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Digital Planet: Sheldon County Computer-Generated Fictional Worlds

Factual: Science & Nature

Woman with headphones.

13/03/2018 GMT

Sheldon County Computer-Generated Fictional Worlds

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, Sheldon County Computer-Generated Fictional Worlds

Sheldon County is a podcast that will never sound the same twice

Sheldon County’s computer-generated fictional world. Plus,  Anne-Marie Imafidon mission to empower girls, landslide sensors in New Zealand, and Share Lab’s Facebook revelations.

Sheldon County is the latest step in a life-long quest to build computers that generate fictional worlds. Sheldon County is a podcast that will never sound the same twice. Every time someone listens to it, they’ll begin by typing a random number into a website. This “seed” will set in motion a Rube Goldberg machine of calculation that will create characters, relationships, jealousies, betrayals, and maybe even a murder or two. Click reports on the unique version of Sheldon County’s story that will create a podcast made just for you.

In the week after International Women’s Day, Click talks to Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, the Head of Stemette, about her work empowering girls and young women in science and tech. 

One percent of the world’s population are currently in high-risk landslide areas. Researchers in New Zealand have come up with a revolutionary way of monitoring landslides, developed at a fraction of the cost of traditional surveying equipment.  It’s now being trialled in areas where landslides have occurred, and could help with the prediction of future landslides. Click’s Simon Morton reports.

Facebook's collection of data makes it one of the most influential organisations in the world. Share Lab wanted to look "under the bonnet" at the tech giant's algorithms and connections to better understand the social structure and power relations within the company.

Producer: Colin Grant

(Photo: Woman with headphones. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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