Just two bros that are having a good time. Which two? No spoilers.Notes“Making a Crypto Utopia in Puerto Rico”Johann Hari went on Joe Rogan’s podcast to plug his new book, Lost Connections. Zach listened to that podcast. I listened to Zach

Episode 116: Space Wushu

Jan 29th, 2018 1h 27m

Hi. We’re back.A bit more on that:We got busy. Not in the way Humpty did. No, just in the regular way. The way mundanities pile up, into a pile, and then you have to dig yourself out of that pile and put the pile somewhere. Oh, there’s anothe

Episode 115: Eric Schwitzgebel on Introspection, AI, and Consciousness

Nov 13th, 2017 1h 27m

Eric Schwitzgebel is here to make you doubt and ponder all kinds of stuff. Check it.Eric Schwitzgebel is a professor of philosophy, a blogger, and a science fiction writer. His output is crazy expansive—and from what I’ve read so far, crazy go

Episode 114: John Danaher on Having Sex with Robots

Oct 23rd, 2017 1h 33m

One of our faves, John Danaher, returns to the program. What do we talk about? Oh, nothing all that exciting: just SEX ROBOTS!Seriously, John‘s the best. Listen to the chat, read the book (Robot Sex), follow the links, live happy life. Peace.

Episode 113: Future Monsters

Oct 16th, 2017 1h 26m

Will the future judge us harshly? Well, will it? Tell us, future listeners.NotesHey, we came in at #43 on the 2017 World Press Freedom Index! U, S, A! U, S, A!Perhaps I spoke hastily when reporting those figures for vegetarianism/veganism.

Episode 112: The News Tightens

Oct 9th, 2017 1h 28m

We’re besieged on all sides by useless information. In retaliation, here is our rambling defense of deliberate ignorance and simplicity.If you’re a news junkie, ask yourself this question on occasion: what can I do with this information? Howev

Episode 111: Michael Garfield on Paleontological Futurism

Oct 2nd, 2017 1h 28m

Let’s study the future with Michael Garfield. Come on, let us!Michael Garfield is the host of the Future Fossils podcast, as well as a writer, fine artist, and musician. And he’s our buddy now, yay! Travel with us to the edges of the Broospher

Episode 110: Andrew G. Ferguson on Big Data and Predictive Policing

Sep 25th, 2017 1h 5m

Andrew G. Ferguson stars in this delightfully chilling conversation about the future of big data and law enforcement. Also starring Scott, Tom, Zach, and featuring Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as “Beyoncé.”Andrew G. Ferguson is a professor of law at

Episode 109: Moral Mark Out

Sep 18th, 2017 1h 24m

Moral illusions and whether we ought to fall for them. Additionally: Captain Planet.Mark Out: To temporarily forget that wrestling is fake because something cool happened. I think I’ve been guilty of marking out for ethical consumerism, ethica

Episode 108: Hurricane Happy Hour

Sep 11th, 2017 1h 18m

More weather-based wonder in the works. Welcome.We back wit dat conceptual freshness. Will we ever run out of hot newness? Don’t count on it.Hurricane Happy Hour“Scientists have spiders producing enhanced web that can hold a human”“Denmark

Episode 107: Thunder Claps

Sep 4th, 2017 1h 20m

A drastically different episode from last week’s!How do we do it? Even we don’t know.Thunder Phase“AI uses bitcoin trail to find and help sex-trafficking victims”Want to know more about Lenore Skenazy and Free Range Kids? We recommend chec

Episode 106: Lightning Crashes

Aug 28th, 2017 1h 19m

It’s the return of Lightning Round. Get indoors and cozy for this one.Lightning Round“CGI and AI are going to turbocharge ‘fake news’ and make it far harder to tell what’s real”“New, reusable [nanotube] filter cleans heavy metals from water

Episode 105: Space Abacus

Aug 21st, 2017 1h 30m

Should we engineer the extinction of mankind on utilitarian grounds? Another normal conversation.An essay prompts us to consider whether suffering is part and parcel of consciousness, and whether this means existing is worse than not. Plus, Bi

