Medical Aid for Palestinians. Donate at MAP.org.uk.   *** Good things we recommend ***>> AI Accountability Lab  >> Biology as Ideology by Richard Lewontin>> Abeba’s reflections on the censorship of her keynote at the AI for Good Summit 2025  >> Kabakoo Academies, blending high-tech and indigenous knowledge in Mali >> Duck Duck Go, a Google alternative  *** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 9, 202630 min

The internet is coiled spaghetti (with Jane Ruffino)

In this episode, Elaine tries to turn Kelly into a subsea cables stan with the help of Jane Ruffino, a PhD candidate who recently visited a ship in the midst of (literally) winding up TAT-8, the world’s first transatlantic fibre-optic cable. Jane enthusiastically shares what we can learn from the subsea cable industry’s ‘minimum necessary technology’ mindset, and why it’s important that the infrastructure and labour that keeps us connected is made visible.Find Jane on LinkedIn and at CharacterWorks.co.*** Good things we recommend ***>> Jane’s superb article in Wired >> Our podcast episode, The internet under the sea >> The Undersea Network, a book by Nicole Starosielski>> Atlantic-Cable.com  >> Derek Cassidy, communication archaeologist  >> Irish artist Fiona Marron  >> Ye Olde Hurdy-Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio in Howth, Co. Dublin*** More from us ***Kelly’s Substack: kellysrubbish.substack.com  FTS blog: for-techs-sake.ghost.io  FTS TikTok: fortechssakepod  FTS Instagram: fortechssakepod  FTS Bluesky: fortechssakepod.bsky.social   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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