Best Brad Allison Podcasts (2025)

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Defining Weird, Living in the Creative "World", and Letting Go of Creative Control - Playwright's Spotlight with Clara Rodriguez 50:26

Play Pause

19m ago50:26

50:26

Send us a text Playwright Clara Rodriguez jumped into the Playwright's Spotlight in the midst of the run of her latest play - Pointy Scissors. In this discussion, we delve into the theatre company at Theatre West in Los Angeles and their Writers in Residence program. We unpack her journey into playwriting and her motivation and inspiration, the fee…

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The Interview: How Wikipedia Is Responding to the Culture Wars 46:06

5h ago46:06

46:06

Last month our colleague Lulu Garcia-Navarro had a conversation with Wikipedia’s co-founder Jimmy Wales about the challenges the site is facing — including by right-wing influencers who claim it is biased and by A.I. chatbots that compete with its content. We found the conversation interesting, and think you might too. So to tide you over until our…

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We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense. 40:10

4d ago40:10

40:10

Roblox's popularity has exploded among kids since the pandemic. Today Roblox has more than 150 million daily active users, and functions as one of the primary online gathering places for preteens. But precisely because Roblox is so popular with children, it has also attracted the attention of adult predators. This week we’re joined by Roblox chief …

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696: Transcending Our Political Divisions & Labels with Andy Beshear 1:25:31

5d ago1:25:31

1:25:31

Mike Erre joins Phil and Skye to discuss a New York Times column by David Brooks. He says America's divisions will only heal when we abandon shallow labels and war metaphors, and instead see one another as fellow pilgrims on a journey. America's Catholic bishops issue a stern rebuke of the Trump administration's dehumanizing rhetoric and policies, …

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Google's Gemini 3 Is Here: A Special Early Look 26:46

7d ago26:46

26:46

Google’s much anticipated new large language model Gemini 3 begins rolling out today. We’ll tell you what we learned from an early product briefing and bring you our conversation with Google executives Demis Hassabis and Josh Woodward, just ahead of the launch. Guests: Demis Hassabis, chief executive and co-founder of Google DeepMind Josh Woodward,…

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Writing the Absurd, Doubting Your Talent, and Recognizing Gifts and Weaknesses - Playwright's Spotlight with James Merolla 1:11:06

7d ago1:11:06

1:11:06

Send us a text Playwright James Merolla streamed onto Playwright's Spotlight. We had an engaging and honest conversation about his background as a director and a theatre reviewer and how that eventually led to becoming a playwright. We discuss his struggles with rejection and doubting your talent and being a late-starting and older playwright and e…

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Data Centers in Space + A.I. Policy on the Right + A Gemini History Mystery 1:11:30

11d ago1:11:30

1:11:30

This week, we talk about Google’s new plan to build data centers in space. Then, we’re joined by Dean Ball, a former adviser at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Ball worked on the Trump administration’s A.I. Action Plan, and he shares his inside view on how those policies came together. Finally, Professor Mark Humphries join…

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EP 30 | Charles Lehman & Brad Carson 59:06

3h ago59:06

59:06

Brad Carson (Americans for Responsible Innovation) and Charles Lehman (Manhattan Institute / City Journal) dig into the shutdown endgame, Schumer's calculus, 2026 vibes, and why data centers might be a sleeper issue. They argue affordability vs. "afford to dream," culture vs. policy, and whether legalization waves for pot, NIL, and sports betting w…

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695: Analyzing the Blue Wave & Why the Church Still Matters with Carmen Joy Imes 1:27:41

13d ago1:27:41

1:27:41

The Democratic Party swept the off-cycle elections last week, but this isn't the first blue wave we've seen in the Trump era. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn discuss what it means and the significance of New York City electing a Muslim, democratic socialist as mayor. Does Mamdani represent the death of New York, and possibly America, as one Baptist leader …

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French Friday: The Nazi Rot on the Right 27:43

3d ago27:43

27:43

Open Nazi rhetoric is gaining traction on the right, and the response from conservative institutions has been inconsistent at best. Skye and David trace the roots of the problem, the incentives that fueled it, and the late-breaking backlash that may signal a tipping point. They also look at ICE's increasingly aggressive "Kavanaugh stops," the risks…

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We Met NEO, the Viral Humanoid Robot + HatGPT 1:08:04

