The following audio files come from a larger group of 118 for this week. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted links, below, to get single podcasts. A zip file of all 23 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed will download here for four months. Older groups of podcasts are discussed at the end of this episode.
3D Printing 24 mins – “3D printing looks set to revolutionise manufacturing. But is this democratisation at the expense of expertise? Does 3D printing really facilitate high quality bespoke productions?” At the link find the title, “DigitalP: 31 Dec 13: 3D Printing,” right-click “Media files digitalp_20131231-2050a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Affordable Care Act Discussion 51 mins – “Health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act is slated to begin Jan. 1, 2014. Diane and her [2] guests discuss the status of the program rollout and how sign-up deadline extensions and exemptions have affected insurers and consumers.” (Over 160 comments!) You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the file is included in the zip collection noted in the introduction to this episode.
Age Wave and Women 36 mins – “Maddy Dychtwald – Author of Influence: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better, co-founder of Age Wave, world renowned speaker, leading expert on the changing demographic trends—both generation- and gender-related—shaping the marketplace, the workplace and our lives. The aging of the workforce has been well publicized. The baby-boom generation is reaching retirement and there is a supposed “talent gap” that is going to be problematic to our economy.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link/Target As” from the pop-up menu.
Alcohol in America 52 mins – “…Alcohol has been part of American celebrations – and the American experience – since the country’s inception. Founding father Benjamin Franklin loved the hard stuff so much he compiled “The Drinker’s Dictionary,” featuring 228 synonyms for the word “drunk”! So in this episode, we dive into alcohol in the American past, and emerge without a hangover. We’ll explore how the consumption and production of alcohol has ebbed and flowed over American history, consider why rum became the drink of choice among revolutionary troops, ask why American Indians were rejecting alcohol two centuries before the rest of the country, and follow the long march toward Prohibition.” At the link right-click “Download” under the sound bar and select “Save Link/Target As” from the pop-up menu.
Bank Control in the U.S. 60 mins – “Richard Fisher, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the problems with “too big to fail”–the policy idea that certain financial institutions are too large to face the bankruptcy or failure and need to be rescued or bailed-out. Fisher argues that “too big to fail” remains a serious problem despite claims that recent financial regulation has eliminated it. Fisher discusses various ways to deal with too-big-to-fail, including his own preferred policy. The last part of the conversation deals with quantitative easing and monetary policy during the crisis.
Brain Scans 27 mins – “Claudia Hammond looks at developments in neuroscience and how our understanding of the brain has changed,” At the link find the title, “HealthC: 25 years of neuroscience,” right-click “Media files healthc 20140101-2000a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Broadband in Libraries 23 mins – “This week, Don Means joins us to talk about public libraries, their role in the modern era, and an interesting pilot project involving several libraries and white spaces wireless technology. Don is the coordinator of the Gigabit Libraries Network and has a passion for both libraries and expanding Internet access to all. We offer some basic background on “TV white spaces” wireless technology (see our other coverage of that technology here). The pilot libraries in this project are using white spaces as backhaul from a library branch location to nearby areas where they have created Wi-Fi hot spots. Libraries involved with the project are located in Kansas, New Hampshire, Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, and California.” At the link right-click “…download this MP3 file…” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Constitution vs Treaties 22 mins – “What does a jilted lover’s revenge have to do with an international chemical weapons treaty? More than you’d think. From poison and duck hunts to our feuding fathers, we step into a very odd tug of war between local and federal law.” At the link right-click “stream” at the left below the title and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu. This will download a (m3u) link that will download and play the podcast, when clicked.
Coral Reef Decline 6 mins – “There’s no shortage of lovely places in Palau, but perhaps none as remarkable as Nikko Bay…. There’s coral everywhere. The bottom is carpeted with fan corals, big boulder-shaped corals, long green tendril-y corals, even squishy corals, all jockeying for position….But here’s the thing — Cohen says this raucous coral ecosystem shouldn’t even exist. The water is way too acidic…. The higher acidity of the water here is natural, but it defies all expectations. Conventional wisdom is that corals don’t like acidic water, and the water in Nikko Bay is acidic enough that it should dissolve the animals’ calcium carbonate skeletons…. That’s what Cohen’s team is trying to figure out — what is it that allows these corals to thrive in such acidic waters?” At the link find the title, “In Palau, scientists hope they’ve found a coral reef to save all coral reefs,” right-click “Media files 010220144.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Danish Jews in WWII 54 mins – “Millions of Jews died in the Holocaust, but very few from Denmark. Why? Historian and journalist Bo Lidegaard investigates how Danish people – and certain Nazis – helped Denmark’s Jews flee to safety.” At the link find the title, “Escaping the Holocaust,” right-click (there or here) “Download Escaping the Holocaust” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Federal Reserve System 22 mins – “The US Federal Reserve, America’s central bank, is one hundred years old. Simon Jack tells its surprising story.” At the link find the title, “Docs: Inside the Fed 31 Dec 2013,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20131231-0032a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
First Lady Rosalynn Carter Interview 54 mins – “Former first lady Rosalynn Carter talked about her political partnership with Jimmy Carter, the 1976 campaign, and what she learned as first lady of Georgia, as well as her time in the White House: attending cabinet meetings, working on mental health issues, and the Iranian hostage crisis. Topics included negative press coverage of her as first lady and what she hoped her legacy would be. She also talked about her work with the Carter Center after leaving the White House and her continuing work with former President Jimmy Carter on election monitoring, affordable housing, and fighting disease in Africa.” At the link you can hear/watch, but not download (!); however, the audio file is included in the zip collection noted in the introduction to this episode.
