Podcast · Tech & Science

kill switch

by Kaleidoscope · English · Tech & Science

Were we sleeping when everything changed? Seems like the technologically driven future is already here. On kill switch , we explain the right NOW of our super charged technological lives. New host Dexter Thomas answers questions big and small – like who’s behind Shrimp Jesus, and could you ge

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 34 min
Latest: 4 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

4 Aug 2026 · 51 min

From How to Life Forever: The Longevinauts

When an astrologer tells Mangesh that he’ll (probably) die early, he takes it in stride. But his family and friends (not to mention all the Don’t Die longevity influencers on his FYP) feel differently… and besides, if science can keep his brain sharp and his tennis game strong for longer, why not take advantage? So he visits Dr. Nir Barzelai, the world’s leading aging researcher, and Dr. Ron Primas, an elite longevity doctor, to figure out what he should do. Plus: A chat with Ken Reid from TV Guidance Counselor about age in pop culture, from the Golden Girls to…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

18 May 2026 · 34 min
From Uncanny Valley: ‘Stop Trying to Unmask Satoshi Nakamoto’ Says Actor Ben McKenzie
Here’s a recent favorite of ours from our friends at the Uncanny Valley podcast. Actor Ben McKenzie ( The O.C. ) is out with a new documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, which follows his journey into becoming an anti-cryptocurrency advocate. He says we should all stop trying to unmask the presumed original developer(s) of bitcoin known as Satoshi Nakamoto because it benefits only the mysterious inventor. The actor-director talks with Katie about why he thinks crypto is a scam, and why he says people are falling for it. Listen and subscribe to Uncanny Valley here:…
6 May 2026 · 41 min
it's not sci-fi. mind-reading tech is here
Your brain is the last place companies don’t have access to… yet. But that’s changing fast. Nita Farahany, professor of law and philosophy at Duke University and author of The Battle for Your Brain , explains why the sci-fi future of mind-reading technology is here, and already sitting on the shelves at Best Buy. Dexter talks to Nita about how AI is learning to decode your mental state, how employers are using neurotechnology to monitor workers, and why this might be our last chance to protect the one thing that’s still private: what’s actually going on inside…
29 Apr 2026 · 33 min
discord’s new age verification is about to spy on every message
Discord announced it would start scanning users' account data to guess their age and if it couldn't figure out how old you were, it would ask for your government ID or a face scan. Gamers lost it, and within weeks, Discord backed down. But the fight isn't over. Dexter talks with Rin Alajaji of the Electronic Frontier Foundation about why age verification doesn't actually protect kids, how California's new Digital Age Assurance Act means your next laptop might card you before you can turn it on, and why a policy that started with gamers is quietly becoming everyone's problem. Hit us up:…
27 Apr 2026 · 30 min
new from kaleidoscope: two percent with michael easter
This week, we’re sharing a clip from another podcast we’re excited about. Two Percent with Michael Easter is a deep dive into the science of living better, balancing rigorous evidence with a healthy dose of skepticism to cut through the noise of the modern wellness industry. In this episode, Michael takes a nuanced look at vices and whether some of them might actually enhance your life when you use them the right way. We don't have to live like monks to live a good life. We’re sharing the first segment of the episode featuring Dean Stattmann, a GQ reporter who spent three…
22 Apr 2026 · 40 min
this is the wellness wild west
The wellness and health tech space is more crowded and confusing than ever – influencers are selling dubious health and beauty products and tech companies are developing wearables that track everything, from your sleep to your blood. Victoria Song, senior reviewer at The Verge, calls it the “wellness wild west.” Dexter talks to Victoria about the growing wellness trends online, the gray area between medical devices and wellness devices, and the mental health consequences of it all that no one talks about. Hit us up: [email protected] , or @killswitchpod and…
15 Apr 2026 · 43 min
why are AI agents everywhere? and how useful are they, actually?
AI agents can do stuff for you: like organize meetings or, accidentally delete your hard drive. Is this the future Silicon Valley wants for us? To get a preview of what it might be like, Evan Ratliff launched a startup with almost exclusively AI employees and documented the whole thing in his podcast Shell Game . Dexter talks with Evan about what it feels like to have a robot apologize for interrupting your lunch, why Clawdbot and Moltbook weren’t as groundbreaking as you might think, and why he thinks fellow journalists should consider using AI agents. Hit us up:…
