Keen On America

Andrew Keen
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Feb 17, 2023 • 35min

The Inside Story of Social Media: Steven Levy on Friendster, MySpace, Facebook and TikTok

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Steven Levy, Wired editor-at-large and author of FACEBOOK: THE INSIDE STORY, about the history of social media from Friendster and MySpace to Facebook and TikTok.Steven Levy is Wired’s editor at large. The Washington Post has called him “America’s premier technology journalist.” For almost four decades Levy has chronicled the digital revolution, its impact on humanity, and the people behind it. He has written the foundational work on computer culture (Hackers, 1984) and with Crypto (2001) the indispensable book on story behind that groundbreaking technology—years before people began gushing about Bitcoin and the blockchain. He has written the definitive books on Facebook, Google, the Macintosh, and the iPod. World-class engineers tell him that they pursued AI after reading his 1992 book Artificial Life. And he currently covers the breadth of tech stories—the good and the disturbing—for WIRED, where he has been a contributor since its inception. Levy’s previous positions include founder of Backchannel and chief technology writer and senior editor for Newsweek. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, Macworld, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, The New Yorker, and Premiere. Among his honors: PC Magazine named Hackers the best sci-tech book written in the last twenty years. Crypto won the grand e-book prize at the 2001 Frankfurt Book Fair. In the Plex was Amazon’s best business book of 2011. In 2008 he was inducted as a SVForum Visionary, alongside Reed Hastings and Diane Greene. (Previous winners include Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, and Vin Cerf.) He has won several Computer Press Association Awards, been finalist for the National Magazine Award and the Loeb Award, winner of a Clarion Award and many others. His 1988 book, The Unicorn’s Secret, was the source material for a two-night NBC miniseries, “The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer.” Levy hails from Philadelphia, where he began his career writing for weekly papers and writing stories for Philadelphia Magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine. He wrote extensively on rock music and sports. In 1982, he published a Rolling Stone story on computer hackers that drew him into the world of technology. He lives in New York City with his wife, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author Teresa Carpenter.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 17, 2023 • 39min

Black and Queer on Campus: Michael P. Jeffries on what life is like for Black LGBTQ students in American colleges today

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to BLACK AND QUEER ON CAMPUS author Michael P. Jeffries about what life both is and ideally should be for LGBTQ students in America today.Michael P. Jeffries is Dean of Academic Affairs, Class of 1949 Professor in Ethics, and Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and works at the intersection of race, culture, and politics. Dr. Jeffries is the author of four books. Black and Queer on Campus (NYU Press, 2023) provides an inside look at Black LGBTQ college students and their experiences. Behind the Laughs: Community and Inequality in Comedy (Stanford University Press, 2017) explores the world of professional comedy, where social and professional demands force artists to build strong communities in an industry divided along lines of race, class, and gender. Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford University Press, 2013) uses Obama's presidency to demonstrate how race relies on other social forces, like gender and class, for its meaning and impact. Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (University of Chicago Press, 2011) puts the spotlight on hip-hop fans and describes how everyday listeners define hip-hop and use it in their lives. Dr. Jeffries has published dozens of essays and works of criticism in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and The Boston Globe, and has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and other outlets. He is a regular contributor on television and radio at Boston's public broadcasting station, WGBH, and he tweets @M_P_Jeffries.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 17, 2023 • 29min

Purposeful Curiosity: Costas Andriopoulos on asking the right questions that will change our lives

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to PURPOSEFUL CURIOSITY author Costa Andriopoulos on how to ask the kind of questions that will successfully change our livesCostas Andriopoulos is a Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He joined Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) in September 2014. Before joining Bayes, Costas held a Chair in Strategy at Cardiff Business School, and, prior to that held posts at Brunel Business School, University of Aberdeen Business School and the University of Strathclyde Business School. He has also been a visiting Professor at Said Business School (University of Oxford), Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), Grenoble Ecole de Management, International Hellenic University, and ALBA Graduate Business School. His main research interests focus on how organizational paradoxes enable innovation in the face of changing technological environments. In particular, he studies how entrepreneurial firms in high-velocity markets can excel at both incremental (exploiting current capabilities) and discontinuous innovation (exploring into new space). His latest book is PURPOSEFUL CURIOSITY (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 17, 2023 • 33min

Go, Dorothy, Go! Lynn Cullen on the woman who gave up everything and changed the world

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE, Lynn Cullen, about Dr Dorothy Horstmann the pioneer of the polio vaccine who gave up everything and changed the world.Lynn Cullen grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is the bestselling author of The Sisters of Summit Avenue, Twain’s End, and Mrs. Poe, which was named an NPR 2013 Great Read and an Indie Next List selection. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, their dog, and two unscrupulous cats. Her latest book is The Woman with the Cure.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 16, 2023 • 34min

