A podcast that looks across the tech frontier's blind spots. The platforms, the apps and systems we take for granted. Plus those pesky issues that come up from behind us and …. jolt us.
On this podcast, my guest is Isura Silva, a performance coach, writer and consultant based in Sri Lanka. He and I often disagree on issues related to AI, but we do share common ground when it comes to the impact of AI on creativity.
21 Apr 2026
Soccer player, Cross Country Runner, Singer
In this podcast I feature Reina Ley, my former student, now a senior, who weighs in on her diverse experiences that shaped her as a student at Benjamin Franklin High School.
Reina was a finalist on The Voice, selected by Camilla Cabello. She still sings at events.
11 Mar 2026
Kids These Days Talk About AI, and Parenting
You may never expect students facing the onslaught of AI (as tempting as it is for school work) to say what they do in this podcast. You may never expect teenagers at a high school to weigh in on parenting.
The phrase 'Kids These Days' is often a statement of exasperation. I hope this will give you a new perspective.
On this episode of Wide Angle, I combine two recordings made by them in my class, a computer lab. I didn't ask them to do this; I didn't choose the topics. They did. Enjoy!
16 Oct 2025
Destination Unknown On The AI Train
Let's be clear: I am an AI skeptic. I run into so much of AI as a teacher it's not even funny. Not just from students but in workshops, newsletters, and nearly every tools I use whether it is Photoshop, Canva, YouTube, Descript, or Capcut.
The shenanigans by Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI, however, worry me. In this podcast I take up some of these contentious issues. But my guest, Tyron Devotta, a former journalist and still a prolific writer isn't fazed by this. His novel will be out shortly--and since he uses AI extensively as an 'editorial assistant'--I pick his brains on how he uses it.
I also use excerpts from two podcasts, and one book:
On the Media with Brooke Gladstone (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm)
The Ezra Klein Podcast (https://prx.org/stations/shows/the-ezra-klein-show?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17622937408&gbraid=0AAAAAD8jnFEYgQDjS17ybEZaNdHYucu5R&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjL3HBhCgARIsAPUg7a41dFUTruQh39mQcae5jE3RGDHKtl7LaX626Itdvt62num-ub5O2VQaAk5rEALw_wcB)
The book: Jonathan Haidt's Anxious Generation (https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/)
1 Sept 2025
What Money Can't Buy - Episode 8
There are still some things in life that money can't buy. In this episode I've got three stories of people and situations that enrich our lives: Tuk-tuks, goat milk, and Alaskan salmon.
16 Feb 2025
Are we living in an echo chamber? Angelo Fernando - Episode 6
Remember The Matrix? That 1999 cult sci-fi movie starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. There's something happening today, here in 2025, that feels slightly like that synthetic world. Not just social media, but now with AI becoming part of every digital space, we could be trapped inside a simulated, controlled world and not realize it.
So in this podcast I wanted to shed some light in those parallels in which we users --heavy users, I should say-- of social media are often echoing what others are saying, reluctant to express our individuality, simply 'Liking,' sharing, and re-posting material that crosses our path. It's also a call to reflect on what values and digital skills we are passing on to the children.
9 Aug 2024
Cyber-threat Invasion - Angelo Fernando - Episode 5
Cyber attacks are so common, we tend to dismiss them as someone else's problem. It could be yours next! Your home, your workplace, your identity, your social media account.
In this episode, I talk to two people embedded in the complex, murky world of cybersecurity. Michael Emery, senior systems administrator at Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools, and Spencer Luke, security analyst at Microsoft. They give us valuable insight of who might be after our data and what we should be doing to safeguard it.
9 Aug 2024
Oops, you may have been hacked - Angelo Fernando - Episode 5
It's as if we're one nation, under attack. Cyber attacks are so common, we tend to dismiss them as someone else's problem. Until it isn't. Our home, our workplace, our identity, our social media account. What have you done lately to ward off the next hack? What if you're identity has already been compromised?
If the answer is 'nothing' then you should listen to two people on this show who are embedded in the complex, murky world of cybersecurity. Michael Emery is senior systems administrator at Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools. Spencer Luke is a security analyst at Microsoft overseeing very large groups. They give us valuable insight into who might be after our data and how to safeguard it.
13 Jul 2024
Something To Write Home About - Angelo Fernando - Episode 4
On this show, hear from three writers I met during a recent visit to Sri Lanka.
