Technology Blows

Suit up, jack in, and Zuck out. I'm joined by guest Anderson Gronvold as we abandon meatspace for metaspace. Find out why you can't afford to miss out on Meta's flagship VR experience. Legs optional! 🦵

References:

Harris, Blake J. (2019). The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality. Dey Street Books.

https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/creating-jobs-europe-metaverse/ 

https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-maid-abuse-94909f43c725af09522704348e35bd25 

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/09/facebook-reveals-staffing-plan-to-be-your-vr-chat-concierge-service/ 

https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/01/25/mark-zuckerberg-under-fire-after-hiring-trumps-former-adviser-as-meta-president/ 

https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.mit.edu/dist/0/833/files/2020/05/ST_Construc-and-reconstruc-of-self.pdf 

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/joeroganexperience/episodes/1863---Mark-Zuckerberg-e1mu8n0 

https://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/250/ 

https://fortune.com/crypto/2023/07/28/snoop-dogg-metaverse-nfts-sandbox-price-declines/ 

https://games.slashdot.org/story/99/10/15/1012230/John-Carmack-Answers 

https://gizmodo.com/meta-horizon-worlds-sees-10x-growth-since-december-1848562017 

https://kotaku.com/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-vr-oculus-quest-2-cha-1848436740 

https://kotaku.com/fortnites-latest-crossover-is-martin-luther-king-1847563562 

https://kotaku.com/meta-connect-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vr-feet-legs-1849643784 

https://kotaku.com/the-metaverse-is-already-here-for-cows-and-it-s-very-sa-1848335331 

https://medium.com/@gobblegobble/mocap-the-money-part-c16b78de6170 

https://medium.com/the-lab-apply-digital/metaverse-review-horizon-worlds-b9f003ea84af 

https://observer.ug/business/facebook-and-content-moderation-why-its-always-under-attack/ 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10192403B2/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10909405B1/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10976826B1/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050870A/en 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/09/vr-zuckerberg-shares-details-on-some-of-facebooks-ai-aid-to-the-red-cross-in-puerto-rico/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/10/zuckerberg-apologizes-for-his-tone-deaf-vr-cartoon-tour-of-puerto-rico-devastation/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/13/facebook-mulled-multi-billion-dollar-acquisition-of-unity-book-claims/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/06/meta-integrating-venues-into-horizon-worlds/ 

https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/jordan-peele-nope-meta-virtua-reality-horizon-worlds-1235313750/ 

https://washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20220216143908/https://www.vox.com/recode/22776461/facebook-meta-metaverse-monopoly 

https://web.archive.org/web/20220817170129/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-selfie-horizon-worlds/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20230921175333/https://ai.meta.com/blog/powered-by-ai-oculus-insight/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20240912192513/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges/?page=1 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/ 

https://www.androidcentral.com/quest-2-2021-most-sold 

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-12-15/the-metaverse-via-oculus-is-awkward-if-you-re-a-woman-and-beware-of-griefers 

https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4 

https://www.buzzfeednews.c...

Suit up, jack in, and Zuck out. I'm joined by guest Anderson Gronvold as we abandon meatspace for metaspace. Find out why you can't afford to miss out on Meta's flagship VR experience. Legs optional! 🦵

References:

Harris, Blake J. (2019). The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality. Dey Street Books.

https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/creating-jobs-europe-metaverse/ 

https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-maid-abuse-94909f43c725af09522704348e35bd25 

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/09/facebook-reveals-staffing-plan-to-be-your-vr-chat-concierge-service/ 

https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/01/25/mark-zuckerberg-under-fire-after-hiring-trumps-former-adviser-as-meta-president/ 

https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.mit.edu/dist/0/833/files/2020/05/ST_Construc-and-reconstruc-of-self.pdf 

