The following audio files come from a larger group of 204 for the week. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted links, below, to get single podcasts. A zip file of all 39 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed will download here for four months. Older groups of podcasts are discussed at the end of this episode.
Aereo Ruling 30 mins – “Former Senator Gordon Smith talked about the future of television and gave his perspective on the U.S. Supreme Court decision delivered that day on ABC v. Aereo, Inc. that Aereo was violating copyright law by allowing its subscribers to stream content from broadcast television networks. The National Association of Broadcasters had filed an amicus brief opposing Aereo. Other topics include spectrum auctions, the impact of mergers of large communications companies, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Chairman Tom Wheeler, and efforts to extend the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, which would expire during 2014.” At the link you can look/listen, but an audio download will cost $.99; however, an audio copy is included in the blog archive.
Allied Fiber 21 mins – “I recall first hearing about Allied Fiber a few years back and not thinking much about it. It seemed like another operator focused on connecting wireless towers and building long haul fiber… but then I heard Hunter Newby’s presentation at Mountain Connect in Colorado. When he noted the need to have infrastructure that financiers could not monopolize, I knew I wanted to have him on our show. Hunter is the Founder and CEO of Allied Fiber, which has just announced its route from Jacksonville to Miami is ready for service. We talk about how the carrier neutral Allied Fiber approach is different from other approaches, in part by combining colocation and ensuring other networks can interconnect almost anywhere along the route….” At the link right-click (here or there) “… download this Mp3 file directly from here…” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Astronomy Overview 25 mins – “(starts at 4:10): … how are new technologies and “big data” changing the way we study stars today and in years to come? To discuss those questions, we’re joined in our Boulder studio by Dr. John Bally, a professor of astronomy at the University of Colorado, and Dr. Seth Hornstein, director of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory on the CU campus.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bachpacking 51 mins – “Simone Dinnerstein began studying the piano later in life than most concert pianists. She dropped out of Julliard for a while. And she struggled for recognition. Then she scraped together the funds to record Bach’s Goldberg Variations – and her career took off. The album ranked number one on the U.S. Billboard Classical Music chart its first week out. Three subsequent solo albums also topped the charts. Now she’s taking classical music to public schools with a new endeavor she calls “Bachpacking.” Simone Dinnerstein speaks with Diane about her new album and why she’s passionate about sharing her love of Bach.” At the link you can listen to the audio but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Beer History 31 mins – “Our guests discuss the science behind beer, how modern craft breweries can help us understand ancient beers, and how technology has allowed us to drink like an ancient king. They also discuss the spiritual side of beer and the role beer has played in human evolution.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Caffeine and Athletics 23 mins – “(starts at 4:35): Chances are you’ve already had a cup of coffee this morning or, if you are like me, it was a cup of tea. Or maybe, if you are truly hedonistic, you started the day with a bar of chocolate. Either way, if any of these options are part of your daily routine you’d be one of the 90 percent of people in this country that regularly consumes caffeine, America’s drug of choice. In this week’s show we talk to Murray Carpenter, author of the book Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts and Hooks Us.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chair Lift Invention 4 mins – “Jim Curran was an engineer with a special skill; a skill that led to a 1936 meeting with then president of the Union Pacific Railroad, Averell Harriman. The skill? Loading bunches of bananas onto rail cars….” At the link right-click “Click here for audio….” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Childhood Nutrition 37 mins – “Experts discuss the merits of integrating nutrition and early childhood development interventions to nurture the physical and psychological health of underprivileged children.” At the link find the title, ”
Nutrition and Early Childhood Development,” right-click “NutritionandECD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cold Case Crowdsourcing 46 mins – “Do-it-yourself detectives. A new army of freelance amateurs is using the Internet to solve cold cases –long-unsolved homicides—across the country.