18d ago1:08:04

1:08:04

This week, we’re joined by Bernt Bornich, chief executive of 1X. We talked with him about NEO, his company’s new humanoid robot, which has the internet buzzing. Then we meet NEO itself, and compare notes on the experience. Finally, we close the week with a roundup of tech news headlines: It’s time for some HatGPT. Guests: Bernt Bornich, chief execu…

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694: Why Don't We Take Church Unity Seriously? with N.T. Wright 1:29:02

1d ago1:29:02

1:29:02

A new survey finds that moderately religious Americans are the most likely to say that they see dead people. Which raises a question—why are the non-religious and the very religious less likely to report encounters with the departed? New York Times columnist Ezra Klein says that by over-emphasizing inclusivity, the Democratic Party has ironically b…

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Narrative, Reversals, Mapping the Journey, and Running Away with the Circus - Playwright's Spotlight with Dietrich Smith 1:24:51

10d ago1:24:51

1:24:51

Send us a text Dietrich Smith jumped into the Playwright's Spotlight after the opening of his World Premiere adaptation of Franz Kafka's novel Amerika. We explore his background as the literary manager at the Open Fist Theatre Company and the trends he observed from submissions. We speak about establishing theme and whose story it is in a piece, ma…

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Character.AI’s Teen Chatbot Crackdown + Elon Musk Groks Wikipedia + 48 Hours Without A.I. 1:00:38

25d ago1:00:38

1:00:38

This week, Character.AI announced that it would soon be taking its A.I. companions away from teens. We explain why this is a major development in the world of chatbots and child safety and how we expect other companies to respond. Then, Elon Musk has built a Wikipedia clone called “Grokipedia.” We discuss what it means for the control of knowledge …

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693: Holy Post LIVE from Chicago 2025 1:22:11

8d ago1:22:11

1:22:11

This week is Halloween, and on this special episode recorded with a live audience, the Holy Post hosts discuss why our culture isn't afraid of monsters and demons anymore. How did all of our pop culture heroes and villains become morally ambiguous? Also, would communal living solve our loneliness epidemic? Kaitlyn is all for it, but Skye isn't so s…

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EP 29 | Steve Hayes & Damon Linker 1:07:51

27d ago1:07:51

1:07:51

Steve Hayes and Damon Linker debate whether Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is another norm-busting outrage or just a gaudy renovation. They argue over visuals versus substance in anti-Trump outrage, Trump's manipulation of public opinion, and whether Congress's abdication of power is the true engine of American authoritarian drift.…

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Inspirational Feedback, Weight-Bearing Walls, and Recognizing and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - Playwright's Spotlight with Sofia Streisand 1:01:44

27d ago1:01:44

1:01:44

Send us a text Sofia Streisand dropped into Playwright's Spotlight to discuss the U.S. premiere of her play Bluebeard's Castle (that I misspoke as Blackbeard's) November 1st through November 23rd. In this discussion, we discuss the difference between Russian, European, and American theatre, her journey from musical theatre to playwriting, writing m…

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Making Back to Back Viral Short Films w/Luke Barnett (THE CROSSING OVER EXPRESS & OVATION) 1:21:43

23d ago1:21:43

1:21:43

VIDEO PODCAST AVAILABLE at YouTube.com/@AndyCompton! Please watch and subscribe to the channel for more video episodes! Hey there, everybody! Welcome to Episode 50! What an achievement! Very stoked to have screenwriter, director, producer, and actor, Luke Barnett back on the show. In this episode, we talk about his two most recent short films, THE …

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Celebrities Fight Sora + Amazon’s Secret Automation Plans + ChatGPT Gets a Browser 1:07:57

1M ago1:07:57

1:07:57

Backlash to OpenAI’s video generation app Sora has reached a new tipping point. We discuss two big changes the company is making, after Bryan Cranston and the family of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. complained about deepfakes. Then, New York Times reporter Karen Weise joins us to discuss her scoop that Amazon plans to reduce its hiring needs …

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692: Vertical vs. Horizontal Morality & Rediscovering Confession with Jamin Goggin 1:26:25

15d ago1:26:25

1:26:25

A recent article tries to explain why so many politically active Christians behave unchristianly in the public square by differentiating "vertical" and "horizontal" sources of morality. The Holy Post crew examines the argument and finds it weak. Has MAGA ignited a revival in the U.S.? David French says we may be confusing a political revolution for…

