What do you think about X?

Today on WDYTAX we're joined by Aminata Kamara, presenter of BBC Radio Leicester's The VIBE: Vibrant Intelligent Black Entertainment, podcaster, and writer. Aminata discusses with us about why white people find it so hard to talk about race. We cover an interesting range of differences from education to day-to-day experience and Aminata flips the conversation on its head, asking what does it mean to be White? Why should you listen to this episode? Maybe you're white and want to think about how you can be a better ally. Maybe you're not, and you want to hear some tips from Aminata on discussing it. Aminata's show runs every Wednesday 19:00-22:00 and can be accessed through the link here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07hsm77 Aminata can also be found online here: Instagram - @aminataonline Twitter - @aminataonline Contact us: wdytax@gmail.com

Today on WDYTAX we're joined by Dr. Lucy Burke. Lucy is an academic at Manchester Met specialising in literary and cultural disability studies and the medical humanities. Her study explores how dementia and learning disabilities are represented across a range of literary, filmic, televisual and auto/biographical texts, and how we might draw upon ways of working in arts and humanities develop creative ways of working with disabled people and older people living with dementia. Currently working with Access All Areas theatre company on an Arts Council England project Transforming Leadership and coming to the end of a major AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) project D4D exploring disabled people's experiences of community. Links mentioned in the episode: http://www.accessallareastheatre.org/transforming-leadership https://sickfestival.com/2019_events/graphic-encounters-event/ Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

This week on WDYTAX we're joined by three-time cancer survivor Sam Rose; PhD research student, Head of Content at a digital marketing agency and author of Gut Feelings - a book about her experiences with cancer and Lynch Syndrome. Among other things, in this episode, we talk to Sam about how cancer has shaped her identity and her ‘dark humour', how to be a good supporter to cancer patients and, importantly, what percentage of her organs have been removed….place your bets! Find Sam at www.writersam.co.uk or @writersamr on Twitter. Sam's book Gut Feelings: Coping with cancer and living with Lynch syndrome can be found on Amazon at www.amazon.co.uk/Gut-Feelings-Coping-Cancer-Syndrome/dp/B08T6BTJZ3/ As always catch us at @aboutxpodcast to carry on the discussion after. Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

Welcome to season two of WDYTAX - Identity! We'll be theming the upcoming episodes around identity and allyship, gathering experiences and research from some brilliant writers and thinkers on the subject. Watch out for episodes on cancer survivorship, disability in the UK, and toxic masculinity. We're also delighted to introduce a new co-host - Perry Pearcey, a marketing professional, punslinger, and one of our oldest and dearest friends. You'll get to know Pel over the next few episodes as he settles into the conversation.

It's been a year since we first decided to get the microphones out and start recording WDYTAX. In this episode we review some of the discussions we've had over the last year and start to think about where we want to go next. As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. If you've been with us from the start, joined partway through, or have only just discovered us thank you so much - your time and attention mean a lot to us. Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

In this episode of WDYTAX, Prof. Ruth Kinna talks to us about anarchy and its place in the modern world. Ruth is a researcher and lecturer in political theory at the University of Loughborough and has published several books on anarchy and political theory over the years. As always catch us at @aboutxpodcast to carry on the discussion after. Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

In this episode of WDYTAX we're joined by Neil Logan to discuss entrepreneurship and the impact businesses can have on the people they interact with. Neil is the CEO of Incremental Group, board member of Edinburgh Business School, and Senior Enterprise Fellow at the University of Strathclyde. It was great to have Neil on to give a refreshing point of view on what a business can and should be doing. As always catch us at @aboutxpodcast to carry on the discussion after. Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

This week on WDYTAX we're joined by Liam Bagshaw, a researcher from the University of Reading. Liam's focus is on international law and the role it plays in creating disasters. I was surprised to have some of my thinking really challenged in this discussion - you'll not hear the term 'Natural Disaster' in the same way ever again! As always catch us at @aboutxpodcast to carry on the discussion after. Music by Chris Tybjerg Cover art by www.irondragondesign.com

