The best 86 podcasts from a larger group of 216 for the week are shown below. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted titles to get single podcasts and explore the source, although it’s easier to get all of them as a zip file here for the next four months. A collection of over 8000 similar podcasts grouped by topic can be downloaded here, but are limited to a 4GB maximum per download, so twelve of those will be needed to get all files, which total over 45GB and will take awhile. The first entry of that collection is a text file listing all the titles for quick searches and researching. All these abstracts have also been assembled alphabetically in two large free volumes at this link and are updated quarterly. Even more diversity is possible using a podcast aggregator loaded with this opml file of 256 sources so even the discarded podcasts can be downloaded and you can make your own selected list.
Abortion Politics 48 mins – “Murder charges yesterday against Robert Dear, Jr. in the shooting deaths of three at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs Friday. He had the padded vest, the shackles. The wide beard, spacey look, vaguely slurred speech. And all the questions around him. Above all, why? Was it obvious? A Planned Parenthood attack means an attack on abortion? On women? Was it deranged? Was it provoked by a season of fiery political language? Can we talk about it? Even now? Before a trial? This hour On Point, women’s health, hot rhetoric, cool heads, and the deadly rampage in Colorado.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Adblock 83 mins – “Leo has a very interesting chat with Job Plas, Thomas Greiner, and Dean Murphy, men behind Adblock Plus and Crystal.” At the link click “Download options,” then right-click “Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ageism 60 mins – “Ashton Applewhite is on a crusade against ageism. She joins the show to discuss the myths and roots of ageism and her talk series, This Chair Rocks. We also discuss her Yo Is This Ageist site, why she scoffs at the Life Extension crew, how her critique of ageism intertwines with her critique of capitalism, what it’s like to suffer from analexophobia, why we should all consider ourselves old people in training, and how she launched the Truly Tasteless Jokes empire.” At the link find the title, “Season 4, Episode 40 – Much Abides, 2014,” right-click “Media files Season 4 Episode_40, Much Abides.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Albania 27 mins – “Maria Margaronis explores the debris of Albania’s past —the prisons, concrete bunkers and secret police headquarters – as the country attempts to deal with its troubled history.” AT the link find the title, “Albania: Shadows of the Past,” right-click “Media files p039tg34.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Altruism 41 mins – “When Matthieu Ricard was in his 20s and studying molecular biology, he traveled to India to meet a Buddhist master he saw in a movie. Soon afterwards, Ricard left behind a promising career in science for a quiet, anonymous life as a Buddhist monk. In the late 1990s, he published “The Monk and the Philosopher,” a dialogue with his father that became an international bestseller. In his latest book, Ricard argues that altruism is the key to solving major world problems like inequality and climate change. He joins us to talk about how consideration for others can solve the challenges of our modern world.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Anonymous Fights ISIS 27 mins – “The online platform Telegram has suspended a number of accounts linked to IS and the online hacking collective Anonymous has declared “total war” on IS after the attacks in Paris. It is not the first time they have had IS in their sights. But what does it mean? Is the move against IS significant? Anonymous’s tactics have often been controversial, sometimes illegal, and do not always win them support. As so-called Islamic State vows to fight back, what, asks Becky Milligan, is Anonymous likely to achieve and will its strategy help or hinder the fight against extremism? Won’t those members of IS who communicate via Twitter or other social networks just open new accounts? Click reports on the imagined power of Anonymous.” At the link rigth-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Asteroid Threat 58 mins – “Ed Lu is a former astronaut and current CEO of the B612 Foundation. On the show this week we talked to him about the threat of asteroids hitting our planet—and what we can do about it. (Topic starts a third of the way in, after news items.) At the link find the title, “112 Ed Lu – The Real Threat of Asteroids,” right-click “Media files dd6630c6-7990-4078-9206-cdf6aa478af4.mp3“ and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Autonomous Technology 60 mins – “Are we on the verge of driverless cars and other forms of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence? David Mindell of MIT and the author of Our Robots, Ourselves talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the robotic revolution. Mindell argues that much of the optimism for autonomous robots ignores decades of experience with semi-autonomous robots in deep-sea operation, space, air, and the military. In all of these areas, the role of human supervision remains at a high level with little full autonomy. Mindell traces some of the history of the human interaction with robots and artificial intelligence and speculates on what the future might hold.” At the link find the title, “David Mindell on Our Robots, Ourselves,” right-click “Media files Mindellrobots.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bad Smells 14 mins – “Many material trifles, such as Silly Putty, started as attempts at serious inventions, but in rare cases, the process works in reverse: something developed as a gag gift can turn into something truly heroic. Invented by high school prankster Allen Wittman using a home chemistry set, the “worst smell in the world” began as a novelty but eventually came to serve a higher purpose….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Beijing Pollution 5 mins – “You feel the tightness in your chest. It’s harder to breathe. You feel light-headed,” says McClatchy News’ Beijing bureau chief Stuart Leavenworth about the thick cloud of smog that’s settled over the city the past five days. “It smells like coal,” Leavenworth says. “It affects everything you do so you don’t exercise, you try not to go to work… Those of us who are expats spend money on expensive air filtration systems in our apartments, but most Chinese can’t afford that.” Pollution in Beijing is notoriously bad, but Leavenworth says the past five days have been “dispiriting.” Chinese authorities raised the environmental alert to the second highest level — orange. But Leavenworth says many are wondering whether authorities are being honest.” 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.