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/joeroganexperience/episodes/1863---Mark-Zuckerberg-e1mu8n0 

https://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/250/ 

https://fortune.com/crypto/2023/07/28/snoop-dogg-metaverse-nfts-sandbox-price-declines/ 

https://games.slashdot.org/story/99/10/15/1012230/John-Carmack-Answers 

https://gizmodo.com/meta-horizon-worlds-sees-10x-growth-since-december-1848562017 

https://kotaku.com/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-vr-oculus-quest-2-cha-1848436740 

https://kotaku.com/fortnites-latest-crossover-is-martin-luther-king-1847563562 

https://kotaku.com/meta-connect-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vr-feet-legs-1849643784 

https://kotaku.com/the-metaverse-is-already-here-for-cows-and-it-s-very-sa-1848335331 

https://medium.com/@gobblegobble/mocap-the-money-part-c16b78de6170 

https://medium.com/the-lab-apply-digital/metaverse-review-horizon-worlds-b9f003ea84af 

https://observer.ug/business/facebook-and-content-moderation-why-its-always-under-attack/ 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10192403B2/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10909405B1/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US10976826B1/en 

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050870A/en 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/09/vr-zuckerberg-shares-details-on-some-of-facebooks-ai-aid-to-the-red-cross-in-puerto-rico/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/10/zuckerberg-apologizes-for-his-tone-deaf-vr-cartoon-tour-of-puerto-rico-devastation/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/13/facebook-mulled-multi-billion-dollar-acquisition-of-unity-book-claims/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/06/meta-integrating-venues-into-horizon-worlds/ 

https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/jordan-peele-nope-meta-virtua-reality-horizon-worlds-1235313750/ 

https://washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20220216143908/https://www.vox.com/recode/22776461/facebook-meta-metaverse-monopoly 

https://web.archive.org/web/20220817170129/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-selfie-horizon-worlds/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20230921175333/https://ai.meta.com/blog/powered-by-ai-oculus-insight/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20240912192513/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges/?page=1 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/ 

https://www.androidcentral.com/quest-2-2021-most-sold 

https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4 

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/how-fake-news-and-online-hate-are-making-life-hell-for 

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/mark-zuckerbeg-apology-myanmar-ngos-insufficient<...

Give the gift of convenient garbage, with Keurig. This week, Xiao Yu joins us as we explore:

• How Keurig was born out of antisocial office culture and a deep ambivalence for quality
• The fascinating career of hippie-turned-billionaire-asshole-turned-has-been Bob Stiller
• How digital rights management disrupted the beverage industry

References:

• Campbell's soup in a Keurig: https://youtu.be/N46K2CDoD0M
• https://abcnews.go.com/Business/mr-coffee-inventor-convinced-joe-dimaggio-pitchman/story?id=32871845 
• https://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2011/08/07/the_inside_story_of_keurigs_rise_to_a_billion_dollar_coffee_empire/?page=full 
• https://babelniche.com/2012/03/10/keurig-dumps-inventor-builds-millions-of-junk-coffee-makers/ 
• https://commercial.keurig.com/content/sustainability 
• https://cornercoffeestore.com/who-invented-the-keurig-coffee-machine/ 
• https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/delaware/dedce/1:2010cv00841/44982/337/ 
• https://patents.google.com/patent/US5325765A/en?assignee=keurig&oq=keurig&sort=old 
• https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2019046361A1/en 
• https://slate.com/technology/2017/05/the-supreme-court-says-third-parties-can-sell-printer-cartridge-ink.html# 
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.427726/gov.uscourts.nysd.427726.1937.1.pdf 
• https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/beverages/keurig-agrees-to-settle-indirect-buyers-antitrust-class-action-lawsuits-for-31m/ 
• https://translate.google.com/?sl=nl&tl=en&text=keurig&op=translate 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20141227222021/http://www.keurig.com/content/oops 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20150427124823/http://investor.keuriggreenmountain.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=899238 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20151006153447/http://investor.keuriggreenmountain.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=930847 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20160315033607/http://m.consumergoods.edgl.com/MagazineDetailPage.aspx?article=46137 
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/k-cup-creator-john-sylvan-regrets-inventing-keurig-coffee-pod-system-1.2982660 
• https://www.coffeehabitat.com/2011/09/k-cups-recycling/ 
• https://www.coffeehabitat.com/2014/03/greenwashing-at-keurig-green-mountain/ 
• https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/keurig-20-machines-to-feature-rfid-limited-k-cups-030314.html 
• https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4353695/1937/in-re-keurig-green-mountain-single-serve-coffee-antitrust-litigation/ 
• https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2014/keurig-recalls-mini-plus-brewing-systems 
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/05/10/why-green-mountain-coffee-founders-woes-are-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-suddenly-stock-rich/ 
• https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Keurig-Green-Mountain-Sustainability-Report-2013.pdf 
• https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/03/coffee-k-cups-green-mountain-polystyrene-plastic/ 
• https://www.npr.org/2025/08/25/g-s1-85104/dr-pepper-keurig-peets-purchase-merger-split 
• https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/business/energy-environment/04coffee.html 
• https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/single-serve-coffee-brewers-make-convenience-costly.html?ref=dining 
• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/business/energy-environment/keurigs-new-k-cup-coffee-is-recyclable-but-hardly-green.html 
• https://www.rockpapercoffee.com/news/details/get-around-the-keurig-20-drm-restrictions.html 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352550921001160 
• https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418135/000141813522000005/R27.htm 
• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-abominable-k-cup-coffee-pod-environment-problem/386501/ 
• https://www.theguardian.com/l...

The web didn't have to be this way. Friend-of-the-pod CJ Horton joins us for a look at cookies: the completely reasonable web protocol that became host to the parasitic ad industry.

References:

• "Lou Montulli: Sexiest Internet Mogul." People. 15 November 1999.
• https://adtech.org/best-demand-side-platforms/
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-agencies-use-cellphone-location-data-for-immigration-enforcement-11581078600
• http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/undeletable-cookie/
• https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/google-delays-third-party-cookie-death-again-now-scheduled-for-2025/
• https://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0105018
• https://blog.chromium.org/2020/04/temporarily-rolling-back-samesite.html
• https://blog.google/products/ads/next-steps-transparency-choice-control/
• https://blog.google/products/chrome/building-a-more-private-web/
• https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2109
• https://digiday.com/uk/all-you-need-to-know-about-europes-data-privacy-regulations/
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising#ideas-and-proposals-links-outside-this-repo
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/OnlineAdvertisingParticipants.md
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/rtb-use-case.md
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/understanding-privacy-advocates.md
• https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/investing-in-mobile-future-with-admob.html
• https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/why-should-i-register-on-imdb/GHB62T7USTMYMCDC?ref_=helpart_nav_3#
• https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0458.html
• https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0501.html
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/blog/privacy-sandbox-next-steps
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/cookies/storage-access-api
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/protections/privacy-budget
• https://safety.google/safety/ads-data/
• https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/vol1/iss1/4/
• https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9560818?hl=en
• https://techcrunch.com/2009/11/09/google-acquires-admob/
• https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/your-privacy-policy-doesnt-mean-a-thing-regulating-privacy-on-the-web/
• https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2965
• https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265
• https://w3cping.github.io/privacy-threat-model/
• https://web.archive.org/web/19991127212505/http://www.networkadvertising.org/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20000815060418/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090627105722/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100830143434/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3895466
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110530020518/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/microsoft-security-idUSN2517397120110525
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120119215316/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3877261
• https://web.archive.org/web/20131209210402/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9918582-57.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20141127185609/http://www.computerworld.com/article/2510494/data-privacy/microsoft-disables--supercookies--used-on-msn-com-visitors.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170906230653/http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/magic-cookie.html
• https://webkit.org/blog/10218/full-third-party-cookie-blocking-and-more/
• https://webkit.org/blog/9661/preventing-tracking-prevention-tracking/
• https://www.baekdal.com/thoughts/the-original-cookie-specification-from-1997-was-gdpr-compliant/
• https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/computer-internet/computer-use-1984-2009.html
• https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/google-finds-apple-safari-anti-tracking-feature-actually-enabled-tracking/

The web didn't have to be this way. Friend-of-the-pod CJ Horton joins us for a look at cookies: the completely reasonable web protocol that became host to the parasitic ad industry.

