Jason Goldman, one of the world’s foremost Dune podcast pioneers (listen to Escape Hatch!), talks about all of the Dune books, all of the Dune movies, the Dune TV shows, democracy, institutions, the dangers of charismatic leaders, the (a)moral arc of technological progress, the potential of governing with data, and how so many technologists miss the point of the literature they love. Our conversation left me wondering: could Obama be a mentat?

A few notes and links:

• Escape Hatch - The podcast formerly known as Dune Pod, co-hosted by Jason with in depth discussions of all kind of great films. Check out their episode with Tim O’Reilly from 2020
• The International Relations of Middle-earth
• President Obama’s Farewell Address
• Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s President and poet who used to have two beautiful Bernese dogs named Síoda and Bród (may they rest in peace)
• “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges
• Buy Dune if you haven’t already