Listener comments!

🤖 ♥ 5:53pm
: Mark! Techtonundreds! 🤖 ♥ 6:00pm
chresti: Hi Mark and markers!   6:00pm
malĥerbo (nl): Hi Mark! and Techtonitarians 🤖 ♥ 6:00pm
Handy Haversack: Mark and all the Techyons! 🤖 ♥ 6:01pm
Deano de los Muertos: Yo Mark 🤖 ♥ 6:01pm
Bas NL: Hi Mark! Hi Human Intelligentiae! ♥ 6:02pm
FoolishBandit: Hi Mark! 🤖 ♥ 6:02pm
DjLorraine: Hi 🤖 ♥ 6:03pm
Ken From Hyde Park: The future, they say, is cloudy. 🤖 ♥ 6:03pm
Webhamster Henry: Hi Friends of Tech who are totally not bots! ♥ 6:04pm
Peter from Saranac Lake NY: Good evening, Mark and everyone. ♥ 6:05pm
PaulRobeson1925: Lay it on us, baby   6:05pm
yippie: This girl was in a lot of newspapers last week because she was claiming she married an AI version of Luigi. She is actually very mentally ill. I once met her at a party where i was controlling the music, and she said my music was annoying and i should play The Strokes. 🤖 ♥ 6:05pm
bravedelay: thanks for reminding me that I enjoyed the late-aughts indie band We Were Promised Jetpacks 🤖 ♥ 6:09pm
ultradamno: When I was a kid I'm sure I didn't think the future would be the president linking acetaminophen to autism with no evidence ♥ 6:10pm
Mark Hurst: Hi Handy, Deano, Boas, FoolishBandit, DjL, KfHP, webham, Peter, PaulR, yippie, bravedelay, ultra - welcome to all! ♥ 6:10pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ Mark Hurst @6:10

sorry I meant Bas, not Boas - no constrictors here 🤖 ♥ 6:12pm
Bas NL: Boa well caught! :) 🤖 ♥ 6:12pm
Jeff Moore: There were definitely visions of dystopian corporate control in Robocop and Blade Runner, but I’m trying to remember big examples from earlier in the 20th century than then. ♥ 6:13pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ Jeff Moore @6:12

Some movie picks will get mentioned later in the interview... 🤖 ♥ 6:14pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

↳ Jeff Moore @6:12

We all laughed at Scrooge McDuck. 🤖 ♥ 6:15pm
Handy Haversack: Thanatophilia more than nihilism, I'd say. Love of death to deny the reality of death. 🤖 ♥ 6:15pm
ultradamno: He knew what money is for www.filmfad.com...   6:16pm
inspired/expired: What about more subtle dystopian cinematic examples !
= Rollerball, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes series, Omega Man, what abt the nuclear ☢️ holocaust films?
Panic in Year Zero, Body Snatchers films? Etc etc ♥ 6:17pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ inspired/expired @6:16

Yes... more dystopian movies from the April 28, 2025 episode with Dan Morfitt: www.wfmu.org... 🤖 ♥ 6:19pm
ultradamno: The technology of this meteor tracker in Meteor bsky.app...   6:21pm
space clothes in Fairfield NJ: The movie metropolis is a good example of classism and tech ♥ 6:22pm
Mark Hurst: More on Lewis Mumford on the Sep 19, 2022 episode with Aaron Sachs, author of "Up From The Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times": www.wfmu.org...   6:22pm
Marie in Chicago: IN Ancient Greece they had the oracles... I think some people saw Musk as a bit of an oracle? (one would think the prediction that we're going to be able to move to Mars would make a lot of people wonder about his abilities? Let alone DOGE)   ♥ 6:22pm
New Dave: Mark I am now actually reading and enjoying Mumford, thanks to your mentioning him earlier this year.
Many thanks... 6:23pm
morphe': Had a great professor at Hunter, CUNY ['79] who had us read about "The Populists" movement [1890s]... ♥ 6:23pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ New Dave @6:22

So glad to hear it! Mumford is great. 🤖 ♥ 6:24pm
ultradamno: The original Krypto was a DOGE cdn.donmai.us...   6:25pm
inspired/expired: Modern Times (Chaplin), mama Metropolis !
How I Live Now (2013) with soirse Ronan.
So many others - copious amounts ! 🤖 ♥ 6:27pm
ultradamno: Brazil, one of the few that sees dystopia as advanced and dilapidated   6:27pm
Marie in Chicago: I know in America in psychology, from the very beginning there was a lionization of logic and rationalism (which, coincidentally has always been associated with/linked to men and masculinity) and maybe the love of machines and computers is partially fed by that? 6:28pm
morphe':

