Supervillains in tech – with Greg Epstein, Chris Gilliard, and Jim Starlin: Techtonic with Mark Hurst
2025-02-04·via Techtonic with Mark Hurst | WFMU
Listener comments!
🤖♥
1/31 6:37pm
:
Wow, Jim Starlin! Infinity Gauntlet series was my first comic and still the best Marvel series ever IMO.
🤖♥
1/31 6:38pm
Quinn02:
Oh, and Mark H, you've been crushing it lately.
🤖♥
5:29pm
tim:
Hi Mark, Greg, Chris, and Jim! I am so excited to hear this interview! I've been saying for years that El0n Must is like a real life supervillain. I love that others have this view point too.
🤖♥
6:04pm
Ken From Hyde Park:
Hi, Mark and panel. I want my tech super-power to have the ability to have stoplights let me turn on my command. I am ... Green Arrow.
♥
6:07pm
VantuckyEd:
I was thinking they were more like Bond Villains...or maybe Matt Helm Villains.
♥
6:07pm
Drunken Creep:
Sadly, it's not just out of the comic books, it's also out of the history books, and many other books. There's a reason those books were written... yet apparently humanity isn't great at warning itself
🤖♥
6:07pm
Webhamster Henry:
In that 1980 Supes movie, Luthor wanted to break off California with an earthquake to make a shorefront real estate killing!
♥
6:07pm
dale:
musk has to surround himself with 19-24 year-old henchmen so he feels like the big dog.
🤖♥
6:07pm
Ken From Hyde Park:
Tech villain requirement #1: a super yacht (or multiple yachts).
♥
6:09pm
tom tom the pipers son:
off the bat, trump and company reminded me of dick tracy villains....mostly thinking of the 90's version with all the rubbery prosthetics.... also in lighting and camera angles and head shots...triumph of the will is reminiscent of universal horror movies..
🤖♥
6:09pm
herb.nyc:
Oh boy, mark gives us bad guy names from comics. I’m unfamiliar
6:09pm
Mattynotimes:
Jim Sterling this is so awesome! Huge fan
6:10pm
red_door_what_for in ypsilanti:
looking forward to this, hello from MI 🦸♀️🦹♀️
♥
6:10pm
Franco Twinkie:
I'm old, so I was witness to the introduction of Bizarro World in the early 1960's. The utter illogic of Bizarro was to much for me to comprehend at the time, but it's finally come to fruition.
♥
6:10pm
VantuckyEd:
Jim Starlin! Loved his work from the Warren Comics days!
I was totally confounded by Bizarro Superman's complexion and messy hair.
Kind of punk before punk, I'd say.
🤖♥
6:15pm
Webhamster Henry:
The next MCU movie has (spoiler) the president turning into (evil) Red Hulk! Now you don't have to see it - or read the news.
In the classic (and perfect) Marvel Superheroes RPG, Hulk is pretty much unbeatable as long as he's being attacked:
"Adrenaline Surge: The listed abilities and health scores are for the Hulk under "normal" circumstances. The Hulk's Fighting and Strength may be raised +1CS to a maximum of Shift-Z to hit and damage. The +1CS occurs instantly each round when the Hulk is attacked or angrey. If the opponent or opponents are defeated, the Hulk's abilities and health scores return to normal in the next round. The Hulk’s Regeneration/Self Recovery/Self Revival also increases +1CS to a maximum of Shift-Z each round until he is no longer taking damage (making the Hulk virtually unstoppable)."
🤖♥
6:16pm
tim:
I love when Techtonic and Music For Mind Control intersect!
🤖♥
6:17pm
ultradamno:
But....Galactus, world eater
♥
6:17pm
Joe R.:
What’s the over/under on when Marc Andreesen/Egghead comparison gets made?
♥
6:24pm
tom tom the pipers son:
largely the tech villains are drawing their power from the populous through the government, many relying on government research to start there companies and giving nothing back
🤖♥
6:24pm
ultradamno:
Depending on whose title it is a lot too, for sure.
🤖♥
6:29pm
ultradamno:
I saw part of that saturday morning show Mo Rocca hosts (that keeps bring up the "Henry Ford Innovation Nation" without mentioning his influence on Hitler) and in it Allie Ward, who does a vocabulary segment, just outright defined Luddite as hating technology
♥
6:30pm
Sean Bikes:
Just an absolute treat of a show
♥
6:31pm
Franco Twinkie:
Big crybaby's who stomp on the game of marbles when they loose.
6:32pm
red_door_what_for in ypsilanti:
so real.
