Best Neal Stephenson Podcasts (2025)

1
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, with guest Leah Borden 38:10

12d ago38:10

38:10

This is a Seth’s Picks episode, the very highly regarded, though not much honored at the time Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. It’s like Ready Player One, but without all the references or terrible writing. (It’s not really like RPO at all, and that’s a very good thing.) This is one of my shorter episodes, … Continue reading "Snow Crash, by Neal Ste…

1
Jack Clark on AI's Uneven Impact 1:02:40

6d ago1:02:40

1:02:40

Few understand both the promise and limitations of artificial general intelligence better than Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic. With a background in journalism and the humanities that sets him apart in Silicon Valley, Clark offers a refreshingly sober assessment of AI's economic impact—predicting growth of 3-5% rather than the 20-30% touted by …

1
Stephen Heintz, Kim Stanley Robinson: A Logic For The Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence 59:55

13d ago59:55

59:55

Stephen Heintz and Kim Stanley Robinson say we live in an “Age of Turbulence.”Looking around our geopolitical situation, it’s easy to see what they mean. Faced with the ever-growing threat of climate change, the looming potential breakdown of the post-01945 international order, and the ambiguous prospects of rapid technological changes in fields li…

1
Kenneth Rogoff on Monetary Moves, Fiscal Gambits, and Classical Chess 1:00:34

13d ago1:00:34

1:00:34

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff approaches global finance with the same strategic foresight that made him a chess grandmaster. Author of the new book Our Dollar, Your Problem, Rogoff doesn't sugarcoat America's future: he foresees a significant inflation shock within a decade, far more severe than the post-COVID bout. When this second wave hits, h…

1
Chris Dixon on Blockchains, AI, and the Future of the Internet 1:02:51

20d ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Chris Dixon believes we're at a pivotal inflection point in the internet's evolution. As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and author of Read Write Own, Chris believes the current internet, dominated by large platforms like YouTube and Spotify, has strayed far from its decentralized roots. He argues that the next era—powered by blockchain te…

1
Ian Leslie on McCartney, Lennon, and the Greatest Creative Partnership of All Time 59:22

27d ago59:22

59:22

It’s Beatles day! In this deep dive into one of music's most legendary partnerships, Ian Leslie and Tyler unpack the complex relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Leslie, whose book John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs examines this creative pairing, reveals how their contrasting personalities—John's intuitive, sometimes chaotic approa…

1
K Allado-McDowell: On Neural Media 57:10

1M ago57:10

57:10

How will AI shape our understanding of our creativity and ourselves? In February, artist and technologist K Allado-McDowell delivered a fascinating Long Now Talk that explored the dimensions of Neural Media — their term for an emerging set of creative forms that use artificial neural networks inspired by the connective design of the human brain.The…

1
Jennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government 54:08

1M ago54:08

54:08

Jennifer Pahlka believes America's bureaucratic dysfunction is deeply rooted in outdated processes and misaligned incentives. As the founder of Code for America and co-founder of the United States Digital Service, she has witnessed firsthand how government struggles to adapt to the digital age, often trapped in rigid procedures and disconnected fro…

1
3x Hugo Finalist! 1:09

1M ago1:09

1:09

While I was recording with my TMTYR co-hosts, I realized I never recorded a reaction to my 2025 Hugo nomination, so I just sprang it on them (they were already in the know about the nomination because I can’t keep a secret from them). Thanks so much to everyone who nominated this podcast!By Hugos There Podcast

1
Sheilagh Ogilvie on Epidemics, Guilds, and the Persistence of Bad Institutions 59:11

1M ago59:11

59:11

Sheilagh Ogilvie has spent decades examining the institutional structures that shaped European economic history, challenging conventional wisdom about everything from guilds to marriage patterns. In her conversation with Tyler, she reveals how studying pandemic responses from the Black Death to COVID-19 provides a unique lens for understanding deep…