Episode 104: Screedgate

Aug 14th, 2017 1h 41m

More screed in your feed: we tackle the notorious Google memo.This episode’s topic is the prequel to Need for Screed II: Screedo Shot Last. If you don’t know what’s up with this memo yet, you will soon.NotesBefore we get into the screed wee

Episode 103: Hector Monsegur on Staying Safe Online and IRL

Aug 7th, 2017 1h 4m

Famous former black hat, Hector Monsegur, gives us the lowdown on how secure we really are (or aren’t). A troubling conversation with a very cool dude.Hector Xavier Monsegur is a security researcher and Director of Assessment Services at Rhino

Episode 102: Joe Huston on Cash Transfers and Basic Income

Jul 31st, 2017 1h 26m

Please welcome GiveDirectly’s Joe Huston to the program. You won’t regret it.Joe Huston is the CFO of GiveDirectly (Twitter), this podcast’s favorite charity (or mine, at least). You’ll notice that, despite the rambling questions and non-quest

Episode 101: Diana Fleischman on Disgusting Stuff

Jul 24th, 2017 1h 24m

Diana S. FleischmanEvolutionary psychologist Diana Fleischman talks about what we find disgusting and why. Also, cannibalism and how great it is.Zach and I had a great time speaking with psychologist and lecturer Diana Fleischman. Originally

Episode 100: James Hughes and the Transhumanist Zeitgeist

Jul 17th, 2017 1h 28m

James HughesOur very first guest—and one of our favorites—James Hughes returns to keep it 100.James Hughes, Executive Director of the IEET, and the first guest we ever had, is back. He’s the best. Prepare for a transhumanist delight.NotesW

Episode 099: You Know the Drill

Jul 10th, 2017

Amazon is taking over; so what? Plus: thoughts on power drills.Look, drills are technology. So they are fair game for this podcast. Also, according to some jerks, nearly everything is technology. So everything is fair game. Thanks, jerks. Take

Episode 098: Helicoptration

Jul 3rd, 2017

Helicopter parenting, VR prison pods, and more. Oh my.This one’s all over the place. Thanks again for the interesting feedback, superheroic listeners.NotesHere’s what you really came here for: military commercials from our collective memory

Episode 097: Kevin Kelly on Virtual Worlds and Raising the Global Teenager

Jun 26th, 2017

One day he’s in Uzbekistan, the next he’s on our podcast. There’s no predicting the inimitable Kevin Kelly.Kevin Kelly. Where to start? Whole Earth Review. Wired. A slew of dope books, including The Inevitable (now available in paperback). He’

Episode 096: Extreme

Jun 19th, 2017

No, it’s not our new line of energy drinks (yet). We talk extreme interests, hobbies, pursuits and the like. Oh, the like.Warning: jiu jitsu is discussed at length. As is fasting. I encourage you to deal.NotesSURPRISE: I’m a big fan of Jaso

Episode 095: No Pain? Insane!

Jun 12th, 2017

Is eternal bliss desirable? Possible? Intelligible? We discuss, you decide.The singularity gets a bad rap, I think. It’s often mocked as the rapture of the nerds, and part of that is deserved. There are, admittedly, some singularity-enthusiast

Episode 094: Sebastian Brosche on Yoga, BJJ, and Finding Meaning in a World Run by Robots

Jun 5th, 2017

Sebastian Brosche has black belts in jiu jitsu, judo, and futurism. Respect.Confession: I’m a huge fan of Sebastian and Yoga for BJJ. I knew I wanted to pick his brain, and the podcast is my catchall pretense for doing that, picking the brains

Episode 093: Robin Hanson on the Age of Emulation

May 29th, 2017

Is the next great era one of whole brain emulations? Robin Hanson makes the case.The inimitable Robin Hanson regales us with a startling picture of the future—one in which human emulations, or ems, are the dominant form of mind. Hmm. I suppose