6:34pm
GorillaFella:
Really good point here, that achievement based mindset is one of the big issues with the whole "gifted kid" treatment. When competition is so highly valued empathy and compassion get tossed aside
🤖♥
6:34pm
ultradamno:
Fun fact, in Breaking Bad making use of houses tented for purposes of pest extermination to set up meth labs is a running feature for about a season...but they don't tent in New Mexico, because of the climate pests you would do that for aren't an issue. The more you know.
🤖♥
6:36pm
Webhamster Henry:
The concept of "Enough" is something they've decided to ignore.
🤖♥
6:37pm
chris in the redwoods:
meeting over and i can concentrate on this amazing convo.
and hellos all around.
♥
6:38pm
PaulRobeson1925:
Take it! Take a nother little piece of my heart now babyy
♥
6:38pm
Franco Twinkie:
Brings to mind the Robert Crumbs character Ruff Tuff Creampuff, who beats the crap out of anyone who doesn't get out of the way when he toots his little horn...that's until some pranksters take it away from him and squash it.
6:44pm
fractal84:
I got permanently suspended from FB for an unknown reason. Unspecified. All I used it for was marketplace. Only thing I can think of is a joke I made about heroin and maybe some anti cop sentiments. Either way, it sorta sucks because it severed all of the connections I had there, old friends, family and everyone I’ve met along the way. We need a new social media platform to take hold that isn’t Zuck.
♥
6:44pm
cosmic matrix:
has anybody drawn any comics yet starring our tech supervillians, i wonder?
I'll cite this post that Mark highlighted last week: bsky.app...
But no, they are not smart or innovative. They are white and lucky and convinced that the fact that they those factors make them not rich but better than everyone who isn't.
🤖♥
6:46pm
alanSixº:
right - empathy - they dont have it - but somehow they are spreading this lack of empathy - thru their algorithms - thats terrifying
🤖♥
6:46pm
ultradamno:
I just had to get new tires for my car a couple of weeks ago. The brand I picked were Canadian...propitious timing
6:57pm
Zinn The Mood:
HST summed up these United States, and the petty evil clowns it produces, pretty well, in “John Wayne is a Hammerhead Shark”:
“This country is so basically rotten that a vicious, bigoted pig like John Wayne is a great national hero. Thomas Jefferson would have been horrified by a monster like Wayne - and Wayne, given a shot across the time-span, would be proud to pistol-whip a "radical punk" like Jefferson.
John Wayne is a final, rotten symbol of everything that went wrong with the American Dream - he is our Frankenstein monster, a hero to millions. Wayne is the ultimate & perhaps final "American." He beats the mortal shit out of anything he can't understand. The brainwaves of "The Duke" are like those of the Hammerhead Shark - a beast so stupid and irrationally vicious that scientists have abandoned all hope of dealing with it, except as an unexplainable "throwback." The Hammerhead, they say is no different today than he was in One Million B.C. He is a ruthless, stupid beast with only one instinct - to attack, to hurt & cripple & kill…”
Listener comments!
: Wow, Jim Starlin! Infinity Gauntlet series was my first comic and still the best Marvel series ever IMO.
Quinn02: Oh, and Mark H, you've been crushing it lately.
tim: Hi Mark, Greg, Chris, and Jim! I am so excited to hear this interview! I've been saying for years that El0n Must is like a real life supervillain. I love that others have this view point too.
ultradamno: Mark! Techtonemeses!
Handy Haversack: Mark! Techyon Cannon!
Deano de los Muertos: Hi Mark
David (in London): Evening Mark and all Technoids.
Bas NL: Hello Mark! All!
Danny in Poughkeepsie: Hello Mark
Tom from Stirling:
↳ tim @5:29
What do expect, he's a robot!?He programmed that way.
DjLorraine: Hi
ultradamno:
↳ Song: "Gameboy Tune" by "Tomaš Dvořák"
christianschneiderblog.com...alanSixº: excited for this
Danny in Poughkeepsie: @ultradamno hello Gizmos fan
tim: Hi again everyone!
Ken From Hyde Park: Hi, Mark and panel. I want my tech super-power to have the ability to have stoplights let me turn on my command. I am ... Green Arrow.
Will thee SG OCNY: Good evening Mark Hurst and all!!!
ultradamno: Hiya Danny! Never Mind The Sex Pistols!
queems: i’ve been thinking about this show a lot in the past week
Webhamster Henry: Luthor, Bizarro or Dr. Doom?
tak: here for this one
VantuckyEd: I was thinking they were more like Bond Villains...or maybe Matt Helm Villains.