Bell Island Ferry 54 mins – “It’s only a 20 minute ride across ‘the Tickle”, from Bell Island, in the middle of Conception Bay; to Portugal Cove, on the Avalon Peninsula, in eastern Newfoundland, but the Bell Island ferry is both a lifeline, and the bane of every Islander.” At the link find the title, “Crossing the Tickle,” right-click “Media files ideas_20151202_59966.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Best Seller List 46 mins – “…the annual Miami Book Fair International, held recently on the streets surrounding Miami Dade County College. The largest public book fair in the nation, the MBFI hosts hundreds of authors, from National Book Award finalists in poetry to self-published first-time novelists and journalists. Beyond the Book regular Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, joined Oren Teicher, CEO, American Booksellers Association to discuss the importance, and the challenge….” (Reference is made to the number of published titles going from 400,000 to 700,000 in one year!) At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Black Girls Code 26 mins – “James Fletcher travels to one of America’s poorest cities to meet a passionate group of people working hard to get young, black women into technology and tech jobs.” At the link find the title,”Young, Geeky and Black: Memphis,” right-click “Media files p039y4wf.mp” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Blind Children 20 mins – “Peter White goes to Bristol to meet Lily-Grace Hooper, the blind child who’s been told she can’t use her long cane in school for health and safety reasons. And we talk about the merits of Wobbly Wednesday, the campaign to raise awareness of the eye condition, Nystagmus.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Brain Injuries 22 mins – “Traumatic brain injury can result in the emergence of severe psychiatric symptoms. On this episode, Dr. Sandeep Vaishnavi discussed the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric problems associated with traumatic brain injury.” At the link right-click “VBR MP3” on the right side of the page and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Broadband in New Hampshire 19 mins – “Local governments in New Hampshire are quite limited in how they can use public financing to invest in fiber optic networks, but Hanover is exploring an approach to create voluntary special assessment districts that would finance open access fiber optic networks. Town Manager Julia Griffin joins us for Community Broadband Bits Episode 179 to explain their plans. Though New Hampshire does not have any explicit barriers against municipal networks, the state has not authorized local governments to bond for them, which has certainly limited local authority to ensure high quality Internet access. But Hanover is one of several communities around the country that is exploring special assessment districts (sometimes called local improvement districts) that would allow residents and local businesses to opt into an assessment that would finance construction and allow them to pay it off over many years. This approach is well suited to Hanover, which has access to the Fast Roads open access network.” At the link right-click “…download this Mp3 file….” and select ”Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Change and Fear 54 mins – “How does the inner science of ourselves intersect with the outer science of the universe? A Stratford Festival Forum on the theme of discovery with Janice Gross Stein, Dr. Joe MacInnis, and Jay Ingram.” At the link find the title, “The Discovery of Other Worlds,” right-click “Media files ideas_20151201_19078.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chicago Police Teen shooting 49 mins – “Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired the city’s police superintendent yesterday. The move came a week after the release of squad-car video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting an African American teenager. The officer shot 16 bullets into the 17-year-old, who was walking down the street carrying a small knife. The video sparked days of protests in Chicago, reminiscent of unrest in other cities after fatal shootings of African Americans by white officers. In Chicago, the mayor also announced a task force on police accountability. Diane and guests discuss the latest on Chicago and efforts across the country to improve public trust in the police.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Climate Change Impact 21 mins – “For the people of Kiribati, climate change isn’t something to be debated, denied or legislated against — it’s an everyday reality. The low-lying Pacific island nation may soon be underwater, thanks to rising sea levels. In a personal conversation with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Kiribati President Anote Tong discusses his country’s present climate catastrophe and its imperiled future. “In order to deal with climate change, there’s got to be sacrifice. There’s got to be commitment,” he says. “We’ve got to tell people that the world has changed.” At the link click “Download” then right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate Change Overview 28 mins – “As the Paris climate change conference takes place, author Tim Flannery talks to Ian Sample about the prospects for preventing irreversible climate change. Professor Tim Flannery, author of Atmosphere of Hope, gives his assessment of new technology designed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and the importance of the Paris summit.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate Change Play 12 mins – “It began as a PowerPoint presentation about climate change. The audience reaction was positive. Chris Rapley describes how he and a bunch of enthusiastic theatre types moulded the presentation into a captivating piece of theatre that presents a problem, a solution, and hope. Chris Rapley says we have a moral and ethical problem regarding our use of fossil fuels. He asks what our legacy will be.” At the link right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate Talks Paris 48 mins – “…It is crunch time now at the Paris climate talks. Almost time to stand and deliver. For all the promises and expectations to be met – or fall short. Out front, it’s been mainly smiles and high determination. Solemn vows to get it done. To draw a line on climate change. In the back rooms, it’s hardball. Who will really do how much to rein in global warming? Who will check that promises are kept? Who will help pay for poor nations to do their part? Talks like these have fallen apart before. Hopes are high this time, but it’s hard. This hour On Point, inside the crunch time negotiations in Paris.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate Talks Paris 48 mins – “Nearly 150 world leaders gather in Paris today for the much-anticipated U.N. climate change conference. The goal: reach an historic agreement to lower greenhouse gas pollution across the globe. The stakes for the two-week negotiations are high; scientists have predicted catastrophic consequences for the planet unless there is a massive reduction in carbon emissions. And latest projections say 2015 will be the hottest year on record. But global accord faces significant hurdles, complicated by vocal U.S. congressional opposition for president Obama’s climate agenda. Prospects for an international agreement on climate change.” [Four guests.] At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Communication Trends 54 mins – “This week, a special look at design. Crafting tools that help people connect and learn.” At the link find the title, “301: Teaching through text message, designing connection and more,” right-click “Download 301: Teaching through text message, designing connection and more” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
