Best Speculative Machines Podcasts (2025)

1
Helios Deck 31:36

11d ago31:36

31:36

Immerse into a technologically advanced and slightly mysterious dystopian futureBy Speculative Machines

51
Júlia Király, "Hungary and Other Emerging EU Countries in the Financial Storm: From Minor Troubles to Global Hurricane" (Springer, 2020) 46:31

9h ago46:31

46:31

Donald Trump is putting liberal democracy through its greatest test in 80 years. None of it is original. His style of rule is straight from the democratic backsliders' playbook. To secure long-term power rather than short-term office, rulers must take over the institutions that check and balance majority rule and bend them to their will. Trump has …

1
From Prompts to Policies: How RL Builds Better AI Agents with Mahesh Sathiamoorthy - #731 1:01:25

19h ago1:01:25

1:01:25

Today, we're joined by Mahesh Sathiamoorthy, co-founder and CEO of Bespoke Labs, to discuss how reinforcement learning (RL) is reshaping the way we build custom agents on top of foundation models. Mahesh highlights the crucial role of data curation, evaluation, and error analysis in model performance, and explains why RL offers a more robust altern…

1
E203: OpenAI & Microsoft closer to deal; Wonder is no bueno?; Function Health, wearables + pre-IPO health stocks 41:29

1h ago41:29

41:29

Send us a text 00:00 - Intro 00:29 - OpenAI & Microsoft closer to deal 10:58 - Wonder $7b valuation 22:02 - Function Health $2b valuation, buys EzraBy AG Dillon & Co

1
664: Figma Sites, CSS Carousels, and Internship Prep 1:05:29

1d ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Show Description How much would you pay for new users, initial thoughts on Figma's announcements, CSS carousel follow up, favicon easter eggs, how do you prepare for an internship, and why aren't more developers using logical properties? Listen on Website → Links Windsurf (formerly Codeium) - The most powerful AI Code Editor Figma Sites Figma Make …

1
Patrick Condon, "Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality, and Urban Crisis" (U British Columbia Press, 2024) 26:46

1d ago26:46

26:46

How can urban housing, and the land underneath, now account for half of all global wealth? According to Patrick Condon, the simple answer is that land has become an asset rather than a utility. If the rich only indulged themselves with gold, jewels, and art, we wouldn’t have a global housing crisis. But once global capital markets realized land was…

1
Maron E. Greenleaf, "Forest Lost: Producing Green Capitalism in the Brazilian Amazon" (Duke UP, 2024) 49:46

2d ago49:46

49:46

Forest Lost: Producing Green Capitalism in the Brazilian Amazon (2024) is an ethnography of forest carbon offsets and the wider effort to make the living rainforest valuable in the Brazilian Amazon. Situated in the state of Acre, which continuously had to grapple with a complex positionality between frontier and periphery, Maron E. Greenleaf explor…

1
The Library of the Apocalypse by Rati Mehrotra (audio) 26:50

3d ago26:50

26:50

This episode features "The Library of the Apocalypse" written by Rati Mehrotra. Published in the May 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/mehrotra_05_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?…

51
Darryl Campbell, "Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software" (W. W. Norton, 2025) 1:09:28

4d ago1:09:28

1:09:28

A tech insider explains how capitalism and software development make for such a dangerous mix. Software was supposed to radically improve society. Outdated mechanical systems would be easily replaced; programs like PowerPoint would make information flow more freely; social media platforms like Facebook would bring people together; and generative AI…

1
E202: SpaceX cleared for 25 Starship launches at Starbase; Wonder raises $600M at $7B+ valuation; Function Health seeks $2B valuation after Ezra deal; OpenAI seeks to restructure Microsoft deal; OpenAI ... 8:55

4d ago8:55

8:55

Send us a text 00:00 - Intro 00:07 - SpaceX Cleared for 25 Starship Launches at Starbase 00:58 - Wonder Raises $600M at $7B+ Valuation 01:46 - Function Health Seeks $2B Valuation After Ezra Deal 02:38 - OpenAI Seeks to Restructure Microsoft Deal 03:51 - OpenAI Appoints Instacart CEO to Lead Applications Division 05:26 - Stargate Plans $500B Global …

