Diggnation (Rebooted) – Episode 19

"Burritos from the Sky and Other Signs of Progress"
Hosts: Kevin Rose & Alex Albrecht
Date: August 27, 2025

Overview

After a 15-year break, Diggnation returns with its classic laid-back, tech-obsessed, irreverent banter. Kevin and Alex settle back on the couch to catch up on life, geek out on the latest in smart tech, laugh about burritos delivered by drone, and explore retro media. The heart of the episode orbits around personal updates, the relaunch and evolution of Digg.com, mind-blowing battery innovation, unorthodox betting markets, and a healthy dose of 90s nostalgia.

Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Life Updates, Tech Minimalism, and Home Automation

Timestamps: 00:00 – 14:58

• Sobriety & Sober Living:

  • Kevin shares he’s 128 days sober, with his partner Daria at 45 days.

    “Imagine being sober. Okay. No drinks, 100 plus days... it’s fine. It’s to be expected.” – Kevin (02:03)

• Nostalgia for Yard Work:

  • Kevin’s back to mowing his own lawn, indulging in the “Zen” of physical labor and involving his kids.

• Geek Flex: The DIY Framework Laptop:

  • Kevin’s new modular “Framework” laptop gets the spotlight. He extols building it himself—swapping RAM/CPU, running an Arch-based Linux with the “Hyperland” window manager.

    “It’s all fully customizable just by editing these text files... It does feel exactly like a MacBook Pro.” – Kevin (05:26, 07:14)

• Home Automation & Cameras:

  • The hosts geek out over replacing light switches, automating their homes with Home Assistant, and integrating Ubiquiti security cameras—highlighting “Yes Techie” as a top LA installer (08:18).
  • Kevin describes experimenting with Ubiquiti’s speaker/AI loitering alert:

    “That air horn is like, literally for, like, a football stadium ... I'm more worried about a lawsuit from causing a heart attack...” – Kevin (10:12)

• Vacation/Leaving Home Automations:

  • Alex sets up Home Assistant to simulate someone being home while away—lights and plugs controlled by a “vacation” variable (13:19).

2. Digg.com Relaunch & Community Update

Timestamps: 14:58 – 21:56

• Major Platform News:

  • The Digg app is now approved on both iOS and Android. Beta/alpha users get two invites each (15:31).
  • Embedded media functionality (YouTube, etc.) rolling out this week.
  • Foreshadowing live, embedded Diggnation video events.

• The “Human Captcha Project”:

  • Digg's anti-bot/human verification strategy involves in-person meetups. First one: September 10, SF, at Southern Pacific Brewing Co.

    "Those first, like 100,000 core contributors of any social network are so essential.” – Kevin (17:35)

• Community Rollout:

  • Every two weeks, new niche communities will launch.

    “If you have something weird, what kind of community would you... I was just talking about this with Mal.” – Alex (18:16)

• Niche Ideas:

  • Kevin: Japanese woodworking joinery, meditation, retro gaming (“56K”, rebooting BBSes).
  • Alex & Mal: Off-road cars, food/cooking, beef jerky making.

3. Quirks of Polymarket and Prediction Markets

Timestamps: 42:01 – 53:59

• The World of Betting on Everything:
  • Kevin introduces Alex to Polymarket, an international crypto-based betting platform where users can “bet on everything."
    • Peculiar, gameable bets (e.g., will a dildo be thrown on a WNBA court) and how easy it is for some bets to be manipulated.
    • Legal grey area: Insiders could theoretically force outcomes.
    • Notable quote:
      > “If it’s people that you know ... Elon [Musk] can just change the profile photo and you win X number of dollars, that's kind of insider trading in some sense.” – Kevin (45:14)
  • Discussion of Kalshi (US legal prediction market) and distinctions regarding insider trading.

4. Tech of the Week: Drone-Delivered Burritos & Battery Breakthroughs

Timestamps: 29:19 (EV Batteries), 54:19 (Burritos) – 63:32

• Chinese EV Breakthrough:

  • Changan’s new model is set to deliver a record-setting 930-mile range thanks to solid-state batteries.

    “That is, I think, where we’re going to start to get into this real shift ... You could drive up, run around there, drive back all without charging.” – Alex (33:05)

• AI, Tesla, and EV Market Churn:

  • Honest talk about why neither host is thrilled with Tesla anymore (unpleasant customer service, rapidly expanding alternatives).

• Autonomous Burritos from the Sky:

  • Dallas, TX: Chipotle teams up with Zipline to drone-deliver food orders via “zip stations.”
    • Kevin invested in Zipline years ago (originally for essential medical goods in Africa, now consumer food).
    • Technical breakdown of the process: drones hover 300 ft up, lower burritos by cable, and fly off.