COPD Treatment 16 mins – “Francesca Conway, from the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London is co-author of an article on diagnosis of COPD. She joins us to discuss the major guideline recommendations, and highlights where they concur and where they differ. Read the full article….” At the link find the title, “Diagnosing COPD in primary care,” right-click “Media files 236030587-bmjgroup-diagnosing-copd-in-primary.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
CRISPR and Cas Genes 110 mins – “Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler For a TWiV Thanksgiving, Vincent, Alan, and Kathy trace the feud over genome editing, a new virus discovered in human blood, and the origins of hepatitis A virus.” At the link right-click “TWiV 365”and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cuban Health Care 27 mins – “Cuba is not a rich country but it has free, universal healthcare and some impressive health statistics. In the first of two, special programmes from Havana, Claudia Hammond investigates how Cuba manages to have lower rates of infant mortality and similar life expectancy, to the United States. Is it the focus on prevention, that is the key – and could other countries learn from the Cuban experience? Producer: Fiona Hill” At the link find the title, “Health in Cuba: Prevention Better than Cure,” right-click “Media files p039xtv9.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Debt Collection Scandal 61 mins “The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Neighborhoods,” Paul Kiel and Annie Waldman. This twenty-minute segment is part of a larger collection, runs from 35 to 56 mins (16 total), based on the article that’s linked at the start of this quotation. At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Disarmament 53 mins – “We kick off the new year by talking about the end of the world! Guest Ron Rosenbaum discusses his new book on nuclear war, the paradox of deterrence, the evolution of literary journalism, Nixon’s final lie, and more!” At the link find the title, “Season 3, Episode 1 – Disarm, Jan 2013,” right-click “Media files Season 3, Episode_1 Disarm.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Doxing 14 mins – “In this issue: The Doxing Trend; The Rise of Political Doxing; Breaking Diffie-Hellman with Massive Precomputation (Again); ; Australia Is Testing Virtual Passports; The Effects of Surveillance on the Victims.” At the link find the titley, “Crypto-Gram 15 Nov 2015,” right-click “Media files crypto-gram-15-11.mp3 “ and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Earths Core 43 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Earth’s Core. The inner core is an extremely dense, solid ball of iron and nickel, the size of the Moon, while the outer core is a flowing liquid, the size of Mars. Thanks to the magnetic fields produced within the core, life on Earth is possible. The magnetosphere protects the Earth from much of the Sun’s radiation and the flow of particles which would otherwise strip away the atmosphere. The precise structure of the core and its properties have been fascinating scientists from the Renaissance. Recent seismographs show the picture is even more complex than we might have imagined, with suggestions that the core is spinning at a different speed and on a different axis from the surface. With Stephen Blundell Professor of Physics and Fellow of Mansfield College at the University of Oxford Arwen Deuss Associate Professor in Seismology at Utrecht University and Simon Redfern Professor of Mineral Physics at the University of Cambridge Producer: Simon Tillotson.” ”The Earth’s Core Apr 2015,”
Eco Shock Radio 60 mins – “Welcome to Radio Ecoshock. I have lots for you in this program. Two reports direct from Paris, plus an interview on the best, maybe the only, way to really save the future. But first I want you to hear 10 minutes from the former NASA scientist who warned us all about climate change, back in 1988. Here is Dr. James Hansen speaking December 2nd, at a press conference at COP21, the big climate summit in Paris, as posted on You tube by envirobeat.com “ At the link right-click “Lo-Fi” beside “Download” and select “Save Link s” from the pop-up menu.
Ed Tech Talk 60 mins – “Online Teaching Summer Brainstorm Part#2 – Student CollaborationProjects & Teaching Kids Online by the English Language Teaching community. At the link right-click “download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ether 7 mins – “When I tell people that I write about the chemistry of the First World War, they often assume that I’m only interested in chemical warfare. I explain that poison gases were not the only chemicals used in the war. Explosives are also chemicals. Furthermore and just as important, chemistry played a critical role in the care of the sick and wounded. I point out, for example, that morphine, a naturally occurring chemical, was widely used as a painkiller in casualty clearing stations and military hospitals. Troops disinfected trenches and latrines with chloride of lime, a chemical otherwise known as bleaching powder. Carbolic acid, tincture of iodine and other antiseptics were widely used to prevent and treat infections. And finally, surgeons employed chloroform, nitrous oxide or diethyl ether, all of them chemical compounds, as general anaesthetics while amputating limbs and carrying out other operations. Many of these compounds have long histories. None more so than diethyl ether. This volatile, colourless liquid with a sweetish smell is often simply known as ether. The word ‘ether’ can be traced back to the 4th century BC when the Greek philosopher Aristotle proposed that ether should be added as a fifth element to the four classical elements: earth, water, air, and fire. He suggested that ether was the heavenly element that made up the stars and planets.” At the link right-click “Download: CIIE DiethylEther.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Exxon Mobile Climate Denier 36 mins – “In October, a critical report on Exxon Mobil’s climate change position appeared in The Los Angeles Times. Now the company is taking on the authors of the report — Columbia University’s journalism school.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Finances By Slate 48 mins – “On this episode of Slate Money, Felix Salmon of Fusion, Cathy O’Neil of mathbabe.org, and Slate‘s Moneybox columnist Jordan Weissmann share the financial odds and ends they’re most thankful for this year, including:Insurance (Cathy), Index Funds (Felix), McDonald’s (Jordan)” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the ring end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Food Delivery 18 mins – “A national network of food banks couldn’t figure out how to get the right food to the right place at the right time. So they tried a bold experiment: the free market.” At the link find the title, “#665: The Pickle Problem,” right-click “Media files 20151125_pmoney_pmpod2.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
