Over twenty years ago, Dubai began constructing the world's largest artificial archipelago of islands, designed to be a lavish oasis for the super-rich. Today, the islands stand mostly empty and some are sinking back into the sea, but the developers and government of Dubai refuse to give up on the mind boggling mega-project. Let me tell you about this astonishing feat of engineering, how it did work--kind of, but also hasn’t panned out the way they hoped, and why they’ll probably never let this one go no matter how bad an idea it was. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia  ..read more

Why most New Year’s resolutions fail, the Babylonians and Romans, putting our hands on a peacock, setting and getting goals, habit formation, motivation vs. discipline, believing you deserve to have what you want, and what procrastination really is (you’re not lazy). Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741 Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233 VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846 For veterans, Make Th ..read more

The Theranos saga continues. Updates on Elizabeth Holmes' sentencing and Sunny Balwani's trial and verdict. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources Theranos Full Explainer: https://failedutopia.com/theranos/ Holmes Trial & Verdict Updates: YouTube https://youtu.be/P9xR6jn84kU Audio only https://failedutopia.com/theranos-update/ Written and produced by Anna Roberts Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez Intro music by Elliot Middleton Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/faile ..read more

Colonialism and utopianism, as Thomas More coined the term, have been linked since the early sixteenth century when European explorers began taking stock of newly accessible lands that would later become colonies. Colonists had the expectation of achieving a much better life by settling in "new" lands, while producing a dystopia for the original inhabitants. Optimistic colonists didn’t always find what they expected, but for centuries they continued to emigrate and settle, driven by utopian projections of what their new lives would be like. Today we talk about one of the first colonies in the ..read more

Let’s talk about an environmental catastrophe that turned a tourism and wildlife paradise into a toxic wasteland. This is something that we’re starting to see happening all over the world and that’s only going to become more of a problem in the future thanks to climate change.  Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Ghost towns and toxic fumes: How an idyllic California lake became a disaster How California’s Salton Sea went from vacation destination to toxic nightmare As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces an ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’ Lake Urmia, Ira ..read more

The Church of Love: Chonda-Za, Love Angels, lonely hearts, and a whole lot of questionable love letters. Plus, self-delusion and seeing things for what they are. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741 Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233 VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846 For veterans, Make The Connection Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam ..read more

In Part 2, hopefully we’re gonna have a little more fun talking not about techno-utopia, but actual physical utopian communes based around the love of crypto. Cryptoland, Cryptopia, Satoshi Island, Bitcoin Beach, Bitcoin City, and actually, the entire country of El Salvador. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources Tragic Cryptoland trailer Cryptoland website When Your Island Paradise Goes Bankrupt... Thailand’s Crypto Utopia — ‘90% of a cult, without all the weird stuff’ Satoshi Island website Bitcoin paradise? Briton creates ‘crypto utopia’ i ..read more

Cryptocurrency is one of the most buzzy techno-utopian ideas out there. Is it really a disruptive technology of the future? Or a bunch of esoteric, elitist, crypto-bro BS? Even a scam? Let's talk about what crypto is and what it's good for... or not. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources Computer Scientists Say Crypto Industry Is Misleading the Public About Blockchain Technology Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire” The Ramps Killing Bitcoin's Dissident Thesis Luxury cars seized from 23-year-old 'Cry ..read more

The Farm was once the largest hippie commune in U.S. history, and it still exists today albeit in a somewhat different form. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Links & Resources https://thefarmcommunity.com https://www.thefarm.org What life is like when you’re born on a commune Erika Anderson Stephen Gaskin obituary “40 Years on the Farm” documentary Written and produced by Anna Roberts Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez Intro music by Elliot Middleton Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop Support this podcast at — https://redcir ..read more

A spiritual Indian utopia that’s over 50 years old, but still very much a work in progress. Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website. Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville by Akash Kapur Bulldozing a dream? Auroville’s importance as an experiment in alternative living Bulldozers, violence and politics crack an Indian dream of utopia Written and produced by Anna Roberts Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez Intro music by Elliot Middleton Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop Support this podcast at — https://r ..read more