Techs on Texts

Jed Sundwall
  • 5.0 (7)
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Techs on Texts is a podcast featuring conversations with technologists about the literature that has influenced them. Hosted and produced by Jed Sundwall. Learn more at https://techsontexts.net

  1. 6D AGO

    Episode #24: Kevin Bullock on Pluribus by Vince Gilligan

    Kevin Bullock joins us to discuss the sublime first season of Vince Gilligan's Pluribus. Yes, TV is a "text," especially when Vince Gilligan is making it. We talk about individual morality, the ethics of science, AI, human nature, selfhood and memory, and ghosts. Inexplicably, we do not talk about HDP. Show notes:Pluribus on WikipediaVince GilliganAndrej Karpathy on Dwarkesh PodcastSatellite views of Carol's cul de sac - Kevin's fantastic post on LinkedIn.The insane rig built to film Carol's drive in the unicorn truckGeorge Dyson on Childhood's End - Techs on Texts Episode #14¡Chinga tu madre, quebrón! (sic)Also:Listen to Great Data ProductsGet your tickets to CNG Forum If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 26m

  2. 12/31/2025

    Episode #23: Cyd Harrell on “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” by Jorge Luis Borges

    Cyd Harrell, devout civic technologist, joins us to discuss Jorge Luis Borges's "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius." We talk about tungsten cubes, techno cults, and our guesses about the "horrifying or banal" truth revealed by the story. Show notes:Buy Cyd's book! A Civic Technologist's Practice Guide (Bookshop.org, Amazon)"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" on Wikipedia"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" PDFDiscussion of Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius on Very Bad WizardsJulius PringlesKarl the fogRosicrucianismCrisis Text Line and Loris.ai ControversyPicigin: an amateur sport from Split, Croatia played in shoals or other shallow water, usually consisting of cooperating players keeping a small ball from falling in the water."Pets" by Porno for PyrosReality-based communityGreat Data Products blog post - blog post based on the talk I gave in October in which I warn against open data dogmas.The duodecimal systemA painting called Pan Arbol referencing the duodecimal system by Borges's friend Xul Solar, who is mentioned in Andrew Hurley's translation of the story as a translator of Tlön's language.When Republicans Became ‘Red’ and Democrats Became ‘Blue’ If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 27m

  3. 11/29/2025

    Episode #22: Marta Regn on “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom” by Ted Chiang

    "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" on Wikipedia - note the fan art book coverRead "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" on MediumOr buy Exhalation: Stories, the collection containing this storyThe Weathering Podcast – More discussions of Earth systems, chaos, and the meaning of life from Marta, Marshall, and AldenKierkegaard's The Concept of Anxiety on The MarginalianStoner by John WilliamsNo Way Recordings on YouTubeMore show notes at https://techsontexts.net/episodes/2025/11/chiang-marta-regn/ Next month, we'll talk about "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" by Jorge Luis Borges. If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 24m

  4. 10/31/2025

    Episode #21: George Dyson on The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle

    George Dyson – historian, boat maker, and volunteer Staff Historian at Radiant Earth – returns to discuss Fred Hoyle's The Black Cloud. We discuss the cultural conflicts that arise between scientists and politicians, the limits of human language, human-incomprehensible modes of communication, the inevitable benefits of creating new observing instruments, alien consciousness, and the perils of simplified science. Show notes: The Black Cloud on WikipediaFred Hoyle on WikipediaGeorge's keynote at Radiant Earth's Expanding and Accelerating Global Climate Data Collaboration workshop on 14 October 2025Cause of Cambrian Explosion - Terrestrial or Cosmic? – as mentioned by George, the paper exploring extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth, co-authored by Hoyle's student and collaborator Chandra WickramasingheBuy George's books!Next month will be a discussion of Ted Chiang's "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" with Marta Regn. If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    54 min

  5. 09/30/2025

    Episode #20: Mark Chambers on Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

