60 acast.com Visionaries, Rebels and Machines https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines en Jamie Dobson Technology,History,Documentary,technology podcast, tech history, cloud computing, digital transformation, innovation podcast, AI podcast, computing history Jamie Dobson What do frog legs, cloud computing, and failure have in common?

They’re all part of the messy, magnificent story of how we got here.


I’m Jamie Dobson - author of Visionaries, Rebels and Machines — and in this podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through the ideas, accidents, and breakthroughs that shaped our digital world.


From Edison’s lightbulb moment to the birth of the cloud…

From the engineers who fled war to build machines of peace…

To the technologists today trying to teach machines to think.


This isn’t just the history of tech.

It’s the story of creativity, chaos — and the strange, beautiful way we fail our way forward.


Each episode, we’ll unpack the big themes that shaped humanity’s extraordinary journey from electrification to cloudification.


So if you’ve ever wondered how the web got weird,

why management matters more than machines,

or what the hell the cloud really is...

...you’re in the right place.


This is Visionaries, Rebels and Machines.

Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts and let’s take the long view of the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> What do frog legs, cloud computing, and failure have in common?

They’re all part of the messy, magnificent story of how we got here.


I’m Jamie Dobson - author of Visionaries, Rebels and Machines — and in this podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through the ideas, accidents, and breakthroughs that shaped our digital world.


From Edison’s lightbulb moment to the birth of the cloud…

From the engineers who fled war to build machines of peace…

To the technologists today trying to teach machines to think.


This isn’t just the history of tech.

It’s the story of creativity, chaos — and the strange, beautiful way we fail our way forward.


Each episode, we’ll unpack the big themes that shaped humanity’s extraordinary journey from electrification to cloudification.


So if you’ve ever wondered how the web got weird,

why management matters more than machines,

or what the hell the cloud really is...

...you’re in the right place.


This is Visionaries, Rebels and Machines.

Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts and let’s take the long view of the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> false Jamie Dobson info+68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699@mg-eu.acast.com 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 visionaries-rebels-and-machines serial https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1753487202381-23257226-5e12-4c12-b2a1-7cda5e1caae1.jpeg https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines Visionaries, Rebels and Machines Survival Was the First System Survival Was the First System Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT 23:25 69cd5a1d3908885dc4da3e8c false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/survival-was-the-first-system 69cd5a1d3908885dc4da3e8c 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 survival-was-the-first-system The Origins of András Gróf full 2 2 A boy survives war and oppression, making impossible decisions just to stay alive. At the same time, a quiet breakthrough in technology is about to reshape the world. Their paths are worlds apart, yet they’re closer than you’d think.


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]]> A boy survives war and oppression, making impossible decisions just to stay alive. At the same time, a quiet breakthrough in technology is about to reshape the world. Their paths are worlds apart, yet they’re closer than you’d think.


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]]> Claude Shannon and the Creation of the Information Age Claude Shannon and the Creation of the Information Age Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT 49:58 69baa07aefe096304cc71dab false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/claude-shannon-and-the-creation-of-the-information-age 69baa07aefe096304cc71dab 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 claude-shannon-and-the-creation-of-the-information-age Before computers were machines, they were people crunching numbers by hand and making mistakes that shaped history. full 2 1 Before computers were machines, they were people crunching numbers by hand and making mistakes that shaped history. This episode uncovers how a scattered set of ideas about code, logic, and machines finally clicked into something world changing. And at the center of it all is one mind that quietly built the foundation for the digital world you live in today.


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]]> Before computers were machines, they were people crunching numbers by hand and making mistakes that shaped history. This episode uncovers how a scattered set of ideas about code, logic, and machines finally clicked into something world changing. And at the center of it all is one mind that quietly built the foundation for the digital world you live in today.


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]]> The Generative AI Bubble Is Repeating a Much Darker History Than You Think The Generative AI Bubble Is Repeating a Much Darker History Than You Think Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT 38:17 69a5d82e99cbc50477307f32 false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/season-1-finale 69a5d82e99cbc50477307f32 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 season-1-finale History is messier and darker than your textbooks ever told you, and this finale pulls no punches. full 1 9 History is messier and darker than your textbooks ever told you, and this finale pulls no punches. It connects the telegraph, racism, and propaganda to the tech and algorithms shaping your world right now. If you think technology is neutral, this episode might change your mind.


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]]> History is messier and darker than your textbooks ever told you, and this finale pulls no punches. It connects the telegraph, racism, and propaganda to the tech and algorithms shaping your world right now. If you think technology is neutral, this episode might change your mind.


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]]> <![CDATA[How cutting edge technology saved AT&T with a competitive advantage (and what that means in the age of Gen AI)]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT 51:56 697a9367d577b417ba5a32da false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/how-cutting-edge-technology-saved-att-with-a-competitive-adv 697a9367d577b417ba5a32da 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 how-cutting-edge-technology-saved-att-with-a-competitive-adv The telephone almost failed, and one stubborn manager is the reason it didn’t. full 1 8 The telephone almost failed, and one stubborn manager is the reason it didn’t. Discover how Theodore Vail turned chaos into strategy, replacing lawyers with engineers and inventing a culture that lasted decades. This episode jumps from Victorian physics labs to courtroom battles, monopoly drama, and a tiny invention that changed everything.


