Today's guest is Neal Stephenson, the bestselling author of Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon. His latest novel, D: Heavy Water, revisits the early days of World War II, when scientists were racing to understand nuclear fission and a secret mission sought to keep a crucial ingredient for atomic weapons out of Nazi hands.

Nick Gillespie talks with Stephenson about what drew him to this forgotten chapter of history and how revolutionary idealism can give way to authoritarianism. The conversation also explores the internet's early promise of decentralization, how Big Tech came to dominate it, and why the metaverse hasn't lived up to the vision Stephenson introduced in Snow Crash. They discuss his early work with Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin, President Donald Trump's disruption of American politics, and why Stephenson believes the West's Enlightenment values remain worth defending.

 

0:00—The failure of the metaverse

9:59—Did the internet fail on its original promise?

14:36—The impact of technology conglomerates

17:22—What we get wrong about the Puritans

21:45—Mother Earth Mother Board

25:14—Blue Origin and space exploration

31:22—D: Heavy Water synopsis

35:49—Creating characters with nuance

40:00—Francoists

41:29—Atomic bomb development

44:13—Communism

46:22—Cryptonomicon

50:06—The Big U

52:46—Stephenson's literary influences

55:23—Democracy and politics

1:00:28—The aftermath of 9/11

1:05:34—Faith and science

 

Previous Reason features:

"Neal Stephenson's Past, Present, and Future," by Mike Godwin

"Wiki Magazines on the Way, Neal Stephenson Is Awesome," by Katherine Mangu-Ward

"Intelligence at Work," by Anders Monsen

"If We Told You Neal Stephenson Invented Bitcoin, Would You Be Surprised?" by Peter Suderman

"Neal Stephenson Wants to Tell Big Stories," by Tyler Cowen

"Neal Stephenson's Polostan Is a Compact Epic About Communism, Science, and the Dawn of the Atomic Age," by Peter Suderman

The post The Untold Story Behind the Race for the Atomic Bomb appeared first on Reason Magazine.

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© Illustration: Fatima Ruiz

Key developments on Oct. 26:

• Ukrainian forces carry out 2 aerial evacuations of wounded soldiers, video shows
• Death toll from Russian attack on park in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 19 rises to 6 after child dies in hospital
• Ukraine strikes Russian plant producing missile, bomb batteries in Yelets, General Staff

"Russia is building the military-industrial capacity to continue waging wars even after the war in Ukraine ends. These are not the actions of a country preparing for lasting peace," Oleksandr Danylyuk, chairman of the Center for Defense Reforms and former chief adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, told the Kyiv Independent.

The explosion of a bag with drugs on Wednesday that injured two police officers and two civilians was “not a terrorist act, but one of the common criminal code,” Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said on Thursday. Speaking to ANT1 TV. the Minister said the police were investigating the scene and that those responsible will […]

The post Bomb explosion in Athens “wasn’t a terrorist act”, says Minister appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

The Trump administration has approved arms deals for Israel worth $21.6 billion in just 20 months. Under former President Joe Biden, sales exceeded $17.9 billion.

The explosion has added to concerns about the changing tactics of organized crime groups in Mexico. 

The post Mexico bomb attacks fuel fears as cartel violence escalates nationwide appeared first on BOL News.

Several bomb threats by anonymous callers targeting diplomatic missions and commerce buildings in central Athens triggered a major police response Friday morning. Authorities have been carrying out security checks at four locations, including the French Consulate, the Egyptian Embassy and two business organizations. According to Greek Police, unknown callers contacted the French Consulate and the […]

The post Bomb threats target diplomatic missions, commerce buildings in Athens appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.