Podcast Episodes I’ve Reviewed

Below are podcast episodes I’ve written about on my blog. Here’s the format:

Podcast (Producer); Description of Podcast, i.e. general subject it falls under. Often the podcast’s self-description; Episode reviewed (#1,2,3…), its broadcast date, how long it was, and a quick snapshot of the show.

For my blog write-up about the episode listed, click-thru the individual episode name below.  For the Podcaster’s web site, click-thru the Podcast name below.

50 THINGS THAT MADE THE MODERN ECONOMY

This podcast is a “quickie” podcast, usually running 9-15 minutes. In that short time, Tim Hartford does a great job of shining a light on innovations, inventions and ideas impacting our lives that most of us probably don’t think much about. And if we do, he’ll give us a new perspective. Host: Tim Harford.

  1. Contraceptive Pill, 4/19/17, 9 minutes.

CIVICS 101

This podcast delivers concise and clear explanations, usually including historical context, of the term or topic in question, with input from experts. Host: Virginia Prescott.

  1. Filibuster, 3/6/17, 15 minutes.
  2. Gerrymandering, 3/17/17, 14 minutes.

CRIMINAL

“Criminal is a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” Host: Phoebe Judge.

  1. Money Tree, 9/23/16, 25 minutes. The intriguing story of an 11-year-old’s stolen identity, the career path it led her to and an ultimate deception.
  2. 420, 4/7/17, 14 minutes. Marijuana has its own language; “420” is part of that. This is the backstory about how it came to be. For Northern California folks, it’s a local story.

HIDDEN BRAIN

Hidden Brain “helps curious people understand the world–and themselves. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships.” That pretty much nails it; so many interesting episodes. Host: Shankar Vedantam.

  1. What’s it Like to be Rich?, 3/2/18, 22 minutes. If you’ve ever suspected the uber-rich live in a world different than the rest of us, this will confirm those suspicions.

NOTE TO SELF

Note to Self addresses the intersection of our lives with technology, intertwining the human-freak-out factor with the ain’t-technology-cool component. For “anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age.” Host: Manoush Zomorodi.

  1.  Can Your Phone Make You Better in Bed?, 2/22/17, 23 minutes. Because talking to your partner via an app just might make it easier to discover each others’ freak points.

ONLY HUMAN

“A show about health that we all can relate to. Because every body has a story.” Host: Mary Harris.

  1. One Doctor’s Mission: Make Abortion Safe in the South, 2/2/16, 20 minutes. Dr. Willie Parker talks about his change from being a Fundamentalist Christian against abortion to becoming a doctor who provides it. Great, thoughtful interview.

ON THE MEDIA

“Weekly investigation into how the media shapes our world view. Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield give you the tools to survive the media maelstrom.” Hosts:  Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield.

  1. Out with the Old, 4/7/17, 11 minutes. Program includes a segment on filibustering, which provides an update after the filibuster was eliminated in the Senate for Supreme Court nominees.

PLANET MONEY

“The economy explained.” Well, really, money, finance, sex, humanity…that’s what’s really explained. Via economics. It’s good. Really. Hosts: a mix of hosts and co-hosts.

  1. Free Love, Free Market, 6/9/17, 22 minutes. Who would have expected the home-oriented Oneida flatwear company to have been founded, in 1848, on free-love, wife swapping and “communal capitalism?”

RADIOLAB

“A show weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.” I’s about curiosity and the boundaries between philosophy, science and the human experience. Hosts: Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.

  1. 9-Volt Nirvana, 6/26/14, 27 minutes. Transcranial direct current stimulation that results in a journalist becoming an expert sharpshooter. In about 20 minutes.
  2. Eye in the Sky, 6/18/15, 30 minutes. Flying over cities with cameras taking pictures for crime solving. Crime committed? Go back, look at the film, and track the perpetrator.
  3. Nukes, 4/7/17, 51 minutes. Are there any checks and balances on the President or can he unilaterally authorize a pre-emptive nuclear attack?  Hear how one man’s career was ruined asking that question.

REVEAL

“Peabody Award-winning investigative journalism program for public radio. We’ve heard the news, but we want to know what really happened. That’s what Reveal is all about: finding out what’s going on behind the scenes, hidden from public view.” Host: Al Letson.

  1. A Frank Conversation with a White Nationalist, 11/10/16, 23 minutes. Fascinating interview between African American host, Al Letson, and white supremacist Richard Spencer. My first real intro to the “white ethnostate” concept.

REVISIONIST HISTORY

“Malcolm Gladwell’s journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.” Host: Malcolm Gladwell.

  1. Golf: A Good Walk Spoiled, 6/14/17, 34 minutes. Gladwell’s take-down of golf, pointing to research that indicates obsessive golf can lead to poor business performance, and venting his frustration about the tax-subsidies private golf courses get in the form of favorable property tax treatment (at least in LA). His enthusiasm, snark, philosophizing and questions about fairness make this a completely engaging episode.

THINGS THAT GO BOOM

“A podcast that digs deeper into US foreign policy and the ins, outs, and whathaveyous of what keeps us safe.”  Launched December 12, 2017. The host is the founder and editor of the foreign policy magazine Inkstick. Unique approach to the topic of foreign policy and risk issues.  Host: Laicie Heeley

  1. What Shakespeare can Teach us About PTSD, 2/12/18, 27 minutes. An inspiring look at how one veteran discovered healing through Shakespeare’s Richard III, pivoted his career, and now helps other veterans through the power of theater and science.