French Unrest 54 mins – “From a 2009 IDEAS series about France, Gilbert Reid explores the riots in 2005 that spread from the high rise suburbs outside Paris across the country, leaving thousands of people arrested.” At the link find the title, “Is France Burning? (Encore May 27, 2009),” right-click “Media files ideas_20151130_63676.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fundamental Forces 51 mins – “There is no force stronger… THE STRONG FORCE! …this is a really fun episode where we talk about how protons are made of quarks stuck together with gluons. so much fun. At the link find the title, “Episode 59: Strange Truth and Charming Beauty,” right-click “Media files Ep 59 Strange Truth And Charming Beauty.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gamify Your Classroom 83 mins – “Educator (and high school pal) Matthew Farber joins the show to talk about his new book, Gamify Your Classroom: A Field Guide to Game-Based Learning. We talk about edutainment’s bad rep, developing good games for students, getting getting buy-in from faculty, administration and — most importantly — students, the subjects that benefit most from game-based learning, and why Pandemic is the best game he’s ever used to teach. I also vent about how primitive the technology was when Matt & I were in school, compared to having 3-D printers in the classroom nowadays. Oh, and we get around to dismissing Roger Ebert’s claim that games are not art! Give it a listen! – See more” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gender and Sex 30 mins – “Several years ago historian of medicine Alice Dreger found herself in a room full of intersexed people, individuals with reproductive or sexual anatomy that is neither typically female nor male. Dreger noticed something strange: many of them had teeth that were in bad shape. She soon learned that many of them had endured such traumatic experiences with doctors that they wouldn’t go near anyone in a white coat, including dentists. We were astonished by this story, so we asked Dreger to tell us more. She joined us for our December podcast alongside Eric Vilain, a medical geneticist and director of the Center for Gender-based Biology at UCLA. While intersex, transgender, and transsexual issues have recently entered the mainstream, our guests explain that there have always been those whose anatomy or identity prevents them from fitting neatly into the categories of male or female. And even with this newfound exposure, tensions continue to exist for them all.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Giving Tuesday 48 mins -”…A check for $500,000 dropped in a Salvation Army red kettle in Minneapolis yesterday. That’s a bell ringer. Your giving this season may not be quite so grand. But giving is important, feels good, and there are more ways to do it now than ever. Today has been dubbed “Giving Tuesday” by philanthropy advocates looking to raise an option to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Looking to give American giving the visibility of American shopping. And there are new ways, crowdsourcing and beyond. This hour On Point, for Giving Tuesday, who’s giving what, where, how and why now.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Glass Science 42 mins – “While glass items have been made for at least 5,000 years, scientists are yet to explain, conclusively, what happens when the substance it’s made from moves from a molten state to its hard, transparent phase. It is said to be one of the great unsolved problems in physics. While apparently solid, the glass retains certain properties of a liquid. At times, ways of making glass have been highly confidential; in Venice in the Middle Ages, disclosure of manufacturing techniques was a capital offence. Despite the complexity and mystery of the science of glass, glass technology has continued to advance from sheet glass to crystal glass, optical glass and prisms, to float glasses, chemical glassware, fibre optics and metal glasses. With: Dame Athene Donald Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and Master of Churchill College, Cambridge Jim Bennett Former Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford and Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum Paul McMillan Professor of Chemistry at University College London Producer: Simon Tillotson.” At the link find the title, “The Science of Glass May 2015,” right-click “Media files” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Global Health Status 54 mins – “Our lecture this week is presented by the Boston University College of General Studies. Our speaker is Partners in Health co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer. Dr. Farmer will speak on “The Current State of Global Health.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Grand Families 48 mins – “An estimated 2.7 million grandparents in the U.S. have the responsibility of taking care of their grandchildren. In some cases the parent is still in the picture; in others, grandparents step in to become the sole provider. Whatever the arrangement and whatever the reason for coming together, experts say there are many benefits for a child when they remain in the care of a family member. But there are challenges too. Grandparents who take on full responsibility may lack legal custody preventing access to basic services, and others may experience financial problems. Diane and her guests take a closer look at grandparent caregivers.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Gun Control Politics 20 mins – “Hours before Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, a group of physicians petitioned Congress to end the so-called Dickey Amendment, a nearly twenty-year-old ban that effectively prevents the CDC from researching gun violence. Brooke talks with Todd Zwillich, Washington Correspondent for The Takeaway, about the history of the ban and its current political state. And: as the names of the victims are being released to the public and their families struggle to make meaning from their incalculable loss, they often find they must learn how to manage the media to achieve their goals. The template for that kind of PR savvy was established back in 1999, after the massacre at Columbine High School, as Karen Duffin reported for us a few years ago.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow under the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hearing Problems 23 mins – “When Rose* was growing up, she knew something wasn’t quite right about how she heard the world. She says it felt like she was isolated by an invisible wall. But when she got typical hearing tests at an audiologist’s office? She aced them, every time. Rose’s problem was particularly bad in noisy places. “It doesn’t take much,” she says. “It could be five computers in a room and a bunch of shuffling around — you lose me at that point.” It took Rose years, and plenty of doctors’ visits, to figure out what was happening. And when she did find out, it was thanks to the persistence of Professor Nina Kraus. Kraus runs an auditory neuroscience laboratory at Northwestern University. For decades, Kraus has been conducting research on Rose and other patients like her to learn just how vital our brains are to understanding sound. And she discovered how hearing difficulties can be a marker for all types of neurological issues — autism, dyslexia, learning delays — that have nothing to do with our ears. How our brain translates sound can have a profound impact on how we understand the world around us. Find out more here.” At the link find the title, “Your Brain On Sound” right-click “Media files onlyhuman120115_cms554073 pod.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hitler 60 mins – “Ron Rosenbaum returns to the show to talk about the new edition of his amazing book, Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil (Da Capo Press)! We talk Hitler, the meaning(s) of evil, determinism and free will, Hitler-as-artist vs. Hitler-as-suicide-bomber, “degenerate art,” the tendency to blame Jews for their misfortune, and how internet culture has warped the meaning of Hitler in the 16 years since Ron’s book was first published.” At the link right-click “Direct download: Season 4, Episode 28, Re-Explaining Hitler.