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Collaborative Economy 53 mins “Amber & Sarah chat with CrowdCompanies Founder Jeremiah Owyang about the collaborative economy, Facebook´s emotional manipulation apology, Vine adds loop numbers, & more!” Most of the program is devoted to the collaborative economy. At the link right-click “Audio” beside the down pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Declaration of Independence 51 mins – ” We celebrate its adoption on the Fourth of July – yet few of us have actually read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety. Political scientist Danielle Allen is out to change that. Her latest book, “Our Declaration”, makes the case for a new interpretation of the document – as a living, relevant text with an argument for equality at its core. Inspired by her experience teaching the Declaration to her adult night students, the book invites readers to carefully examine the historical document that Allen says holds particular significance today. For this Fourth of July, equality, democracy and a fresh reading of the Declaration of Independence.” At the link you can listen to the audio but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Deforestation Rate 4 mins – ““We’re continuing to lose forests at a stunning rate,” said Nigel Sizer, director of the forests program at the World Resources Institute in Washington. “At the rate of 50 soccer fields a minute, every minute, every day, every year.” Sizer can rattle off these figures because he’s been watching deforestation happen in near real time.'” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Democracy Skit 12 mins – “A teacher gives his students lesson about democracy that they’ll never forget. Performed by Peter McNerney as Mr. Mohr, Russ Armstrong as Eric, and Alexis Lambright as Margaret, with Fiona Bradford, Teddy Shivers, Oscar Montoya, and Ben Jones as the principal. From an outline by Louis Kornfeld. Produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Dewey Decimal and Otlet 4 mins – “In 1874, a student at Amherst College, Melville Dewey, saw that the problem of finding the specific information we wanted was growing hopelessly complex. Three years later, he’d developed his famous decimal system for classifying books and retrieving information. Then, in 1895, another young student, the Belgian Paul Otlet, took an interest in managing the still-growing information flood. Dewey’s system was in wide use, but Otlet realized that could lead to only one particular source. If you wanted more, you had to start over.” He created the first hyperlink. At the link right-click “Click here for audio…” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Doughboys of WWI 52 mins – “At the center of author Richard Rubin’s latest book, The Last of the Doughboys, are several dozen extraordinary individuals, all more than a century old, all now passed away. They were the final survivors of the millions who made up the American forces that fought in World War I, 19th-century men and women living in the 21st century. Rubin’s book chronicles their remarkable stories and he joins us Monday to tell some of them and to relate how the forgotten war and its forgotten veterans created the modern world.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Drugs in Waste Water 3 mins – “New analytical technique could enhance detection of illicit drugs in communities.” At the link find the title, “Episode 386 – June 30 2014,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fallout Shelters 24 mins – “…Abo Elementary is entirely underground, and its roof served as a playground for the kids. There were three separate stairways where kids entered the building, each equipped with a 1,800-pound steel blast-door and decontamination showers….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Farming Vertically 97 mins – Hosts Dickson Despommier and Vincent Racaniello “…provide an overview of the technologies that allow the practice of indoor farming.” At the link right-click “UrbAg 6” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fungi 6 mins – “Stick a shovel in the ground and you’ll dig up some soil, maybe a few little rocks and, of course, some roots… “When you hold this thing up to the light, what you can see is little tiny filaments,” says geneticist Ian Sanders, holding up a root in his lab at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland…“That’s the fungus,” says Sanders. Sanders is obsessed with fungi, because he thinks they can play a big role in solving the world’s big food challenges in a time of rapid climate change and population growth. In particular, Sanders is obsessed with a type of fungi that live on the roots of about 80 percent of the plants on the planet. Their tiny filaments help plants grow by drawing water and nutrients to the plant. In return, the plants feed sugars to the fungi…“Almost all our food plants naturally form this association with these fungi,” he says.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Government Deceit 27 mins – “As the exploding crisis in Iraq spotlights once again the tragic record of American policy in the Middle East, Bill speaks with investigative journalist Charles Lewis, whose new book, 935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America’s Moral Integrity details the many government falsehoods that have led us into the current nightmare. Lewis details the deceptions and illusions that have caused “most Americans and their elected representatives to completely ignore facts, logic and reason in the rush to war.” A complicit partner, he says, is a media intent on preserving the status quo and never offending the ruling elite.” At the link find the title, “Full Show: The Lies That Lead to War,” right-click “Media files Moyers and Company_325_Podcast.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Government Finances 58 mins – “Kwasi Kwarteng talked about his book, War and Gold: A 500-Year History of Empires, Adventures, and Debt, in which he chronicles the history of money since the Spanish discovery of the Americas, its relationship to war, and the resulting impact the interconnection has on free markets worldwide. He spoke with Toby Harnden, Washington bureau chief of the Sunday Times of London.” At the link you can look/listen, but an audio download will cost $.99; however, an audio copy is included in the blog archive.
