Familiar Shapes

Heather D. Freeman
  • 4.9 (17)
  • HISTORY
  • WEEKLY SERIES

Technology and magic have a long, rich history together. Each Wednesday, filmmaker Heather Freeman guides us through this apparent paradox with technologists and historians from around the world. If you're into history, witchcraft, magic, social media, artificial intelligence, infotech, or ethics, this podcast brings them together with friendly familiars and malicious bots.

  1. 1. Magnum Opus Postmortem

    EPISODE 1

    1. Magnum Opus Postmortem

    What do you do when Covid-19 kills the context of your feature documentary film? You turn it into a podcast, apparently. Filmmaker Heather Freeman interviews Owen Davies (University of Hertfordshire), Marion Gibson (University of Exeter), Douglas Guilbeault (Annenberg School of Communication), Paolo Parigi (AirBnB and Stanford University), Samira Shaikh (UNC Charlotte), Tim Weninger (University of Notre Dame), and Samuel Woolley (University of Austin at Texas) about the early modern witch trials and the dangers lurking on social media. Addition sounds and thanks to: Voice of America Freesound.org Quinn Freeman Murphy Music from ccMixter Social Distancing (Extended Mix) (w/ Darkroom) by Whitewolf (c) copyright 2020 Jerus by septahelix (c) copyright 2020 Je suis un Phoenix by Bluemillenium (c) copyright 2020 Morsbach,1954. by Bluemillenium (c) copyright 2012 Solstice Contemplation by duckett (c) copyright 2011

    28 min
  2. 2. Tay and John Walsh

    EPISODE 2

    2. Tay and John Walsh

    Tay is a bot-gone-wrong and John Walsh was a cunning-man accused of witchcraft. Their stories are chased with a crash course in the history of information technologies.  Filmmaker Heather Freeman interviews Owen Davies (University of Hertfordshire), Susan Etlinger (Altimeter Group and The Centre for International Governance Innovation), Marian Gibson (University of Exeter), and Samuel Woolley (University of Texas - Austin). Addition Sounds thanks to: Freesound.org fromtexttospeeach.com child/crying/demonic/angry: They don't love me anymore. They don't love me I hate you by 11linda / AmeAngelofSin / Ashley Eddy  Music thanks to: cdk - Sunday by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/53755 Time by Darkroom (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mactonite/29957 Ft: SackJo22 Solitude by Entertainment for the Braindead is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. San Fairy Ann by Hypermagic is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. Right by The Insider is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. Traffic and Dark Alleys by Kai Engel is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License. The Fairy by Pk jazz Collective is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/jlbrock44/33345 Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza Imagination; The Way You Talk; and A Childish World by Zebrat is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License

    27 min
  3. 3. Magical Networks

    EPISODE 3

    3. Magical Networks

    What did early modern people really think about magic? And how do on-line spaces differ from real-world spaces? In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. Vikki Carr, an independent scholar researching witchcraft beliefs of Early Modern England and Scotland Dr. Nicholas Christakis, the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University  Prof. Owen Davies Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire   Susan Etlinger, industry analyst for the Altimeter Group Prof. Marion Gibson Associate Dean for Education in the College of Humanities, and Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures at the University of Exeter  Prof. Ronald Hutton Head of the School of Humanities and Professor of History at the University of Bristol  Srijan Kumar Assistant Professor, School of Computational Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology Prof. Sean McCloud Associate Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies, and Communication Studies Faculty Affiliate at UNC Charlotte Dr. Charlotte-Rose Millar, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland.   Quinn Murphy, Heather Freeman’s eleven-year old son. Samuel Woolley Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Austin at Texas Addition sounds from Freesound.org, ccMixter, Free Music Archive. Visit https://www.familiarshapesthemovie.com/episodes for the full list of music credits.

    31 min
  4. 4. The Cunning Folks' Commons

    EPISODE 4

    4. The Cunning Folks' Commons

    Who were the early modern cunning folk, and what exactly were they doing with all those books? And how do we act ethically in a community and avoid the 'Tragedy of the Commons'? In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. John Callow, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Suffolk Dr. Nicholas Christakis, the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University Dr. Alexander Cummins, an independent historian researching early modern European and early American religion, philosophy, medicine, and magic. Prof. Owen Davies Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire   Prof. Marion Gibson Associate Dean for Education in the College of Humanities, and Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures at the University of Exeter  Prof. Ronald Hutton Head of the School of Humanities and Professor of History at the University of Bristol  Prof. Sean McCloud Associate Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies, and Communication Studies Faculty Affiliate at UNC Charlotte Dr. Charlotte-Rose Millar, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland.  Addition sounds from Freesound.org, ccMixter, Free Music Archive. Visit https://www.familiarshapesthemovie.com/episodes for the full list of music credits.

