Kill Switch podcast

#Science #Tech #News #Tech News #iHeartPodcasts

32:12

DaQuane Cherry was once the kid who wore a hoodie to hide skin flare-ups in school. Now he’s an artist and advocate helping others feel seen. He reflects on his psoriasis journey, the power of small joys, and why loving yourself first isn’t a cliché—it’s essential. Plus, a deep dive into the history of La Roche-Posay’s legendary spring. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

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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 get arrested by a computer?

kill switch also brings the DIY back to tech – “How to Now” on everything from how to run your own LLM to tips to keep your data safe. Because the more “user-friendly” our devices get, the less we understand how they work, and the less control we have. We’re here to help you take back control. And if we can’t… Well, maybe we need to look for the kill switch.

30 episodes

kill switch

25 subscribers

updated il y a environ 6 jours

maison des série•Feed

30 episodes

#Science #Tech #News #Tech News #iHeartPodcasts

Tous les épisodes

kill switch

1
how to: make better passwords 34:14

il y a environ 6 jours34:14

34:14

If you’ve been resistant to using a password manager, or if you want to step up your overall digital security, this episode is for you. Dexter talks to Josh Blackwelder, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer of SentinelOne, about the dangers of having weak passwords (even for accounts you don’t care about), why you definitely should use a password manager, and why you should switch your email account to login by something better than a password: the passkey. We’re here to evangelize the importance of digital security – and keep you from getting hacked. If there’s someone in your life who needs to hear this, share this episode with them. Useful links: Check to see if your data’s been leaked: https://haveibeenpwned.com/ Check how strong your passwords are: https://bitwarden.com/password-strength/ Set up Google passkey: https://g.co/passkeys Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
the algorithm made me say it 32:48

il y a environ 13 jours32:48

32:48

We’re living in a world shaped by algorithms. They’re not just curating our feeds, they’re changing the way we speak. Dexter talks with Adam Aleksic, aka the Etymology Nerd, about his new book Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language. They unpack how algorithmic censorship on social media is reshaping the way we use language online, and how it’s bleeding into real life. Read + Watch: Make sure to check out Adam’s book: Algospeak Where to find Adam online: https://www.etymologynerd.com/ https://etymology.substack.com/ Or @etymologynerd on social media. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
how to poison AI music scrapers 34:41

il y a environ 20 jours34:41

34:41

AI music generators are not only the product of scraped (read: stolen) music, they’re also threatening the livelihood of musicians. But there are people who are finding ways to fight back – by using a technique called poison pilling. This week, Dexter talks to two of them: Benn Jordan, a musician and YouTuber who developed a tool called Poisonify, and Jian Liu, the lead developer of HarmonyCloak and Music Shield. These programs add imperceptible noise to a music file rendering it indecipherable to an AI model – and we got to test out how these work with our own theme song. Read + Watch: Benn’s YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMYm2d9bmEA Jian Liu and Syed Irfan’s paper on HarmonyCloak – https://mosis.eecs.utk.edu/publications/meerza2024harmonycloak.pdf Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @killswitchpod on IG, or @dexdigi anywhere. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
how to: break up with netflix (and spotify, and…) 31:47

il y a environ 27 jours31:47

31:47

Once upon a time streaming delivered a utopian fantasy – anything you wanted to watch or listen to, at your fingertips. Now, we’re saddled with dozens of subscriptions and our digital library is at the whim of big tech companies. Even your Kindle books can be deleted without your consent. Is there another way? Dexter talks to Janus Rose, a journalist and artist, who has a solution to this problem: become a digital packrat. That means keeping all of your favorite digital media locally and setting up your own server. And if you want to try it for yourself, this episode will walk you through how. Resources: Janus’s article on 404 – The Digital Packrat Manifesto Download Plex: https://www.plex.tv/ Download Handbrake (use this to rip DVDs): https://handbrake.fr Download MakeMKV (not mentioned in the show, but see below): https://www.makemkv.com ### YouTube How-To Links ### "3 Ways to Start Your Own Plex Server" (15 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKDSld-CrHU "Plex Media Server for Mac" (4 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNRcIOf0YYE "How to rip DVDs with MakeMKV and Use Handbrake for Hardware Transcoding" (15 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_xdrscVB0Y Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @killswitchpod on Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
boomers, doomers, and the new empire 41:25

il y a 5 weeks41:25

41:25

Big Tech promised AI would solve our biggest problems. But behind the hype there is a more unsettling reality: labor exploitation, environmental harm, and the looming threat of mass automation. Dexter sits down with journalist Karen Hao to talk about her new book Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI. They dig into how today’s AI companies are operating less like tech innovators and more like empires. Make sure to check out Karen’s book: Empire of AI Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
why are predator drones flying over LA? 27:12

il y a 6 weeks27:12

27:12

When ICE raids sparked massive protests across Los Angeles, something unusual appeared in the sky: Predator drones. Dexter talks to Joseph Cox over at 404 Media to understand how military-grade surveillance aircrafts ended up flying over U.S. citizens and what that means for the future of civil liberties. Read + Watch: Joseph’s articles on the Predator drones flying over the protests: DHS Flew Predator Drones Over LA Protests, Audio Shows CBP Confirms It Is Flying Predator Drones Above Los Angeles To Support ICE Also: How to Protest Safely: What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
sideways thinking: why is Nintendo so weird? 36:50