Hobby Lobby and Unions 51 mins – “Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that some for-profit companies don’t have to include birth control for women in their company health plans as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Closely held for-profit companies can be exempted if owners object for religious reasons. Supporters say the decision is a victory for religious freedom. Critics argue it will invite many more challenges to federal law on religious grounds. In another decision yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that home healthcare workers cannot be compelled to pay a fee to public unions who lobby on their behalf. Please join us [5 guests] to talk about both of these decisions and their implications.” At the link you can listen to the audio but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Hobby Lobby Court Ruling 46 mins – “To the Greens of Oklahoma, it was just logical. Yes, they were billionaires. Yes, their Hobby Lobby chain employed thousands of people. But why would they cover contraception that their religious belief found offensive? To many others, the logic ran just the other way. The Affordable Care Act offered health care to all. Contraception included. Why would a woman be subject to the religion of Boss Green? Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled for the Greens, for Hobby Lobby, for the religious rights of the company. This hour On Point: the high court, Hobby Lobby, and religion in the workplace. “At the link right-click “download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Jellyfish Invasion 4 mins – “…it’s an unwelcome resident of the Trondheimsfjord in Norway. The fjord now holds an estimated 40,000 tons of these round, red-colored, sea creatures. And this invasive species is impacting local fishing stocks. Jarle Mork, a professor and researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, has been studying the effects of the booming number of jellyfish. “They are very efficient predators,” Mork says. “The population can grow to huge sizes in relatively few years. And they eat the same food as the young stages of the commercial fishes. And in addition they eat small and young stages of those competitors.”…” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
LBJ and Civil Rights 51 mins – “Fifty years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, ending legal segregation in public places. He was an unlikely civil rights champion: As a powerful senator from the state of Texas, he regularly sought to block civil rights legislative efforts, but in his first few months as president he made civil rights a top priority. In Robert Caro’s fourth volume on LBJ, “Passage to Power” published in 2012, Caro details Johnson’s remarkable role in struggle for the civil rights. Please join our conversation with two-time Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Robert Caro on President Lyndon Johnson, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and political lessons for today.” At the link you can listen to the audio but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Marijuana Legalized Aftermath 46 mins “Six months after recreational marijuana got the green light in Colorado, we look at the economic, social, and health impacts of embracing pot.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Meat Consumption 51 mins – “The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization issued a report in 2006 on the carbon footprint caused by livestock production. The FAO said 18 percent of greenhouses gases could be attributed to raising animals for food. The World Bank followed with an even starker report. Producing meat requires huge quantities of feed, pesticides and water. Also, cattle and other animals release methane gas and waste. The meat industry and other critics say environmental harm from livestock has been greatly overstated. For this month’s Environmental Outlook, how meat consumption affects the planet.” [3 guests] At the link you can only listen, but a file copy is in the blog archive.
North Korea Capitalists 18 mins – “The dream of socialist North Korea was that the government would control every part of the economy. No need for private businesses or stores – the state would give you everything. People were not supposed to sell to each other. Ever. On today’s show: how markets sprung up anyway.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Outsourcing Humanity 57 mins – “…I’m pleased to post Show # 214, May 28, my interview with Prof. Evan Selinger of Rochester Institute of Technology on technology and the human experience. Evan’s work spans the range of technology, ethics and philosophy, an unusual but critical intersection as we consider the ramifications of algorithms, robotics, drones, 3D printers and social media, among many other innovations, on our lives. In our discussion, we focused on Evan’s concern about “outsourcing” our humanity to computers and technology and how it has and will impact our humanity. Evan is an insightful and original commentator and scholar….” At the link right-click “…post Show # 214, May 28, my…” in the description and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Racism 52 mins – “It seems like every week there’s news of a white person run afoul of racial etiquette. It often happens that he or she is compelled to apologize, resign, or be fired. Cliven Bundy, Donald Sterling, and a Utah legislator claiming the NAACP is a racist organization are just a few recent examples. But are these men outliers or symptoms of deeper cultural problems? Thursday we’re examining how racism in America has changed, asking where we’ve made progress on race relations where we’ve fallen short.