Tyron Devotta, a former journalist is about to publish a book set during World War 2 in Ceylon. He talks about the role of the writer in a time when the audience's reding habits are changing.
Shannel Pinidiya, still a student, talks about the construction of her complex novel, and how she got into historical fiction writer at an early age.
Lal Medawattegedara, senior lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka. His book, "When Ghosts Die," was shortlisted for a Gratiaen Award this year.
I also like to promote two organization.
First Story, a London based outfit partners with schools to nurture young writers.
Write The World, based in the US, is an organization I support. My students to participate in their projects.
The Gratiaen Trust organizes workshops for writers and editors, has outreach programs, and holds an annual book awards.
_________________________________________
Spending time in Sri Lanka helped me reconnect with many of my friends and colleagues in advertising, media and journalism. I was fortunate to be able to attend the Gratiaen Awards in June. It was inspiring to see how book publishing and authors have evolved, despite the constant complaints that "nobody reads anymore!"
SHOW NOTES: To Find out more about these:
1. The Gratiaen Awards, Sri Lanka: https://www.gratiaen.com (https://www.gratiaen.com/)
Tyron Devotta - http://www.media360.lk (http://www.media360.lk/)
Shannel Pinidiya - "Dear Leo" (2024) Dear Leo - Jam Fruit Tree Publications (https://thejamfruittree.com/novels/dear-leo/)
Lal Medawattegedara - Open University of Sri Lanka. (https://ou.ac.lk/lal-medawattegedara/)
Radio 201 - Angelo Fernando - Radio 201 Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radio201/id1565037153)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radio201/id1565037153
First Story, UK - FirstStory.org.UK (https://firststory.org.uk/)
Write The World, US - WriteTheWorld.Org (https://writetheworld.org/)
27 Mar 2024
"Escape from The Attention Hackers" with Angelo Fernando - Episode 2
For about 1,250 hours a school year, our students' phones are turned off, and they're not in their pockets either! It's how we make sure the 'attention hackers' can't get through. There's plenty of evidence that this model of education is best for our youth. (Do listen to a podcast called 'Your Undivided Attention' (https://www.humanetech.com/podcast) for more on this.) In this episode I talk about how this phone-free environment makes teaching and learning such a joy at Benjamin Franklin High School.
We are not the only school to adopt this. Coram Deo, a school in Texas. Its principal calls school 'a place of digital rest.' I also feature Jonathan Haidt who challenges schools to conduct a larger experiment with phones. Listen to how he frames it. By coincidence, his book, The Anxious Generation (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729231/the-anxious-generation-by-jonathan-haidt/) is out this week.
To place all of this in a wider context, consider how Congress in the US, and the EU, are finally getting out of their slumber and holding social media companies' feet to the fire. But it's a little too late, and there is plenty of pushback. This means we ought to come out stronger and tell these companies what we expect of them.
Perhaps this podcast is one such an attempt. I hope you enjoy the show. Do listen to "Your undivided attention," too, if you have the time. And thanks for listening, and subscribing.
28 Feb 2024
"Everyone's Biased" With Angelo Fernando - Episode 1
Let's just admit--we are all biased. But as my guest, Rick Panganiban at KQED Teach (http://teach.kqed.org/), says, not all biases are bad! Rick has deep experience in media literacy. He's got an interesting take--But we got to fight our urge to click on every link that sails into ur feeds.
Bias to me is part of the toxic eco-system we live in. Or to put it another way, bias is part of a giant venn diagram overlapped by isolation, stereotyping and media literacy. My second guest is a cybersecurity expert, Spencer Luke, who'll expand on this. It's a packed show. That's the kind of podcast Wide Angle tries to be, probing the blind spots of technology that blur our focus.
31 Jan 2024
Wide Angle - A new tech podcast by Angelo Fernando
Hello, and welcome to a brand new podcast. Yes, it's about tech, but a different side of tech. Think of it as the technology that wraps us around its little fingers. It’s called Wide Angle because I'll be probing those blind spots in those platforms, apps and systems we use. Those pesky issues that come up from behind us and …. jolt us.
I'm phasing out my class podcast, Radio 201, a podcast I began at the height of the pandemic. I hope you like Wide Angle, and will subscribe. Thank you! Angelo Fernando
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
474
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
11
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
27
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