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The Science Slot Machine

The Science Slot Machine

By The Science Slot Machine

It’s not science. It’s not gambling. It’s both!
Welcome to the Science Slot Machine, a dangerous game of science, research, luck, and improvisation.

Now it's time to send us your topics! Simply send us an email at scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

This Podcast is brought to you by students of the Science and Technology Studies Master program at the University of Vienna.

Every episode we pick a random topic from Science and Technology suggested by you, dear listeners. Then we do our research on this very topic and aim to present it from an STS perspective.
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Currently playing episode

Special Feature: Ulrike Felt on Good Scientific Practice

The Science Slot MachineMar 03, 2021

00:00
44:37
Shaping Spaces (Through Sounds)
Apr 24, 202144:11
In The Mood For Food

In The Mood For Food

Mar 25, 202124:25
Scientific Misconduct

Scientific Misconduct

In this episode, the Science Slot Machine team discusses the interview with professor Ulrike Felt further and explores pathways to think about science, different practices, and scientific misconduct 👀

But first, we are happy to announce that we are bringing on a new team member! In this episode, fellow STS master’s student Nora joins Robbie, Costa, and Harry for the first time 👯👯 Get to know more about her in the episode 👋

Here, the four of us discuss various aspects of scientific misconduct including plagiarism, false data fabrication, and issues of (co)authorship ☝

While we also touch upon famous cases of plagiarism like the recent case of minister Aschbacher in Austria, we ask ourselves how scientific practice can actually be improved and how good scientific practice can actually be achieved❓

Tune in to get to know more about misconduct, responsibility, and trust in science 🔊

References:

Shapin, Steven, & Schaffer, Simon. (1985). Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Merton, Robert K. (1973) [1942]. The Normative Structure of Science. In Robert K. Merton Robert (ed.), The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations (pp. 267-278). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Weber, Stefan. (2009). Das Google-Copy-Paste-Syndrom: Wie Netzplagiate Ausbildung und Wissen gefährden (2., aktualisierte und erw. Aufl.. ed., Telepolis). Hannover: Heise.

Weber, Stefan. (n.d.). Doz. Dr. Stefan Weber. Sachverständiger für Plagiatsprüfung. Accessed March 6, 2021. https://plagiatsgutachten.com/.

Mar 07, 202147:20
Special Feature: Ulrike Felt on Good Scientific Practice
Mar 03, 202144:37
Sustainability in Everyday Life (Part II)

Sustainability in Everyday Life (Part II)

In part II of our discussion of sustainability ♻️ the Science Slot Machine team turns to topics like fashion 💃, new and holistic approaches ♻️, and the usual STS (Science and Technology Studies) spin 🔱. Therefore, scholars like Sheila Jasanoff or Ulrich Brand and their concepts are discussed and put into relation.

HUGE shoutout to Ivana Dimitrova 👧🧠 who shared her opinion on and experience with slow fashion. 👗👖  If you are living in Bulgaria and willing to try out the concept of a more sustainable fashion, check out the “Exchange Collective, Майна” community Ivana created.

We are also ultra thankful to Katharina Buiten 👩🧠who reminded us about the different approaches towards sustainability and the holistic perspective we could apply to it. 🍀 Don’t forget to look up the digital magazine she represents ➡️ Tech & Nature, dedicated entirely to sustainable news, solutions, and ideas. 

Some local sustainability startups 🚀we mention in the episode that you might want to know more about are ➡️ TooGoodToGo, Refurbed, Rebel Meat, ZIRP Insects, and Damn Plastic. In the sources, you can find a link to a list of all zero waste shops in Vienna. :)

And if you are in the corporate world 👔 make sure you get more familiar with the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 🧐

Drop us your comments and opinions on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @ science_slotmachine 

Facebook @ TheScienceSlotMachine 

Twitter @ SciSlotMachine 


🗓️ This episode was recorded on January 7th, 2021. 🗓️

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions at scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

Sources:

Music & Sounds https://icons8.com/ & https://freesound.org/ 

Literature:







Jan 27, 202147:10
Sustainability in Everyday Life (Part I)

Sustainability in Everyday Life (Part I)

“New year, new me” 🎉 strikes again and as we would like to live more mindfully in 2021, we are happy to kick off the first episode of the year with the topic of Sustainability. ♻️

Sustainability… a buzzword of our time! How can we think about it? And how can we define it? In Part 1 Robbie, Harry & Costa scratch the surface of the endless elements of sustainable living. 🍀

Generally speaking, sustainability includes three main aspects - environment 🌍, society 👭, and economy 📈, as the three main pillars are long term environmental practices, a better quality of life for all members of society, and sustainable economic development.

