James talks to Dr Maung Zarni about the junta’s colonial methods of rule, ultra nationalist Buddhism, and how to build a better future for a democratic Myanmar.
First we eulogize the dream deferred of Neom, then we add more lore to Palmer Luckey who, as we find out, has modeled his whole life on a literal-minded interpretation of a character from Yu-Gi-Oh!, then we talk more about the conspiratorial and immaterial thinking of the China-TikTok Hawks, finally we heap praise on a very astute essay about the material reality of SHEIN.
••• Saudis Scale Back Ambition for $1.5 Trillion Desert Project Neom https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-05/saudis-scale-back-ambition-for-1-5-trillion-desert-project-neom
••• How Silicon Valley’s ‘Oppenheimer’ found lucrative trade in AI weapons https://www.ft.com/content/ce6f96f8-6ab8-4089-b7db-f99db22c2071
••• Super Cute Please Like https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-47/reviews/super-cute-please-like/
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Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)
Here's Part 2 of our deep dive into neural implants with Dr. Jenessa Seymour! The brain is still completely amazing, and so are the folks who are creating innovative technology to help people do things that have been otherwise out of reach. And then there's Elon.
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P Brain asks for more information about the health effects of the recent solar eclipse. Anonymous in Central Illinois asks Ben, Matt and Codename: Doc to debate the best -- or worst -- candy. Scoop Murphy drops some knowledge about earmarking certain government positions. Keith the Plumber uses McDonald's for lucid dreams, and GGP Scootch shares an amazing, surely true, story about the perils of human cloning. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.
In which a self-crowned prince founds his own nation on a tiny piece of concrete in the North Sea, complete with commando raids, and Ken is only in favor of 3-D awards. Certificate #6611.
We've got an expert to take us through it! Dr. Jenessa Seymour is a former neuroscientist currently working in disability rights and she has looked through the history of neural implant efforts to investigate Elon's Neuralink claims. Just how full of it is he? And how in the world does any of this even work? What is clear is that the brain is insanely amazing.
There's so much to talk about that this ended up being a two-parter!
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At some point in your life, your health becomes your number one concern. Everyone knows a balanced diet and regular exercise leads to a longer, healthier life -- but what if you could juice the odds a little? More extreme: If modern medicine fails, could an alternative supplement be the answer you need? In the first part of this continuing series on supplements, Ben and Matt explore some of the benefits, concerns -- and conspiracy -- surrounding this multibillion dollar industry.
You love pigeons. You might not know it yet. Espionage! Fancy breeds! Internal GPS! Weird feet! Should you be afraid of them? Should you adopt one? Pigeon advocate, comic artist and author of “A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching,” Rosemary Mosco finally joins to answer all of our questions in a beautifully mellow and melodious wall-to-wall pigeon exploration. I loved every minute of making this one and if you stick around for the secret, I’ll take you behind-the-scenes. Listen, then sit on a bench and watch your new friends.
Molly and Robert discuss the successful effort to remove Judd Blevins from the Enid, OK city council after his refusal to acknowledge his ties to a white supremacist group.