8 Apr 2026 · 30 min
why the IRS killed a free, easy way to file your taxes
Direct File promised a free and easy way for Americans to file their taxes, but after two successful tax seasons, it was shut down. Dexter talks with Merici Vinton, who helped build Direct File, about the project's development, why it was an example of a good government program, and how lobbying from private tax companies and DOGE’s involvement ultimately led to its downfall. Could Direct File make a comeback, or has the opportunity for free tax filing already passed? Hit us up: [email protected] , or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Links: Merici’s Direct…
1 Apr 2026 · 36 min
why Iran is winning the AI propaganda war
Wartime propaganda isn’t new – but the use of AI slop in churning out propaganda videos is. And in this proxy war, Iran is winning. Dexter talks to Matthew Gault, who recently wrote about the Iran-US slopaganda war for 404 Media, about the strategy behind Iran’s videos, why the US is losing online, and how AI has amplified an age-old war tactic. Read Matthew’s piece for 404: https://www.404media.co/iran-is-winning-the-ai-slop-propaganda-war/ Hit us up: [email protected], or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. This episode was livestreamed on…
25 Mar 2026 · 38 min
he monetized the web. now he has a plan to fix it
Ethan Zuckerman helped design the amateur web as we know it. In the 90s, he worked at Tripod, providing free web space for anyone to build their own site. His invention, pop-up ads, helped make that possible. The industry ran with it, and the Internet was never the same. Since then, Ethan’s been on a mission to fix the Internet and bring it back to what he hoped it would be – he even sued Facebook over it. Dexter talks to Ethan about how to make advertising less surveillant, a “free-trade coffee” model of the web, and why ad blockers might hint at a way to make…
18 Mar 2026 · 34 min
how the tech boom is killing India’s best coders
India’s tech industry was supposed to be a ticket to the middle class, a way out of poverty. Instead, for many workers, it’s become something else: long hours, intense competition, and a growing mental health crisis. Dexter talks to journalist Parth MN about the mounting pressure inside India’s tech workforce, the rise in suicides among engineers, and how a system built for relentless growth leaves little room for failure. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch:…
11 Mar 2026 · 37 min
who is palantir, and why are they involved with ICE?
Do you know what Palantir does? Don’t feel bad: neither do a lot of their employees. In fact, WIRED senior writer Makena Kelly recently uncovered company chat logs showing how angry and confused Palantir workers are about the company’s involvement with ICE. Dexter talks to Makena about this new reporting, what exactly the company is providing ICE, and how the company creates mystery behind everything from Partiful rumors to skyrocketing stock price. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.…
5 Mar 2026 · 30 min
why is the government fighting with claude?
kill switch went live on March 4th to cover one of the newsier topics of the week: the fight between the US government and Anthropic, the company behind Claude. Dexter talked to WIRED senior writer, Will Knight, to discuss what exactly is happening, why, and the stakes for all of us. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch our next live episode: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch: Will’s articles on WIRED:…
25 Feb 2026 · 34 min
silicon valley’s plan to make the “perfect baby”
The 1997 science fiction film Gattaca depicts a dystopian future where genetic technology creates a two-tier society: people who were born with the “best” genes selected vs. people who were conceived naturally. This was a cautionary tale, showing us a future we don’t want. But now, Silicon Valley is heavily investing in making this technology real. Dexter talks to Amanda Gerut, West Coast editor at Fortune, about the rise of polygenic screening companies, the investment in gene editing of embryos, and how close we are to creating designer babies. Got something you’re…
18 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
are we all going to end up in AI relationships? [panic world special]
