Plutopia News Network

In this episode of the Plutopia News Network podcast, cyberpunk author Pat Cadigan joins the hosts to discuss her new novelization of the classic Japanese sci-fi series Ultraseven . Cadigan shares how she came to work on the project, her early exposure to Ultraman , and her appreciation for the show’s themes of teamwork and heroism. The discussion branches into reflections on science fiction’s rol...

In this episode of the Plutopia News Network podcast, philosopher Charles Herrman discusses his lifelong study of honor and dignity as cultural forces, framing them as a dichotomy shaping societies and conflicts worldwide. He explains that honor and dignity function as intertwined yet distinct values—honor is the face of dignity, and dignity has honor’s back—and explores how cultures typically emp...

Journalist and author Brendan McNally joins the Plutopia podcast this time as we discuss his latest book, Traitor’s Odyssey: The Untold Story of Martha Dodd and a Strange Saga of Soviet Espionage , which tells the story of Martha Dodd, the daughter of an American ambassador in 1930s Berlin who became a Soviet spy. McNally spent years researching declassified CIA files and interviewing people...

On this Plutopia News Network episode, buildings archaeologist Dr. James Wright — founder of Triskele Heritage , author of the “Medieval Myth-Busting” blog, and writer of Historic Building Myth Busting: Uncovering Folklore, History, and Archaeology — joins hosts Jon Lebkowsky, Scoop Sweeney, and Wendy Grossman to unpack 25 years probing cellars, attics, castles, pubs, and church walls....

In this “Talking Heads” edition of the podcast, Plutopia News Network cohosts Jon, Scoop, and Wendy roam freely across a grab-bag of current issues and curiosities: airport security hassles, billionaire excesses, the politics of air-conditioning, ICE detentions, LA’s media myths, Juneteenth and U.S. travel fears, hometown highways, regime-change misadventures, MAGA culture wars, abortion and right...

You might say Professor Chris French is a skeptic’s skeptic. He has published over 150 articles covering the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He emphasizes the importance of understanding why people believe in the paranormal, emphasizing psychological explanations for experiences often attributed to ghosts, aliens, psychic powers, or past lives. Professor French jo...

Dr. Patrick Ball, a statistician and founder of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss how rigorous data analysis can expose and challenge human rights abuses — even when official data is missing or manipulated. Beginning with his work in El Salvador during its civil war, Ball explains how statistical methods, including multiple systems estimation...

In this wide-ranging Plutopia podcast episode, Dr. Neil Baer — television writer and producer, physician, and public health advocate — discusses The Promise and Peril of CRISPR, a book he edited that explores the ethical, medical, and social implications of gene editing. While CRISPR holds transformative potential to cure diseases like sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia, Baer warn...

Cybersecurity expert Jonathan Kamens, a longtime technologist with a background in software engineering and digital security, was dismissed from his role at the Department of Veterans Affairs by Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE). Kamens, who had joined the U.S. Digital Service to serve the public, criticized DOGE for pursuing three main goals: profiting Musk and his allies t...

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has worked for more than three decades to defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, advocate for users and innovators, and support freedom-enhancing technologies. EFF has fought to clear the way for open source software, encryption, security research, file sharing, and important new technologies. In the latest episode of the Plutopia News Network pod...

The legendary Sandy Stone returns to the Plutopia podcast this time as we discuss “Girl Island,” an upcoming partially-animated film based on her life and early visions of gender identity. We also discuss gender roles, trans rights, political oppression, and much more. We dive into everything from gender roles and trans rights to political power, patriarchy, and the weirdness of indepe...

In this episode of the Plutopia News Network, Will Kreth—founder and CEO of HAND (Human and Digital) — joins Plutopians to discuss the future of identity, digital media, and the growing threat of deepfakes. Kreth, an early media pioneer and former first employee at Wired Magazine, outlines his mission to address the lack of source verification in a world where AI-generated fraud, such as una...

