Plutopia News Network

The Plutopia News Network team takes a wide-ranging look at the changing political landscape in Texas, using Jon Lebkowsky’s experience as a delegate to the Texas Democratic Convention as a… The post Texas at a Crossroads first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Peter Richardson discusses Brand New Beat, his history of Rolling Stone’s first decade and its roots in San Francisco counterculture and music scene. The post Peter Richardson: Brand New Beat first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Hugh Forrest reflects on four decades helping shape South by Southwest and the challenges of scaling creative communities without losing authenticity. The post Hugh Forrest: Growing Experiences first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia podcast episode, security researcher and educator Steve Bellovin discusses the increasingly centralized and balkanized internet, the practical and social problems with age verification, the limited role of… The post Steven Bellovin: Don’t Get Hacked! first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Award-winning medical journalist Deborah Cohen examines how social media algorithms, influencers, wellness brands, and AI tools transformed the way people find and evaluate health information. The post Deborah Cohen: Bad Influence first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Three longtime patient-empowerment advocates — e-Patient Dave deBronkart, Hugo Campos, and Gilles Frydman — join Plutopia to discuss how AI is transforming participatory medicine by giving patients new tools to… The post Patient Power in the Age of AI first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this hosts-only “Plutopians Gone Wild” episode, Jon Lebkowsky, Scoop Sweeney, and Wendy Grossman range freely across early online culture, disaster response, politics, surveillance, AI, advertising, podcasts, and pop culture.… The post Plutopia Tribal Chat first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Cindy Cohn joins Plutopia to discuss her new book, Privacy’s Defender, and reflects on her decades of work with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, from the landmark Bernstein encryption case to… The post Cindy Cohn: Privacy’s Defender first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

David Miles discusses his book Sneeze: The History and Science of the Common Cold, arguing that “the common cold” is best understood as a broad category of respiratory viral illness… The post David Miles: The Viral Sneeze first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Nathan Schneider joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss cooperatives, platform ownership, and the dangers of “implicit feudalism” online, arguing that many digital spaces train users to choose between powerful admins… The post Nathan Schneider: Governable Spaces and Democracy first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Dr. Edward Lenert returns to Plutopia to discuss his year-long, million-word engagement with large language models and what that experience reveals about AI, thought, trust, creativity, and danger. The conversation… The post Ed Lenert: AI, Truth, and Political Kayfabe first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia podcast episode, journalist and author Helen Pearson discusses her book Beyond Belief, which traces the rise of evidence-based decision-making in medicine, government, education, conservation, and other fields,… The post Helen Pearson: Beyond Belief first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia News Network episode, science and technology journalist Tereza Pultarova discusses her path from covering space exploration to reporting on defense technology after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,… The post Tereza Pultarova: Space, Science, and Drone Wars first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Stephen Dulaney, a UX strategist turned AI builder, describes how losing his job pushed him to reinvent himself by collaborating with large language model–based AI agents to design, code, test,… The post Stephen Dulaney: The AI Ambition first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Paulina Borsook In this Plutopia News Network conversation, Paulina Borsook reflects on the coming reissue of her book Cyberselfish with a mix of gratitude, puzzlement, and discomfort, describing the book… The post Paulina Borsook on Tech, AI, and Billionaire Madness first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia podcast episode, futurist and data analyst Anne Boysen argues that today’s AI systems, especially large language models and emerging AI agents, are being adopted far faster than… The post Anne Boysen: AI Hype, Agents, and Risk first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia News Network interview, Marc Abrahams discusses the Ig Nobel Prizes, which he founded in 1991 after becoming editor of the “Journal of Irreproducible Results.” These prizes honor… The post Marc Abrahams: Improbable Research and Ig Nobel Prizes first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia News Network episode, Jon and Scoop talk with political scholar Dr. Roy Casagranda, joining from Dubai, about Iran’s modern history, the rise of the Islamic Republic, and… The post Roy Casagranda on Iran, War, and Global Fallout first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this episode of the Plutopia News Network podcast, we interview AI and society expert Kate Devlin about the rise of AI companions, sex robots, and the evolving relationship between… The post Kate Devlin: Robot Love first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

The Plutopia News Network podcast welcomes writer, editor, and media critic Gareth Branwyn to discuss his workshop “Dreaming for Creatives,” which focuses less on dream symbolism or interpretation and more… The post Gareth Branwyn in Slumberland first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Shira Chess joins the Plutopia News Network to discuss The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse, arguing that online culture has always been shaped not just by code… The post Shira Chess: The Unseen Internet first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

David Weinberger weigh AI’s real strengths, especially pattern recognition, against its major dangers: hallucinations, bias, corporate power, and energy costs. The post David Weinberger on AI first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

Award-winning Scottish science fiction author Ken MacLeod joins the Plutopia News Network to discuss his work’s political themes: failed modern systems, rising nationalism, and the struggle to find common interest… The post Ken MacLeod: Imagined Futures first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

On this episode of the Plutopia News Network podcast, Jon, Scoop and Wendy welcome award-winning British science fiction novelist and literature professor Adam Roberts to discuss his new critical book… The post Adam Roberts: Fantasy first appeared on Plutopia News Network .

In this Plutopia News Network podcast, author and social media expert Dave Evans discusses the nature and spread of online misinformation and introduces Does It Square?, an AI-assisted fact-checking tool… The post Dave Evans: Does It Square? first appeared on Plutopia News Network .