Podcast reviews: The history of the internet, falling in love with an AI bot and how Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr invented wifi
He traces how its founders' noble aim 'to democratise everything' became the opposite; an amplifier for conspiracy theories and hate speech, with big brands using algorithms 'to monetise our attention and maximise profit' and media companies (leaders, and individuals) using it to divide and conquer.
Graff's critique includes intelligent vox pops from innovators, commentators and those on the receiving end of viral content, as well as solutions on how best to put manners on what fast became a monster.
After devouring such a series, you might want a palate cleanser of a Sheila O'Flanagan ebook. Or continue in a similar fashion with a new Wondery offering, Flesh and Code (Apple, Spotify). Its premise of Travis falling in love with the woman of his dreams Lily Rose – an AI character – is a familiar one in the arts (in film, Her and I'm Your Man; in novels, Klara and the Sun and Machines Like Me).
But it's based on a real-life attachment when Travis downloaded an AI companion app during the pandemic and the resulting fallout, revealing how shadowy figures and corporations exploit real-world loneliness for their own means.
It's empathetically hosted by Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala, and touches upon why companion bots exist in the first place, why businesses are enlisting them and, from the users' point of view, their lived-experience pros as well as cons.
It was 10 years ago that Karina Longworth of the You Must Remember This podcast documented Hedy Lamarr's dual role of Hollywood star and early 'inventor' of wifi, while it took Netflix until 2017 to air the brilliant documentary feature Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.
Now, BBC World Service's new season of Untold Legends (Apple, BBC Sounds, Spotify) which charts how Lamarr's 'frequency hopping' concept in a patent to the US Navy in 1941 was discredited, but later developed, to become the basis of digital communications.
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Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Farrell, Horgan and Negga receive Emmy nominations as ‘Severance' leads the field
Horgan has been nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Bad Sisters. Farrell was the first name revealed for the Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category for his performances in The Penguin. Negga has been nominated for her performances in Presumed Innocent in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie category. Severance separated itself from the field with 27 nominations while The Studio led comedy nominees with a record-tying 23 in a dominant year for Apple TV+. No other dramas came close to the dystopian workplace series Severance, which achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz for its second season that brought an expected Emmy bounty. Lead acting nominations came for Adam Scott and Britt Lower for what amounted to dual roles as their characters' 'innie' work selves and 'outie' home selves. Tramell Tillman got a supporting nod for playing their tone-shifting, pineapple-wielding supervisor, and Patricia Arquette was nominated for supporting actress for playing an ousted outcast from the sinister family business at the centre of the show. Ben Stiller got a directing nomination. Apple's Hollywood satire The Studio was expected to make a big showing for its first season, but it romped over more established shows like Hacks, which got 14, and The Bear, which got 13. And The Studio tied a record set by The Bear last year when it also got 23 nominations, the most ever for a comedy. The Studio co-creator Seth Rogen personally got three nominations — for acting, writing and directing. Its A-list roster of guest stars brought in a bounty, with nominations for Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Dave Franco and Zoe Kravitz. The men made for five of the six nominees in the guest actor in a comedy category. ADVERTISEMENT The Penguin, HBO's dark drama from the Batman universe, was also surprisingly dominant in the limited series category with 24 nominations, including nods for leads Farrell and Cristin Milioti. Netflix's acclaimed Adolescence got 13 limited series nominations, including a supporting actor nod for 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old suspected of a killing. HBO's high-end soap The White Lotus got its usual flowering of drama acting nominations for its Thailand-set third season, with four cast members including Carrie Coon getting supporting actress nods, and three including Walton Goggins up for supporting actor. It was second in the drama categories to Severance with 23 nominations overall. 'The Pitt,' HBO Max's prestige medical procedural starring 'ER' veteran Noah Wyle, got 13 nominations, including best drama and best actor for its star, 'ER' veteran Noah Wyle. One of its nurses, Katherine LaNasa, was able to squeeze in among the women of 'The White Lotus' for a supporting actress nod. The Last of Us brought in 16 nominations in drama categories for HBO. The elite cable channel with its streaming counterpart HBO Max has been so prolific for decades in Emmy nominations that it almost felt like an off year without it having a Succession or a Game of Thrones atop the drama category. But it definitely wasn't. It led all outlets with 142 nominations, the most it's ever gotten. Netflix followed with 120 nominations overall, and Apple TV+ had 79. Wyle, who was nominated five times without a win for ER, could join Scott to make best actor in a drama a two-man race, with both seeking their first Emmy. Actors Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song announced the nominations in key categories. The nominees for best drama series are: Andor; Paradise; Severance; Slow Horses; The Diplomat; The Pitt, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. The nominees for best comedy series are: Hacks; The Bear; The Studio; Only Murders in the Building; Abbott Elementary; Nobody Wants This; Shrinking and What We Do in the Shadows. The nominees for outstanding limited series are: Adolescence; Black Mirror; Dying For Sex; Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story and The Penguin. The nominees for best comedy actor are: Seth Rogen, 'The Studio'; Martin Short, 'Only Murders in the Building'; Jeremy Allen-White, 'The Bear'; Adam Brody, 'Nobody Wants This'; Jason Segel, 'Shrinking.' The nominees for best comedy actress are: Uzo Aduba, 'The Residence'; Kristen Bell, 'Nobody Wants This'; Quinta Brunson, 'Abbott Elementary'; Jean Smart, 'Hacks'; Ayo Edibiri, 'The Bear.' 