This time on the Plutopia podcast, climate scientist Michael Tobis, our man in the Great White North, joins us to talk about U.S.-Canadian relations. As Canadians go to the polls this week to elect new members of Parliament, the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Canadian tariffs and trade loom large. Michael describes how Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and trade policies have unified Ca...

Ray Thompson, a revenue and operations executive and managing partner at Buy Build Sell LLC, joined the Plutopia podcast while on a 23,000-mile road trip across the U.S. with his family. Taking a break from years of intense corporate work, he embraced remote working and launched a new business aimed at helping people become entrepreneurs through acquisitions. The journey—covering 49 states so far—...

On this episode of the Plutopia podcast, singer-songwriter Axon Chamberlain (aka “The Herban Cowboy”) rejoins Plutopians to debut tracks from his newly released CD “Pub Fare,” recorded live in tap rooms and mixed with care. He reflects on how his creative process has shifted from striving for perfection to playing music for personal joy and healing—especially in a world marked by stres...

British author and cartoonist Daryl Cunningham has created a graphical biography of Elon Musk, originally published in France under the title Elon Musk, Investigation into a New Master of the World, and now set for English release in September 2025 as Elon Musk, American Oligarch by Seven Stories Press. The book traces Musk’s evolution from his South African roots to his current controversial role...

Paul Alan Levy, a public interest attorney at Public Citizen, specializes in defending internet-related free speech cases, particularly those involving individuals targeted by lawsuits for their online expression. While personally committed to protecting all forms of speech, Levy balances this ideal with the progressive values of his organization. He only takes cases when the speech is legally def...

In 1975, the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with respect to intelligence activities began a formal inquiry into abuses committed by the CIA , NSA , FBI , and the IRS . The committee, known as the Church Committee, was chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church and was part of a series of investigations into intelligence abuses in 1975, dubbed the Year of Intellig...

Pat Cadigan is a renowned science fiction and cyberpunk author known for works like Synners and Mindplayers . In 2023 she released a novelization of the classic Japanese Ultraman TV series, and in July she’ll release a novelization of the Ultraman UltraSeven series . Pat joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss the evolution of the cyberpunk genre and its real-world implications. She reflects o...

Austin activist Suzy Shelor joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss a range of pressing issues with the politics of the moment, including Elon Musk’s increasing influence over government, Trump’s authoritarian shift, and the mainstream media’s rightward drift. She critiques the lack of foresight in policy decisions, highlighting mass firings at the IRS and attacks on birthright citizenship. The conv...

Arts and Entertainment Company Meow Wolf creates large-scale interactive and immersive art installations. They recently opened their fifth installation in Houston. Austin based hardware and software developer, Alan Watts, created many of their custom interactive devices, database driven platforms, and animation software. Alan joins us this time on the Plutopia podcast to discuss his work. Photo of...

Plutopians are joined by EFF-Austin president Kevin Welch. Elon Musk’s team of alleged geniuses continue to disrupt many U.S. government agencies. With that in mind, we discuss Musk’s disruptive influence on U.S. government agencies, democracy, and the rule of law. Our conversation explores how Musk’s unqualified team is recklessly dismantling government technology systems, leading to securi...

In this episode of the Plutopia News Network Podcast, we discuss how AI is revolutionizing healthcare by empowering patients to take control of their medical decisions. Our guests, Dave DeBronkart (e-Patient Dave), Gilles Frydman, and Hugo Campos are advocates for patient autonomy and participatory medicine. We discuss how AI enables patients to interpret complex medical data, such as clinical not...

This episode of Plutopia News Network’s podcast features hosts Scoop Sweeney, Jon Lebkowsky, and Wendy Grossman discussing skepticism, trust, and current societal issues. We explore the erosion of trust in air travel following recent accidents, accessibility concerns for disabled passengers, and broader vulnerabilities in government systems and infrastructure. The conversation shifts to conc...

Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, a leading expert on electronic voting systems, discusses the vulnerabilities and shortcomings of modern voting technology, particularly the reliability of voter-verified paper ballots and the risks of electronic voting machines. She emphasizes that cryptography alone cannot secure elections and argues that paper ballots must remain the definitive record for vote counting. Merc...