In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics related to sustainability, climate change, and environmentally friendly projects such as the sustainable development goals (SDGs), reducing greenwashing inequality, innovative solutions, frugal innovation. What it’s all about, and who is responsible? The individual or societies as a whole? ❓❗️

We are extremely thankful to Dimitar (Dino) Kirov who shared some of his knowledge on sustainable mobility. 🚗☢️ His comment is a great example of how less we actually know about sustainable solutions and that sustainability often serves as a marketing strategy rather than a way of changing the world. If you are interested in learning more about “full and plug-in hybrids or battery electric vehicles”, check out this essay by Dino Kirov. ⬅️

Sustainability is such a broad and important topic that we barely managed to talk about all the different angles you can look at it from. Therefore, we continue our philosophical debates on sustainability in Part II, where we explore further the concept of slow and fast fashion as well as different STS approaches towards sustainability. ⏯

🔔 Let us know what are your thoughts on sustainability! 🔔

Drop us your comments and opinions on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook @TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter @SciSlotMachine 

🗓️ This episode was recorded on January 7th, 2021. 🗓️

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions at scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

Sources:

Sounds www.bensound.com

Literature:

Jan 13, 202146:18
2020 Recap

2020 Recap

Sooo, how would you describe 2020 in one word? 🧐 A challenge, a resilience, an Oaschloch? What would you remember this year with? Lockdown, Zoom, home-office?😷

2020 certainly was a very different year one which surprised us with a variety of events, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises. In this episode, the Science Slot Machine Team - Harry, Robbie, and Costa, elaborate on some of the highlights of 2020 such as the Australian wildfires, the COVID-19 outbreak, the Black Lives Matter movement, the US elections. 🏴

Despite the tough times, 2020 had a bright side as well and forced us to grow exponentially as individuals and as a society. The “new normal” is not only about wearing a mask but also about accepting the need for a change. 🏳️ Do you think the difficulties we experienced in the last 12 months would make us more optimistic and hopeful in the future? ❤️

Slow and fast disasters, standardization, and the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) are a few of the STS angles we managed to apply to this topic. 🎓


🎄⭐ The Science Slot Machine wishes you an AMAZING 2021! 🎄⭐

➡️ Let us know what would you remember 2020 with, what lessons did you learn? :) ⬅️

Drop us your comments and opinions on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook
@TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter
@SciSlotMachine 

🗓️ This episode was recorded on December 28th, 2020. 🗓️

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions at scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

Sources:

Music & Sounds https://icons8.com/ & https://freesound.org/

Dec 30, 202055:60
Consumerism

Consumerism

Did you prepare Christmas presents for friends and family already? 🎁 Be honest—how many presents did you purchase on Black Friday? In this episode, Harry, Robbie, and Costa discuss the wide topic of consumerism with the coming holidays in mind.

We reflect on e-shopping, monitoring consumer behavior, planned obsolescence, reasserting the activist component back into Science and Technology Studies. 🛒 If you’re worried about being judged on this episode for your online shopping, don’t worry! We’re also very guilty ourselves. 🛍️

Have you heard of the social theory of Consumer Society (Konsumgesellschaft)? Actually, despite the negative association with the word “consumerism”, this social and economic order encourages the competitive environment among manufactures which led to many industrial revolutions and more quality and accessible goods and services for everyone. 🏭

Don't forget to check out
Kyoobikel - a local startup and an excellent example of the hybrid systems we discuss in the episode. :)

                                                    🎄⭐ The Science Slot Machine wishes you very HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 🎄⭐

Drop us your comments and opinions about consumer society and remember to share your highlights from 2020 on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook
@TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter
@SciSlotMachine 

🗓️ This episode was recorded on December 12th, 2020. 🗓️

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions at scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

Sources:

Music - www.epidemicsound.com

Literature:

Dec 16, 202039:60
Vienna as a Livable City

Vienna as a Livable City

Vienna, our favorite city! ❤️

A city with a rich history, beautiful architecture, and established traditions in art and science. A place that has always been ahead of its time, and which some of the greatest minds from various fields have called home - Mozart, Beethoven, Freud, Klimt, Schrödinger, and many others. 🧠🏡

Austria's capital, as you may know, has been ranked among the top 3 cities to live in worldwide 10 years in a row, which is quite an achievement. Therefore, in this episode, we dig deeper into the concept of what makes Vienna so livable and how such great quality of life is maintained. 🍀

Wait, how could you even measure the livability of a city? 🤔 More about the methodology of such rankings, the strengths, and weaknesses, as well as the usual STS twist on it, you hear in this episode.

