#240 – Neal Stephenson: Sci-Fi, Space, Aliens, AI, VR & the Future of Humanity

Neal Stephenson is a sci-fi writer (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and new book Termination Shock), former Chief Futurist at Magic Leap and first employee of Blue Origin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Neal’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealstephenson
Neal’s Website: https://www.nealstephenson.com/
Termination Shock (book): https://amzn.to/3HhmDKi
Snow Crash (book): https://amzn.to/3H7yFFW
Cryptonomicon (book): https://amzn.to/3C01HDF
The Diamond Age (book): https://amzn.to/3wxUF83
Seveneves (book): https://amzn.to/3kkhveg
The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1 (book): https://amzn.to/3koMW7n
Innovation Starvation (article): https://bit.ly/3mYLSJ2

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00)– Introduction
(08:34)– WWII and human nature
(17:20)– Search engine morality
(21:58)– Space exploration
(38:59)– Aliens and UFOs
(47:21)– SpaceX and Blue Origin
(54:43)– Social media
(59:11)– Climate change
(1:11:00)– Consequences of big ideas
(1:15:42)– Virtual reality
(1:38:50)– Artificial intelligence
(1:53:49)– Cryptocurrency
(2:06:26)– Writing, storytelling, and books
(2:29:05)– Martial arts
(2:38:23)– Final thoughts