This week, we have a special collab episode with our friends at Panic World: From research to vibe coding to therapy to girlfriends and boyfriends, how are we using AI these days? Dexter joins Ryan Broderick on Panic World to talk about the interesting relationships people are forming with AI — for better and (mostly) worse. Check out Panic World wherever you get your podcasts, or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@panicworldpod Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch: Our…
11 Feb 2026 · 35 min
a tour of the year’s worst new tech
Tech companies are constantly putting out new products to chase the hype – but they’re not all winners. Each year, nonprofit consumer advocates put on an award ceremony recognizing the lousiest of the bunch, called the Worst in Show. Dexter talks with Liz Chamberlain, who runs Worst in Show, about this year’s awards, the products that earned them (spoiler: a product featured during the Super Bowl is on the list), and what we risk when we chase the hype (read: add AI to everything). Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or…
4 Feb 2026 · 37 min
how the internet learned to extract
For a while, the internet felt like it might actually work. Dexter talks with legal scholar and author Tim Wu about his new book The Age of Extraction and how that early optimism faded as companies learned how to extract value from just about everything. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch: The Age of Extraction , by Tim Wu: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691177/the-age-of-extraction-by-tim-wu/ kill switch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod See…
28 Jan 2026 · 33 min
how an editor uncovered an AI journalist
When an editor at a local magazine in Toronto received a pitch from a promising new freelancer, he didn’t expect it to spiral into an obsessive investigation. What followed was a deep dive into a web of fake interviews, impossible bylines, and fake reporting. Dexter talks with Nicholas Hune-Brown to trace how he uncovered an AI journalist and what it reveals about journalism today. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read: “Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI…
21 Jan 2026 · 35 min
the hack that broke myspace
In 2005, Myspace pages were flooded with the saying “Samy is my hero” and then suddenly, the platform went dark. Dexter talks with Jack Rhysider, host of the podcast Darknet Diaries , about Samy Kamkar, how he accidentally took down the biggest social media platform at the time, and how it changed the modern Internet. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Listen: Jack’s Darknet Diaries episode with Samy: https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/61/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
14 Jan 2026 · 33 min
everything’s a game… even baptisms
From language learning to investments to Amazon leaderboards, it seems like everything has become a game. But are these gamified things actually fun, or are we the ones being played? Dexter talks to philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, who recently wrote a book about why gamification can suck the life out of things called The Score . They talk about why the same mechanism in games and gamified metrics – the scoring system – works so differently, why gamification can trick you into caring about the wrong thing, and how this phenomenon hits everything… even baptisms. Got something…
7 Jan 2026 · 33 min
how to: protect yourself from online harassment
Journalists, public figures, and just about anyone with an online presence today can suddenly face harassment: ranging from nasty posts and replies to real life threats like doxxing. Dexter talks with Ramy Ghaly, a security professional, about how online harassment has gotten worse, how to respond if it happens to you, and what you can do, right now, to prepare and protect yourself. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Resources: Pen America’s Online Harassment Field Manual:…
24 Dec 2025 · 22 min
from ‘click here’: an illusion of control
This week, we’re sharing an episode from the podcast Click Here , from our friends at Recorded Future News and PRX: Jake Gallen was a rising star in crypto. Then, after what seemed like a routine YouTube interview, his digital world unraveled. His NFTs? Liquidated. His social accounts? Hijacked. It turns out, the hackers didn’t need phishing links or fake job offers. They needed something much simpler: a Zoom invite. Subscribe to Click Here on Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/click-here/id1225077306 ) or wherever you get your podcasts. Got something…
17 Dec 2025 · 34 min
now you can bet on real life. but should we?
Betting used to be something you did in a casino. Now it lives in your pocket and you can bet on just about anything: sports, Labubus, elections, and even forest fires. Dexter talks with Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Business Insider , about why betting is everywhere, how any of it is legal, and if it’s changing how we experience real world events. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read: Emily’s article, “Everything’s casino”:…