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Applied Theatre, Writing Bilingual, and Dramaturgical Playwriting - Playwright's Spotlight with Ankita Raturi 1:21:19

16d ago1:21:19

1:21:19

Send us a text Ankita Raturi basked under the Playwright's Spotlight for the World Premiere of her play Neha & Neel. In this discussion we break down the concept of applied theatre and being a teaching artist, how it effects character, exercises that extrude character and whether or not the practice makes it into a piece. We unpack earning a monolo…

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California Regulates A.I. Companions + OpenAI Investigates Its Critics + The Hard Fork Review of Slop 1:05:10

1M ago1:05:10

1:05:10

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a big package of A.I. and social media bills into law — including the first state law in the United States to regulate A.I. companions. We talk through what stood out to us in the package and whether these protections will work. Then, the subpoena that has the whole tech world talking. Nathan Calvin…

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EP 28 | Jonah Goldberg and Zee Cohen-Sanchez 1:03:11

1M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Hamas hostages, Trump and autocracy, and the strangely quiet shutdown — we tackle all three. Why Trump's blunt style played in the Middle East, whether "competitive authoritarianism" really fits his second-term instincts and enablers, and who's taking the fall for Obamacare-premium brinkmanship. Plus: goat-grinders (pointless rebrands at Max and Ap…

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691: The Antichrist, Illiberalism, & Why Gen Z Accepts Political Violence with Elizabeth Neumann 1:26:37

1M ago1:26:37

1:26:37

In a series of invitation-only, off-the-record lectures about Christianity, technology billionaire Peter Thiel said the antichrist is trying to regulate technology and billionaires. Which raises the question—Why do we always remake Christ in our image and the antichrist in our enemies'? Gen Z is making conservative Christianity more angry, intolera…

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Writing Theatrically, Working on the Puzzle, and the Ecosystem of Theatre - Playwright's Spotlight with Crystal Skillman 1:03:26

23d ago1:03:26

1:03:26

Send us a text Playwright Crystal Skillman beamed into the Playwright's Spotlight from Indianapolis for the run of her World Premiere play The Rocket Men. We discuss how one becomes a 4-time NYT's Critics' Pick playwright, what it means to be a "theatrical" writer, writing design on the page and offering solutions, trusting and listening to your au…

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ChatGPT’s Platform Play + a Trillion-Dollar GPU Empire + the Queen of Slop 1:06:35

2M ago1:06:35

1:06:35

This week, we discuss the standout moments from our field trip to OpenAI’s third annual DevDay — including a bizarre chat between Jony Ive and Sam Altman, and the announcement that OpenAI is putting apps into ChatGPT. Then, we try to make sense of the massive computing deal between OpenAI and AMD, and how it could impact the larger economy. And fin…

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690: Flying Bishops, Evangelical Ignorance, & Slow Theology with A.J. Swoboda & Nijay Gupta 1:29:40

1M ago1:29:40

1:29:40

For the first time ever, the U.K. has appointed a woman as the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead the global Anglican Communion. Kaitlyn, Skye, and Mike Erre discuss the implications of appointment and how Anglicans use "flying bishops" to maintain unity over divisive theological issues. Are there lessons here for other divided Christian communities?…

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Formulas and Slow Burners, the Process of Radio Dramas, and Making Mystery Interesting - Playwright's Spotlight with John Ballentine 1:10:54

1M ago1:10:54

1:10:54

By James Elden

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Sora and the Infinite Slop Feeds + ChatGPT Goes to Therapy + Hot Mess Express 1:05:54

2M ago1:05:54

1:05:54

This week, we’re talking about the new A.I.-generated video tools and social media feeds from Google, Meta and OpenAI. Is this how A.I. is going to cure cancer? Then, the psychotherapist Gary Greenberg stops by to discuss his recent New Yorker essay about treating ChatGPT as a patient, and why what he saw left him unsettled. And finally, all aboard…

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EP 27 | Ben Wizner and Ilya Shapiro 1:03:33

1M ago1:03:33

1:03:33

Free speech under heat: the ACLU's Ben Wizner and the Manhattan Institute's Ilya Shapiro square off (and sometimes align) on the "ethos" of the First Amendment—from the Ball State firing over Charlie Kirk comments to cancel culture, government jawboning, and campus heckler's vetoes. We dig into the Supreme Court's shadow docket and unitary-executiv…