1
Ruth Braunstein, "My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America" (Princeton UP, 2025) 1:13:18

4d ago1:13:18

1:13:18

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitim…

1
Sandra Matz, "Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior" (HBRP, 2025) 41:31

5d ago41:31

41:31

A fascinating exploration of how algorithms penetrate the most intimate aspects of our psychology—from the pioneering expert on psychological targeting. There are more pieces of digital data than there are stars in the universe. This data helps us monitor our planet, decipher our genetic code, and take a deep dive into our psychology. As algorithms…

1
Liz Pelly, "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" (Atria, 2025) 1:29:18

6d ago1:29:18

1:29:18

Liz Pelly has been closely following the evolution of Spotify and other music streaming services and the effect they have had on the music sector and musicians themselves for several years. Her book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Atria, 2025), paints a depressing picture of how the company has exploited th…

1
How OpenAI Builds AI Agents That Think and Act with Josh Tobin - #730 1:07:27

8d ago1:07:27

1:07:27

Today, we're joined by Josh Tobin, member of technical staff at OpenAI, to discuss the company’s approach to building AI agents. We cover OpenAI's three agentic offerings—Deep Research for comprehensive web research, Operator for website navigation, and Codex CLI for local code execution. We explore OpenAI’s shift from simple LLM workflows to reaso…

1
E201: eToro IPO is happening!; Starlink winning in Africa, Congo approval; Epic wins vs Apple, Fortnite back on iOS; Nick in Omaha for Warren Buffett 52:31

7d ago52:31

52:31

Send us a text 00:00 - Intro 00:21 - Nick in Omaha for Warren Buffett 13:14 - eToro IPO is happening! 19:09 - Epic wins vs Apple, Fortnite back on iOS 28:52 - Starlink winning in Africa, Congo approvalBy AG Dillon & Co

1
Jessica Smith on Engineering and Public Accountability in Energy Industries 1:09:56

9d ago1:09:56

1:09:56

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Jessica Smith, Professor in the Engineering, Design, and Society Department and Dean’s Fellow for Earth and Society Programs of the Colorado School of Mines, about her work on engineering and public accountability in energy and mining industries. The pair discuss Smith’s long-held interests in mining and …

1
663: HBD Dave, Silly Web Fun, Color-Mix Tips 1:00:32

8d ago1:00:32

1:00:32

Show Description Do we sound drunk on Shorts? What speed do you listen to your podcasts at? Happy Birthday to Dave, Roblox scams, having silly fun on the web, Crashlands 2 released, a Balatro moment, non-standard browser use testing, and color-mix follow up. Listen on Website → Links The Adventure Zone | Maximum Fun Don't let your voice be flattene…

1
Laleh Khalili, "Extractive Capitalism: How Commodities and Cronyism Drive the Global Economy" (Profile Books, 2025) 1:15:06

8d ago1:15:06

1:15:06

Whether it's pumping oil, mining resources or shipping commodities across oceans, the global economy runs on extraction. Promises of frictionless trade and lucrative speculation are the hallmarks of our era, but the backbone of globalisation is still low-cost labour and rapacious corporate control. Extractive capitalism is what made - and is still …

1
Jerome Powell: “We don't think you're a straight shooter" 51:15

10d ago51:15

51:15

More than any one institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chair, Tim Gw…

1
Janet Yellen: “She had a view that the world was on fire” 59:43

11d ago59:43

59:43

More than any other single institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chai…

1
E200: Neuralink raises $500M at $9B valuation; Discord appoints new CEO amid IPO speculation; Last of X debt sold by MStanley; Glean raises at $7B valuation as ARR tops $100M; Anthropic adds Claude features ... 6:33

12d ago6:33

6:33

Send us a text 00:00 - Intro 00:07 - Neuralink Raises $500M at $9B Valuation 01:01 - Discord Appoints New CEO Amid IPO Speculation 01:52 - Last of X debt sold by MStanley 03:01 - Glean Raises at $7B Valuation as ARR Tops $100M 03:43 - Anthropic Adds Claude Features, Projects $34.5B Revenue by 2027 04:37 - Epic Games Wins Against Apple, Returns to i…

