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99% Invisible
Description

Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.

Episodes
  • 2025 / 5 / 6
    😅⚖️

    A single 👍 emoji sent over text was meant to say “got it”—but instead, it kicked off a $62,000 legal battle and raised the question: can an emoji seal a contract?😅⚖️ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to...

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  • 2025 / 4 / 29
    Changing Stripes Revisited

    At the January 6th Capitol insurrection, rioters waved Confederate, MAGA, and Trump-as-Rambo flags. Easy to miss without knowing the design was a bright yellow flag with three red stripes — the flag of South...

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  • 2025 / 4 / 22
    One-Nil to the Arsenal

    A goofy Shakira remix, a nervy penalty kick, and 60,000 fans turning banter into legend—welcome to the world of football chants.One-Nil to the Arsenal Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes...

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  • 2025 / 4 / 15
    I've Got 1099 Problems...

    If you're one of the millions of Americans struggling with your tax forms today, you're not alone. Even Albert Einstein allegedly found income taxes to be "the hardest thing in the world to understand." But...

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  • 2025 / 4 / 8
    Everything Is Tuberculosis

    John Green uncovers how the world’s deadliest curable disease still thrives—and why everything, from cowboy hats to colonial borders, traces back to tuberculosis.Everything Is Tuberculosis Subscribe to...

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  • 2025 / 4 / 4
    A Walking Tour with Mr. Memphis

    Take a whirlwind tour of Memphis with the city’s most enthusiastic historian, uncovering duck parades, telecom turf wars, and a street named after a single day in 1934.A Walking Tour with Mr....

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  • 2025 / 4 / 1
    The Great American Pyramid

    In 1991, one of the strangest buildings in America opened — a 32-storey, stainless steel pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee.The Great American Pyramid Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of...

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  • 2025 / 3 / 25
    Secret Mall Apartment

    A group of artists explored the back hallways of a mall in Providence, RI, and found the perfect place to build a private hangout. We interviewed the group's leader Michael Townsend a few years back, and he's...

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  • 2025 / 3 / 18
    Beautiful West Oakland, California

    When global trade reshapes a city, who pays the price—and who fights back?Beautiful West Oakland, California Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and get...

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  • 2025 / 3 / 11
    What We're Reading

    After we finished up The Power Broker, a bunch of people were asking us what other books we’d been reading. A group of us got together and presented some of our recent favorites, and the choices were so good...

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  • 2025 / 3 / 4
    A Beetle By Any Other Name

    A tiny, unremarkable beetle hiding in the caves of Slovenia has an infamously unfortunate name—one that has sparked heated debates in the scientific world.A Beetle By Any Other Name Subscribe to SiriusXM...

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  • 2025 / 2 / 25
    The Brutalists

    A film about a struggling architect, a style the world loves to hate—The Brutalist and Brutalism itself share more than just a name. Is it bold vision or concrete failure?The Brutalists Subscribe to SiriusXM...

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  • 2025 / 2 / 18
    The Nazi Block

    In the heart of Berlin’s Tempelhof-Schöneberg district sits a hulking, crumbling concrete cylinder—an abandoned relic of a Nazi plan to rebuild the city as a grand imperial capital. But this eerie structure...

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  • 2025 / 2 / 14
    The Power Broker Breakdown Wrap-Up

    Join Roman and Elliott one last time as they reflect on their journey with you all through The Power Broker, exploring their favorite moments and answering listener questions in this bonus episode.If you...

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  • 2025 / 2 / 11
    Your Own Personal Jesus

    How did a simple painting transform into the world's most recognized depiction of Jesus?Head of Christ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes and get exclusive...

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  • 2025 / 1 / 28
    Valley So Low

    What went wrong in Kingston, Tennessee, and what does it reveal about the messy legacy of public utilities turned corporate giants?Valley So Low Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to...

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  • 2025 / 1 / 24
    The Power Broker Breakdown Breakdown

    The Power Broker Breakdown may have concluded, but if you're just tuning in (or if you just want a quick refresher), this episode is a compilation of the summary portions of the The Power Broker Breakdown...

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  • 2025 / 1 / 14
    Ancient DMs

    The story of an 2700 year old archive, its accidental preservation, and the unprecedented—and often funny—glimpse it gives us into the daily life of an ancient king.Ancient DMs Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+...

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  • 2025 / 1 / 7
    Mini-Stories: Volume 20

    Happy New Year! We're starting 2025 with four more mini stories about a sleepy button, electric signs, a very important sticker, and video you can smell.Mini-Stories: Volume 20 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 31
    Hyperfixed: Dylan's Supermarket Cold Case

    We've all got problems. Sometimes your problem is a massive roadblock in your life, or maybe it's this little thing that quietly annoys you that you've learned to grudgingly put up with. But regardless of the...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 24
    New Year, New Neighborhood

    The story of New Year's Eve in Times Square, and how a quiet group of unelected Manhattan property owners used the holiday — and their own undemocratic municipal power — to transform the neighborhood from its...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 20
    The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro

    This is the twelfth and final episode breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 17
    Mini-Stories: Volume 19

    Cheeky highway signs, Jane Fonda’s surprising side hustle, a dynamite twist on legacy, and the Greeks’ ideal foot obsession—expect the unexpected.Mini-Stories: Volume 19 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 10
    The Flop House: Megalopolis, with Roman Mars

    Roman Mars and the Flop House team dive into Francis Ford Coppola's intriguing and controversial film, Megalopolis, exploring its chaotic narrative, ambitious ideas, and perplexing execution.Listen to The...

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  • 2024 / 12 / 3
    The 15 Minute City

    How did the “15 Minute City,” a simple urban planning idea, spark protests, conspiracy theories, and death threats? This week, we unravel how a concept for livable cities became a global flashpoint.The 15...

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  • 2024 / 11 / 26
    Raccoon Thanksgiving

    After Toronto unveiled its "raccoon-resistant" compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals would be starved, but many more celebrated the innovative design. Rolling out this novel locked bin opened a...

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  • 2024 / 11 / 19
    Roman, Elliott, and Robert Caro: Live in Conversation

    What makes The Power Broker endure 50 years on? Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with legendary author Robert Caro to explore the humanity, drama, and untold stories behind his iconic book. Recorded live...

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  • 2024 / 11 / 15
    The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan

    This is the eleventh official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan,...

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  • 2024 / 11 / 12
    The Memory Palace…Book!

    Roman talks with The Memory Palace creator Nate DiMeo, whose new book brings his poetic history podcast to life on the page. They explore how moments of wonder and empathy shape Nate’s stories, turning...

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  • 2024 / 11 / 5
    Meet Me at Riis

    As the last warmth of summer fades, Riis Beach—a hidden queer oasis behind a decaying hospital—faces a new reality. With its shadowy protector demolished, can this haven survive in the open, or will its magic...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 29
    How the World Ran Out of Everything

    Remember when grocery shelves went bare and cargo ships clogged the California coast? That chaos wasn’t just a pandemic hiccup—it was a symptom of a supply chain stretched to its limits. With insights from...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 22
    Spirit Halloween

    Every fall, a vacant Toronto storefront is possessed by Spirit Halloween, the pop-up shop haunting 1,500 empty spaces across North America. What does this seasonal invasion say about the retail apocalypse?...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 18
    The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery

    This is the tenth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 15
    Trompe L'oeil

    Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 11
    Brilliantly Boring

    In this bonus episode, Roman unearths the surprising story behind the 99% Invisible's name and delves into the unnoticed brilliance of everyday design—from the origins of reinforced concrete to the artistry...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 8
    Christiania

    In the heart of Copenhagen, a former military base transformed into Christiania, a self-proclaimed anarchist commune where residents built a new way of living, free from traditional rules. But as the years...

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  • 2024 / 10 / 1
    The Infernal Machine

    The unexpected story of how Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite—designed to build the world—was co-opted by anarchists to bring about its destruction. From revolutionizing infrastructure to arming political...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 24
    Cue the Sun!

    What started as Emily Nussbaum’s “guilty pleasure” of watching Big Brother became a deeper dive into the world of reality TV, leading to her book, Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV. From its early,...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 20
    The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter

    This is the ninth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Majora Carter, an urban...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 17
    Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages

    Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 10
    Medellin, Revisited

    Once considered the most dangerous city in the world due to drug cartel violence, by the early 2000s Medellin had reinvented itself. But gentrification is allowing criminal gangs to reap large profits from a...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 6
    Not Built For This #6: Maximum Temperature

    The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of...

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  • 2024 / 9 / 3
    Not Built For This #5: The Little Levee That Could

    Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme weather that is coming their way. But this story is about a place that managed to get the kind of infrastructure...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 30
    Not Built For This #4: Unbuilding the Terrace

    All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 27
    Not Built For This #3: The Price is Wrong

    Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about anyone. And as storms get more extreme and unpredictable a lot of insurers are running the numbers on...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 23
    Not Built For This #2: The Ripple Effect

    In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city or town. They ripple outward, cascading into the surrounding area, as the survivors are forced to go looking...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 20
    Not Built For This #1: The Bottom of the Bowl

    Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate haven.” But last summer, he got a wake up call in the form of a devastating flood.All throughout the United...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 16
    The Power Broker #8: Shiloh Frederick

    This is the eighth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 16
    The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick

    This is the eighth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised...

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  • 2024 / 8 / 13
    Side Projects

    This week we're highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent.We’ve got a preview of a new miniseries for you called Not Built for This, created and hosted by Emmett FitzGerald....

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  • 2024 / 8 / 6
    Top Billing

    When you’re watching the opening credits to a movie, it’s not just a list of names. What you’re actually seeing is intense negotiations by Hollywood stars and their agents playing out in text form. Title...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 30
    The Art of the Olympics

    The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99% Invisible archives about the art of the Olympics.First up, a story about the design and iconography of the...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 23
    The 2024 Olympics Spectacular

    From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again everywhere. In the Olympic spirit, we’re bringing you four stories about the games in all their international,...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 19
    The Power Broker #7: Sec. Pete Buttigieg

    NEWS: We've got 99PI Power Broker Breakdown merch! Visit 99pi.org/store.This is the seventh official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 19
    The Power Broker #07: Sec. Pete Buttigieg

    NEWS: We've got 99PI Power Broker Breakdown merch! Visit 99pi.org/store.This is the seventh official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 16
    A River Runs Through Los Angeles

    When you hear the word "river," you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a natural habitat. Well, the LA River looks nothing like that. Most people who see it probably mistake it for a...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 9
    As Slow As Possible

    When you go to a concert, you might try to get there right when the doors open. Or perhaps you take your time and skip the opening act. But generally, you want to be there when the show starts. In February,...

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  • 2024 / 7 / 2
    The Containment Plan (rebroadcast)

    It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50 blocks, which is about a fifth of the entire downtown area of Los Angeles. It’s very clear when you’ve...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 25
    Backfired: The Vaping Wars

    When two Stanford graduate students set out to create a new kind of cigarette that wouldn’t kill them, they didn’t foresee all the obstacles that lay ahead—or the powerful forces their invention would...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 21
    The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur

    This is the sixth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Mike Schur, who created the...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 21
    The Power Broker #6: Mike Schur

    This is the sixth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Mike Schur, who created the...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 18
    Category 6

    After Hurricane Camille caused widespread death and destruction along the US Gulf Coast in 1969, two scientists created the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as a way to quickly warn the public when...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 11
    The Los Angeles Leaf Blower Wars

    The leaf blower is one of the most hated objects in the modern world. They’re loud, they pollute, and… how important is a leafless lawn anyway? In a lot of towns and cities, the gas-powered leaf blower has...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 4
    Fact Checking the Supreme Court

    For a long time, the Court operated under what was called Legal Formalism. Legal formalism said that the job of any judge or justice was incredibly narrow. It was to basically look at the question of the case...

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  • 2024 / 6 / 4
    584- Fact Checking the Supreme Court

    For a long time, the Court operated under what was called Legal Formalism. Legal formalism said that the job of any judge or justice was incredibly narrow. It was to basically look at the question of the case...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 28
    352- Uptown Squirrel [update]

    In late 2018, two hundred people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 28
    Uptown Squirrel [update]

    In late 2018, two hundred people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 22
    583- The Lost Subways of North America

    Los Angeles actually used to have a massive electric railway system in the early 1900s, called the Red Car. Jake Berman, the author of The Lost Subways of North America, tells us about how, time after time,...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 22
    The Lost Subways of North America

    Los Angeles actually used to have a massive electric railway system in the early 1900s, called the Red Car. Jake Berman, the author of The Lost Subways of North America, tells us about how, time after time,...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 18
    The Power Broker #5: Brandy Zadrozny

    This is the fifth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Brandy Zadrozny, a senior...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 18
    The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny

    This is the fourth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Brandy Zadrozny, a senior...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 14
    Rocket Man

    In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work....

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  • 2024 / 5 / 14
    582- Rocket Man

    In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work....

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  • 2024 / 5 / 7
    It's Howdy Doody Time!

    The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For over a decade, every weeknight at 5pm, kids all across the country would sit down...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 7
    581- It's Howdy Doody Time!

    The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For over a decade, every weeknight at 5pm, kids all across the country would sit down...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 3
    Towers of Silence: Vulture Conservation

    Recently we published an episode called Towers of Silence. It's about how the Parsis in India are grappling with the loss of vultures and how it changed something very intimate and meaningful for the...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 3
    579 BONUS- Towers of Silence: Vulture Conservation

    Recently we published an episode called Towers of Silence. It's about how the Parsis in India are grappling with the loss of vultures and how it changed something very intimate and meaningful for the...

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  • 2024 / 5 / 3
    BONUS- Towers of Silence: Vulture Conservation

    Recently we published an episode called Towers of Silence. It's about how the Parsis in India are grappling with the loss of vultures and how it changed something very intimate and meaningful for the...

    Download
  • 2024 / 4 / 30
    Mr Yuk

    Mr. Yuk is a neon green circular sticker with a cartoon face on it. His face is scrunched up with his eyes squeezed tight and his tongue is sticking out of its mouth. It's the face you make when you taste...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 30
    Mr. Yuk

    Mr. Yuk is a neon green circular sticker with a cartoon face on it. His face is scrunched up with his eyes squeezed tight and his tongue is sticking out of its mouth. It's the face you make when you taste...

    Download
  • 2024 / 4 / 30
    580- Mr Yuk

    Mr. Yuk is a neon green circular sticker with a cartoon face on it. His face is scrunched up with his eyes squeezed tight and his tongue is sticking out of its mouth. It's the face you make when you taste...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 23
    579- Towers of Silence

    Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In one of the most populous cities in the world, this is a place where peacocks roam freely -- a space out of...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 23
    Towers of Silence

    Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In one of the most populous cities in the world, this is a place where peacocks roam freely -- a space out of...

    Download
  • 2024 / 4 / 19
    The Power Broker: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

    This is the fourth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Roman and Elliott also sit down with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S....

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  • 2024 / 4 / 19
    The Power Broker #04: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

    This is the fourth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Roman and Elliott also sit down with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S....

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  • 2024 / 4 / 19
    The Power Broker #4: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

    This is the fourth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Roman and Elliott also sit down with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S....

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  • 2024 / 4 / 16
    578- Anything's Pastable: Eat SautĂŠ Love

    This week we're featuring an episode from The Sporkful's series on the creation of "Anything's Pastable," Dan Pashman's new pasta cookbook.Dan talks with Roman about how this massive project came to be and...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 16
    Anything's Pastable: Eat SautĂŠ Love

    This week we're featuring an episode from The Sporkful's series on the creation of "Anything's Pastable," Dan Pashman's new pasta cookbook.Dan talks with Roman about how this massive project came to be and...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 9
    The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons

    Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for "SociĂŠtĂŠ des Ambianceurs et...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 9
    577- The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons

    Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for "SociĂŠtĂŠ des Ambianceurs et...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 2
    Chambre de Bonne

    A chambre de bonne is usually one small room, on the top floor of a five- or six-story apartment building, and it’s usually just big enough to fit a bed and a table. It’s affordable housing in a city where...

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  • 2024 / 4 / 2
    576- Chambre de Bonne

    A chambre de bonne is usually one small room, on the top floor of a five- or six-story apartment building, and it’s usually just big enough to fit a bed and a table. It’s affordable housing in a city where...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 29
    Roman Mars Describes Athens GA As It Is

    This is the third and final episode in a three-part series of Roman Mars recording on-location guides to the design features and interesting spots in cities he loves. Roman moved to Athens, Georgia, to pursue...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 27
    575- Autism Pleasantville

    A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 27
    575- Autism Plesantville

    A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 27
    Autism Pleasantville

    A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 19
    The Monster Under the Sink

    In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 19
    574- The Monster Under the Sink

    In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 15
    The Power Broker #3: David Sims

    This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 15
    The Power Broker #03: David Sims

    This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 13
    573- Toyetic

    This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the genre or invent new genres. The great...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 13
    Toyetic

    This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the genre or invent new genres. The great...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 5
    572- WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other Reproductive Harm

    Intimidating Proposition 65 warnings can be found on all kinds of products manufactured or distributed in the State of California. They can seem rather terrifying at first, but within the state, they are...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 5
    WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other Reproductive Harm

    Intimidating Proposition 65 warnings can be found on all kinds of products manufactured or distributed in the State of California. They can seem rather terrifying at first, but within the state, they are...

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  • 2024 / 3 / 2
    Roman Mars Describes Santa Fe As It Is

    Roman Mars is on a mission to describe the cities that shaped who he is and how he thinks about design. Next up, Santa Fe. Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 27
    The Real Book [rebroadcast]

    Since the mid-1970s, almost every jazz musician has owned a copy of the same book. It has a peach-colored cover, a chunky, 1970s-style logo, and a black plastic binding. It’s delightfully...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 27
    438- The Real Book [rebroadcast]

    Since the mid-1970s, almost every jazz musician has owned a copy of the same book. It has a peach-colored cover, a chunky, 1970s-style logo, and a black plastic binding. It’s delightfully...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 21
    You Are What You Watch

    What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes watching movies and TV each day. That’s a whopping...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 21
    571- You Are What You Watch

    What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes watching movies and TV each day. That’s a whopping...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 16
    The Power Broker #2: Jamelle Bouie

    This is the second official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. New York Times political columnist Jamelle Bouie is our book club guest.On...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 16
    The Power Broker #02: Jamelle Bouie

    This is the second official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. New York Times political columnist Jamelle Bouie is our book club guest.On...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 13
    570- The White Castle System of Eating Houses

    White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 13
    The White Castle System of Eating Houses

    White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 6
    569- Between the Blocks

    Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large "interblock park" green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They're not so...

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  • 2024 / 2 / 6
    Between the Blocks

    Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large "interblock park" green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They're not so...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 30
    Don't Forget to Remember

    When a highway gets made, there’s a clear and consistent process for doing so. Not so, public memorials. From the Vietnam Wall to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, it’s always different. Sometimes...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 30
    568- Don't Forget to Remember

    When a highway gets made, there’s a clear and consistent process for doing so. Not so, public memorials. From the Vietnam Wall to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, it’s always different. Sometimes...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 26
    Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is

    A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he simply talked about design details in his house -- realizing that he, like the audience, didn't have many...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 24
    The Double Kick

    Watch a skate video today, and you'll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in the middle and rounded off at both ends, like a popsicle...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 24
    567- The Double Kick

    Watch a skate video today, and you'll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in the middle and rounded off at both ends, like a popsicle...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 19
    The Power Broker #1: Robert Caro

    Welcome to our first official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Robert Caro happens to be our special guest for this episode and you do not...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 19
    Power Broker #01: Robert Caro

    Welcome to our first official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Robert Caro happens to be our special guest for this episode and you do not...

    Download
  • 2024 / 1 / 19
    The Power Broker #01: Robert Caro

    Welcome to our first official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Robert Caro happens to be our special guest for this episode and you do not...

    Download
  • 2024 / 1 / 16
    566- Imitation Nation

    Fake cities. Imitation nations. People role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It's all part of an effort coordinated and constructed by the U.S. military to prepare...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 16
    Imitation Nation

    Fake cities. Imitation nations. People role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It's all part of an effort coordinated and constructed by the U.S. military to prepare...

    Download
  • 2024 / 1 / 9
    565- Mini-Stories: Volume 18

    Our second and final set of mini-stories for the season: We'll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has been burning for decades.Check out Lizzie No's latest album...

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  • 2024 / 1 / 9
    Mini-Stories: Volume 18

    Our second and final set of mini-stories for the season: We'll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has been burning for decades.Check out Lizzie No's latest album...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 26
    470- Another Visit from the Three Santas of Slovenia

    We're revisiting this Christmas classic from 2021. Happy Holidays!Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe nestled between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. It's a land of snowy white peaks, green...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 26
    Another Visit from the Three Santas of Slovenia

    We're revisiting this Christmas classic from 2021. Happy Holidays!Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe nestled between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. It's a land of snowy white peaks, green...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 20
    Mini-Stories: Volume 17

    It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire because We have a year-end mix of short stories about a rogue architect, spooky kitchens, a hundred year old...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 20
    564- Mini-Stories: Volume 17

    It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire because We have a year-end mix of short stories about a rogue architect, spooky kitchens, a hundred year old...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 13
    563- Empire of the Sum

    Keeping track of numbers has always been part of what makes us human. So at some point along the way, we created a tool to help us keep count, and then we gave that tool a name. We called it: a calculator....

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  • 2023 / 12 / 13
    Empire of the Sum

    Keeping track of numbers has always been part of what makes us human. So at some point along the way, we created a tool to help us keep count, and then we gave that tool a name. We called it: a calculator....

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  • 2023 / 12 / 5
    Breaking Down The Power Broker (with Conan O'Brien)

    Today's episode features #1 Robert Caro superfan, Conan O'Brien.The Power Broker by Robert Caro is a biography of Robert Moses, who is said to have built more structures and moved more earth than anyone in...

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  • 2023 / 12 / 5
    562- Breaking Down The Power Broker (with Conan O'Brien)

    Today's episode features #1 Robert Caro superfan, Conan O'Brien.The Power Broker by Robert Caro is a biography of Robert Moses, who is said to have built more structures and moved more earth than anyone in...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 29
    344- The Known Unknown [rebroadcast]

    Roman note: This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Should be a movie. Enjoy!The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 29
    The Known Unknown [rebroadcast]

    Roman note: This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Should be a movie. Enjoy!The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and...

    Download
  • 2023 / 11 / 22
    Long Strange Tape

    The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great. But because the cassette was so much cheaper and easier to use and portable, a lot of people didn't care so...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 22
    561- Long Strange Tape

    The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great. But because the cassette was so much cheaper and easier to use and portable, a lot of people didn't care so...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 15
    Home on the Range

    In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 15
    560- Home on the Range

    In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 7
    The Six-Week Cure

    In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada -- not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marriages. The city became known as the "Divorce Capital of the World." For much of modern...

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  • 2023 / 11 / 7
    559- The Six-Week Cure

    In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada -- not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marries. The city became known as the "Divorce Capital of the World." For much of modern...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 31
    558- The Fever Tree Hunt

    Most heists target gold, jewels or cash. This one targeted illegal seeds. As the British established their sprawling empire across the subcontinent and beyond, they encountered a formidable adversary —...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 31
    The Fever Tree Hunt

    Most heists target gold, jewels or cash. This one targeted illegal seeds. As the British established their sprawling empire across the subcontinent and beyond, they encountered a formidable adversary —...

    Download
  • 2023 / 10 / 24
    557- Model Village

    For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by storing them away in unstimulating, medicalized environments. But around the world, a new architectural...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 24
    Model Village

    For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by storing them away in unstimulating, medicalized environments. But around the world, a new architectural...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 17
    328- Devolutionary Redesign

    It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one's experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 17
    Devolutionary Redesign

    It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one's experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 10
    556- You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark

    Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 10
    You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark

    Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 3
    The Big Dig

    Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive infrastructure project, which rerouted the central highway in the heart of the city, encountered every hurdle...

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  • 2023 / 10 / 3
    555- The Big Dig

    Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive infrastructure project, which rerouted the central highway in the heart of the city, encountered every hurdle...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 26
    Devil in the Details

    This week we have two stories featuring the devil.An infamous "training video" teaching cops how to spot and stop "satanic crimes." And a stretch of highway with the misfortune of being officially named US...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 26
    554- Devil in the Details

    This week we have two stories featuring the devil.An infamous "training video" teaching cops how to spot and stop "satanic crimes." And a stretch of highway with the misfortune of being officially named US...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 19
    553- Cautionary Tales of the Sydney Opera House

    The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world. It took a relative newcomer and architectural outsider to dream it up, but the saga of making this world heritage...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 19
    Cautionary Tales of the Sydney Opera House

    The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world. It took a relative newcomer and architectural outsider to dream it up, but the saga of making this world heritage...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 12
    552- Blood in the Machine

    Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he'd been covering the industry for years when he started to notice a term that kept coming up. When he wrote a story that was critical of tech, he'd be accused of being...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 12
    Blood in the Machine

    Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he'd been covering the industry for years when he started to notice a term that kept coming up. When he wrote a story that was critical of tech, he'd be accused of being...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 5
    389- Whomst Among Us Let the Dogs Out AGAIN

    All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you've listened to over and over again. And then there's a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all...

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  • 2023 / 9 / 5
    Whomst Among Us Let the Dogs Out AGAIN

    All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you've listened to over and over again. And then there's a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all...

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  • 2023 / 8 / 29
    Office Space

    In most big cities, there’s a housing crisis. And empty office buildings are creating a different crisis known to urbanists as a ‘doom loop.’ Converting an office into housing can solve both of these crises...

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  • 2023 / 8 / 29
    551- Office Space

    In most big cities, there’s a housing crisis. And empty office buildings are creating a different crisis known to urbanists as a ‘doom loop.’ Converting an office into housing can solve both of these crises...

    Download
  • 2023 / 8 / 22
    550- Melanie Speaks

    The story of a voice training VHS tape that helped trans women at a time when other resources were hard to access.The way a person's voice changes over time feels like a simple, and overlooked act of magic....

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  • 2023 / 8 / 22
    Melanie Speaks

    The story of a voice training VHS tape that helped trans women at a time when other resources were hard to access.The way a person's voice changes over time feels like a simple, and overlooked act of magic....

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  • 2023 / 8 / 15
    Trail Mix: Track Two

    Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object: the trail. If you haven’t heard the first episode yet you should totally go back and listen. It’s a lot of...

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  • 2023 / 8 / 15
    549- Trail Mix: Track Two

    Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object: the trail. If you haven’t heard the first episode yet you should totally go back and listen. It’s a lot of...

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  • 2023 / 8 / 8
    Trail Mix

    We deconstruct and examine what might be the original designed object-- the humble trail. We discuss how park trails are designed, what makes a good trail, and...what even is a trail anyway?Trail Mix

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  • 2023 / 8 / 8
    548- Trail Mix

    We deconstruct and examine what might be the original designed object-- the humble trail. We discuss how park trails are designed, what makes a good trail, and...what even is a trail anyway?Trail Mix

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  • 2023 / 8 / 1
    547- Cooking with Gas

    Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named Richard Trumka Jr. He works with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates stuff like furniture and...

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  • 2023 / 8 / 1
    Cooking with Gas

    Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named Richard Trumka Jr. He works with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates stuff like furniture and...

    Download
  • 2023 / 7 / 25
    546- The Country of the Blind

    Andrew Leland grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in, such that he now sees the world as if through a narrow tube. Soon—but without knowing...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 25
    The Country of the Blind

    Andrew Leland grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in, such that he now sees the world as if through a narrow tube. Soon—but without knowing...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 18
    545- Shade Redux

    This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus shelters. It’s called La Sombrita. La Sombrita is a metal screen that’s intended to provide shade for the...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 18
    Shade Redux

    This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus shelters. It’s called La Sombrita. La Sombrita is a metal screen that’s intended to provide shade for the...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 11
    544- Chick Tracts

    In the 1980s, the little Christian comic books known as Chick Tracts were EVERYWHERE. You’d find them in movie theaters and bus station bathrooms, on subways, and all over shopping malls. People would slip...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 11
    Chick Tracts

    In the 1980s, the little Christian comic books known as Chick Tracts were EVERYWHERE. You’d find them in movie theaters and bus station bathrooms, on subways, and all over shopping malls. People would slip...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 5
    543- In Proximity: Ryan Coogler and Roman Mars

    In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity.Proximity founder Ryan Coogler talks all about podcasts with Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, a sound-rich...

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  • 2023 / 7 / 5
    In Proximity: Ryan Coogler and Roman Mars

    In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity.Proximity founder Ryan Coogler talks all about podcasts with Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, a sound-rich...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 27
    Player Piano

    This week we're featuring an episode of The Last ArchiveThe Last Archive is a history show. Our evidence is the evidence of history, the evidence of archives. Manuscripts, photographs, letters and diaries,...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 27
    542- Player Piano

    This week we're featuring an episode of The Last ArchiveThe Last Archive is a history show. Our evidence is the evidence of history, the evidence of archives. Manuscripts, photographs, letters and diaries,...

    Download
  • 2023 / 6 / 20
    541- The Frankfurt Kitchen

    After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of residents were in dire straits, and in the second half of the 1920s, the city built over 10,000 public...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 20
    The Frankfurt Kitchen

    After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of residents were in dire straits, and in the second half of the 1920s, the city built over 10,000 public...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 13
    540- The Siren of Scrap Metal

    Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is a particularly iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. This recording blares from trucks that cruise the streets all across this massive city. The...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 13
    The Siren of Scrap Metal

    Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is a particularly iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. This recording blares from trucks that cruise the streets all across this massive city. The...

    Download
  • 2023 / 6 / 6
    Courtroom Sketch

    As electronic news gathering was gaining prominence in the early 20th century, the American Bar Association began to fear its effect on court trials and adopted something called Canon 35. This condemned the...

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  • 2023 / 6 / 6
    539- Courtroom Sketch

    As electronic news gathering was gaining prominence in the early 20th century, the American Bar Association began to fear its effect on court trials and adopted something called Canon 35. This condemned the...

    Download
  • 2023 / 5 / 31
    Goodnight Nobody [rebroadcast]

    The unlikely battle between the creator of the New York Public Library children's reading room and the beloved children’s classic Goodnight Moon.Goodnight Nobody

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  • 2023 / 5 / 31
    415- Goodnight Nobody [rebroadcast]

    The unlikely battle between the creator of the New York Public Library children's reading room and the beloved children’s classic Goodnight Moon.Goodnight Nobody

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  • 2023 / 5 / 23
    Train Set: Track Three

    Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A year ago, we started down this path with Train Set: Track One, which gave way to Track Two …and now, here we...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 23
    538- Train Set: Track Three

    Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A year ago, we started down this path with Train Set: Track One, which gave way to Track Two …and now, here we...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 17
    537- Paved Paradise

    LA might be the most extreme parking city on the planet. Parking regulations have made it nearly impossible to build new affordable housing, or to renovate old buildings. And parking has a massive impact on...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 17
    Paved Paradise

    LA might be the most extreme parking city on the planet. Parking regulations have made it nearly impossible to build new affordable housing, or to renovate old buildings. And parking has a massive impact on...

    Download
  • 2023 / 5 / 9
    536- Nuts and Bolts

    In her new book Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 9
    Nuts and Bolts

    In her new book Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 2
    535- Craptions

    Bad closed captions can be entertaining, but they can be serious, too, because captions are a critical tool for lots of lots of people. There are the people learning a new language and of course captions are...

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  • 2023 / 5 / 2
    Craptions

    Bad closed captions can be entertaining, but they can be serious, too, because captions are a critical tool for lots of lots of people. There are the people learning a new language and of course captions are...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 25
    For Amusement Only (Free Replay)

    There's a new movie out called Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game. It’s a fun and extremely meta biopic telling the story of Roger Sharpe, who, with one perfect shot, helped legalize pinball in New York....

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  • 2023 / 4 / 25
    534- For Amusement Only (Free Replay)

    There's a new movie out called Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game. It’s a fun and extremely meta biopic telling the story of Roger Sharpe, who, with one perfect shot, helped legalize pinball in New York....

    Download
  • 2023 / 4 / 19
    533- Dear John and Roman

    Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John -- this year he's back on the Greens' show once again, but this time with Hank's brother John Green (Turtles All the Way Down,...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 19
    Dear John and Roman

    Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John -- this year he's back on the Greens' show once again, but this time with Hank's brother John Green (Turtles All the Way Down,...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 11
    For a Dollar and a Dream

    From scratchers to the Powerball, the lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the United States, even though the odds of winning a big jackpot is infinitesimally small. Jonathan D. Cohen is a...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 11
    532- For a Dollar and a Dream

    From scratchers to the Powerball, the lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the United States, even though the odds of winning a big jackpot is infinitesimally small. Jonathan D. Cohen is a...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 4
    De Fiets Is Niets

    Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more bicycles per capita than any other place in the world. The country has more than 20,000 miles of dedicated cycling...

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  • 2023 / 4 / 4
    531- De Fiets Is Niets

    Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more bicycles per capita than any other place in the world. The country has more than 20,000 miles of dedicated cycling...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 29
    530- The Panopticon Effect

    The “panopticon” might be the best known prison concept in the world. In the original design, all the cells are built around a central guard tower, designed to maintain order just by making prisoners believe...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 29
    The Panopticon Effect

    The “panopticon” might be the best known prison concept in the world. In the original design, all the cells are built around a central guard tower, designed to maintain order just by making prisoners believe...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 21
    529- The Wilderness Tool

    Vintage crosscuts that were made between 1880 and 1930 are often the tool of choice for trail workers who maintain the country’s roughly 112 million acres of protected land. That’s ahead of chain saws and...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 21
    The Wilderness Tool

    Vintage crosscuts that were made between 1880 and 1930 are often the tool of choice for trail workers who maintain the country’s roughly 112 million acres of protected land. That’s ahead of chain saws and...

    Download
  • 2023 / 3 / 17
    Twenty Thousand Hertz- Golden

    The podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz is a show about the world's most interesting and recognizable sounds. I think of it as almost a sibling of 99% Invisible: lovingly produced and reported deep dives into...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 14
    A Whale-Oiled Machine

    Back when whale oil was mainly used as a fuel to burn in lanterns and streetlights, an enterprising man named William F. Nye found a new way to sell whale oil to a rapidly changing world: as a lubricant for...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 14
    528- A Whale-Oiled Machine

    Back when whale oil was mainly used as a fuel to burn in lanterns and streetlights, an enterprising man named William F. Nye found a new way to sell whale oil to a rapidly changing world: as a lubricant for...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 7
    420- The Lost Cities of Geo Redux

    If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo! and MySpace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall. And there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in...

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  • 2023 / 3 / 7
    The Lost Cities of Geo Redux

    If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo! and MySpace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall. And there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 28
    RoboUmp

    One study from 2018 found that Major League Baseball umpires blow about 14 calls every game. That’s 34,000 bad calls every year. And it makes a difference. A blown strike call can decide a win or a loss, a...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 28
    527- RoboUmp

    One study from 2018 found that Major League Baseball umpires blow about 14 calls every game. That’s 34,000 bad calls every year. And it makes a difference. A blown strike call can decide a win or a loss, a...

    Download
  • 2023 / 2 / 22
    Orange Alternative

    In the 1980s a Polish anti-communist group called the Orange Alternative used cute images of a mythical creature with a tiny pointed hat to spread its anti-authoritarian message. That innocent symbol of an...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 22
    526- Orange Alternative

    In the 1980s a Polish anti-communist group called the Orange Alternative used cute images of a mythical creature with a tiny pointed hat to spread its anti-authoritarian message. That innocent symbol of an...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 14
    The Chinatown Punk Wars

    When LA punks were looking for a place to play in the late 1970s, Chinatown welcomed the unruly scene. But it was an uneasy alliance that led to fierce rivalries, hurt feelings, blatant racism, and broken...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 14
    525- The Chinatown Punk Wars

    When LA punks were looking for a place to play in the late 1970s, Chinatown welcomed the unruly scene. But it was an uneasy alliance that led to fierce rivalries, hurt feelings, blatant racism, and broken...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 8
    The Day the Music Stopped

    On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new technologies threatening their livelihoods, so they refused to record until they got their fair share. One...

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  • 2023 / 2 / 8
    524- The Day the Music Stopped

    On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new technologies threatening their livelihoods, so they refused to record until they got their fair share. One...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 31
    Six-on-Six Basketball

    In the 20th century, Iowa high school girls basketball was HUGE but it was not the game we know today. In 6-on-6 basketball, the three forwards only play offense. And the three guards only play defense. No...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 31
    523- Six-on-Six Basketball

    In the 20th century, Iowa high school girls basketball was HUGE but it was not the game we know today. In 6-on-6 basketball, the three forwards only play offense. And the three guards only play defense. No...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 24
    The Comrades

    If you live in South Africa, you definitely know someone who runs ultra-marathons, probably lots of someones. Here, ultras are the stuff of a whole country’s new years resolutions and mid-life crises. They’re...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 24
    522- The Comrades

    If you live in South Africa, you definitely know someone who runs ultra-marathons, probably lots of someones. Here, ultras are the stuff of a whole country’s new years resolutions and mid-life crises. They’re...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 17
    A Sea of Yellow

    Back in 2017 we ran an episode about the history of Brazil's iconic, yellow national soccer jersey. We were reminded of that story during the recent world cup, and then again on January 8th as a mob of right...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 17
    521- A Sea of Yellow

    Back in 2017 we ran an episode about the history of Brazil's iconic, yellow national soccer jersey. We were reminded of that story during the recent world cup, and then again on January 8th as a mob of right...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 10
    Mini-Stories: Volume 16

    We’re kicking off the new year at 99pi with a fresh installment of mini-stories, including: what lies at the intersection of a street and a road; the most unlikely of theme parks; and the evolution of ancient...

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  • 2023 / 1 / 10
    520- Mini-Stories: Volume 16

    We’re kicking off the new year at 99pi with a fresh installment of mini-stories, including: what lies at the intersection of a street and a road; the most unlikely of theme parks; and the evolution of ancient...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 21
    519- Balikbayan Boxes

    This time of year, right in the middle of the holiday season, there's a beloved, frenzied tradition playing out in Filipino households all around the world, with which reporter Gabrielle Berbey is intimately...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 21
    Balikbayan Boxes

    This time of year, right in the middle of the holiday season, there's a beloved, frenzied tradition playing out in Filipino households all around the world, with which reporter Gabrielle Berbey is intimately...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 14
    518- Mini-Stories: Volume 15

    The whole conceit of this show is that if look at the world in the right way, you’ll see stories everywhere. Some of the stories are epic power struggles chronicling the construction of a famous skyscraper or...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 14
    Mini-Stories: Volume 15

    The whole conceit of this show is that if look at the world in the right way, you’ll see stories everywhere. Some of the stories are epic power struggles chronicling the construction of a famous skyscraper or...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 6
    The Divided Dial

    If you’ve ever flipped through the radio dial — not satellite, not podcasts, but good old-fashioned AM and FM radio — you may have noticed something. Right wing radio talk is everywhere.But the airwaves...

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  • 2022 / 12 / 6
    517- The Divided Dial

    If you’ve ever flipped through the radio dial — not satellite, not podcasts, but good old-fashioned AM and FM radio — you may have noticed something. Right wing radio talk is everywhere.But the airwaves...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 29
    516- Cougar Town

    Wildlife and urban development don’t usually go well together. Roads in particular fracture the habitats of wide-ranging animals. It restricts their movements and makes it harder for them to find food or a...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 29
    Cougar Town

    Wildlife and urban development don’t usually go well together. Roads in particular fracture the habitats of wide-ranging animals. It restricts their movements and makes it harder for them to find food or a...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 22
    Super Citizens

    Los Angeles' El Peatonito is part of a subset of real life superheroes who are more focused on things like picking up trash and taking on civic issues than catching criminals in alleys.These super citizens...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 22
    515- Super Citizens

    Los Angeles' El Peatonito is part of a subset of real life superheroes who are more focused on things like picking up trash and taking on civic issues than catching criminals in alleys.These super citizens...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 16
    405- Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

    When people ask me what my favorite episode of 99% Invisible is, I have a hard time answering. Not because they’re all my precious little babies or some such nonsense, but mostly it’s because I just can’t...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 16
    Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

    When people ask me what my favorite episode of 99% Invisible is, I have a hard time answering. Not because they’re all my precious little babies or some such nonsense, but mostly it’s because I just can’t...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 9
    Train Set: Track Two

    Funiculars are great, which is why the main image from our previous train episode featured one -- except we didn't actually talk about that one during the show. It's a cable car from Wellington, and as it...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 9
    514- Train Set: Track Two

    Funiculars are great, which is why the main image from our previous train episode featured one -- except we didn't actually talk about that one during the show. It's a cable car from Wellington, and as it...

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  • 2022 / 11 / 2
    Articles of Interest: American Ivy

    Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear. Host and producer Avery Trufelman investigates our collectively held beliefs about fashion and explores topics like the intellectual property law behind...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 25
    513- The Safety Bicycle

    The basic mechanics of the bike are pretty simple --- it’s basically a triangle with wheels and a chain drive to propel it forward. No batteries or engines. It seems obvious in hindsight .... And that’s why...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 25
    The Safety Bicycle

    The basic mechanics of the bike are pretty simple --- it’s basically a triangle with wheels and a chain drive to propel it forward. No batteries or engines. It seems obvious in hindsight .... And that’s why...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 18
    512- Walk of Fame

    Even if you haven't made the pilgrimage to Southern California, you can probably already picture what the Walk of Fame looks like. It's a 1.3 mile walkway lined with terrazzo and brass squares. Each slab...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 18
    Walk of Fame

    Even if you haven't made the pilgrimage to Southern California, you can probably already picture what the Walk of Fame looks like. It's a 1.3 mile walkway lined with terrazzo and brass squares. Each slab...

    Download
  • 2022 / 10 / 11
    511- Vuvuzela

    The vuvuzela is a two foot long injection-molded plastic horn. It only plays one note: a B flat. And it gradually became a regular feature of South African soccer. But prior to the 2010 World Cup, the rest of...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 11
    Vuvuzela

    The vuvuzela is a two foot long injection-molded plastic horn. It only plays one note: a B flat. And it gradually became a regular feature of South African soccer. But prior to the 2010 World Cup, the rest of...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 4
    510- Wickedest Sound

    Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed to...

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  • 2022 / 10 / 4
    Wickedest Sound

    Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed to...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 28
    Tale of the Jackalope

    The magical mythical "jackalope" is a essentially a horned rabbit, with antlers of different sizes and shapes. The jackalope is a mascot of the American West – inspiring an absolute river of trinkets and...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 28
    509- Tale of the Jackalope

    The magical mythical "jackalope" is a essentially a horned rabbit, with antlers of different sizes and shapes. The jackalope is a mascot of the American West – inspiring an absolute river of trinkets and...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 20
    508- President Clinton Interviews Roman Mars

    On this special feature episode, President Bill Clinton interviews 99% Invisible host and creator Roman Mars.Roman Mars has spent his career chronicling these bits of human ingenuity that we so often take for...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 20
    President Clinton Interviews Roman Mars

    On this special feature episode, President Bill Clinton interviews 99% Invisible host and creator Roman Mars.Roman Mars has spent his career chronicling these bits of human ingenuity that we so often take for...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 14
    507- Search and Ye Might Find

    Adam Rogers has been thinking and writing about what’s known in the industry simply as "search." For the last decade, people have been grumbling about not being able to find things online, both in our private...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 14
    Search and Ye Might Find

    Adam Rogers has been thinking and writing about what’s known in the industry simply as "search." For the last decade, people have been grumbling about not being able to find things online, both in our private...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 6
    506- Monumental Diplomacy

    In downtown Windhoek, Namibia -- at the intersection of Fidel Castro Street and Robert Mugabe Avenue -- there's an imposing gold building with an affectionate nickname: the Coffee Maker. This notable...

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  • 2022 / 9 / 6
    Monumental Diplomacy

    In downtown Windhoek, Namibia -- at the intersection of Fidel Castro Street and Robert Mugabe Avenue -- there's an imposing gold building with an affectionate nickname: the Coffee Maker. This notable...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 30
    505- First Errand

    Back in March, Netflix picked up a long running Japanese TV program based on a children’s book from the 1970s. The show is called Old Enough, but the name of the original Japanese program translates to My...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 30
    First Errand

    Back in March, Netflix picked up a long running Japanese TV program based on a children’s book from the 1970s. The show is called Old Enough, but the name of the original Japanese program translates to My...

    Download
  • 2022 / 8 / 23
    504- Bleep!

    There's a particular one-kilohertz tone that is universally understood to be covering up inappropriate words on radio and TV. But there are other options, too, like silence -- so why did this particular...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 23
    Bleep!

    There's a particular one-kilohertz tone that is universally understood to be covering up inappropriate words on radio and TV. But there are other options, too, like silence -- so why did this particular...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 18
    What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law- The Longest Week

    In the final week of the most recent term, the Supreme Court decided to limit one constitutional right (abortion) and expand another constitutional right (guns). But there were other cases decided that week,...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 10
    Re:peat

    A few years back, 99pi producer Emmett FitzGerald brought us a beautiful story about peat bogs. Peat is essential for biodiversity and for the climate – it is really, really good at storing carbon. But like a...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 10
    503- Re:peat

    A few years back, 99pi producer Emmett FitzGerald brought us a beautiful story about peat bogs. Peat is essential for biodiversity and for the climate – it is really, really good at storing carbon. But like a...

    Download
  • 2022 / 8 / 3
    502- 99% Vernacular: Volume 3

    In the final episode of our vernacular spectacular anniversary series, 99pi producers and friends of the show will be sharing more stories of regional architecture–some close to home, some on remote islands–...

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  • 2022 / 8 / 3
    99% Vernacular: Volume 3

    In the final episode of our vernacular spectacular anniversary series, 99pi producers and friends of the show will be sharing more stories of regional architecture–some close to home, some on remote islands–...

    Download
  • 2022 / 7 / 26
    501- 99% Vernacular: Volume 2

    Only a small percentage of architecture is actually designed by architects. And while a famous architect-designed tower in a skyline might be the best way to identify a city at a distance, up close it’s the...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 26
    99% Vernacular: Volume 2

    Only a small percentage of architecture is actually designed by architects. And while a famous architect-designed tower in a skyline might be the best way to identify a city at a distance, up close it’s the...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 19
    500- 99% Vernacular: Volume 1

    For the 500th episode of 99% Invisible, we started thinking about the kinds of designs that we love from the places we have lived -- and even some regional vernacular we love from places we haven’t lived, but...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 19
    99% Vernacular: Volume 1

    For the 500th episode of 99% Invisible, we started thinking about the kinds of designs that we love from the places we have lived -- and even some regional vernacular we love from places we haven’t lived, but...

    Download
  • 2022 / 7 / 12
    499- Say Aloe to My Little Frond

    Houseplants are having a moment right now. In 2020, 66% of people in the US owned at least one plant, and sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Instagram accounts like House Plant Club have a...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 12
    Say Aloe to My Little Frond

    Houseplants are having a moment right now. In 2020, 66% of people in the US owned at least one plant, and sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Instagram accounts like House Plant Club have a...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 5
    498- The Octagon House

    99% Invisible producer emeritus Avery Trufelman traveled from New York to San Francisco recently, and took host Roman Mars to see an unusually shaped old building on the west side of the Bay. As it turns out,...

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  • 2022 / 7 / 5
    The Octagon House

    99% Invisible producer emeritus Avery Trufelman traveled from New York to San Francisco recently, and took host Roman Mars to see an unusually shaped old building on the west side of the Bay. As it turns out,...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 28
    Hometown Village

    Sakhalin is a long, skinny island east of Russia's mainland. Russia and Japan have long fought over the territory, which has left the ethnic Koreans who came to work on the island starting in the early 1900s...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 28
    497- Hometown Village

    Sakhalin is a long, skinny island east of Russia's mainland. Russia and Japan have long fought over the territory, which has left the ethnic Koreans who came to work on the island starting in the early 1900s...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 21
    The Rights of Rice and Future of Nature

    The Ojibwe name for wild rice is Manoomin, which translates to “the good berry.” The scientific name is Zizania palustris. It’s the only grain indigenous to North America, and while it might be called rice,...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 21
    496- The Rights of Rice and Future of Nature

    The Ojibwe name for wild rice is Manoomin, which translates to “the good berry.” The scientific name is Zizania palustris. It’s the only grain indigenous to North America, and while it might be called rice,...

    Download
  • 2022 / 6 / 14
    495- Meet Us by the Fountain

    No teenager in America in the 1980s could avoid the gravitational pull of the mall, not even author Alexandra Lange. In her new book, Meet Me by the Fountain, Lange writes about how malls were conceptually...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 14
    Meet Us by the Fountain

    No teenager in America in the 1980s could avoid the gravitational pull of the mall, not even author Alexandra Lange. In her new book, Meet Me by the Fountain, Lange writes about how malls were conceptually...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 7
    494- Flag Days: Unfolding a Moment

    Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. At least, that's what we were taught in school. But when historians go searching…there’s no proof to be found. In this collaboration with the podcast Sidedoor, we...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 7
    Flag Days: Unfolding a Moment

    Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. At least, that's what we were taught in school. But when historians go searching…there’s no proof to be found. In this collaboration with the podcast Sidedoor, we...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 1
    493- Divining Provenance

    Priceless cultural artifacts have been plundered and sold for hundreds of years. You can find these relics in museums and in private collections. In recent years, with the advent of online marketplaces,...

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  • 2022 / 6 / 1
    Divining Provenance

    Priceless cultural artifacts have been plundered and sold for hundreds of years. You can find these relics in museums and in private collections. In recent years, with the advent of online marketplaces,...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 24
    492- Inheriting Froebel's Gifts

    In the late 1700s, a young man named Friedrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguably ended...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 24
    Inheriting Froebel's Gifts

    In the late 1700s, a young man named Friedrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguably ended...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 18
    491- The Missing Middle

    Downtown Toronto has a dense core of tall, glassy buildings along the waterfront of Lake Ontario. Outside of that, lots short single family homes sprawl out in every direction. Residents looking for something...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 10
    Train Set

    The greatest mode of transportation is the funicular, which is a special kind of train pulled by a cable that runs up steep slopes. But trains are great even when they're not going up treacherous terrain. And...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 10
    490- Train Set

    The greatest mode of transportation is the funicular, which is a special kind of train pulled by a cable that runs up steep slopes. But trains are great even when they're not going up treacherous terrain. And...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 6
    Roman Mars on Blank Check with Griffin and David

    Bonus episode: Roman Mars on Blank Check with Griffin and David talking about The Quick and The Dead (Sam Raimi, 1995)Roman note: I LOVE this show! Many of us on the 99pi staff are huge fans and follow it...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 4
    489- Pandemic Tracking and the Future of Data

    Data is the lifeblood of public health, and has been since the beginning of the field. But essential data gathering for the COVID pandemic was hindered by a couple of of underlying weakness in the US public...

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  • 2022 / 5 / 4
    Pandemic Tracking and the Future of Data

    Data is the lifeblood of public health, and has been since the beginning of the field. But essential data gathering for the COVID pandemic was hindered by a couple of of underlying weakness in the US public...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 26
    488- It’s a Small Aisle After All

    If you’ve ever been to a supermarket in the US, you’ve probably seen an ethnic food aisle. Maybe it was called the "international aisle," or "world foods," but it was the same idea. This is the “It’s A Small...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 26
    It’s a Small Aisle After All

    If you’ve ever been to a supermarket in the US, you’ve probably seen an ethnic food aisle. Maybe it was called the "international aisle," or "world foods," but it was the same idea. This is the “It’s A Small...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 20
    487- Atlas Obscura

    Standing on Beechey island, a peninsula off Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic, are four lonely graves: three members of an ill-fated expedition to the Northwest Passage, and one of the men who went looking...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 20
    Atlas Obscura

    Standing on Beechey island, a peninsula off Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic, are four lonely graves: three members of an ill-fated expedition to the Northwest Passage, and one of the men who went looking...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 13
    486- Rumble Strip

    Every year in the spring, small towns throughout New England host their annual town meeting. Town meetings take place in high school gyms or town halls, and anyone can come. In fact, in Vermont, Town Meeting...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 5
    485- Murder Most Fowl

    While urban parks are safe havens for birds, parks are often surrounded by condos and hotels and office buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows. And these all-glass building facades are the absolute worst for...

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  • 2022 / 4 / 5
    Murder Most Fowl

    While urban parks are safe havens for birds, parks are often surrounded by condos and hotels and office buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows. And these all-glass building facades are the absolute worst for...

    Download
  • 2022 / 3 / 30
    Dear Hank and John and Roman

    So why don't we have mouth Roombas? Is the universe full of chickens? What scientific advances are happening? What was the first internet purchase? How do I convince my parents to let me check a bag? What is...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 30
    484- Dear Hank and John and Roman

    So why don't we have mouth Roombas? Is the universe full of chickens? What scientific advances are happening? What was the first internet purchase? How do I convince my parents to let me check a bag? What is...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 22
    Grid Locked

    In February 2021, it began to snow in Austin, Texas, which was unusual, and exciting for some, at least until the power dropped out for millions of people. To many, this came as a shock – how could a state...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 22
    483- Grid Locked

    In February 2021, it began to snow in Austin, Texas, which was unusual, and exciting for some, at least until the power dropped out for millions of people. To many, this came as a shock – how could a state...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 15
    482- Natalie de Blois: To Tell the Truth

    Natalie de Blois contributed to some of the most iconic Modernist works created for corporate America, all while raising four children. After leaving this significant mark on postwar Park Avenue, she...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 15
    Natalie de Blois: To Tell the Truth

    Natalie de Blois contributed to some of the most iconic Modernist works created for corporate America, all while raising four children. After leaving this significant mark on postwar Park Avenue, she...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 11
    The Future of the Final Mile

    While something like dial-up might mostly be a thing of the past, the truth is copper phone lines still connect a lot of people to the internet over DSL. And even many people’s coaxial cable connections...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 11
    481- The Future of the Final Mile

    While something like dial-up might mostly be a thing of the past, the truth is copper phone lines still connect a lot of people to the internet over DSL. And even many people’s coaxial cable connections...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 8
    480- Broken Heart Park

    In the 1990s Dave Davis worked as the groundskeeper at a small neighborhood park in a suburb of St. Louis called Creve Coeur. It was an unpaid position, but it came with a strange perk: as part of the job, he...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 8
    Broken Heart Park

    In the 1990s Dave Davis worked as the groundskeeper at a small neighborhood park in a suburb of St. Louis called Creve Coeur. It was an unpaid position, but it came with a strange perk: as part of the job, he...

    Download
  • 2022 / 3 / 1
    479-According to Need wins duPont-Columbia Award

    The Columbia Journalism School recently announced the 16 winners of the 2022 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, including According to Need, a project of 99% Invisible produced by Katie Mingle.We...

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  • 2022 / 3 / 1
    According to Need wins duPont-Columbia Award

    The Columbia Journalism School recently announced the 16 winners of the 2022 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, including According to Need, a project of 99% Invisible produced by Katie Mingle.We...

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  • 2022 / 2 / 22
    Art Imitates Art

    There's a small neighborhood within the SEZ of Shenzhen that is known for mass-producing copies of the most celebrated works of Western art, all painted quickly and by hand. The place is called Dafen Village....

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  • 2022 / 2 / 22
    478- Art Imitates Art

    There's a small neighborhood within the SEZ of Shenzhen that is known for mass-producing copies of the most celebrated works of Western art, all painted quickly and by hand. The place is called Dafen Village....

    Download
  • 2022 / 2 / 16
    477- Call of Duty: Free

    On the west coast of Ireland, on the banks of an estuary dividing county Limerick from county Clare, lies a small town called Shannon. But Shannon is not a quaint fishing village or farming community. Its...

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  • 2022 / 2 / 16
    Call of Duty: Free

    On the west coast of Ireland, on the banks of an estuary dividing county Limerick from county Clare, lies a small town called Shannon. But Shannon is not a quaint fishing village or farming community. Its...

    Download
  • 2022 / 2 / 9
    476- Reaction Offices and the Future of Work

    People have been going back and forth about what makes a healthy and productive office since there have been offices. The 20th century was full of misbegotten fads and productivity innovations that continue...

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  • 2022 / 2 / 9
    Reaction Offices and the Future of Work

    People have been going back and forth about what makes a healthy and productive office since there have been offices. The 20th century was full of misbegotten fads and productivity innovations that continue...

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  • 2022 / 2 / 2
    475- Rock Paper Scissors Bus

    When the two greatest auction houses in the world – Christie’s and Sotheby’s – vied for the privilege of auctioning off $20 million worth of art in 2004, little did they know that they would be forced to...

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  • 2022 / 2 / 2
    Rock Paper Scissors Bus

    When the two greatest auction houses in the world – Christie’s and Sotheby’s – vied for the privilege of auctioning off $20 million worth of art in 2004, little did they know that they would be forced to...

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  • 2022 / 1 / 25
    The Punisher Skull

    The Punisher has always been a complicated Marvel antihero: a man whose creator imagined him as a reaction to the failures of government at home and in the Vietnam War. So why is the Punisher’s trademark...

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  • 2022 / 1 / 25
    474- The Punisher Skull

    The Punisher has always been a complicated Marvel antihero: a man whose creator imagined him as a reaction to the failures of government at home and in the Vietnam War. So why is the Punisher’s trademark...

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  • 2022 / 1 / 19
    Mini-Stories : Volume 14

    At the end of the calendar year and into the new year the 99pi staff collects a bunch of short, joyful little stories that are fun to produce and make us happy. We call them mini-stories. This is the third...

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  • 2022 / 1 / 19
    473- Mini-Stories : Volume 14

    At the end of the calendar year and into the new year the 99pi staff collects a bunch of short, joyful little stories that are fun to produce and make us happy. We call them mini-stories. This is the third...

    Download
  • 2022 / 1 / 12
    472- Mini-Stories : Volume 13

    We're kicking off the new year at 99pi with a fresh installment of mini-stories, including: a strange collision of mundane infrastructure and political insurrection; a graphic design history mystery dating...

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  • 2022 / 1 / 12
    Mini-Stories : Volume 13

    We're kicking off the new year at 99pi with a fresh installment of mini-stories, including: a strange collision of mundane infrastructure and political insurrection; a graphic design history mystery dating...

    Download
  • 2021 / 12 / 22
    471- Mini-Stories : Volume 12

    It's that time of year again! When 99pi producers and friends of the show join Roman to tell shorter stories, many of which have been sitting on our idea shelves, just waiting for this moment. Our first set...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 22
    Mini-Stories : Volume 12

    It's that time of year again! When 99pi producers and friends of the show join Roman to tell shorter stories, many of which have been sitting on our idea shelves, just waiting for this moment. Our first set...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 15
    470- The Three Santas of Slovenia

    Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe nestled between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. It's a land of snowy white peaks, green valleys, and turquoise rivers. The country is beautiful in all...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 15
    The Three Santas of Slovenia

    Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe nestled between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. It's a land of snowy white peaks, green valleys, and turquoise rivers. The country is beautiful in all...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 7
    469- The Epic of Collier Heights

    For Black Americans, Collier Heights became a suburban jewel in the postwar South spanning thousands of acres and packed with nature. Just as amazing as the expansive beauty is how this neighborhood came to...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 7
    The Epic of Collier Heights

    For Black Americans, Collier Heights became a suburban jewel in the postwar South spanning thousands of acres and packed with nature. Just as amazing as the expansive beauty is how this neighborhood came to...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 1
    Alphabetical Order

    In much of the western world, alphabetical order is simply a default we take for granted. It’s often the one we try first -- or the one we use as a last resort when all the other ordering methods fail. It’s...

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  • 2021 / 12 / 1
    468- Alphabetical Order

    In much of the western world, alphabetical order is simply a default we take for granted. It’s often the one we try first -- or the one we use as a last resort when all the other ordering methods fail. It’s...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 23
    467- Cute Little Monstrosities of Nature

    The French bulldog is now the second most popular breed in America. Their cute features, portable size, and physical features make for a dog that can easily travel and doesn't require a lot of exercise. But...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 23
    Cute Little Monstrosities of Nature

    The French bulldog is now the second most popular breed in America. Their cute features, portable size, and physical features make for a dog that can easily travel and doesn't require a lot of exercise. But...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 17
    The Weight

    Fitness trends come and go. But the simple weight is an anchor in the shifting tides of culture. As workout equipment has become canonized within the realm of home appliances, this heavy metal object aids in...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 17
    466- The Weight

    Fitness trends come and go. But the simple weight is an anchor in the shifting tides of culture. As workout equipment has become canonized within the realm of home appliances, this heavy metal object aids in...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 10
    465- Shirley Cards

    Even if we think of the camera as a neutral technology, it is not. In the vast spectrum of human colors, photographic tools and practices tend to prioritize the lighter end of that range. One example of this...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 10
    Shirley Cards

    Even if we think of the camera as a neutral technology, it is not. In the vast spectrum of human colors, photographic tools and practices tend to prioritize the lighter end of that range. One example of this...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 2
    Finding Julia Morgan

    Born in 1872, American architect and engineer Julia Morgan designed hundreds of buildings over her prolific career, famous for her work on incredible structures like the Hearst Castle in San Simeon,...

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  • 2021 / 11 / 2
    464- Finding Julia Morgan

    Born in 1872, American architect and engineer Julia Morgan designed hundreds of buildings over her prolific career, famous for her work on incredible structures like the Hearst Castle in San Simeon,...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 26
    463- Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

    At a glance, the border between the United States and Canada would seem to be at the friendlier end of the international boundary spectrum. But even though the US-Canada border is now pretty tame, when two...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 26
    Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

    At a glance, the border between the United States and Canada would seem to be at the friendlier end of the international boundary spectrum. But even though the US-Canada border is now pretty tame, when two...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 19
    462- I Can't Believe It's Pink Margarine

    Margarine is yellow, like butter, but it hasn't always been. At times and in places, it has been a bland white, or even a dull pink. These strange variations were a byproduct of 150-year war to destroy...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 19
    I Can't Believe It's Pink Margarine

    Margarine is yellow, like butter, but it hasn't always been. At times and in places, it has been a bland white, or even a dull pink. These strange variations were a byproduct of 150-year war to destroy...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 12
    461- Changing Stripes

    Rioters carried many familiar flags during the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol -- Confederate, MAGA, as well as some custom-made ones like a flag of Trump looking like Rambo. Except for...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 12
    Changing Stripes

    Rioters carried many familiar flags during the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol -- Confederate, MAGA, as well as some custom-made ones like a flag of Trump looking like Rambo. Except for...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 5
    The House that Came in the Mail Again

    The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. Anyone anywhere in the country could order a copy for free,...

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  • 2021 / 10 / 5
    323- The House that Came in the Mail Again

    The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. Anyone anywhere in the country could order a copy for free,...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 28
    Corpse, Corps, Horse and Worse

    When it comes to English spelling and pronunciation, there is plenty of rhyme and very little reason. But what is the reason for that? Why among all European languages is English so uniquely chaotic today?To...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 28
    460- Corpse, Corps, Horse and Worse

    When it comes to English spelling and pronunciation, there is plenty of rhyme and very little reason. But what is the reason for that? Why among all European languages is English so uniquely chaotic today?To...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 21
    459- Yankee Pyramids

    Presidential libraries are tributes to greatness, "[a] self-congratulatory, almost fictional account of someone's achievements, where all the blemishes are hidden," explains one New York architect. But...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 21
    Yankee Pyramids

    Presidential libraries are tributes to greatness, "[a] self-congratulatory, almost fictional account of someone's achievements, where all the blemishes are hidden," explains one New York architect. But...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 14
    Real Fake Bridges

    The great Jacob Goldstein, author of Money: The True Story of a Made Up Thing, stops by to tell us two stories about the design of paper currency around the world. First, the story of the making of the Euro...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 14
    458- Real Fake Bridges

    The great Jacob Goldstein, author of Money: The True Story of a Made Up Thing, stops by to tell us two stories about the design of paper currency around the world. First, the story of the making of the Euro...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 7
    Model Organism

    Axolotls are nature’s great regenerators. They are able to grow back not just their tails, but also legs, arms, even parts of vital organs, including their hearts. This remarkable ability is one of several...

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  • 2021 / 9 / 7
    457- Model Organism

    Axolotls are nature’s great regenerators. They are able to grow back not just their tails, but also legs, arms, even parts of vital organs, including their hearts. This remarkable ability is one of several...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 31
    456- Full Spectrum

    In 2015 the world was divided into two warring factions overnight. And at the center of this schism was a single photograph. Cecilia Bleasdale took a picture of a dress that she planned to wear to her...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 31
    Full Spectrum

    In 2015 the world was divided into two warring factions overnight. And at the center of this schism was a single photograph. Cecilia Bleasdale took a picture of a dress that she planned to wear to her...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 17
    455- A Field Guide to Water

    What does water mean to you? In this feature, author Bonnie Tsui (Why We Swim), actress Joy Bryant, submarine pilot Erika Bergman, figure skater Elladj BaldĂŠ, 85-year-old synchronized swimmer Barbara...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 17
    A Field Guide to Water

    What does water mean to you? In this feature, author Bonnie Tsui (Why We Swim), actress Joy Bryant, submarine pilot Erika Bergman, figure skater Elladj BaldĂŠ, 85-year-old synchronized swimmer Barbara...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 10
    War, Famine, Pestilence, and Design

    When Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt were promoting The 99% Invisible City in late 2020, one question came up over and over again in conversations and interviews about our built environment: in what ways will...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 10
    454- War, Famine, Pestilence, and Design

    When Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt were promoting The 99% Invisible City in late 2020, one question came up over and over again in conversations and interviews about our built environment: in what ways will...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 4
    453- The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food

    Officially titled The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, it was often known simply as “Kniga” (translated: "book") because it was one of the only cookbooks to exist in the Soviet Union. The volume is peppered...

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  • 2021 / 8 / 4
    The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food

    Officially titled The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, it was often known simply as “Kniga” (translated: "book") because it was one of the only cookbooks to exist in the Soviet Union. The volume is peppered...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 27
    452- The Lows of High Tech

    Britt Young is a geographer and tech writer based in the Bay Area. She also has what's called a "congenital upper limb deficiency." In other words, she was born without the part of her arm just below her left...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 27
    The Lows of High Tech

    Britt Young is a geographer and tech writer based in the Bay Area. She also has what's called a "congenital upper limb deficiency." In other words, she was born without the part of her arm just below her left...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 20
    451- Hanko

    Hanko, sometimes called insho, are the carved stamp seals that people in Japan often use in place of signatures. Hanko seals are made from materials ranging from plastic to jade and are about the size of a...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 20
    Hanko

    Hanko, sometimes called insho, are the carved stamp seals that people in Japan often use in place of signatures. Hanko seals are made from materials ranging from plastic to jade and are about the size of a...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 14
    Stuff the British Stole

    Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today those objects are housed in genteel institutions across the UK and the world. They usually come with polite plaques. The ABC podcast Stuff...

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  • 2021 / 7 / 14
    450- Stuff the British Stole

    Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today those objects are housed in genteel institutions across the UK and the world. They usually come with polite plaques. The ABC podcast Stuff...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 29
    Mine!

    Every year, fights break out on airplanes. They happen between the people who lean back in their seats, and the people who get their knees smooshed. Sometimes planes have to be grounded because of these...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 29
    449- Mine!

    Every year, fights break out on airplanes. They happen between the people who lean back in their seats, and the people who get their knees smooshed. Sometimes planes have to be grounded because of these...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 23
    Katie Mingle's Right to Roam

    We revisit Katie Mingle's Right to Roam episode as we say goodbyeIn the United Kingdom, the freedom to walk through private land is known as “the right to roam.” The movement to win this right was started in...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 23
    448- Katie Mingle's Right to Roam

    We revisit Katie Mingle's Right to Roam episode as we say goodbyeIn the United Kingdom, the freedom to walk through private land is known as “the right to roam.” The movement to win this right was started in...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 15
    Flag Days: The Red, the Black & the Green

    After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd last year, tens of thousands of people all over the world took to the streets to protest police violence against Black people. And if you...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 15
    447- Flag Days: The Red, the Black & the Green

    After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd last year, tens of thousands of people all over the world took to the streets to protest police violence against Black people. And if you...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 8
    Flag Days: Good Luck, True South

    Correction: Our staff producer pronounced the the Japanese word "ōbōn" incorrectly in this episode. It is pronounced OH-bohn not oh-BAHN.Let us be the first to wish you a Happy Flag Day, beautiful nerds!...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 8
    446- Flag Days: Good Luck, True South

    Correction: Our staff producer pronounced the the Japanese word "ōbōn" incorrectly in this episode. It is pronounced OH-bohn not oh-BAHN.Let us be the first to wish you a Happy Flag Day, beautiful nerds!...

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  • 2021 / 6 / 2
    The Clinch

    After Producer Katie Mingle's mom wrote a romance novel, Katie set out to understand the romance genre and its classic covers. There was a lot to unpack. The Clinch

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  • 2021 / 6 / 2
    445- The Clinch

    After Producer Katie Mingle's mom wrote a romance novel, Katie set out to understand the romance genre and its classic covers. There was a lot to unpack. The Clinch

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  • 2021 / 5 / 25
    Pipe Dreams

    Most people probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about their toilets, but they are both a modern marvel while also being somewhat of a failure of systems design. On the one hand, it has created a vast...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 25
    444- Pipe Dreams

    Most people probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about their toilets, but they are both a modern marvel while also being somewhat of a failure of systems design. On the one hand, it has created a vast...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 19
    Matters of Time

    For the most part, we take time for granted; maybe we don’t have enough of it, but we at least know how it works --- well, most of the time. A lot of what we think about time is relatively recent, and some of...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 19
    443- Matters of Time

    For the most part, we take time for granted; maybe we don’t have enough of it, but we at least know how it works --- well, most of the time. A lot of what we think about time is relatively recent, and some of...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 11
    Tanz Tanz Revolution

    Today, Berlin is one of the premier destinations for techno music fans. People come from all over the world to party all night to the rhythmic beat of Berlin's club scene. And this music that the city is most...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 11
    442- Tanz Tanz Revolution

    Today, Berlin is one of the premier destinations for techno music fans. People come from all over the world to party all night to the rhythmic beat of Berlin's club scene. And this music that the city is most...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 4
    Abandoned Ships

    If you look around you right now, about 90% of what you’re looking at came to you onboard a cargo ship—your television, your sofa, most of the stuff in your kitchen. But as the number of these cargo ships has...

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  • 2021 / 5 / 4
    441- Abandoned Ships

    If you look around you right now, about 90% of what you’re looking at came to you onboard a cargo ship—your television, your sofa, most of the stuff in your kitchen. But as the number of these cargo ships has...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 28
    Curb Cuts (Repeat)

    If you live in an American city and you don’t personally use a wheelchair, it's easy to overlook the small ramp at most intersections, between the sidewalk and the street. Today, these curb cuts are...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 28
    308- Curb Cuts (Repeat)

    If you live in an American city and you don’t personally use a wheelchair, it's easy to overlook the small ramp at most intersections, between the sidewalk and the street. Today, these curb cuts are...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 20
    440- La Brega in Levittown

    On the show this week, we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast called, La Brega. And to tell us all about the series is Alana Casanova-Burgess. Casanova-Burgess traces back the story of the boom and...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 20
    La Brega in Levittown

    On the show this week, we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast called, La Brega. And to tell us all about the series is Alana Casanova-Burgess. Casanova-Burgess traces back the story of the boom and...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 14
    Welcome to Jurassic Art Redux

    Kurt and Roman talk about icebergs and how we visualize them all wrong. Plus, we visit a classic 99pi story by Emmett FitzGerald about visualizing dinosaurs. At least for the time being, art is the primary...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 14
    439- Welcome to Jurassic Art Redux

    Kurt and Roman talk about icebergs and how we visualize them all wrong. Plus, we visit a classic 99pi story by Emmett FitzGerald about visualizing dinosaurs. At least for the time being, art is the primary...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 7
    438- The Real Book

    Since the mid-1970s, almost every jazz musician has owned a copy of the same book. It has a peach-colored cover, a chunky, 1970s-style logo, and a black plastic binding. It’s delightfully...

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  • 2021 / 4 / 7
    The Real Book

    Since the mid-1970s, almost every jazz musician has owned a copy of the same book. It has a peach-colored cover, a chunky, 1970s-style logo, and a black plastic binding. It’s delightfully...

    Download
  • 2021 / 3 / 30
    437- Science Vs Snakes

    More than 100,000 people die every year from snake bites. Snake venom can have up to 200 different toxins inside it and each toxin has a different horrible effect to your body. Some attack your muscles, while...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 30
    Science Vs Snakes

    More than 100,000 people die every year from snake bites. Snake venom can have up to 200 different toxins inside it and each toxin has a different horrible effect to your body. Some attack your muscles, while...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 23
    Oops, Our Bad

    In the 20th century, humans became very good at the control of nature, but now that we’ve spent some time with the consequences, such as species extinction and climate change, humans are focused on the...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 23
    436- Oops, Our Bad

    In the 20th century, humans became very good at the control of nature, but now that we’ve spent some time with the consequences, such as species extinction and climate change, humans are focused on the...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 16
    435- The Megaplex!

    Back in the early 1990s, movie theaters weren't that great. The auditoriums were cramped and narrow, and the screen was dim. But in 1995, the AMC Grand 24 in Dallas changed everything. It was the very first...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 16
    The Megaplex!

    Back in the early 1990s, movie theaters weren't that great. The auditoriums were cramped and narrow, and the screen was dim. But in 1995, the AMC Grand 24 in Dallas changed everything. It was the very first...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 9
    Artistic License

    Idaho was the first state to slap a slogan on a license plate, “Idaho Potatoes,” which may not seem like a big deal, but it turns out this idea would end up having outsized consequences, and not just for...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 9
    434- Artistic License

    Idaho was the first state to slap a slogan on a license plate, “Idaho Potatoes,” which may not seem like a big deal, but it turns out this idea would end up having outsized consequences, and not just for...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 2
    Florence Nightingale: Data Viz Pioneer

    Victorian nurse Florence Nightingale (played in this episode by her distant cousin Helena Bonham Carter) is a hero of modern medicine - but her greatest contribution to combating disease and death resulted...

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  • 2021 / 3 / 2
    433- Florence Nightingale: Data Viz Pioneer

    Victorian nurse Florence Nightingale (played in this episode by her distant cousin Helena Bonham Carter) is a hero of modern medicine - but her greatest contribution to combating disease and death resulted...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 23
    The Batman and the Bridge Builder

    Mark Bloschock is an engineer from Texas, and in the late 1970s he got a job with the Texas Department of Transportation renovating the Congress Avenue Bridge. The bridge was a simple concrete arch bridge...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 23
    432- The Batman and the Bridge Builder

    Mark Bloschock is an engineer from Texas, and in the late 1970s he got a job with the Texas Department of Transportation renovating the Congress Avenue Bridge. The bridge was a simple concrete arch bridge...

    Download
  • 2021 / 2 / 16
    12 Heads from the Garden of Perfect Brightness

    The story of the twelve bronze zodiac heads that are at the center of a fight over the repatriation of Chinese cultural heritage. Most believe all such cultural artifacts should return to China, but many...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 16
    431- 12 Heads from the Garden of Perfect Brightness

    The story of the twelve bronze zodiac heads that are at the center of a fight over the repatriation of Chinese cultural heritage. Most believe all such cultural artifacts should return to China, but many...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 12
    Judas and the Black Messiah, Episode 1: The Chairman

    Proximity, 99% Invisible, and Warner Bros. present the “Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast,” an official film companion from the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. In the “Judas and the Black Messiah...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 9
    430- The Doom Boom

    Bradley Garrett is the author of Bunker: Building for the Times. People have always built underground survival shelters to stay safe from things like plagues or hurricanes. But in modern history, we've really...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 9
    The Doom Boom

    Bradley Garrett is the author of Bunker: Building for the Times. People have always built underground survival shelters to stay safe from things like plagues or hurricanes. But in modern history, we've really...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 8
    Judas and the Black Messiah Trailer from 99% Invisible and Proximity Media

    Proximity, 99% Invisible, and Warner Bros. present the “Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast,” an official film companion from the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. In the “Judas and the Black Messiah...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 2
    429- Stuccoed in Time

    Santa Fe is famous in part for a particular architectural style, an adobe (mudbrick) look that came to be called Pueblo Revival. This aesthetic combines elements of indigenous pueblo architecture and the New...

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  • 2021 / 2 / 2
    Stuccoed in Time

    Santa Fe is famous in part for a particular architectural style, an adobe (mudbrick) look that came to be called Pueblo Revival. This aesthetic combines elements of indigenous pueblo architecture and the New...

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  • 2021 / 1 / 26
    428- Beneath the Skyway

    Cities around the world have distinctive modes of transportation -- the canals of Venice, the double-decker busses of London, and the Twin Cities (of Minneapolis and St. Paul) have skyways. In both downtowns,...

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  • 2021 / 1 / 26
    Beneath the Skyway

    Cities around the world have distinctive modes of transportation -- the canals of Venice, the double-decker busses of London, and the Twin Cities (of Minneapolis and St. Paul) have skyways. In both downtowns,...

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  • 2021 / 1 / 20
    Mini-Stories: Volume 11

    In this set of short stories, 99% Invisible producers talked with host Roman Mars about everything from the Fresh Air Movement to the lost Lenin in Antarctica. Mini-Stories: Volume 11

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  • 2021 / 1 / 20
    427- Mini-Stories: Volume 11

    In this set of short stories, 99% Invisible producers talked with host Roman Mars about everything from the Fresh Air Movement to the lost Lenin in Antarctica. Mini-Stories: Volume 11

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  • 2021 / 1 / 12
    426- Mini-Stories: Volume 10

    In this set of short stories, 99% Invisible producers talked with host Roman Mars about everything from climate-changing sheep to the persistent urban legend behind the invention of a space pen. Mini-Stories:...

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  • 2021 / 1 / 12
    Mini-Stories: Volume 10

    In this set of short stories, 99% Invisible producers talked with host Roman Mars about everything from climate-changing sheep to the persistent urban legend behind the invention of a space pen. Mini-Stories:...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 22
    Mini-Stories: Volume 9

    Each year, 99% Invisible producers select short design stories to talk about with host Roman Mars. Some of these were just too brief to make into full 99pi episodes, but many also reveal aspects of how we...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 22
    425- Mini-Stories: Volume 9

    Each year, 99% Invisible producers select short design stories to talk about with host Roman Mars. Some of these were just too brief to make into full 99pi episodes, but many also reveal aspects of how we...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 18
    Roman Mars on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

    Roman Mars joins Jesse Thorn on Bullseye this week to talk about life before podcasting, and what decades in radio has taught him. Roman has worked in podcasts and radio for decades at this point, but his...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 15
    Chapter 5: Housing Finally

    If homelessness is the problem, housing is the solution. But it’s not always that simple. Kate Cody has been living in her encampment community for a long time. And there’s no guarantee she’ll be able to make...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 11
    Chapter 4: The List

    When Tulicia Lee tried to get help with housing, she was essentially put on a big long list with a bunch of other homeless people. If you live in the U.S., your community probably has a list like this too....

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  • 2020 / 12 / 8
    Chapter 3: Housing First

    In the 1980's, a psychologist named Sam Tsemberis was working with mentally ill homeless people on the streets of New York. Sometimes, when he thought it was necessary to keep someone safe, Sam would have...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 4
    Chapter 2: The Hotline

    Katie Mingle heard a lot about 211 doing this reporting. Not just from Tulicia Lee who called a bunch of times, but from everyone—from homeless people and service providers and advocates. In her mind, it was...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 1
    Chapter 1: Tulicia

    When we think about homelessness, we often have a certain image in our mind—people pushing shopping carts, or big sprawling tent encampments. But for the vast majority of homeless people, the experience is...

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  • 2020 / 12 / 1
    According to Need: Prologue

    The way homelessness has exploded in California over the last decade, you’d think there was no system in place to address it. But there is one -- it just wasn’t designed to help everyone. According to Need is...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 29
    According to Need coming December 1

    According to Need is a documentary podcast in 5 chapters from 99% Invisible’s Katie Mingle that asks: What are we doing to get people into housing? Coming December 1

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  • 2020 / 11 / 25
    424- The Great Indoors

    Emily Anthes is the author of The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behaviour, Health and Happiness, and she notes that even before the pandemic hit, we humans spent about 90...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 21
    423- Sean Exploder

    As you might know, we have our own composer here at 99pi named Sean Real who works with the producers to score our episodes with original music that she writes and records right here in Oakland. She has...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 21
    Sean Exploder

    As you might know, we have our own composer here at 99pi named Sean Real who works with the producers to score our episodes with original music that she writes and records right here in Oakland. She has...

    Download
  • 2020 / 11 / 18
    422- In The Unlikely Event

    If you’ve ever flown on a plane, you’ve been directed to study the safety briefing card in your seatback pocket. Every passenger plane, commercial or private, has to have safety cards on board. Mo Laborde is...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 18
    In The Unlikely Event

    If you’ve ever flown on a plane, you’ve been directed to study the safety briefing card in your seatback pocket. Every passenger plane, commercial or private, has to have safety cards on board. Mo Laborde is...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 11
    421- You've Got Enron Mail!

    Enron collapsed nearly 20 years ago, but chances are something you use today was affected by emails sent by 150 of the company's top employees. These emails — about meetings and energy markets but also...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 11
    You've Got Enron Mail!

    Enron collapsed nearly 20 years ago, but chances are something you use today was affected by emails sent by 150 of the company's top employees. These emails — about meetings and energy markets but also...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 3
    420- The Lost Cities of Geo

    Geocities was an online collection of metropolises, each with their own neighborhoods built around shared interests. The city metaphor helped make a whole new group of users understand the world wide web for...

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  • 2020 / 11 / 3
    The Lost Cities of Geo

    Geocities was an online collection of metropolises, each with their own neighborhoods built around shared interests. The city metaphor helped make a whole new group of users understand the world wide web for...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 27
    419- Take a Walk

    During publicity interviews for The 99% Invisible City someone asked us, “What is your favorite way to experience the city?” The answer is walking. If you have nothing to do, take a walk. If you are...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 27
    Take a Walk

    During publicity interviews for The 99% Invisible City someone asked us, “What is your favorite way to experience the city?” The answer is walking. If you have nothing to do, take a walk. If you are...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 23
    99pi Presents The Next Billion Users

    This bonus episode is sponsored by Google’s Next Billion User Initiative. Every week millions of people come online for the very first time. And everyone – no matter where they live, what language they speak...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 20
    Sign Stealing

    In the early days of baseball, sign-stealing was almost like a game within the game. Teams and players would try all kinds of tricks to get a glimpse of what the catcher was signaling to the pitcher. Even...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 20
    418- Sign Stealing

    In the early days of baseball, sign-stealing was almost like a game within the game. Teams and players would try all kinds of tricks to get a glimpse of what the catcher was signaling to the pitcher. Even...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 13
    417- For the Love of Peat

    When we think about carbon storage, we tend to think about forests, but peatlands are also incredible carbon sinks. In Europe, peatlands contain five times more carbon than forests. But back in the 80s, most...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 13
    For the Love of Peat

    When we think about carbon storage, we tend to think about forests, but peatlands are also incredible carbon sinks. In Europe, peatlands contain five times more carbon than forests. But back in the 80s, most...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 6
    Exploring The 99% Invisible City

    We're excited to celebrate the release of The 99% Invisible City book by host Roman Mars and producer Kurt Kohlstedt with a guided audio tour of beautiful downtown Oakland, California. In this episode, we...

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  • 2020 / 10 / 6
    416- Exploring The 99% Invisible City

    We're excited to celebrate the release of The 99% Invisible City book by host Roman Mars and producer Kurt Kohlstedt with a guided audio tour of beautiful downtown Oakland, California. In this episode, we...

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  • 2020 / 9 / 29
    415- Goodnight Nobody

    The unlikely battle between the creator of the New York Public Library children's reading room and the beloved children’s classic Goodnight Moon. Goodnight Nobody Pre-order The 99% Invisible City

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  • 2020 / 9 / 22
    414- The Address Book

    An address is something many people take for granted today, but they are in fact a fairly recent invention that has shaped our cities and taken on great political importance. Deirdre Mask is the author of The...

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  • 2020 / 9 / 22
    The Address Book

    An address is something many people take for granted today, but they are in fact a fairly recent invention that has shaped our cities and taken on great political importance. Deirdre Mask is the author of The...

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  • 2020 / 9 / 15
    Highways 101

    Icons and symbols and signage are all around us, and nowhere more so than on the open road. So for this episode of Ubiquitous Icons: hop in the car with Roman and Kurt for a crash course in roadside signage....

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  • 2020 / 9 / 15
    413- Highways 101

    Icons and symbols and signage are all around us, and nowhere more so than on the open road. So for this episode of Ubiquitous Icons: hop in the car with Roman and Kurt for a crash course in roadside signage....

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  • 2020 / 9 / 9
    412- Where Do We Go From Here?

    There have been many waves of panic and resistance to new people moving into the public sphere and needing accommodation. And a focus of that panic has often been… public bathrooms. The debate about trans...

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  • 2020 / 9 / 1
    411- Podcast Episode

    After the 1970s oil crisis, the global economy went into a recession. American unemployment hit 11 percent. And suddenly, middle-class families didn’t have money for name brands like Coke or Kellogg’s....

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  • 2020 / 9 / 1
    Podcast Episode

    After the 1970s oil crisis, the global economy went into a recession. American unemployment hit 11 percent. And suddenly, middle-class families didn’t have money for name brands like Coke or Kellogg’s....

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  • 2020 / 8 / 25
    244- The Revolutionary Post (Repeat)

    Winifred Gallagher, author of How the Post Office Created America argues that the post office is not simply an inexpensive way to send a letter. The service was designed to unite a bunch of disparate towns...

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  • 2020 / 8 / 25
    The Revolutionary Post (Repeat)

    Winifred Gallagher, author of How the Post Office Created America argues that the post office is not simply an inexpensive way to send a letter. The service was designed to unite a bunch of disparate towns...

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  • 2020 / 8 / 11
    410- Policing the Open Road

    Before the twentieth century, most Americans rarely came into contact with police officers. But with more and more drivers behind the wheel, police departments rapidly expanded their forces and increased...

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  • 2020 / 8 / 11
    Policing the Open Road

    Before the twentieth century, most Americans rarely came into contact with police officers. But with more and more drivers behind the wheel, police departments rapidly expanded their forces and increased...

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  • 2020 / 8 / 4
    409- California Love Scared Straight

    Walter Thompson-Hernandez was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in...

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  • 2020 / 8 / 4
    California Love Scared Straight

    Walter Thompson-Hernandez was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 29
    408- Valley of the Fallen

    About an hour northwest of Madrid, an enormous stone crucifix rises 500 feet out of a rocky mountaintop. It’s so big you can see it from miles away. Beneath the cross, there’s a sprawling Benedictine...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 29
    Valley of the Fallen

    About an hour northwest of Madrid, an enormous stone crucifix rises 500 feet out of a rocky mountaintop. It’s so big you can see it from miles away. Beneath the cross, there’s a sprawling Benedictine...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 21
    407- The Dolphin that Roared

    When Emily Oberman found a flag of the island nation of Anguilla her father had helped design in her attic, she had no idea it was connected to one of the strangest political revolutions in history. The...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 21
    The Dolphin that Roared

    When Emily Oberman found a flag of the island nation of Anguilla her father had helped design in her attic, she had no idea it was connected to one of the strangest political revolutions in history. The...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 14
    406- A Side of Franchise

    There are many books about McDonald’s that criticize the company for its many sins, and author Marcia Chatelain has read all of them. But her book comes at this famous fast-food restaurant from a different...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 14
    A Side of Franchise

    There are many books about McDonald’s that criticize the company for its many sins, and author Marcia Chatelain has read all of them. But her book comes at this famous fast-food restaurant from a different...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 8
    405- Freedom House Ambulance Service

    One night halfway through a graveyard shift at the hospital, orderly John Moon watched as two young men burst through the doors. They were working desperately to save a dying patient. Maybe today he wouldn’t...

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  • 2020 / 7 / 8
    Freedom House Ambulance Service

    One night halfway through a graveyard shift at the hospital, orderly John Moon watched as two young men burst through the doors. They were working desperately to save a dying patient. Maybe today he wouldn’t...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 30
    Return of OĂąate's Foot

    All across the country, protestors have been tearing down old monuments. These monuments have been falling in the middle of historic protests against police brutality. Sparked by the murder of George Floyd in...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 30
    404- Return of OĂąate's Foot

    All across the country, protestors have been tearing down old monuments. These monuments have been falling in the middle of historic protests against police brutality. Sparked by the murder of George Floyd in...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 24
    403- Return of the Yokai

    In the US, mascots are used to pump up crowds at sporting events, or for traumatizing generations of children at Chuck E. Cheese, but in Japan it’s different. There are mascots for towns, aquariums, dentists'...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 24
    Return of the Yokai

    In the US, mascots are used to pump up crowds at sporting events, or for traumatizing generations of children at Chuck E. Cheese, but in Japan it’s different. There are mascots for towns, aquariums, dentists'...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 16
    Instant Gramification

    If you’re on Instagram, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen a picture of one particular building called the Yardhouse. It was designed by the London-based architecture collective Assemble. The design of the...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 16
    402- Instant Gramification

    If you’re on Instagram, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen a picture of one particular building called the Yardhouse. It was designed by the London-based architecture collective Assemble. The design of the...

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  • 2020 / 6 / 9
    Wedding Dresses: Articles of Interest #12

    A wedding was once seen as a start of young adulthood. Now, a wedding has come to represent a crowning achievement -- a symbol that your whole life is together and you have accrued the time and space and...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 29
    Diamonds: Articles of Interest #11

    Diamonds represent value, in all its multiple meanings: values, as in ethics, and value as in actual price. But what are these rocks actually worth? The ethics and costs of diamond rings have shifted with...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 26
    Suits: Articles of Interest #10

    Menswear can seem boring. If you look at any award show, most of the men are dressed in black pants and black jackets. This uniform design can be traced back to American Revolution, classical statuary, and...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 19
    Perfume: Articles of Interest #9

    The world of high end perfume is surprisingly lucrative, considering that scent is often the most ignored of our senses. But one can't judge a scent solely by the brand and shape of the bottle. With the right...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 15
    Knockoffs: Articles of Interest #8

    Brands hold immense sway over both consumers and the American legal system. Few know this as well as Dapper Dan, who went from street hustler to fashion impresario and has spent time on both sides of American...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 12
    A Fantasy of Fashion: Articles of Interest #7

    In the wake of World War II, the government of France commissioned its most prominent designers to create a collection of miniature fashion dolls. It might seem like an odd thing to fund, but the fantasy of...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 6
    The Natural Experiment

    In general, the coronavirus shutdowns have been terrible for academic research. Trips have been canceled, labs have shut down, and long-running experiments have been interrupted. But there are some...

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  • 2020 / 5 / 6
    401- The Natural Experiment

    In general, the coronavirus shutdowns have been terrible for academic research. Trips have been canceled, labs have shut down, and long-running experiments have been interrupted. But there are some...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 29
    400- The Smell of Concrete After Rain

    There have been over 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. All have been tragic, but there are two people in particular we’ve lost due to COVID that were part of the world of architecture...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 29
    The Smell of Concrete After Rain

    There have been over 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. All have been tragic, but there are two people in particular we’ve lost due to COVID that were part of the world of architecture...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 21
    Masking for a Friend

    Here in the US, we're not used to needing to cover half of our faces in public, but if you look at the other side of the world, it's a different story. In parts of Asia, wearing a mask in response to the...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 21
    399- Masking for a Friend

    Here in the US, we're not used to needing to cover half of our faces in public, but if you look at the other side of the world, it's a different story. In parts of Asia, wearing a mask in response to the...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 14
    398- Unsheltered in Place

    99% Invisible producer Katie Mingle had already been working on a series about unhoused people in the Bay Area for over a year when the current pandemic began to unfold. Suddenly, this vulnerable demographic...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 14
    Unsheltered in Place

    99% Invisible producer Katie Mingle had already been working on a series about unhoused people in the Bay Area for over a year when the current pandemic began to unfold. Suddenly, this vulnerable demographic...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 7
    Wipe Out

    If you have tried to buy toilet paper in the last few weeks, you might have found yourself staring at an empty aisle in the grocery store, wondering where all the toilet paper has gone. Although it may seem...

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  • 2020 / 4 / 7
    397- Wipe Out

    If you have tried to buy toilet paper in the last few weeks, you might have found yourself staring at an empty aisle in the grocery store, wondering where all the toilet paper has gone. Although it may seem...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 31
    This Day in Esoteric Political History

    In times like these, we could all use a little historical perspective. In this new podcast from Radiotopia, Jody Avirgan, political historian Nicole Hemmer, and special guests rescue moments from U.S. history...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 31
    396- This Day in Esoteric Political History

    In times like these, we could all use a little historical perspective. In this new podcast from Radiotopia, Jody Avirgan, political historian Nicole Hemmer, and special guests rescue moments from U.S. history...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 25
    395- This is Chance! Redux

    It was the middle of the night on March 27, 1964. Earlier that evening, the second-biggest earthquake ever measured at the time had hit Anchorage, Alaska. Some houses had been turned completely upside down...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 25
    This is Chance! Redux

    It was the middle of the night on March 27, 1964. Earlier that evening, the second-biggest earthquake ever measured at the time had hit Anchorage, Alaska. Some houses had been turned completely upside down...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 17
    394- Roman Mars Describes Things As They Are

    On this shelter-in-place edition of 99pi, Roman walks around his house and tells stories about the history and design of various objects Buy Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are and all Beauty Pill...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 17
    Roman Mars Describes Things As They Are

    On this shelter-in-place edition of 99pi, Roman walks around his house and tells stories about the history and design of various objects Buy Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are and all Beauty Pill...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 11
    Map Quests: Political, Physical and Digital

    The only truly accurate map of the world would be a map the size of the world. So if you want a map to be useful, something you can hold in your hands, you have to start making choices. We have to choose what...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 11
    393- Map Quests: Political, Physical and Digital

    The only truly accurate map of the world would be a map the size of the world. So if you want a map to be useful, something you can hold in your hands, you have to start making choices. We have to choose what...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 3
    392- The Weather Machine

    The weather can be a simple word or loaded with meaning depending on the context -- a humdrum subject of everyday small talk or a stark climactic reality full of existential associations with serious...

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  • 2020 / 3 / 3
    The Weather Machine

    The weather can be a simple word or loaded with meaning depending on the context -- a humdrum subject of everyday small talk or a stark climactic reality full of existential associations with serious...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 26
    391- Over the Road

    At the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, drivers from all over the country converge each year to show off their chrome and exchange stories, tips and gripes. One thing unites most in...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 26
    Over the Road

    At the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, drivers from all over the country converge each year to show off their chrome and exchange stories, tips and gripes. One thing unites most in...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 19
    390- Fraktur

    If you have ever caught even one minute of the history channel, you have seen fraktur. You’ve seen the font on Nazi posters, on Nazi office buildings, on Nazi roadwork signs. Today in Germany, blackletter...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 19
    Fraktur

    If you have ever caught even one minute of the history channel, you have seen fraktur. You’ve seen the font on Nazi posters, on Nazi office buildings, on Nazi roadwork signs. Today in Germany, blackletter...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 12
    Whomst Among Us Has Let The Dogs Out

    The story of how “Who Let The Dogs Out” ended up stuck in all of our brains goes back decades and spans continents. It tells us something about inspiration, and how creativity spreads, and about whether an...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 12
    389- Whomst Among Us Has Let The Dogs Out

    The story of how “Who Let The Dogs Out” ended up stuck in all of our brains goes back decades and spans continents. It tells us something about inspiration, and how creativity spreads, and about whether an...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 5
    388- Missing the Bus

    If you heard that there was a piece of technology that could do away with traffic jams, make cities more equitable, and help us solve climate change, you might think about driverless cars, or hyperloops or...

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  • 2020 / 2 / 5
    Missing the Bus

    If you heard that there was a piece of technology that could do away with traffic jams, make cities more equitable, and help us solve climate change, you might think about driverless cars, or hyperloops or...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 28
    The Worst Video Game Ever

    Deep within the National Museum of American History’s vaults is a battered Atari case containing what’s known as “the worst video game of all time.” The game is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was so bad...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 28
    387- The Worst Video Game Ever

    Deep within the National Museum of American History’s vaults is a battered Atari case containing what’s known as “the worst video game of all time.” The game is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was so bad...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 22
    386- Their Dark Materials

    Vantablack is a pigment that reaches a level of darkness that’s so intense, it’s kind of upsetting. It’s so black it’s like looking at a hole cut out of the universe. If it looks unreal because Vantablack...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 22
    Their Dark Materials

    Vantablack is a pigment that reaches a level of darkness that’s so intense, it’s kind of upsetting. It’s so black it’s like looking at a hole cut out of the universe. If it looks unreal because Vantablack...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 15
    Shade

    Journalist Sam Bloch used to live in Los Angeles. And while lots of people move to LA for the sun and the hot temperatures, Bloch noticed a real dark side to this idyllic weather: in many neighborhoods of the...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 15
    385- Shade

    Journalist Sam Bloch used to live in Los Angeles. And while lots of people move to LA for the sun and the hot temperatures, Bloch noticed a real dark side to this idyllic weather: in many neighborhoods of the...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 7
    Mini-Stories: Volume 8

    This is part 2 of the 2019- 2020 mini-stories episodes where I interview the staff about their favorite little stories from the built world that don’t quite fill out an entire episode for whatever reason but...

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  • 2020 / 1 / 7
    384- Mini-Stories: Volume 8

    This is part 2 of the 2019- 2020 mini-stories episodes where I interview the staff about their favorite little stories from the built world that don’t quite fill out an entire episode for whatever reason but...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 19
    Mini-Stories: Volume 7

    It’s the end of the year and time for our annual mini-stories episodes. Mini-stories are fun, quick hit stories that came up in our research for another episode...or maybe it was some cool thing someone told...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 19
    383- Mini-Stories: Volume 7

    It’s the end of the year and time for our annual mini-stories episodes. Mini-stories are fun, quick hit stories that came up in our research for another episode...or maybe it was some cool thing someone told...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 15
    Smart Stuff with Justin and Roman- Founder Effect

    The long-awaited return of Smart Stuff with Justin and Roman, featuring Justin McElroy and Roman Mars. Make your mark. Go to radiotopia.fm to donate today. Everyone should listen to My Brother, My Brother,...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 11
    382- The ELIZA Effect

    Throughout Joseph Weizenbaum's life, he liked to tell this story about a computer program he’d created back in the 1960s as a professor at MIT. It was a simple chatbot named ELIZA that could interact with...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 11
    The ELIZA Effect

    Throughout Joseph Weizenbaum's life, he liked to tell this story about a computer program he’d created back in the 1960s as a professor at MIT. It was a simple chatbot named ELIZA that could interact with...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 3
    The Infantorium

    “Incubators for premature babies were, oddly enough, a phenomenon at the turn of the 20th century that was available at state and county fairs and amusement parks rather than hospitals,” explains Lauren...

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  • 2019 / 12 / 3
    381- The Infantorium

    “Incubators for premature babies were, oddly enough, a phenomenon at the turn of the 20th century that was available at state and county fairs and amusement parks rather than hospitals,” explains Lauren...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 27
    Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl

    In the 1930s, Lester Gaba was designing department store windows and found the old wax mannequins uninspiring. So he designed a new kind of mannequin that was sleek, simple, but conveyed style and...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 27
    380- Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl

    In the 1930s, Lester Gaba was designing department store windows and found the old wax mannequins uninspiring. So he designed a new kind of mannequin that was sleek, simple, but conveyed style and...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 19
    Cautionary Tales

    Galileo tried to teach us that adding more and more layers to a system intended to avert disaster often makes catastrophe all the more likely. His basic lesson has been ignored in nuclear power plants,...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 19
    379- Cautionary Tales

    Galileo tried to teach us that adding more and more layers to a system intended to avert disaster often makes catastrophe all the more likely. His basic lesson has been ignored in nuclear power plants,...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 13
    Ubiquitous Icons: Peace, Power, and Happiness

    There are symbols all around us that we take for granted, like the lightning strike icon, which indicates that something is high voltage. Or a little campfire to indicate that something is flammable. Those...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 13
    378- Ubiquitous Icons: Peace, Power, and Happiness

    There are symbols all around us that we take for granted, like the lightning strike icon, which indicates that something is high voltage. Or a little campfire to indicate that something is flammable. Those...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 5
    How To Pick A Pepper

    The chili pepper is the pride of New Mexico, but they have a problem with their beloved crop. There just aren’t enough workers to pick the peppers. Picking chili peppers can be especially grueling work even...

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  • 2019 / 11 / 5
    377- How To Pick A Pepper

    The chili pepper is the pride of New Mexico, but they have a problem with their beloved crop. There just aren’t enough workers to pick the peppers. Picking chili peppers can be especially grueling work even...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 30
    376- Great Bitter Lake Association

    A little-known bit of world history about a rag tag group of sailors stranded for years in the Suez Canal at the center of a war. Great Bitter Lake Association

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  • 2019 / 10 / 30
    Great Bitter Lake Association

    A little-known bit of world history about a rag tag group of sailors stranded for years in the Suez Canal at the center of a war. Great Bitter Lake Association

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  • 2019 / 10 / 23
    375- Audio Guide to the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece

    To help celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Guggenheim Museum teamed up with 99% Invisible to offer visitors a guided audio experience of the museum. Even if you've never been to the Guggenheim Museum, you...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 23
    Audio Guide to the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece

    To help celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Guggenheim Museum teamed up with 99% Invisible to offer visitors a guided audio experience of the museum. Even if you've never been to the Guggenheim Museum, you...

    Download
  • 2019 / 10 / 15
    Unsure Footing

    Before 1992, the easiest way to run the time off the clock in a soccer game was just to pass the ball to the goalkeeper, who could pick the ball up, and hold it for a few seconds before throwing it back into...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 15
    374- Unsure Footing

    Before 1992, the easiest way to run the time off the clock in a soccer game was just to pass the ball to the goalkeeper, who could pick the ball up, and hold it for a few seconds before throwing it back into...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 8
    The Kirkbride Plan

    Today, there are more than a hundred abandoned asylums in the United States that, to many people, probably seem scary and imposing, but not so long ago they weren't seen as scary at all. Many of them were...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 8
    373- The Kirkbride Plan

    Today, there are more than a hundred abandoned asylums in the United States that, to many people, probably seem scary and imposing, but not so long ago they weren't seen as scary at all. Many of them were...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 1
    The Help-Yourself City

    There’s an idea in city planning called “informal urbanism.” Some people call it “do-it-yourself urbanism.”  Informal urbanism covers all the ways people try to change their community that isn’t through city...

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  • 2019 / 10 / 1
    372- The Help-Yourself City

    There’s an idea in city planning called “informal urbanism.” Some people call it “do-it-yourself urbanism.”  Informal urbanism covers all the ways people try to change their community that isn’t through city...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 24
    99% Invisible presents What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law

    Donald Trump took office 977 days ago, and it has been exhausting. Independent of where you are politically, I think we can all agree that the news cycle coming out of Washington DC has been very intense for...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 18
    371- Dead Cars

    Everything in Bethel, Alaska comes in by cargo plane or barge, and even when something stops working, it’s often too expensive and too inconvenient to get it out again. So junk accumulates. Diane McEachern...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 18
    Dead Cars

    Everything in Bethel, Alaska comes in by cargo plane or barge, and even when something stops working, it’s often too expensive and too inconvenient to get it out again. So junk accumulates. Diane McEachern...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 10
    370- The Pool and the Stream Redux

    This is the newly updated story of a curvy, kidney-shaped swimming pool born in Northern Europe that had a huge ripple effect on popular culture in Southern California and landscape architecture in Northern...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 10
    The Pool and the Stream Redux

    This is the newly updated story of a curvy, kidney-shaped swimming pool born in Northern Europe that had a huge ripple effect on popular culture in Southern California and landscape architecture in Northern...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 4
    369- Wait Wait...Tell Me!

    Waiting is something that we all do every day, but our experience of waiting, varies radically depending on the context. And it turns out that design can completely change whether a five minute wait feels...

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  • 2019 / 9 / 4
    Wait Wait...Tell Me!

    Waiting is something that we all do every day, but our experience of waiting, varies radically depending on the context. And it turns out that design can completely change whether a five minute wait feels...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 28
    368- All Rings Considered

    Before we turned our phones to silent or vibrate, there was a time when everyone had ringtones -- when the song your phone played really said something about you. These simple, 15 second melodies were...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 28
    All Rings Considered

    Before we turned our phones to silent or vibrate, there was a time when everyone had ringtones -- when the song your phone played really said something about you. These simple, 15 second melodies were...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 21
    367- Peace Lines

    There are many walls in Belfast which physically separate Protestant neighborhoods from Catholic ones. Some are fences that you can see through, while others are made of bricks and steel. Many have clearly...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 21
    Peace Lines

    There are many walls in Belfast which physically separate Protestant neighborhoods from Catholic ones. Some are fences that you can see through, while others are made of bricks and steel. Many have clearly...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 13
    Model City

    During the depths of the Depression in the late 1930s, 300 craftspeople came together for two years to build an enormous scale model of the City of San Francisco. This Works Progress Administration (WPA)...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 13
    366- Model City

    During the depths of the Depression in the late 1930s, 300 craftspeople came together for two years to build an enormous scale model of the City of San Francisco. This Works Progress Administration (WPA)...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 6
    365- On Beeing

    Farmers have known for centuries that putting a hive of honeybees in an orchard results in more blossoms becoming cherries, almonds, apples and the like. Yet it’s only in the last 30 years that pollination...

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  • 2019 / 8 / 6
    On Beeing

    Farmers have known for centuries that putting a hive of honeybees in an orchard results in more blossoms becoming cherries, almonds, apples and the like. Yet it’s only in the last 30 years that pollination...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 31
    He's Still Neutral

    When confronted with trash piling up on a median in front of their home in Oakland, Dan and Lu Stevenson decided to try something unusual: they would install a statue of the Buddha to watch over the place....

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  • 2019 / 7 / 31
    364- He's Still Neutral

    When confronted with trash piling up on a median in front of their home in Oakland, Dan and Lu Stevenson decided to try something unusual: they would install a statue of the Buddha to watch over the place....

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  • 2019 / 7 / 23
    363- Invisible Women

    Men are often the default subjects of design, which can have a huge impact on big and critical aspects of everyday life. Caroline Criado Perez is the author of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 23
    Invisible Women

    Men are often the default subjects of design, which can have a huge impact on big and critical aspects of everyday life. Caroline Criado Perez is the author of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 17
    Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Twine

    Vivian Le is on a mission that requires equal parts science, philosophy, and daring, in search of something that’s been hotly contested for decades: the world's largest ball of twine. Goodness Gracious Great...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 17
    362- Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Twine

    Vivian Le is on a mission that requires equal parts science, philosophy, and daring, in search of something that’s been hotly contested for decades: the world's largest ball of twine. Goodness Gracious Great...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 9
    Built on Sand

    Sand is so tiny and ubiquitous that it's easy to take for granted. But in his book The World in a Grain, author Vince Beiser traces the history of sand, exploring how it fundamentally shaped the world as we...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 9
    361- Built on Sand

    Sand is so tiny and ubiquitous that it's easy to take for granted. But in his book The World in a Grain, author Vince Beiser traces the history of sand, exploring how it fundamentally shaped the world as we...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 2
    The Universal Page

    Reporter Andrew Leland has always loved to read. An early love of books in childhood eventually led to a job in publishing with McSweeney’s where Andrew edited essays and interviews, laid out articles, and...

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  • 2019 / 7 / 2
    360- The Universal Page

    Reporter Andrew Leland has always loved to read. An early love of books in childhood eventually led to a job in publishing with McSweeney’s where Andrew edited essays and interviews, laid out articles, and...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 25
    Life and Death in Singapore

    When Singapore gained its independence they went on a mission to re-house the population from densely-packed thatched roof huts into giant concrete skyscrapers. In 1960, they formed the Housing and...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 25
    359- Life and Death in Singapore

    When Singapore gained its independence they went on a mission to re-house the population from densely-packed thatched roof huts into giant concrete skyscrapers. In 1960, they formed the Housing and...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 18
    358- The Anthropocene Reviewed

    The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. On The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green rates different facets of the...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 18
    The Anthropocene Reviewed

    The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. On The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green rates different facets of the...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 11
    The Barney Design redux

    All over Oakland right now people are wearing Warriors shirts and flying their Warriors flags from their cars, and as much as we like our hometown team here at 99pi, we've been following these NBA finals for...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 11
    357- The Barney Design redux

    All over Oakland right now people are wearing Warriors shirts and flying their Warriors flags from their cars, and as much as we like our hometown team here at 99pi, we've been following these NBA finals for...

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  • 2019 / 6 / 4
    The Automat

    The inside of a Horn & Hardart Automat looked like a glamorous, ornate cafeteria -- but instead of a human handing you hot food over a counter, you would push your tray up to a wall of little glass cubbies....

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  • 2019 / 6 / 4
    356- The Automat

    The inside of a Horn & Hardart Automat looked like a glamorous, ornate cafeteria -- but instead of a human handing you hot food over a counter, you would push your tray up to a wall of little glass cubbies....

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  • 2019 / 5 / 28
    355- Depave Paradise

    Mexico City is in a water crisis. Despite rains and floods, it is running out of drinking water. To solve the scarcity issue, the city began piping water in from far away as well as from aquifer below...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 28
    Depave Paradise

    Mexico City is in a water crisis. Despite rains and floods, it is running out of drinking water. To solve the scarcity issue, the city began piping water in from far away as well as from aquifer below...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 24
    Sound and Health: Hospitals

    Sound can have serious impacts on our health and wellbeing. And there’s no better place to think about health than hospitals. According to Joel Beckerman, sound designer and composer at Man Made Music:...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 21
    La Sagrada Familia (Repeat)

    There are a lot of Gothic churches in Spain, but this one is different. It doesn’t look like a Gothic cathedral. It looks organic, like it was built out of bones or sand. But there’s another thing that sets...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 21
    281- La Sagrada Familia (Repeat)

    There are a lot of Gothic churches in Spain, but this one is different. It doesn’t look like a Gothic cathedral. It looks organic, like it was built out of bones or sand. But there’s another thing that sets...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 17
    Sound and Health: Cities

    Is our blaring modern soundscape harming our health? Cities are noisy places and while people are pretty good at tuning it out on a day-to-day basis our sonic environments have serious, long-term impacts on...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 14
    Weeding is Fundamental

    Libraries get rid of books all the time. There are so many new books coming in every day and only a finite amount of library space. The practice of freeing up library space is called weeding. When the main...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 14
    354- Weeding is Fundamental

    Libraries get rid of books all the time. There are so many new books coming in every day and only a finite amount of library space. The practice of freeing up library space is called weeding. When the main...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 7
    From Bombay with Love

    From the 1950s right up to its collapse, people in the Soviet Union were completely infatuated with Indian cinema. India and The Soviet Union had completely different politics, languages, and cultures. But...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 7
    353- From Bombay with Love

    From the 1950s right up to its collapse, people in the Soviet Union were completely infatuated with Indian cinema. India and The Soviet Union had completely different politics, languages, and cultures. But...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 1
    352- Uptown Squirrel

    This past fall, two hundred people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from...

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  • 2019 / 5 / 1
    Uptown Squirrel

    This past fall, two hundred people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 24
    Play Mountain

    Even if you don't recognize a Noguchi table by name, you've definitely seen one. In movies or tv shows when they want to show that a lawyer or art dealer is really sophisticated, they put a Noguchi table in...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 24
    351- Play Mountain

    Even if you don't recognize a Noguchi table by name, you've definitely seen one. In movies or tv shows when they want to show that a lawyer or art dealer is really sophisticated, they put a Noguchi table in...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 16
    350- The Roman Mars Mazda Virus

    Gimlet’s Reply All orchestrated a grand podcast crossover event to try to solve a years old bug plaguing 99% Invisible listeners that drive certain models of Mazda. You can find all the fake podcast episodes...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 16
    The Roman Mars Mazda Virus

    Gimlet’s Reply All orchestrated a grand podcast crossover event to try to solve a years old bug plaguing 99% Invisible listeners that drive certain models of Mazda. You can find all the fake podcast episodes...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 9
    349- Froebel's Gifts

    In the late 1700s, a young man named Freidrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguably ended...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 9
    Froebel's Gifts

    In the late 1700s, a young man named Freidrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguably ended...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 2
    Three Things That Made the Modern Economy

    50 Things That Made The Modern Economy is a podcast that explores the fascinating histories of a number of powerful inventions and their far-reaching consequences. This week, 99% Invisible is featuring three...

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  • 2019 / 4 / 2
    348- Three Things That Made the Modern Economy

    50 Things That Made The Modern Economy is a podcast that explores the fascinating histories of a number of powerful inventions and their far-reaching consequences. This week, 99% Invisible is featuring three...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 27
    The Many Deaths of a Painting

    When Barnett Newman’s painting Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III was placed in the Stedelijk museum it was meant to be provocative, but one reaction that it received was so intense, so violent, it set...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 27
    347- The Many Deaths of a Painting

    When Barnett Newman’s painting Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III was placed in the Stedelijk museum it was meant to be provocative, but one reaction that it received was so intense, so violent, it set...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 19
    Palaces for the People

    Social Infrastructure is the glue that binds communities together, and it is just as real as the infrastructure for water, power, or communications, although it's often harder to see. But Eric Klinenberg says...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 19
    346- Palaces for the People

    Social Infrastructure is the glue that binds communities together, and it is just as real as the infrastructure for water, power, or communications, although it's often harder to see. But Eric Klinenberg says...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 12
    345- Classic Cartoon Sound Effects!

    Cartoon sound effects are some of the most iconic sounds ever made. Even modern cartoons continue to use the same sound effects from decades ago. How were these legendary sounds made and how have they stood...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 6
    The Known Unknown

    The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of an unknown serviceman...

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  • 2019 / 3 / 6
    344- The Known Unknown

    The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of an unknown serviceman...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 26
    343- Usonia Redux

    Frank Lloyd Wright changed the field of architecture, and not just through his big, famous buildings. Before designing many of his most well-known works, Wright created a small and inexpensive yet beautiful...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 26
    Usonia Redux

    Frank Lloyd Wright changed the field of architecture, and not just through his big, famous buildings. Before designing many of his most well-known works, Wright created a small and inexpensive yet beautiful...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 20
    Beneath the Ballpark

    In the 1950s, Los Angeles was an up-and-coming city but wasn’t quite there yet. City leaders were looking for a way to boost Los Angeles's profile as a world class city and also give Angelenos something to...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 20
    342- Beneath the Ballpark

    In the 1950s, Los Angeles was an up-and-coming city but wasn’t quite there yet. City leaders were looking for a way to boost Los Angeles's profile as a world class city and also give Angelenos something to...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 13
    National Sword

    Where does your recycling go? In most places in the U.S., you throw it in a bin, and then it gets carted off to be sorted and cleaned at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). From there, much of it is shipped...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 13
    341- National Sword

    Where does your recycling go? In most places in the U.S., you throw it in a bin, and then it gets carted off to be sorted and cleaned at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). From there, much of it is shipped...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 5
    340- The Secret Lives of Color

    Here at 99% Invisible, we think about color a lot, so it was really exciting when we came across a beautiful book called The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair It’s this amazing collection of stories...

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  • 2019 / 2 / 5
    The Secret Lives of Color

    Here at 99% Invisible, we think about color a lot, so it was really exciting when we came across a beautiful book called The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair It’s this amazing collection of stories...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 30
    The Tunnel

    In May of 1990, law enforcement raided a warehouse in Douglas, AZ and a private home across the border in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Connecting the two buildings, they found a tunnel, more sophisticated than...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 30
    339- The Tunnel

    In May of 1990, law enforcement raided a warehouse in Douglas, AZ and a private home across the border in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Connecting the two buildings, they found a tunnel, more sophisticated than...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 23
    338- Crude Habitat

    Santa Barbara, California, is a famously beautiful place, but if you look offshore from one of the city's many beaches, you'll see a series of artificial structures that stand out against the natural blue...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 23
    Crude Habitat

    Santa Barbara, California, is a famously beautiful place, but if you look offshore from one of the city's many beaches, you'll see a series of artificial structures that stand out against the natural blue...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 16
    337- Atomic Tattoos

    In the early 1950s, teenage students in Lake County, Indiana, got up from their desks, marched down the halls and lined up at stations. There, fingers were pricked, blood was tested and the teenagers were...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 16
    Atomic Tattoos

    In the early 1950s, teenage students in Lake County, Indiana, got up from their desks, marched down the halls and lined up at stations. There, fingers were pricked, blood was tested and the teenagers were...

    Download
  • 2019 / 1 / 9
    Mini-Stories: Volume 6

    99% Invisible is starting the year off with the sixth installment of our staff mini-stories. Kicking off 2019 are a set of tales about a perpetual lie about New York City, karaoke, a 50-foot-tall burning...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 9
    336- Mini-Stories: Volume 6

    99% Invisible is starting the year off with the sixth installment of our staff mini-stories. Kicking off 2019 are a set of tales about a perpetual lie about New York City, karaoke, a 50-foot-tall burning...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 1
    335- Gathering the Magic

    Magic: The Gathering is a card game and your goal is to knock your opponent down to zero points. But Magic: The Gathering also has a deep mythology about an infinite number of parallel worlds. Eric Molinsky...

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  • 2019 / 1 / 1
    Gathering the Magic

    Magic: The Gathering is a card game and your goal is to knock your opponent down to zero points. But Magic: The Gathering also has a deep mythology about an infinite number of parallel worlds. Eric Molinsky...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 26
    334- Christmas with The Allusionist

    For the holidays this year, we're presenting a two-part Radiotopia feature with friend of the show (and host of The Allusionist podcast) Helen Zaltzman, each tackling a different aspect of this festive...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 26
    Christmas with The Allusionist

    For the holidays this year, we're presenting a two-part Radiotopia feature with friend of the show (and host of The Allusionist podcast) Helen Zaltzman, each tackling a different aspect of this festive...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 18
    Mini-Stories: Volume 5

    It’s the end of 2018 and time for our annual Mini-stories episodes. These are my favorite episodes of the year to make. Mini-stories are fun, quick hit stories that don’t quite warrant a full episode and two...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 18
    333- Mini-Stories: Volume 5

    It’s the end of 2018 and time for our annual Mini-stories episodes. These are my favorite episodes of the year to make. Mini-stories are fun, quick hit stories that don’t quite warrant a full episode and two...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 14
    Bonus Episode- Avery talks Articles of Interest with Roman

    Roman talks with Avery about the lessons learned from making Articles of Interest Don’t buy that new piece of clothing and use a bit of that money to support Radiotopia

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  • 2018 / 12 / 12
    The Accidental Room

    A group of artists find a secret room in a massive shopping center in Providence, RI and discover a new way to experience the mall. Plus, we look at the origin of the very first mall and the fascinating man...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 12
    332- The Accidental Room

    A group of artists find a secret room in a massive shopping center in Providence, RI and discover a new way to experience the mall. Plus, we look at the origin of the very first mall and the fascinating man...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 5
    331- OĂąate's Foot

    Juan de Oñate is one of the world’s lesser-known conquistadors, but his name can be found all over New Mexico. There are Oñate streets, Oñate schools, and, of course, Oñate statues. When an activist group...

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  • 2018 / 12 / 5
    OĂąate's Foot

    Juan de Oñate is one of the world’s lesser-known conquistadors, but his name can be found all over New Mexico. There are Oñate streets, Oñate schools, and, of course, Oñate statues. When an activist group...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 27
    Raccoon Resistance

    After Toronto unveiled its "raccoon-resistant" compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals would be starved, but many more celebrated the innovative design. Rolling out this novel locked bin opened a...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 27
    330- Raccoon Resistance

    After Toronto unveiled its "raccoon-resistant" compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals would be starved, but many more celebrated the innovative design. Rolling out this novel locked bin opened a...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 21
    201- The Green Book redux

    The new film “Green Book” is rolling out across the country. I have not seen the film, so I can’t speak to its merits or shortcomings, but while people are possibly being introduced to the concept of the...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 21
    The Green Book redux

    The new film “Green Book” is rolling out across the country. I have not seen the film, so I can’t speak to its merits or shortcomings, but while people are possibly being introduced to the concept of the...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 14
    Orphan Drugs

    We chronicle the epic struggle to get drugs that treat very rare diseases on the market, and the unintended consequence of that fight, which affected the cost of all kinds of drugs. This is a strange story...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 14
    329- Orphan Drugs

    We chronicle the epic struggle to get drugs that treat very rare diseases on the market, and the unintended consequence of that fight, which affected the cost of all kinds of drugs. This is a strange story...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 6
    328- Devolutionary Design

    It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one's experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of...

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  • 2018 / 11 / 6
    Devolutionary Design

    It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one's experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 31
    327- A Year in the Dark

    Early on the morning of September 20th, 2017, a category four hurricane named Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico. It was a beast of a hurricane -- the strongest one to hit the island since 1932. Daniel...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 31
    A Year in the Dark

    Early on the morning of September 20th, 2017, a category four hurricane named Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico. It was a beast of a hurricane -- the strongest one to hit the island since 1932. Daniel...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 23
    326- Welcome to Jurassic Art

    At least for the time being, art is the primary way we experience dinosaurs. We can study bones and fossils, but barring the invention of time travel, we will never see how these animals lived with our own...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 23
    Welcome to Jurassic Art

    At least for the time being, art is the primary way we experience dinosaurs. We can study bones and fossils, but barring the invention of time travel, we will never see how these animals lived with our own...

    Download
  • 2018 / 10 / 16
    The Worst Way to Start a City

    Sam Anderson, author of Boom Town, guides us through the chaotic founding of Oklahoma City, which happened all in one day in 1889, in an event called the Land Run. Plus, we talk about Operation Bongo, the...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 16
    325- The Worst Way to Start a City

    Sam Anderson, author of Boom Town, guides us through the chaotic founding of Oklahoma City, which happened all in one day in 1889, in an event called the Land Run. Plus, we talk about Operation Bongo, the...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 12
    Punk Style: Articles of Interest #6

    There is this myth that it’s frivolous or unproductive to care about how you look. Clothing and fashion get trivialized a lot. But think about who, culturally, gets associated with clothing and fashion: young...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 9
    Blue Jeans: Articles of Interest #5

    For the most part, we tend to keep our clothes relatively clean and avoid spills and rips and tears. But denim is so hard-wearing and hard-working that it just kind of amasses more and more signs of wear. So...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 5
    Hawaiian Shirts: Articles of Interest #4

    There are a few ways to tell if you’re looking at an authentic, high-quality aloha shirt. If the pockets match the pattern, that’s a good sign, but it’s not everything. Much of understanding an aloha shirt is...

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  • 2018 / 10 / 2
    Pockets: Articles of Interest #3

    Womenswear is littered with fake pockets that don’t open, or shallow pockets that can hardly hold more than a paperclip. If women's clothes have pockets at all, they are often and smaller and just fit less...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 28
    Plaid: Articles of Interest #2

    Lumberjacks wore plaid. Punks wore plaid mini skirts. The Beach Boys used to be called the Pendletones, and they wore plaid with their surfboards. Lots of different groups have adopted the pattern over the...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 25
    Kids' Clothes: Articles of Interest #1

    Clothes are records of the bodies we’ve lived in. Think of the old sweater that you used to have that's just not your style anymore, or the jeans that just aren’t your size anymore. We are like snakes who...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 19
    324- Billboard Boys: The Greatest Radio Contest of All Time

    The year was 1982, and in the small city of Allentown on the eastern edge of Pennsylvania sat an AM radio station called WSAN. For years, it had broadcast country music to the surrounding Lehigh Valley -- an...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 19
    Billboard Boys: The Greatest Radio Contest of All Time

    The year was 1982, and in the small city of Allentown on the eastern edge of Pennsylvania sat an AM radio station called WSAN. For years, it had broadcast country music to the surrounding Lehigh Valley -- an...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 11
    The House that Came in the Mail

    The Sear & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early twentieth century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. At its peak, the Sears catalog offered over 100,000...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 11
    323- The House that Came in the Mail

    The Sear & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early twentieth century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. At its peak, the Sears catalog offered over 100,000...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 5
    322- The First Straw

    A straw is a simple thing. It’s a tube, a conveyance mechanism for liquid. The defining characteristic of the straw is the emptiness inside it. This is the stuff of tragedy, and America. The invention of...

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  • 2018 / 9 / 5
    The First Straw

    A straw is a simple thing. It’s a tube, a conveyance mechanism for liquid. The defining characteristic of the straw is the emptiness inside it. This is the stuff of tragedy, and America. The invention of...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 29
    Double Standards

    Blepharoplasty is often done to lift loose or sagging skin around the upper eyelids caused by aging. But for a lot of people of Asian descent, this surgery is not strictly about aging and more commonly...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 29
    321- Double Standards

    Blepharoplasty is often done to lift loose or sagging skin around the upper eyelids caused by aging. But for a lot of people of Asian descent, this surgery is not strictly about aging and more commonly...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 21
    320- Bundyville

    Most of the American west is owned by the Federal Government. About 85 percent of Nevada, 61 percent of Alaska, 53 percent of Oregon, the list goes on. And there have always been questions about how this...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 21
    Bundyville

    Most of the American west is owned by the Federal Government. About 85 percent of Nevada, 61 percent of Alaska, 53 percent of Oregon, the list goes on. And there have always been questions about how this...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 14
    319- It's Chinatown

    For Americans, the sight of pagoda roofs and dragon gates means that you are in Chinatown. Whether in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, the chinoiserie look is distinctive. But for people...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 14
    It's Chinatown

    For Americans, the sight of pagoda roofs and dragon gates means that you are in Chinatown. Whether in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, the chinoiserie look is distinctive. But for people...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 8
    318- Fire and Rain

    Nestled between the mountains and the ocean, right next to Santa Barbara, sits Montecito, California. The region endures a major fire approximately once every 10 years. For this landscape, fire is predictable...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 8
    Fire and Rain

    Nestled between the mountains and the ocean, right next to Santa Barbara, sits Montecito, California. The region endures a major fire approximately once every 10 years. For this landscape, fire is predictable...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 1
    317- Built to Burn

    After the massive Panorama Fire in southern California in 1980, a young fire researcher named Jack Cohen went in to investigate the houses that were destroyed. One of the first things that Cohen did was to...

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  • 2018 / 8 / 1
    Built to Burn

    After the massive Panorama Fire in southern California in 1980, a young fire researcher named Jack Cohen went in to investigate the houses that were destroyed. One of the first things that Cohen did was to...

    Download
  • 2018 / 7 / 25
    The Shipping Forecast

    Four times every day, on radios all across the British Isles, a BBC announcer begins reading from a seemingly indecipherable script. "And now the Shipping Forecast issued by the Met Office on behalf of the...

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  • 2018 / 7 / 25
    316- The Shipping Forecast

    Four times every day, on radios all across the British Isles, a BBC announcer begins reading from a seemingly indecipherable script. "And now the Shipping Forecast issued by the Met Office on behalf of the...

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  • 2018 / 7 / 18
    315- Everything is Alive

    Louis is a can of generic cola. He’s been on the shelf a long while, so he’s had some time to think. Go2 is a store brand. "People call it a knockoff," says Louis. "I've been called the best of the worst....

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  • 2018 / 7 / 18
    Everything is Alive

    Louis is a can of generic cola. He’s been on the shelf a long while, so he’s had some time to think. Go2 is a store brand. "People call it a knockoff," says Louis. "I've been called the best of the worst....

    Download
  • 2018 / 7 / 10
    Interrobang

    In the spring of 1962, an ad man named Martin Speckter was thinking about advertising when he realized something: many ads asked questions, but not just any questions -- excited and exclamatory questions -- a...

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  • 2018 / 7 / 10
    314- Interrobang

    In the spring of 1962, an ad man named Martin Speckter was thinking about advertising when he realized something: many ads asked questions, but not just any questions -- excited and exclamatory questions -- a...

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  • 2018 / 7 / 5
    Roman Mars on ZigZag

    This is a special presentation of episode #4 of Radiotopia's newest show ZigZag. Manoush and Jen give themselves 36 hours in San Francisco to come up with a financial backup plan, just in case this whole...

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  • 2018 / 7 / 4
    VIDEO- Why Danger Symbols Can't Last Forever with Vox

    The world is full of icons that warn us to be afraid — to stay away from this or not do that. And many of these are easy to understand because they represent something recognizable, like a fire, or a person...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 27
    313- Right to Roam

    In the United Kingdom, the freedom to walk through private land is known as “the right to roam.” The movement to win this right was started in the 1930s by a rebellious group of young people who called...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 27
    Right to Roam

    In the United Kingdom, the freedom to walk through private land is known as “the right to roam.” The movement to win this right was started in the 1930s by a rebellious group of young people who called...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 20
    312- Post-Narco Urbanism

    In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord, had effectively declared war on the Colombian state. At one point, his cartel was supplying 80% of the world's cocaine and the violence surrounding the...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 20
    Post-Narco Urbanism

    In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord, had effectively declared war on the Colombian state. At one point, his cartel was supplying 80% of the world's cocaine and the violence surrounding the...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 13
    311- The Barney Design

    Until the early 90s, basketball uniforms were pretty tame. There had been real limits to what could be done with jerseys. All the details—the numbers, the names, the logos—had to be sewed on. Complicated...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 13
    The Barney Design

    Until the early 90s, basketball uniforms were pretty tame. There had been real limits to what could be done with jerseys. All the details—the numbers, the names, the logos—had to be sewed on. Complicated...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 6
    310- 77 Steps

    As the U.S. war effort ramped up in the early 1940s, the Navy put out a request for chair design submissions. They needed a chair that was fireproof, waterproof, lightweight and strong enough to survive a...

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  • 2018 / 6 / 6
    77 Steps

    As the U.S. war effort ramped up in the early 1940s, the Navy put out a request for chair design submissions. They needed a chair that was fireproof, waterproof, lightweight and strong enough to survive a...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 30
    309- The Vault

    Svalbard is a remote Norwegian archipelago with reindeer, Arctic foxes and only around 2,500 humans -- but it is also home to a vault containing seeds for virtually every edible plant one can imagine. The...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 23
    Curb Cuts

    If you live in an American city and you don’t personally use a wheelchair, it's easy to overlook the small ramp at most intersections, between the sidewalk and the street. Today, these curb cuts are...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 23
    308- Curb Cuts

    If you live in an American city and you don’t personally use a wheelchair, it's easy to overlook the small ramp at most intersections, between the sidewalk and the street. Today, these curb cuts are...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 16
    307- Immobile Homes

    "Part of the paradox at the heart of manufactured housing," explains Esther Sullivan, a sociologist at the University of Colorado Denver "is that it's precisely the thing that makes it so affordable that also...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 16
    Immobile Homes

    "Part of the paradox at the heart of manufactured housing," explains Esther Sullivan, a sociologist at the University of Colorado Denver "is that it's precisely the thing that makes it so affordable that also...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 9
    Breaking Bad News

    When a doctor reveals a terminal diagnosis to a patient -- that process is as delicate a procedure as any surgery, with potentially serious consequences if things go wrong. If the patient doesn’t understand...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 9
    306- Breaking Bad News

    When a doctor reveals a terminal diagnosis to a patient -- that process is as delicate a procedure as any surgery, with potentially serious consequences if things go wrong. If the patient doesn’t understand...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 1
    The Laff Box

    For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous on television sitcoms, but in the early 2000s, it began to disappear. What happened? How did we get from the raucous canned laughter of the Beverly...

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  • 2018 / 5 / 1
    305- The Laff Box

    For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous on television sitcoms, but in the early 2000s, it began to disappear. What happened? How did we get from the raucous canned laughter of the Beverly...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 25
    304- Gander International Airport

    The Gander Airport in Newfoundland was once the easternmost airfield in North America, so when transatlantic air travel was new and difficult through the mid-20th century, Gander played a critical role in...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 25
    Gander International Airport

    The Gander Airport in Newfoundland was once the easternmost airfield in North America, so when transatlantic air travel was new and difficult through the mid-20th century, Gander played a critical role in...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 17
    303- The Hair Chart

    Andre Walker became famous for being Oprah Winfrey’s hair stylist, but he is also known for something else: a system that he created back in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products. The system...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 17
    The Hair Chart

    Andre Walker became famous for being Oprah Winfrey’s hair stylist, but he is also known for something else: a system that he created back in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products. The system...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 10
    Lessons from Las Vegas

    To this day, architects tend to turn their noses up at Las Vegas, or simply dismiss it as irrelevant to serious design theory. But as Denise Scott Brown discovered in the mid-1960s, there is so much to learn...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 10
    302- Lessons from Las Vegas

    To this day, architects tend to turn their noses up at Las Vegas, or simply dismiss it as irrelevant to serious design theory. But as Denise Scott Brown discovered in the mid-1960s, there is so much to learn...

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  • 2018 / 4 / 3
    301- Making it Rain

    The battlefield has always been at the mercy of the climate, but there was a time in U.S. military history when we did more than just pray for advantageous weather. We tried to create it. Making it Rain

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  • 2018 / 4 / 3
    Making it Rain

    The battlefield has always been at the mercy of the climate, but there was a time in U.S. military history when we did more than just pray for advantageous weather. We tried to create it. Making it Rain

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  • 2018 / 3 / 27
    300- Airships and the Future that Never Was

    They are hulking, but graceful -- human-made whales that float in the air. For over a century, lighter-than-air vehicles have captured the public imagination, playing a recurring role in our dreams of...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 27
    Airships and the Future that Never Was

    They are hulking, but graceful -- human-made whales that float in the air. For over a century, lighter-than-air vehicles have captured the public imagination, playing a recurring role in our dreams of...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 21
    299- Gerrymandering

    The way we draw our political districts has a huge effect on U.S. politics, but the process is also greatly misunderstood. Gerrymandering has become a scapegoat for what’s wrong with the polarized American...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 14
    200- Miss Manhattan Redux

    All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed. She has gone by many names, from Star Maiden to Priestess of Culture,...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 14
    Miss Manhattan Redux

    All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed. She has gone by many names, from Star Maiden to Priestess of Culture,...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 7
    298- Fordlandia

    In the late 1920s, the Ford Motor Company bought up millions of acres of land in Brazil. They loaded boats with machinery and supplies, and shipped them deep into the Amazon rainforest. Workers cut down trees...

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  • 2018 / 3 / 7
    Fordlandia

    In the late 1920s, the Ford Motor Company bought up millions of acres of land in Brazil. They loaded boats with machinery and supplies, and shipped them deep into the Amazon rainforest. Workers cut down trees...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 28
    Blood, Sweat and Tears (City of the Future, Part 2)

    The Bijlmermeer (or Bijlmer, for short) was built just outside of Amsterdam in the 1960s. It was designed by modernist architects to be a "city of the future" with its functions separated into distinct zones....

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  • 2018 / 2 / 28
    297- Blood, Sweat and Tears (City of the Future, Part 2)

    The Bijlmermeer (or Bijlmer, for short) was built just outside of Amsterdam in the 1960s. It was designed by modernist architects to be a "city of the future" with its functions separated into distinct zones....

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  • 2018 / 2 / 21
    296- Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part 1)

    After World War 2, city planners in Amsterdam wanted to design the perfect “City of the Future.” They decided to build a new neighborhood, close to Amsterdam, that would be a perfect encapsulation of...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 21
    Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part 1)

    After World War 2, city planners in Amsterdam wanted to design the perfect “City of the Future.” They decided to build a new neighborhood, close to Amsterdam, that would be a perfect encapsulation of...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 13
    Making a Mark: Visual Identity with Tom Geismar

    The Chase logo was introduced in 1961, when the Chase National Bank and the Bank of the Manhattan Company merged to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. At the time, few American corporations used abstract symbols...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 13
    295- Making a Mark: Visual Identity with Tom Geismar

    The Chase logo was introduced in 1961, when the Chase National Bank and the Bank of the Manhattan Company merged to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. At the time, few American corporations used abstract symbols...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 6
    294- Border Wall

    When current President Donald Trump took office, he promised to build an “an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall." The first part of this episode by Radio Diaries tells two...

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  • 2018 / 2 / 6
    Border Wall

    When current President Donald Trump took office, he promised to build an “an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall." The first part of this episode by Radio Diaries tells two...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 31
    293- Managed Retreat

    In the 1970s it looked like the beloved, 200-year-old Cape Hatteras lighthouse was in danger. The sea was getting closer and threatening to swallow it up. And people were torn over what to do about it - they...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 31
    Managed Retreat

    In the 1970s it looked like the beloved, 200-year-old Cape Hatteras lighthouse was in danger. The sea was getting closer and threatening to swallow it up. And people were torn over what to do about it - they...

    Download
  • 2018 / 1 / 23
    292- Speech Bubbles: Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud

    Cartoonist and theorist Scott McCloud has been making and thinking about comics for decades. He is the author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. This classic volume explores formal aspects of comics,...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 23
    Speech Bubbles: Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud

    Cartoonist and theorist Scott McCloud has been making and thinking about comics for decades. He is the author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. This classic volume explores formal aspects of comics,...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 17
    291- Thermal Delight

    When air conditioning was invented in 1902, it was designed to take out the humidity in the air so printers could run four color magazines, without the colors becoming offset due to the paper warping from...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 17
    Thermal Delight

    When air conditioning was invented in 1902, it was designed to take out the humidity in the air so printers could run four color magazines, without the colors becoming offset due to the paper warping from...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 10
    Mini-Stories: Volume 4

    This part two of the 2017/2018 mini-stories episodes, where Roman interviews the staff and our collaborators about their favorite little design stories that don’t quite fill out an entire episode for whatever...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 10
    290- Mini-Stories: Volume 4

    This part two of the 2017/2018 mini-stories episodes, where Roman interviews the staff and our collaborators about their favorite little design stories that don’t quite fill out an entire episode for whatever...

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  • 2018 / 1 / 2
    Biomimicry- Vox + 99% Invisible Video

    Japan’s Shinkansen doesn’t look like your typical train. With its long and pointed nose, it can reach top speeds up to 150–200 miles per hour. It didn’t always look like this. Earlier models were rounder and...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 20
    289- Mini-Stories: Volume 3

    It’s the end of the year and time for our annual Mini-stories episodes. Mini-stories are quick hit stories that were maybe pitched to us from someone in the audience, or something interesting we saw on...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 20
    Mini-Stories: Volume 3

    It’s the end of the year and time for our annual Mini-stories episodes. Mini-stories are quick hit stories that were maybe pitched to us from someone in the audience, or something interesting we saw on...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 12
    288- Guerrilla Public Service Redux

    In the early morning of August 5, 2001, artist Richard Ankrom and a group of friends assembled on the 4th Street bridge over the 110 freeway in Los Angeles. They had gathered to commit a crime. Years before,...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 12
    Guerrilla Public Service Redux

    In the early morning of August 5, 2001, artist Richard Ankrom and a group of friends assembled on the 4th Street bridge over the 110 freeway in Los Angeles. They had gathered to commit a crime. Years before,...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 5
    287- The Nut Behind the Wheel

    In the past fifty years, the car crash death rate has dropped by nearly 80 percent in the United States. And one of the reasons for that drop has to do with the “accident report forms” that police officers...

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  • 2017 / 12 / 5
    The Nut Behind the Wheel

    In the past fifty years, the car crash death rate has dropped by nearly 80 percent in the United States. And one of the reasons for that drop has to do with the “accident report forms” that police officers...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 28
    A 700-Foot Mountain of Whipped Cream

    While the 1960s shift in print and TV advertising has been heavily documented and mythologized by Mad Men, Madison Avenue’s radiophonic collision with the counterculture is less well known. A radio...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 28
    286- A 700-Foot Mountain of Whipped Cream

    While the 1960s shift in print and TV advertising has been heavily documented and mythologized by Mad Men, Madison Avenue’s radiophonic collision with the counterculture is less well known. A radio...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 21
    Money Makers

    For a long time, anti-counterfeiting laws made it illegal to show US currency in movies. Now you can show real money, but fake money is often preferred. Creating fake money that doesn’t break the law, but...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 21
    285- Money Makers

    For a long time, anti-counterfeiting laws made it illegal to show US currency in movies. Now you can show real money, but fake money is often preferred. Creating fake money that doesn’t break the law, but...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 14
    284- Hero Props: Graphic Design in Film & Television

    When a new movie comes out, most of the praise goes to the director and the lead actors, but there are so many other people involved in a film, and a lot of them are designers. There are costume designers and...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 14
    Hero Props: Graphic Design in Film & Television

    When a new movie comes out, most of the praise goes to the director and the lead actors, but there are so many other people involved in a film, and a lot of them are designers. There are costume designers and...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 7
    Dollhouses of St. Louis

    Back in the 1950s, St. Louis was segregated and The Ville was one of the only African-American neighborhoods in the city. The community was prosperous. Black-owned businesses thrived and the neighborhood was...

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  • 2017 / 11 / 7
    283- Dollhouses of St. Louis

    Back in the 1950s, St. Louis was segregated and The Ville was one of the only African-American neighborhoods in the city. The community was prosperous. Black-owned businesses thrived and the neighborhood was...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 31
    282- Oyster-tecture

    New York was built at the mouth of the Hudson River, and that fertile estuary environment was filled with all kinds of marine life. But one creature in particular shaped the landscape: the oyster. It is...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 31
    Oyster-tecture

    New York was built at the mouth of the Hudson River, and that fertile estuary environment was filled with all kinds of marine life. But one creature in particular shaped the landscape: the oyster. It is...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 25
    La Sagrada Familia

    There are a lot of Gothic churches in Spain, but this one is different. It doesn’t look like a Gothic cathedral. It looks organic, like it was built out of bones or sand. But there’s another thing that sets...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 25
    281- La Sagrada Familia

    There are a lot of Gothic churches in Spain, but this one is different. It doesn’t look like a Gothic cathedral. It looks organic, like it was built out of bones or sand. But there’s another thing that sets...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 18
    280- Half Measures

    The United States is one of just a handful of countries that that isn’t officially metric. Instead, Americans measure things our own way, in units that are basically inscrutable to non-Americans, nearly all...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 18
    Half Measures

    The United States is one of just a handful of countries that that isn’t officially metric. Instead, Americans measure things our own way, in units that are basically inscrutable to non-Americans, nearly all...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 11
    279- The Containment Plan

    It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50 blocks, which is about a fifth of the entire downtown area of Los Angeles. It’s very clear when you’ve...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 11
    The Containment Plan

    It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50 blocks, which is about a fifth of the entire downtown area of Los Angeles. It’s very clear when you’ve...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 3
    278- The Athletic Brassiere

    Among the most important advances in sports technology, few can compete with the invention of the sports bra. Following the passage of Title IX in 1972, women’s interest in athletics surged. But their breasts...

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  • 2017 / 10 / 3
    The Athletic Brassiere

    Among the most important advances in sports technology, few can compete with the invention of the sports bra. Following the passage of Title IX in 1972, women’s interest in athletics surged. But their breasts...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 26
    277- Ponte City Tower

    Ponte City Tower, the brutalist cylindrical high-rise that towers over Johannesburg, has gone from a symbol of white opulence to something far more complicated. It’s gone through very hard times, but also...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 26
    Ponte City Tower

    Ponte City Tower, the brutalist cylindrical high-rise that towers over Johannesburg, has gone from a symbol of white opulence to something far more complicated. It’s gone through very hard times, but also...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 19
    276- The Finnish Experiment

    Around the world, there is a lot of buzz around the idea of universal basic income (also known as “unconditional basic income” or UBI). It can take different forms or vary in the details, but in essence: UBI...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 19
    The Finnish Experiment

    Around the world, there is a lot of buzz around the idea of universal basic income (also known as “unconditional basic income” or UBI). It can take different forms or vary in the details, but in essence: UBI...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 12
    Coal Hogs Work Safe

    Coal miner stickers started out as little advertisements that the manufacturers of mining equipment handed out. Even before the late 1960s, when mining safety laws started requiring reflective materials...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 12
    275- Coal Hogs Work Safe

    Coal miner stickers started out as little advertisements that the manufacturers of mining equipment handed out. Even before the late 1960s, when mining safety laws started requiring reflective materials...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 5
    274- The Age of the Algorithm

    Computer algorithms now shape our world in profound and mostly invisible ways. They predict if we’ll be valuable customers and whether we’re likely to repay a loan. They filter what we see on social media,...

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  • 2017 / 9 / 5
    The Age of the Algorithm

    Computer algorithms now shape our world in profound and mostly invisible ways. They predict if we’ll be valuable customers and whether we’re likely to repay a loan. They filter what we see on social media,...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 29
    273- Notes on an Imagined Plaque

    Monuments don’t just appear in the wake of someone’s death — they are erected for reasons specific to a time and place. In 1905, one such memorial was put up in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, to commemorate...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 29
    Notes on an Imagined Plaque

    Monuments don’t just appear in the wake of someone’s death — they are erected for reasons specific to a time and place. In 1905, one such memorial was put up in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, to commemorate...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 22
    Person in Lotus Position

    Tech analysts estimate that over six billion emojis are sent each day. Emojis, which started off as a collection of low-resolution pixelated images from Japan, have become a well-established and graphically...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 22
    272- Person in Lotus Position

    Tech analysts estimate that over six billion emojis are sent each day. Emojis, which started off as a collection of low-resolution pixelated images from Japan, have become a well-established and graphically...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 15
    The Great Dismal Swamp

    On the border of Virginia and North Carolina stretches a great, dismal swamp. The Great Dismal Swamp, actually — that’s the name British colonists gave it centuries ago. The swamp covers about 190 square...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 15
    271- The Great Dismal Swamp

    On the border of Virginia and North Carolina stretches a great, dismal swamp. The Great Dismal Swamp, actually — that’s the name British colonists gave it centuries ago. The swamp covers about 190 square...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 9
    The Stethoscope

    Imagine for a moment the year 1800. A doctor is meeting with a patient – most likely in the patient’s home. The patient is complaining about shortness of breath. A cough, a fever. The doctor might check the...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 9
    270- The Stethoscope

    Imagine for a moment the year 1800. A doctor is meeting with a patient – most likely in the patient’s home. The patient is complaining about shortness of breath. A cough, a fever. The doctor might check the...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 1
    Ways of Hearing

    When the tape started rolling in old analog recording studios, there was a feeling that musicians were about to capture a particular moment. On tape, there was no “undo.” They could try again, if they had the...

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  • 2017 / 8 / 1
    269- Ways of Hearing

    When the tape started rolling in old analog recording studios, there was a feeling that musicians were about to capture a particular moment. On tape, there was no “undo.” They could try again, if they had the...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 25
    El Gordo

    In Spain, they do the lottery differently. First of all, it’s a country-wide obsession — about 75% of Spaniards buy a ticket. There’s more than one lottery in Spain, but the one that Spaniards are the most...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 25
    268- El Gordo

    In Spain, they do the lottery differently. First of all, it’s a country-wide obsession — about 75% of Spaniards buy a ticket. There’s more than one lottery in Spain, but the one that Spaniards are the most...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 18
    267- The Trials of Dan and Dave

    This is the story of an ad campaign produced for the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. Perennial runner-up in the sports shoe category, Reebok, was trying to make its mark and take down Nike. They chose two...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 18
    The Trials of Dan and Dave

    This is the story of an ad campaign produced for the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. Perennial runner-up in the sports shoe category, Reebok, was trying to make its mark and take down Nike. They chose two...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 11
    266- Repackaging the Pill

    Most people are familiar with at least one version of the birth control pill’s packaging — a round plastic disc which opens like a shell and looks like a makeup compact. But the pill wasn’t always packaged...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 11
    Repackaging the Pill

    Most people are familiar with at least one version of the birth control pill’s packaging — a round plastic disc which opens like a shell and looks like a makeup compact. But the pill wasn’t always packaged...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 4
    265- The Pool and the Stream

    This is the story of a curvy, kidney-shaped swimming pool born in Northern Europe that had a huge ripple effect on popular culture in Southern California and landscape architecture in Northern California, and...

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  • 2017 / 7 / 4
    The Pool and the Stream

    This is the story of a curvy, kidney-shaped swimming pool born in Northern Europe that had a huge ripple effect on popular culture in Southern California and landscape architecture in Northern California, and...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 27
    264- Mexico 68

    The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And for Mexico City, the event was an opportunity to show the world that they were a...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 27
    Mexico 68

    The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And for Mexico City, the event was an opportunity to show the world that they were a...

    Download
  • 2017 / 6 / 20
    You Should Do a Story

    “You should do a story…” is the first line to a lot of the conversations you have when you work at 99pi. This week we look into a bunch of those stories suggested by our listeners and present them to …...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 20
    263- You Should Do a Story

    “You should do a story…” is the first line to a lot of the conversations you have when you work at 99pi. This week we look into a bunch of those stories suggested by our listeners and present them to …...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 13
    262- In the Same Ballpark

    In the 1992, the Baltimore Orioles opened their baseball season at a brand new stadium called Oriole Park at Camden Yards, right along the downtown harbor. The stadium was small and intimate, built with brick...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 13
    In the Same Ballpark

    In the 1992, the Baltimore Orioles opened their baseball season at a brand new stadium called Oriole Park at Camden Yards, right along the downtown harbor. The stadium was small and intimate, built with brick...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 8
    Intro to a new Roman Mars podcast: What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law

    Special introductory episode to a new podcast produced by Roman Mars and Elizabeth Joh. Professor Elizabeth Joh teaches Intro to Constitutional Law and most of the time this is a pretty straight forward job....

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  • 2017 / 6 / 7
    The Yin and Yang of Basketball (Repeat)

    In 1891, a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts invented the game we would come to know as basketball. In setting the height of the baskets, he inadvertently created a design problem that...

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  • 2017 / 6 / 7
    199- The Yin and Yang of Basketball (Repeat)

    In 1891, a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts invented the game we would come to know as basketball. In setting the height of the baskets, he inadvertently created a design problem that...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 30
    261- Squatters of the Lower East Side

    In 1987, three years after moving to New York City, Maggie Wrigley found herself on the edge of homelessness. She was trying to figure out where to stay, when she heard about an abandoned tenement building on...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 30
    Squatters of the Lower East Side

    In 1987, three years after moving to New York City, Maggie Wrigley found herself on the edge of homelessness. She was trying to figure out where to stay, when she heard about an abandoned tenement building on...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 23
    New Jersey

    The Brazilian soccer shirt is iconic. Its bright canary yellow with green trim, worn with blue shorts, is known worldwide. The uniform is joyful and bold and seems to capture something essential about Brazil....

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  • 2017 / 5 / 23
    260- New Jersey

    The Brazilian soccer shirt is iconic. Its bright canary yellow with green trim, worn with blue shorts, is known worldwide. The uniform is joyful and bold and seems to capture something essential about Brazil....

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  • 2017 / 5 / 16
    This Is Chance: Anchorwoman of the Great Alaska Earthquake

    This episode was recorded live as part of the Radiotopia West Coast Tour. It was the middle of the night on March 27, 1964. Earlier that evening, the second-biggest earthquake ever measured at the time had...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 16
    259- This Is Chance: Anchorwoman of the Great Alaska Earthquake

    This episode was recorded live as part of the Radiotopia West Coast Tour. It was the middle of the night on March 27, 1964. Earlier that evening, the second-biggest earthquake ever measured at the time had...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 9
    258- The Modern Necropolis

    In the town of Colma, California, the dead outnumber the living by a thousand to one. Located just ten miles south of San Francisco, Colma is filled with rolling green hills, manicured hedges, and 17 full...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 9
    The Modern Necropolis

    In the town of Colma, California, the dead outnumber the living by a thousand to one. Located just ten miles south of San Francisco, Colma is filled with rolling green hills, manicured hedges, and 17 full...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 2
    257- Reversing the Grid

    For most people, electricity only flows one way (into the home), but there are exceptions — people who use solar panels, for instance. In those cases, excess electricity created by the solar cells travels...

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  • 2017 / 5 / 2
    Reversing the Grid

    For most people, electricity only flows one way (into the home), but there are exceptions — people who use solar panels, for instance. In those cases, excess electricity created by the solar cells travels...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 18
    Sounds Natural

    In most wildlife films, the sounds you hear were not recorded while the cameras were rolling. Most filmmakers use long telephoto lenses to film animals, but there’s no sonic equivalent of a zoom lens. Good...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 18
    256- Sounds Natural

    In most wildlife films, the sounds you hear were not recorded while the cameras were rolling. Most filmmakers use long telephoto lenses to film animals, but there’s no sonic equivalent of a zoom lens. Good...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 11
    255- The Architect of Hollywood

    Los Angeles is rich with architectural diversity. On the same block, you could find a retro-futuristic Googie diner next to a Spanish-style mansion, sitting comfortably alongside a Dutch Colonial dwelling,...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 11
    The Architect of Hollywood

    Los Angeles is rich with architectural diversity. On the same block, you could find a retro-futuristic Googie diner next to a Spanish-style mansion, sitting comfortably alongside a Dutch Colonial dwelling,...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 4
    Containers

    We’re based in beautiful downtown Oakland, CA which is a port city in the San Francisco Bay. Massive container ships travel across the Pacific and end up here. From miles away you can see the enormous white...

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  • 2017 / 4 / 4
    254- Containers

    We’re based in beautiful downtown Oakland, CA which is a port city in the San Francisco Bay. Massive container ships travel across the Pacific and end up here. From miles away you can see the enormous white...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 28
    253- Manzanar

    When Warren Furutani was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s, he sometimes heard his parents refer to a place where they once spent time — a place they called “camp.” To him “camp” meant summer camp or a …...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 28
    Manzanar

    When Warren Furutani was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s, he sometimes heard his parents refer to a place where they once spent time — a place they called “camp.” To him “camp” meant summer camp or a …...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 21
    The Falling of the Lenins

    On the night of December 8, 2013, a huge crowd gathered on a tree-lined boulevard in downtown Kiev, Ukraine. The crowd was there to watch as a statue in the boulevard was pulled down by a crane. The toppled...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 21
    252- The Falling of the Lenins

    On the night of December 8, 2013, a huge crowd gathered on a tree-lined boulevard in downtown Kiev, Ukraine. The crowd was there to watch as a statue in the boulevard was pulled down by a crane. The toppled...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 14
    Negative Space: Logo Design with Michael Bierut

    Logos used to be a thing people didn’t really give much thought to. But over the last decade, the volume and intensity of arguments about logos have increased substantially. A lot of this is just the internet...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 14
    251- Negative Space: Logo Design with Michael Bierut

    Logos used to be a thing people didn’t really give much thought to. But over the last decade, the volume and intensity of arguments about logos have increased substantially. A lot of this is just the internet...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 8
    250- State (Sanctuary, Part 2)

    In the 1980s, the United States experienced a refugee crisis. Thousands of Central Americans were fleeing civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, traveling north through Mexico, and crossing the border into...

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  • 2017 / 3 / 8
    State (Sanctuary, Part 2)

    In the 1980s, the United States experienced a refugee crisis. Thousands of Central Americans were fleeing civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, traveling north through Mexico, and crossing the border into...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 28
    Church (Sanctuary, Part 1)

    In the 1980s, Rev. John Fife and his congregation at Southside Presbyterian Church began to help Central American migrants fleeing persecution from US backed dictatorships. Their efforts would mark the...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 28
    249- Church (Sanctuary, Part 1)

    In the 1980s, Rev. John Fife and his congregation at Southside Presbyterian Church began to help Central American migrants fleeing persecution from US backed dictatorships. Their efforts would mark the...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 21
    248- Atom in the Garden of Eden

    As the world entered the Atomic Age, humankind faced a new fear that permeated just about every aspect of daily life: the threat of nuclear war. And while the violent applications of atomic research had...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 21
    Atom in the Garden of Eden

    As the world entered the Atomic Age, humankind faced a new fear that permeated just about every aspect of daily life: the threat of nuclear war. And while the violent applications of atomic research had...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 15
    Usonia the Beautiful

    Frank Lloyd Wright believed that the buildings we live in shape the kinds of people we become. His aim was nothing short of rebuilding the entire culture of the United States, changing the nation through its...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 15
    247- Usonia the Beautiful

    Frank Lloyd Wright believed that the buildings we live in shape the kinds of people we become. His aim was nothing short of rebuilding the entire culture of the United States, changing the nation through its...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 7
    Usonia 1

    Frank Lloyd Wright was a bombastic character that ultimately changed the field of architecture, and not just through his big, famous buildings. Before designing many of his most well-known works, Wright...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 7
    246- Usonia 1

    Frank Lloyd Wright was a bombastic character that ultimately changed the field of architecture, and not just through his big, famous buildings. Before designing many of his most well-known works, Wright...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 1
    245- The Eponymist

    Eponym (noun): A person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named; a name or noun formed after a person. An eponym, almost by definition, has some kind of story behind...

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  • 2017 / 2 / 1
    The Eponymist

    Eponym (noun): A person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named; a name or noun formed after a person. An eponym, almost by definition, has some kind of story behind...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 24
    244- The Revolutionary Post

    Winifred Gallagher, author of How the Post Office Created America: A History, argues that the post office is not simply an inexpensive way to send a letter. The service was designed to unite a bunch of...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 24
    The Revolutionary Post

    Winifred Gallagher, author of How the Post Office Created America: A History, argues that the post office is not simply an inexpensive way to send a letter. The service was designed to unite a bunch of...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 18
    Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle

    On January 3, 1979, two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department went to the home of Eulia May Love, a 39-year-old African-American mother. The police were there because of a dispute over an unpaid gas...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 18
    243- Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle

    On January 3, 1979, two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department went to the home of Eulia May Love, a 39-year-old African-American mother. The police were there because of a dispute over an unpaid gas...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 10
    242- Mini-Stories: Volume 2

    Part 2 where host Roman Mars talks to the 99pi producers about their favorite “Mini-Stories.” These are little anecdotes or seeds of a story about design and architecture that can’t quite stretch into a full...

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  • 2017 / 1 / 10
    Mini-Stories: Volume 2

    Part 2 where host Roman Mars talks to the 99pi producers about their favorite “Mini-Stories.” These are little anecdotes or seeds of a story about design and architecture that can’t quite stretch into a full...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 20
    Mini-Stories: Volume 1

    Host Roman Mars talks to the 99pi producers about their favorite “Mini-Stories.” These are little anecdotes or seeds of a story about design and architecture that can’t quite stretch into a full episode, but...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 20
    241- Mini-Stories: Volume 1

    Host Roman Mars talks to the 99pi producers about their favorite “Mini-Stories.” These are little anecdotes or seeds of a story about design and architecture that can’t quite stretch into a full episode, but...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 14
    240- Plat of Zion

    The urban grid of Salt Lake City, Utah is designed to tell you exactly where you are in relation to Temple Square, one of the holiest sites for Mormons. Addresses can read like sets of coordinates. “300 South...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 14
    Plat of Zion

    The urban grid of Salt Lake City, Utah is designed to tell you exactly where you are in relation to Temple Square, one of the holiest sites for Mormons. Addresses can read like sets of coordinates. “300 South...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 6
    Guano Island

    In 2014, President Obama expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, making it the largest marine preserve in the world at the time. The expansion closed 490,000 square miles of largely...

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  • 2016 / 12 / 6
    239- Guano Island

    In 2014, President Obama expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, making it the largest marine preserve in the world at the time. The expansion closed 490,000 square miles of largely...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 29
    238- NBC Chimes

    The NBC chimes may be the most famous sound in broadcasting. Originating in the 1920s, the three key sequential notes are familiar to generations of radio listeners and television watchers. Many companies...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 23
    237- Dollar Store Town

    Dollar stores are not just a U.S. phenomenon. They can be found in Australia and the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Mexico. And a lot of the stuff—the generic cheap stuff for sale in these stores—comes...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 23
    Dollar Store Town

    Dollar stores are not just a U.S. phenomenon. They can be found in Australia and the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Mexico. And a lot of the stuff—the generic cheap stuff for sale in these stores—comes...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 16
    236- Reverb

    Through a combination of passive and active acoustics, architects and acousticians can control the sounds of spaces to fit any kind of need. With sound-proofing and selective-amplification, we can add reverb...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 16
    Reverb

    Through a combination of passive and active acoustics, architects and acousticians can control the sounds of spaces to fit any kind of need. With sound-proofing and selective-amplification, we can add reverb...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 8
    Ten Letters for the President

    People who write the White House know that the president himself will most likely not see their message. Many of their letters start with phrases like, “I know no one will read this.” Although someone does...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 8
    235- Ten Letters for the President

    People who write the White House know that the president himself will most likely not see their message. Many of their letters start with phrases like, “I know no one will read this.” Although someone does...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 1
    234- The Shift

    Every now and again, a truly great athlete shatters all previous assumptions about what’s possible to achieve in a sport. When this happens, opposing teams scramble to find ways to stop them or slow them...

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  • 2016 / 11 / 1
    The Shift

    Every now and again, a truly great athlete shatters all previous assumptions about what’s possible to achieve in a sport. When this happens, opposing teams scramble to find ways to stop them or slow them...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 25
    Space Trash, Space Treasure

    In the summer of 1961 the upper stage of the rocket carrying the Transit 4A satellite blew up about two hours after launch. It was the first known human-made object to unintentionally explode in space, and it...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 25
    233- Space Trash, Space Treasure

    In the summer of 1961 the upper stage of the rocket carrying the Transit 4A satellite blew up about two hours after launch. It was the first known human-made object to unintentionally explode in space, and it...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 18
    McMansion Hell

    Few forms of contemporary architecture draw as much criticism as the McMansion, a particular type of oversized house that people love to hate. McMansions usually feature 3,000 or more square feet of space and...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 18
    232- McMansion Hell

    Few forms of contemporary architecture draw as much criticism as the McMansion, a particular type of oversized house that people love to hate. McMansions usually feature 3,000 or more square feet of space and...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 11
    Half a House

    On the night of February 27th, 2010, a magnitude of 8.8 earthquake hit ConstituciĂłn, Chile and it was the second biggest that the world had seen in half a century. The quake and the tsunami it produced...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 11
    231- Half a House

    On the night of February 27th, 2010, a magnitude of 8.8 earthquake hit ConstituciĂłn, Chile and it was the second biggest that the world had seen in half a century. The quake and the tsunami it produced...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 4
    Project Cybersyn

    On September 11, 1973, a military junta violently took control of Chile, which was led at the time by President Salvador Allende. Allende had become president in a free and democratic election. After the...

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  • 2016 / 10 / 4
    230- Project Cybersyn

    On September 11, 1973, a military junta violently took control of Chile, which was led at the time by President Salvador Allende. Allende had become president in a free and democratic election. After the...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 27
    124- Longbox (Repeat)

    Reporter Whitney Jones argues that R.E.M.’s Out of Time is the most politically significant album in the history of the United States. Because of its packaging. Longbox Please Vote.

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  • 2016 / 9 / 27
    Longbox (Repeat)

    Reporter Whitney Jones argues that R.E.M.’s Out of Time is the most politically significant album in the history of the United States. Because of its packaging. Longbox Please Vote.

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  • 2016 / 9 / 20
    229- The Trend Forecast

    Who decides that the color this season is “mint green” or that denim jackets are “back?” Of course, there’s top-down fashion, where couture houses and runway shows set a trend that trickles down through the...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 20
    The Trend Forecast

    Who decides that the color this season is “mint green” or that denim jackets are “back?” Of course, there’s top-down fashion, where couture houses and runway shows set a trend that trickles down through the...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 13
    228- Making Up Ground

    Large portions of San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Seattle, Hong Kong and Marseilles were built on top of human made land. What is now Mumbai, India, was transformed by the British from a seven-island...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 13
    Making Up Ground

    Large portions of San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Seattle, Hong Kong and Marseilles were built on top of human made land. What is now Mumbai, India, was transformed by the British from a seven-island...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 6
    Public Works

    Infrastructure makes modern civilization possible. Roads, power grids, sewage systems and water networks all underpin society as we know it, forming the basis of our built environment … at least when they...

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  • 2016 / 9 / 6
    227- Public Works

    Infrastructure makes modern civilization possible. Roads, power grids, sewage systems and water networks all underpin society as we know it, forming the basis of our built environment … at least when they...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 23
    On Average

    In many ways, the built world was not designed for you. It was designed for the average person. Standardized tests, building codes, insurance rates, clothing sizes, The Dow Jones – all these measurements are...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 23
    226- On Average

    In many ways, the built world was not designed for you. It was designed for the average person. Standardized tests, building codes, insurance rates, clothing sizes, The Dow Jones – all these measurements are...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 17
    Photo Credit

    Founded by architect Walter Gropius in 1919, the Bauhaus school in Germany would go on to shape modern architecture, art, and design for decades to come. The school sought to combine design and...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 17
    225- Photo Credit

    Founded by architect Walter Gropius in 1919, the Bauhaus school in Germany would go on to shape modern architecture, art, and design for decades to come. The school sought to combine design and...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 9
    A Sea Worth its Salt

    The largest body of water in California was formed by a mistake. In 1905, the California Development Company accidentally flooded a huge depression in the Sonora Desert, creating an enormous salty lake called...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 9
    224- A Sea Worth its Salt

    The largest body of water in California was formed by a mistake. In 1905, the California Development Company accidentally flooded a huge depression in the Sonora Desert, creating an enormous salty lake called...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 3
    The Magic Bureaucrat

    In 1996, President Bill Clinton and the Congress undertook a reform effort to redesign the welfare system from one that many believed trapped people in a cycle of dependence, to one, that in the President’s...

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  • 2016 / 8 / 3
    223- The Magic Bureaucrat

    In 1996, President Bill Clinton and the Congress undertook a reform effort to redesign the welfare system from one that many believed trapped people in a cycle of dependence, to one, that in the President’s...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 26
    222- Combat Hearing Loss

    The US military buys a lot of foam ear plugs. Visit any base and you’ll find them under the bleachers at the firing range, in the bottoms of washing machines. They are cheap and effective at making noise less...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 26
    Combat Hearing Loss

    The US military buys a lot of foam ear plugs. Visit any base and you’ll find them under the bleachers at the firing range, in the bottoms of washing machines. They are cheap and effective at making noise less...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 19
    America’s Last Top Model

    In 1943, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction on a scale model that could test flooding in all 1.25 million square miles of the Mississippi River. It would be a three-dimensional map of nearly half...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 19
    221- America’s Last Top Model

    In 1943, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction on a scale model that could test flooding in all 1.25 million square miles of the Mississippi River. It would be a three-dimensional map of nearly half...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 13
    The Mind of an Architect

    In the late 1950s, the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research embarked on a mission to study the personalities of particularly creative scientists and artists. Researchers established categories,...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 13
    220- The Mind of an Architect

    In the late 1950s, the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research embarked on a mission to study the personalities of particularly creative scientists and artists. Researchers established categories,...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 6
    Unpleasant Design

    Benches in parks, train stations, bus shelters and other public places are meant to offer seating, but only for a limited duration. Many elements of such seats are subtly or overtly restrictive. Arm rests,...

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  • 2016 / 7 / 6
    219- Unpleasant Design

    Benches in parks, train stations, bus shelters and other public places are meant to offer seating, but only for a limited duration. Many elements of such seats are subtly or overtly restrictive. Arm rests,...

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  • 2016 / 6 / 29
    218- Remembering Stonewall

    It started with a place called the Stonewall Inn. Gay bars had been raided by police for decades. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people had been routinely arrested and subjected to harassment and...

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  • 2016 / 6 / 22
    217- Home on Lagrange

    In 1968, an Italian industrialist and a Scottish scientist started a club to address what they considered to be humankind’s greatest problems—issues like pollution, resource scarcity, and overpopulation....

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  • 2016 / 6 / 22
    Home on Lagrange

    In 1968, an Italian industrialist and a Scottish scientist started a club to address what they considered to be humankind’s greatest problems—issues like pollution, resource scarcity, and overpopulation....

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  • 2016 / 6 / 14
    216- The Blazer Experiment

    In 1968, the police department in Menlo Park, California hired a new police chief. His name was Victor Cizanckas and his main goal was to reform the department, which had a strained relationship with the...

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  • 2016 / 6 / 14
    The Blazer Experiment

    In 1968, the police department in Menlo Park, California hired a new police chief. His name was Victor Cizanckas and his main goal was to reform the department, which had a strained relationship with the...

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  • 2016 / 6 / 7
    H-Day

    September 3rd, 1967, also known as H-Day, is etched in the collective memory of Sweden. That morning, millions of Swedes switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right. The...

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  • 2016 / 6 / 7
    215- H-Day

    September 3rd, 1967, also known as H-Day, is etched in the collective memory of Sweden. That morning, millions of Swedes switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right. The...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 31
    130- Holdout (Repeat)

    Around 2005, a Seattle neighborhood called Ballard started to see unprecedented growth. Condominiums and apartment buildings were sprouting up all over the community which had once been mostly single family...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 31
    Holdout (Repeat)

    Around 2005, a Seattle neighborhood called Ballard started to see unprecedented growth. Condominiums and apartment buildings were sprouting up all over the community which had once been mostly single family...

    Download
  • 2016 / 5 / 25
    214- Loud and Clear

    Sub Pop Records has signed some of the most famous and influential indie bands of the last 30 years, including Nirvana, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and Beach House. Over time, the stars and hits have...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 18
    Separation Anxiety

    “Für Elise” is one of the world’s most widely-recognized pieces of music. The Beethoven melody has been played by pianists the world over, and its near-universal recognition has been used to attract customers...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 18
    213- Separation Anxiety

    “Für Elise” is one of the world’s most widely-recognized pieces of music. The Beethoven melody has been played by pianists the world over, and its near-universal recognition has been used to attract customers...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 11
    212- Turf Wars of East New York

    Neighborhoods are constantly changing, but it tends to be the people with money and power who get to decide the shape of things to come. New York City has an especially long history with change driven by...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 11
    Turf Wars of East New York

    Neighborhoods are constantly changing, but it tends to be the people with money and power who get to decide the shape of things to come. New York City has an especially long history with change driven by...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 4
    211- The Grand Dame of Broad Street

    The Bellevue-Stratford opened in 1904 and quickly became one of the most luxurious hotels of its time, rivaling the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The building was an incredible work of French Renaissance...

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  • 2016 / 5 / 4
    The Grand Dame of Broad Street

    The Bellevue-Stratford opened in 1904 and quickly became one of the most luxurious hotels of its time, rivaling the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The building was an incredible work of French Renaissance...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 27
    Unseen City

    Humans form cities from concrete, metal, and glass, designing structures and infrastructure primarily to serve a single bipedal species. Walking down a familiar city street, it is easy to overlook squirrels...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 27
    210- Unseen City

    Humans form cities from concrete, metal, and glass, designing structures and infrastructure primarily to serve a single bipedal species. Walking down a familiar city street, it is easy to overlook squirrels...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 20
    Supertall 101

    Starting in the late 1990s, the government of Taipei began looking into how they could turn global attention to their city, the capital of the small island of Taiwan. The initial idea was to create two...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 20
    209- Supertall 101

    Starting in the late 1990s, the government of Taipei began looking into how they could turn global attention to their city, the capital of the small island of Taiwan. The initial idea was to create two...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 13
    208- Vox Ex Machina

    In 1939, an astonishing new machine debuted at the New York World’s Fair. It was called the “Voder,” short for “Voice Operating Demonstrator.” It looked sort of like a futuristic church organ. An operator —...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 13
    Vox Ex Machina

    In 1939, an astonishing new machine debuted at the New York World’s Fair. It was called the “Voder,” short for “Voice Operating Demonstrator.” It looked sort of like a futuristic church organ. An operator —...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 6
    207- Soul City

    In the late 1960s, a civil rights leader named Floyd B. McKissick, at one time the head of CORE (the Congress on Racial Equality) proposed an idea for a new town. He would call this town Soul City and it...

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  • 2016 / 4 / 6
    Soul City

    In the late 1960s, a civil rights leader named Floyd B. McKissick, at one time the head of CORE (the Congress on Racial Equality) proposed an idea for a new town. He would call this town Soul City and it...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 30
    206- The White Elephant Of Tel Aviv

    Israeli buses regularly make international headlines, be it for suicide bombings, fights over gender segregation, or clashes concerning Shabbat schedules. One particular ill-fated megastructure, however, has...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 30
    The White Elephant Of Tel Aviv

    Israeli buses regularly make international headlines, be it for suicide bombings, fights over gender segregation, or clashes concerning Shabbat schedules. One particular ill-fated megastructure, however, has...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 23
    Flying Food

    The last hundred years or so of food advertising have been shaped by this one simple fact: real food usually looks pretty unappetizing on camera. It’s static and boring to look at, and it tends to wilt under...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 23
    205- Flying Food

    The last hundred years or so of food advertising have been shaped by this one simple fact: real food usually looks pretty unappetizing on camera. It’s static and boring to look at, and it tends to wilt under...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 16
    The SoHo Effect

    In San Francisco, the area South of Market Street is called SoMa. The part of town North of the Panhandle is known as NoPa. Around the intersection of North Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville, real estate...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 16
    204- The SoHo Effect

    In San Francisco, the area South of Market Street is called SoMa. The part of town North of the Panhandle is known as NoPa. Around the intersection of North Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville, real estate...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 9
    The Giftschrank

    Centuries ago, Germany came up with a way to keep books that contained “dangerous” information without releasing them to the general public: The Giftschrank. The word, a combination of “poison” and “cabinet,”...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 9
    203- The Giftschrank

    Centuries ago, Germany came up with a way to keep books that contained “dangerous” information without releasing them to the general public: The Giftschrank. The word, a combination of “poison” and “cabinet,”...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 2
    202- Mojave Phone Booth

    Situated in the middle of the Mojave desert, over a dozen miles from the nearest pavement, a lone phone booth sat along a dirt road, just waiting to become an international sensation. Mojave Phone Booth...

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  • 2016 / 3 / 2
    Mojave Phone Booth

    Situated in the middle of the Mojave desert, over a dozen miles from the nearest pavement, a lone phone booth sat along a dirt road, just waiting to become an international sensation. Mojave Phone Booth...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 27
    Video- The Norman Door with Vox

    There is an epidemic of terrible doors in the world. But when Don Norman got frustrated with them, he ended up changing the way people everywhere think about design. Video by Joe Posner of Vox, featuring...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 24
    201- The Green Book

    The middle of the 20th Century was a golden age for road travel in the United States. Cars had become cheap and spacious enough to carry families comfortably for hundreds of miles. The Interstate Highway...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 24
    The Green Book

    The middle of the 20th Century was a golden age for road travel in the United States. Cars had become cheap and spacious enough to carry families comfortably for hundreds of miles. The Interstate Highway...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 17
    Miss Manhattan

    All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed. She has gone by many names, from Star Maiden to Priestess of Culture,...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 17
    200- Miss Manhattan

    All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed. She has gone by many names, from Star Maiden to Priestess of Culture,...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 10
    The Yin and Yang of Basketball

    In 1891, a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts invented the game we would come to know as basketball. In setting the height of the baskets, he inadvertently created a design problem that...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 10
    199- The Yin and Yang of Basketball

    In 1891, a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts invented the game we would come to know as basketball. In setting the height of the baskets, he inadvertently created a design problem that...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 3
    198- The Ice King

    In the mid-19th century, decades before home refrigeration became the norm, you could find ice clinking in glasses from India to the Caribbean, thanks to a global commodities industry that has since melted...

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  • 2016 / 2 / 3
    The Ice King

    In the mid-19th century, decades before home refrigeration became the norm, you could find ice clinking in glasses from India to the Caribbean, thanks to a global commodities industry that has since melted...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 27
    Fish Cannon

    The Iron Curtain was an 8,000-mile border separating East from West during the Cold War. Something unexpected evolved in the “no man’s land” that the massive border created. In the absence of human...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 27
    197- Fish Cannon

    The Iron Curtain was an 8,000-mile border separating East from West during the Cold War. Something unexpected evolved in the “no man’s land” that the massive border created. In the absence of human...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 20
    196- The Fresno Drop

    In September 1958, Bank of America began an experiment – one that would have far reaching effects on our lives and on the economy. They decided after careful consideration to conduct this experiment in...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 20
    The Fresno Drop

    In September 1958, Bank of America began an experiment – one that would have far reaching effects on our lives and on the economy. They decided after careful consideration to conduct this experiment in...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 13
    Best Enjoyed By

    Date labels (e.g. “use-by”, “sell-by”, “best-by”, “best if used by,” “expires on”, etc.) are on a lot of products. Forty-one states require a date label on at least some food product, but there are huge...

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  • 2016 / 1 / 13
    195- Best Enjoyed By

    Date labels (e.g. “use-by”, “sell-by”, “best-by”, “best if used by,” “expires on”, etc.) are on a lot of products. Forty-one states require a date label on at least some food product, but there are huge...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 22
    Bone Music

    In 1950s Soviet Russia, citizens craved Western popular music—everything from jazz to rock & roll. But smuggling vinyl was dangerous, and acquiring the scarce material to make copies of those records that did...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 22
    194- Bone Music

    In 1950s Soviet Russia, citizens craved Western popular music—everything from jazz to rock & roll. But smuggling vinyl was dangerous, and acquiring the scarce material to make copies of those records that did...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 16
    Tube Benders

    The skyline of beautiful downtown Oakland, California, is defined by various towers by day, but at night there is one that shines far more brightly than the rest: the neon-illuminated Tribune Tower. Each side...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 16
    193- Tube Benders

    The skyline of beautiful downtown Oakland, California, is defined by various towers by day, but at night there is one that shines far more brightly than the rest: the neon-illuminated Tribune Tower. Each side...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 8
    Pagodas and Dragon Gates

    For Americans, the sight of pagoda roofs and dragon gates means that you are in Chinatown. Whether in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, the chinoiserie look is distinctive. But for those...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 8
    192- Pagodas and Dragon Gates

    For Americans, the sight of pagoda roofs and dragon gates means that you are in Chinatown. Whether in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, the chinoiserie look is distinctive. But for those...

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  • 2015 / 12 / 2
    191- Worst Smell in the World

    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....

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  • 2015 / 12 / 2
    Worst Smell in the World

    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....

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  • 2015 / 11 / 24
    190- Fixing the Hobo Suit

    Superhero costumes for TV and film used to be pretty cringe-worthy. Lately, however, super outfits are looking much better. Costume designers are learning new tricks, and using better technology, but there...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 24
    Fixing the Hobo Suit

    Superhero costumes for TV and film used to be pretty cringe-worthy. Lately, however, super outfits are looking much better. Costume designers are learning new tricks, and using better technology, but there...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 18
    The Landlord’s Game

    From rock-paper-scissors, to tennis, to Mario Kart, every game is a designed system and all games are grounded in the same design principles. One popular game in particular has a mixed reputation with game...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 18
    189- The Landlord’s Game

    From rock-paper-scissors, to tennis, to Mario Kart, every game is a designed system and all games are grounded in the same design principles. One popular game in particular has a mixed reputation with game...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 10
    Fountain Drinks

    On April 21st, 1859, an incredible thing happened in London and thousands of people came out to celebrate it. Women wore their finest clothing. Men were in suits and top hats, and children clamored to get a...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 10
    188- Fountain Drinks

    On April 21st, 1859, an incredible thing happened in London and thousands of people came out to celebrate it. Women wore their finest clothing. Men were in suits and top hats, and children clamored to get a...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 4
    187- Butterfly Effects

    Ballots are an essential component to a working democracy, yet they are rarely created (or even reviewed) by design professionals. Good ballot design is mainly a matter of following good design principles in...

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  • 2015 / 11 / 4
    Butterfly Effects

    Ballots are an essential component to a working democracy, yet they are rarely created (or even reviewed) by design professionals. Good ballot design is mainly a matter of following good design principles in...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 28
    War and Pizza

    Households tend to take pantry food for granted, but canned beans, powered cheese, and bags of moist cookies were not designed for everyday convenience. These standard products were made to meet the needs of...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 28
    186- War and Pizza

    Households tend to take pantry food for granted, but canned beans, powered cheese, and bags of moist cookies were not designed for everyday convenience. These standard products were made to meet the needs of...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 20
    Atmospherians

    The phrase ‘from Central Casting’ has become a kind of cultural shorthand for a stereotype or archetype, a subject so visually suited to its part it appears to have been designed for that role. Search the...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 20
    185- Atmospherians

    The phrase ‘from Central Casting’ has become a kind of cultural shorthand for a stereotype or archetype, a subject so visually suited to its part it appears to have been designed for that role. Search the...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 14
    110- Structural Integrity (Rebroadcast)

    99% Invisible is honored to accept a 2015 Third Coast International Audio Festival award for Structural Integrity, a story of architectural engineering gone wrong, and then covertly made right. When it was...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 14
    Structural Integrity (Rebroadcast)

    99% Invisible is honored to accept a 2015 Third Coast International Audio Festival award for Structural Integrity, a story of architectural engineering gone wrong, and then covertly made right. When it was...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 7
    Rajneeshpuram

    Indian philosopher and mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had a vision: he would build a Utopian city from the ground up, starting with 64,000 acres of muddy ranchland in rural Oregon. Purchased in 1981, this...

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  • 2015 / 10 / 7
    184- Rajneeshpuram

    Indian philosopher and mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had a vision: he would build a Utopian city from the ground up, starting with 64,000 acres of muddy ranchland in rural Oregon. Purchased in 1981, this...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 30
    Dead Letter Office

    When something is lost in the mail, it feels like it has disappeared into the ether, like it was sucked into a black hole, like it no longer exists. But, it turns out, a lot of the mail we think … Continue...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 30
    183- Dead Letter Office

    When something is lost in the mail, it feels like it has disappeared into the ether, like it was sucked into a black hole, like it no longer exists. But, it turns out, a lot of the mail we think … Continue...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 23
    182- A Sweet Surprise Awaits You

    On the night of March 30, 2005, the Powerball jackpot was 25 million dollars. The grand prize winner was in Tennessee, but all over the United States, one hundred and ten second-place winners came forward....

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  • 2015 / 9 / 23
    A Sweet Surprise Awaits You

    On the night of March 30, 2005, the Powerball jackpot was 25 million dollars. The grand prize winner was in Tennessee, but all over the United States, one hundred and ten second-place winners came forward....

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  • 2015 / 9 / 15
    Milk Carton Kids

    On a Sunday morning in 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa, Johnny Gosch left his house to begin his usual paper route. A short time later, his parents were awakened by a phone call–it was a neighbor—their paper hadn’t...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 15
    181- Milk Carton Kids

    On a Sunday morning in 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa, Johnny Gosch left his house to begin his usual paper route. A short time later, his parents were awakened by a phone call–it was a neighbor—their paper hadn’t...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 9
    Reefer Madness

    There are around 6,000 cargo vessels out on the ocean right now, carrying 20,000,000 shipping containers, which are delivering most of the products you see around you. And among all the containers are a...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 9
    180- Reefer Madness

    There are around 6,000 cargo vessels out on the ocean right now, carrying 20,000,000 shipping containers, which are delivering most of the products you see around you. And among all the containers are a...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 2
    Bathysphere

    In 1860, a chance find at sea forever changed our understanding of marine habitats, sparking an unprecedented push to explore a new world of possibilities far below the surface of our planet’s oceans. Deep...

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  • 2015 / 9 / 2
    179- Bathysphere

    In 1860, a chance find at sea forever changed our understanding of marine habitats, sparking an unprecedented push to explore a new world of possibilities far below the surface of our planet’s oceans. Deep...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 26
    The Great Restoration

    Stirling, Scotland is the home of Stirling Castle, which sits atop a giant crag, or hill, overlooking the whole town of Stirling. There has been a castle on that hill since the 12th century at least, and...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 26
    178- The Great Restoration

    Stirling, Scotland is the home of Stirling Castle, which sits atop a giant crag, or hill, overlooking the whole town of Stirling. There has been a castle on that hill since the 12th century at least, and...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 19
    177- Lawn Order

    In communities across America, lawns that are brown or overgrown are considered especially heinous. Elite squads of dedicated individuals have been deputized by their local governments or homeowners’...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 19
    Lawn Order

    In communities across America, lawns that are brown or overgrown are considered especially heinous. Elite squads of dedicated individuals have been deputized by their local governments or homeowners’...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 12
    176- Hard to Love a Brute

    No matter which James Bond actor is your favorite, it’s undeniable that the Sean Connery films had the best villains. There’s Blofeld, who turned cat-stroking into a thing that super-villains do, and then...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 12
    Hard to Love a Brute

    No matter which James Bond actor is your favorite, it’s undeniable that the Sean Connery films had the best villains. There’s Blofeld, who turned cat-stroking into a thing that super-villains do, and then...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 5
    The Sunshine Hotel

    The Bowery, in lower Manhattan, is one of New York’s oldest neighborhoods. It’s been through a lot of iterations. In the 1650s, a handful of freed slaves were the neighborhood’s first residents. At the time,...

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  • 2015 / 8 / 5
    175- The Sunshine Hotel

    The Bowery, in lower Manhattan, is one of New York’s oldest neighborhoods. It’s been through a lot of iterations. In the 1650s, a handful of freed slaves were the neighborhood’s first residents. At the time,...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 29
    174- From the Sea, Freedom

    In 1933, delegates from the United States and fourteen other countries met in Montevideo, Uruguay to define what it means to be a state. The resulting treaty from the Montevideo Convention established four...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 29
    From the Sea, Freedom

    In 1933, delegates from the United States and fourteen other countries met in Montevideo, Uruguay to define what it means to be a state. The resulting treaty from the Montevideo Convention established four...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 22
    Awareness

    By the late 1980s, AIDS had been in the United States for almost a decade. AIDS had be the number one killer of young men in New York City, then of young men in the country, then of young men … Continue...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 22
    173- Awareness

    By the late 1980s, AIDS had been in the United States for almost a decade. AIDS had be the number one killer of young men in New York City, then of young men in the country, then of young men … Continue...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 15
    172- On Location

    So many classic movies have been made in downtown Los Angeles. Though many don’t actually take place in downtown Los Angeles. L.A. has played almost every city in the world, thanks to its diverse landscape...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 15
    On Location

    So many classic movies have been made in downtown Los Angeles. Though many don’t actually take place in downtown Los Angeles. L.A. has played almost every city in the world, thanks to its diverse landscape...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 1
    171- Johnnycab (Automation Paradox, Pt. 2)

    More than 90% of all automobile accidents are all attributable to human error, for some car industry people, a fully-automated car is a kind of holy grail. However, as automation makes our lives easier and...

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  • 2015 / 7 / 1
    Johnnycab (Automation Paradox, Pt. 2)

    More than 90% of all automobile accidents are all attributable to human error, for some car industry people, a fully-automated car is a kind of holy grail. However, as automation makes our lives easier and...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 24
    Children of the Magenta (Automation Paradox, pt. 1)

    On the evening of May 31, 2009, 216 passengers, three pilots, and nine flight attendants boarded an Airbus 330 in Rio de Janeiro. This flight, Air France 447, was headed across to Paris. Everything proceeded...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 24
    170- Children of the Magenta (Automation Paradox, pt. 1)

    On the evening of May 31, 2009, 216 passengers, three pilots, and nine flight attendants boarded an Airbus 330 in Rio de Janeiro. This flight, Air France 447, was headed across to Paris. Everything proceeded...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 17
    169- Freud’s Couch

    Sigmund Freud’s ground-breaking techniques and theories for therapy came to be called “psychoanalysis,” and it was embodied, in practice and popular culture, by a single piece of furniture: the couch....

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  • 2015 / 6 / 17
    Freud’s Couch

    Sigmund Freud’s ground-breaking techniques and theories for therapy came to be called “psychoanalysis,” and it was embodied, in practice and popular culture, by a single piece of furniture: the couch....

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  • 2015 / 6 / 10
    168- All In Your Head

    People who make horror movies know: if you want to scare someone, use scary music. Some of the most creative use of music and sound to evoke fear and anxiety is on the TV show Hannibal. Hrishikesh Hirway of...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 10
    All In Your Head

    People who make horror movies know: if you want to scare someone, use scary music. Some of the most creative use of music and sound to evoke fear and anxiety is on the TV show Hannibal. Hrishikesh Hirway of...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 3
    Voices in the Wire

    This week on 99% Invisible, we have two stories about the early days of broadcasting and home sound recording, produced by Radio Diaries and the Kitchen Sisters. The sounds that came out Frank Conrad’s Garage...

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  • 2015 / 6 / 3
    167- Voices in the Wire

    This week on 99% Invisible, we have two stories about the early days of broadcasting and home sound recording, produced by Radio Diaries and the Kitchen Sisters. The sounds that came out Frank Conrad’s Garage...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 27
    Viva La Arquitectura!

    On January 3rd, 1961, Che Guevara suggested to Fidel Castro that they go play a round of golf. They drove out to what was then the ritziest, most elite country club in Havana. It was empty—almost all the...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 27
    166- Viva La Arquitectura!

    On January 3rd, 1961, Che Guevara suggested to Fidel Castro that they go play a round of golf. They drove out to what was then the ritziest, most elite country club in Havana. It was empty—almost all the...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 20
    The Nutshell Studies

    The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland is a busy place. Anyone who dies unexpectedly in the state of Maryland will end up there for an autopsy. On an average day, they might perform...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 20
    165- The Nutshell Studies

    The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland is a busy place. Anyone who dies unexpectedly in the state of Maryland will end up there for an autopsy. On an average day, they might perform...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 13
    164- The Post-Billiards Age

    We live in a post-billiards age. There was an age of billiards, and it has been over for so long, most of us have no idea how huge billiards once was. For many decades, starting in the mid-19th Century,...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 13
    The Post-Billiards Age

    We live in a post-billiards age. There was an age of billiards, and it has been over for so long, most of us have no idea how huge billiards once was. For many decades, starting in the mid-19th Century,...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 6
    The Gruen Effect

    Retail spaces are designed for impulse shopping. When you go to a store looking for socks and come out with a new shirt, it’s only partly your fault. Shops are trying to look so beautiful, so welcoming, the...

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  • 2015 / 5 / 6
    163- The Gruen Effect

    Retail spaces are designed for impulse shopping. When you go to a store looking for socks and come out with a new shirt, it’s only partly your fault. Shops are trying to look so beautiful, so welcoming, the...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 28
    Mystery House

    According to legend, Sarah Winchester’s friends advised the grieving widow to seek the services of a Boston spiritual medium named Adam Koombs. The story goes, Koombs put Mrs. Winchester in touch with her...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 28
    162- Mystery House

    According to legend, Sarah Winchester’s friends advised the grieving widow to seek the services of a Boston spiritual medium named Adam Koombs. The story goes, Koombs put Mrs. Winchester in touch with her...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 22
    Show of Force

    During World War II, a massive recruitment effort targeted students from the top art schools across the country. These young designers, artists, and makers were being asked to help execute a wild idea that...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 22
    161- Show of Force

    During World War II, a massive recruitment effort targeted students from the top art schools across the country. These young designers, artists, and makers were being asked to help execute a wild idea that...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 15
    160- Perfect Security

    The pursuit of lock picking is as old as the lock, which is itself as old as civilization. But in the entire history of the world, there was only one brief moment, lasting about 70 years, where you could put...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 15
    Perfect Security

    The pursuit of lock picking is as old as the lock, which is itself as old as civilization. But in the entire history of the world, there was only one brief moment, lasting about 70 years, where you could put...

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  • 2015 / 4 / 8
    159- The Calendar

    A month is hardly a unit of measurement. It can start on any day of the week and last anywhere from 28 to 31 days. Sometimes a month is four weeks long, sometimes five, sometimes six. You have to buy …...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 31
    Sandhogs

    Eighty years ago, New York City needed another tunnel under the Hudson River. The Holland Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge could no longer handle the mounting traffic between New Jersey and Manhattan....

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  • 2015 / 3 / 31
    158- Sandhogs

    Eighty years ago, New York City needed another tunnel under the Hudson River. The Holland Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge could no longer handle the mounting traffic between New Jersey and Manhattan....

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  • 2015 / 3 / 25
    The Colour of Money (R)

    United States paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. Pull a greenback out from your wallet (or look at a...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 25
    54- The Colour of Money (R)

    United States paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. Pull a greenback out from your wallet (or look at a...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 18
    Devil’s Rope

    In the mid 1800s, not many (non-native) Americans had ever been west of the Mississippi. When Frederick Law Olmstead visited the west in the 1850s, he remarked that the plains looked like a sea of grasses...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 18
    157- Devil’s Rope

    In the mid 1800s, not many (non-native) Americans had ever been west of the Mississippi. When Frederick Law Olmstead visited the west in the 1850s, he remarked that the plains looked like a sea of grasses...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 11
    156- Coin Check

    The United States Military is not known for being touchy-feely. There’s not much hugging or head-patting, and superiors don’t always have the authority to offer a serviceman a raise or promotion. When a...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 11
    Coin Check

    The United States Military is not known for being touchy-feely. There’s not much hugging or head-patting, and superiors don’t always have the authority to offer a serviceman a raise or promotion. When a...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 4
    155- Palm Reading

    Reports of palm theft have appeared in LA, San Diego, and Texas; palm rustling also gets a mention in Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. To understand why someone would want to steal a palm tree, we need...

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  • 2015 / 3 / 4
    Palm Reading

    Reports of palm theft have appeared in LA, San Diego, and Texas; palm rustling also gets a mention in Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. To understand why someone would want to steal a palm tree, we need...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 24
    PDX Carpet

    Portlanders have a tradition when visiting their airport: taking a picture of their feet. It’s not to show off their shoes, but rather, what’s under them. They are documenting the famous PDX airport carpet....

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  • 2015 / 2 / 24
    154- PDX Carpet

    Portlanders have a tradition when visiting their airport: taking a picture of their feet. It’s not to show off their shoes, but rather, what’s under them. They are documenting the famous PDX airport carpet....

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  • 2015 / 2 / 18
    Game Over (R)

    A few months before the end of the world, everyone was saying their goodbyes. The world that was ending was The Sims Online, an online version of The Sims. Even though The Sims was one of the most popular...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 18
    153- Game Over (R)

    A few months before the end of the world, everyone was saying their goodbyes. The world that was ending was The Sims Online, an online version of The Sims. Even though The Sims was one of the most popular...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 11
    Guerrilla Public Service

    At some point in your life you’ve probably encountered a problem in the built world where the fix was obvious to you. Maybe a door that opened the wrong way, or poorly painted marker on the road. Mostly, when...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 11
    152- Guerrilla Public Service

    At some point in your life you’ve probably encountered a problem in the built world where the fix was obvious to you. Maybe a door that opened the wrong way, or poorly painted marker on the road. Mostly, when...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 3
    La Mascotte

    The idea of the mascot came to America by way of a popular French opera from the 1880s called La Mascotte. The opera is about a down-on-his luck farmer who’s visited by a girl named Bettina; as soon as she …...

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  • 2015 / 2 / 3
    151- La Mascotte

    The idea of the mascot came to America by way of a popular French opera from the 1880s called La Mascotte. The opera is about a down-on-his luck farmer who’s visited by a girl named Bettina; as soon as she …...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 28
    Under The Moonlight

    In 1885, Austin, Texas was terrorized by a serial killer known as the Servant Girl Annihilator.  The murderer was never actually found, but he claimed eight victims, mostly black servant girls, all attacked...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 28
    150- Under The Moonlight

    In 1885, Austin, Texas was terrorized by a serial killer known as the Servant Girl Annihilator.  The murderer was never actually found, but he claimed eight victims, mostly black servant girls, all attacked...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 21
    149- Of Mice And Men

    If you are looking at a computer screen, your right hand is probably resting on a mouse. To the left of that mouse (or above, if you’re on a laptop) is your keyboard. As you work on the computer, your right...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 21
    Of Mice And Men

    If you are looking at a computer screen, your right hand is probably resting on a mouse. To the left of that mouse (or above, if you’re on a laptop) is your keyboard. As you work on the computer, your right...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 14
    148- The Sizzle

    The first trademark for a sound in the United States was issued in 1978 to NBC for their chimes. MGM has a sound trademark for their roaring lion, as does 20th Century Fox for their trumpet fanfare. Harley...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 14
    The Sizzle

    The first trademark for a sound in the United States was issued in 1978 to NBC for their chimes. MGM has a sound trademark for their roaring lion, as does 20th Century Fox for their trumpet fanfare. Harley...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 7
    147- Penn Station Sucks

    New Yorkers are known to disagree about a lot of things. Who’s got the best pizza? What’s the fastest subway route? Yankees or Mets? But all 8.5 million New Yorkers are likely to agree on one thing: Penn...

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  • 2015 / 1 / 7
    Penn Station Sucks

    New Yorkers are known to disagree about a lot of things. Who’s got the best pizza? What’s the fastest subway route? Yankees or Mets? But all 8.5 million New Yorkers are likely to agree on one thing: Penn...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 31
    Mooallempalooza

    As you probably know, 99% Invisible is a show about the built world, about things manufactured by humans. We don’t tend to do stories about animals or nature. But our friend Jon Mooallem writes brilliant...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 31
    146- Mooallempalooza

    As you probably know, 99% Invisible is a show about the built world, about things manufactured by humans. We don’t tend to do stories about animals or nature. But our friend Jon Mooallem writes brilliant...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 17
    Octothorpe

    If you want to follow conversation threads relating to this show on social media—whether Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, Tumblr—you know to look for the hashtag: #99pi. In our current digital age, the...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 17
    145- Octothorpe

    If you want to follow conversation threads relating to this show on social media—whether Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, Tumblr—you know to look for the hashtag: #99pi. In our current digital age, the...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 10
    144- There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

    Hanging in the garage of Fire Station #6 in Livermore, California, there’s a small, pear-shaped light bulb. It is glowing right now. This lightbulb has been glowing, with just a couple of momentary...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 10
    There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

    Hanging in the garage of Fire Station #6 in Livermore, California, there’s a small, pear-shaped light bulb. It is glowing right now. This lightbulb has been glowing, with just a couple of momentary...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 3
    Inflatable Men

    You see them on street corners, at gas stations, at shopping malls. You see them at blowout sales and grand openings of all kinds. Their wacky faces hover over us, and then fall down to meet us, and then rise...

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  • 2014 / 12 / 3
    143- Inflatable Men

    You see them on street corners, at gas stations, at shopping malls. You see them at blowout sales and grand openings of all kinds. Their wacky faces hover over us, and then fall down to meet us, and then rise...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 26
    142- And The Winner Is

    There’s a little trophy shop called Aardvark Laser Engraving down the street from our office in Oakland. Its small but bustling, and its windows are stuffed to the brim with awards made of all kinds of...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 26
    And The Winner Is

    There’s a little trophy shop called Aardvark Laser Engraving down the street from our office in Oakland. Its small but bustling, and its windows are stuffed to the brim with awards made of all kinds of...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 19
    Three Records from Sundown

    This week on the show we’re presenting one of our favorite radio features, “Three Records from Sundown,” about singer Nick Drake. The documentary, by producer Charles Maynes, retraces the roots of Drake’s...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 19
    141- Three Records from Sundown

    This week on the show we’re presenting one of our favorite radio features, “Three Records from Sundown,” about singer Nick Drake. The documentary, by producer Charles Maynes, retraces the roots of Drake’s...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 12
    140- Vexillonaire

    Vexillologists—those who study flags—tend to fall into one of two schools of thought. The first is one that focuses on history, category, and usage, and maintains that vexillologists should be scholars and...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 12
    Vexillonaire

    Vexillologists—those who study flags—tend to fall into one of two schools of thought. The first is one that focuses on history, category, and usage, and maintains that vexillologists should be scholars and...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 4
    Edge of Your Seat

    “A Chair is a difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier.” — Mies van der Rohe. The chair presents an interesting design challenge, because it is an object that disappears when in use. The person...

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  • 2014 / 11 / 4
    139- Edge of Your Seat

    “A Chair is a difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier.” — Mies van der Rohe. The chair presents an interesting design challenge, because it is an object that disappears when in use. The person...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 28
    O-U-I-J-A

    The Ouija board is so simple and iconic that it looks like it comes from another time, or maybe another realm. The game is not as ancient as it was designed to look, but those two arched rows of letters have...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 28
    138- O-U-I-J-A

    The Ouija board is so simple and iconic that it looks like it comes from another time, or maybe another realm. The game is not as ancient as it was designed to look, but those two arched rows of letters have...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 22
    137- Good Bread

    The first print advertisement for Wonder Bread came out before the bread itself. It stated only that “a wonder” was coming. In a lot of ways, the statement was true. Wonder Bread was the perfect loaf. “Slow...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 22
    Good Bread

    The first print advertisement for Wonder Bread came out before the bread itself. It stated only that “a wonder” was coming. In a lot of ways, the statement was true. Wonder Bread was the perfect loaf. “Slow...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 19
    Kickstart Radiotopia- A Storytelling Revolution

    When you support Radiotopia, you are making sure 99% Invisible can keep coming to you weekly and you’ll be supporting our entire collective of award-winning, independent radiomakers. Thanks!

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  • 2014 / 10 / 14
    136- Lights Out

    On July 13th, 1977, lightning struck an electricity transmission line in New York City, causing the line’s automatic circuit breaker to kick in. The electricity from the affected line was diverted to another...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 7
    For Amusement Only

    Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it wasn’t officially legalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, after more than 80 years of illegitimacy, the...

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  • 2014 / 10 / 7
    135- For Amusement Only

    Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it wasn’t officially legalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, after more than 80 years of illegitimacy, the...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 30
    The Straight Line Is A Godless Line

    Straight lines form the core of our built environment. Building in straight lines makes predicting costs and calculating structural loads easier, since building materials come in linear units. Straight lines...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 30
    134- The Straight Line Is A Godless Line

    Straight lines form the core of our built environment. Building in straight lines makes predicting costs and calculating structural loads easier, since building materials come in linear units. Straight lines...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 24
    Port of Dallas

    There’s a photograph we have tacked to our studio at 99% Invisible HQ. The photo, taken 1899, shows three men, all looking very fashionable, suspended mid-air on the lifted arm of a giant dredging machine....

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  • 2014 / 9 / 24
    133- Port of Dallas

    There’s a photograph we have tacked to our studio at 99% Invisible HQ. The photo, taken 1899, shows three men, all looking very fashionable, suspended mid-air on the lifted arm of a giant dredging machine....

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  • 2014 / 9 / 16
    Castle on the Park

    On the southwest corner of Central Park West and 106th Street in New York City, there’s an enormous castle. It takes up the whole east end of the block, with its red brick cylindrical turrets topped with...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 16
    132- Castle on the Park

    On the southwest corner of Central Park West and 106th Street in New York City, there’s an enormous castle. It takes up the whole east end of the block, with its red brick cylindrical turrets topped with...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 10
    131- Genesis Object

    In the beginning, there was design. Before any other human discipline, even before the dawn of mankind its self, design was a practice passed down from generation to generation of early humans. Today,...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 10
    Genesis Object

    In the beginning, there was design. Before any other human discipline, even before the dawn of mankind its self, design was a practice passed down from generation to generation of early humans. Today,...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 2
    Holdout

    Around 2005, a Seattle neighborhood called Ballard started to see unprecedented growth. Condominiums and apartment buildings were sprouting up all over the community which had once been mostly single family...

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  • 2014 / 9 / 2
    130- Holdout

    Around 2005, a Seattle neighborhood called Ballard started to see unprecedented growth. Condominiums and apartment buildings were sprouting up all over the community which had once been mostly single family...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 26
    129- Thomassons

    Cities, like living things, evolve slowly over time. Buildings and structures get added and renovated and removed, and in this process, bits and pieces that get left behind. Vestiges. Just as humans have...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 26
    Thomassons

    Cities, like living things, evolve slowly over time. Buildings and structures get added and renovated and removed, and in this process, bits and pieces that get left behind. Vestiges. Just as humans have...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 19
    128- Hacking IKEA

    IKEA hacking is the practice of buying things from IKEA and reengineering—or “hacking”—them to become customized, more functional, and often just better designed stuff. The locus of the IKEA hacking movement...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 19
    Hacking IKEA

    IKEA hacking is the practice of buying things from IKEA and reengineering—or “hacking”—them to become customized, more functional, and often just better designed stuff. The locus of the IKEA hacking movement...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 12
    127- The Sound of Sports

    Way back in October 2011 (see episode #38, true believers!), we broadcast a short excerpt of a radio documentary produced by Peregrine Andrews about faking the sounds of sports on TV broadcasts. It was one of...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 12
    The Sound of Sports

    Way back in October 2011 (see episode #38, true believers!), we broadcast a short excerpt of a radio documentary produced by Peregrine Andrews about faking the sounds of sports on TV broadcasts. It was one of...

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  • 2014 / 8 / 5
    126- Walk This Way

    As humans have developed cities and built environments, we have also needed to develop ways to find our way through them. Sam Greenspan went on a wayfinding tour with Jim Harding in the Atlanta airport....

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  • 2014 / 8 / 5
    Walk This Way

    As humans have developed cities and built environments, we have also needed to develop ways to find our way through them. Sam Greenspan went on a wayfinding tour with Jim Harding in the Atlanta airport....

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  • 2014 / 7 / 29
    125- Duplitecture

    The best knock-offs in the world are in China. There are plenty of fake designer handbags and Rolexes, but China’s knock-offs go way beyond fashion. There are knock-off Apple stores that look so much like the...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 29
    Duplitecture

    The best knock-offs in the world are in China. There are plenty of fake designer handbags and Rolexes, but China’s knock-offs go way beyond fashion. There are knock-off Apple stores that look so much like the...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 22
    124- Longbox

    Reporter Whitney Jones argues that R.E.M.’s Out of Time is the most politically significant album in the history of the United States. Because of its packaging.

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  • 2014 / 7 / 22
    Longbox

    Reporter Whitney Jones argues that R.E.M.’s Out of Time is the most politically significant album in the history of the United States. Because of its packaging.

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  • 2014 / 7 / 15
    123- Snowflake

    Well before the early 1500s, when Sir Thomas Moore first coined the term “Utopia,” people have been thinking about how to design their ideal community. Maybe it’s one that doesn’t use money, or one that drops...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 15
    Snowflake

    Well before the early 1500s, when Sir Thomas Moore first coined the term “Utopia,” people have been thinking about how to design their ideal community. Maybe it’s one that doesn’t use money, or one that drops...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 8
    122- Good Egress

    When designing a commercial structure, there is one safety component that must be designed right into the building from the start: egress. “Egress” refers to an entire exit system from a building: stairs,...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 8
    Good Egress

    When designing a commercial structure, there is one safety component that must be designed right into the building from the start: egress. “Egress” refers to an entire exit system from a building: stairs,...

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  • 2014 / 7 / 1
    121- Cold War Kids

    During the 1961 Berlin Crisis—one of the various moments in the cold war in which we came frighteningly close to engaging in actual war with the Soviets—President John F. Kennedy vowed to identify spaces in...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 24
    Skyjacking

    The term “hijacking” goes back to prohibition days, when gangsters would rob moonshine trucks saying, “Hold your hands high, Jack!” However, in the early days of commercial air travel, the idea that someone...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 24
    120- Skyjacking

    The term “hijacking” goes back to prohibition days, when gangsters would rob moonshine trucks saying, “Hold your hands high, Jack!” However, in the early days of commercial air travel, the idea that someone...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 17
    119- Feet of Engineering

    As a fashion object and symbol, the high heel shoe is weighted with meaning. It’s also weighted with the wearer’s entire body weight. The stiletto might be one of the only designs that is physically painful...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 17
    Feet of Engineering

    As a fashion object and symbol, the high heel shoe is weighted with meaning. It’s also weighted with the wearer’s entire body weight. The stiletto might be one of the only designs that is physically painful...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 10
    Song Exploder

    99% Invisible presents Song Exploder. A song is a product of design. It’s difficult to create an original melody, but that’s only the blueprint. Every element of a piece of music could be produced any number...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 10
    118- Song Exploder

    99% Invisible presents Song Exploder. A song is a product of design. It’s difficult to create an original melody, but that’s only the blueprint. Every element of a piece of music could be produced any number...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 3
    Clean Trains

    In just about every movie set in New York City in the 1970s and 80s there’s an establishing shot with a graffiti-covered subway. For city officials, train graffiti was a sign that they had lost control. So,...

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  • 2014 / 6 / 3
    117- Clean Trains

    In just about every movie set in New York City in the 1970s and 80s there’s an establishing shot with a graffiti-covered subway. For city officials, train graffiti was a sign that they had lost control. So,...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 27
    Breaking the Bank

    When I go into a bank, especially if I have to stand in line waiting to make a deposit, my mind wanders. And one of the first place it wanders to is: how I would rob the place. How could … Continue reading →

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  • 2014 / 5 / 27
    116- Breaking the Bank

    When I go into a bank, especially if I have to stand in line waiting to make a deposit, my mind wanders. And one of the first place it wanders to is: how I would rob the place. How could … Continue reading →

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  • 2014 / 5 / 20
    115- Cow Tunnels

    The westernmost part of Manhattan, between 34th and 39th street, is pretty industrial. There’s a bus depot, a ferry terminal, and a steady stream of cars. But in the late 19th early 20th centuries, this was...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 20
    Cow Tunnels

    The westernmost part of Manhattan, between 34th and 39th street, is pretty industrial. There’s a bus depot, a ferry terminal, and a steady stream of cars. But in the late 19th early 20th centuries, this was...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 13
    Ten Thousand Years

    In 1990, the federal government invited a group of geologists, linguists, astrophysicists, architects, artists, and writers to the New Mexico desert, to visit the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. They were there...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 13
    114- Ten Thousand Years

    In 1990, the federal government invited a group of geologists, linguists, astrophysicists, architects, artists, and writers to the New Mexico desert, to visit the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. They were there...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 6
    113- Monumental Dilemma

    About ten miles north of Concord, New Hampshire, off of interstate 93 there’s a little island with a great, big monument on it. The monument depicts a woman, who is holding a hatchet in her right hand and...

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  • 2014 / 5 / 6
    Monumental Dilemma

    About ten miles north of Concord, New Hampshire, off of interstate 93 there’s a little island with a great, big monument on it. The monument depicts a woman, who is holding a hatchet in her right hand and...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 29
    Young Ruin

    If you’ve wandered around Machu Picchu, or Stonehenge, or the Colosseum, or even snuck into that abandoned house on the edge of town, you know the power in a piece of decrepit architecture. And even if you...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 29
    112- Young Ruin

    If you’ve wandered around Machu Picchu, or Stonehenge, or the Colosseum, or even snuck into that abandoned house on the edge of town, you know the power in a piece of decrepit architecture. And even if you...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 22
    Masters of the Uni-verse

    Uniforms matter. When it comes to sports, they might be the only thing to which we’re actually loyal. Sports uniforms are packaging. But unlike any other packaging, if the product inside changes or degrades,...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 22
    111- Masters of the Uni-verse

    Uniforms matter. When it comes to sports, they might be the only thing to which we’re actually loyal. Sports uniforms are packaging. But unlike any other packaging, if the product inside changes or degrades,...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 15
    110- Structural Integrity

    When it was built in 1977, Citicorp Center (later renamed Citigroup Center, now called 601 Lexington) was, at 59 stories, the seventh-tallest building in the world. You can pick it out of the New York City...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 15
    Structural Integrity

    When it was built in 1977, Citicorp Center (later renamed Citigroup Center, now called 601 Lexington) was, at 59 stories, the seventh-tallest building in the world. You can pick it out of the New York City...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 8
    109- Title TK

    The name is important. It’s the first thing of any product you use or buy or see. The tip of the spear. You are bombarded by thousands of names every day. In this daily barrage, only the names that are …...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 8
    Title TK

    The name is important. It’s the first thing of any product you use or buy or see. The tip of the spear. You are bombarded by thousands of names every day. In this daily barrage, only the names that are …...

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  • 2014 / 4 / 1
    108- Barcodes

    When George Laurer goes to the grocery store, he doesn’t tell the check-out people that he invented the barcode, but his wife used to point it out. “My husband here’s the one who invented that barcode,” she’d...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 25
    Call Now

    When it’s three o’clock in the morning and everything is going wrong in your life, there’s a certain kind of ad you might see on basic cable. Lawyers–usually guys–promise to battle the heartless, tight-wad...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 25
    107- Call Now

    When it’s three o’clock in the morning and everything is going wrong in your life, there’s a certain kind of ad you might see on basic cable. Lawyers–usually guys–promise to battle the heartless, tight-wad...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 18
    The Fancy Shape

    Quatrefoil is the name of the four-lobed cloverleaf shape. It’s everywhere: adorning Gothic cathedrals, more modern churches, Rhode Island mansions, mission-style roofs in California, and decorating victorian...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 18
    106- The Fancy Shape

    Quatrefoil is the name of the four-lobed cloverleaf shape. It’s everywhere: adorning Gothic cathedrals, more modern churches, Rhode Island mansions, mission-style roofs in California, and decorating victorian...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 11
    105- One Man is An Island

    A few years ago, reporter Sean Cole was working on a radio story and needed to interview the rapper Busta Rhymes. Sean was living in Boston at the time, so he did a Google search for “Busta Rhymes” and...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 11
    One Man is An Island

    A few years ago, reporter Sean Cole was working on a radio story and needed to interview the rapper Busta Rhymes. Sean was living in Boston at the time, so he did a Google search for “Busta Rhymes” and...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 5
    Tunnel 57

    At its peak, the Berlin Wall was 100 miles long. Today only about a mile is left standing. Compared with other famous walls in history, this wall had a pretty short life span. The Great Wall of China has been...

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  • 2014 / 3 / 5
    104- Tunnel 57

    At its peak, the Berlin Wall was 100 miles long. Today only about a mile is left standing. Compared with other famous walls in history, this wall had a pretty short life span. The Great Wall of China has been...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 25
    103- UTBAPH

    It started with some Pittsburgh humor. Pittsburgh-based comedian Tom Muisal does a bit about a GPS unit that can give directions in “Pittsburghese.” Because in Pittsburgh, no one calls it “Interstate 376,”...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 25
    UTBAPH

    It started with some Pittsburgh humor. Pittsburgh-based comedian Tom Muisal does a bit about a GPS unit that can give directions in “Pittsburghese.” Because in Pittsburgh, no one calls it “Interstate 376,”...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 18
    Icon for Access

    There is a beauty to a universal standard. The idea that people across the world can agree that when they interact with one specific thing, everyone will be on the same page– regardless of language or culture...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 18
    102- Icon for Access

    There is a beauty to a universal standard. The idea that people across the world can agree that when they interact with one specific thing, everyone will be on the same page– regardless of language or culture...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 11
    101- Cover Story

    You know the saying: you can’t judge a book by its cover. With magazines, it’s pretty much the opposite. The cover of a magazine is the unified identity for a whole host of ideas, authors, and designers who...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 11
    Cover Story

    You know the saying: you can’t judge a book by its cover. With magazines, it’s pretty much the opposite. The cover of a magazine is the unified identity for a whole host of ideas, authors, and designers who...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 4
    Higher And Higher

    Like the best of these stories, the two bitter rivals started out as best friends: William Van Alen and Craig Severance. They were business partners. Van Alen was considered the artistic maverick and...

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  • 2014 / 2 / 4
    100- Higher And Higher

    Like the best of these stories, the two bitter rivals started out as best friends: William Van Alen and Craig Severance. They were business partners. Van Alen was considered the artistic maverick and...

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  • 2014 / 1 / 15
    The View From The 79th Floor

    On July 28, 1945, an airplane crashed into the Empire State Building. A B-25 bomber was flying a routine mission, chartering servicemen from Massachusetts to New York City. Capt. William F. Smith, who had led...

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  • 2014 / 1 / 15
    99- The View From The 79th Floor

    On July 28, 1945, an airplane crashed into the Empire State Building. A B-25 bomber was flying a routine mission, chartering servicemen from Massachusetts to New York City. Capt. William F. Smith, who had led...

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  • 2014 / 1 / 3
    98- Six Stories- the memory palace

    Elevators are old. They would have to be. Because it is in our nature to rise. History is full of things that lift other things. In ancient Greece, and China, and Hungary, there were systems of weights and...

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  • 2014 / 1 / 3
    Six Stories- the memory palace

    Elevators are old. They would have to be. Because it is in our nature to rise. History is full of things that lift other things. In ancient Greece, and China, and Hungary, there were systems of weights and...

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  • 2013 / 12 / 20
    97- Numbers Stations

    If you tune around on a shortwave radio, you might stumble across a voice reciting an endless stream of numbers. Just numbers, all day, everyday. These so-called “numbers stations,” say nothing about where...

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  • 2013 / 12 / 3
    DIY Space Suit

    Cameron Smith is building a space suit in his apartment. He’s not an astronaut. He’s not even an engineer. Cameron Smith is an archaeologist–on faculty in the anthropology department at Portland State...

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  • 2013 / 12 / 3
    96- DIY Space Suit

    Cameron Smith is building a space suit in his apartment. He’s not an astronaut. He’s not even an engineer. Cameron Smith is an archaeologist–on faculty in the anthropology department at Portland State...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 21
    Future Screens are Mostly Blue

    We have seen the future, and the future is mostly blue. Or, put another way: in our representations of the future in science fiction movies, blue seems to be the dominant color of our interfaces with...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 21
    95- Future Screens are Mostly Blue

    We have seen the future, and the future is mostly blue. Or, put another way: in our representations of the future in science fiction movies, blue seems to be the dominant color of our interfaces with...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 13
    Unbuilt

    There is an allure in unbuilt structures: the utopian, futuristic transports, the impossibly tall skyscrapers, even the horrible highways, all capture our imagination with what could have been. Whether these...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 13
    94- Unbuilt

    There is an allure in unbuilt structures: the utopian, futuristic transports, the impossibly tall skyscrapers, even the horrible highways, all capture our imagination with what could have been. Whether these...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 6
    Revolving Doors

    The story goes like this: Theophilus Van Kannel hated chivalry. There was nothing he despised more than trying to walk in or out of a building, and locking horns with other men in a game of “oh you first, I …...

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  • 2013 / 11 / 6
    93- Revolving Doors

    The story goes like this: Theophilus Van Kannel hated chivalry. There was nothing he despised more than trying to walk in or out of a building, and locking horns with other men in a game of “oh you first, I …...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 29
    All the Buildings

    I love those moments when you’re walking in your neighborhood and suddenly nothing is familiar. In a good way. Sean Cole began seeing his neighborhood, actually the whole city of New York, with new eyes...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 29
    92- All the Buildings

    I love those moments when you’re walking in your neighborhood and suddenly nothing is familiar. In a good way. Sean Cole began seeing his neighborhood, actually the whole city of New York, with new eyes...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 23
    Kickstart Season 4 of 99% Invisible- Weekly Episodes

    99% Invisible started as a side project I made in my bedroom at night, and after two years of making the program, I turned to Kickstarter to see if I should keep it going. To my great surprise, the Season …...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 14
    91- Wild Ones Live

    We have one cardinal rule on 99% Invisible: No cardinals. Meaning, we deal with the built world, not the natural world. So, when I read Jon Mooallem’s brilliant book, Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 14
    Wild Ones Live

    We have one cardinal rule on 99% Invisible: No cardinals. Meaning, we deal with the built world, not the natural world. So, when I read Jon Mooallem’s brilliant book, Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 2
    Strowger and Purple Reign Redux

    If you are an undertaker in 1878 Kansas City, and you learn that your competitor’s wife works as a telephone switchboard operator and has been diverting business calls meant for you to her husband, you have a...