In this episode of WDYTAX, Amina Easat-Daas discusses her research on gendered Islamophobia with us. Amina talks through some of the impact current legislation is having on communities in France and Belgium. This was really eye-opening highlighting significant inequalities and the troubling roots they've grown from. We drew some interesting parallels centred around 'otherness'. Amina also hosts another podcast, Network ReOrient, that dives much deeper into these and much broader topics reconnecting the Islamosphere. If you're interested in reading more of Amina's work and research you can find Amina's profile here: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/academic-staff/business-and-law/amina-easat-daas/amina-easat-daas.aspx Or connect with her on Twitter at @aeasat The blog post mentioned in the episode can be found here: https://cura.our.dmu.ac.uk/2021/01/29/muslim-womens-political-participation-in-france-and-belgium-ever-shrinking-spaces/ Music by Chris Tybjerg

Today on WDYTAX we're joined by Jonathan Rose, Associate Professor in Politics and Research Methodology. He's guiding us through a fascinating conversation on the nature of corruption. We talk about definitions and the history of the word and some of the current research on the topic. If you'd like to check out Jonathan's work his profile is here: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/academic-staff/business-and-law/jonathan-rose/jonathan-rose.aspx And the Last Week Tonight episode on Civil Forfeiture can be seen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks

In this episode of WDYTAX, we're fortunate enough to be joined Nick Turner, Reader in Bioanalytical Chemistry at De Montfort University, and Nic Fair Knowledge Engineer Researcher at Southampton University - both expert educators with experience in developing and delivering online learning in higher education. Alongside Simon's experience as a lecturer having recently transitioned his course to a blended delivery model, this episode talks through some of the advantages and disadvantages of these new technologies. There was a lot to get into here and we didn't cover it all. If you're keen to hear more, please reach out and let us know for a potential follow-up on this topic. If you're interested in seeing the MOOCs developed by our wonderful guests they're both free at the links below. Nick Turner's - The Science of Alcohol is available here: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/the-science-alcohol/content-section-overview Nic Fair's - Learning in the Network Age is available here: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age

In this episode of WDYTAX, Simon and Adam talk about Deepfakes - the technology behind Channel 4's alternative Christmas message. A brief run through of their history, some current applications, and some predictions of where they may be applied in the future. How is technology being used to manipulate voters and consumers? This poses a lot of questions around authenticity and how we may be wired to project a false self when it suits us. There are a few links and books mentioned throughout the episode: A Deepfake Queen's Speech is just the start - Adam's short blog post with a few predictions A Discourse on Inequality - Jean Jacques Rousseau's take on the root of the false self The GANfather - a good history of GANs and the technology Deepfakes in elections - a Vice.com article discussing the use of Deepfakes to change the dialect of a political video that subsequently went viral This person does not exist - realistic images of people that have never existed generated by GANs Which person is real? - can you spot a GAN fake from the real deal? This pizza does not exist - AI Pizza anyone? This X does not exist - more GAN implementations to play with

This week on WDYTAX, Simon and Adam are joined by two very special guests: Jude Reid - Consultant Surgeon Jonathon Gregory - Nutrition Nurse Specialist They have taken time out of their incredibly busy schedules to discuss the potential dangers of the hero narrative surrounding healthcare workers that has evolved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We're honoured to be able to share some insights from people directly affected by it and ponder what the next year or so might hold. We discuss two articles in the show which can be found here: ‘Healthcare Heroes': problems with media focus on heroism from healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic - https://jme.bmj.com/content/46/8/510 Hero Worship: The Elevation of the Human Spirit - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jtsb.12094 Also, if you're into comedy/horror please check out Jude's podcast, the excellent Tales from the Aletheian Society - www.hunterhoose.co.uk

This week on WDYTAX Simon and Adam revisit the meritocracy discussion, this time focusing on some of the challenges to a satisfying alternative.

In this episode of WDYTAX we're Inspired by the work of Michael Sandel and a question sent in from a listener. Simon and Adam discuss the dangers of meritocracy, how it relates to class and the demographics of conspiracy theorists. Reference material: Michael Sandel Interview - https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2020/10/12/ep-254-1-sandel-meritocracy/ The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories - https://open.spotify.com/episode/39tPz9TisSvHbf00wFoJcV?si=aaQWtkrFSaCyXwbd5ZS2nQ

This week on WDTYAX we ask what is universal basic income, how could it be used, and what might it mean in an ever more automated world?

This week on WDYTAX we wanted to discuss who owns your data and how it's used.

Welcome to WDYTAX, where Simon Stevens and Adam Sroka talk technology, ethics, AI, and politics.