Too Bad About the Internet (with Anil Dash)

Too Bad About the Internet (with Anil Dash)

Author: Our Opinions Are Correct May 1, 2025 Duration: 57:58

Where did the Internet go wrong, and how do we fix it? To find out more, we talk to entrepreneur and activist Anil Dash about the alternate history of technology. But first, we talk about why Doctor Who is better than ever, and why we're loving the current season  — but where is this venerable TV show headed next? We explore our hopes, dreams and anxieties about our favorite Time Lord.


What if the robots win, or we finally make first contact? How do the stories we tell about the future shape the technology and culture we build today? Our Opinions Are Correct isn't just a celebration of sci-fi; it's a lively, essential conversation about the genre's powerful grip on our real world. Hosts Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders bring a unique lens to these questions: one is a science journalist who crafts fiction, the other a celebrated novelist with a deep obsession for actual science. Together, they pick apart the books, films, and shows that define speculative storytelling, moving beyond simple reviews to uncover how these narratives reflect and influence everything from social justice to scientific ethics. New episodes every other week dive into a single topic, whether it's the politics of a beloved space opera or the neuroscience in a cyberpunk thriller, always with curiosity and a critical eye. This podcast argues that our favorite escapes are never just entertainment-they're blueprints, warnings, and mirrors for the human condition. Tune in for discussions that are as intellectually rigorous as they are genuinely fun, guaranteed to make you see the genre, and the world outside your window, in a completely new light.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Our Opinions Are Correct
Podcast Episodes
Episode 126: It's a Great Time to Read (and Write) Short Stories! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:30
If you haven't read any short stories in a while, it's a great time to get back into them. A ton of truly excellent books of short speculative fiction came out recently, and wondrous new tales are appearing in magazines…
Episode 125: Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction: ChatGPT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:17
This is the first in a series of monthly episodes we'll be doing about how Silicon Valley appropriates and misinterprets science fiction. Silicon Valley executives claim to be inspired by SF, but mostly they use it retro…
Encore Episode: Gender Essentialism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:44
Gender essentialism is the idea that there is something eternal and innate about people's gender identities, and nothing can change that. Popularized during the 1970s, it affected how science fiction stories represented…
Episode 124: How To Build A Planet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:59
We're going to ask a few very small questions in this episode, like how to build a planet from scratch -- and then, how to build governments on that planet. What makes an imaginary world feel believable? Annalee explains…
Episode 123: Why We Disagree About Avatar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:16
Avatar: The Way of Water has already become one of the most successful movies of all time. This long-awaited sequel gives us a lot to think about — from the ongoing white savior narrative to an unexpectedly disturbing in…
Episode 122: The Incredibly Strange Career of Anne Rice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:46
Anne Rice is best-known for her Vampire Chronicles, which began in the 1970s with her novel Interview with the Vampire. But did you know she also wrote bestselling BDSM erotica and two novels about Jesus? In this episode…
Episode 121: Books to Devour This Winter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:49
The winter holidays are coming up, and it's a great time to hide away with a stack of books. Good thing we've got you covered! Here's our roundup of our favorite recent books, including some you probably haven't heard mu…
Episode 120: Who Owns Epic Fantasy? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:11
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy supercharged the genre of epic fantasy, giving rise to countless stories of heroic quests in settings that looked like Medieval Europe. How do we expand the map of heroic fantasy so it…
Episode 119: The Myth of Progress with Brad DeLong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:43
One of the most cherished tropes in science fiction is the idea that technology, science, and civilization are always getting better -- and the future will be wealthier and fancier than the present. Call it the myth of p…