A Podcast Series by Evgeny Morozov. Forget the military or Silicon Valley: we owe our smart technologies - from toothbrushes to beds - to a band of eccentric 1960s hippies. Hidden away in a secretive, privately funded lab on Boston’s waterfront, these visionaries developed intimate, personal technologies a decade before Steve Jobs. But their rebellion was fraught with obstacles: the military-industrial complex, corporate resistance, and the founders’ larger-than-life personalities. As Silico ...
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The Santiago Boys is a nine-part podcast about a group of radical utopians around Salvador Allende, Chile's socialist president. Undeterred by the Cold War and machinations of their enemies and aided by an eccentric British consultant, they try to wrestle control over technology from multinationals and intelligence agencies and use it to create a more egalitarian economy. As their dream gets crushed by Pinochet's bloody coup, the Santiago Boys find an unexpected afterlife - and in Silicon Va ...
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The Critical Media Studies podcast discusses the interplay of technology and culture from an academic perspective. In each episode we consider the work of a prominent thinker in the field of critical media studies and discuss the implications of their work in relation to other thinkers and in light of current social contexts.
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#76: Bruno Latour - "On Actor-Network Theory: A few clarifications"
1:09:28
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Barry and Mike discuss Bruno Latour’s essay, “On Actor-Network Theory: A few clarifications.” They work through his key terms in an attempt to better understand the new meanings he ascribes to actors and networks and what this theory allows us to do with media theory.By Michael Repici
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#75: Distant Early Warning: a reflection on media environments and art after McLuhan
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In this episode Barry and Mike continue their discussion of William Burroughs’ cut-up method. They introduce Alex Kitnick’s arguments about the Media is the Massage from his book Distant Early Warning: Marshall McLuhan and the Transformation of the Avant-Garde in order to illuminate Burroughs’ practice.…
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss William Burroughs’ 1963 manifesto “The Cut-Up Method.” We worry over some contradictions and tensions in his “new” method of writing.By Michael Repici
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#73: Evgeny Morozov - Can AI Break Out of Panglossian Neoliberalism?
58:57
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#73 In this episode Barry and Mike discuss “Panglossian Neoliberalism,” a term that Evgeny Morozov uses to describe the place of generative AI in the hands of venture capitalists. Can AI Break out of Panglossian Neoliberalism? The True Threat of Artificial Intelligence a sense oF rebellion podcastBy Michael Repici
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This is a look back at our 3/3/23 episode on Simone Weil.By Michael Repici
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In this final bonus episode, Evgeny discusses the importance of play and playfulness to the Brodey-Johnson agenda.By Evgeny Morozov
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In this penultimate bonus episode, Evgeny delivers a mini-lecture on what made Brodey and Johnson's approach to technology so unique. Their original perspective is still surprisingly relevant.By Evgeny Morozov
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#71: Bernard Steigler - What Makes Life Worth Living, pt. 2
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In this episode Barry and Mike return to Bernard Steigler’s What Makes Life Worth Living: On Pharmakology. They tease out Steigler’s terms proletarianism and disintoxification, as well as our possible roles in resisting the poison and fostering the growth of the cure in the pharmakon.By Michael Repici
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Bonus Episode 1: The Family Verdict
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In this bonus episode, Evgeny meets Warren Brodey, his children, and his partner Karene on the day of Warren's 100th birthday. A lively discussion follows: this podcast's last attempt to decipher Warren's strange arc. Watch the video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/fl_uyH9slOUBy Evgeny Morozov
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#70: Bernard Steigler - What Makes Life Worth Living
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Bernard Steigler’s 2010 book, What Makes Life Worth Living: On Pharmacology. They reconsider their understanding of the pharmakon from Steigler’s other work and discuss the significance of care in pharmakology.By Michael Repici
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#69: On Life’s Terrifying Vacuity: Chayka, Han, and Benjamin.
