HoS: Ashlee Vance

In terms of sales, Ashlee Vance might be the most successful writer we’ve had on this podcast, not that it’s a competition. And you know what? Sometimes the market is correct. Vance, whose new best seller is titled When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach, has a knack for identifying and distilling fascinating subjects. His Elon Musk biography, for example, is one of the most widely read biographies of the last decade. Have I read these books yet? Well, not exactly, to my great shame. And yet the conversation we had about these works, and related subjects, happened to be fantastic. The conversation includes but is not limited to… * The privatization of space is a huge thing. Major implications * Can space exploration actually make money though? * Elon Musk…what’s his deal, man? * How did Vance wear down Elon Musk * Is sending rockets into space easier than simply saying what you think? * Why did tech stop awing us? * British sports media has more class solidarity; America sports media sniffs jocks * Ashlee extends me some compliments and testimonials!

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