Advertise on podcast: Human Error

On the 28th of October, 2021, Facebook announced The Future…aka, a corporate rebrand. By changing the name of their parent company to Meta, they set out a vision for a new internet. Here, you can meet your colleagues in a virtual meeting room, and/or fence with Mark Zuckerberg. It's all in a day's browsing.... In this final episode of Series 1, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani ask: 'what exactly *is* the metaverse?' After all, it’s Meta’s world, we’re just living in it. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

For as long as the internet has existed, there has been internet porn. From ‘tube’ sites to cam girls, to OnlyFans, X-rated material is as synonymous with life online as taking selfies and “getting cancelled”. In this episode, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani reflect on why exactly teenage Hussein was so keen to help his parents sort out the magazines in their shop, find out who exactly owns all the internet porn, and talk with sex worker, writer and activist Lydia Caradonna about how platforms can be less evil. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

From the first person to ever teletext herself some eggs in 1984, it’s never been easier to click and collect anything your heart desires from that great big convenience store in the cloud. But is the ability to buy a complete DVD disk set of Sex And The City at 4am from anywhere in the world necessarily a good thing? Let’s find out! From online marketplaces to a new breed of pastel-pink loan sharks, in this episode comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani get to the bottom of what online spending really costs. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

The Flintstones sold us a vision for the ultimate human powered eco-vehicle, while The Jetsons promised us personal flying saucers, but when it comes to cars and technology: where have we actually parked? In this episode, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani review the marketing copy on Tesla’s website, consider the ethics of testing the Google Waymo, ask what it means to be a Top Gear dad these days, and pitch their ideas for Pixar's 'Cars 4'. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

The history of music sharing has more twists and turns than a Richard Linklater film, following our protagonist (music) from sunrise (CDs) to sunset (Spotify). Torrenting might have heralded the end of physical media, but is the music industry’s shift from illegal file swapping to legal streaming really the answer musicians have been waiting for? In this episode, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani speak with musician and producer J Appiah about what impact technology has had on music, and Olga and Hussein reminisce about the glory days of buying a bootleg DVD in a Moscow metro station. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Once upon a time, we were sold the dream that cloud computing, e-readers and space travel might save us from our imminent climate crisis. Turns out, no. Far from being the earth’s heroes, tech might be driving us closer to environmental apocalypse faster than ever before. It’s bleak stuff, sure, but there are jokes as well. In this episode, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani speak to comedian and environmental economist Dr Matt Winning, author of ‘Hot Mess: What On Earth Can We Do About Climate Change?’ and finally get to the bottom of what’s going on in the Richard Linklater extended universe. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Space: the final frontier, or just a billionaire’s playground? As Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk compete to see who can be the first to save humanity (starting with the rich), we’re asking - what exactly is the correlation between divorce rates and wanting to launch a rocket into the sky? In this episode, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani ask how the space race can be both a cause of and the solution to climate change, interrogate which surprising celebrity Hussein would invite onto his shuttle, and speak to Fred Scharmen, author of ‘Space Forces: A Critical History of Life in Outer Space’ about the past and future of space exploration. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Is your pain causing you to purchase? In a world where medical establishments are woefully underprepared to deal with anyone who isn’t a very average man, more people than ever are turning to femtech, a multi-billion sector providing an ever-expanding selection of (expensive) wifi-enabled breast pumps and (intrusive) glittery gold period trackers. Join comedian and computer scientist Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani as they ask just how many details about your sex life you really need to hand over to any corporation, give your favourite products a femtech rebrand, and speak with software engineer and former startup founder Wendy Liu, author of ‘Abolish Silicon Valley: How to Liberate Technology from Capitalism’, about the demise of the girlboss. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Ahhh the heady days of the personal website, where 12-year-old Hussein wiled away the hours listing his favourite Pokemon for an audience of none. Now, it’s all just tweeting, ‘gramming and, if you’re an aunt over the age of 40, spreading terrifying conspiracy theories on Facebook. Join comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani as they consider how and how the internet went from being a place of imagination, possibility and endless flash games, to being owned by a few, all-powerful tech giants. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Gone are the days when anyone can say anyone about anything…actually, scratch that: misinformation is rife, and social media has arguably facilitated a golden age of ‘fake news’ to rival Octavian defeated Mark Anthony in 30BC (at last, we’re taking down the Roman Empire). Join comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani as they fact check Olga’s tweets, start a flame war with graphic designers and ask: why do so many virgins work at Time Magazine? Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Are NFTs - Non-Fungible Tokens - the frontier of the modern art world, or just another place for tech bros to put their fake money? Join comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani as they figure out exactly which meme is going to be the next Mona Lisa, with the help of tech journalist Kyle Chayka. Listeners can get their very own free Human Error NFT - one of 69 limited editions by digital artist Dylan Woodley - by heading to a website address mentioned in the podcast: humanerror.cool. NFTs are available to claim in strictly limited quantities until 6th October 2021. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht production for BBC Sounds.

Romance scams are on the rise, as more people than ever look to the internet for love. From an ex-military hottie who is allergic to video chat, to a small conglomerate of professional defrauders that you can call bae, comedian Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani run through the red flags that might let you know he’s *just not that into (refunding) you*. This episode features Catfish UK’s Oobah Butler on what to do if you think you’re being romance scammed, a surprisingly saucy choose-your-own-adventure written by Hussein, and a stunning confession about Slobodan Milošević. Human Error is a Daddy’s SuperYacht Production for BBC Sounds.