Drunken Creep: Sadly, it's not just out of the comic books, it's also out of the history books, and many other books. There's a reason those books were written... yet apparently humanity isn't great at warning itself
ultradamno: Hackman or Spacey?
Webhamster Henry: In that 1980 Supes movie, Luthor wanted to break off California with an earthquake to make a shorefront real estate killing!
dale: musk has to surround himself with 19-24 year-old henchmen so he feels like the big dog.
Ken From Hyde Park: Tech villain requirement #1: a super yacht (or multiple yachts).
cosmic matrix: hello all!
mndave:
↳ queems @6:05
same. if I were an autocrat I'd broadcast this show on all major networks every MondayWebhamster Henry: Dr. Evil Theme: www.youtube.com...
ultradamno: Hackman wouldn't go bald to play Lex, which is a very Lex move
tim:
↳ Ken From Hyde Park @6:07
Tech Villain requirement #2: Space ships!ultradamno: Thanos was right!
tom tom the pipers son: off the bat, trump and company reminded me of dick tracy villains....mostly thinking of the 90's version with all the rubbery prosthetics.... also in lighting and camera angles and head shots...triumph of the will is reminiscent of universal horror movies..
herb.nyc: Oh boy, mark gives us bad guy names from comics. I’m unfamiliar
Webhamster Henry:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:08
Peter Stampfel's Goldfinger (live) www.youtube.com...Mattynotimes: Jim Sterling this is so awesome! Huge fan
red_door_what_for in ypsilanti: looking forward to this, hello from MI 🦸♀️🦹♀️
Franco Twinkie: I'm old, so I was witness to the introduction of Bizarro World in the early 1960's. The utter illogic of Bizarro was to much for me to comprehend at the time, but it's finally come to fruition.
VantuckyEd: Jim Starlin! Loved his work from the Warren Comics days!
Webhamster Henry:
↳ Franco Twinkie @6:10
I love Bizarro's square planet and "my building full of angles!" << brutalist architecture.Drunken Creep: Nifty guests here, nice work DJ
traven: The Incredible Hulk vs. the Thing. Who wins?
ultradamno: If he stays mad, Hulk
traven:
↳ ultradamno @6:13
The Incredible Hulk vs. Thor. Who wins?Franco Twinkie:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:11
I was totally confounded by Bizarro Superman's complexion and messy hair.Kind of punk before punk, I'd say.
Webhamster Henry: The next MCU movie has (spoiler) the president turning into (evil) Red Hulk! Now you don't have to see it - or read the news.
ultradamno: Puny god external-content.duckduckgo.com...
Handy Haversack:
↳ ultradamno @6:13
In the classic (and perfect) Marvel Superheroes RPG, Hulk is pretty much unbeatable as long as he's being attacked:"Adrenaline Surge: The listed abilities and health scores are for the Hulk under "normal" circumstances. The Hulk's Fighting and Strength may be raised +1CS to a maximum of Shift-Z to hit and damage. The +1CS occurs instantly each round when the Hulk is attacked or angrey. If the opponent or opponents are defeated, the Hulk's abilities and health scores return to normal in the next round. The Hulk’s Regeneration/Self Recovery/Self Revival also increases +1CS to a maximum of Shift-Z each round until he is no longer taking damage (making the Hulk virtually unstoppable)."
tim: I love when Techtonic and Music For Mind Control intersect!
ultradamno: But....Galactus, world eater
Joe R.: What’s the over/under on when Marc Andreesen/Egghead comparison gets made?
PaulRobeson1925: Hi Hi Hi
ultradamno: blooskee, no one writes blue sky as one word
Webhamster Henry: Get these guys on Creative Good!
ultradamno: The showing up to an award show with a virtually naked lady matchup: Marilyn Manson vs. Kanye West
traven: How about this? Sgt. Rock and his Combat Happy Joes vs. Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Who wins?
Mark T: Great topic.
ultradamno: Superman might beat Hulk...Hulk isn't showing up with kryptonite
Franco Twinkie: God!? No they aren't. More like the creepy/ugly/funny villains Chester Gould drew to opposed Dick Tracy.
cosmic matrix: also, there’s also a bit of “geek’s revenge” to the tech supervillian
Tom from Stirling: Edward Norton was the best Hulk in the movies.
ultradamno: Young Dean Stockwell would have been THE green goblin mastodon.social...