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689: The Rapture, Repentance, & Redefining the Good Life with Grace Hamman 1:27:37

2M ago1:27:37

1:27:37

After a South African pastor claimed that Christ would come for his church on September 23, TikTok became rapture obsessed. Mike Erre joins Skye and Kaitlyn to discuss our ongoing fixation with this bad theology, why people get caught up in rapture predictions, and how it damages the credibility of the faith. Kaitlyn talks to Medieval scholar, Grac…

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Community, Distractions, and Writing Characters You Don't See on Stage - Playwright's Spotlight with Israel López Reyes 1:03:35

1M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

Send us a text Israel López Reyes swung by the studio before the opening of his recent commission to discuss his background leading up to it and his success as an Angeleno playwright. We discuss his journey from actor to playwright, how he fell into theatre and his discovery to figuring out story and telling stories that matter. We unpack the evolu…

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The Great A.I. Build-Out + H-1B Visa Chaos + TikTok Braces for the Rapture 52:41

2M ago52:41

52:41

This week, an eye-popping $100 billion deal between OpenAI and Nvidia — along with an announcement about the construction of five new American data centers — has us re-examining our predictions of an A.I. bubble. Then, we try to make sense of the Trump administration’s changes to the H-1B visa program, which generated mixed reactions from tech lead…

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From Making the 2022 and 2023 Annual Blacklist to Having His Script Directed by Peter Landesman w/Kevin Sheridan (ELEVEN DAYS) 1:16:11

2M ago1:16:11

1:16:11

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, we have actor turned screenwriter, Kevin Sheridan. I've known of Kevin for awhile from Twitter but we hadn't interacted much until now. Just friends and fans from afar. It was great getting to talk to him and learn about his history as an actor, working on some huge shows of the 2000s, and then his more rece…

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688: The MAGA Contradiction & Educational Injustice with Terence Lester 1:25:51

2M ago1:25:51

1:25:51

The memorial service for Charlie Kirk revealed a deep contradiction with the MAGA movement. Kirk's widow was cheered when she forgave his assassin and modeled Jesus' command to love your enemies. But the crowd also cheered when Stephen Miller and President Trump dehumanized their opponents and expressed hatred for their enemies. Esau McCaulley join…

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Charlie Kirk and Online Rage + Inside Trump’s Chip Flip + This Week in A.I. 1:13:47

2M ago1:13:47

1:13:47

This week, we discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk, freedom of speech and the terrifying new reality of extremely online violence. Then The Times’s David Yaffe-Bellany brings us inside the blockbuster New York Times investigation into a $2 billion investment in Trump’s crypto company World Liberty Financial and a controversial deal to send the…

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EP 26 | Michael A. Cohen and Jamie Kirchick 1:00:16

2M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Michael A. Cohen and Jamie Kirchick discuss the Charlie Kirk assassination and the immediate retreat to priors — who's weaponizing grief, what counts as incitement, and whether "fascistic" vs. "authoritarian" language clarifies or inflames. Plus, the TikTok law end-run and why process crimes don't move voters the way visible force does. In Goat Gri…

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687: Charlie Kirk & the Conflict Entrepreneurs 1:00:12

2M ago1:00:12

1:00:12

Last week, a gunman in Utah killed Charlie Kirk on a college campus. Rather than uniting the country against political violence, Kirk's assassination has only made divisions wider. Some on the left celebrated his death, saying he reaped what he sowed, while some on the right, including the President, are calling for retribution against all leftists…

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Film to Stage, Naturalism to Realism, and Finding Courage to Write - Playwright's Spotlight with David Kohner Zuckerman 58:17

2M ago58:17

58:17

Send us a text Filmmaker turned playwright, David Kohner Zuckerman, dropped into Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the World Premiere of his play Parallel Process. In this interview, we talk unpack his journey from film to stage and how it affect his writing, his approach to naturalism and honesty to his writing, and how his acting and directing…

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Are We Past Peak iPhone? + Eliezer Yudkowsky on A.I. Doom 1:12:24

2M ago1:12:24

1:12:24

Apple’s yearly iPhone event took place this week, and it left us asking, Is Apple losing the juice? We break down all the new products the company announced and discuss where it goes from here. Then, Eliezer Yudkowsky, one of the most fascinating people in A.I., has a new book coming out: “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies.” He joins us to make th…