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In this episode, Barry and Mike finish their discussion of Chayka on Han and Benjamin’s essay, “The Storyteller.” In teasing out Han and Benjamin’s ideas about the distinction between narration and information, they land on the problem posed by the contemporary digital campfire.By Michael Repici
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GUARDEA, ITALY, 2024: Evgeny joins Warren Brodey's 100th birthday celebration at his daughter Lisa's home in Umbria. We uncover the final days of the lab, the fates of Peter Oser and Avery Johnson, Warren's numerous defense mechanisms, and how he has—and hasn't—changed since the lab's demise.By Evgeny Morozov
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BOSTON, 1969: We revisit the lab on Lewis Wharf for a final glimpse into the early tech start-up scene. The project begins with utopian optimism, but soon faces problems and conflicts. As the team readies for the final presentation, Peter Oser questions the enterprise's viabilityBy Evgeny Morozov
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WASHINGTON, 1964: We travel to Georgetown of the early 1960s, where the Brodeys mingle with the country's elite, including the Kennedys. Brodey's fascination with computers and responsive environments begins, influenced by his psychiatric practice. LSD also makes an appearance. Discover why he abandons psychiatry for MIT and the challenges he encou…
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BOSTON, 1968: Evgeny examines an alternative, non-military hypothesis about the origins of the Environmental Ecology Lab. As personal struggles of Avery Johnson and Peter Oser, key collaborators of Warren Brodey, come to light, unsettling questions arise. Is the lab's true mission to enable Brodey, a gifted psychiatrist, to mend the fractures in th…
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Episode 6: Ice Cream, Whiskey, and the CIA
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GENEVA, 2023: Evgeny makes one last push in his quest to uncover the truth behind the Environmental Ecology Lab's mysterious ties to the military and the CIA. As he follows the trail, startling revelations come to light, hinting at a shadowy connection between Peter Oser and the US military. Evgeny also exposes the hidden influence of the lab's int…
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LONDON, 2023: Evgeny finally meets Nicholas Negroponte, one of the most famous prophets of the digital age and a key figure inspired by Brodey and Johnson. As their conversation unfolds, questions arise: Has Negroponte remained true to their pioneering concepts, or has he ventured into realms they would disapprove of? And what about the MIT Media L…
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Episode 4: Rebellion Against Rebellion
1:08:35
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OSLO, 1978: Evgeny is determined to uncover the truth behind Warren Brodey's sudden departure from America and his reappearance as a fervent Maoist at a Norwegian iron foundry. Locals whisper he might be a CIA agent, but is there any truth to these suspicions? As Evgeny digs deeper, he unravels Warren's strange political journey and the impact of h…
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MILFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1971: As the '60s end, the Environmental Ecology Lab finds new purpose at Avery Johnson's secluded woodland quarry. Here, Ecology, Tool & Toy emerges—a cybernetic commune blending hippie ideals with cutting-edge tech. Warren Brodey seems driven by an enigmatic quest, but what is he truly seeking?…
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BOSTON, 1968: Evgeny digs deeper into the enigmatic Environmental Ecology Lab, a high-tech operation shrouded in mystery on Boston's waterfront. Funded by a Rockefeller and featuring an eclectic team alongside two colossal, costly computers, the lab's activities evoke the air of a covert CIA operation. Was this simply an avant-garde experiment, or …
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PARIS, 2014: A serendipitous visit to a quaint Parisian bookstore sends renowned tech critic Evgeny Morozov down an unexpected rabbit hole. He stumbles upon the mystifying legacy of Warren Brodey, a 1960s psychiatrist whose path intertwines with shadowy CIA operations and radical Maoist movements. Is Brodey a visionary tech pioneer lost to history,…
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A Podcast Series by Evgeny Morozov. Forget the military or Silicon Valley: we owe our smart technologies - from toothbrushes to beds - to a band of eccentric 1960s hippies. Hidden away in a secretive, privately funded lab on Boston’s waterfront, these visionaries developed intimate, personal technologies a decade before Steve Jobs. But their rebell…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Barry and Mike focus exclusively on the distinction between the storyteller and the novelist as explained in Walter Benjamin’s 1936 essay, “The Storyteller.”By Michael Repici
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#67: Kyle Chayka - "The Internet's New Favorite Philosopher - Byung-Chul Han
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Kyle Chayka’s assessment of the “Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher,” Byung-Chul Han. For those unfamiliar with Han's media theory, we encourage you to click the link above and read the Chayka article before listening to the episode.By Michael Repici
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#66 Sonny Bunch - The Future of Media is Passive
49:11
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss the “Sonny Bunch Hosts the Bulwark Goes to Hollywood” episode “The Future of Media is Passive” and the notion of “linear streaming.” The ponder what it says about our distracted worlds.By Michael Repici
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#65: Andrew Milne - Tourists In Our Own Reality: Susan Sontag's Photography at 50
1:09:44
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In this episode Barry and Mike talk about Andrew Milne’s essay, “Tourists in our own Reality: Susan Sontag’s Photography at 50” in an attempt to update her arguments for the digital age. They puzzle over what it means to have an authentic relationship to photographs, or to be authentic ourselves.By Michael Repici
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#64: Jonathan Crary - Scorched Earth, pt. 2
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss chapter 2 of of Jonathan Crary’s “Scorched Earth.” They focus on social media as a pharmacological problem within the Internet Complex.By Michael Repici
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#63: Jonathan Crary - Scorched Earth
1:08:51
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Barry and Mike discuss Jonathan Crary’s critique of the “internet complex” and what it means.By Michael Repici
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#62: Siegfried Kracauer - Cult of Distraction: On Berlin's Picture Palaces
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Barry and Mike discuss Siegfried Kracauer's 1926 essay "Cult of Distraction: On Berlin's Picture Palaces." Written nearly 100 years ago, the essay is strangely relevant to our current political landscape. We pay special attention to Kracauer's unique notion of distraction, which contra Stiegler, Kracauer views as a stimulus to thought.…
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Barry and Mike discuss Yanis Varoufakis' book, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, and the challenge it presents to Marxist theories about global capital.By Michael Repici
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In this episode Barry and Mike relate Evgeny Morozov’s 2013 New Yorker essay, “Only Disconnect” to their previous discussion of A. Romero’s meditation on boredom and distraction and the internet.By Michael Repici
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Alberto Romero - The Most Important Skill in the 21st Century
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss “The Most Important Skill in the 21st Century,” Alberto Romero’s polemical defense of boredom in the media entertainment age. They discuss whether it’s possible to be bored today in the way that Romero seems to require.By Michael Repici
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Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
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In this episode Barry and Mike return to the earlier discussion of Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” and question her conclusion regarding the human/robotic distinction in light of PKD’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”By Michael Repici
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” and her thesis, that though technology opens new possibilities for communication it simultaneously alienates us from each other, leaving us wanting for emotional connections. We wonder whether Turkle is right and whether authentic relationships are possible.…
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In this episode Barry and Mike resume their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Klara and the Sun.” They discuss how differences in class and education determine how the various characters relation to Kara as an embodiment of technology.By Michael Repici
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Change is good! Barry and Mike shift the focus of their discussions on technology to look more closely at what it means to be human in a technologically dominated world. This episode looks at Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, "Klara and the Sun" and investigates his questions about the spaces between humanity and technology.…
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Marshall McLuhan - The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects pt. 2
1:03:51
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In this episode Barry and Mike wrap up their discussion of Marshall McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects,” focusing on the question of education and media.By Michael Repici
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Marshall McLuhan - The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects
1:19:26
1:19:26
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Marshal McLuhan’s seminal text, The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects. They discuss the form of the book and some of the key opening arguments.By Michael Repici
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John Law - Monsters, Machines, and Sociotechnical Relations
1:05:37
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss the three central issues raised by John Law in the introduction to his 1991 anthology, “Sociology of Monsters”: the problem of epistemology; the problem of the social; the problem of distribution. Law argues that the coming together of Sociology and STS (science, technology, society) offers an opportunity to a…
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Denise Lu - Want to Enjoy Music More? Stop Streaming it.
1:01:55
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Denise Lu’s recent New York Times editorial, “Want to Enjoy Music More? Stop Streaming It. Build a real music collection. Reintroduce intimacy to the songs you care about.” They attempt to re-frame the article in CMS friendly terms and end up with an extended investigation of the nature of intimacy and the arc…
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On the occasions of their 50th episode, Barry and Mike get reflective. The discuss the purpose or intent of the show, their favorite episodes, what they’d do over, and the biggest surprises that they’ve encountered so far.By Michael Repici
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John Law – Notes on the Theory of the Actor Network: Ordering, Strategy, and Heterogeneity.
1:11:18
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In this episode Barry and Mike discussion John Law’s 1992 essay, “Notes on the Theory of the Actor Network: Ordering, Strategy, and Heterogeneity” and in particular Law’s concepts of network composition, punctualisation, and translation.By Michael Repici
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Bruno Latour - On Actor-Network Theory: A few clarifications
1:08:03
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Barry and Mike discuss Bruno Latour’s essay, “On Actor-Network Theory: A few clarifications.” They work through his key terms in an attempt to better understand the new meanings he ascribes to actors and networks and what this theory allows us to do with media theory.By Michael Repici
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In this episode Barry and Mike discuss a chapter from Jacques Attali, book, Noise: The Political Economy of Music. Following on their discussion from the Glenn Gould episode, they interrogate at Attali's take on the impacts of recorded music as an archive and as background noise.By Michael Repici
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Glenn Gould - The Prospects of Recording
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In this episode Barry and Mike talk about Glenn Gould’s essay “The Prospects of Recording.” They focus on two central arguments from the essay – how technology creates the new, empowered, listener and the significance of background music.By Michael Repici
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As Fernando conquers Silicon Valley, Stafford seeks refuge in the tranquil Welsh wilderness. Ironically, Pinochet's journey to the origins of Cybersyn culminates in his arrest. With the dawn of democracy in Chile, vestiges of the past persist. But what has happened to Cybersyn's Ops Room? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic…
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Fernando defies Pinochet's labor camps, resurfacing in sunny California. In a stunning twist, Stafford mingles with rockstars. In Chile, Pinochet's spymaster weaves a nefarious plot, the rhythm of his ambition matched only by the hum of computers and telexes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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The day of reckoning arrives with a rain of missiles on La Moneda, spelling a tragic end for Allende's revolution. With Fernando arrested and others in exile, Cybersyn's future hangs in balance. A world away, a distraught Stafford Beer races against time to aid his imperiled Chilean comrades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc…
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Allende's troubles escalate: miners down tools and disgruntled soldiers mount an unsuccessful coup attempt. A wave of unrelenting terrorist attacks keeps Santiago on edge. Stafford, fed up with bureaucracy, retreats to the seaside, while Fernando learns of a cunning plot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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Ep 5: The super-technocrat of them all
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Stafford Beer suddenly faces stinging accusations from radical British leftists. Is he engineering a cybernetic Big Brother? Meanwhile, Allende battles a political whirlwind, abandoned by the Kremlin and unable to fully overcome Washington's invisible blockade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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