    37 min
  5. 5. The Well-Intentioned Bot

    EPISODE 5

    5. The Well-Intentioned Bot

    We’ll look at how social bots interact with people in on-line social networks, and how sometimes people behave like, well, bots. In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Susan Etlinger, industry analyst for the Altimeter Group; Alex Hogan Managing Partner in Etic Labs; Srijan Kumar Assistant Professor, School of Computational Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Samira Shaikh Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the  University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Tim Weninger Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Notre Dame; Samuel Woolley Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Austin at Texas. Addition sounds from Freesound.org, ccMixter, Free Music Archive. Visit https://www.familiarshapesthemovie.com/episodes for the full list of music credits.

    26 min
  6. 6. My Buddy Luridan

    EPISODE 6

    6. My Buddy Luridan

    We’ll see what early modern grimoires tell us about the magical beliefs and practices of that era. And then we’ll take a gander at summoning Luridan the Familiar. (You know. For kicks.) In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. John Callow, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Suffolk Dr. Vikki Carr, an independent scholar researching witchcraft beliefs of Early Modern England and Scotland Dr. Alexander Cummins, an independent historian researching early modern European and early American religion, philosophy, medicine, and magic. Prof. Owen Davies Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire   Dr. Daniel Harms librarian and author of  Of Angels, Demons, and Spirits: A Sourcebook of British Magic. Prof. Ronald Hutton Head of the School of Humanities and Professor of History at the University of Bristol  Addition sounds from Freesound.org, ccMixter, Free Music Archive. Visit https://www.familiarshapesthemovie.com/episodes for the full list of music credits.

    27 min
  7. 7. Fool Me Once

    EPISODE 7

    7. Fool Me Once

    Note to Listeners - DOH!  I managed to upload an incorrect version and just realized that now. Classy. Your welcome.  If you already listened to it, really sorry about those audio errors. And if you haven't listened yet -- excellent! And if you haven't gotten to this episode yet, jump ahead to end for some practical advice of social media hygiene. What exactly constitutes a "bad bot"? And how they manipulate human behaviors in online social networks? In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Douglas Guilbeault Assistant Professor in the Management of Organizations, University of California - Berkeley; Srijan Kumar Assistant Professor, School of Computational Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; David Rand, Associate Professor of Management Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT; Samira Shaikh Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the  University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Tim Weninger Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Notre Dame; Samuel Woolley Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Austin at Texas. Addition sounds from Freesound.org, ccMixter, Free Music Archive. Visit https://www.familiarshapesthemovie.com/episodes for the full list of music credits.

    23 min

  8. EPISODE 7 BONUS

    6.1 Addendum - Present and Dangerous Disinfo

    This is an important note to listeners.  Disinfo campaigns are happening right now on social media, amidst national protests, demonstrations, and the on-going pandemic. It's up to each of us to fact check the things we see before we share them. For more information, please read (and consider sharing) the following articles: 'None Of This Is True': Protests Become Fertile Ground for Online Disinformation. NPR (6/1/2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/867137863/none-of-this-is-true-protests-become-fertile-ground-for-online-disinformation White nationalist group posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter. NBC News (6/1/20) https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/twitter-takes-down-washington-protest-disinformation-bot-behavior-n1221456 Social Media Usage Is At An All-Time High. That Could Mean A Nightmare For Democracy. NPR (5/27/2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/860369744/social-media-usage-is-at-an-all-time-high-that-could-mean-a-nightmare-for-democr Facebook Steps Up Efforts To Combat The Spread Of Coronavirus Misinformation. NPR (5/26/2020) https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/26/822245048/facebook-steps-up-efforts-to-combat-the-spread-of-coronavirus-misinformation It’s not easy to spot disinformation on Twitter. Here’s what we learned from 8 political ‘astroturfing’ campaigns. Hint: Don’t look for an account that tweets like a bot. Washington Post (10/28/2019) [Although this is an ‘older’ article, there’s no reason to believe these tactics aren’t still in place. Just be wary. ~HF] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/28/its-not-easy-spot-disinformation-twitter-heres-what-we-learned-political-astroturfing-campaigns/ If Russia can create fake ‘Black Lives Matter’ accounts, who will next?. Washington Post (10/15/2017) [Again, another ‘old’ article. And we’re seeing this phenomenon happening again right now. ~HF] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/if-russia-can-create-fake-black-lives-matter-accounts-who-will-next/2017/10/15/ffb2e01e-af79-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html

    4 min
See All Season 1 (22)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Technology and magic have a long, rich history together. Each Wednesday, filmmaker Heather Freeman guides us through this apparent paradox with technologists and historians from around the world. If you're into history, witchcraft, magic, social media, artificial intelligence, infotech, or ethics, this podcast brings them together with friendly familiars and malicious bots.

Information

  • Creator
    Heather D. Freeman
  • Episodes
    22
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Heather D. Freeman
  • Show Website
    Familiar Shapes