Episodes

  • PLATO: The Computer Network That Shaped The Internet
    Oct 3 2023

    Cola Buskirk joins Craig on this episode to talk about our favorite parts from The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture by Brian Dear.

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture by Brian Dear

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    30 mins
  • The Race to Electrify the World
    Sep 6 2023

    Cola Buskirk joins Tim on this episode to talk about our favorite parts from Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World by Jill Jonnes.

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World by Jill Jonnes

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    50 mins
  • American Prometheus
    Aug 23 2023

    We talk about our favorite parts from American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. 

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    48 mins
  • The Euro
    May 12 2023

    We talk about how the Euro came to be and the consequences of merging the financial futures of differing nations. We cover: Bretton Woods, the Treaty of Rome, the snake in the tunnel, the Maastricht Treaty, the Euro rollout, and the Eurozone Crisis.

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    EuroTragedy: A Drama in Nine Acts by Ashoka Mody
    The Road to Monetary Union by Richard Pomfret
    The Euro and the Battle of Ideas by Markus K. Brunnermeier, Harold James, and Jean-Pierre Landau

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Las Vegas: Part II – The Strip
    Mar 15 2023

    We talk about the creation of modern Las Vegas: The Mob, Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, Jay Sarno, Steve Wynn, and more. This is part two in a two part series on the creation of Las Vegas. 

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    The Gambler by William C. Rempel
    Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas by David G. Schwartz  
    Winner Takes All: How Casino Mogul Steve Wynn Won-and Lost-the High Stakes Gamble to Own Las Vegas by Christina Binkley 
    Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele  
    The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America by Sally Denton and Roger Morris  
    A Short History of Las Vegas by Barbara Land and Myrick Land 

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Las Vegas: Part I – The Hoover Dam
    Feb 6 2023

    We explore how building The Hoover Dam made Vegas. This is part one in a two part series on the creation of Las Vegas. 

    We're supported by Protocol Labs and Protocol Labs Ventures - funding@protocol.ai. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. 

    Recommended Reading
    Colossus by Michael Hiltzik  
    A Short History of Las Vegas by Barbara Land and Myrick Land 
    Hoover Dam: The Photographs of Ben Glaha by Barbara Vilander 
    Hoover Dam Construction: Boulder Dam (Part I) (1931) (Video)  
    The story of Hoover Dam (Video) 

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • First To Flight: The Wright Brothers
    Dec 24 2022

    Our second episode is about the Wright Brothers inventing the airplane.

    We're supported by Protocol Labs whose projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. Protocol Labs is a fully distributed company. The team of more than 100 members works remotely and explores new advances in computing and related fields. If you’re interested in working at Protocol Labs visit protocol.ai/join/

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

    You can also watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwMxqtBtKQuKLPiliNcPxdA

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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Oppenheimer And The Bomb
    Nov 21 2022

    Our first episode is about Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, the secret weapons program that built the atomic bomb. 

    We're supported by Protocol Labs whose projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. Their aim is to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. Protocol Labs is a fully distributed company. The team of more than 100 members works remotely and explores new advances in computing and related fields. If you’re interested in working at Protocol Labs visit protocol.ai/join/ 

    Almost Impossible is hosted by Craig Cannon and Tim Hwang. Cola Buskirk helps us research and tell these stories. 

    You can also watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwMxqtBtKQuKLPiliNcPxdA

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    1 hr and 4 mins