Techtonic with Mark Hurst | WFMU

40 Episodes
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By: Mark Hurst and WFMU

A show from WFMU about our shift to a digital future. Mark Hurst interviews creators and thinkers about technology, community, videogames, and whatever else is next.

Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, author, "Your Data Will Be Used Against You" from Apr 27, 2026
Last Monday at 11:43 PM

Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a [0:00:00]
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Andrew Guthrie Ferguson" [0:02:24]
- "Mark's comments" [0:42:16]
Jimmy Lunceford and His Orchestra - "Call the Police!" - Single [0:54:40] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/163587


Starlink and Kessler Syndrome, feat. astronomer Samantha Lawler from Apr 20, 2026
04/20/2026

Starlink and Kessler Syndrome, feat. astronomer Samantha Lawler
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro" [0:00:16]
Kirk Pearson - "Modem of Home" - n/a [0:05:07]
- "Interview with Sam Lawler" [0:05:17]
Kirk Pearson - "Haptic Workshop" - n/a [0:23:45]
- "Interview with Sam Lawler" [0:24:41]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:27]
Jed Feiman and Nehemiah Markos - "Our Mom-and-Pop Data Center, read by Mark Hurst" [0:48:50]
SMA - "NOT A BUBBLE" - TECHNOTHEISM [0:53:16] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/163336


Cindy Cohn, author, "Privacy's Defender" from Apr 13, 2026
04/13/2026

Cindy Cohn, author, "Privacy's Defender"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Cindy Cohn" [0:02:31]
- "Mark's comments" [0:48:48]
Grateful Dead - "Mexicali Blues" [0:54:39] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/162978


Evan Selinger and Albert Fox Cahn, authors, "Move Slow and Upgrade" from Apr 6, 2026
04/07/2026

Evan Selinger and Albert Fox Cahn, authors, "Move Slow and Upgrade"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Evan Selinger and Albert Fox Cahn" [0:04:04]
- "Mark's comments" [0:47:18]
The Polecats - "Make a Circuit With Me" [0:55:40] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/162819


Dystopia update: good news edition from Mar 30, 2026
03/31/2026

Dystopia update: good news edition
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Dystopia update: good news edition" [0:00:00]
Matthew Elefant (read by Mark Hurst) - "San Francisco Killed New York Food Delivery" [0:42:56]
Sam Rockwell - "Opening monologue (Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die)" [0:54:59] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/162642


Janet Vertesi, founder of the Opt Out Project from Mar 23, 2026
03/23/2026

Janet Vertesi, founder of the Opt Out Project
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Janet Vertesi" [0:03:00]
- "Mark's comments" [0:49:26]
Laibach - "Allgorhythm (feat. Wiyaala)" [0:55:26] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/162465


A visit to Repair Cafe El Barrio from Mar 16, 2026
03/16/2026

A visit to Repair Cafe El Barrio
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "A visit to Repair Café El Barrio" [0:04:26]
- "Mark's comments" [0:34:57]
MrWeebl - "Badger Badger" [0:56:05] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/162249


Marathon week 2 w/cohost Jesse Jarnow from Mar 9, 2026
03/09/2026

Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" [0:00:00]
- "Pledge! w/Mark and Jesse Jarnow" - Call 800-989-9368
Marathon week 2 w/cohost Jesse Jarnow https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/161892


Marathon week 1 w/cohost station manager Ken Freedman from Mar 2, 2026
03/03/2026

Marathon week 1 w/cohost station manager Ken Freedman
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Pledge! w/Mark and station manager Ken" - Call 800-989-9368 https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/161795


Celebrating 400 episodes of Techtonic from Feb 23, 2026
02/24/2026

Celebrating 400 episodes of Techtonic
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's comments" [0:00:24]
NightNight - "Total Control" [0:55:00] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/161505


Chris Gilliard on Amazon’s admission that Ring spies on us from Feb 16, 2026
02/17/2026

Chris Gilliard on Amazon’s admission that Ring spies on us
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Chris Gilliard" [0:04:01]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:43]
Beans on Toast - "Alexa" [thanks to Roger!] [0:55:01] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/161231


Peter Dear ("The World As We Know It") and how we interpret AI from Feb 9, 2026
02/10/2026

Peter Dear ("The World As We Know It") and how we interpret AI
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Peter Dear" [0:05:28]
- "Mark's comments" [0:25:03]
Andrew Thompson - "We're In Business" https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/160970


AI is spreading where it doesn't belong from Feb 2, 2026
02/03/2026

AI is spreading where it doesn't belong
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's comments"
corook - "Scooby" [0:53:57] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/160799


Peter Schmidt on the book "Attensity" by the Friends of Attention from Jan 26, 2026
01/27/2026