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Human Heart 38 mins – “In this special edition of the podcast, first aired in 2011, Guardian science correspondent Alok Jha and Kevin Fong, an anaesthetist and media fellow at the Wellcome Trust, discussed the physiology, chemistry and dynamics of this remarkable organ and how research into tissue regeneration is opening up a new frontier in the treatment of damaged hearts. There are contributions from heart experts Prof Michael Shattock from King’s College London, cardiologist Prof Raymond MacAllister of University College Hospital and cardiac stem cell researcher Prof Paul Riley from the University of Oxford.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ice Cream Trucks 30 mins – “Today we discover the rules of war, negotiation, and conflict resolution in a most unlikely place – deep in the heart and soul of that tasty frozen treat we all scream for. Editor’s Note: In our podcast, The Cold War, we failed to correctly credit David Wolman and Julian Smith, who wrote and reported the article on which it was based. At the time we published this podcast, we had not properly determined the extent of their role in finding and developing this story. As a result, we have removed the episode from the Radiolab archive. We did not feel a correction could rectify the problem and Radiolab honors its relationships with contributors too much to let the error remain.” However, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Indian Royal Society President 9 mins – “Venkatraman (Venki) Ramakrishnan is an Indian-born American and British structural biologist and from November 2015, President of the Royal Society. In 2009 he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath, “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”. He works at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. In this discussion with Robyn Williams, he describes the challenge in communicating science when people are sometimes irrational and not open to evidence. He says our modern society is based on science and people need reminding of the great achievements made in just 200 years.” At the link right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
James Cook Explorer 47 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the scientific advances made in the three voyages of Captain James Cook, from 1768 to 1779. Cook’s voyages astonished Europeans, bringing back detailed knowledge of the Pacific and its people, from the Antarctic to the Bering Straits. This topic is one of more than a thousand different ideas suggested by listeners in October and came from Alysoun Hodges in the UK, Fiachra O’Brolchain in Ireland, Mhairi Mackay in New Zealand, Enzo Vozzo in Australia, Jeff Radford in British Columbia and Mark Green in Alaska. With Simon Schaffer Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Rebekah Higgitt Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Kent And Sophie Forgan Retired Principle Lecturer at the University of Teesside Chairman of Trustees of the Captain Cook Museum, Whitby Producer: Simon Tillotson.” At the link find the title, “Voyages of James Cook,” right-click “Media files p039zfvt.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Jules Feiffer 58 mins – “The legendary Jules Feiffer joins the show to talk about his new comic noir, Kill My Mother, as well as the preceding 60+ years of his career as a cartoonist, satirist, Obie Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, children’s book author, and memoirist.” At the link findthe title, “Season 4, Episode 44 – Slow Learner,” right-click “Media files Season 4, Episode 44, Slow Learner.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Lithium Batteries 30 mins – “Stanley Whittingham is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at SUNY Binghamton. Whittingham was a pioneer in the research and development of the lithium battery, which are used to power everything from laptops to tablets to smartphones to electrical medical devices. He talks about why lithium batteries are so efficient, and why they are sometimes subject to rupture, overheating, or even exploding.” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Mamluk Tribe 38 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Mamluks, who ruled Egypt and Syria from about 1250 to 1517. Originally slave soldiers who managed to depose their masters, they went on to repel the Mongols and the Crusaders to become the dominant force in the medieval Islamic Middle Eastern world. Although the Mamluks were renowned as warriors, under their rule art, crafts and architecture blossomed. Little known by many in the West today, the Mamluks remained in power for almost 300 years until they were eventually overthrown by the Ottomans. With: Amira Bennison Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College Robert Irwin Former Senior Research Associate in the Department of History at SOAS, University of London Doris Behrens-Abouseif Nasser D Khalili Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London Producer: Victoria Brignell.” At the link find the title, “The Mamluks Sept 2013,” right-click “Media files p02q59vn.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Marijuana Testing 3 mins – “New device could help marijuana users determine if newly legal drug meets expectations.” At the link find the title, “Episode 580 – Dec 03 2015,” right-click “Media files ScienceElements_Dec3_2015.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Maxwell Biography 28 mins – “Albert Einstein said, ‘I stand not on the shoulders of Newton, but on the shoulders of James Clerk Maxwell’. A survey of top physicists ranked Maxwell as physicist number three of all time, after Einstein and Newton. His contributions range over electromagnetism, the kinetic theory of gases, thermodynamics, colour, and the strength of materials. Up to the time of Maxwell, the world was understood in terms of physical forces. Maxwell provided the bridge between the old model and that of the twentieth century which is dominated by fields. And it was this model on which Einstein based much of his own revolutionary work. Maxwell is said to have provided the foundations for our modern western society with this theory of electromagnetism. It has given us radio, television, mobile phones and more. As we celebrate 150 years since Maxwell published his theory, Sharon Carleton reflects on the life of Maxwell and asks why so few people are familiar with his achievements.” At the link right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Medical Migrant 31 mins – “In today’s episode, Ryan talks with fellow physician-podcaster, Dr. Paddy Barrett who is the man behind the podcast The Doctor Paradox. Dr. Barrett is from Ireland and somewhat considers himself as a “medical nomad” having done various medical school training and internship in medicine and surgery in Ireland, cardiothoracic surgical training and working in emergency medicine in Australia, interventional cardiology fellowship in Columbia and New York, as well as training and practice in Scripps in San Diego, California.According to Dr. Barrett, more and more studies are coming out about how physicians are unhappy, not to mention the skyrocketing statistics of suicide. On the flip side, new data was released suggesting the record-breaking number of students applying to medical school each year. In this episode, you will have a quick glimpse of his transition from being an international medical graduate in Ireland to living in the U.S as well as Ireland’s medical school scene. Dr. Barrett also shares with us a ton of golden insights to help you scour your way through your own medical path that’s laden with too much negativity from unhappy physicians.