Greenland Mining 27 mins – “James Fletcher asks if mining for rare earths and uranium will destroy Greenland’s environment – or lead the country to independence?” At the link find the title, “Docs: Greenland: To dig or not to dig? ,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20140102-0030a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Graphene 24 mins – “Graphene is a super-strong and super-conductive material. Gerry Northam looks at its move from the laboratory to the commercial world.” At the link find the title, “Docs: Riding the Graphene Wave 31 Dec 2013,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20131231-0906a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
India’s Challenges 41 mins – “As India gets ready for its national elections – the biggest in the history of the world – Fareed Zakaria looks at the country’s prospects.” At the link find the title, “GPS December 29th,” right-click “Media files GPS 1229_audio.mp3” and select “Save Link/Target As” from the pop-up menu.
Innovations in 2013 8 mins -“Kara Miller reviews her top innovations of 2013 with WGBH Morning Edition host Bob Seay.” Three areas are emphasized: education, gut bacteria and sensors. At the link find the title, “Kara Miller’s Innovation Year in Review 2013,” right-click “Media files Innovation year in review.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
John Grisham Interview 52 mins – “John Grisham’s first novel was “A Time to Kill,” a thriller about a young, Mississippi lawyer who successfully defends a black client charged with murder. Grisham wrote that book in his laundry room while practicing law in Mississippi. It remains one of the best-selling novels of all time. Now, 25 years later, Grisham returns to the same rural Mississippi town with a sequel: the story features many of the same characters and another controversial trial tinged with race. Attorney Jake Brigance is back and his client is a dead man who left behind a controversial will and a big family secret. Diane talks with best-selling author John Grisham.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the file is included in the zip collection noted in the introduction to this episode.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door 51 mins – “Nearly a quarter of Medicare’s $550 billion annual budget pays for medical treatment in the last year of life. And almost a third of Medicare patients have surgery in their last month of life. But when people are fully informed about the risks of many life-prolonging procedures, they often decide against them. That’s what happened to a woman in Connecticut. After the devastating experiences her husband went through following a stroke, she refused major heart surgery for herself. In a new book, the couple’s daughter — a journalist — tells their story and offers advice for us all.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the file is included in the zip collection noted in the introduction to this episode.
Malcolm Gladwell 15 mins – “John Crace digests Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath down to just 600 words, and Oliver Burkeman joins him to discuss whether popular science books have reached a tipping point.” At the link right-click “download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Podcasting Basics 45 mins – “One of the cool things about podcasting is it’s not perfect and when you make a mistake or figure out how to do something better, you can fix it or update in your next episode. Podcasts are, by definition, episodic in nature meaning they follow a common theme and often tell a story over time. Your podcast is that story and it will never be complete. The journey is the fun part. Do your best to produce a great sounding podcasting with fantastic content and your audience will enjoy what you’re doing. I tell people all the time to “grow as you go.” Put in your best effort and your show will improve with every episode but you can’t get any better until you actually publish.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Snow Leopards 5 mins – The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are little more than a month away. The mascot for the games is the snow leopard, a symbol selected by the Russian people….Wildlife biologists estimate that perhaps 40 snow leopards remain in Russia, in the Altai Republic, and 2,000 to 4,000 live in nearby Mongolia, China and Nepal. …In recent years, the big cats have been pushed higher and higher up to the tops of treeless, rocky, barren mountaintops. They’re fleeing poachers who covet their skins, which can sell for $20,000 to $30,000 in Beijing or Moscow…. The prey of the snow leopard — ibex and mountain sheep — have also been over-hunted, forcing snow leopards to look for other animals to eat, often herded animals, which creates further conflicts between snow leopards and people. Despite the bleak situation, Gibbs is optimistic for the future….In recent years, a handful of snow leopards have begun re-populating Russia — from Kazakhstan, most likely. Gibbs credits his colleagues for the recent success: Sergei Spitsyn with Altaisky Zapovednik, Mikhail Paltsyn of WWF-Russia and Jen Castner of The Altai Project…..” At the link find the title, “The snow leopard, a Sochi Olympics symbol, is near extinction,” right-click “Media files 010220147.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Social Media Uses 4 mins – “…Iranian officials — including the President Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Javad Zarif — are frequent users of social media. Yet Iranian citizens are officially banned from signing up….Meanwhile, there has been a push in Iran to lift the ban on social media. In one program aired on state TV, an expert argued that social media platforms are great ways to access information and by banning them, Iranians are missing out. There’s also been pressure from outside. ASL 19, a Toronto-based research lab, helps Iranians get around Internet filtering. …Even though Iranians can’t access these sites directly, there are ways to get around the ban. They can use proxies or Virtual Private Networks, VPNs….” At the link find the title, “Iranian officials are active on social media yet Iranians are banned from using them,” right-click “Media files 010120147.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Transportation Trends 56 mins – “Transportation is trending from the “me”-mentality of single occupancy vehicles to the “we”-mentality of the sharing economy. Is collaborative consumption the future of transportation? Innovations in peer-sharing transit systems such as bike sharing and car sharing are gaining momentum in cities across the world. Gabe Klein’s work in both the public and private sector, and his unique experience launching Divvy Bike Share in Chicago, Capital Bike Share in DC, as well as with Zipcar, make him an authority on the subject. How are these systems providing equitable access to public transit in new ways? What new opportunities does the sharing economy provide? Is this cultural shift presenting a unique opportunity to reconsider the ways that organizations can induce mainstream transportation alternatives, moving toward the new collaborative frontier?” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the file is included in the zip collection noted in the introduction to this episode.
Media Mining Digest 