#126: Rose Horowitch - The Age of Reading is Over
In the second part of their discussion Barry and Mike talk about Rose Horowitch’s ideas about reading and what it means to be post-literate in the digital world.
14 Aug 41min
#125: Rose Horowitch - The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books
Barry and Mike begin a two-part discussion of Rose Horowitch’s investigation into post-literacy.In this episode we discuss her November 2024 article in The Atlantic Monthly, “The Elite College Student...
31 Jul 33min
#124: Ted Gioia -What you Won't Learn About the Odyssey From the Movie
In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Ted Gioia’s “What You Won’t Learn About the Odyssey From the Movie.” They debate the significance of the “magical mystery song” at the heart of literature.
17 Jul 34min
#123: Daniel Roher - The AI Doc: Or, How I Became An Apocaloptimist
In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Daniel Roher’s 2026 documentary, The AI Doc: Or, How I Became An Apocaloptimist. They apply Bernard Stiegler’s concept of the pharmakon to understand the vario...
3 Jul 49min
#122: Louis Theroux - Into the Manosphere
In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Louis Theroux’s “Inside the Manosphere” (March, 2026) and address the question: What does the Manosphere tell us about our current media environment?
26 Jun 53min
#121: A repost of episode #99: On Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Artificial Intimacy
In this episode Barry and Mike discuss the idea of “frictionless” relationships in the age of artificial intimacy. ErikaHayasaki – “What Would a Real Friendship With A.I. Look Like? Maybe Like Hers?T...
12 Jun 48min
#120: Mark Fisher - Exiting the Vampire's Castle, pt. 2
In this episode Barry and Mike resume their discussion of Mark Fishers’s 2013 blog post, “Exiting the Vampire’s Castle”. They discuss the five laws that govern the castle and wonder if it is possible ...
29 Mai 54min
#119: Mark Fisher - Exiting the Vampire Castle
In this episode Barry and Mike discuss writer/music critic/cultural theorist Mark Fisher’s 2013 blog post, “Exiting the Vampire Castle”. They look at the essay, 13 years after its posting, and provid...
15 Mai 38min