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Microbiology Trends 61 mins – “Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter and Michele Swanson The TWiMeriti reveal a Brazilian social bee that must cultivate a fungus to survive, and diet-mediated reduction in gut colonization by Candida albicans.” At the link right-click “TWiM#116” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Migrant Investing 56 mins – “On December 11, the EB-5 regional center program, a key piece of the U.S. EB-5 investor visa program is set to expire unless Congress acts to reauthorize or simply extend it. The EB-5 program grants legal permanent residence (green cards) to foreign nationals who invest at least $1 million (or $500,000 in poorer areas) in a U.S. commercial enterprise that creates or preserves ten jobs. Uncertainty about the future of the U.S. EB-5 program comes as several other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries are trying to maximize the investor visa programs’ economic benefits. Against this backdrop, Migration Policy Institute President Emeritus Demetrios Papademetriou and MPI’s Kate Hooper examine the motivations underpinning recent changes to investor visa programs in North America, Europe, and elsewhere, and the implications for the future direction of these programs.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Monkeys and Money 48 mins – “Our guest in this episode of the You Are Not So Smart Podcast is psychologist Laurie Santos who heads the Comparative Cognition Laboratory at Yale University. In that lab, she and her colleagues are exploring the fact that when two species share a relative on the evolutionary family tree, not only do they share similar physical features, but they also share similar behaviors. Psychologists and other scientists have used animals to study humans for a very long time, but Santos and her colleagues have taken it a step further by choosing to focus on a closer relation, the capuchin monkey; that way they could investigate subtler, more complex aspects of human decision making – like cognitive biases. One of her most fascinating lines of research has come from training monkeys how to use money. That by itself is worthy of a jaw drop or two. Yes, monkeys can be taught how to trade tokens for food, and for years, Santos has observed capuchin monkeys attempting to solve the same sort of financial problems humans have attempted in prior experiments, and what Santos and others have discovered is pretty amazing. Monkeys and humans seem to be prone to the same biases, and when it comes to money, they make the same kinds of mistakes.” At the link find the title, “064 – Monkey Marketplace – Laurie Santos,” right-click “Media files 064 Monkey Marketplace, Laurie Santos rebroadcast.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Motown Music 49 mins – “Diana Ross and the Supremes. Smokey Robinson. Stevie Wonder. The Jackson 5. There’s one thing they all have in common. Berry Gordy. A Detroit songwriter with a vision, Gordy founded the Motown record label in 1959. It was a time of racial turmoil, when African Americans experienced blatant discrimination in everyday life. Opportunities as mainstream entertainers were scarce. Gordy nurtured talented black vocal artists, gave them an avenue for success and helped create what became known as the Motown sound. That history is told in “Motown the Musical,” now on tour around the U.S. Join Diane for a conversation with Motown founder Berry Gordy and director Charles Randolph-Wright of “Motown the Musical.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Nuclear Power 48 mins – “…Will it take nuclear power – a lot more nuclear power – to save the world from climate change? The debate is on. In Paris and beyond. The world leaders have made their speeches and gone home. Their negotiators and technocrats are still in Paris, at the climate summit, trying to turn their bosses’ words into a real deal. But even if this turns out to be a diplomatic triumph, it still only gets the world halfway to the goal of stopping the rise in carbon. The focus is on renewables –wind, solar—and who pays for what. But experts on the sidelines say that’s not enough –you have to go nuclear –a lot of nuclear plants across the planet—to get to where we need to be. This hour, On Point, climate, carbon and nuclear energy.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Podcast Startup Process 35 mins – “Gimlet is growing fast. We have four shows on the air, and several others in pre-production. If we want to grow faster, though, we could use some more cash. Matt and Alex head back into the world of venture capital, deciding whether or not to raise another round of financing, this time, much bigger.” AT the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Polish Jews 54 mins – “This week we feature a reading and conversation presented by the Boston University Center for the Study of Europe, and the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. Speaking on their new book “The Crime and the Silence: Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne” are author, Anna Bikont, and translator, Alissa Valles. Princeton University Research Scholar and Lecturer in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Irena Grudzinska Gross moderates.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Post Traumatic Growth 11 mins – “Given the choice between a job candidate with a perfect resume and one who has fought through difficulty, human resources executive Regina Hartley always gives the “Scrapper” a chance. As someone who grew up with adversity, Hartley knows that those who flourish in the darkest of spaces are empowered with the grit to persist in an ever-changing workplace. “Choose the underestimated contender, whose secret weapons are passion and purpose,” she says. “Hire the Scrapper.” At the link click “Download” then right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Privacy 67 mins – “Robin Chase — cofounder of Zipcar and Veniam (building a dynamic communications network for the Internet of moving things) — lays out a near term future where communications and software platforms will deliver us smart cities, smart homes, and ubiquitous clean low-cost shared transport. On the one hand we have an environmental imperative to get co2 emissions under control, use assets efficiently, deliver thriving sustainable cities. On the other hand, at what cost to privacy?” Chase authored the book, Peers, Inc.: “When Robin Chase cofounded Zipcar, she not only started a business but established the foundation for one of the most important economic and social ideas of our time: the collaborative economy. With this important book, she broadens our thinking about the ways in which the economy is being transformed and shows how the Peers Inc model is changing the very nature of capitalism.” At the link right-click “Download the MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Producing TWIV Podcast 24 mins – “Can any topic be turned into a podcast – and succeed? Probably. Because it isn’t just about the topic – it’s also about the talent and production of the podcast. Vincent Racaniello is a professor at Columbia University as well as the creator and host of the podcast “This Week in Virology. If you think that sounds too niche-y or academic, he also has a podcast on parasite and one on microbiology! Those are topics that would be very easy to make boring – or appeal only to academic types. But those people do not make up the majority of Vincent’s audience.The podcasts are actually quite entertaining and easy to listen to. What Vincent has is a passion for his topic and a desire to really create a great podcast. And having done over 350 episodes, he has gotten quite good at it. I think you will enjoy hearing his story on this week’s Perfect Your Podcast podcast.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” frolm the pop-up menu.
