Ep. 44 - Jane Metcalfe on the Neobiological Revolution
In this installment of the Future Grind podcast host Ryan O’Shea speaks with Jane Metcalfe, the serial entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of Wired Magazine, which she first published in 1993. Jane is now the Founder and CEO of NEO.LIFE, a digital media company seeking to do for the neobiological revolution what Wired did for the digital revolution. They accomplish this by exploring topics such as neuroscience, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, the microbiome, longevity, and much more. Jane has also been the president of TCHO, a producer of high end chocolates, and has made investments in numerous tech and media projects.
They discuss the genesis of Wired, including how they were able to assemble an incredible early team consisting of Kevin Kelly, Nicholas Negroponte, John Battelle, and more, the similarities and differences between the digital revolution and current neobiological revolution, NEO.LIFE’s recently announced book, and much more.
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Show Notes
Jane’s background: Electric Word & International Affairs [3:02]
The story or Wired [5:28]
Kevin Kelly & the Dream Team [9:27]
The Early Adopters [15:12]
NEO.LIFE [18:04]
The Neobiological Revolution [23:48]
Neobiological Revolution vs. Digital Revolution [25:44]
Stories NEO.LIFE covers [30:04]
NEO.LIFE book announcement [33:51]
Sensationalism & Clickbait Media [39:00]
Covering the Controversy [47:50]
Live events, Print, & the future of NEO.LIFE [51:08]
The next big thing(s) [52:59]
Thoughts on food, GMOs, & diets [54:47]
What else is Jane up to [1:01:41]
Mentioned
Louis Rosetto
Mac World
MIT Media Lab
Whole Earth Catalog
John Perry Barlow (Grateful Dead)
Timothy Leary
Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, & the Economic World
Victor Hugo
TED, Richard Saul Werman
Condé Nast
Singularity University
Stewart Brand
Onno Faber
Open Insulin, Counter Culture Labs
Medtronic
Steve Ramirez
George Church
Ed Boyden
Laurene Powell Jobs, The Atlantic
Human Cell Atlas
Chronomics
Michael Pollan
David Eagleman
Human Vaccine Project
Berggruen Institute Future Humans project
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