#240 – Neal Stephenson: Sci-Fi, Space, Aliens, AI, VR & the Future of Humanity
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About this episode
<p>Neal Stephenson is a sci-fi writer (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and new book Termination Shock), former Chief Futurist at Magic Leap and first employee of Blue Origin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:<br />
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<p><b>EPISODE LINKS:</b><br />
Neal’s Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/nealstephenson">https://twitter.com/nealstephenson</a><br />
Neal’s Website: <a href="https://www.nealstephenson.com/">https://www.nealstephenson.com/</a><br />
Termination Shock (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3HhmDKi">https://amzn.to/3HhmDKi</a><br />
Snow Crash (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3H7yFFW">https://amzn.to/3H7yFFW</a><br />
Cryptonomicon (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3C01HDF">https://amzn.to/3C01HDF</a><br />
The Diamond Age (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3wxUF83">https://amzn.to/3wxUF83</a><br />
Seveneves (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3kkhveg">https://amzn.to/3kkhveg</a><br />
The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1 (book): <a href="https://amzn.to/3koMW7n">https://amzn.to/3koMW7n</a><br />
Innovation Starvation (article): <a href="https://bit.ly/3mYLSJ2">https://bit.ly/3mYLSJ2</a></p>
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<p><b>OUTLINE:</b><br />
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.<br />
(00:00) – Introduction<br />
(08:34) – WWII and human nature<br />
(17:20) – Search engine morality<br />
(21:58) – Space exploration<br />
(38:59) – Aliens and UFOs<br />
(47:21) – SpaceX and Blue Origin<br />
(54:43) – Social media<br />
(59:11) – Climate change<br />
(1:11:00) – Consequences of big ideas<br />
(1:15:42) – Virtual reality<br />
(1:38:50) – Artificial intelligence<br />
(1:53:49) – Cryptocurrency<br />
(2:06:26) – Writing, storytelling, and books<br />
(2:29:05) – Martial arts<br />
(2:38:23) – Final thoughts</p>