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]]> The telephone almost failed, and one stubborn manager is the reason it didn’t. Discover how Theodore Vail turned chaos into strategy, replacing lawyers with engineers and inventing a culture that lasted decades. This episode jumps from Victorian physics labs to courtroom battles, monopoly drama, and a tiny invention that changed everything.


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]]> Edison and Tesla: Visionaries in Conflict Edison and Tesla: Visionaries in Conflict Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:00:00 GMT 24:02 694764ab9ff9a1898645e1fb false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/edison-and-tesla-visionaries-in-conflict 694764ab9ff9a1898645e1fb 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 edison-and-tesla-visionaries-in-conflict How the Internet Invented a Feud bonus 1 7 The legendary rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla makes for great internet drama, but almost none of it is true. In this bonus episode, Jamie Dobson digs into the historical record to separate fact from meme mythology, uncovering a story far more human and far more interesting than the fan-fiction version that dominates the web. From Paris workshops to New York dynamos, from mutual admiration to misremembered autobiography, this is the real relationship between two of history’s most celebrated inventors; and how a comic strip, a museum campaign, and the internet turned them into enemies they never were.


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]]> The legendary rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla makes for great internet drama, but almost none of it is true. In this bonus episode, Jamie Dobson digs into the historical record to separate fact from meme mythology, uncovering a story far more human and far more interesting than the fan-fiction version that dominates the web. From Paris workshops to New York dynamos, from mutual admiration to misremembered autobiography, this is the real relationship between two of history’s most celebrated inventors; and how a comic strip, a museum campaign, and the internet turned them into enemies they never were.


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]]> Edison’s Lightbulb: The Invention that Shouldn’t Have Worked Edison’s Lightbulb: The Invention that Shouldn’t Have Worked Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT 46:11 69382146697783f67784550c false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/edisons-lightbulb-the-invention-that-shouldnt-have-worked 69382146697783f67784550c 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 edisons-lightbulb-the-invention-that-shouldnt-have-worked A young inventor arrives in New York with almost nothing and decides to outshine the brightest mind of his era full 1 6 A young inventor arrives in New York with almost nothing and decides to outshine the brightest mind of his era. What follows is a clash of egos, experiments, and shocking twists that shaped the future of electricity. This episode dives into the origins of the rivalry that would spark one of the greatest battles in tech history.


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]]> A young inventor arrives in New York with almost nothing and decides to outshine the brightest mind of his era. What follows is a clash of egos, experiments, and shocking twists that shaped the future of electricity. This episode dives into the origins of the rivalry that would spark one of the greatest battles in tech history.


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]]> Edison Made LIGHT Bulbs Extremely Profitable But Investors HATE Him? Edison Made LIGHT Bulbs Extremely Profitable But Investors HATE Him? Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT 48:01 6925d5b01874a1556df3b831 false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/edison-made-light-bulbs-extremely-profitable-but-investors-h 6925d5b01874a1556df3b831 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 edison-made-light-bulbs-extremely-profitable-but-investors-h A scruffy kid with a knack for telegraphs becomes the most famous inventor in America. full 1 5 A scruffy kid with a knack for telegraphs becomes the most famous inventor in America. A simple question about light turns into a race to rewrite the future. Hear how Thomas Edison went from hustling newspapers on trains to lighting up the world.


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]]> A scruffy kid with a knack for telegraphs becomes the most famous inventor in America. A simple question about light turns into a race to rewrite the future. Hear how Thomas Edison went from hustling newspapers on trains to lighting up the world.


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]]> The Greatest Patent Heist: What the Telephone Dispute Teaches About Innovation The Greatest Patent Heist: What the Telephone Dispute Teaches About Innovation Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT 27:47 690ba149d4fac9e84b0ebf49 false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/who-stole-the-telephone-the-patent-heist-that-changed-techno 690ba149d4fac9e84b0ebf49 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 who-stole-the-telephone-the-patent-heist-that-changed-techno Was Alexander Graham Bell a visionary genius or a brilliant opportunist who stole Elisha Gray’s ideas? full 1 4 A scrunched-up letter pulled from a wastebasket. A race to the patent office with only hours to spare. In this episode, Jamie Dobson unpacks the explosive courtroom drama that decided who really invented the telephone. Was Alexander Graham Bell a visionary genius or a brilliant opportunist who stole Elisha Gray’s ideas? Tune in for a story of ambition, betrayal, and the shocking twist that rewrote technology history.


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]]> A scrunched-up letter pulled from a wastebasket. A race to the patent office with only hours to spare. In this episode, Jamie Dobson unpacks the explosive courtroom drama that decided who really invented the telephone. Was Alexander Graham Bell a visionary genius or a brilliant opportunist who stole Elisha Gray’s ideas? Tune in for a story of ambition, betrayal, and the shocking twist that rewrote technology history.


