Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2024-12-08
Books mentioned on Behind the Bastards Presents: Better Offline
Here are a couple of our favorite episodes of Ed Zitron's Better Offline podcast series. Man Who Killed Google Search Sam Altman Is Dangerous to Society Rot Society Apple Podcasts Spotify iHeart See omnystudio.
Ed Zitron discussed In the Plex by Steven Levy and Unsafe at any speed by Ralph Nader.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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In the Plex
In the Plex by Steven Levy is a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes account of Google's origins, corporate culture, and meteoric rise to technological dominance.
Discussed“The yellow, according to Steven Levy's tell all book about Google, refers to, and I promise this is not a joke, the color of a tank top that a former VP of engineering called Wayne Rosling used to wear”
Where to get it
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Unsafe at any speed
Unsafe at any speed by Ralph Nader is a landmark critique of the American automotive industry that exposed safety shortcomings and fueled major legislative reforms.
Discussed“Nevertheless, Meta exercises this reckless disregard for public safety, kind of like the auto industry in the '60s, and that was when Ralph Nater wrote Unsafe at Any Speed. His book, it actually brought about change.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing Dracula
“I am a blogger with a podcast and and I'm the one who said, "Yeah, okay. Dracula is now the CEO of the Bloodbank."”
Passing Matilda
“You know Rald Doll, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the BFG. But did you know he was also a spy?”
Passing The BFG
“You know Rald Doll, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the BFG. But did you know he was also a spy?”
Passing The Hunger Games
“So when Sam Alton was fired from OpenAI, there was this very strange reaction from Silicon Valley, including some in the media where it was almost like a Hunger Games, everyone doing the symbol thing where everyone was like, "Oh, we got to put Sam Orman back in."”