References:

• "Lou Montulli: Sexiest Internet Mogul." People. 15 November 1999.
• https://adtech.org/best-demand-side-platforms/
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-agencies-use-cellphone-location-data-for-immigration-enforcement-11581078600
• http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/undeletable-cookie/
• https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/google-delays-third-party-cookie-death-again-now-scheduled-for-2025/
• https://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0105018
• https://blog.chromium.org/2020/04/temporarily-rolling-back-samesite.html
• https://blog.google/products/ads/next-steps-transparency-choice-control/
• https://blog.google/products/chrome/building-a-more-private-web/
• https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2109
• https://digiday.com/uk/all-you-need-to-know-about-europes-data-privacy-regulations/
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising#ideas-and-proposals-links-outside-this-repo
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/OnlineAdvertisingParticipants.md
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/rtb-use-case.md
• https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/understanding-privacy-advocates.md
• https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/investing-in-mobile-future-with-admob.html
• https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/why-should-i-register-on-imdb/GHB62T7USTMYMCDC?ref_=helpart_nav_3#
• https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0458.html
• https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0501.html
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/blog/privacy-sandbox-next-steps
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/cookies/storage-access-api
• https://privacysandbox.google.com/protections/privacy-budget
• https://safety.google/safety/ads-data/
• https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/vol1/iss1/4/
• https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9560818?hl=en
• https://techcrunch.com/2009/11/09/google-acquires-admob/
• https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/your-privacy-policy-doesnt-mean-a-thing-regulating-privacy-on-the-web/
• https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2965
• https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265
• https://w3cping.github.io/privacy-threat-model/
• https://web.archive.org/web/19991127212505/http://www.networkadvertising.org/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20000815060418/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090627105722/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100830143434/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3895466
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110530020518/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/microsoft-security-idUSN2517397120110525
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120119215316/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3877261
• https://web.archive.org/web/20131209210402/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9918582-57.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20141127185609/http://www.computerworld.com/article/2510494/data-privacy/microsoft-disables--supercookies--used-on-msn-com-visitors.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170906230653/http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/magic-cookie.html
• https://webkit.org/blog/10218/full-third-party-cookie-blocking-and-more/
• https://webkit.org/blog/9661/preventing-tracking-prevention-tracking/
• https://www.baekdal.com/thoughts/the-original-cookie-specification-from-1997-was-gdpr-compliant/
• https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/computer-internet/computer-use-1984-2009.html
• https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/google-finds-apple-safari-anti-tracking-feature-actually-enabled-tracking/

Kalshi: is it "the first federally regulated prediction market," or just a shittier FanDuel? Join me and friend-of-the-pod Jeff Bonhag to learn:

• What modern science has in common with rolling fox knuckles
• How Kalshi DOSed the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Why Donald Trump Jr is so interested in making prediction markets a thing

References:

• https://blockworks.co/podcast/empire/fbd446de-a7e3-11f0-8d81-6380135dcd93 
• https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/print-archive/event-contracts-are-step-too-far-derivatives-regulation 
• https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article-abstract/281/1784/20133305/77153/Decision-accuracy-in-complex-environments-is-often 
• https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=70788
• https://epicwins.io/2025/10/12/kalshi-raises-300m-and-expands-to-over-140-countries/ 
• https://frontofficesports.com/kalshi-hit-with-nationwide-class-action-over-illegal-sports-betting/ 
• https://gamblingharm.org/kalshi-college-ambassadors-program/ 
• https://german.yale.edu/sites/default/files/hayek_-_the_use_of_knowledge_in_society.pdf 
• https://mickbransfield.com/2025/08/11/summary-of-legal-actions-involving-kalshis-sports-event-contracts/
• https://news.kalshi.com/p/kalshi-cnn-prediction-market-partnership 
• https://nexteventhorizon.substack.com/p/kalshi-and-tareks-not-so-excellent-pr-adventure 
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empire/id1554930038?i=1000731608313 
• https://readwrite.com/kalshi-sued-massachusetts-illegal-sports-gambling/ 
• https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/07/why-political-betting-markets-are-failing.html 
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.41256/gov.uscourts.cadc.41256.1208669739.0.pdf 
• https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2023/11/kalshi-sues-cftc-over-election-betting-bid-denial-00124658 
• https://time.com/7095708/financial-scam-political-prediction-election/ 
• https://users.wfu.edu/strumpks/papers/JEP_2004.pdf 
• https://web.stanford.edu/~csimoiu/doc/wisdom-of-crowds.pdf 
• https://www.axios.com/2024/04/10/us-legal-betting-prediction-market-events-kalshi 
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/kalshi-s-stock-market-of-the-world-let-s-you-bet-on-anything https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-02/kalshi-s-top-lawyer-quits-to-become-leader-of-doge-team-at-sec https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-20/kalshi-pulls-announcement-of-xai-tie-up-hours-after-touting-deal 
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-20/hedge-funds-are-wooed-by-startup-to-bet-millions-on-real-events https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/29/this-new-exchange-lets-investors-vote-yes-or-no-on-major-events-to-hedge-their-portfolios.html 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/09/kalshi-expands-election-betting-options-cftc-complains.html 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/13/kalshi-names-donald-trump-jr-as-strategic-advisor-to-prediction-market-firm.html 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/cnbc-and-kalshi-strike-exclusive-partnership.html 
• https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/12/04/on-kalshi-there-is-no-house-anybody-can-win-says-ceo-tarek-mansour.html 
• https://www.covers.com/industry/kalshi-faces-class-action-over-alleged-unlicensed-sports-betting-nov-28-2025 
• https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption 
• https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/02/19/will-prediction-markets-live-up-to-the-hype 
• https://www.fastcompany.com/91399289/kalshi-prediction-markets-sports-gambling 
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/02/how-kalshis-luana-lopes-lara-cofounder-went-from-professional-ballerina-to-worlds-youngest-self-made-woman-billionaire/ 
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/12/01/from-fintechs-crypto-top-...

This week we're joined by Brandon Romano to learn about Scantron: the company that made ubiquitous standardized testing possible. Find out:

• How standardized tests were graded in the 1500s (hint: it involved throwing corpses over walls)
• Why the hideous pseudoscience of eugenics is weirdly load-bearing for the SAT
• How Scantron uses infrared light to transmute those little number-2 pencil marks into college rejection letters

References:

• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/schools-standardized-testing-assessment-ai-future/675366/ 
• https://blog.collegeboard.org/everything-you-need-know-about-digital-sat 
• https://edscoop.com/scantron-how-colleges-handle-old-unwanted-tech/ 
• https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/12/scantron-technology-creates-more-efficient-testing 
• https://gizmodo.com/5908833/the-birth-of-scantrons-the-bane-of-standardized-testing 
• https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050248A/en 
• https://patents.google.com/patent/US3900961A/en 
• https://scantron.com/ScanToolsPlus/Help/v8/LINK/content/apicontent/overview/scanner_technology_overview.htm 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120403020015/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/testscore/ 
• https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/10/LazarinOvertestingReport.pdf 
• https://www.cxomagazine.com/reimagining-data-intelligence-through-human-centered-innovation-and-ethical-ai/ 
• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/dark-history-of-multiple-choice-ainissa-ramirez 
• https://www.ipmetrics.net/blog/litigation/case-law/scantron-patent-marking/ 
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/william-sanders-obituary?id=17291417 
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/orangecounty/name/michael-sokolski-obituary?id=8415721&fhid=3071 
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/402857246/?match=1&terms=Scantron 
• https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/s/BdPM5tl48r 
• https://www.reddit.com/r/fgcu/comments/320qqk/whats_up_with_having_to_buy_our_own_scantron/ 
• https://www.scantron.com/blog/meet-mary-michael-sellers/ 
• https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300026399/chinas-examination-hell/ 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85gAfiJGpVM 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRdrXUaESg 

This week and last, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Rachel Kiel to talk about Shazam: the massive data analytics platform that occasionally tells you the names of songs. Find out:

