The Last Archive

We’re sharing a preview of a new audiobook, Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth, which celebrates the wit and wisdom of the legendary science fiction author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Twenty-five years after his death, Adams’ books continue to be read by new generations and his creations along with his ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything being “42”, have seeped deep into public consciousness. Written and narrated by Arvind Ethan David, Adams’ former protégé, this one-of-a-kind audiobook includes reenactments of his work, rare archival material from the Adams Estate, and interviews with Adams’ personal friends like Stephen Fry and Ian Charles Stewart, and zoologists Lucy Cooke and Mark Carwardine. The preview you’re about to hear examines Adams’ view on politics, government, and power. Get Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth now at Audible, Spotify, Pushkin, or wherever audiobooks are sold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join a delicious journey to uncover the secret recipe of Thomas’s English Muffins, packed with tales of corporate secrecy and determination. Experience a thrilling baking competition where skilled bakers create mouthwatering donuts and one emerges as a champion. Discover innovative cooking techniques that transform everyday ingredients into culinary magic. Tune in for a taste test challenge that pits homemade muffins against a brand favorite, and dive into the intriguing history of Chartreuse liqueur, guarded by monks. Secrets, flavors, and fun await!

Only seven people in the world knew the secret behind the soft, delicious goodness of Thomas' English Muffins. When one of them tried to leave the company...all hell broke loose. Revisionist History senior producer Ben looks at how the breakfast treat came to be at the center of one of the most important legal cases you’ve likely never heard of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucy Sullivan, a producer on Revisionist History and a board-certified super recognizer, dives into the fascinating world of facial recognition. She discusses how our brains process faces, influencing our perceptions of identity and connection. The conversation explores face blindness and its social implications while revealing the evolutionary importance of recognizing faces. Engaging anecdotes, including a personal story about Bill Clinton, further illustrate the remarkable spectrum of face recognition abilities and the emotional nuances tied to them.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, delves into the paradox of his relationship with AI, declaring it humanity’s greatest existential threat while simultaneously pioneering its development. Jill Lepore explores a century of AI fears, linking Musk's visions to science fiction cautionary tales. They discuss the duality of innovation and fear in technology, examining the implications of Musk’s pursuits on society. Through analyzing cultural influences, they highlight the urgent need for caution in the face of advanced AI developments and the concentration of technological power.

Rebecca Lamov, a Harvard historian specializing in brainwashing and mind control, joins Gad Saad, an evolutionary behavioral scientist, to delve into the intriguing idea of the 'woke mind virus.' They explore its origins linked to Cold War anxieties and Musk's controversial bid for Twitter. The conversation touches on the psychological effects of historical fears of mind control, the Sharpeville massacre's aftermath, and how social media impacts public discourse. Their insights reveal how the past informs today's struggles with freedom of speech and societal manipulation.

Explore the world of gender reveal parties and their extreme consequences. Delve into Elon Musk's and Grimes' unique approach to parenting X, challenging traditional gender norms. Analyze how science fiction often neglects women’s narratives while celebrating Ursula Le Guin’s inclusive storytelling. Discover the ethical dilemmas of AI amidst Silicon Valley's biases. Finally, appreciate a fresh perspective on AI through Indigenous frameworks, emphasizing kinship and respect for technology's societal impact.

In 2021, Elon Musk started calling himself The Dogefather to signal his support for Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency based on a joke meme about a dog. That dog is now wagging the tail of the world’s economy. In this episode, Jill Lepore looks at Silicon Valley's cryptocurrency craze through the lens of some very old science fiction. Like everything else about Muskism that purports to be futuristic, this idea is a relic, whose history serves as a warning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2008 Tesla Motors launched its first car, the completely electric Roadster. Tesla was a great story — something genuinely new, an engineering marvel. Musk became a media darling, on the cover of countless magazines under headlines like ‘Elon Musk, AKA Tony Stark, Wants to Save the World’. Within the logic of Muskism, talking about saving the world was a business strategy, a way to sell cars without ads. Why did so many people buy what Musk was selling?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk is a rocket man. He wants humans to become ‘a multi-planetary species’ and talks about establishing human settlements on Mars. As President Trump talks up the Mars program while dismantling aid initiatives around the globe, Jill Lepore traces how Silicon Valley's existential catastrophism led to Musk’s extraterrestrial vision of capitalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.