Look Both Ways

Charles Babbage is famous for two things: He invented computers and he never built them. While that sounds like an inventor’s version of “I’m invisible, but only if you close your eyes,” it’s actually true. After designing the steam-powered calculating machine known as The Difference Engine, Babbage envisioned a machine that would prove to be the unrealized would-be predecessor to the general purpose modern computer: The Analytical Engine. Dr. Doron Swade joins us to take us on a tour of the failure, triumph and speculation that have characterized Babbage’s story, including the often misunderstood story of the legendary Ada Lovelace.

We then dive into one of the most exciting 100-year leaps being attempted today via the reality-bending world of quantum computing. Scott sits down with multi-award-winning quantum physicist Dr. Shohini Ghose to talk about the principles that make quantum computing possible, its potential to transform the world, and what it will take to bring the computing technology of the future closer to the present day.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did we nearly have a 50 year head start on some of Big Tech’s stickiest ethical dilemmas? Say hello to the “What If” men of The Simulmatics Corporation. As so expertly illuminated in Jill Lepore’s book IF/THEN: How The Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future, the company aimed for a radical idea: Use computers to predict and influence people’s behavior. Today we call it business as usual. But as issues of algorithmic bias, misinformation, and privacy protection continue to raise red flags about the future of predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence, what clues can we find in the past? 

Scott is then joined by Nabiha Syed, President of The Markup, an investigative journalism startup exploring how powerful actors use technology to reshape society. Listen in for a fascinating conversation about algorithmic harm, possible roads to effective regulation, and why progress starts with the willingness to get things wrong.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Goodyear may have developed vulcanized rubber in 1839, but its origins are actually much older and more playful than you might imagine. After a visit to ancient Mesoamerica, Azhelle Wade joins us to talk about her career as a toy designer, patented inventor, and her latest adventures in the business of play as “The Toy Coach.” 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first public computerized bulletin board system predates the world wide web by nearly two decades, yet might exemplify just the type of “digital space” we still have too little of. With the help of co-creator Lee Felsenstein, we travel back to 1973 to understand why.

Josh Kramer of New Public then takes on a tour of what public digital spaces might look like in the future, and finally we sit down with Eugen Rochko, Founder of decentralized social media platform Mastodon, for a conversation about the decentralized web, restoring context online, and Mastodon’s unexpected success. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a special Thanksgiving bonus mini-episode, we drop by one of Benjamin Franklin's electricity-themed parties. Franklin has promised the most delicious turkey ever tasted, cooked to perfection via electrocution. What could go wrong? 

Plus: How not to baste your turkey, where to cook your feast over an active volcano, and what you can do to prevent hangry family members. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is remembering George Washington Carver as “The Peanut Man” misunderstanding his legacy? Not only did most of Carver’s famed 300 uses for the peanut never make it beyond his “kitchen experiments,” but developing them as products was never his aim in the first place. With the help of Dr. Raymon Shange of Tuskegee University, we get to the root of why. We then fast forward 100 years for an illuminating conversation with Emma Fuller from Corteva Agriscience about regenerative agriculture, the economics of sustainable change, and why Carver’s love for the “man furthest down” means not forgetting the farmers tasked with feeding the planet. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humankind has a long history of trying and failing to "fix" language. What can Benjamin Franklin, 500 year old maps of the universe, and Klingon Christmas Carols teach us about how language affects us? And for the thousands of indigenous languages at risk of extinction, how can the knowledge they hold be preserved, protected and revitalized? 

Featuring author and linguist Arika Okrent, Wikitongues Founder Daniel Bögre Udell, 7,000 Languages Executive Director Stephanie Witkowski, and a special interview with Renata Altenfelder, Global Executive Director, Brand & Marketing at Motorola Mobility.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Safely beaming electricity through the air is officially not science fiction. Back in August, we kicked off our season with a deep dive into Nikola Tesla’s unrealized dream of wireless energy transmission. As a special follow up episode, we’re putting the spotlight on Emrod Energy, a New Zealand-based company setting out to make Tesla’s vision a reality. Founder & CEO Greg Kushnir joins us to explain how their technology can help accelerate the world’s transition to renewable energy...without harming any innocent birds along the way. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the debate about Bitcoin’s energy use rages on, what’s being lost in translation? Are mining companies doing enough to address the problem? Are crypto skeptics missing the broader human rights implications of decentralized money? We go in search of answers. 

But first, a visit to 1827 in Cincinnati, Ohio to learn what one man’s dream of a time-based economy can teach us about humankind’s latest attempt to redefine money. Featuring perspectives from Professor Crispin Sartwell, Professor Brian Lucey, and an interview with Compass Mining CEO Whit Gibbs.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the original plans for Disney World, EPCOT wasn’t a theme park at all. Join us as we explore Walt Disney’s unrealized dream of an experimental prototype community and the impact it might have had on urban design. We’re also joined by Brenna Berman, Founder and CEO of CityTech, to unpack what human-centered design means in today's cities, and why certain aspects of urban living will simply never go according to plan. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.