• How they use computers to turn all your favorite songs into constellations
• What other things you can Shazam, if you're not a music person
• What Shazam likes to do in its spare time, when you think it's not listening anymore

References:

• https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/11/24/shazam-for-ios-will-listen-to-songs-for-longer-before-giving-up
• https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/05/22/shazam-can-now-run-in-the-background-with-live-activities
• https://daniellenewnham.medium.com/fostering-innovation-and-choosing-the-right-founding-team-6287f7eed9f
• https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/shazam-predictive-analysis-for-the-music-industry/
• https://patents.justia.com/inventor/avery-li-chun-wang
• https://profwurzer.com/shazams-ip-fortress-layered-protection-built-a-billion-dollar-app/
• http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-shazam-effect/382237/
• https://venturebeat.com/social/shazam-american-idol/
• https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.html
• https://www.computerweekly.com/news/450409644/How-Shazam-handles-its-data-reserves
• https://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/papers/Wang03-shazam.pdf
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/averywang08/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/s/uX3Gjl7FUm
• https://www.seti.org/people/avery-wang/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3hNkU03sLA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m-G6iwrCw

This week and next, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Rachel Kiel to talk about Shazam: the massive data analytics platform that occasionally tells you the names of songs. Find out:

• How they use computers to turn all your favorite songs into constellations
• What other things you can Shazam, if you're not a music person
• What Shazam likes to do in its spare time, when you think it's not listening anymore

References:

• https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/11/24/shazam-for-ios-will-listen-to-songs-for-longer-before-giving-up
• https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/05/22/shazam-can-now-run-in-the-background-with-live-activities
• https://daniellenewnham.medium.com/fostering-innovation-and-choosing-the-right-founding-team-6287f7eed9f
• https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/shazam-predictive-analysis-for-the-music-industry/
• https://patents.justia.com/inventor/avery-li-chun-wang
• https://profwurzer.com/shazams-ip-fortress-layered-protection-built-a-billion-dollar-app/
• http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-shazam-effect/382237/
• https://venturebeat.com/social/shazam-american-idol/
• https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.html
• https://www.computerweekly.com/news/450409644/How-Shazam-handles-its-data-reserves
• https://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/papers/Wang03-shazam.pdf
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/averywang08/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/s/uX3Gjl7FUm
• https://www.seti.org/people/avery-wang/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3hNkU03sLA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m-G6iwrCw

It looks like you're trying to listen to a podcast. Would you like some help with that? Join me and my guest Dana Vannen Anderson for the bizarre and frequently cringe story of Clippy, the paperclip that us helped write a thousand letters. Find out:

• Where we got the notion that your computer should act like a person
• Why Microsoft ditched the idea of Clippy ever shutting the fuck up
• What celebrated actor brought the paperclip to life for Office XP's mortifying launch campaign

References:

• https://arxiv.org/pdf/1301.7385
• https://jesse.cafe/blog/packard-bell-navigator/
• https://guidebookgallery.org/tutorials/packardbellnavigator39/gettingstarted 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110504005120/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/04/-quot-clippy-quot-update-now-with-organizational-anthropology/8006/ 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110124023627/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chris_pratley/archive/2004/01/31/65479.aspx 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgzgbLwhKM#t=1m41s 
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/07/chatgpt-lawsuit-suicide-coach 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070212204645/http://lis.dickinson.edu/Technology/Training/Tutorials/MsOffice/assistant.htm
• https://web.archive.org/web/20010812061222/http://www.microsoft.com/office/clippy/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20190214194638/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/techtalk/2005/12/16/pm-at-microsoft/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125147/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-255671.html
• https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/08/origin-story-of-clippy-the-microsoft-office-assistant 
• https://magnus919.com/2025/05/the-rise-and-fall-of-clippy-from-microsofts-bold-vision-to-internet-legend/ 
• https://spir.aoir.org/ojs/index.php/spir/article/view/10923/9596 
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143853682/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/295620970/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/770293367/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/658114957/
• https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-05-03-clippy-campaign.htm 
• https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/191666.191703
• https://archive.org/details/g4tv.com-video4080 
• https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/042-clippy-the-fcking-clown