'Severance' has become a signature show for Apple TV+. The streamer has gotten plenty of Emmy nominations for dramas including 'The Morning Show' and 'Slow Horses,' and 'Ted Lasso' was downright dominant on the comedy side. But Apple has lacked the kind of breakaway prestige drama that HBO seems to produce perennially. That could change when the Emmys are handed out in September. 'Severance' got 14 nominations for its first season in 2023, but won just two, for its music and its title sequence. All the shows are living in the splintered world of the streaming era, and the like the Oscars its most acclaimed nominees rarely have the huge audience they once did. While an impressive average of 10 million people per episode watched Wyle on 'The Pitt' at some point on HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery, 30 years ago an average of 30 million sat down on the same night and watched him on 'ER' on NBC. Kathy Bates' best actress nomination for playing the title role in CBS's 'Matlock' made for a rare exception to streamers' dominance over broadcast networks. The Oscar-winning Bates is considered the front-runner to get the Emmy. She was the first person nominated in the category from a network show since 2019, and would be the first to win it since 2015. ABC's 'Abbott Elementary' has been keeping hope alive for broadcasters in recent years. It got six nods this year, including best actress in a comedy for creator Quinta Brunson, who also got a writing nomination. CBS will air the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 14. Nate Bargatze is slated to host.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Colin Farrell, Sharon Horgan and Ruth Negga receive Emmy nominations ahead of ceremony in Los Angeles
Horgan has been nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Bad Sisters. Farrell was the first name revealed for the Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category for his performances in The Penguin. Negga has been nominated for her performances in Presumed Innocent in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie category. Severance separated itself from the field with 27 nominations while The Studio led comedy nominees with a record-tying 23 in a dominant year for Apple TV+. No other dramas came close to the dystopian workplace series Severance, which achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz for its second season that brought an expected Emmy bounty. Lead acting nominations came for Adam Scott and Britt Lower for what amounted to dual roles as their characters' innie work selves and outie home selves. Tramell Tillman got a supporting nod for playing their tone-shifting, pineapple-wielding supervisor, and Patricia Arquette was nominated for supporting actress for playing an ousted outcast from the sinister family business at the center of the show. Ben Stiller got a directing nomination. Apple's Hollywood satire The Studio was expected to make a big showing for its first season, but it romped over more established shows like Hacks, which got 14, and The Bear, which got 13. And The Studio tied a record set by The Bear last year when it also got 23 nominations, the most ever for a comedy. 'The Studio' co-creator Seth Rogen personally got three nominations — for acting, writing and directing. Its A-list roster of guest stars brought in a bounty, with nominations for Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Dave Franco and Zoë Kravitz. The men made for five of the six nominees in the guest actor in a comedy category. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'The Penguin,' HBO's dark drama from the 'Batman' universe, was also surprisingly dominant in the limited series category with 24 nominations, including nods for leads Farrell and Cristin Milioti. Netflix's acclaimed 'Adolescence' got 13 limited series nominations, including a supporting actor nod for 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old suspected of a killing. HBO's high-end soap 'The White Lotus' got its usual flowering of drama acting nominations for its Thailand-set third season, with four cast members including Carrie Coon getting supporting actress nods, and three including Walton Goggins up for supporting actor. It was second in the drama categories to 'Severance' with 23 nominations overall. 'The Pitt,' HBO Max's prestige medical procedural starring 'ER' veteran Noah Wyle, got 13 nominations, including best drama and best actor for its star, 'ER' veteran Noah Wyle. One of its nurses, Katherine LaNasa, was able to squeeze in among the women of 'The White Lotus' for a supporting actress nod. 