      “This is how we’re gonna get Amazon deliveries.” – Alex (56:52)

  • Context around automation replacing delivery jobs; musings on LA’s bad public transit.

5. Retro Tech & 90s Nostalgia: The Great CD Comeback

Timestamps: 67:49 – 80:00

• CDs are Cool Again:
  • Both Kevin and Mal bought CD players, touting the joy of physical media, album art, sleeve notes, and full-album listening.
  • Collectors' insight: First pressings, "hot stampers," and rare editions may become the next vinyl.
  • Notable throwback moments: MC Hammer, Jesus Jones, Two Live Crew, Eazy-E, and the sense of forbidden cool as kids.

    “Annoying thing about modern digital is we jump around ... you don't really listen to albums anymore.” – Kevin (71:02) “Vinyl is for collecting. CD is for listening.” – Mal (75:27)

6. Other Noteworthy Stories & Quick Hits

Timestamps: 80:00 – End

• Pixel 10 Announcement:

  • Kevin orders Google’s new flagship. Highlights real-time, on-device AI voice translation, including using your own voice.

    “This video ... is now using Google Translate ... It will be translated in the voice of the speakers.” – Alex (82:16)

  • Cheeky demo ideas: “chain” two phones for game-of-telephone style language translation.

• Travel & Friendship:

  • Alex proposes celebrating his 50th in Tokyo with Heather, inviting Kevin and Daria along for the ride.

    “Your mind would be blown ... I'm so excited.” – Alex & Kevin (84:53)

Notable Quotes & Moments

“That air horn is like, literally for, like, a football stadium ... I'm more worried about a lawsuit from causing a heart attack ... in the intruder [who’s] trying to break in.”
— Kevin Rose, on his Ubiquiti loitering AI test (10:12)

“It’s so fun with the Ubiquiti stuff ... you can fire up a drone to do a little mini 360 around your house.”
— Kevin Rose (13:22)

“This is how we’re gonna get Amazon deliveries.”
— Alex Albrecht, on drone burrito delivery (56:52)

“Those first, like 100,000 core contributors of any social network are so essential.”
— Kevin Rose, on Digg community-building (17:35)

“Vinyl is for collecting. CD is for listening.”
— Mal (75:27)

“Imagine being sober. Okay. No drinks, 100 plus days... it’s fine. It’s to be expected.”
— Kevin Rose (02:03)

“Nostalgia will kick in for somebody to be like, oh, I want CDs ... buy a couple extras: one for the play, one for the vault.”
— Kevin Rose (73:45)

“Waymo ruined me. I, I, I have a really hard time with drivers and ... some horrible driving and getting car sick and Waymo ruined me.”
— Mal (59:19)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Personal Catch-up, Sobriety, Lawn Zen: 00:00 – 08:00
• Framework Laptop & Linux Tinkering: 05:11 – 08:00
• Home Automation + Ubiquiti Install: 08:19 – 14:00
• Digg Relaunch/Meetups/Community Plans: 14:58 – 21:56
• Polymarket Betting Craziness: 42:01 – 53:59
• 930-Mile EV Battery Breakthrough: 29:19 – 36:41
• Drone-Delivered Burritos / Zipline: 54:19 – 63:32
• CDs, Album Listening, Retro Joy: 67:49 – 80:00
• Pixel 10 Voice Translate & Travel Dreaming: 81:15 – 85:50

Tone & Vibe

• Friendship-forward, ribald, nostalgic, and candid.
• Playful tech geek pride (“you know, just swap the motherboard!”)
• Gentle roast of digital/physical culture and their own aging ("I'm thinking about going, like, on a trip with Heather. My next birthday is a big birthday." – Alex)
• Tangents, laughter, and the cherished feel of couch banter that made Diggnation legendary.

Summary Table

| Segment | Highlight | Timestamp | |----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Personal Catchup | Sobriety, lawnmowing, Framework laptop, home automation | 00:00–14:58 | | Digg Relaunch | App launch, Human Captcha, invite system, niche community talk| 14:58–21:56 | | Battery Breakthrough | 930-mile solid-state EV battery (Changan, Mercedes) | 29:19–36:41 | | Prediction Markets | Polymarket, odd bets, legality, inside info risks | 42:01–53:59 | | Drone Burrito Delivery | Zipline, logistics, automation nostalgia | 54:19–63:32 | | Retro Media | The CD revival, favorite albums, collectible culture | 67:49–80:00 | | Pixel 10 & Language | Real-time on-device voice translate, trip plans to Japan | 81:15–85:50 |

For long-time fans and newcomers alike, this episode is a smart, silly, and surprisingly sentimental return to form—reminding us innovation, nostalgia, and the urge to tinker always belong on the couch.

— Diggnation is back, and it’s like they never left.