Shout out to Cyntha who sent us this topic, Sonia, a fellow STS scholar, and Viktoria Andreeva, an aspiring artist and photographer that you can check out on
www.viktoriaandreeva.com or directly on her Insta profile _viktoria.andreeva 📸

And don't forget that…
Vienna waits for you! 🎵 

Stay up to date with the upcoming topics in the Science Slot Machine on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook
@TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter
@SciSlotMachine 

🗓️ To avoid confusion, this episode has been recorded on November 27th, 2020. 🗓️

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions to scienceslotmachine@gmail


Sources:

Music -  www.bensound.com
Capital of Democracy Project - https://capitalofdemocracy.eu/

Statistics:

Literature:

  • Gieryn, T. F. (2006). City as Truth-Spot: Laboratories and Field-Sites in Urban Studies.
  • Karvonen, A. (2020) Urban Techno-Politics: Knowing, Governing, and Imagining the City
  • Miller, T. R (2020) Imaginaries of Sustainability: The Techno-Politics of Smart Cities
  • Scott, J. (1998). Seeing Like a State:
  • Winner, L. (1986). Do Artifacts Have Politics?
Dec 02, 202051:52
US Presidential Elections (Part II)

US Presidential Elections (Part II)

Within the second part of our episode dedicated to the US Presidential elections between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, we would like to pay special attention to revisioning this complex topic from the perspective of Science and Technology Studies (STS), 👨‍🎓

Politics, society, science, and technology are inseparable entities of our lives and are the core aspects that construct our past, present, and future. 🤯 We managed to apply the STS approach to the case of the US presidential elections by discussing the certainties and uncertainties, the value of expertise and controversy, the impact technology has on understanding and participating in politics, and most importantly the impact on our future-making.🌍

📌 What do you think is the role of science in politics, elections, and voting? Drop us a line directly on social media. ⬇️

Huge thanks to Hugh Schmidt 👨‍🎓 who took part in this episode and provided us with valuable insights on the structure of the voting system in the USA. Get to learn more about the history of elections, the established practices, and different voting mechanisms in the first part of this episode!

With this episode, we pay our respects to all scientists, experts, doctors, and nurses  🦸 🦸‍♂️

#politics #USelections2020 #VOTE #science #uncertainties #futuremaking

🗓️ To avoid confusion, we want to inform you that this episode has been recorded on November 7th, 2020. 🗓️

Stay up to date with the upcoming topics in the Science Slot Machine on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook
@TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter
@SciSlotMachine 

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions to scienceslotmachine@gmail

Nov 13, 202043:41
US Presidential Elections (Part I)
Nov 11, 202057:52
E-Learning in Times of a Pandemic
Oct 28, 202036:26
The End of The Universe

The End of The Universe

Have you ever wondered when the end of the universe would arrive and how it would look like? 🌌 Have you even thought about how old the universe might be?

Future-making is a big deal in Science and Technology Studies. Therefore, Team Cherry 🍒 and Team Banana 🍌 debate over the possible scenarios that might cause the end of the World as we know it. Considering the popular misconception that the end of the universe and the end of the civilization are synonyms, the two teams aim to provide some insights from the fields of Astrophysics and Cosmology. 💫

Hit the ▶️ and get to learn a bit more about the various scientific theories, where do they differ and why do they carry such absurd names - The Big Crunch, The Big Bounce, The Big Chill, The Big Rip.. ☠️ Why is it important to know how the universe is going to end and what impact this has on society as a whole? Can we even do something about it and should the idea of the end of the universe motivate us to live a more meaningful life?

Big shoutout to Thomas Zauner 👨‍🎓 who agreed to share his knowledge on the topic and helped us give this special STS twist to the conversation.

Stay up to date with the upcoming topics in the Science Slot Machine on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook
@TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter
@SciSlotMachine 

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions to scienceslotmachine@gmail

Sources:

Mack, K. (2020). The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking). Scribner.

Sound snippets available at www.icons8.com/music

Sep 22, 202047:07
Coffeehouse Culture in Vienna

Coffeehouse Culture in Vienna

We like our podcast as we like our coffee – local and thought-provoking. 😎

Have you ever wondered why coffee houses are such a major part of the Viennese traditions? ☕ Café Central, Café Ritter, Café Landtmann are just a few of the most popular names that you might be familiar with. Let’s dive into the Viennese coffee house culture with the Science Slot Machine Podcast and get to learn more about the history of coffee houses in Austria and the vital role such social places play in our lives. 🕵️ Team Cherry 🍒 and Team Banana 🍌 unite forces and will take you on a journey that smells like rich coffee and sounds like classical music.