Racetam Family 33 mins – “In keeping with holiday tradition, our favorite family comes over for a visit: the Racetam family. Old uncle Piracetam shuffles in, proudly brandishing his “True Nootropic” Award. Aniracetam and Oxiractam look like they’re having a hard time dealing with the young ones. Coluracetam, Nefiracetam and Fasoracetam run around between the grown-ups, getting into all sorts of mischief. It’s also a reunion with Dr. Andrew Hill — one of Smart Drug Smarts’ very first guests, as well as the resident neuroscientist at TruBrain and the Founding Director of the Peak Brain Institute in LA, where he specializes in neurofeedback solutions.Whether you’re complete strangers or bosom buddies with the Racetam family (who trace their roots back to Belgium), Jesse and Dr. Andrew Hill will make you feel welcome and get you introduced to everybody.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Rape Culture 52 mins – “Monday, Doug’s guest is feminist author Kate Harding, whose most recent book is a blunt examination of sexual assault as a social phenomenon. Harding says we talk about it in the passive voice: “Local woman raped.” But somebody is to blame, and Harding argues our culture is diverting scrutiny from the criminals and asking the wrong questions of victims. She joins us to talk about the ways stereotypes in entertainment, news media, politics, and daily life have created our rape culture. Information and education for teens and young adults about sexuality is available on the Web site Scarleteen.com. Visit the Utah Rape Recovery Center’s Web site for more resources.” At the link right-click the play button next to “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ribosomes Purpose 10 mins – “Venki Ramakrishnan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009 together with Ada Yonath and Tom Steitz. They used X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of ribosomes. Venki Ramakrishnan describes ribosomes as machines often made from a million atoms. They are found in all cells of the body and use the genetic information from our genes to produce proteins. Each cell contains thousands of proteins which form the basis of chemical reactions allowing our bodies to operate.” At the link right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Right to Try 49 mins – “Last year, Colorado became the first state to pass a law that gives terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs without Food & Drug Administration approval. Now, more than 20 states have passed similar, “Right-to-Try” laws. Supporters say they help patients who can’t wait for an F.D.A. approval process that can take more than 10 years. But critics say Right-to-Try laws put patients at risk and undermine clinical trials. And they say the F.D.A. already has a compassionate-use application process that works. Diane and guests discuss debate over Right-to-Try laws in the states.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Siege of Leningrad 32 mins – “Hitler has renewed the drive to Moscow, Operation Typhoon, and needs the panzers from Army Group North. Which means, Leningrad needs to be cut off from help, quickly. September and October become a battle of wills between Stalin and his attacker, as both try to control the area south of Lake Ladoga and the last rail line between Leningrad and Moscow.” At the link find the title, “Episode 146-The Siege of Leningrad Part 3, Slugfest,” right-click “Media files Episode146A, 113015_10.30_PM.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Silk Road History 38 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and guests Tim Barrett, Naomi Standen and Frances Wood discuss the Silk Road, the trade routes which spanned Asia for over a thousand years, carrying Buddhism to China and paper-making and gunpowder westwards. In 1900, a Taoist monk came upon a cave near the Chinese town of Dunhuang. Inside, he found thousands of ancient manuscripts. They revealed a vast amount of evidence about the so-called Silk Road: the great trade routes which had stretched from Central Asia, through desert oases, to China, throughout the first millennium. Besides silk, the Silk Road helped the dispersion of writing and paper-making, coinage and gunpowder, and it was along these trade routes that Buddhism reached China from India. The history of these transcontinental links reveals a dazzlingly complex meeting and mingling of civilisations, which lasted for well over a thousand years.With:Tim Barrett is Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies; Naomi Standen is Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Newcastle University; Frances Wood is Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library.” At the link find the title, “The Silk Road Dec 2009,” right-click “Media files p02q5dl0.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Software Updates 37 mins – “A software update that almost brought down the International Space Station with astronauts inside, updating software inside your body, and the days when even geeks dreaded installing new programs. Listen, decode, and decide: Is the software update evil? “ At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Solar City 5 mins – “…In recent years California has become a major incubator for green technology, and the policies to promote them. And Governor Jerry Brown wants to export a little of his state’s magic globally. He’s carrying an agreement among local jurisdictions around the world to Paris: Dozens of cities, states and provinces promising to take action toward stopping global warming at 2 degrees Celsius. Brown wants negotiators to take note. “We are mere subnational units,” Brown says. “That’s not a very glorious title, to be a subnational. Sounds a bit underground. Nevertheless, there’s flexibility in being a state or a region… Today renewable energy is a cornerstone of the state’s carbon-cutting policies, spawning dozens of big rooftop solar installers like Solar City. Another idea Brown promoted 35 years ago, to let people sell electricity back to the grid, now looks like this in California: Crews rolling out seven days a week to put solar on homes and box stores outside LA. Solar City’s Ernie Harmon says public demand just keeps rising… Californians aren’t alone in thinking their climate work is awesome, as Cristiana Figueres, the UN diplomat leading the Paris talks, told the state’s lawmakers this year. Figueres said the state sends a loud and important signal to the rest of the world… Of course not everyone sees California as the world’s leading light on climate. Robert Stavins, an environmental economist at Harvard, says Californians believe that they are of “greater significance to the international climate world than they are.” Stavins points out California itself is responsible for only about 1.5 percent of the world’s emissions. And while California’s efforts to lead by example have worked locally, all that awesomeness hasn’t added up to much climate action outside the state — yet.‘ 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.