Peter Schmidt on the book “Attensity” by the Friends of Attention
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Peter Schmidt" [0:02:45]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:20]
Decisive Pink - "Dopamine" [0:54:21] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/160616


Paul Bradley Carr, author, "The Confessions" from Jan 19, 2026
01/20/2026

Music behind DJ:
[Paul Bradley Carr on his novel "The Confessions" and on opening a bookstore]

Music behind DJ:
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a

Music behind DJ:
- "Mark's intro"

- "Interview with Paul Bradley Carr" [0:03:49]
- "Mark's comments" [0:48:24]
declu - "Real Friends" - single [0:54:30] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/160355


Lora Kolodny from CNBC on Grok's sexualized images from Jan 12, 2026
01/13/2026

Lora Kolodny from CNBC on Grok's sexualized images
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Lora Kolodny" [0:02:39]
- "Mark's comments" [0:34:29]
Lulu Lewis - "Destroy All Data" - Single [0:54:00] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/160035


Ken Freedman and Mark discuss the year ahead from Jan 5, 2026
01/06/2026

Ken Freedman and Mark discuss the year ahead
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark and Ken discuss the year ahead"
Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra - "Black Sun (Joe Claussell's Dub Mix)" - Black Sun [0:56:22] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/159930


Tim Wu, author, "The Age of Extraction" from Dec 29, 2025
12/30/2025

Tim Wu, author, "The Age of Extraction"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Tim Wu" [0:01:06]
- "Mark's comments" [0:50:46]
KILN - "Uranium Lullaby" - Lemon Borealis [0:54:14] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/159555


The Ghost of Christmas Tech Anxieties - Sara Clemens and Stu Horvath fill in, with guest Adam Allsuch Boardman from Dec 22, 2025
12/23/2025

Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" [0:00:00]
Adam Allsuch Boardman - "Interview with Sara and Stu Pt. 1" - Techtonic [0:14:10]
A Flock Of Seagulls - "Messages" - A Flock of Seagulls [0:28:54]
Adam Allsuch Boardman - "Interview with Sara and Stu Pt. 2" - Techtonic [0:32:59]
Soul Coughing - "Unmarked Helicopters" - Songs in the Key of X [0:57:15] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/159292


The first annual Creepy Awards from Dec 15, 2025
12/16/2025

The first annual Creepy Awards
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "The Creepy Awards"
Karen Souza - "Creep" - Essentials [0:53:53] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/159211


Noah McCormack from The Baffler: "We used to read things in this country" from Dec 8, 2025
12/09/2025

Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a [0:00:00]
- "Interview with Noah McCormack"
Patrick Cowley - "Robot Children (Do You Love Your)" - Catholic [0:53:43] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/158867


Amateur radio is a superpower: Thomas Witherspoon from Dec 1, 2025
12/02/2025

Amateur radio is a superpower: Thomas Witherspoon
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Thomas Witherspoon" [0:02:56]
- "Mark's comments" [0:47:45]
Todd Mazierski - "Amateur radio during Hurricane Melissa" [0:53:31] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/158764


Citizens are being forced to pay for Big Tech data centers, feat. Pat Garofalo from Nov 24, 2025
11/25/2025

Citizens are being forced to pay for Big Tech data centers, feat. Pat Garofalo
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Pat Garofalo" [0:06:25]
- "Mark's comments" [0:37:13]
Momus - "The Enshittification of Everything" - Ballyhoo [0:55:48] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/158415


How low can the tech oligarchs go? from Nov 17, 2025
11/18/2025

How low can the tech oligarchs go?
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's comments"
Stereolab - "Space Moment" - Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center [0:53:24] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/158295


Paul Mozur on the spread of data centers from Nov 10, 2025
11/12/2025

Paul Mozur on Big Tech data centers outside the US
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's comments"
Kirk Pearson - "Modem of Home" - n/a [0:04:35]
- "Interview with Paul Mozur" [0:04:46]
Kirk Pearson - "Haptic Workshop" - n/a [0:26:35]
- "Interview with Paul Mozur" [0:27:00]
Kirk Pearson - "Bio Magnification" - n/a [0:51:57]
- "Mark's comments" [0:52:04]
Acidulant - "Taking Orders from Machines" - Acidulant - Planet Jack EP [0:55:26] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157889


Aram Sinnreich, co-author, "The Secret Life of Data" from Nov 3, 2025
11/04/2025

Aram Sinnreich, co-author, "The Secret Life of Data"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Aram Sinnreich" [0:03:41]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:35]
Les Bibliothécaires (Various) - "High Score" [0:56:00] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157671


Widening inequality and Big Tech surveillance, feat. Dan Currell from Oct 27, 2025
10/27/2025

Widening inequality and Big Tech surveillance, feat. Dan Currell
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Dan Currell" [0:04:54]
- "Mark's comments" [0:32:15]
Joel Chapman - "From the Bedroom to the Bathroom" [via The Dannys] [0:55:48] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157597