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]]> The Patent Heist that Defined Modern Tech Leadership The Patent Heist that Defined Modern Tech Leadership Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:00:00 GMT 39:52 68fface520cc609a4d49384c false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/the-patent-heist-that-defined-modern-tech-leadership 68fface520cc609a4d49384c 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 the-patent-heist-that-defined-modern-tech-leadership Discover how a sickly young Scot, sent to Canada to die, ended up inventing the telephone and changing the world. full 1 3 Discover how a sickly young Scot, sent to Canada to die, ended up inventing the telephone and changing the world. Was Alexander Graham Bell a genius inventor or just a lucky teacher in love with the right student? This episode dives into the love, rivalry, and surprising twists behind one of history’s most famous inventions.

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]]> Discover how a sickly young Scot, sent to Canada to die, ended up inventing the telephone and changing the world. Was Alexander Graham Bell a genius inventor or just a lucky teacher in love with the right student? This episode dives into the love, rivalry, and surprising twists behind one of history’s most famous inventions.

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]]> What God Hath Wrought What God Hath Wrought Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:41:00 GMT 36:26 68ee006cc68aefb908c9b4dc false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/what-god-hath-wrought 68ee006cc68aefb908c9b4dc 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 what-god-hath-wrought How Samuel Morse built the first cross functional team when he built the telegraph. full 1 2 A young artist loses everything and stumbles onto an idea that could make messages outrun horses and ships. Rival inventors, shaky demos, and a code of dots and dashes turn doubt into worldwide buzz. Hear how one line between cities rewired ambition, politics, and the way news travels.


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]]> A young artist loses everything and stumbles onto an idea that could make messages outrun horses and ships. Rival inventors, shaky demos, and a code of dots and dashes turn doubt into worldwide buzz. Hear how one line between cities rewired ambition, politics, and the way news travels.


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]]> I Sing the Body Electric I Sing the Body Electric Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:21:20 GMT 22:25 68ec9473de9a2a62c4bc9ffa false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/i-sing-the-body-electric 68ec9473de9a2a62c4bc9ffa 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 i-sing-the-body-electric What the invention of the battery teaches us about the golden rule of innovation. full 1 1 What if the real story behind Frankenstein began not in fiction, but in a London prison with a corpse and a few jolts of electricity? In this episode, Jamie Dobson uncovers how a strange 18th-century experiment led to one of the biggest scientific rivalries of all time. Discover how a twitching frog’s leg helped spark the invention of the battery we use in our world today.


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]]> What if the real story behind Frankenstein began not in fiction, but in a London prison with a corpse and a few jolts of electricity? In this episode, Jamie Dobson uncovers how a strange 18th-century experiment led to one of the biggest scientific rivalries of all time. Discover how a twitching frog’s leg helped spark the invention of the battery we use in our world today.


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]]> Visionaries, Rebels and Machines Trailer Visionaries, Rebels and Machines Trailer Fri, 25 Jul 2025 23:57:13 GMT 1:08 688419d93781311f915bcda9 false https://shows.acast.com/visionaries-rebels-and-machines/episodes/visionaries-rebels-and-machines-trailer 688419d93781311f915bcda9 68841923e0a86cc3ab2b2699 visionaries-rebels-and-machines-trailer trailer

What do frog legs, cloud computing, and failure have in common?

They’re all part of the messy, magnificent story of how we got here.


I’m Jamie Dobson - author of Visionaries, Rebels and Machines — and in this podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through the ideas, accidents, and breakthroughs that shaped our digital world.


From Edison’s lightbulb moment to the birth of the cloud…

From the engineers who fled war to build machines of peace…

To the technologists today trying to teach machines to think.


This isn’t just the history of tech.

It’s the story of creativity, chaos — and the strange, beautiful way we fail our way forward.


Each episode, we’ll unpack the big themes that shaped humanity’s extraordinary journey from electrification to cloudification.


So if you’ve ever wondered how the web got weird,

why management matters more than machines,

or what the hell the cloud really is...

...you’re in the right place.


This is Visionaries, Rebels and Machines.

Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts and let’s take the long view of the future.

Find out more about the Visionaries, Rebels and Machines:


Learn more about our people:


If you enjoyed this episode then please either:


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]>

What do frog legs, cloud computing, and failure have in common?

They’re all part of the messy, magnificent story of how we got here.


I’m Jamie Dobson - author of Visionaries, Rebels and Machines — and in this podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through the ideas, accidents, and breakthroughs that shaped our digital world.


From Edison’s lightbulb moment to the birth of the cloud…

From the engineers who fled war to build machines of peace…

To the technologists today trying to teach machines to think.


This isn’t just the history of tech.

It’s the story of creativity, chaos — and the strange, beautiful way we fail our way forward.


Each episode, we’ll unpack the big themes that shaped humanity’s extraordinary journey from electrification to cloudification.


So if you’ve ever wondered how the web got weird,

why management matters more than machines,

or what the hell the cloud really is...

...you’re in the right place.


This is Visionaries, Rebels and Machines.

Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts and let’s take the long view of the future.

Find out more about the Visionaries, Rebels and Machines:


Learn more about our people:


If you enjoyed this episode then please either:


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]>