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686: Shootings, Single Fathers, & the Shadow Side of Ambition with Miroslav Volf 1:23:59

3M ago1:23:59

1:23:59

Following the school shooting in Minneapolis, The Christian Post has offered a definitive answer for why these massacres keep happening and why gun restrictions won't work—people are evil. But why don't politically conservative Christians apply this logic to any other issues? Surprising new data show that more young men than women want to be parent…

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A.I. School Is in Session: Two Takes on the Future of Education 1:11:48

3M ago1:11:48

1:11:48

This week, we check in on the state of artificial intelligence in education. We talk with a co-founder of Alpha Schools, MacKenzie Price, about how her private K-12 schools are using A.I. to generate personalized lesson plans and enabling teachers to spend their time motivating rather than teaching students. Then, the Princeton historian D. Graham …

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Implementing Twists, Writing Red Herrings, and Keeping Your Audience Engaged - Playwright's Spotlight with Stuart Brown 1:02:10

2M ago1:02:10

1:02:10

Send us a text Playwright Stuart Brown streamed into Playwright's Spotlight for a second time after technical difficulties with sound, but I hope delved a little deeper this time around. We discuss the Connecticut Theatre Market, being a critic and a playwright and how the former affected the latter, honesty as a critic, and advice to theatre compa…

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EP 25 | Galen Druke and Josh Barro 54:54

2M ago54:54

54:54

Mike Pesca welcomes Galen Druke and Josh Barro for a sharp yet civil debate on Trump's immigration strategy, crime, and the charge of creeping autocracy. They weigh whether cruelty brings Trump political advantage, how Democrats should frame their response, and what "autocracy makes you poor" really means for voters. Plus, Mike spotlights where pol…

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685: Finding Unity in a Divided Church with Beth Moore 1:16:13

3M ago1:16:13

1:16:13

Is unity in the church still possible when everyone is so divided? At the Legacy Conference in Chicago, Beth Moore joins Esau, Kaitlyn, and Skye to wrestle with what it means to remain in community with believers we deeply disagree with. Together they explore why purity tests are dividing Christians online, how cynicism masquerades as wisdom, and w…

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Intel’s New Deal + Waymo C.E.O. Tekedra Mawakana on Scaling Driverless Cars + Trumps in Tech 1:02:53

3M ago1:02:53

1:02:53

President Trump announced this week that the U.S. government, in a highly unusual deal, had agreed to take a 10 percent stake in the chip maker Intel, and that he was considering similar investments in other companies. We discuss why Trump cares so much about Intel, what the government is trying to accomplish with this deal, and how people in Silic…

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684: Dobson Died, Cracker Barrel Cancelled, & Flipping Christian Politics with James Talarico 1:36:02

3M ago1:36:02

1:36:02

James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, died this week. Critics are saying Dobson was the "godfather of child abuse," while his fans are saying he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of evangelicalism. Who's right? Phil, Skye, and Mike Erre discuss Dobson's legacy and why the controversial conservative is secretly responsible for the creation o…

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Is This an A.I. Bubble? + Meta’s Missing Morals + TikTok Shock Slop 1:06:31

3M ago1:06:31

1:06:31

Note: This episode contains sexually explicit music. This week, the whole tech world seemed to be asking: Are we in an A.I. bubble? We’ll explore the cases for and against, including who we think stands to lose most. Then we’re joined by the journalist Jeff Horwitz to discuss his blockbuster reporting about an internal Meta policy document that per…

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EP 24 | Rikki Schlott and Isaac Saul 56:46

3M ago56:46

56:46

New York Post columnist Rikki Schlott and Tangle founder Isaac Saul join Mike to discuss policing Washington, D.C.—who's in charge, who gets blamed, and why federal takeover is more problem multiplier than solution. Then: scalpel or a chainsaw on the syllabus for higher ed. Plus, using the concept of toxic empathy to explain both a recidivist subwa…

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683: The Meaning of the Scopes Monkey Trial 100yrs Later with Chris Staron 1:29:16

3M ago1:29:16

1:29:16

New data shows the nations with the highest standards of living are seeing the sharpest declines in wellbeing, while people in poorer countries are reporting more happiness. What's going on? David Brooks' recent article looked at data from 142 countries, and he concludes that spirituality and social connection, not just wealth, are critical to huma…