Webhamster Henry:
↳ ultradamno @6:21
Superhero stories are all about nerfing - the heros are way more powerful than they are ever allowed to be in a story!Webhamster Henry:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:23
They are, however. protected with plot armor.tom tom the pipers son: largely the tech villains are drawing their power from the populous through the government, many relying on government research to start there companies and giving nothing back
ultradamno: Depending on whose title it is a lot too, for sure.
cosmic matrix: connection, for better or worse
red_door_what_for in ypsilanti: @cosmic matrix great point 💯
Franco Twinkie:
↳ ultradamno @6:23
Of course! The Boy With Green Hair goes batty.tom tom the pipers son:
↳ tom tom the pipers son @6:24
like edison...they are more matketers than inventorstom tom the pipers son:
↳ Franco Twinkie @6:22
yes dick tracycosmic matrix:
↳ red_door_what_for in ypsilanti @6:25
🕺Handy Haversack:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:24
Represented by "Karma" in the MSH RPG.ultradamno: I saw part of that saturday morning show Mo Rocca hosts (that keeps bring up the "Henry Ford Innovation Nation" without mentioning his influence on Hitler) and in it Allie Ward, who does a vocabulary segment, just outright defined Luddite as hating technology
Sean Bikes: Just an absolute treat of a show
Franco Twinkie: Big crybaby's who stomp on the game of marbles when they loose.
red_door_what_for in ypsilanti: so real.
GorillaFella: Really good point here, that achievement based mindset is one of the big issues with the whole "gifted kid" treatment. When competition is so highly valued empathy and compassion get tossed aside
ultradamno: Fun fact, in Breaking Bad making use of houses tented for purposes of pest extermination to set up meth labs is a running feature for about a season...but they don't tent in New Mexico, because of the climate pests you would do that for aren't an issue. The more you know.
Webhamster Henry: The concept of "Enough" is something they've decided to ignore.
chris in the redwoods: meeting over and i can concentrate on this amazing convo.
and hellos all around.
PaulRobeson1925: Take it! Take a nother little piece of my heart now babyy
Franco Twinkie: Brings to mind the Robert Crumbs character Ruff Tuff Creampuff, who beats the crap out of anyone who doesn't get out of the way when he toots his little horn...that's until some pranksters take it away from him and squash it.
Then he's reduced to a blubbering goon.
PaulRobeson1925: I don’t get art
ultradamno:
↳ Song: "Interview w/Greg Epstein, Chris Gilliard, Jim Sta...
Thanos was almost as bad to his kids (though Nebula did get a lot of free prosthetics)Fredericks: Who did Jim kill off? I was peeing.
ultradamno: I think it was Captain Marvel
PaulRobeson1925:
↳ Fredericks @6:40
Tinkle. You were tinkling. Please!tom tom the pipers son: i don't know the details of musk and co. stories....are they really gifted in some way or is it total myth?
Fredericks:
↳ Drunken Creep @6:07
It's not good at listening to warnings I would say.tom tom the pipers son:
↳ tom tom the pipers son @6:42
are they primarily salesmen?ultradamno: The Cap vs Nazi image www.wizards-keep.com...
StringOFperils:
↳ tom tom the pipers son @6:43
NO. They are geniuses of engineering.tom tom the pipers son:
↳ StringOFperils @6:43
thanks....fractal84: I got permanently suspended from FB for an unknown reason. Unspecified. All I used it for was marketplace. Only thing I can think of is a joke I made about heroin and maybe some anti cop sentiments. Either way, it sorta sucks because it severed all of the connections I had there, old friends, family and everyone I’ve met along the way. We need a new social media platform to take hold that isn’t Zuck.
cosmic matrix: has anybody drawn any comics yet starring our tech supervillians, i wonder?
Handy Haversack:
↳ tom tom the pipers son @6:42
I'll cite this post that Mark highlighted last week: bsky.app...But no, they are not smart or innovative. They are white and lucky and convinced that the fact that they those factors make them not rich but better than everyone who isn't.
wfmu.org...
StringOFperils:
↳ tom tom the pipers son @6:44
No problem. Except for them. Big problem.Wretch: Simple connection
warpfactortrek.com...
alanSixº: right - empathy - they dont have it - but somehow they are spreading this lack of empathy - thru their algorithms - thats terrifying
ultradamno: I just had to get new tires for my car a couple of weeks ago. The brand I picked were Canadian...propitious timing
tom tom the pipers son:
↳ Handy Haversack @6:44
ok... thanks handy....Webhamster Henry: They are villains wearing big "I am such a victim!" buttons.
tom tom the pipers son:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:47
ah....tom tom the pipers son:
↳ StringOFperils @6:44
ah...rightalanSixº: but theyve created a cult of zombies - sure we can opt out but how do we get power back
sensisio: PUBLIC RADIO AND BIKES! WILL SAVE THE WORLD. THANK YOU for this show and the connection .
tom tom the pipers son:
↳ Webhamster Henry @6:47
villain in chief often has same anglecosmic matrix: a lot of great insights
?: Surprised the AI corp PALANTIR didn't come up- the stock is skyrocketing as this airs
C: Can we air this in every public school ! So important and
Many thanks!
tim: Mark - this has been my favorite episode to date. Thanks to everyone involved!