10 Dec 2025 · 38 min
social media reveals life behind bars. prisons want to block it
Social media has gotten a bad rap over the past decade – we blame it for our growing loneliness, shorter attention spans, and polarized politics. But for incarcerated people, social media can still live up to its original promise of connection. And for those on the outside, contraband cell phones give us an unprecedented look into what life is like behind bars. Dexter talks to Jeremy Busby, an incarcerated journalist, about how social media has helped to force positive changes in jails and prisons, and why he thinks prisons want to ban it. Shout out to the Never Post Podcast and the…
3 Dec 2025 · 32 min
when the ref’s a robot
In the high-stakes world of sports, referees have always been under intense scrutiny… but what if tech could take some of the pressure off? Or will we lose something by replacing the referee with a robot? In this episode Dexter talks with Joe Lemire, senior writer at Sports Business Journal , to explore how new technologies like Hawk-Eye are reshaping sports officiating. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read: Joe’s article on automating officiating in sports:…
26 Nov 2025 · 34 min
new from kaleidoscope: shell game (season 2)
This week, we’re sharing an episode from another podcast we’re excited about. In Season 2 of Shell Game, journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in the AI age; or, how he tried to build a real company, run by fake people. In episode one, we meet Kyle Law and Megan Flores, Evan’s AI agent cofounders, as he puts to the test the claims about an emerging future in which AI employees work alongside — or instead of — humans. Over the course of the season, the three cofounders will grind it out in a sprint that would sound familiar to any start-up…
19 Nov 2025 · 37 min
who is profiting from scam texts – and can we stop them?
If it feels like you’re getting more scammy texts in the past few years, you’re not imagining it. Scam texts have exploded since 2020, and the operation behind them has become a massively lucrative industry. Dexter talks to Eric Priezkalns, a self-proclaimed ‘troublemaker’ in the telecommunications world and founder of the website Commsrisk, about the new technology that’s making scam texts easier than ever, what some of the weirder, long-game schemes are after, who’s behind these operations, and if there’s anything we can do to stop them. Got…
12 Nov 2025 · 29 min
‘my peptide guy’ is the new tech bro flex
Forget building the next app – Silicon Valley’s tech bros are now trying to rebuild themselves. Peptides are the new frontier into biohacking, promising better sleep, sharper focus, and maybe even eternal youth. Dexter talks to Zara Stone, a culture reporter at The San Francisco Standard , about her reporting on the Bay Area’s underground peptide scene, and what happens when tech’s obsession with optimization turns inward. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up [email protected] , or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + Watch:…
5 Nov 2025 · 33 min
‘my internet bed is broken’ is just the start
A few weeks ago on Monday, October 20, a major outage in Amazon Web Services took down a bunch of the Internet. How did an error in one data center in Virginia affect everything from Snapchat and Reddit to ‘smartbeds’ to government services? Dexter talks to Dr. Corinne Cath, a cultural anthropologist and technology researcher, about how the “cloud,” and therefore the Internet, became mostly controlled by 3 big tech companies – Amazon, Microsoft, and Google – why that puts our democracy at risk, and what we can do to change it. Got something you’re…
29 Oct 2025 · 29 min
workslop: how AI is making you hate your coworkers
Corporate America has bet on AI to make work faster and cheaper. Companies like Meta and Microsoft are laying off employees, hoping it will save them money. But a new study has found that there’s a growing wave of “workslop” and AI is actually making more work for the people left in these organizations. It’s also costing companies millions. Dexter talks with one of the authors of the study, Kate Niederhoffer, to give us an inside look into the details of the study, what advice she has for organizations and individuals dealing with this new technology, and why AI…

About kill switch

kill switch is a English tech & science podcast from Kaleidoscope. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Kaleidoscope
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 34 min
Latest episode: 4 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1449757372

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