Today on AirTalk, we look at a new study that has found the most popular vaping flavors among teens. Also on AirTalk, we discuss the impact cancel culture; talk about the pros and cons of a 4-day work week; and more.
There’s A New Tool For Spotting DeepFakes, But Can It Get Ahead Of The Curve?
Deepfake technology, which creates videos manipulated using artificial intelligence, has arguably been developing faster than software that can detect it.
But researchers are working on it — and today, UC Berkeley is releasing new software to help journalists and people within politics to better spot altered or faked videos.
Guests:
Shruthi Agarwal, Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley who is part of the team that is developing the software to screen for fake videos
Rob Meadows, president and CTO of the AI Foundation, which researches and creates tools with the aim of protecting the general public from AI manipulation
Oh No! Streaming Services Might Crack Down On Password Sharing, But How Would They Do It?
One streaming account doesn’t necessarily mean one individual using said account. A lot of times people are using their sister’s friend’s uncle’s password to enjoy shows and movies that the many streaming services, like Netflix and Hulu, have to offer.
But according to a number of news outlets, streaming companies could very well be cracking down on sharing passwords. But how will the streaming services do it? One anti-piracy organization says it will focus on finding the best practices and another UK-based company will use AI to track down shared passwords, according to an article in The Verge.
A Netflix spokesperson shared this statement with us:
"First, our terms of use clarifies that Netflix login information is intended for members of the same household. Beyond that, Netflix allows its members to set up to five profiles on each account and limits usage of devices that can access Netflix at the same time by plans. So there are natural guardrails in place that limit account sharing."
Could this mean the end of shared passwords for streaming? Would this affect how you stream services? Join the conversation by calling 866.893.5722.
Guest:
Dan Rayburn, streaming media expert and principal analyst with Frost & Sullivan, a private research and consulting group; he works out of the New York location
Is A Four-Day Workweek The Secret To Success?
Not only can a four-day workweek mean happier employees, it turns out it can produce more efficient ones as well.
In August, Microsoft Japan piloted a month-long, four-day workweek and found that productivity jumped 40% in the office. The company closed its doors on Fridays and gave its employees a three-day weekend as part of a project to promote work-life balance. In the United States, where many full-time professionals regularly clock overtime, companies are slowly beginning to experiment with the model. Some employers that have implemented a four-day workweek have reported that their workers are more focused while in the office and better at trimming out excessive meetings and other distractions.
There are issues with the four-day workweek that are hard to remedy, however. Some companies that implemented the shorter week have since rolled it back after a trial period, finding that only four days of work made employees less available to clients and not efficient enough to justify the extra time off. Employers have also found that if workers took an extra day off in the four day workweek, that loss in time was crucial— three days, as it turns out, is just too little to get a week’s work out of the way.
Do you think the four day workweek would be effective? Is it something you would like to see implemented in your workplace? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Joyce Maroney, executive director of The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated, a think tank that helps organizations drive performance and which published the 2018 survey “The Case for a 4-day Workweek?”
Jeff Butler, workplace strategist based in Boston, MA
New USC Study shows teens actually prefer Mint to fruity vape flavors
The Trump Administration is proposing a ban on all e-cigarette flavors besides menthol and tobacco.
But will this affect teens' use? Previous consensus has been that young teens who vape prefer fruit and candy flavors, but a new study by USC’s Institute for Addiction Science finds that mint is the most popular flavor among tenth and twelfth graders surveyed, and the second most popular flavor behind mango for eighth graders. It's unclear whether menthol is comparable to mint, and whether teens would make the switch.
Under growing demand for regulation and bans, E-cigarette manufacturer JUUL voluntarily pulled all of its flavors except for mint, menthol, and tobacco off shelves, and its fruit and dessert flavors are awaiting FDA review. But how effective will this be, if teens can still get their hands on menthol flavored e-cigarettes?
Guest:
Jessica Barrington-Trimis, co-author of a new USC study on vaping and high school students; assistant professor of Preventive Medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine
Gov. Newsom Floated The Idea Of A State Takeover Of PG&E. How Would That Look And How Would It Impact Customers?
California's governor on Friday threatened a possible takeover of the troubled utility blamed for sparking deadly wildfires across the state with its outdated equipment unless it can emerge from bankruptcy ahead of next year's wildfire season with a plan focused on safety.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called all sides to a meeting early next week, saying he would personally try to mediate a solution involving Pacific Gas & Electric. But if an agreement can't be reached, Newsom said, "then the state will prepare itself as backup for a scenario where we do that job for them."
PG&E has come under more scrutiny in recent weeks as it cut off power to millions of people to avoid a repeat of last year's deadly fire season. The shutoffs have angered residents, businesses and local governments, who say the company has done a poor job of communicating.
It's unclear how the state could take over PG&E in the event it does not meet the June 30th deadline. But the governor's office pointed to General Motors as an example. The automaker filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and the federal government purchased a controlling stake in the company. The government later sold its shares once the company was on solid footing.
Pacific Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy earlier this year after a 2018 wildfire mostly destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. An investigation revealed the fire was started by one of the company's powerlines that was knocked down during a windstorm.The utility is facing up to $30 billion in damages from that fire and others.
With files from the Associated Press
We invited Governor Gavin Newsom to participate in our discussion but he was not available to us at the time we requested. We also contacted PG&E to request comment, but as of the airing of this segment we had not received a response. We will update this segment if we hear back from them.
Guests:
Bill Dodd (D-Napa), State Senator representing California’s Third Senate District, which is comprised largely of Yolo County but also includes cities in Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Napa Counties in the northern San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region he tweets @
Severin Borenstein, professor of business administration and public policy at UC Berkeley; he is also faculty director of the Energy Institute at Berkley’s Haas School of Business; he tweets
How Is Call-Out Culture Playing Out In High Schools?
Last week, during an interview about youth activism, Obama called out “call-out culture,” arguing that the stone-casting mentality, facilitated by social media, isn’t a productive way to effect change.
Also known as “cancel culture” Obama is referring to a (usually online) form of public shaming in which people will call attention to problematic behavior or collectively boycott a public figure.
But cancel culture has also infiltrated high schools and the way kids talk and interact with each other. We discuss the trickle down and the nature of this phenomenon in schools. Plus, if your child has experienced this, give us a call: 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Sanam Yar, styles reporter at the New York Times, where she writes about youth culture and social media; her latest piece is “Tales From the Teenage Cancel Culture”; she tweets