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Radio Wave Hazard 52 mins – “CU-Boulder Electrical Engineering Emeritus Professor Frank Barnes is the past president of the BioElectroMagnetics Society. He recently chaired a National Research Council panel on research priorities related to the potential health effects of exposure to radio frequency energy from the use of wireless technology, such as cell phones. As a scientist, Frank Barnes recently talked with a citizen activist, Katie Singer, about her new book, An Electronic Silent Spring. This is an extended version of the interview we broadcast on June 3rd 2014. – Shelley Schlender” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sexuality 54 mins – “Is monogamy unnatural? Or, as Christopher Ryan’s talk at the Sydney Opera House was entitled: ‘If you want fidelity, get a dog’. Christopher Ryan reviews the enjoyment of sex, evidence from prehistory, and even the charming behaviour of bonobos, to suggest that conventional monogamy is but a blip in human history, and basically, doesn’t work.” At the link right-click “Download Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sharing Economy 51mins – “More and more, consumers are turning to Uber to hail rides with their smartphones, or renting spare rooms from strangers online through Airbnb. These companies typify the sharing economy where everyone can be a micro-entrepreneur and provide valued services without a professional middleman. But as these peer-to-peer businesses explode in popularity, cities are dealing with major questions over how to regulate them. Following a wave of recent protests by taxi drivers across the U.S. and Europe, the debate over these services is heating up. Diane and her [3] guests have a conversation about regulating the sharing economy, and what it means for businesses and consumers.” At the link you can hear the audio file, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Solar Assisted Heat Pump 12 mins – Vahid Vkiloroaya, an Australian researcher, talks about the development of a hybrid solar-assisted air conditioner system that can reduce power use between 70 and 90%. 25 and 43%. He starts talking at the 5 minute mark for 12 minutes of the 29 minute program that can be downloaded at the link by right-clicking “Download MP3” and selecting “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu. A PDF describing the research with more details is here, and it mentions a power savings of 25 to 43%. The PDF does not mention the key compound, lithium bromide, discussed in the audio segment, but more information about it and the bromide absorption cycle is here.
Species Extinction 25 mins – “…(starts 7:08): Few people have thought as critically and deeply about the state of Earth and our role on it than Paul Ehrlich. Over the course of several decades, the Stanford University biologist and ecologist has written many books, including 1968’s controversial The Population Bomb, in which he predicted that hundreds of millions of people would starve to death in the 1970s due to overpopulation and limited resources. He has just come out with a new book, which he co-wrote with Michael Charles Tobias, an ecologist, filmmaker, book author and animal rights advocate. The book is called Hope On Earth: A Conversation… Both men join us by phone to discuss the book and the most pressing environmental issues of the day that it explores.
Storm Surges 5 mins – “Surges from big coastal storms are a bigger and bigger problem as climate change raises sea levels around the world. That’s why a new service from the US National Hurricane Center in Miami could be so important.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Urban Movement 16 mins – “If you strolled around Wall Street in the 1950s, you’d see hoards of businessmen bustling about, briefcases in hand. Visit today, and the view is a little different: the businessmen are still there, but they’re accompanied by something else – strollers. Leigh Gallagher, author of “The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream is Moving,” and Alan Ehrenhalt, author of “The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City,” say this is a trend that’s reshaping cities all over America. Once a place where people went to work – not live – younger generations are increasingly choosing to make the inner-city their home.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Vaccination Obstacles 51 mins – “In 1966, scientists developed a vaccine for measles. By the year 2000, the disease was considered eradicated in the U.S., a major public health victory. Fast forward to today and cases of measles have reached a 20-year high. The reason, doctors say, is because people are choosing not to be vaccinated or have their children vaccinated. It’s a troubling trend for public health officials in the developed world. The story is quite different in poor countries where 22 million children have little access to basic vaccines. Diane and her panel of experts discuss efforts to eradicate polio, measles and other deadly diseases and why some U.S. parents are resisting.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the file is in the blog archive.
World War One Legacy 50 mins – “An epic exploration of the legacy of World War One begins with this panel and audience discussion from Sarajevo. It looks at the drive for nationhood during World War One and its impact on nationalism in Bosnia to this day.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: Nationalism The War That Changed the World 28 June 2014,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20140630-1159a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
============================================================= ARCHIVE
An alphabetic encyclopedia of 3600 of these hyperlinked descriptions is here and updated quarterly. A file of the podcasts is here , added to weekly, and can be downloaded as a 20+ GB zipped file or individually. A separate folder of C-Span, Diane Rehm, et. al. files that aren’t available at their sites is there too, and can also be downloaded as a zip file or individually. Over 180 feeds used to prepare this blog are harvested with Feedreader3 and Juice. The feeds are available in this opml file which Feedreader and Juice can import. A list of the feeds is here. Free Commander is used to compare old with new downloads and remove duplicates. MP3 Speed Changer is used on batches of new files to boost playback speed 150%. A speed listening background article is here. Please comment on any problems with the links and downloads.
Thank you for visiting.
Media Mining Digest 