Triangulation 424: Margaret O'Mara: The Code - Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

Hands-On AI is the show that turns AI confusion into AI confidence. In this trailer, Mikah Sargent lays out what the show is and isn't: short, focused episodes — most 10 to 15 minutes — that take one question, one tool, or one technique at a time. Some weeks go under the hood on what a large language model is actually doing. Some weeks get practical: the AI already in your pocket, or a model running entirely on your own computer. And some weeks are honest verdicts on the tools everyone's talking about.Subscribe now!

In a wide-ranging conversation, Leo Laporte talks with Dr. George Church about the history and future of genome sequencing. Dr. Church explains why he is very excited about how they made an organism resistant to all viruses- both known and unknown. They also talk about: How Dr. Church made sequencing affordable (from $3BN to $600) Where are we on sequencing the entire human genome, and why would we even want to? How close are we to reversing aging? Should we use gene therapy to double the human lifespan? Why genetically engineering cold-resistant elephants could be important for climate change, and what about ultimately bringing back the Mammoth? He explains the difference between the hype and reality of CRISPR sequencing, synthesis, and delivery What are the privacy concerns about companies sharing your genome? They discuss the controversy and benefit of reconstructing old viruses like the 1918 flu and even inventing new viruses. Dr. Church is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a pioneer in personal genetics. He is credited with developing the first methods for sequencing the first genome and also the CRISPR technology. He created several companies, including Nebula Genomics and Veritas Genetics. Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Dr. George Church Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez returns to talk with Leo Laporte about the second book in his 'Delta-v' novel series, 'Critical Mass,' where a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth's climate crisis could well hang in the balance. Get 'Critical Mass': https://amzn.to/3Yjb9xu Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Daniel Suarez Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Writer/activist Cory Doctorow and scholar Rebecca Giblin join Leo Laporte to talk about their latest book Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back. They argue that we're in a new era of "chokepoint capitalism," with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others. Get "Chokepoint Capitalism": https://chokepointcapitalism.com Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Tripp Mickle joins Leo Laporte to discuss his new book, "After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul". They discuss the shift in Apple's dynamic and approach to products after the passing of Steve Jobs from a company of innovation with Jony Ive, to a company of efficiency under Tim Cook. Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Tripp Mickle Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Amy Webb joins Leo Laporte to discuss her new book, "The Genesis Machine." Webb explains synthetic biology, tells the story of golden rice, and shares a glimpse of the future and the changes we can expect. Get "The Genesis Machine": https://amzn.to/3BC7K2t Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Amy Webb Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Leo Laporte interviews Andy Weir, author of "The Martian," about his new book, "Project Hail Mary." The discussion starts out spoiler-free with a chat about making the book into a film, how Andy Weir approached writing this book, and the time he confused Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. After a loud and apparent spoiler warning (at 32:04), the two continue their chat by discussing "Project Hail Mary" in depth. Weir shares a bit about the science behind the book, the characters he's created, and other stories he's working on. Project Hail Mary: https://amzn.to/3hLcStp The Martian: https://amzn.to/3v9LUiU Artemis: https://amzn.to/3vahYDf Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Andy Weir Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Jason Howell is joined by TWiT's studio engineer to talk about his time as the drummer and founder of the progressive rock band Cairo, creating the Virtual Live Show, and how the intersection of music and tech has evolved. Cairo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JeffBrockmanDirector Virtual Live Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/virtualliveshow Host: Jason Howell Guest: Jeff Brockman Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Flynn Coleman, writer, and international human rights attorney, joins Denise Howell to talk about her book A Human Algorithm: How Artificial Intelligence Is Redefining Who We Are. Flynn argues that we must instill values, ethics, and morals into our robots, algorithms, and other forms of AI by developing and implement laws, policies, and oversight mechanisms to protect us from tech's insidious threats. Get "A Human Algorithm": https://amzn.to/2rIqgH6 Host: Denise Howell Guest: Flynn Coleman Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation.

Stephen Wolfram is a computer scientist who designed Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He talks to Mikah Sargent about translating between human language, mathematics, and programming languages, how computational language works, and how he has spent his life trying to build computational intelligence up. Host: Mikah Sargent Guest: Stephen Wolfram Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/triangulation. Sponsors: capterra.com/triangulation LastPass.com/twit