Solar Research 170 mins – “SOFIA is an airborne observatory, a Boeing 747SP modified to carry a 2.7m infrared telescope in the back of the fuselage. In the context of the preparation for my SOFIA flights, I visited the DSI in Stuttgart several times during this summer to record interviews with various DSI people about SOFIA. This episode covers these interviews, plus a recording of the visit of the instrument labs in Palmdale. The guests and topics are Alfred Krabbe, Head of the DSI, on the history and some of the science; Thomas Keilig, CEO of DSI, on the airplane and the modifications; Christian Fischer, Project Engineer of FIFI-LS, on the instrument and some of the science; Dörte Mehlert, Education and Public Outreach, on education and the flying teachers programme; and Zaheer Ali, head of the science and mission operations laboratory, on that lab.” At the link find the title “Omegatau 189,” right-click it and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Stress 106 mins – “Robert Sapolsky is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University, and a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. We talked to Sapolsky about what it means to be human, what we humans can learn from other species, and why he—despite being a self-described pessimist—feels optimistic about our prospects as a species. This week’s episode was recorded live in San Francisco for the 2015 Bay Area Science Festival and was produced in collaboration with The Leakey Foundation and their podcast Origin Stories.” At the link find the title, “Robert Sapolsky – Being Human,” right-click “Media files 07d00bec-5ca3-4e01-a016-8af135c17b09.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sunni and Shia Islam 38 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and guests Amira Bennison, Robert Gleave and Hugh Kennedy discuss the split between the Sunni and the Shia. This schism came to dominate early Islam, and yet it did not spring at first from a deep theological disagreement, but rather from a dispute about who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad, and on what grounds. The supporters of the Prophet’s cousin Ali argued for the hereditary principle; their opponents championed systems of selection. Ali’s followers were to become the Shia; the supporters of selection were to become Sunnis. It is a story that takes us from Medina to Syria and on into Iraq, that takes in complex family loyalties, civil war and the killing at Karbala of the Prophet’s grandson. Husayn has been commemorated as a martyr by the Shia ever since, and his death helped to formalise the divide as first a political and then a profoundly theological separation. Amira Bennison is Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; Robert Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter; Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.” At the link find the title, “Sunni and Shia Islam Jun 2009,” right-click “Media files p02q5pld.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Telemedicine 27 mins – “Dr. Uber Will See You Now (or will she?)” At the link find the title, “ White Coat Black Art – Dr Uber,” right-click “Download White Coat Black Art – Dr Uber” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Unicorn Bubble 48 mins – “he herd of tech startups valued at more than a billion dollars – so-called “unicorns,” Airbnb, Uber – and whether their bubble is about to burst. For a startup tech company to be valued at a billion dollars before it ever goes public was once so rare that those few were called “unicorns.” These days, there are unicorns running all over the place in Silicon Valley. Private money has gushed into quite young companies. Some you know: Uber, Snapchat, AirBnb. Many you don’t: CreditKarma, Thumbtack, Twilio. Has all that money blown American high tech into a giant bubble? It’s a hot question right now. And if it pops, who gets hurt? Does everybody? Do you? This hour On Point, Unicorn fever, and fears of a high tech bubble.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Urban Farming 112 mins – “Curtis Stone is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a commercial urban farm based in Kelowna, BC, Canada. Farming less than half an acre on a collection of urban plots, Green City Acres grows vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants and retail outlets. After five successful seasons, Curtis has demonstrated that one can grow an extraordinary amount of food in a backyard, and make a good living doing it. During his slower months, Curtis works as a public speaker, teacher, and consultant, sharing his story to inspire a new generation of farmers. Today he joins us to discuss his new book titled, The Urban Farmer, Growing Food For Profit on Leased and Borrowed.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
VR Impact 9 mins – “What if you could experience a story with your entire body, not just with your mind? Nonny de la Peña is working on a new form of journalism that combines traditional reporting with emerging virtual reality technology to put the audience inside the story. The result is an evocative experience that de la Peña hopes will help people understand the news in a brand new way.” At the link click “Download” then right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Whale Evolution 40 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and guests Steve Jones, Bill Amos and Eleanor Weston discuss the evolutionary history of the whale. The ancestor of all whales alive today was a small, land-based mammal with cloven hoofs, perhaps like a pig or a big mole. How this creature developed into the celebrated leviathan of the deep is one of the more extraordinary stories in the canon of evolution. The whale has undergone vast changes in size, has moved from land to water, lost its legs and developed specialised features such as filter feeding and echo location. How it achieved this is an exemplar of how evolution works and how natural selection can impose extreme changes on the body shape and abilities of living things. How the story of the whales was pieced together also reveals the various forms of evidence – from fossils to molecules – that we now use to understand the ancestry of life on Earth. Steve Jones is Professor of Genetics at University College London; Eleanor Weston is a mammalian paleontologist at the Natural History Museum, London; Bill Amos is Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at Cambridge University.” At the link find the title, “The Whale – A History May 2009,” right-click “Media files p02r5hl3.mp3“ and select “Save Lin As” from the pop-up menu.
Woodrow Wilson Issue 48 mins – “…The hot debate over Woodrow Wilson’s legacy and whether his name should be removed from the Princeton campus for his racist views. It’s now a national debate. Plus, protests drive Chicago’s police chief to resign.[Princeton University’s Nassau Hall, where students are staging a sit-in, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. The protesters from a group called the Black Justice League, who staged a sit-in inside university President Christopher Eisgruber’s office on Tuesday, demand the school remove the name of former school president and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from programs and buildings over what they said was his racist legacy.] On American college campuses right now, there is a fever on to call out racism, confront history, and rename college buildings. The biggest call of all may be over Woodrow Wilson. The 28th president of the United States is revered for many things, but on race he now looks pretty bad. Undeniably bad. Racist. So, should his name come off Princeton’s famed Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs? Is that fair? Is that necessary?” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
XBox Project 28 mins – “Robbie Bach, who headed the Microsoft division that developed the Xbox, discusses technology, tech competition and lessons learned from Xbox’s development he believes should be applied to American civic life.” At the link find the title, “Communicators with Robbie Bach,” right-click “Media files program.416629.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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Media Mining Digest 