Ep 383: Why Is Everyone Talking About “Against the Machine”? (w/ Tyler Austin Harper)
Earlier this fall, the activist, novelist, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth published an anti-technology polemic called “Against the Machine.” To say it h...
Ep. 382: Is the Internet Becoming Television?
Last month, Derek Thompson published an intriguing essay that made waves in technology criticism circles. It was titled: “Everything is Television.” I...
Ep. Ep 381: Life Advice from Legendary Writers
In today’s episode, Cal reviews some of his favorite advice from legendary writers (plus a bonus piece of advice from his own craft). Within each sugg...
Ep. 380: ChatGPT is Not Alive!
There has been a lot of loose talk online recently about the capabilities of existing AI tools. In this episode, Cal reacts to a specific recent clip ...
Ep. 379: The Flexibility Myth
When companies began instituting return-to-office plans after the pandemic, a disproportionate number of women chose instead to leave the workforce. W...
Ep. 378: The Lost Art of Long Thinking
We often talk on this show about how digital devices undermine our ability to consume more complicated and meaningful ideas. But what about our abilit...
Ep. 377: The Case Against Superintelligence
Techno-philosopher Eliezer Yudkowsky recently went on Ezra Klein's podcast to argue that if we continue on our path toward superintelligent AI, these ...
Ep. 376: The Lincoln Protocol
How do you escape a world where constant digital distractions and darkness threatens to pull you down? Maybe take a page out of Abraham Lincoln’s life...
Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?
OpenAI has been making waves recently with their release of their Sora 2 video generation model, which they have launched alongside a TikTok-style soc...
Ep. 374: This is Your Brain on Phones
It’s hard to cultivate a deep life when you cannot go more than a few minutes without checking your phone. In this episode, Cal looks closer at the pr...