Topic: Wired Magazine

John C. Dvorak recounts personal experiences with media hit pieces, including a profile in Wired Magazine orchestrated by Nicholas Negroponte following Dvorak's criticism of the MIT Media Lab. He warns against allowing photographers to manipulate subjects into posing for "idiot" shots. A separate anecdote involves an aborted Playboy profile by writer David Renson that was canceled because Dvorak was deemed too boring for the format.

The hosts debunk conspiracy theories claiming Hurricane Helene was engineered via HAARP to flood North Carolina for lithium and quartz extraction. Dvorak reports on his investigation into the Spruce Pine quartz mines, arguing that a 2018 Wired article exaggerated the global importance of the site for semiconductor manufacturing. They conclude that while the quartz is high quality, it is not a unique global bottleneck for chip production.

Google has announced new measures to reduce the visibility of non-consensual deepfake sexual imagery in search results. A senior writer from *Wired* discusses the "porn economy" and the burden on victims to remove images. The hosts criticize *Wired* for its historically inaccurate cover stories and question Google's willingness to act as a regulator of the internet.

A host recounts a visit to the MIT Media Lab with Will Hearst, where Nicholas Negroponte allegedly bragged about "pre-selling" books to manipulate bestseller lists. After writing a critical column about the lab's inventions, the host was targeted by a "hit piece" in Wired Magazine written by Paulina Borsuk. The story concludes with a comparison to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem using campaign funds to buy her own books to inflate sales figures.

An anecdote describes being kicked out of a meeting at the MIT Media Lab by artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky. The speaker had joined a tour with Will Hurst and Hurst Corporation executives without signing a non-disclosure agreement. Minsky recognized the speaker and demanded their removal, leading to a show of solidarity from Will Hurst.

Wired Magazine published an article by Garrett Graff claiming that Fox News poses a national security threat due to "lies and obfuscations" regarding the impeachment inquiry. The hosts argue that Wired is repeating unproven claims from Adam Schiff as objective truth. They suggest the editorial shift at Wired reflects the same university-driven ideological bias seen in federal agencies.

PC Magazine is criticized for excluding No Agenda from its "64 Best Podcasts of 2019" list, which the hosts attribute to a bias toward repurposed NPR content. The discussion shifts to Ben Shapiro, describing him as a "Trump-hating neocon" who gained prominence after leaving Breitbart over the Michelle Fields/Corey Lewandowski incident. Shapiro's broadcasting style and "jarring" ad transitions are also critiqued.

Wired Magazine published an article warning that San Francisco Bay Area home prices are threatened by rising sea levels caused by melting ice in Greenland. A research article in Science Magazine titled "Global Climate Change and Local Land Subsidence Exacerbate Inundation Risk to the San Francisco Bay Area" suggests that current hazard maps underestimate flood risks by up to 90.9 percent. Observations of the mudflats near Golden Gate Fields and Highway 80 suggest no visible change in water levels since 1880.

The Guardian and other major publications are struggling with the failure of internet advertising, leading to an increase in paywalls and direct reader appeals. Conversely, Wired Magazine claims that podcast listeners are the "holy grail" for advertisers, as traditional digital ad models continue to falter.

Adam Curry recounts an interview with Wired Magazine regarding the history of podcasting and the company Odeo. He explains how Odeo, originally a podcasting platform, eventually pivoted to become Twitter, adopting the "follow" and "subscribe" mechanisms from the podcasting world.

The "Right to Repair" movement is highlighted as car manufacturers use the DMCA to prevent independent repairs. A clip from the EVTV podcast suggests the famous Wired magazine Jeep hack was a staged event coordinated with Chrysler to secure a DMCA waiver and push for new automotive software legislation sponsored by Senators Blumenthal and Markey.

A Wired magazine report demonstrated hackers remotely taking control of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee's engine and braking systems. The hosts review technical critiques of the hack, suggesting some elements may have been exaggerated or required physical access to the vehicle's firmware. The discussion links the reality of car hacking to the suspicious death of journalist Michael Hastings, whose vehicle crashed at high speed in 2013.

An analysis of Chris Roberts' interview on the "Security Weekly" podcast reveals he did not actually plug into the seat-box during the flight in question, despite his provocative tweets. The tech press, including Wired and Ars Technica, is criticized for uncritically propagating the story of the "sideways flying plane." The segment highlights the technical impossibility of a standard laptop issuing commands to a modern glass cockpit through an Ethernet-based entertainment network.

The hosts promote a listener's eBay shop, "Gorgeous Clothes and Stuff," based in the UK. They encourage producers to contact Wired Magazine editor Eric Stoyer to recommend the No Agenda show for their podcast lists. The segment concludes with a brief acknowledgment of nurses who sent "props" to the show.

The Wired magazine cover featuring Edward Snowden is analyzed, specifically focusing on his "trademark" broken Burberry glasses. The hosts argue that the missing nose pad is a deliberate branding choice to create a "relatable hero" icon, noting that Snowden is seen without glasses in Moscow and could easily have them fixed. This "Brand Snowden" development is viewed with high suspicion.

The Snowden leaks are framed as a potential mission to end the outsourcing of the intelligence community, which benefits the CIA over the NSA. The hosts argue that the information released—mostly PowerPoint slides with missing pages—is relatively innocuous. Snowden is now characterized as "content" for media conferences and Google Hangouts rather than a genuine whistleblower.

Author Steven Levy is criticized for his Wired magazine cover story regarding the "year from hell" for tech titans. Levy is characterized as a corporate shill who transitioned from supporting Apple to promoting "Googliness." His appearance on C-SPAN is used to highlight how tech journalists allegedly frame companies like Facebook and Google as heroes fighting government surveillance while they simultaneously profit from user data.

Daniel Suarez recounts his journey from self-publishing Demon using Lightning Source to securing a film deal with Paramount Pictures. He describes how reaching out to tech journalists led to the book's viral success within companies like Microsoft and Google. The segment concludes with a discussion on the slow nature of Hollywood development and Suarez's transition to a multi-book deal with Dutton.

A Wired article titled "The Secret War" serves as the basis for a discussion on General Keith Alexander's unprecedented power. The hosts describe the fortified "top-secret city" at Fort Meade, Maryland, which includes its own fire department and copper-shielded buildings. They argue that Alexander's control over the NSA, CSS, and US Cyber Command effectively makes him the leader of a secret military force within the United States.

Cody Wilson is a second-year law student at the University of Texas in Austin and has been labeled one of the most dangerous people in the world by Wired Magazine. The hosts question his background and the professional quality of his organization's media output, suggesting he may be part of a larger orchestrated narrative.