Journeys in Earth's Extinct Ecosystems: Thomas Halliday on paleobiology, croquet and the inevitable end of our species

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of OTHERLANDS, Thomas Halliday, about the deep time of paleobiology, croquet and the existential threat of climate change to our species and planetTHOMAS HALLIDAY is a palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist. He holds a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Birmingham, and is a Scientific Associate of the Natural History Museum. His research combines theoretical and real data to investigate long-term patterns in the fossil record, particularly in mammals. Thomas was the winner of the Linnean Society’s John C. Marsden Medal in 2016 and the Hugh Miller Writing Competition in 2018. He is the author of OTHERLANDS which was short listed for the 2022 Baillie Gifford prize for non-fictionNamed as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 16, 2023 • 40min

How To Remember Auschwitz-Birkenau? Wojciech Soczewica on why we must never forget this unique monument to evil

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the director general of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, Wojciech Soczewica, about how to visit - both in person and online - this unique monument to evil.A graduate of the Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then in the Office of the Prime Minister's Plenipotentiary for International Dialogue. In 2013-2015, Director of the International Cooperation Team in the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights. Since November 2015, Deputy Director for International Cooperation at the Warsaw City Hall. Since January 2019, Director General of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.Name as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 16, 2023 • 29min

What Would Other Species Tell Us If They Could Talk? POD author Laline Paull on telling "humanimal" stories in the voice of other species

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to POD author Laline Paul about how to tell "Humanimal" stories that will get us to recognize our collective guilt in the destruction of nature.London-born and of Indian heritage, Laline Paull studied English at Oxford, screenwriting in Los Angeles, and theater in her home city. Her most recent novel is The Bees, which was a resounding critical and commercial success in the United States and Britain. She lives in the English countryside with her family. Her latest novel is POD (2023)Name as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 16, 2023 • 36min

Why Stress Can Be Good For Us: Ben Ramalingam on turning pressure into performance and crisis into creativity

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to UPSHIFT author Ben Ramalingam on how to turn pressure into performance and crisis into creativity.Ben Ramalingam is a senior leader, innovator, and researcher specializing in international crisis management and development. He is the executive director of the United Kingdom Humanitarian Innovation Hub and has worked with and advised the United Nations, the World Bank, national and regional governments, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses. In 2020 he was named a Humanitarian Change Maker of the 2010s, as one of the ten people or organizations who had done most to improve international humanitarian work over the course of the decade. He is the author of Aid on the Edge of Chaos: Rethinking International Cooperation in a Complex World and Upshift: Turning Pressure into Performance and Crisis into Creativity.Name as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 16, 2023 • 30min

When Will Silicon Valley Fix its Annoying Password Problem? Phillip Dunkelberger on digital technology that might finally kill the online password

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Nok Nok CEO Phillip Dunkelberger on digital technology that, he promises, will finally kill the online password.Phillip Dunkelberger has broad experience resulting from more than 30 years in technology. Prior to becoming CEO of Nok Nok Labs, Mr. Dunkelberger served for 8 years as co-founder and CEO of PGP Corporation, the leader in the Enterprise Data Protection market, until acquired by Symantec in 2010. He has significant experience in SaaS infrastructure and enterprise software, having served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Doll Capital Management (DCM), President and CEO of Embark, and COO of Vantive Corporation. He has also held senior management positions with Symantec, Apple Computer, and Xerox Corporation. Mr. Dunkelberger has served on several boards of directors and advisory boards. He is currently on the board of directors at Northland Control Systems and is a non-executive director at MyPinPad.  He is a founding board member of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA). Mr. Dunkelberger holds a B.A. in Political Science from Westmont College and is a member of the school’s Board of Trustees.Name as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Feb 15, 2023 • 32min

Instapundit on the Blogging Revolution: Glenn Reynolds remembers the early 21st century birth of our social media age

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the founder of Instapundit.com, Glenn Reynolds, about the origins of the blogging revolution at the turn of the 21st century.Glenn Harlan Reynolds (born August 27, 1960) is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law, and is known for his American politics blog, Instapundit. His special interests are law and technology and constitutional law issues and his work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Columbia Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Wisconsin Law Review, the William and Mary Law Review, the Southern California Law Review, the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, Law and Policy in International Business, Jurimetrics, the Journal of Space Law, and the High Technology Law Journal. Reynolds has also written in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, Road & Track, Urb and the Wall Street Journal as well as other popular publications. He was for many years a contributing editor at Popular Mechanics magazine and is a member of the Board of Contributors of USA Today. He is the co-author of Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy, and The Appearance of Impropriety: How the Ethics Wars Have Undermined American Government, Business, and Society. His most recent books are The Social Media Upheaval, The Judiciary’s Class War and The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself. For more: http://instapundit.substack.com.Name as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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