During the height of the cryptocurrency craze a few years ago, the actor Ben McKenzie found himself wondering why no one else was seeing what he was seeing. He joins the show to explain his yearslong attempt to understand Bitcoin and the crypto world, all of which is in his new documentary Everyone Is Lying to You For Money. (You can probably guess how he feels.) After that, The Verge's Victoria Song tells us about her testing of continuous glucose monitors, which have gone from medical device to influencer trend in some worrying ways. Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about why all our gadgets seem the same these days.
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(Timestamps are approximate.)
00:00:00 Sprinkler Duty Intro
00:03:00 Ben McKenzie Crypto Journey
00:04:00 Is Crypto Really Money
00:09:00 El Salvador Reality Check
00:11:00 Could Crypto Ever Work
00:14:00 Crypto Culture
00:19:00 Casino Capitalism And Crime
00:23:00 Why Bitcoin Keeps Rising
00:30:00 CGMs Explained
00:32:00 FDA OTC And Wellness Boom
00:33:00 Government Push For Wearables
00:39:00 Longevity Wearables Boom
00:41:00 Why Try CGMs
00:44:00 Scary Readings Doctor Visit
00:47:00 Living in the Data
00:48:00 Apps Scores Calibration
00:51:00 Disordered Eating Spiral
00:54:00 No Consensus for Non Diabetics
00:57:00 Medication Tradeoffs
01:00:00 Wellness vs Medical Regulation
01:04:00 Using CGMs Thoughtfully
01:10:00 Vergecast hotline
01:11:00 Why Gadgets Got Bland
01:22:00 Final Thoughts
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