'The Last of Us' brought in 16 nominations in drama categories for HBO. The elite cable channel with its streaming counterpart HBO Max has been so prolific for decades in Emmy nominations that it almost felt like an off year without it having a 'Succession' or a 'Game of Thrones' atop the drama category. But it definitely wasn't. It led all outlets with 142 nominations, the most it's ever gotten. Netflix followed with 120 nominations overall, and Apple TV+ had 79. Wyle, who was nominated five times without a win for 'ER,' could join Scott to make best actor in a drama a two-man race, with both seeking their first Emmy. Actors Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song announced the nominations in key categories. The nominees for best drama series are: 'Andor'; 'Paradise'; 'Severance'; 'Slow Horses'; 'The Diplomat'; 'The Pitt'; 'The Last of Us' and 'The White Lotus.' The nominees for best comedy series are: 'Hacks'; 'The Bear'; 'The Studio'; 'Only Murders in the Building'; 'Abbott Elementary'; 'Nobody Wants This'; 'Shrinking' and 'What We Do in the Shadows.' The nominees for outstanding limited series are: 'Adolescence'; 'Black Mirror'; 'Dying For Sex'; 'Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story' and 'The Penguin.' The nominees for best comedy actor are: Seth Rogen, 'The Studio'; Martin Short, 'Only Murders in the Building'; Jeremy Allen-White, 'The Bear'; Adam Brody, 'Nobody Wants This'; Jason Segel, 'Shrinking' The nominees for best comedy actress are: Uzo Aduba, 'The Residence'; Kristen Bell, 'Nobody Wants This'; Quinta Brunson, 'Abbott Elementary'; Jean Smart, 'Hacks'; Ayo Edibiri, 'The Bear.' 'Severance' has become a signature show for Apple TV+. The streamer has gotten plenty of Emmy nominations for dramas including 'The Morning Show' and 'Slow Horses,' and 'Ted Lasso' was downright dominant on the comedy side. But Apple has lacked the kind of breakaway prestige drama that HBO seems to produce perennially. That could change when the Emmys are handed out in September. 'Severance' got 14 nominations for its first season in 2023, but won just two, for its music and its title sequence. All the shows are living in the splintered world of the streaming era, and the like the Oscars its most acclaimed nominees rarely have the huge audience they once did. While an impressive average of 10 million people per episode watched Wyle on 'The Pitt' at some point on HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery, 30 years ago an average of 30 million sat down on the same night and watched him on 'ER' on NBC. Kathy Bates' best actress nomination for playing the title role in CBS's 'Matlock' made for a rare exception to streamers' dominance over broadcast networks. The Oscar-winning Bates is considered the front-runner to get the Emmy. She was the first person nominated in the category from a network show since 2019, and would be the first to win it since 2015. ABC's 'Abbott Elementary' has been keeping hope alive for broadcasters in recent years. It got six nods this year, including best actress in a comedy for creator Quinta Brunson, who also got a writing nomination. CBS will air the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. Nate Bargatze is slated to host.
Sunday World
6 hours ago
- Sunday World
Steven Gerrard's daughter Lily welcomes baby with Lee Byrne
Lilly-Ella Gerrard welcomed the birth of their first baby with a post on social media. Lilly-Ella Gerrard and Lee Byrne have welcomed the birth of their first child. Lilly-Ella Gerrard and her boyfriend Lee Byrne, the son of Kinahan gangster Liam Byrne, have welcomed the birth of their first child. The daughter of English football legend Steven Gerrard, Lilly announced she was expecting a baby with her long-time boyfriend Lee in January of this year. The former Liverpool footballer revealed earlier this month that he was 'really excited' about the arrival of his first grandchild. Taking to social media on Tuesday, the 21-year-old announced that the baby had safely arrived by posting a story of her boyfriend Lee holding a baby carrier. She accompanied the picture with the three-word caption of '2 becomes 3.' Photo: Lilly Gerrard/Instagram She also shared pics featuring a spread of candles, flowers, and balloons that welcomed their newborn. The couple have not disclosed the gender of their first born. The new mum recently shared a mirror selfie with Lee, captioning the post, which shows the pair in an embrace as the 21-year-old shows off her growing baby bump, 'My love'. In another picture, she gave her followers a glimpse of home life as Lee sat on a plush white sofa surrounded by her three toy poodle pups, Barnie, Blondie, and Bobby. The new parents have been dating for over two years and regularly spend time with Gerrard's family in Bahrain, where they are based. Photo: Lilly Gerrard/Instagram Lee Byrne, Lilly Gerrard, and Steven Gerrard have no involvement in any crime. Lee's father, Liam, was arrested in Mallorca and extradited to the UK in December 2023 on conspiracy charges relating to a gun plot. In October, he was sentenced to five years behind bars at the Old Bailey in London after pleading guilty. The Crumlin native, who was in custody since he was arrested in Spain in June 2023, was released in January. Reacting to the news at the time, his son Lee shared his delight at the prospect of his dad's release, posting: 'Get in there' and 'I love you da'. He added 'see u sooooonnnnn!!!!' to the social media post, alongside black sunglasses emojis. Also reacting to the news, Lily shared a snap of herself and Lee with the caption: 'So happy for my Lee, Love you so, so much always.' Lilly-Ella Gerrard and Lee Byrne have welcomed the birth of their first child. Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 15th 2025 As part of his conditions, Liam Byrne is only allowed one personal mobile phone and SIM card for the next five years. Byrne was also ordered to register the make, model, colour and serial number of his phone with the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). He is banned from using encrypted devices, messaging apps and must ensure all his browsing history is visible, as part of the Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) which was served to him. He is allowed to have one laptop and a tablet and can also have a maximum of two business phones at any one time. It comes after Byrne landed himself behind bars for using the encrypted messaging service EncroChat to arrange the gun plot for which he served time.
