Original broadcast date: January 21, 2022. Fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. This hour, author and TED speaker Dave Eggers talks technology, education, and the healing power of writing. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) sponsor-free. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Writers sit watching a stranger’s search engine terms being typed in real time, a voyeuristic peek into that person’s most private thoughts. A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company but uncovers an agenda affecting the lives of all of humanity. An app developer keeps pitching the craziest, most harmful ideas she can imagine but the tech mega-monopoly she works for keeps adopting them, to worldwide delight.  The first instance of deep online creepiness actually happened to Dave Eggers almost 30 years ago. The latter two are plots of two of Eggers’ many bestselling novels—“The Circle” and “The Every,” respectively—inspired by the author’s continuing rumination on how much is too much on the internet. He believes we should live intentionally, using technology when it makes sense but otherwise logging off and living an analog, grounded life. Eggers — whose newest novel, “The Eyes and the Impossible,” was published this month — speaks with EFF’s Cindy Cohn and Jason Kelley about why he hates Zoom so much, how and why we get sucked into digital worlds despite our own best interests, and painting the darkest version of our future so that we can steer away from it.   In this episode, you’ll learn about: How that three-digit credit score that you keep striving to improve symbolizes a big problem with modern tech. The difficulties of distributing books without using Amazon.  Why round-the-clock surveillance by schools, parents, and others can be harmful to kids. The vital importance of letting yourself be bored and unstructured sometimes. Dave Eggers is the bestselling author of his memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” (2000) as well as novels including “What Is the What” (2006), “A Hologram for the King” (2012), “The Circle” (2013), and “The Every” (2021); his latest novel, “The Eyes and the Impossible,” was published May 9. He founded the independent publishing company McSweeney’s as well as its namesake daily humor website, and he co-founded 826 Valencia, a nonprofit youth writing center that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide. Eggers is winner of the American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the TED Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This podcast is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology.Music for How to Fix the Internet was created for us by Reed Mathis and Nat Keefe of BeatMower. This podcast is licensed Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, and includes the following music licensed Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported by their creators: http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/58703CommonGround by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) Ft: simonlittlefieldAdditional beds and alternate theme remixes by Gaëtan Harris.

Join Caterina Fake as she interviews Dave Eggers, writer, publisher, and humanitarian at 826 Valencia writing program. They discuss the invasion of AI in creative spaces, the origin and impact of 826 Valencia, the effects of AI on writing and schoolwork, creating a platform for powerful writers, and a captivating passage from Dave Eggers' new book, 'The Eyes and the Impossible'.

36 authors, including Margaret Atwood and John Grisham, collaborate on a novel called 'Fourteen Days'. The podcast explores whether the book successfully works as a novel or falls more under the category of unrelated stories. The speakers express mixed feelings towards the book but appreciate some of the stories. They also discuss the reluctance to revisit COVID-related stories and share their thoughts on publishing experiments, biopics, films, and the disappearance of snow days due to virtual schooling.

Dave Eggers, an acclaimed author known for his innovative storytelling, teams up with Michael Lewis, a master of narrative nonfiction, to delve into NASA's groundbreaking efforts at the Jet Propulsion Lab. They explore how scientists are working to detect planets hidden by distant stars, revealing the challenges and excitement of the search for extraterrestrial life. They also discuss innovative techniques like the revolutionary star shade concept, showcasing the passion and dedication of those reaching for the stars.