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 killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, 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

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.&nbsp;
Got something you&rsquo;re curious about? Hit us up <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Read + Watch:
<ul>
<li>The Age of Extraction, by Tim Wu:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691177/the-age-of-extraction-by-tim-wu/">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691177/the-age-of-extraction-by-tim-wu/</a></li>
<li>kill switch on YouTube:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod">https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod</a></li>
</ul>

Were we sleeping when everything changed? Seems like the technologically driven future is already here. On killswitch, 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.

 

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 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dexdigi/?hl=en">Dexter Thomas</a> answers questions big and small &ndash; like who&rsquo;s behind Shrimp Jesus, and could you get arrested by a computer?
kill switch also brings the DIY back to tech &ndash; &ldquo;How to Now&rdquo; on everything from how to run your own LLM to tips to keep your data safe. Because the more &ldquo;user-friendly&rdquo; our devices get, the less we understand how they work, and the less control we have. We&rsquo;re here to help you take back control. And if we can&rsquo;t&hellip; Well, maybe we need to look for the kill switch.
&nbsp;

kill switch

Were we sleeping when everything changed? Seems like the technologically driven future is already here. On killswitch, 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.

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 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dexdigi/?hl=en">Dexter Thomas</a> answers questions big and small &ndash; like who&rsquo;s behind Shrimp Jesus, and could you get arrested by a computer?
kill switch also brings the DIY back to tech &ndash; &ldquo;How to Now&rdquo; on everything from how to run your own LLM to tips to keep your data safe. Because the more &ldquo;user-friendly&rdquo; our devices get, the less we understand how they work, and the less control we have. We&rsquo;re here to help you take back control. And if we can&rsquo;t&hellip; Well, maybe we need to look for the kill switch.

how the internet learned to extract

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/15bb2b3a-45b6-4023-8d0b-b3e60161730b/transcript

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 killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Read: 
“Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era”  https://thelocal.to/investigating-scam-journalism-ai/ 
“The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation” https://thelocal.to/fallout-from-ai-freelancer-investigation/
The Local’s recent issue, “The Cost of Care” https://thelocal.to/winter-2026/ 

When an editor at a local magazine in Toronto received a pitch from a promising new freelancer, he didn&rsquo;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.&nbsp;
Got something you&rsquo;re curious about? Hit us up&nbsp;<a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Read:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">&ldquo;Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism&rsquo;s AI Era&rdquo;&nbsp; <a href="https://thelocal.to/investigating-scam-journalism-ai/">https://thelocal.to/investigating-scam-journalism-ai/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">&ldquo;The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation&rdquo; <a href="https://thelocal.to/fallout-from-ai-freelancer-investigation/">https://thelocal.to/fallout-from-ai-freelancer-investigation/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">The Local&rsquo;s recent issue, &ldquo;The Cost of Care&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href="https://thelocal.to/winter-2026/">https://thelocal.to/winter-2026/</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

how an editor uncovered an AI journalist

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5e555d14-8e1c-47bf-9b3b-b3df0174cb4e/transcript

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 killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Listen: 
Jack’s Darknet Diaries episode with Samy: https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/61/

In 2005, Myspace pages were flooded with the saying &ldquo;Samy is my hero&rdquo; 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.&nbsp;
Got something you&rsquo;re curious about? Hit us up <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Listen:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Jack&rsquo;s Darknet Diaries episode with Samy: https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/61/</li>
</ul>

the hack that broke myspace

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6343a59b-5383-48a6-b283-b3d8015fb958/transcript

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 you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Read:
C. Thi Nguyen’s book, The Score: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/

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 &ndash; the scoring system &ndash; works so differently, why gamification can trick you into caring about the wrong thing, and how this phenomenon hits everything&hellip; even baptisms.
Got something you&rsquo;re curious about? Hit us up <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Read:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">C. Thi Nguyen&rsquo;s book, The Score: <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/</a></li>
</ul>

everything’s a game… even baptisms

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6892307c-acc0-4c59-8600-b3d101625295/transcript

how the internet learned to extract

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