Filmmaker Amanda Hanna-McLeer on the Luddite renaissance from Oct 20, 2025
10/20/2025

Filmmaker Amanda Hanna-McLeer on the Luddite renaissance
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Interview with Amanda Hanna-McLeer"
The Microbes - "Computer" [0:54:22] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157354


The protest against smartphones, with Logan Lane from Oct 13, 2025
10/14/2025

The protest against smartphones, with Logan Lane
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "The protest" [0:07:15]
- "Mark's comments" [0:37:04]
Rude Mechanical Orchestra - "We Shall Overcome" [Image from Cat and Girl] [0:55:34] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157126


AI and surveillance keep spreading from Oct 6, 2025
10/06/2025

AI and surveillance keep spreading
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's comments"
The Layoffs - "We're All In Formation" [0:55:06] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/156829


Megan Greenwell, author, "Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream" from Sep 29, 2025
09/30/2025

Megan Greenwell, author, "Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's intro"
Kirk Pearson - "Modem of Home" - n/a [0:03:32]
- "Interview with Megan Greenwell" [0:03:40]
Kirk Pearson - "Haptic Workshop" - n/a [0:27:41]
- "Interview with Megan Greenwell" [0:29:21]
Kirk Pearson - "Bio Magnification" - n/a [0:47:00]
- "Mark's comments" [0:47:08]
KILN - "Ptarmigan" - Lemon Borealis [0:54:45] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/156556


Glenn Adamson, author, "A Century of Tomorrows" from Sep 22, 2025
09/23/2025

Glenn Adamson, author, "A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Glenn Adamson" [0:05:23]
- "Mark's comments" [0:46:04]
Hot 8 Brass Band - "Remember the Time" [0:55:03] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/156259


Joseph Weizenbaum warned us about AI 50 years ago (feat. Faine Greenwood) from Sep 15, 2025
09/15/2025

Joseph Weizenbaum warned us about AI 50 years ago (feat. Faine Greenwood)
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Faine Greenwood" [0:05:42]
- "Mark's comments" [0:41:13]
Posthuman - "The Screens Of Our Lives" [0:54:49] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/155999


Milestones for Big Tech... and Techtonic from Sep 8, 2025
09/08/2025

Milestones for Big Tech... and Techtonic
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's comments"
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - "Thank You" [0:53:38] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/155884


Cory Doctorow, author and journalist from Sep 1, 2025
09/01/2025

Cory Doctorow, author and journalist
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Cory Doctorow" [0:02:28]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:51]
Michael Hearst with Claudia Gonson - "Eyes Without A Face" [0:56:24] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/155658


Webb Keane, author, "Animals, Robots, Gods" from Aug 25, 2025
08/27/2025

Webb Keane, author, “Animals, Robots, Gods: Adventures in the Moral Imagination”
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Webb Keane" [0:03:17]
- "Mark's comments" [0:43:18]
Timothy Clover - "Trolley Car Line" [0:55:30] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/155425


If/Then/Else - Sara Clemens and Stu Horvath fill in, with guest Brendan Keogh from Aug 18, 2025
08/18/2025

Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" [0:00:00]
Brendan Keogh - "Interview with Sara and Stu Pt. 1" - Techtonic [0:02:17]
GLaDOS from Portal (Ellen McLain) - "Still Alive" - Portal 2: Songs to Test By [0:29:40]
Brendan Keogh - "Interview with Sara and Stu Pt. 2" - Techtonic [0:32:22]
The Sound - "New Dark Age" - From the Lions Mouth [0:56:41] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/155264


Adam Becker, author, "More Everything Forever" from Aug 11, 2025
08/11/2025

Adam Becker, author, "More Everything Forever"
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Adam Becker" [0:03:49]
- "Mark's comments" [0:45:18]
The Flaming Ember - "Robot in a Robot's World" [0:53:47] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/154965


Three emerging dystopias: money, water, and truth from Jul 28, 2025
08/10/2025

Three emerging dystopias: money, water, and truth
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic" - n/a
- "Mark's comments"
Kirk Pearson - "Bio Magnification" - n/a [0:21:33]
- "Mark's comments" [0:22:30]
Kirk Pearson - "Bio Magnification" - n/a [0:33:46]
- "Mark's comments" [0:35:33]
Casey & Strick - "Read A Book" - n/a [0:53:02] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/154555


Duncan Moench on "soylent screens" and producerism from Jul 14, 2025
08/10/2025

Duncan Moench on "soylent screens" and producerism
Kirk Pearson - "Theme from Techtonic"
- "Mark's intro"
- "Interview with Duncan Moench" [0:04:36]
- "Mark's comments" [0:46:15]
Posthuman - "The Screens Of Our Lives" [0:55:10] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/153977