When Technology Tries to Make Us 'Happy': A Warning from Fiction 📖

Send us Fan Mail"The Die" by Jude Berman On Sale for 99 cents Jan 20 -26 2025The scariest dystopias aren't the ones with robots hunting humans through demolished cities. They're the ones that feel like they could be tomorrow's headlines.Jude Berman's "The Die" presents us with exactly this kind of near-future nightmare: an app called "Happy" that's designed to manipulate people's brains into supporting an authoritarian regime. Sound familiar? It should.Read the rest of this article on Substack Join us for an engaging discussion of "The Die" by Jude Berman, a thought-provoking near-future thriller that explores the intersection of technology, freedom, and human connection. Set in an independent California, the story follows a group of tech employees who uncover a sinister plot involving the "Happy" app - a technology designed to manipulate minds through subliminal messaging. As our hosts delve into the novel's themes of digital resistance, personal courage, and the power of human solidarity, they explore how this fictional narrative mirrors our complex relationship with technology. From mysterious universal sounds to acts of collective resistance, this episode unpacks a story that reminds us that even in our increasingly digital world, the human spirit remains an unstoppable force for change.“The Die" A Novel by Jude Berman on GoodReadsThis is Heliox: Where Evidence Meets EmpathyIndependent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter.  Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas. Support the showDisclosure: This podcast uses AI-generated synthetic voices for a material portion of the audio content, in line with Apple Podcasts guidelines. We make rigorous science accessible, accurate, and unforgettable.Produced by Michelle Bruecker and Scott Bleackley, it features reviews of emerging research and ideas from leading thinkers, curated under our creative direction with AI assistance for voice, imagery, and composition. Systemic voices and illustrative images of people are representative tools, not depictions of specific individuals.We dive deep into peer-reviewed research, pre-prints, and major scientific works—then bring them to life through the stories of the researchers themselves. Complex ideas become clear. Obscure discoveries become conversation starters. And you walk away understanding not just what scientists discovered, but why it matters and how they got there.Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter.  Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.Spoken word, short and sweet, with rhythm and a catchy beat.http://tinyurl.com/stonefolksongs