Talk Cocktail

Kevin Kelly, the influential founding editor and defining voice of WIRED Magazine, played a pivotal role in its establishment in San Francisco during the advent of the internet era. Known for his unwavering advocacy of technology optimism and the recognition of fundamental truths, Kelly has championed California as a hub for embracing change with minimal resistance. In our latest podcast, we delve...

As we hurtle towards a future increasingly intertwined with artificial intelligence (AI), what does this mean for society, for jobs, and for our security? Could AI, one day, be used maliciously, or in warfare or terrorism? And if these threats are real, how can we implement safeguards, and ensure the technology we create doesn’t turn against us? At a time when AI is reshaping our reality and pushi...

One of the great ironies of the world today is that while the problems we face, particularly with respect to climate, must, if they’re ever to be solved, bring the world closer together in seeking solutions. One of the ways that we can come together via travel or in person is also one of the supreme carbon-intensive things that we do to harm the planet. And yet, the airline industry has committed...

In the early 2000s, a significant media-business mistake emerged: the belief that website traffic is a commodity like oil, which would generate increased revenue as advertising improved. However, unlike other commodities, traffic lacked scarcity. The internet made traffic virtually infinite, posing challenges for new media-business models. In this podcast, Ben Smith, former founding editor-in-chie...

Hernan Diaz was just awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for his novel, "Trust." Last year, I had the opportunity to talk with Diaz about the book, his perspective on the Gilded Age, the persistent myths surrounding wealth, and the impact of these narratives on society as a whole. We also explored how the affluent can essentially "buy" their own reality amidst the enigmatic allure of money. Diaz's nov...

Struggling to find time for various tasks, our multi-colored Google calendars signify the complexity of the 21st century. The TV show Friends, popular across generations, nostalgically reminds us of simpler times in the early '90s without constant digital distractions. This era allowed for unstructured, agenda-free time spent with friends, which now seems like a quaint memory. Nowadays, we hang ou...

My WhoWhatWhy conversation with Jeff Sharlet about “The Undertow.” He explores the complex relationship between religion, religious nationalism, right-wing politics, and how these forces have intertwined with Trumpism and are fueling a slow civil war Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe

As software takes over our lives — from hospitals to schools and even our national infrastructure — we’re facing an explosive wave of cyberattacks that could threaten our very existence.  The US — a hacker’s favorite playground — is a ticking time bomb, with 80 percent of its crucial systems tied to the internet and in private hands, with ZERO government control. Join me in my WhoWhatWhy podcast f...

We live in a world that's constantly evolving, driven by innovations in digital technology, AI, and space exploration. Yet, we often overlook the underlying physics that form the foundation of these advancements. The discoveries in physics of the past 120 years have truly shaped our world in ways that were once unimaginable. They were fueled by curiosity, serendipity, and the desire to ask "why?"...

The hacking of Sony Pictures back in 2014, by North Korea, made us all wonder about spies in Hollywood. Today, our paranoia tells us that the Chinese have spies everywhere. If they are checking on TikTok, they must be in Hollywood? Well, during the Cold War, it turns out the studios were infiltrated with spies. One of those was a producer/director turned double agent named Boris Morros, and Jonath...

Recent police shooting victims Tyre Nichols and Anthony Lowe highlight the ongoing trend of officer impunity. The recent report on the Louisville police department and Breonna Taylor further underscores this issue. Greater accountability is necessary for police improvement, but the responsibility extends beyond law enforcement to our legal system, courts, and elected officials. UCLA law professor...

The constantly changing landscape of business, finance, entertainment, and medicine is influenced by technological advancements and cultural shifts, but those in power often resist change, especially if family is involved. The #MeToo movement and the ongoing streaming wars have transformed the entertainment industry.  The story of Sumner Redstone, a former movie theater magnate and owner of major...

J. Storrs Hall, author and futurist, who discusses why the promised technological advancements of the 1960s have yet to materialize. Hall believes that technological stagnation on big projects began in the ’70s, fueled by factors such as the failure to adopt nuclear energy and the rise of a counterculture hostile to energy production, which has had devastating consequences on global wealth creatio...

A recent Gallup survey of American concerns showed that foreign policy is nearly at the bottom of the list, with inflation and prices near the top. Other high-ranking topics include the economy in general, immigration, crime and violence, race, the environment, and, topping the list, the proper role of government. The fact is that none of these problems can be solved without a thriving, healthy de...

Division and conflict have been the default setting for civilization. It’s what wars, shifting alliances and even relational conflict is all about. So why, even after thousands of years of evolution, of death and recrimination and unhappiness, is this still true? Perhaps the answer lies in our human desire to try and understand to make sense of the world. In science or mathematics, there is often...

Citizenship used to be a cherished status, taken seriously by those who held it. But in today’s globalized world, it has become a commodity that can be bought and sold. In this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, journalist Atossa Abrahamian, senior editor of The Nation and author of the 2015 book The Cosmopolites, delves into the world of “global citizens.”She explains how multiple passports are becoming...

In spite of deregulation, airline and air traffic control systems in need of updates, pilot shortages, airport overcrowding and even a pandemic, flying has never been safer. What’s the secret sauce that makes this the case? Why, when safety in other industries from hospitals to construction to automobiles, seems so difficult to achieve, how has the airline industry been so successful and what can...

Even if you didn’t know the full story, just judging by the number of gyms on every corner, and the number of retailers selling high priced exercise equipment and workout clothing, you’d see what an obsession exercise has become. But why? A form of activity that uses huge quantities of our time, it is neither playful, sports-like, or seemingly rewarding. So why is it so popular, so all consuming,...

In 2023, let us resolve to look at more art than cable news. Perhaps it is art, more than news, that will help us see around corners, solve problems and enhance our ability to see the world in a better way. This approach has been the work of Amy Herman. Amy is the author of  Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving and the founder of the Art of Perception, a program that uses works of...

From the days of beat up motels offering HBO as a special amenity to the metaphorical "creative destruction" of today, HBO has been a revolutionary force in entertainment and media. From its inception 50 years ago, HBO has been a pioneer in the blending of show and business. Disrupting television and paving the way for streaming, nonlinear programming, and more.  HBO is the ultimate example of the...

While January 6th and the attempted coup may have been the final trigger at the end of the Trump presidency that could have brought down democracy, it was the four years prior that may have been the end of governance in America. The unsung heroes deep inside government, the departments, the cabinet secretaries, and the national security apparatus, all of whom took an oath to protect and defend the...

Think of all the true crime stories you’ve watched or read. The image of a dogged or even sometimes fumbling detective usually lies at the center. But today, like almost everything else, technology has changed that. Since the mid-80s, DNA technology has begun to transform the search for both guilt and innocence. Suddenly cold cases, like the Golden State Killer, are solvable, dozens and dozens of...

Language has always been an important tool in American politics. It allows politicians to communicate their ideas and visions to their constituents and persuade them to support their policies. The power of words is so great that politicians often have teams of speechwriters to help craft their messages. These writers often work closely with the politicians to understand their vision and goals, and...

Somewhere in the magic formula that makes great art is the internal potential for pain. Someone once said of artists that they were like the rest of us, except that their emotions were just always sitting closer to the surface…. more accessible, more sensitive, and more vulnerable to pain, despair, and even suicide. The stories of people like Kurt Cobain, Van Gough, Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, Sylv...

Herbert Hoover said that “the business of America is business.” And for decades no business better defined that than General Electric. An industrial titan, everything about it, from credit to jet engines, from x-ray machines to lighting the nation, to bringing entertainment to the masses, defined the broad shoulders of American business and American capitalism. As might be expected, its executives...