{"podcast":{"title":"Modem Futura","slug":"modem-futura-7035675","podcast_index_feed_id":7035675,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/3frRI0HN","website_url":"https://www.modemfutura.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/169edcc0-5263-448a-8854-8a95ee4ac52a/73f6a163-91f1-4370-9c73-9897d267cdb8/3000x3000/modem_futura_cover_v3.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Sean Leahy, PhD","episode_count":98,"summary":"Modem Futura is your weekly guide to the future of science, technology, and society—where futures and foresight meets real-world impact. Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard—educators, futurists, and public scholars—dive into the breakthroughs and big questions shaping tomorrow: AI ethics, space exploration, climate tech, bio-engineering, digital media, STEM education, and the shifting future of work. In candid, banter-filled conversations with innovators, scholars, and storytellers, they unpack how emerging technologies influence human values, creativity, and culture—and what these trends mean for you today. Whether you’re curious about quantum computing, electric air taxis, or the sociology of robots, Modem Futura connects cutting-edge research with the narratives that drive innovation. Join us each week to explore possible, probable, and preferred futures, and discover practical insights for navigating an increasingly tech-driven world. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be part of the conversation exploring what it will mean to be human in the future!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T08:19:54.878351+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/modem-futura-7035675"},"episode":{"title":"Pluribus: When Happiness Becomes the Apocalypse","slug":"pluribus-when-happiness-becomes-the-apocalypse","published_at":"2026-01-27T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/modem-futura-7035675/pluribus-when-happiness-becomes-the-apocalypse","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/modem-futura-7035675","url":"https://www.modemfutura.com","audio_url":"https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/018f87c3-4d42-4bc0-9d66-53873b51ec68/episodes/3c5d81fe-0aa3-4511-8cad-a3693fc4a23e/audio/fc80c862-fefa-4520-875c-a4616b4cdd58/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=3frRI0HN","summary":"A deep, spoiler-filled exploration of Pluribus, a sci-fi series that flips the apocalypse script and asks whether happiness, ethics, and peace are worth the cost of individuality—and who gets to decide.","meta_description":"A deep, spoiler-filled exploration of Pluribus, a sci-fi series that flips the apocalypse script and asks whether happiness, ethics, and peace are worth t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3486,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/modem-futura-7035675/episodes/pluribus-when-happiness-becomes-the-apocalypse/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/modem-futura-7035675/pluribus-when-happiness-becomes-the-apocalypse.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}