Technology: where does it come from? How does it work? And why is it so shitty? Tune in every week for true stories about the technological marvels that plague our lives, from AI-enabled beds to QR codes to Clippy.
Latest Episodes
Keurig: the Coffee Maker for People who Don't Give a Shit
Give the gift of convenient garbage, with Keurig. This week, Xiao Yu joins us as we explore:How Keurig was born out of antisocial office culture and a deep ambivalence...
Cookies: How Ad Platforms Steal Your Mind (Part 2)
The web didn't have to be this way. Friend-of-the-pod CJ Horton joins us for a look at cookies: the completely reasonable web protocol that became host to the parasiti...
Cookies: How Ad Platforms Steal Your Mind (Part 1)
The web didn't have to be this way. Friend-of-the-pod CJ Horton joins us for a look at cookies: the completely reasonable web protocol that became host to the parasiti...
Kalshi: the Betting App that's Helping to Destroy Democracy
Kalshi: is it "the first federally regulated prediction market," or just a shittier FanDuel? Join me and friend-of-the-pod Jeff Bonhag to learn:What modern science has...
Scantron: the Little Green Sheet that Ruined Education
This week we're joined by Brandon Romano to learn about Scantron: the company that made ubiquitous standardized testing possible. Find out:How standardized tests were ...