il y a 7 weeks36:50

36:50

The Nintendo Switch 2 is out – but why did Nintendo credit someone who died in 1997 in a press release for the console? Dexter talked to Patrick Klepek , of the video game website Remap , and Jeremy Parish , an expert in video game history, to tell the story of Gunpei Yokoi and how his influence led us to the Switch 2. Read + Watch: Patrick's article on Switch 2 games he's excited to play with his kids – https://www.crossplay.news/p/best-games-for-kids-and-families-june-2025 Jeremy on Bad Dudes and Ronald Reagan – https://youtu.be/ZpZddGOKrIk Did You Know Gaming on Gunpei Yokoi – https://youtu.be/uLznLtgcqXI Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
is using AI worse than driving a car? 31:39

il y a 8 weeks31:39

31:39

Dexter doesn't have a car. But he uses AI… a lot. So, is his environmental impact worse than someone who drives a truck to work every day? This seemingly simple question led us to a bigger conversation about water, public health, and why we still don't know much about the true environmental cost of artificial intelligence. To help us understand all this, we talk to researchers Shaolei Ren and Alex de Vries , who’ve been studying the toll AI takes on the planet. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
how did Twitter’s AI get so obsessed with white genocide? 35:42

il y a 9 weeks35:42

35:42

For about 24 hours, Grok, Twitter’s AI chatbot, went berserk. You could ask it about puppies, sports, or movies, and it would reply with a bizarre diatribe about white genocide in South Africa. If you’ve already heard of this, you’ve probably seen people dunking on Elon Musk, and, well, that’s understandable. But Max Read, today’s guest, explains why this brief peek into a weird conspiracy theory might have actually been a good thing. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read: Max’s Substack article on the whole thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
can AI create ‘ethical’ true crime? 33:50

il y a 10 weeks33:50

33:50

Almost two million people watched a horrific story of a murder in Colorado: the “grisly” death of a real estate agent who had a secret affair with his stepson. The problem is, there was no crime. Dexter talks to Henry Larson, the reporter who tracked down the guy behind the video, about where the story came from and what it means for the “True Crime” genre. He also asks True Crime podcasters, Lauren Bright Pacheco and Bob Motta, about how this trend is a threat to more than just their livelihoods. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read: Henry’s article, A ‘True Crime’ Documentary Series Has Millions of Views. The Murders Are All AI-Generated See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
why is the US gov using a ‘cartoonishly hackable’ messaging app? 37:06

il y a 11 weeks37:06

37:06

About 48 hours after the US National Security Advisor was spotted using a weird cloned version of Signal, someone said they’d hacked it. It took them all of 15 minutes. We now know that TeleMessage is ‘cartoonishly hackable,’ but we still don’t know why top White House officials were using it. And what about the investigation to find out if this Israel-based app is bad on accident, or on purpose? I called up my friends Evan McMorris-Santoro of NOTUS and Joseph Cox of 404 Media to get some more context on how bad this might actually be. Here’s the links promised in the episode: Evan’s daily newsletter in NOTUS Joseph’s article in 404 on the Telemessage hack And here’s Micha Lee’s technical breakdown of Telemessage’s security problems Our guests: Evan McMorris-Santoro: @evanmcs.bsky.social Joseph Cox: @josephcox.bsky.social Got something you’re curious about? Hit up @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See you on the next one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
how to make money from fake AI videos 45:25

il y a 12 weeks45:25

45:25

Have you seen Shrimp Jesus? What about the Hollywood sign burning? It probably feels random, but it’s not. There are real people behind AI Slop, and there’s real money to be made. Dexter talks to Jason Koebler from 404 Media who’s been tracking AI slop since its beginnings, and they compare notes to try to figure out where the money is coming from. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read + watch: Jason’s article, Facebook's Shrimp Jesus, Explained Dexter’s article, Inside the Economy of AI Spammers Getting Rich By Exploiting Disasters and Misery Dexter’s video: people made money doing this. (so did Instagram) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
the biggest hack that never happened: the xz utils story 41:02

il y a 13 weeks41:02

41:02

While you were going about your life, we all narrowly avoided a complete disaster. This is the story of how one lone Microsoft engineer saved all of us. Dexter talks to Alex Stamos, Chief Information Security Officer at SentinelOne, about how it all went down and why this story still terrifies him today. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
could you be arrested by a computer? 39:12

il y a 14 weeks39:12

39:12

Welcome to our first episode of kill switch , where we’re diving right into the deep end – investigating how police departments are implementing AI technology. Can AI facial recognition be a magical solution to the unreliability of witness identification? Or is it just making things worse? Dexter talks to Douglas MacMillan, a reporter from the Washington Post , who has been tracking the spread of the technology, and where it seems to (repeatedly) break down. Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc , or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky. Read : Doug’s article, Arrested by AI Listen : Post Reports podcast episode, Arrested by AI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

kill switch

1
Introducing: kill switch 2:04

il y a 15 weeks2:04