A Sense of Rebellion

In this final bonus episode, Evgeny discusses the importance of play and playfulness to the Brodey-Johnson agenda.

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In this penultimate bonus episode, Evgeny delivers a mini-lecture on what made Brodey and Johnson's approach to technology so unique. Their original perspective is still surprisingly relevant.

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In this bonus episode, Evgeny meets Warren Brodey, his children, and his partner Karene on the day of Warren's 100th birthday. A lively discussion follows: this podcast's last attempt to decipher Warren's strange arc.

Watch the video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/fl_uyH9slOU

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GUARDEA, ITALY, 2024: Evgeny joins Warren Brodey's 100th birthday celebration at his daughter Lisa's home in Umbria. We uncover the final days of the lab, the fates of Peter Oser and Avery Johnson, Warren's numerous defense mechanisms, and how he has—and hasn't—changed since the lab's demise.

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BOSTON, 1969: We revisit the lab on Lewis Wharf for a final glimpse into the early tech start-up scene. The project begins with utopian optimism, but soon faces problems and conflicts. As the team readies for the final presentation, Peter Oser questions the enterprise's viability

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WASHINGTON, 1964: We travel to Georgetown of the early 1960s, where the Brodeys mingle with the country's elite, including the Kennedys. Brodey's fascination with computers and responsive environments begins, influenced by his psychiatric practice. LSD also makes an appearance. Discover why he abandons psychiatry for MIT and the challenges he encounters there. Could the Environmental Ecology Lab be his solution?

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BOSTON, 1968: Evgeny examines an alternative, non-military hypothesis about the origins of the Environmental Ecology Lab. As personal struggles of Avery Johnson and Peter Oser, key collaborators of Warren Brodey, come to light, unsettling questions arise. Is the lab's true mission to enable Brodey, a gifted psychiatrist, to mend the fractures in their lives?

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GENEVA, 2023: Evgeny makes one last push in his quest to uncover the truth behind the Environmental Ecology Lab's mysterious ties to the military and the CIA. As he follows the trail, startling revelations come to light, hinting at a shadowy connection between Peter Oser and the US military. Evgeny also exposes the hidden influence of the lab's intellectual godfather, himself an insider of the national security state.

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LONDON, 2023: Evgeny finally meets Nicholas Negroponte, one of the most famous prophets of the digital age and a key figure inspired by Brodey and Johnson. As their conversation unfolds, questions arise: Has Negroponte remained true to their pioneering concepts, or has he ventured into realms they would disapprove of? And what about the MIT Media Lab—does it extend the legacy of the Environmental Ecology Lab, or has it charted its own course?

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OSLO, 1978: Evgeny is determined to uncover the truth behind Warren Brodey's sudden departure from America and his reappearance as a fervent Maoist at a Norwegian iron foundry. Locals whisper he might be a CIA agent, but is there any truth to these suspicions? As Evgeny digs deeper, he unravels Warren's strange political journey and the impact of his past on those he left behind in the US. Meanwhile, Avery Johnson's drastic shift to the opposite political direction adds another layer of complexity to this mysterious tale.

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MILFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1971: As the '60s end, the Environmental Ecology Lab finds new purpose at Avery Johnson's secluded woodland quarry. Here, Ecology, Tool & Toy emerges—a cybernetic commune blending hippie ideals with cutting-edge tech. Warren Brodey seems driven by an enigmatic quest, but what is he truly seeking?

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BOSTON, 1968: Evgeny digs deeper into the enigmatic Environmental Ecology Lab, a high-tech operation shrouded in mystery on Boston's waterfront. Funded by a Rockefeller and featuring an eclectic team alongside two colossal, costly computers, the lab's activities evoke the air of a covert CIA operation. Was this simply an avant-garde experiment, or a crazy mission to infiltrate the counterculture movement?

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PARIS, 2014: A serendipitous visit to a quaint Parisian bookstore sends renowned tech critic Evgeny Morozov down an unexpected rabbit hole. He stumbles upon the mystifying legacy of Warren Brodey, a 1960s psychiatrist whose path intertwines with shadowy CIA operations and radical Maoist movements. Is Brodey a visionary tech pioneer lost to history, a modern-day shaman, or a cunning charlatan?

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A Podcast Series by Evgeny Morozov.

Forget the military or Silicon Valley: we owe our smart technologies - from toothbrushes to beds - to a band of eccentric 1960s hippies. Hidden away in a secretive, privately funded lab on Boston’s waterfront, these visionaries developed intimate, personal technologies a decade before Steve Jobs.

But their rebellion was fraught with obstacles: the military-industrial complex, corporate resistance, and the founders’ larger-than-life personalities. As Silicon Valley adopted their ideas, the lab's vision for more humane and diverse technologies was twisted into something entirely different.

A decade in the making, this podcast unravels their captivating and often tragic tale. It's all here: Cold War psychiatry, Maoism, LSD, the Rockefellers, Scientology, CIA’s forays into extrasensory perception, and even the advent of tech libertarianism.

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