1
Zoomed Out: Sports SFF, with Chris Garcia 1:12:04

1M ago1:12:04

1:12:04

Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Subgenre Spot…

1
Ahmed Best, Lisa Kay Solomon: Feel The Future: A Valentine’s Evening 59:10

2M ago59:10

59:10

When you feel the future, how do you share that feeling in order to build community?Over the past quarter-century, Best — first as an actor, musician, and performer, and later as an Afrofuturist scholar and lecturer — has worked to answer that question. Drawing on his experiences as a cast member on the award-winning percussion performance Stomp, a…

1
Benjamin Bratton: A Philosophy of Planetary Computation: From Antikythera to Synthetic Intelligence 57:47

2M ago57:47

57:47

We find ourselves in a pre-paradigmatic moment in which our technology has outpaced our theories of what to do with it.The task of philosophy today is to catch up.Benjamin Bratton is a Professor of Philosophy of Technology and Speculative Design at University of California, San Diego and the Director of Antikythera, an cross-disciplinary think tank…

1
Ezra Klein on the Abundance Agenda 1:08:40

2M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

What happens when a liberal thinker shifts his attention from polarization to economic abundance? Ezra Klein’s new book with Derek Thompson, Abundance, argues for an agenda of increased housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and innovation. But does abundance clash with polarization—or offer a way through it? In this conversation, Ezra and Tyler di…

1
Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe 51:43

2M ago51:43

51:43

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, explores something even more fundamental—how the very air around us is teeming with life, from pollen to pathogens to microbes floa…

1
Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi (with guest Tony [redacted]) 50:04

2M ago50:04

50:04

My guest and I discuss a Hugo-nominee, Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi. I haven’t been loving Scalzi’s recent books, but I loved this one. This episode includes an unedited transcript that will be updated at a later time. Spoiler talk starts at 15:24 Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support …

1
Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus) 1:23:14

3M ago1:23:14

1:23:14

How much of your life’s trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained la…

1
Ross Douthat on Why Religion Makes More Sense Than You Think 1:13:38

3M ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape religious questions entirely. His new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious makes the case for religious faith in an age of apparent disenchant…

1
Zoomed Out: Lloyd Alexander, with Jared Crossley 56:49

3M ago56:49

56:49

This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Author Deep Dive episode on Lloyd Alexander. Joining me for this discussion is Jared Crossley, creator of the Lloyd Alexander documentary on YouTube. This episode includes an unedited transcript which will be updated at a later time. Segments and time codes: (03:00) – Intro to Lloyd Alexander (08:00) – … Continue …

1
Joe Boyd on the Birth of Rock, World Music, and Being There for Everything 1:00:42

4M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another music industry insider, Boyd has spent decades exploring how the world's musical traditions connect and transform each other. His new book And the Roots of…

1
My 2024 in books! 30:49

4M ago30:49

30:49

Just a quick look back at everything I read in 2024, including a bit of podcast reading, lots of graphic novels, and more than a little leisure reading. Video link here: https://youtu.be/9A2p_9y3TvE Adjoa Andoh is the narrator of Translation State and she’s an absolute beast. My Year in Books: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2024/24595…

1
Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema 1:08:14

4M ago1:08:14

1:08:14

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience through blogging in his 50s and 60s, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Yet this unconventional journey led him to become one of the most influe…

1
The Space Trilogy, by CS Lewis (feat. Evan Bradtke) 1:26:01

4M ago1:26:01

1:26:01

Guest Evan Bradtke joins me for a fairly lengthy discussion of CS Lewis’s Space Trilogy (more aptly called the Cosmic Trilogy), all three volumes of which were nominated for the Retro Hugo. It’s a normal-ish episode, with the exception being that we discuss all three books in some detail. The books are, to me, less accessibly … Continue reading "Th…

1
Conversations with Tyler 2024 Retrospective 58:05

5M ago58:05

58:05

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give On this special year-in-review episode, Tyler and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the past year in the show and more, including covering the most popular and underrated episodes, fielding listener questions, reviewing Tyler’s pop culture picks from 2014, mulling over ideas for what…