↳ Marie in Chicago @6:22

I'd say that a lot of MuskItes, etc.. [not all, but most] have not read the classics which are not important as name dropping items at parties, but actually do hold wisdom about society and goodness and thought and functionality ♥ 6:28pm
PaulRobeson1925: Yes. Mumford. Yes Brave New World. 🤖 ♥ 6:29pm
Webhamster Henry: I saw the future at the 64-5 World's Fair: Pushbutton phones! video phones! 🤖 ♥ 6:31pm
ultradamno: www.worldsfairphotos.com...   6:31pm
Sam: It looks like a dystopian suburban hell in hindsight. ♥ 6:31pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ Webhamster Henry @6:29

I've seen one World's Fair. I was living in New Orleans in 1984 when the city hosted the World's Fair. As Wikipedia puts it <en.wikipedia.org..., it was "the only world's fair to declare bankruptcy during its operation." FUN   6:33pm
Marie in Chicago: I think London has a green belt around it... and I know there are a number of ring road/highways 6:34pm
morphe':

↳ Song: "Interview with Glenn Adamson"

Ireland has proven that more roads and more suburbs = more cars, congestion, pollution, frustration ... = London/UK too .. 6:35pm
MarciB: I live in one of those "Garden City" spots- modeled after the ones in England - Sunnyside Gardens in Queens. We also have a Louis Mumford way here (aka Skillman Ave) ♥ 6:36pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ MarciB @6:35

Ah cool. I think Sunnyside Gardens is mentioned in Aaron Sachs's "Up from the Depths." Do you like the garden-city design?   ♥ 6:37pm
New Dave: Monsanto prominently featured when I was at Epcot... Roundup was the future! ♥ 6:39pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ New Dave @6:37

Wow. Buy a ticket to Disney World, sit through a Monsanto ad. I just remember the 3D Michael Jackson film "Captain EO" - en.wikipedia.org... 6:40pm
MarciB: @Mark - it's wonderful, and of course highly desirable area (esp since the pandy) which has pushed home prices out of the range of who these homes were build for originally. 🤖 ♥ 6:41pm
ultradamno: Speaking of Disney, Kimmel suspension lifted www.nbcnews.com... ♥ 6:41pm
PaulRobeson1925: Faith in love, my friend
its the only thing we got 6:41pm
morphe':

↳ Marie in Chicago @6:33

Yes, London is getting designated as the first "City/Nat'l Park" for all the green, but the traffic is horrendous ... almost safe to drive a bike as the cars go so slow .. Although Mary of Stereolab was killed cycling:

www.theguardian.com...

6:42pm
MarciB:

↳ ultradamno @6:41

Yes - I hope he rips his corporate overlords a new one. And says in regards to the current occupant of the White House "isn't it past your jail time?" again. 🤖 ♥ 6:42pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ Mark Hurst @6:31

30+ years ago I helped with an exhibit put together by Nam Jun Paik about recycling at the Taejon Science Expo (the site still remains, like the remains of the NY World's Fair in Flushing Meadow Park. en.wikipedia.org... ♥ 6:44pm
StringOFperils: Errol Morris' 4 hour film of MacNamara speaking to the camera (The Fog of War) is fascinating: pure rationalization. Kill-ratios. Efficiencies. Cost-effective mass-murder of populations that won't play nice with America's petroleum/military-industrial complex. Erasure of corporate liabilities, using designated disposable citizens carrying lethal new technologies ♥ 6:44pm
PaulRobeson1925: France is America’s oldest Ally. France’s Michelin rubber tire had massive land holdings in South East Asia. & Vietnam had the world’s largest reserves of Tungsten in 1970.