Meanwhile, you can enjoy a more philosophical discussion on where do we draw the line between “doing” culture and “consuming” culture. Are modern coffee houses a simulacrum of an old tradition, a museum, or are these creating a reality on their own – what would you say?  🌌

Hearing and auditory perception are quite a big part of this episode, so listen carefully! 👂

Stay up to date with the upcoming topics in the Science Slot Machine on our social media channels: 🤳🏽

Instagram @science_slotmachine
Facebook @TheScienceSlotMachine
Twitter @SciSlotMachine

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions to scienceslotmachine@gmail

Sources:

Baudrillard, J. (1981). Simulacres et simulation (Débats). Paris: Galilée.

Pauli, Hertha. (1970). Der Riss der Zeit geht durch mein Herz: Ein Erlebnisbuch. Vienna: Paul Zsolnay Verlag.

More from the amazing pianist Alejandro Escuder you could find on his website http://www.alejandroescuder.com/ 🎹

Jul 28, 202043:15
Tracking Pigeons in Vienna

Tracking Pigeons in Vienna

With two new members, Patrick and Costa, the first official battle between Team Cherry 🍒 and Team Banana 🍌 revolves around the topic of (*drums*) Tracking Pigeons in Vienna! 🕊️ Quite a challenge but both teams managed to dig in the most interesting and relevant scientific findings and wrap them up in a great podcast episode!

No doubt the flying rats have a terrible reputation...

Hit the play button ▶️ and learn more about the fascinating nature of pigeons and how the urban areas have shaped the relationship between humans and birds. Why are pigeons so good at navigating spaces? What makes them such an interesting object in various scientific fields? Are pigeons actually cyborgs??? How can we deal with the issue of pigeon poop all over the place and why is it bad to feed pigeons in the first place? 🧐

This, and much more, as well as a sneak-peek to our interviews with experts from the NGO Tierschutzverein and the Tierschutzombudsstelle in Vienna, exclusively on the first episode of the Science Slot Machine. 🧠 We promise you will be a pigeon expert after this!

❗️ Please avoid feeding pigeons on the street – unless it's their naturally required food: grains! – and don’t forget to report cases of sick or injured pigeons on the local wild animal hotline +43 1 4000 49090.

Last but not least: Let’s spin the science slot machine reels again and see which topic hits the jackpot! 🎰 Drop us your suggestions to scienceslotmachine@gmail.com

  1. Bingman, V. P., Jechura, T., & Kahn, M.C. (2006). Behavioral and neural mechanisms of homing and migration in birds. In M.F. Brown and R.G. Cook (Eds.), Animal Spatial Cognition: Comparative, Neural, and Computational Approaches.
  2. Bingman, V. P., Hough, G. E., Kahn, M. C., & Siegel, J. J. (2003). The homing pigeon hippocampus and space: in search of adaptive specialization. Brain, behavior, and evolution, 62(2), 117–127.
  3. Dobeic, M., Pintaric, S., Vlahovic, K., & Dovc, A. (2011). Feral pigeon (Columba livia) population management in Ljubljana. Veterinarski Arhiv, 81(2), 285–298.
  4. Haraway, D. (2003). The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.
  5. Johnston, R. F., & Janiga, M. (1995). Feral Pigeons. Oxford University Press.
  6. Rose, E., Nagel, P., & Haag-Wackernagel, D. (2005). Suitability of using the global positioning system (GPS) for studying Feral Pigeons Columba livia in the urban habitat. Bird Study, 52(2), 145–1
  7. Senar, J. C., Montalvo, T., Pascual, J., & Peracho, V. (2017). Reducing the availability of food to control feral pigeons: Changes in population size and composition. Pest Management Science, 73(2), 313–317.
  8. Skinner, B. F. (1948). 'Superstition' in the pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38(2), 168–172.
  9. Soldatini, C., Mainardi, D., Baldaccini, N. E., & Giunchi, D. (2006). A temporal analysis of the foraging flights of feral pigeons (Columba livia f. Domestica) from three Italian cities. Italian Journal of Zoology, 73(1), 83–92.
  10. Stephan, C., Wilkinson, A., & Huber, L. (2012). Have We Met Before? Pigeons Recognise Familiar Human Faces. Avian Biology Research, 5(2), 75–80.
  11. Stephan, C., Wilkinson, A., & Huber, L. (2013). Pigeons discriminate objects on the basis of abstract familiarity. Animal Cognition, 16(6), 983–992.
  12. Tierschutztombudsstelle Wien. (2020). Tieranwalt.at—Stadttaubenkonzept der Tierschutzombudsstelle Wien. Tieranwalt.at. https://www.tieranwalt.at/stadttaube.htm
Jun 12, 202057:35
Welcome to the Science Slot Machine!
Apr 28, 202034:31