I almost always learn something listening to this pod. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. Gideon and Laura kept the conversation moving at a pace that works for this subjects they cover. Keep it up folks! Miss you when a week is skipped which has been very rare.
Love this one for ideation for our graphic novel series. Based in 2099, but lots of flashbacks to mid 21st century for the young audience focus on technical literacy.
Cheers
Superb podcast about the threats, challenges, and opportunities ahead. Great interviewers and subjects, and I especially love the post-interview where the hosts honestly and openly discuss the interview and the interviewee.
Sometimes this podcast has the right blend of excitement and discomfort, but the balance seems to favor too much hype. Even with the controversial topics, they rarely seem comfortable leaving an unanswered question. The advertisements for HaNF had me hoping it would "be ok to be a little scared."
Specifically, I like when the hosts ask each other, "how does this idea make you uncomfortable?" They have good contrast, but it would be better if both of them could contribute to interviews. Often it seems that the hosts will hold back criticism if the other host did the interview, so it turns out to be a hype puff piece. I'm sure guests would still come to a debate show or good cop/bad cop, instead!
I wanted Lauren Goode to rip Andrew Hessel to shreds when his interview went off the rails talking about eugenics. However, Both hosts stopped short of calling out the guest's glaring ableism at the end of the July 26 episode. Maybe the power imbalance must make it hard for Goode to speak up? This show can compete with other futurist interviews when it can address the problems that might arise with justice!
Lauren and Gideon do speak to thinkers and creators, but none are top thinkers and creators as compared to, say, the guests on Sean Carroll’s Mindscape. As to the rest of the show’s claims, I don’t find much on where we go from here and all of that displays a disappointing lack of imagination. To be fair, I’ve only listened to a few episodes. Maybe it gets better.
I appreciate that the show ruminates on the implications of technological advances and cultural shifts in ways that are fun and weird and thoughtful without leaving me in a state of despair - some despair just not complete and utter.
Thoroughly enjoyed the Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse episode. Highly recommended. I hope you’ll talk to more futurists in, uh, future episodes. Their perspective and your synthesis is helpful and appreciated.
Not a fan, it’s one thing to be skeptical about technology and our future but this is a bunch of depressed people who hate technology despite being technology journalists spiraling
The sound quality in the episode with Sarah Friar was awful. This is a basic production issue that should have been vetted before the episode was recorded.
The podcast on virtual beings sounded interesting but it became a trip into fantasy land with over promoting facsimiles of interactions into into intelligent and sexual beings. Take up selling used cars instead of rising expectations for a technology with huge limitations.