1
Ben Bernanke: “Like being a paleontologist” 44:27

12d ago44:27

44:27

More than any other single institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chai…

1
Amanda D. Lotz, "After Mass Media: Storytelling for Microaudiences in the Twenty-First Century" (NYU Press, 2025) 1:04:29

13d ago1:04:29

1:04:29

With significant evolutions in digital technologies and media distribution in the past two decades, the business of storytelling through screens has shifted dramatically. In the past, blockbuster movies and TV shows like Friends aimed first for domestic mass audiences, although the biggest hits circulated globally. Now, transnational distribution p…

1
Brainstem Disco, 2191 by Angela Liu (audio) 13:59

12d ago13:59

13:59

This episode features "Brainstem Disco, 2191" written by Angela Liu. Published in the May 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/liu_05_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?…

1
Alan Greenspan: “The man who knew” 49:08

14d ago49:08

49:08

More than any other single institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chai…

1
An Even Greater Cold to Come by Rich Larson (audio) 23:51

13d ago23:51

23:51

This episode features "An Even Greater Cold to Come" written by Rich Larson. Published in the April 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/larson_04_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?…

1
Jack Copley, "Governing Financialization: The Tangled Politics of Financial Liberalization in Britain" (Oxford UP, 2022) 44:52

14d ago44:52

44:52

One of the most distinctive aspects of global capitalism in the last half century or so has been the increased role of the financial sector in the global economy, especially in the advanced industrial economies of the Global North. The profitability and market capitalization of firms in the financial sector have increased immensely, firms that orig…

1
CTIBench: Evaluating LLMs in Cyber Threat Intelligence with Nidhi Rastogi - #729 56:18

15d ago56:18

56:18

Today, we're joined by Nidhi Rastogi, assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology to discuss Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), focusing on her recent project CTIBench—a benchmark for evaluating LLMs on real-world CTI tasks. Nidhi explains the evolution of AI in cybersecurity, from rule-based systems to LLMs that accelerate analysis by p…

1
In My Country by Thomas Ha (audio) 39:18

14d ago39:18

39:18

This episode features "In My Country" written by Thomas Ha. Published in the April 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/ha_04_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?By Clarkesworld Magazine

1
Symbiotic by Carolyn Zhao (audio) 1:03:29

14d ago1:03:29

1:03:29

This episode features "Symbiotic" written by Carolyn Zhao. Published in the April 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/zhao_04_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?…

1
Still Water by Zhang Ran (audio) 1:05:07

14d ago1:05:07

1:05:07

This episode features "Still Water" written by Zhang Ran and translated by Andy Dudak. Published in the April 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/zhang_04_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?…

1
E199: Revolut is killing it!; Shein + tariff impact; Autonomous driving regulation 41:25

14d ago41:25

41:25

Send us a text 00:00 - Intro 00:21 - Revolut is killing it! 15:16 - Shein + tariff impact 24:21 - Autonomous driving regulationBy AG Dillon & Co

1
Maliha Safri et al., "Solidarity Cities: Confronting Racial Capitalism, Mapping Transformation" (U of Minnesota Press, 2025) 1:06:18

15d ago1:06:18

1:06:18

In this episode, Maliha Safri, Marianna Pavlovskaya, Stephen Healy, and Craig Borowiak talk about their new co-authored book Solidarity Cities: Confronting Racial Capitalism, Mapping Transformation (University of Minnesota Press, 2024). This volume is part of the Diverse Economies and Livable Worlds series. Solidarity economies, characterized by di…

1
662: Alternative Browsers, Discord vs Circle, and AI in the Browser 1:03:00

15d ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Show Description We're talking browsers and discussing alternative options like Vivaldi and Brave, the implications of Chrome's potential sale to OpenAI, the impact of AI on browser functionality, Discord vs Circle, and building with Hotwire. Listen on Website → Links Newfangled Browser Alternatives – Frontend Masters Blog Zen Browser Horse Browser…

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Speculative Machines Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen