Keen On America

EPISODE 1484 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of NIGHT VISION, Mariana Alessandri, on how painful emotions can reveal truths what it means to be truly human  Mariana Alessandri is an associate professor of philosophy at UTRGV, where she teaches existentialism, Latin American philosophy, religious studies, and the history of philosophy. Mariana and her spouse live on the Mexico-US...

EPISODE 1483: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of DECISION SPRINT, Atif Rafiq, about the new way to innovate into the unknown, and move from strategy to action Over a 25 year career spanning Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500, Atif Rafiq invented a new system for problem-solving. His ideas proved so impactful as a competitive advantage that they sped his rise at digital native comp...

EPISODE 1482: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of NOTES ON COMPLEXITY, Neil Theise, about his scientific theory of connection, consciousness and being Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity and the anatomy of the human interstitium. Dr. Theise’s studies in c...

EPISODE 1481: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Betaworks CEO John Borthwick about the origins of the social media age and why the intelligence for today's AI revolution is  being built upon social media data John Borthwick is the CEO and Founder of Betaworks. He leads the company building and investment process since 2008. Previously, John was SVP of Alliances and Technology Strategy for Time...

EPISODE 1480: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of POWER RIVALS, Carl Delfeld, about what he sees as the Republican existential challenge of reaching non-aligned voters Carl Delfeld is Hay-Seward Senior Fellow at the Center for Economic Security, Chief Global Analyst at Cabot Wealth, and author of new book, Power Rivals: America and China’s Superpower Struggle and a Managing Partner...

EPISODE 1479: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Emma Nadler, the author of THE UNLIKELY VILLAGE OF EDEN, about how good and bad luck, like laughter and tears, are all-too-often inseparably connected Emma Nadler is an author, speaker, and psychotherapist. In her private practice, she helps people better understand and tolerate emotions, build deeper relationships, and find meaning in life's cha...

Episode 1478 : In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss robots the humans, Lina Khan and Geoffrey Hinton and, of course, Paul Graham and Elon Musk Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on star...

EPISODE 1477: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to SparkLabs Group co-founder Bernard Moon about the latest innovation in South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam Bernard Moon is a Co-founder & Partner at SparkLabs Group, which is a network of accelerators and venture capital funds that has invested in over 350 companies across 6 continents since 2013. With 8 accelerators in locations such as Seoul, T...

EPISODE 1476 : In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Ben Smith, the author of TRAFFIC and the founding editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News, about the Internet's fatal addiction to viral traffic Ben Smith is the editor in chief of Semafor , a new global news company. He is the former media columnist for The New York Times and founding editor in chief of BuzzFeed News. Before that, he was among the...

EPISODE 1475 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Financial Times' Chief Features Writer, Henry Mance, about what it means to be a boy online in 2023 Henry Mance is the FT's chief features writer. He writes features for the FT Weekend, and The Henry Mance Interview with leading figures, which appears every other Monday. He was previously a political correspondent and the FT's media correspo...

EPISODE 1474 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the veteran tech journalist Julia Angwin about her memories of 9/11 and why she was never quite taken by the blogging "revolution" Julia Angwin is an award-winning investigative journalist and New York Times contributing Opinion writer . She founded The Markup , a nonprofit newsroom that  investigates the impacts of technology on society, and is...

EPISODE 1473 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the authors of WONDER BOY, Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans, about Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the myth of happiness in Silicon Valley Angel Au-Yeung, co-author of Wonder Boy , is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and a former staff writer for Forbes . She was born in Hong Kong and grew up in California, the youngest of three sisters. She attende...

EPISODE 1472 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Leah Johnson, the author of ELLIE ENGLE SAVES HERSELF!, about why it's more important for kids to save themselves than to save the world Leah Johnson is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, was a Stonewall Honor Book, and the inaugur...

EPISODE 1471: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the social media theorist Jeff Jarvis about the origins of blogging , what went wrong at Facebook and Twitter, and why he still believes in the social potential of the Internet Jeff Jarvis is the Director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism and The Leonard Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation He is a national leader in the d...

EPISODE 1470 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Paul Kix, the author of YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO DIE BEFORE YOU CAN BEGIN TO LIVE, about the 1963 Birmingham Campaign - ten weeks that would shape the course of the Civil Rights Movement and the future of America Paul Kix is an author whose last book was The Saboteur, a bestselling and critically acclaimed true story of the most daring man in...

EPISODE 1469 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of PLUNDER, Brendan Ballou, about Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America Brendan Ballou is a federal prosecutor and served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. Previously, he worked in private practice, and before that, in the National Security Division of the Justice Department, wher...

EPISODE 1468 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of HELL TO PAY, Michael Lind, about how the suppression of wages and unions is destroying America Michael Lind is the author of more than a dozen books of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, including The New Class War, The Next American Nation, and Land of Promise. He is a columnist for Tablet and has been an editor or staff writer for...

EPISODE 1467 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Alice Oseman, the author of SOLITAIRE and the HEARTSTOPPER series, about asexuality, the importance of authentic story telling and the dangers of book banning Alice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, and was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She has written four YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: Solitair...

EPISODE 1466 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE FIRST LADY OF WORLD WAR II, Shannon McKenna Schmidt, on Eleanor Roosvelt's historic journey in 1943 to the Pacific frontline. Shannon McKenna Schmidt is the author of The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back (Sourcebooks/May 2023). She is also the co-author of Novel Destinati...

EPISODE 1465: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of MORE THAN I IMAGINED, John Blake, about his memoir of rediscovering his white mother and what this tells us about getting beyond race and racism in America today John Blake is an award-winning CNN journalist. He has been honored by the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Academy of Religion, the N...

EPISODE 1464 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED, Angeline Boulley, about her Native American community, her traditional firekeeping father and the need to get beyond "trauma" in Native American literature Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michiga...

EPISODE 1463: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE RISE OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES, Amber Atherton about the rise of virtual communities like the WELL, Second Life, Flickr, Reddit and Discord. Entrepreneur and investor Amber Atherton grew up obsessed with the aesthetics of the early internet. A full-blown y2k baby, she religiously designed Dollz and taught herself HTML, creating min...

EPISODE 1462 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of EXCELLENT ADVICE FOR LIVING, Kevin Kelly, about the limits of AI, the value of walking and why he remains optimistic about the future Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. He is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has...

EPISODE 1461 : In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of THE BOYS, Katie Hafner, about the art of fictionalizing non-fiction, Kafka and her career writing about Silicon Valley Katie Hafner was on staff at The New York Times for ten years, where she remains a frequent contributor, writing on healthcare and technology. She has also worked at Newsweek and BusinessWeek , and has written f...

EPISODE 1460: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of TRUMP WAS A JOKE, Sophia McClennen, on how satire is the most effective way of confronting the absurdity of Donald Trump Sophia A. McClennen works on the intersections between culture, politics and society. Her books focus on cultural responses to complex social change, such as satire and contemporary politics or the power of sto...