logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2020
52m 37s

Recode Decode: Annalee Newitz

The Verge
About this episode

Sci-fi novelist and science journalist Annalee Newitz talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about their new book, The Future of Another Timeline. Newitz, who was previously a founding editor of io9 and the editor in chief of Gizmodo, talks about their winding route to becoming a writer, by way of monster movies; how their first book Autonomous addresses AI, software patents, and the pharma industry; and how they worked out the mechanics and limitations of time travel and "editing" history for their latest book. Plus: How does technology affect our memory of history, and what will happen to all our digital communications once we're gone?

Featuring:

Annalee Newitz (@Annaleen), author, The Future of Another Timeline

Host:

Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Reset, Recode's new podcast that explores why — and how — tech is changing everything.

About Recode by Vox:

Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us.

Follow Us:

Newsletter: Recode Daily

Twitter: @Recode and @voxdotcom

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Is ChatGPT killing higher education?
Hello! Decoder senior producer Kate Cox here. I’m afraid I’m still not Nilay, but I hope you’ve been enjoying our series of guest hosts this summer while he’s out on parental leave. We have a few more really great guest episodes coming up, before Nilay returns to the host chair l ... Show More
57m 1s
Aug 21
Amazon is betting on agents to win the AI race
This is Alex Heath, your Thursday episode guest host and deputy editor at The Verge. One of the biggest topics in AI these days is agents — the idea that AI is going to move from chatbots to reliably completing tasks for us in the real world. But the problem with agents is that t ... Show More
53m 50s
Aug 18
How the head of Obsidian went from superfan to CEO
Obsidian is a note-taking and productivity app that occupies the same "second brain" space as competitors like Notion — but in a lot of ways, it's also startlingly different. Obsidian's files are Markdown-based, stored locally on your own devices, and completely free to use. Step ... Show More
54m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Silicon Valley Doesn’t Get Science Fiction w/ Annalee Newitz
Paris Marx is joined by Annalee Newitz to discuss what’s wrong with Silicon Valley’s understanding of science fiction, and how tech leaders use it to justify terrible futures. Annalee Newitz is the author of Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and The Future of An ... Show More
57m 6s
May 2024
ScarJo vs. ChatGPT + Neuralink’s First Patient Opens Up + Microsoft’s A.I. PCs
This week, more drama at OpenAI: The company wanted Scarlett Johansson to be a voice of GPT-4o, she said no … but something got lost in translation. Then we talk with Noland Arbaugh, the first person to get Elon Musk’s Neuralink device implanted in his brain, about how his brain- ... Show More
1h 17m
Feb 2022
Technologies & Threads Through the Fabric of Our Lives
original episode notes and transcript here: https://future.a16z.com/podcasts/textiles-technology-science-math-cultures-civilization/Longtime podcast showrunner (2014-2022), primary host, and editor Sonal Chokshi shares three best-of episodes as she shifts gears and the show goes ... Show More
1h 12m
Mar 2023
What’s Beyond GitHub Copilot? With Copilot's Chief Architect and founder of Minion.AI Alex Graveley
Everyone talks about the future impact of AI, but there’s already an AI product that has revolutionized a profession. Alex Graveley was the principal engineer and Chief Architect behind Github Copilot, a sort of pair-programmer that auto-completes your code as you type. It has ra ... Show More
36m 21s
Dec 2020
Episode 199: Thought-Based Interfaces with Afshin Mehin
Thought-based technologies might often be a cause for fear, but they are nothing new under the sun. By learning more about these technologies and dismantling negative beliefs, designers may be able to stay ahead of the game by catching glimpses into the future. Our guest today is ... Show More
39m 20s
Apr 2022
Episode 414: The RoR Podcast x Coders Coders Crossover Event with Drew Bragg
Brittany interviews Drew Bragg, the Staff Engineer at Within3 and the host of the new Code and the Coding Coders who Code it podcast about his origin, his love of the Ruby community and their experience at Sin City Ruby. The pair then switch host seats and Drew interviews Brittan ... Show More
44m 11s
Oct 2023
Debating personal AI hardware with Rewind AI’s Dan Siroker | E1828
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Codecademy. Build the future you want to see with Codecademy. Codecademy Pro helps you learn everything you’ll need to shape what comes next in the tech space. Try it free for 14 days. Visit Codecademy.com/TWiST .Tech Domains has a new ... Show More
39m 42s
Mar 2024
Diving head first into software architecture
A few years ago, Thoughtworker and (prolific) author Neal Ford published Fundamentals of Software Architecture with Michael Richards. They're now back with another book on software architecture — written with co-author Raju Gandhi — which offers readers a very different learning ... Show More
37m 24s
Nov 2023
How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own
Today’s episode is about thinking practically about the AI revolution. Yes, it may one day usher in some now unthinkable utopia or dystopia. But in the meantime, our imperfect world exists, and your imperfect job exists, and you face a forced choice: Should you use this technolog ... Show More
1 h
May 2023
How worried—or excited—should we be about AI? Recode Media with Peter Kafka
AI is amazing… or terrifying, depending on who you ask. This is a technology that elicits strong, almost existential reactions. So, as a Memorial Day special, we're running an episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka that digs into the giant ambitions and enormous concerns people ... Show More
54m 49s