Reasonably Optimistic

• The sci-fi writer who predicted the future

  Science fiction writer Neal Stephenson predicted the metaverse, wearable tech and artificial intelligence long before those technologies arrived. What does he think of it all now? Host Megan McArdle talks to Stephenson about the future of AI, education and social media — and how his fiction became a window into the culture of Silicon Valley.Timecodes0:00 Welcome to Reasonably Optimistic0:33 Who is Neal Stephenson?1:19 Living in the future3:25 Neal's origin story 5:18 The disruptive effects of new technology 8:18 The premise of The Diamond Age 14:23 AI’s confident wrongness17:43 What AI is good at18:56 Is AI good for kids?20:03 Fixing education in an AI world 23:14 Will AI make nerds less valuable?26:44 AI is eliminating entry level jobs29:45 How tech founders got political34:37 Is Neal Stephenson’s work political?36:50 Technology is easier to predict than culture40:11 What is Neal Stephenson reasonably optimistic about?Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• Introducing 'Reasonably Optimistic'

  Enough with the doom and gloom — we’re ready to talk about how America can thrive. Hosted by Washington Post Opinion columnist Megan McArdle, “Reasonably Optimistic” is your weekly conversation about how America can get unstuck and build a better future. Stop feeding your rage and start embracing our possibilities. Episodes drop Wednesdays.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• I got cancer. And met a different me on the other side.

  After chemotherapy, Post Opinions writer Rachel Manteuffel felt like she was encountering a bald stranger every time she looked in the bathroom mirror. But then came the curls and lots of other surprising phenomena that science hasn’t been quite able to explain. She shares her story and her conversation with YouTuber and science explainer Hank Green, who had similar strange experiences with his post-chemo self.See Rachel’s hair transformation here: My cool cancer story | OpinionSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• The horrors of modern-day travel

  Where have all the benches gone? Deputy Opinion Editor Mark Lasswell reflects on the causes and consequences of the “defensive architecture” replacing seating in public spaces. Plus, contributing columnist Rick Reilly shares just how hard it’s become to find an Airbnb or VRBO that doesn’t feel like the inside of a Target.Additional reading by our columnists:Mark Lasswell: This punctuation mark is semi-dead. People have thoughts.Rick Reilly: I have decided never to go outside againSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• Want to find a wife? Be a better man.

  American women have grown more independent economically in recent decades, giving them greater choice in whom to date or marry — and the choice to opt out altogether. But where does women's rising stock leave men, and how is it connected with today’s so-called masculinity crisis? Post columnist Shadi Hamid talks with Richard Reeves, founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men, about why to pay on the first date, whether we’re heading toward a world of surplus men and how to be a man women want to marry.Here’s the study Richard mentions from the American Institute for Boys and Men: Will college educated women find someone to marry?Additional reading by our columnists:Shadi Hamid: Men are struggling to find love. Here’s why.Rahm Emanuel: What’s really depressing America’s young menJulien Berman: No, Gen-Z men aren’t specialSubscribe to The Washington Post here.

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