I am excited to announce the launch of something new.
Introducing: TECHNO-OPTIMISTS
TECHNO-OPTIMISTS is a podcast of podcasts. As TV channels are to TV shows, this podcast channel is to podcast shows. We will curate the very best podcast episodes for techno-optimists and post them all on one podcast channel, so you can get them all in one feed.
TECHNO-OPTIMISTS represents the crystallization of two ideas that I have had for a long time.
The first idea was to create a podcast of podcasts in general. Many good new things have come as a result of bundling and unbundling. For example, albums were unbundled into songs which were re-bundled into streaming subscriptions. A podcast of podcasts is simply the bundling of podcasts. Podcasts are still a relatively new and yet to be bundled form of media. I believe they should be. I believe they will be. As for how this attempt will do, we will see.
The second idea was to create a content hub for techno-optimists. A few years ago, I created what I called The Techno-Progressive Content Library. It was a simple Google Sheet with lists of pro-tech movies, shows, books, and other forms of media depicting a positive vision of the future. These types of titles are relatively few and far between in our world of mostly anti-tech, dystopian movies, shows, books, and other forms of media, so we thought it would be helpful to organize them all in one place for the kinds of people who believe we can build a better future with technology.
I never knew exactly what to call these kinds of people -- people like my podcast guests, like my audience, like myself. I've tried several variations of overlapping terms like techno-progressive, technological progressive, and technoptimist. But a few weeks ago, Marc Andreessen did us all a favor with his post, The Techno-Optimist Manifesto. I predict his prominence and prose will retrospectively prove to have had the power to align us all on one term from here forward -- "Techno-Optimist" -- and maybe this will do a little bit to help.
Techno-Optimist is probably the best one-word descriptor of the kinds of people I've had on my podcast since Day 1, and the kinds of people who listen. I now have 3 years of techno-optimist episodes under my belt. So I figured if there is anyone to create a podcast of podcasts for techno-optimists, why not me?
I pulled it all together this weekend and we're live on Apple, Spotify, etc. with a few initial episodes -- a few of my favorite conversations with a few of the most inspiring techno-optimists I've been lucky to have on Pod of Jake. The plan is of course to post episodes from other people's podcasts as well, hence the whole "podcast of podcasts" thing, so please let me know if you have a podcast you'd like to be featured as I work to source some others myself.
For now, check out our website at techno-optimists.com and follow us on X/Twitter @TechnoOptimists. Subscribe to the channel and leave a review on Apple or Spotify.
As always, I appreciate your support.
