The wellness and health tech space is more crowded and confusing than ever – influencers are selling dubious health and beauty products and tech companies are developing wearables that track everything, from your sleep to your blood. Victoria Song, senior reviewer at The Verge, calls it the “wellness wild west.” Dexter talks to Victoria about the growing wellness trends online, the gray area between medical devices and wellness devices, and the mental health consequences of it all that no one talks about.

Hit us up: killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Links: 
Victoria’s newsletter, Optimizer: https://www.theverge.com/optimizer-newsletter
kill switch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod

The wellness and health tech space is more crowded and confusing than ever &ndash; influencers are selling dubious health and beauty products and tech companies are developing wearables that track everything, from your sleep to your blood. Victoria Song, senior reviewer at The Verge, calls it the &ldquo;wellness wild west.&rdquo; Dexter talks to Victoria about the growing wellness trends online, the gray area between medical devices and wellness devices, and the mental health consequences of it all that no one talks about.
Hit us up: <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Links:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Victoria&rsquo;s newsletter, Optimizer: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/optimizer-newsletter">https://www.theverge.com/optimizer-newsletter</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">kill switch on YouTube: <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.

this is the wellness wild west

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5892fb1c-e52f-414a-aaf8-b433013a8ff0/transcript

AI agents can do stuff for you: like organize meetings or, accidentally delete your hard drive.Is this the future Silicon Valley wants for us? To get a preview of what it might be like, Evan Ratliff launched a startup with almost exclusively AI employees and documented the whole thing in his podcast Shell Game. Dexter talks with Evan about what it feels like to have a robot apologize for interrupting your lunch, why Clawdbot and Moltbook weren’t as groundbreaking as you might think, and why he thinks fellow journalists should consider using AI agents. 

Hit us up: killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Links: 
Shell Game on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shell-game/id1753117762 
kill switch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod

AI agents can do stuff for you: like organize meetings or, accidentally delete your hard drive. Is this the future Silicon Valley wants for us? To get a preview of what it might be like, Evan Ratliff launched a startup with almost exclusively AI employees and documented the whole thing in his podcast Shell Game. Dexter talks with Evan about what it feels like to have a robot apologize for interrupting your lunch, why Clawdbot and Moltbook weren&rsquo;t as groundbreaking as you might think, and why he thinks fellow journalists should consider using AI agents.&nbsp;
Hit us up: <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Links:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Shell Game on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shell-game/id1753117762">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shell-game/id1753117762</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">kill switch on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod">https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod</a></li>
</ul>

why are AI agents everywhere? and how useful are they, actually?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/89814b1e-9d08-4880-83f8-b42600fa48db/transcript

Direct File promised a free and easy way for Americans to file their taxes, but after two successful tax seasons, it was shut down. Dexter talks with Merici Vinton, who helped build Direct File, about the project's development, why it was an example of a good government program, and how lobbying from private tax companies and DOGE’s involvement ultimately led to its downfall. Could Direct File make a comeback, or has the opportunity for free tax filing already passed? 

Hit us up: killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Links: 
Merici’s Direct File story: https://fas.org/publication/end-of-irs-direct-file/  
kill switch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod

Direct File promised a free and easy way for Americans to file their taxes, but after two successful tax seasons, it was shut down. Dexter talks with Merici Vinton, who helped build Direct File, about the project's development, why it was an example of a good government program, and how lobbying from private tax companies and DOGE&rsquo;s involvement ultimately led to its downfall. Could Direct File make a comeback, or has the opportunity for free tax filing already passed?&nbsp;
Hit us up: <a href="mailto:killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc">killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc</a>, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Links:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Merici&rsquo;s Direct File story: <a href="https://fas.org/publication/end-of-irs-direct-file/">https://fas.org/publication/end-of-irs-direct-file/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">kill switch on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod">https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod</a></li>
</ul>

why the IRS killed a free, easy way to file your taxes

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dcebe857-674e-4313-b856-b425013f3019/transcript

Wartime propaganda isn’t new – but the use of AI slop in churning out propaganda videos is. And in this proxy war, Iran is winning. Dexter talks to Matthew Gault, who recently wrote about the Iran-US slopaganda war for 404 Media, about the strategy behind Iran’s videos, why the US is losing online, and how AI has amplified an age-old war tactic.

Read Matthew’s piece for 404: https://www.404media.co/iran-is-winning-the-ai-slop-propaganda-war/

Hit us up: killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

This episode was livestreamed on YouTube. Catch the next one live by subscribing to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod

Wartime propaganda isn&rsquo;t new &ndash; but the use of AI slop in churning out propaganda videos is. And in this proxy war, Iran is winning. Dexter talks to Matthew Gault, who recently wrote about the Iran-US slopaganda war for 404 Media, about the strategy behind Iran&rsquo;s videos, why the US is losing online, and how AI has amplified an age-old war tactic.
Read Matthew&rsquo;s piece for 404: <a href="https://www.404media.co/iran-is-winning-the-ai-slop-propaganda-war/">https://www.404media.co/iran-is-winning-the-ai-slop-propaganda-war/</a>
Hit us up: killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod and @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
This episode was livestreamed on YouTube. Catch the next one live by subscribing to our channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod">https://www.youtube.com/@killswitch_pod</a>

why Iran is winning the AI propaganda war

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1b1a6749-b92d-46c0-9a4f-b41f00356941/transcript

this is the wellness wild west

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