1
“We’re all Superman to somebody, sometime,” a conversation about live-action Superman with Michael Gabriel 1:43:39

5M ago1:43:39

1:43:39

In this bonus episode, Michael Gabriel and I discuss (at length) live action Superman, particularly the recently-ended CW show Superman & Lois, with stops along the way to talk about our histories with Superman, the Arrowverse, and some comic book recommendations for anyone who’s interested in reading a few Superman books. Topics Covered: Michael’s…

1
Paula Byrne on Thomas Hardy’s Women, Jane Austen’s Humor, and Evelyn Waugh’s Warmth 54:42

5M ago54:42

54:42

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give What can Thomas Hardy’s tortured marriages teach us about love, obsession, and second chances? In this episode, biographer, novelist, and therapist Paula Byrne examines the intimate connections between life and literature, revealing how Hardy’s relationships with women shaped his por…

1
Roman Krznaric, Kate Raworth: What Doughnut Economics Can Learn From History 52:10

5M ago52:10

52:10

Social philosopher Roman Krznaric and renegade economist Kate Raworth explore how we can survive and thrive by looking to the past for clues on how to build more regenerative economic frameworks. Doughnut economics describes the social and planetary boundaries needed for all people to prosper within the means of the living planet. Studying historic…

1
Stephen Kotkin on Stalin, Power, and the Art of Biography 1:26:25

5M ago1:26:25

1:26:25

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give In his landmark multi-volume biography of Stalin, Stephen Kotkin shows how totalitarian power worked not just through terror from above, but through millions of everyday decisions from below. Currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution after 33 years at Princeton, Kotkin brin…

1
Zoomed Out: Military Science Fiction, with William from Future War Stories 1:07:59

5M ago1:07:59

1:07:59

Follow me on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/hugospodcast.com This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Subgenre Spotlight episode on Military Science Fiction. Joining me for this discussion is returning guest William Bregnard from Future War Stories. An unedited transcript is included with this episode. A more polished transcript will be posted at a la…

1
Russ Roberts on Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate 1:01:41

6M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

In this crossover episode with EconTalk, Tyler joins Russ Roberts for an in-depth exploration of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, a monumental novel often described as the 20th-century answer to Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russ and Tyler cover Grossman’s life and the historical context of Life and Fate, its themes of war, totalitarianism, freedom, and…

1
Neal Stephenson: Polostan 56:01

6M ago56:01

56:01

Neal Stephenson, visionary speculative fiction authorand long-time friend of Long Now, joined us for aconversation with journalist Charles C. Mann on theresearch behind his new novel Polostan, the dawn ofthe Atomic Age, and the craft of historical storytelling.Polostan is the first installment in a monumental new series called Bomb Light - an expan…

1
Neal Stephenson on History, Spycraft, and American-Soviet Parallels 47:19

6M ago47:19

47:19

Neal Stephenson’s ability to illuminate complex, future-focused ideas in ways that both provoke thought and spark wonder has established him as one of the most innovative thinkers in literature today. Yet his new novel, Polostan, revisits the Soviet era with a twist, shifting his focus from the speculative technologies of tomorrow to the historical…

1
Blindness, by José Saramago (feat. Andy Parry) 1:01:09

6M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Andy Parry from Sci-Fi Around the World joins me for a Seth’s Picks episode about Blindness, by Nobel-winner Jose Saramago. The book was originally published in Portuguese, which made Andy the perfect guest due to his international SF project. It’s a tough read for content reasons, including violence and sexual violence, but it’s one of … Continue …

1
Christopher Kirchhoff on Military Innovation and the Future of War 56:38

7M ago56:38

56:38

Christopher Kirchhoff is an expert in emerging technology who founded the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office. He’s led teams for President Obama, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CEO of Google. He’s worked in worlds as far apart as weapons development and philanthropy. His pioneering efforts to link Silicon Valley technology and startup…

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