Franco Twinkie: Pure enjoyment, Mark!
Tommy in Neversink: congats on syndicating the show
cosmic matrix:
↳ Tommy in Neversink @6:52
super super coolDeano de los Muertos: Another fascinating show, thanks Mark.
alanSixº: great news mark - theres some hope - techtonic syndicating
sensisio:
↳ Song: "Mark's intro"
omgTommy in Neversink: BTW Mark....I have quit Amazon
Deano de los Muertos: Congrats on 350 Mark!
Webhamster Henry: Movie Night: I have DVD of HACKERS.
Barbie: Thanks for 300 great shows!
2/3 of the Perrin Family: What a privilege it is for us! Thank you and congrats!
GorillaFella: Wonderful interview! Congrats on syndication :D
Old Dave: Enjoyed this show,many thanks Mark
ron-ji: Thank you for another outstanding interview!
Handy Haversack: Thanks, Mark!
We'll be in NOLA and will miss Movie Night.
ultradamno: There's a Final Destination marathon on HBO tomorrow, 1-5, I think
chresti: Thanks Mark!
alanSixº: id hafta do some serious meditating to find any sympathy for these fuckers lol - also, the gaslighting is pure malice
cosmic matrix: whoa
Megaroni: Congratulations Techtonic on this great achievement of syndicated programming! So proud of you and inspired by your dedication 📯📻
cosmic matrix: and thank u mark
redkayak: Ya gotta like a show that quotes Solzhenitsyn
Franco Twinkie: Elor is pretty rotten.
Zinn The Mood: HST summed up these United States, and the petty evil clowns it produces, pretty well, in “John Wayne is a Hammerhead Shark”:
“This country is so basically rotten that a vicious, bigoted pig like John Wayne is a great national hero. Thomas Jefferson would have been horrified by a monster like Wayne - and Wayne, given a shot across the time-span, would be proud to pistol-whip a "radical punk" like Jefferson.
John Wayne is a final, rotten symbol of everything that went wrong with the American Dream - he is our Frankenstein monster, a hero to millions. Wayne is the ultimate & perhaps final "American." He beats the mortal shit out of anything he can't understand. The brainwaves of "The Duke" are like those of the Hammerhead Shark - a beast so stupid and irrationally vicious that scientists have abandoned all hope of dealing with it, except as an unexplainable "throwback." The Hammerhead, they say is no different today than he was in One Million B.C. He is a ruthless, stupid beast with only one instinct - to attack, to hurt & cripple & kill…”
www.reddit.com...
cbunny: the concept that the tertiary marketplace doesn’t really need people anymore is wild.
Thanks for the show Mark and guests.
P-90: Thanks Mark and Guest Stars
Webhamster Henry: Thanks Mark ... read some comics, folks!
San Pedro Girl: Mark, this was a great show today—fascinating conversation. Thank you!
alanSixº: thanx mark - fantastic
bleubombersune: Mark and special guest thanks
tim: Thanks again, Mark!
Bea: Thanks, Mark!
Bas NL: Thanks Mark!
morphe': Thanks Mark and all ...
ultradamno: I saw my first cybertruck in the wild recently. They seem pretty dangerous. I almost ran into it from laughing
Old Dave:
↳ Zinn The Mood @6:57
Homogenized Sales Tax?Webhamster Henry:
↳ Zinn The Mood @6:57
(Hunter S Thompson, not Harry S Truman)Ken From Hyde Park: Thanks, Mark "Kryptonite" Hurst!
Webhamster Henry:
↳ ultradamno @6:58
You just want to throw Fridge Magnets at them.joe mulligan:
↳ Song: "Thanos Theme (Suite)" by "Alan Silvestri"
this corny music is perfect for MuskMark Hurst: Thanks, everyone!
C: Rochester ny 10 years behind currents.
joe mulligan: great show, thanks Mark and guests!
Will thee SG OCNY: Thank you Mark Hurst and guests, great show!!! Look out for the Broligarchs 👀