Talking about cars and roads and the future. Cars need tires

🤖 ♥ 6:45pm
ultradamno:

↳ StringOFperils @6:44

Arguably Morris' best ♥ 6:45pm
Mark Hurst:

↳ StringOFperils @6:44

Agreed - great documentary.   ♥ 6:46pm
New Dave:

↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:44

Never forget the Marquis de Lafayette!
What a lucky thing that guy showed up when he did... 🤖 ♥ 6:46pm
ultradamno:

↳ ultradamno @6:45

His MKULTRA mini, Wormwood, is worth looking at too ♥ 6:47pm
PaulRobeson1925: A carnival time, baby

How can ya sum up hip pies in a few short sentences? Well ya gotta start with Kennedy and his Aghm Aghm summer of 1963 and Ahhm Aghm certain expeinces in the oval office and the idea was to turn on the big men and leaders and from there a change in perspective. Towards a move loving society.

♥ 6:49pm
PaulRobeson1925: Towards a more loving society. A loving society is a worthy goal. The Good is something you want to continue 🤖 ♥ 6:49pm
ultradamno: Videodrome and eXistenZ are dystopias worth noting of a certain certain biotech type 🤖 ♥ 6:50pm
Webhamster Henry: "The Future is Fun! The Future is Fair! You May Already Have Won! You May Already Be There!" -- We're All Bozos On This Bus. 6:50pm
morphe': Thanks Mark and Glenn and all ... ♥ 6:50pm
FoolishBandit: Great show Mark   6:50pm
shambolic: Interesting final take-away. Very appreciated ♥ 6:51pm
StringOFperils: A fare for all and no fair to anybody...? 🤖 ♥ 6:51pm
Webhamster Henry: BTW Slide Carousels refer analogously to Kodak 80 slide carousels. en.wikipedia.org... 🤖 ♥ 6:51pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ StringOFperils @6:51

Read ME Dr. Memory! 6:52pm
morphe': "Growing Pains: The New Museum"
By Lewis Mumford
May 26, 1939

www.newyorker.com...

♥ 6:52pm
StringOFperils: Awwww, mang, yo broke de President 🤖 ♥ 6:53pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ StringOFperils @6:52

Ah-Clem Clone - Back to the Future Again! -- don't get me started. ♥ 6:53pm
StringOFperils: LOL. Feels good to laugh...phew   ♥ 6:54pm
New Dave: Aren't we all Bozos on this Bus?   6:54pm
Marie in Chicago: I like Mr. Reich 🤖 ♥ 6:55pm
ultradamno:

↳ Song: "Mark's comments"

Great comic. Reminds me of one of the best episodes of the most recent Black Mirror episode dealing with multi-level subscription models (related to health care) "Common People"   ♥ 6:56pm
New Dave: Seriously, Mumford's Technics is a dense and fascinating read with a perspective I didn't expect to enjoy so much. ♥ 6:56pm
StringOFperils: If you want a good laugh about this scenario taken to absurd ends in an insane future, read Moderan. Once you get past the bizarre form of it, it's hilarious...and not.   6:56pm
Marie in Chicago:

↳ morphe' @6:41

wow. I'm surprised it is that bad. Very sad re: Mary! I rode my bike everywhere for over 20 years here and have seen a lot of bad things with cars and bicyclists. I'm grateful I'm alive 🤖 ♥ 6:57pm
Webhamster Henry:

↳ ultradamno @6:55

I think that was the most Black-Mirror-y of this season, that is, most likely to actually happen. 🤖 ♥ 6:57pm
Blobs: I co-sign this nickname   ♥ 6:57pm
New Dave: The Blob is celebrated where I live in PA. It was shot nearby!   6:57pm
Marie in Chicago: Thanks, Mark! ♥ 6:57pm
bleubombersune: Mark & Glenn Thanks 🤖 ♥ 6:58pm
Blobs: Thank you, Mark! 🤖 ♥ 6:58pm
Bas NL: Thanks Mark and Glenn! Hoping for many more great episodes of Techtonic in the future! 🤖 ♥ 6:59pm
chresti: Thanks Mark!   ♥ 6:59pm
New Dave: Another super show ♥ 6:59pm
Mark Hurst: Thanks, everyone! ♥ 6:59pm
StringOFperils: Thanks for thinking about all of this out loud and in public. Thank you! 🤖 ♥ 7:00pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

↳ Song: "Remember the Time" by "Hot 8 Brass Band"

Mardi Gras time?   7:02pm
Marie in Chicago:

↳ morphe' @6:28

I could totally see that. His fans lionize technology and business. I agree about the Greek classics and myths being full of wisdom 🤖 ♥ 7:24pm
Handy Haversack: Thanks, Mark!