    Mark Chambers – my friend from high school (and former Chief Sustainability Officer of DC and NYC among other things) – joins us to discuss Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. We talk about the collision between money and science, the illusion of control, dignity, public service, how many humans there should be, why it may or may not be ok to grill, and positive visions for the future. Show notes: Jevons paradox – how technological efficiency can paradoxically increase resource consumptionWhat Michael Crichton Reveals About Big Tech and A.I. - Cal Newport's New Yorker piece about Jurassic ParkThe Weathering Podcast – exploring Earth systems, climate, and chaos. I don't talk about it in the podcast, but I should because it's relevant and so great. I love it.Colossal Biosciences Dire Wolf Project (Wikipedia article) – the real-world de-extinction effortThe 13th Warrior – A movie Mark loves that I still need to watchMark Coatney on A Wizard of Earthsea – our previous conversation about power and its pitfallsNine Inch Nails wins Country Music Award for "Old Town Road"Internet PowerThe Ministry of the Future (Wikipedia article) by Kim Stanley RobinsonNext month (hopefully): The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle with George Dyson. Bonus announcements: CNG Conference 2026 announced for 6-9 October 2026New work podcast: Great Data Products If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 37m

  6. 08/30/2025

    Episode #19: Matt Price on Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

    Matt Price – technology historian and dedicated educator – joins us to discuss Susanna Clarke's Piranesi. We talk about egos, ego death, cults, academia, Christianity, Buddhism, and psychedelics. No insights, only more questions. Show notes: Susanna Clarke's official websitePiranesi on GoodreadsVery Bad Wizards on PiranesiGiovanni Battista Piranesi on WikipediaCarceri d'invenzione, Giovanni Battista Piranesi's "Imaginary Prisons"All Things Shining, the book I refer to as "Everything Shining" in the podcastGene Wolfe, who Ursula K. Le Guin referred to as "our Melville"Aleister CrowleyBodhisattvaNatural historyVarious soundtracks to Piranesi:"Everything Forgotten Flows" by Priori"Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo" by Francesco Messina and Raul LovisoniIn a Beautiful Place Out in the Country by Boards of CanadaNext month, will be Jurassic Park (the movie and the book!) with Mark Chambers. If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 33m

  7. 07/26/2025

    Episode #18: Noah Iliinsky on China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh

    Noah Iliinsky – most-esteemed information visualization expert, speaker and author – joins us to discuss Maureen F. McHugh's China Mountain Zhang. We talk about what matters, heavy furniture, sensible defaults, the burdens created by unnecessarily "innovative" design, pace layering, humans as instruments, and the double diamond bike. Show notes: Buy Noah's books!Noah's very excellent Guaranteed Successful Design presentation: 5-minute version, 45-minute versionNoah's unassailable guidance on using a dishwasherPace Layers from Stuart BrandThe Double Diamond bike frameWork on Stuff That Matters by Tim O'ReillyJared Rusten – my woodworker of choiceNext month, Matt Price will be on to talk about Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. New Secret School album! Enough? Remixes on Apple Music and Spotify. If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 13m

  8. 06/23/2025

    Episode #17: Daniel X. O'Neil on The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

    Daniel X. O'Neil, the worldwide entertainment juggernaut of the 21st century, joins us to discuss T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. You will learn almost nothing about The Waste Land from this discussion, but you will learn about poetry, modernism, truth, hypermedia, (the "end" of) America, and enjambment. Show notes: [T.S. Eliot reads *The Waste Land* on YouTube](T.S. Eliot reads: The Waste Land)The Waste Land on WikipediaHypertext enjambmentBlueberry Boat by The Fiery FurnacesThe truly great Carl MalamudThe Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complexJack Dorsey talking about how dispatch systems influenced Twitter (Dorsey, like Eliot is from St. Louis, as is past guest Jason Goldman and Sam Altman)RashomonMy essay on Internet Power (thanks to Dan for pushing me over the edge to finally publish this)Trut from Emigre Magazine #41The Nature BookCahokia MoundsChildren of a Modest Star by Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman for all those interested in the limitations of the nation stataThe end of the InternetAlways remember: There's no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous. — Cormac McCarthy 💖 Next month we'll be talking with Noah Ilinsky about China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh. If you enjoyed this, please share it. Produced by Jed Sundwall. Write to jed at techsontexts.net with feedback and suggestions for books or guests. Intro music by Secret School. Outro music is "3/10th of the Population" by WE™. Please donate to Radiant Earth.

    1h 14m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Techs on Texts is a podcast featuring conversations with technologists about the literature that has influenced them. Hosted and produced by Jed Sundwall. Learn more at https://techsontexts.net

Information

  • Creator
    Jed Sundwall
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024-2025 Techs on Texts
  • Show Website
    Techs on Texts