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  • 2013 / 10 / 2
    90- Strowger and Purple Reign Redux

    If you are an undertaker in 1878 Kansas City, and you learn that your competitor’s wife works as a telephone switchboard operator and has been diverting business calls meant for you to her husband, you have a...

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  • 2013 / 9 / 17
    Bubble Houses

    If you were a movie star in the market for a mansion in 1930s Los Angeles, there was a good chance you might call on Wallace Neff. Neff wasn’t just an architect–he was a starchitect. One of his most famous …...

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  • 2013 / 9 / 17
    89- Bubble Houses

    If you were a movie star in the market for a mansion in 1930s Los Angeles, there was a good chance you might call on Wallace Neff. Neff wasn’t just an architect–he was a starchitect. One of his most famous …...

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  • 2013 / 9 / 3
    88- The Broadcast Clock

    There’s a term that epitomizes what we radio producers aspire to create: the “driveway moment.” It’s when a story is so good that you literally can’t get out of your car. Inside of a driveway moment, time...

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  • 2013 / 9 / 3
    The Broadcast Clock

    There’s a term that epitomizes what we radio producers aspire to create: the “driveway moment.” It’s when a story is so good that you literally can’t get out of your car. Inside of a driveway moment, time...

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  • 2013 / 8 / 22
    87- I Heart NY, TM

    By now, the story is well known. A man sits in the backseat of a cab, sketching on a notepad as night falls over a crumbling city. He scribbles the letter I. He draws a heart. And then an N, … Continue...

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  • 2013 / 8 / 22
    I Heart NY, TM

    By now, the story is well known. A man sits in the backseat of a cab, sketching on a notepad as night falls over a crumbling city. He scribbles the letter I. He draws a heart. And then an N, … Continue...

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  • 2013 / 8 / 9
    86- Reversal of Fortune

    Chicago’s biggest design achievement probably isn’t one of its amazing skyscrapers, but the Chicago River, a waterway disguised as a remnant of the natural landscape. But it isn’t natural, not really. It’s...

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  • 2013 / 8 / 9
    Reversal of Fortune

    Chicago’s biggest design achievement probably isn’t one of its amazing skyscrapers, but the Chicago River, a waterway disguised as a remnant of the natural landscape. But it isn’t natural, not really. It’s...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 29
    85- Noble Effort

    If you grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons, you might remember seeing the name Chuck Jones in big letters in the opening credits. Chuck Jones directed cartoons like Looney Tunes from the 1930s until his...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 29
    Noble Effort

    If you grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons, you might remember seeing the name Chuck Jones in big letters in the opening credits. Chuck Jones directed cartoons like Looney Tunes from the 1930s until his...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 15
    84- Ode to Ladislav Sutnar plus Trading Places with Planet Money

    An ode to an information designer who made life a little bit easier for millions and millions of people: Ladislav Sutnar, the man who put parentheses around area codes. Plus 99% Invisible and Planet Money...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 15
    Ode to Ladislav Sutnar plus Trading Places with Planet Money

    An ode to an information designer who made life a little bit easier for millions and millions of people: Ladislav Sutnar, the man who put parentheses around area codes. Plus 99% Invisible and Planet Money...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 2
    83- Heyoon

    Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Alex Goldman was a misfit. Bored and disaffected and angry, he longed for a place to escape to. And then he found Heyoon. The only way to find out about Heyoon for someone...

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  • 2013 / 7 / 2
    Heyoon

    Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Alex Goldman was a misfit. Bored and disaffected and angry, he longed for a place to escape to. And then he found Heyoon. The only way to find out about Heyoon for someone...

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  • 2013 / 6 / 20
    82- The Man of Tomorrow

    I’m willing to concede from the get-go that I might be wrong about the entire premise of this story, but Superman has never really worked for me as a character. I preferred the more grounded Marvel Comic book...

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  • 2013 / 6 / 20
    The Man of Tomorrow

    I’m willing to concede from the get-go that I might be wrong about the entire premise of this story, but Superman has never really worked for me as a character. I preferred the more grounded Marvel Comic book...

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  • 2013 / 6 / 7
    Rebar and the Alvord Lake Bridge

    There’s something about rebar that fascinates me. If nothing else because there are very few things that invoke a fear of being skewered. My preoccupation with metal reinforcement bars dovetails nicely with a...

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  • 2013 / 6 / 7
    81- Rebar and the Alvord Lake Bridge

    There’s something about rebar that fascinates me. If nothing else because there are very few things that invoke a fear of being skewered. My preoccupation with metal reinforcement bars dovetails nicely with a...

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  • 2013 / 5 / 28
    An Architect’s Code

    Lawyers have an ethics code. Journalists have an ethics code. Architects do, too. According to Ethical Standard 1.4 of the American Institute of Architects (AIA): “Members should uphold human rights in all...

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  • 2013 / 5 / 28
    80- An Architect’s Code

    Lawyers have an ethics code. Journalists have an ethics code. Architects do, too. According to Ethical Standard 1.4 of the American Institute of Architects (AIA): “Members should uphold human rights in all...

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  • 2013 / 5 / 8
    The Symphony of Sirens plus Soviet Design

    For the ancient Greeks, sirens were mythical creatures who sang out to passing sailors from rocks in the sea. Their music was so beautiful, it was said, that the sailors were powerless against it–they would...

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  • 2013 / 5 / 8
    79- The Symphony of Sirens plus Soviet Design

    For the ancient Greeks, sirens were mythical creatures who sang out to passing sailors from rocks in the sea. Their music was so beautiful, it was said, that the sailors were powerless against it–they would...

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  • 2013 / 4 / 30
    78- No Armed Bandit

    Americans have always had an uneasy relationship with gambling. To circumvent anti-gambling laws in the US, early slot machines masqueraded as vending machines. They gave out chewing gum as prizes, and those...

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  • 2013 / 4 / 30
    No Armed Bandit

    Americans have always had an uneasy relationship with gambling. To circumvent anti-gambling laws in the US, early slot machines masqueraded as vending machines. They gave out chewing gum as prizes, and those...

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  • 2013 / 4 / 15
    77- Game Changer

    Regardless of how you feel about basketball, you’ve got to appreciate the way it can bring groups of strangers together to share moments of pure adulation and collective defeat. That moment when time is...

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  • 2013 / 4 / 15
    Game Changer

    Regardless of how you feel about basketball, you’ve got to appreciate the way it can bring groups of strangers together to share moments of pure adulation and collective defeat. That moment when time is...

    Download
  • 2013 / 4 / 4
    The Modern Moloch

    On the streets of early 20th Century America, nothing moved faster than 10 miles per hour. Responsible parents would tell their children, “Go outside, and play in the streets. All day.” And then the...

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  • 2013 / 4 / 4
    76- The Modern Moloch

    On the streets of early 20th Century America, nothing moved faster than 10 miles per hour. Responsible parents would tell their children, “Go outside, and play in the streets. All day.” And then the...

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  • 2013 / 3 / 21
    Secret Staircases

    Wherever there is sufficient demand to move between two points of differing elevation, there are stairs. In some hilly neighborhoods of California–if you know where to look–you’ll find public, outdoor...

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  • 2013 / 3 / 21
    99% Invisible-75- Secret Staircases

    Wherever there is sufficient demand to move between two points of differing elevation, there are stairs. In some hilly neighborhoods of California–if you know where to look–you’ll find public, outdoor...

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  • 2013 / 3 / 8
    99% Invisible-74- Hand Painted Signs

    There was a time when every street sign, every billboard, and every window display was made by a sign artist with a paint kit and an arsenal of squirrel- or camel-hair brushes. Some lived an itinerant...

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  • 2013 / 3 / 8
    Hand Painted Signs

    There was a time when every street sign, every billboard, and every window display was made by a sign artist with a paint kit and an arsenal of squirrel- or camel-hair brushes. Some lived an itinerant...

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  • 2013 / 2 / 18
    99% Invisible-73- The Zanzibar and Other Building Poems

    There comes a time in the life of a modern city where it begins to grow up–literally. Santiago, the capital of Chile, has been going through a tremendous growth spurt since its economic boom of the mid 1990s....

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  • 2013 / 2 / 18
    The Zanzibar and Other Building Poems

    There comes a time in the life of a modern city where it begins to grow up–literally. Santiago, the capital of Chile, has been going through a tremendous growth spurt since its economic boom of the mid 1990s....

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  • 2013 / 2 / 5
    99% Invisible-72- New Old Town

    Like many cities in Central Europe, Warsaw is made up largely of grey, ugly, communist block-style architecture. Except for one part: The Old Town. Walking through this historic district, it’s just like any...

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  • 2013 / 2 / 5
    New Old Town

    Like many cities in Central Europe, Warsaw is made up largely of grey, ugly, communist block-style architecture. Except for one part: The Old Town. Walking through this historic district, it’s just like any...

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  • 2013 / 1 / 23
    99% Invisible-71- In and Out of LOVE

    Though its officially name is JFK Plaza, the open space near Philadelphia’s City Hall is more commonly known as LOVE Park. With its sleek granite benches, geometric raised planter beds, and long expanses of...

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  • 2013 / 1 / 23
    In and Out of LOVE

    Though its officially name is JFK Plaza, the open space near Philadelphia’s City Hall is more commonly known as LOVE Park. With its sleek granite benches, geometric raised planter beds, and long expanses of...

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  • 2013 / 1 / 11
    99% Invisible-70- The Great Red Car Conspiracy

    When Eric Molinsky lived in Los Angeles, he kept hearing this story about a bygone transportation system called the Red Car. The Red Car, he was told, had been this amazing network of streetcars that...

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  • 2013 / 1 / 11
    The Great Red Car Conspiracy

    When Eric Molinsky lived in Los Angeles, he kept hearing this story about a bygone transportation system called the Red Car. The Red Car, he was told, had been this amazing network of streetcars that...

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  • 2012 / 12 / 31
    The Brief and Tumultuous Life of the New UC Logo

    If you’re not from California, or missed this bit of news, the University of California has a new logo. Or rather had a new logo. To be more precise they had a new “visual identity system,” which is the kind...

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  • 2012 / 12 / 31
    99% Invisible-69- The Brief and Tumultuous Life of the New UC Logo

    If you’re not from California, or missed this bit of news, the University of California has a new logo. Or rather had a new logo. To be more precise they had a new “visual identity system,” which is the kind...

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  • 2012 / 12 / 12
    Built for Speed

    I want you to conjure an image in your mind of the white stripes that divide the lanes of traffic going the same direction on a major highway. How long are the stripes and the spaces between them? You can …...

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  • 2012 / 12 / 12
    99% Invisible-68- Built for Speed

    I want you to conjure an image in your mind of the white stripes that divide the lanes of traffic going the same direction on a major highway. How long are the stripes and the spaces between them? You can …...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 29
    Broken Window

    When Melissa Lee was growing up in Hastings-on-Hudson, a small town in upstate New York, there were only so many fun things to do. One was buying geodes and smashing them apart with a hammer. (You know...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 29
    99% Invisible-67- Broken Window

    When Melissa Lee was growing up in Hastings-on-Hudson, a small town in upstate New York, there were only so many fun things to do. One was buying geodes and smashing them apart with a hammer. (You know...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 19
    Kowloon Walled City

    Kowloon Walled City was the densest place in the world, ever. By its peak in the 1990s, the 6.5 acre Kowloon Walled City was home to at least 33,000 people (with estimates of up to 50,000). That’s a...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 19
    99% Invisible-66- Kowloon Walled City

    Kowloon Walled City was the densest place in the world, ever. By its peak in the 1990s, the 6.5 acre Kowloon Walled City was home to at least 33,000 people (with estimates of up to 50,000). That’s a...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 5
    99% Invisible-65- Razzle Dazzle

    When most people think of camouflage they think of blending in with the environment, but camouflage can also take the opposite approach. It has long been hypothesized that stripes on zebras make it difficult...

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  • 2012 / 11 / 5
    Razzle Dazzle

    When most people think of camouflage they think of blending in with the environment, but camouflage can also take the opposite approach. It has long been hypothesized that stripes on zebras make it difficult...

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  • 2012 / 10 / 25
    99% Invisible-64- Derelict Dome

    In the Cape Cod town of Woods Hole, buildings are not usually dome-shaped. Producer Katie Klocksin was pretty surprised when she came across one. Katie started asking around about the dome. She found it was...

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  • 2012 / 10 / 25
    Derelict Dome

    In the Cape Cod town of Woods Hole, buildings are not usually dome-shaped. Producer Katie Klocksin was pretty surprised when she came across one. Katie started asking around about the dome. She found it was...

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  • 2012 / 10 / 12
    The Political Stage

    On this special edition of 99% Invisible, we joined forces with Andrea Seabrook of DecodeDC to investigate all the thought that goes into the most miniscule details of a political campaign. Andrea was the...

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  • 2012 / 10 / 12
    99% Invisible-63- The Political Stage

    On this special edition of 99% Invisible, we joined forces with Andrea Seabrook of DecodeDC to investigate all the thought that goes into the most miniscule details of a political campaign. Andrea was the...

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  • 2012 / 10 / 2
    99% Invisible-62- Q2

    Benjamen Walker had a theory that priority queues are changing the American experience of waiting in line. So he visited amusement parks, highways, and community colleges to find out how these priority queues...

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  • 2012 / 9 / 20
    A Series of Tubes

    Pneumatic (adj.): of, or pertaining to, air, gases, or wind. In the world before telephone, radio, and email, the tasks of transmitting information and moving material objects were essentially the same...

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  • 2012 / 9 / 20
    99% Invisible-61- A Series of Tubes

    Pneumatic (adj.): of, or pertaining to, air, gases, or wind. In the world before telephone, radio, and email, the tasks of transmitting information and moving material objects were essentially the same...

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  • 2012 / 9 / 10
    BackStory- Heyward Shepherd Memorial

    I only recently started listening to BackStory with the American History Guys, but it’s already earned a top spot in my crowded weekly rotation. With great stories and lively discussion, the “History Guys”...

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  • 2012 / 9 / 10
    99% Invisible-60b- BackStory- Heyward Shepherd Memorial

    I only recently started listening to BackStory with the American History Guys, but it’s already earned a top spot in my crowded weekly rotation. With great stories and lively discussion, the “History Guys”...

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  • 2012 / 8 / 22
    99% Invisible-60a- Two Storeys

    While we’re gearing up for season 3, we present two pieces from two shows we love: First up, Language Bites from RTE Choice in Ireland. Language Bites is a series of 1-minute programs exploring the origins of...

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  • 2012 / 8 / 22
    Two Storeys

    While we’re gearing up for season 3, we present two pieces from two shows we love: First up, Language Bites from RTE Choice in Ireland. Language Bites is a series of 1-minute programs exploring the origins of...

    Download
  • 2012 / 8 / 6
    Names vs The Nothing

    New Public Sites is an investigation into some of the invisible sites and overlooked features of our everyday public spaces. These are the liminal spaces within cities that are not traditionally framed as...

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  • 2012 / 8 / 6
    99% Invisible-60- Names vs The Nothing

    New Public Sites is an investigation into some of the invisible sites and overlooked features of our everyday public spaces. These are the liminal spaces within cities that are not traditionally framed as...

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  • 2012 / 7 / 25
    99% Invisible-59- Some Other Sign that People Do Not Totally Regret Life

    Sean Cole is a poet and he knows what you think of that. He is also a radio producer. One night, drunk and stumbling around the Hudson River with his friend Malissa O’Donnell, he discovered a monument — two...

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  • 2012 / 7 / 25
    Some Other Sign that People Do Not Totally Regret Life

    Sean Cole is a poet and he knows what you think of that. He is also a radio producer. One night, drunk and stumbling around the Hudson River with his friend Malissa O’Donnell, he discovered a monument — two...

    Download
  • 2012 / 7 / 13
    99% Invisible-58- Purple Reign

    What’s the difference between what the public sees and what an architect sees when they look at a building? The hotel on the very prominent corner of Touhy and Kilbourn Avenues in Lincolnwood, Illinois used...

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  • 2012 / 7 / 13
    Purple Reign

    What’s the difference between what the public sees and what an architect sees when they look at a building? The hotel on the very prominent corner of Touhy and Kilbourn Avenues in Lincolnwood, Illinois used...

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  • 2012 / 7 / 12
    Kickstarter Video for Season 3 of 99% Invisible

    This is the Kickstarter video for funding the new season of 99% Invisible. If you enjoy the show and want to help keep it going, now is the time to go to our funding page and chip in a little. … Continue...

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  • 2012 / 6 / 28
    What Gave You That Idea

    Starlee Kine’s friend Noel works in advertising. In 2003, Noel was working in at an agency in Richmond, VA. Everyone wanted to work on flashy spots like Apple or Nike or Gatorade. Do you know what wasn’t...

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  • 2012 / 6 / 28
    99% Invisible-57- What Gave You That Idea

    Starlee Kine’s friend Noel works in advertising. In 2003, Noel was working in at an agency in Richmond, VA. Everyone wanted to work on flashy spots like Apple or Nike or Gatorade. Do you know what wasn’t...

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  • 2012 / 6 / 14
    99% Invisible-56- Frozen Music

    Goethe said, “Architecture is frozen music.” I like that. Of course that was before audio recording, so now, for the most part, music is frozen music. It’s only very recently in the history of music that...

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  • 2012 / 6 / 14
    Frozen Music

    Goethe said, “Architecture is frozen music.” I like that. Of course that was before audio recording, so now, for the most part, music is frozen music. It’s only very recently in the history of music that...

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  • 2012 / 5 / 31
    The Best Beer in the World

    If you’re a beer nerd, or have a friend who’s a beer nerd, you’ve heard of Belgian beers. Belgians take beer very seriously. Amongst the 200 Belgian breweries, there’s a very specific sub-type: Trappist...

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  • 2012 / 5 / 31
    99% Invisible-55- The Best Beer in the World

    If you’re a beer nerd, or have a friend who’s a beer nerd, you’ve heard of Belgian beers. Belgians take beer very seriously. Amongst the 200 Belgian breweries, there’s a very specific sub-type: Trappist...

    Download
  • 2012 / 5 / 16
    99% Invisible-54- The Colour of Money

    US paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. So pull out a greenback from your wallet (or look at a picture one...

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  • 2012 / 5 / 16
    The Colour of Money

    US paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. So pull out a greenback from your wallet (or look at a picture one...

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  • 2012 / 5 / 1
    The Xanadu Effect

    What happens when we build big? Julia Barton remembers going to the top floor of Dallas’s then-new city hall when she was teenager. The building, designed by I.M. Pei, is a huge trapezoid jutting out over a...

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  • 2012 / 5 / 1
    99% Invisible-53- The Xanadu Effect

    What happens when we build big? Julia Barton remembers going to the top floor of Dallas’s then-new city hall when she was teenager. The building, designed by I.M. Pei, is a huge trapezoid jutting out over a...

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  • 2012 / 4 / 18
    99% Invisible-52- Galloping Gertie

    Even during the construction of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the deck would go up and down by several feet with the slightest breeze. Construction workers on the span chewed on lemon wedges to stop...

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  • 2012 / 4 / 18
    Galloping Gertie

    Even during the construction of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the deck would go up and down by several feet with the slightest breeze. Construction workers on the span chewed on lemon wedges to stop...

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  • 2012 / 4 / 3
    99% Invisible-51- The Arsenal of Exclusion

    “Cities exist to bring people together, but cities can also keep people apart” – Daniel D’Oca, Urban Planner, Interboro Partners. Cities are great. They have movement, activity and diversity. But go to any...

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  • 2012 / 4 / 3
    The Arsenal of Exclusion

    “Cities exist to bring people together, but cities can also keep people apart” – Daniel D’Oca, Urban Planner, Interboro Partners. Cities are great. They have movement, activity and diversity. But go to any...

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  • 2012 / 3 / 22
    DeafSpace

    The acoustics of a building are a big concern for architects. But for designers at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, it’s the absence of sound that defines the approach to architecture. Gallaudet is a...

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  • 2012 / 3 / 22
    99% Invisible-50- DeafSpace

    The acoustics of a building are a big concern for architects. But for designers at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, it’s the absence of sound that defines the approach to architecture. Gallaudet is a...

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  • 2012 / 3 / 9
    Queue Theory and Design

    In the US, it’s called a line. In Canada, it’s often referred to as a line-up. Pretty much everywhere else, it’s known as a queue. My friend Benjamen Walker is obsessed with queues. He keeps sending me...

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  • 2012 / 3 / 9
    99% Invisible-49- Queue Theory and Design

    In the US, it’s called a line. In Canada, it’s often referred to as a line-up. Pretty much everywhere else, it’s known as a queue. My friend Benjamen Walker is obsessed with queues. He keeps sending me...

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  • 2012 / 2 / 26
    The Bathtubs or the Boiler Room

    “I have this habit of walking into any door that’s unlocked…You start poking around, going into doors…you find the coolest things…” -Andrea Seabrook, NPR Congressional Correspondent In the eight years Andrea...

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  • 2012 / 2 / 26
    99% Invisible-48- The Bathtubs or the Boiler Room

    “I have this habit of walking into any door that’s unlocked…You start poking around, going into doors…you find the coolest things…” -Andrea Seabrook, NPR Congressional Correspondent In the eight years Andrea...

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  • 2012 / 2 / 10
    99% Invisible-47- US Postal Service Stamps

    Somebody might be able to do a great painting that’s 20 x 30 inches, but you take that down to 1 x 1.5 inches, and it’s a challenge to make it work. -Ethel Kessler, Art Director for USPS Stamp Services …...

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  • 2012 / 2 / 10
    US Postal Service Stamps

    Somebody might be able to do a great painting that’s 20 x 30 inches, but you take that down to 1 x 1.5 inches, and it’s a challenge to make it work. -Ethel Kessler, Art Director for USPS Stamp Services …...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 27
    99% Invisible-46- Vulcanite Dentures

    Before the 1850s, dentures were made out of very hard, very painful and very expensive material, like gold or ivory. They were a luxury item. The invention of Vulcanite hard rubber changed everything. It was...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 27
    Vulcanite Dentures

    Before the 1850s, dentures were made out of very hard, very painful and very expensive material, like gold or ivory. They were a luxury item. The invention of Vulcanite hard rubber changed everything. It was...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 18
    Immersive Ideal

    Beauty Pill is band I really like from Washington DC. They have released two EPs (The Cigarette Girl From the Future and You Are Right to be Afraid) and their last album, The Unsustainable Lifestyle, came out...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 18
    99% Invisible-45- Immersive Ideal

    Beauty Pill is band I really like from Washington DC. They have released two EPs (The Cigarette Girl From the Future and You Are Right to be Afraid) and their last album, The Unsustainable Lifestyle, came out...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 6
    The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

    The Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis became most famous at the moment of its demise. The thirty-three high-rise towers built in the 1950’s were supposed to solve the impending population crisis in...

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  • 2012 / 1 / 6
    99% Invisible-44- The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

    The Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis became most famous at the moment of its demise. The thirty-three high-rise towers built in the 1950’s were supposed to solve the impending population crisis in...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 19
    99% Invisible-43- Accidental Music of Imperfect Escalators

    “There’s a secret jazz seeping from Washington’s aging Metro escalators – those anemic metal walkways that fill our transit system…they honk and bleat and squawk…why are you still wearing those earbuds?”...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 19
    Accidental Music of Imperfect Escalators

    “There’s a secret jazz seeping from Washington’s aging Metro escalators – those anemic metal walkways that fill our transit system…they honk and bleat and squawk…why are you still wearing those earbuds?”...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 9
    99% Invisible-42- Recognizably Anonymous

    Anonymous is not group. It is not an organization. Rob Walker describes Anonymous as a “loosely affiliated and ever-changing band of individuals who… have been variously described as hackers, hacktivists,...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 9
    Recognizably Anonymous

    Anonymous is not group. It is not an organization. Rob Walker describes Anonymous as a “loosely affiliated and ever-changing band of individuals who… have been variously described as hackers, hacktivists,...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 3
    The Human-Human Interface

    Paola Antonelli is the Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art. Her most recent blockbuster show, Talk to Me, explored the communication between people and...

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  • 2011 / 12 / 3
    99% Invisible-41- The Human-Human Interface

    Paola Antonelli is the Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art. Her most recent blockbuster show, Talk to Me, explored the communication between people and...

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  • 2011 / 11 / 23
    Billy Possum

    It’s totally unfair. Hydrox cookies came out four years before the introduction of Oreos, but Hydrox could never shake the image that it was a cheap knock-off, an also-ran. As a consumer product, it’s...

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  • 2011 / 11 / 23
    99% Invisible-40- Billy Possum

    It’s totally unfair. Hydrox cookies came out four years before the introduction of Oreos, but Hydrox could never shake the image that it was a cheap knock-off, an also-ran. As a consumer product, it’s...

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  • 2011 / 11 / 18
    The Biography of 100,000 Square Feet

    United Nations Plaza sits in the center of San Francisco. Most people consider it a complete failure as a public space. Its central feature, at the entrance of the plaza, is a unique fountain that was...

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  • 2011 / 11 / 18
    99% Invisible-39X- The Biography of 100,000 Square Feet

    United Nations Plaza sits in the center of San Francisco. Most people consider it a complete failure as a public space. Its central feature, at the entrance of the plaza, is a unique fountain that was...

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  • 2011 / 10 / 28
    99% Invisible-39- Darth Vader Family Courthouse

    It’s hard to imagine a place where more desperate and depressing drama unfolds on a daily basis than a family courthouse- custody battles, abuse, divorce- and if you were to design a place to reflect and...

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  • 2011 / 10 / 28
    Darth Vader Family Courthouse

    It’s hard to imagine a place where more desperate and depressing drama unfolds on a daily basis than a family courthouse- custody battles, abuse, divorce- and if you were to design a place to reflect and...

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  • 2011 / 10 / 13
    99% Invisible-38- Sound of Sport

    If Dennis Baxter and Bill Whiston are doing their job right, you probably don’t notice that they’re doing their job. But they are so good at doing their job, that you probably don’t even know that their job...

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  • 2011 / 10 / 13
    Sound of Sport

    If Dennis Baxter and Bill Whiston are doing their job right, you probably don’t notice that they’re doing their job. But they are so good at doing their job, that you probably don’t even know that their job...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 29
    The Steering Wheel

    If I asked you to close your eyes and mimic the action of using one of the simple human interfaces of everyday life, you could probably do it. Without having a button to push, you could close your eyes and …...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 29
    99% Invisible-37- The Steering Wheel

    If I asked you to close your eyes and mimic the action of using one of the simple human interfaces of everyday life, you could probably do it. Without having a button to push, you could close your eyes and …...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 16
    99% Invisible-36- Super Bon Bonn

    Cities are pretty robust organisms, they tend to survive even when put under tremendous stress and strain. Local industries rise and fall, people immigrate and emigrate, but most of these changes happen over...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 16
    Super Bon Bonn

    Cities are pretty robust organisms, they tend to survive even when put under tremendous stress and strain. Local industries rise and fall, people immigrate and emigrate, but most of these changes happen over...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 1
    99% Invisible-35- Elegy for WTC

    I want to be careful not to overstate what it means for a building to die. A building’s worth is an infinitesimal fraction of the worth a person’s life. Even two buildings don’t even move the needle in...

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  • 2011 / 9 / 1
    Elegy for WTC

    I want to be careful not to overstate what it means for a building to die. A building’s worth is an infinitesimal fraction of the worth a person’s life. Even two buildings don’t even move the needle in...

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  • 2011 / 8 / 19
    99% Invisible-34- The Speed of Light for Building Pyramids

    Last year, Steve Burrows CBE (Principle at the engineering consulting firm Arup) spent several weeks in Egypt studying the pyramids through the eyes of a modern day structural engineer. The result, which was...

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  • 2011 / 8 / 19
    The Speed of Light for Building Pyramids

    Last year, Steve Burrows CBE (Principle at the engineering consulting firm Arup) spent several weeks in Egypt studying the pyramids through the eyes of a modern day structural engineer. The result, which was...

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  • 2011 / 8 / 4
    A Cheer for Samuel Plimsoll

    If you look at the outer hull of commercial ships, you might find a painted circle bisected with a long horizontal line. This marking is called the load line, or as I prefer, the Plimsoll line. This simple...

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  • 2011 / 8 / 4
    99% Invisible-33- A Cheer for Samuel Plimsoll

    If you look at the outer hull of commercial ships, you might find a painted circle bisected with a long horizontal line. This marking is called the load line, or as I prefer, the Plimsoll line. This simple...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 28
    99% Invisible-32- Design for Airports

    When I spoke with Allison Arieff about the design of airports, she said to me, if all airports simply played Brian Eno’s album Ambient 1: Music for Airports over the speakers, every airport would be better. I...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 28
    Design for Airports

    When I spoke with Allison Arieff about the design of airports, she said to me, if all airports simply played Brian Eno’s album Ambient 1: Music for Airports over the speakers, every airport would be better. I...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 14
    Feltron Annual Report

    Nicholas Felton is an information designer. Since 2005, he has tabulated thousands upon thousands of tiny measurements in his life and designed stunning graphs and maps and created concise infographics that...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 14
    99% Invisible-31- Feltron Annual Report

    Nicholas Felton is an information designer. Since 2005, he has tabulated thousands upon thousands of tiny measurements in his life and designed stunning graphs and maps and created concise infographics that...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 1
    The Blue Yarn

    In 1998 Dr. Gary Kaplan, the CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle received some bad news about his hospital. It was losing money. So Dr. Kaplan started studying how other hospitals were being run...

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  • 2011 / 7 / 1
    99% Invisible-30- The Blue Yarn

    In 1998 Dr. Gary Kaplan, the CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle received some bad news about his hospital. It was losing money. So Dr. Kaplan started studying how other hospitals were being run...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 17
    99% Invisible-29- Cul de Sac

    When people critique cul-de-sacs, a lot of the time, they’re actually critiquing the suburbs more generally. The cul-de-sac has become sort of like the mascot of the suburbs– like if suburbia had a flag, it...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 17
    Cul de Sac

    When people critique cul-de-sacs, a lot of the time, they’re actually critiquing the suburbs more generally. The cul-de-sac has become sort of like the mascot of the suburbs– like if suburbia had a flag, it...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 10
    Movie Title Sequences

    More and more I’m finding that the first 2-3 minutes of a movie are my favorite part of the film. My life is devoted to the beautiful expression of information, which is why film title sequences hold a...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 10
    99% Invisible-28- Movie Title Sequences

    More and more I’m finding that the first 2-3 minutes of a movie are my favorite part of the film. My life is devoted to the beautiful expression of information, which is why film title sequences hold a...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 3
    99% Invisible-27- Bridge to the Sky

    There are rules that dicate what you can build and how. Rules of physics and rules of men who sit on various bureaucratic boards and bodies. These rules dictated that if silk magnate John Noble Stearns wanted...

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  • 2011 / 6 / 3
    Bridge to the Sky

    There are rules that dicate what you can build and how. Rules of physics and rules of men who sit on various bureaucratic boards and bodies. These rules dictated that if silk magnate John Noble Stearns wanted...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 20
    99% Invisible-26- Chicago’s Jailhouse Skyscraper

    The Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC, is a federal jail right in the middle of downtown Chicago. It’s a triangle-shaped skyscraper, 27 stories, with tall, super-narrow, irregularly-spaced windows up...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 20
    Chicago’s Jailhouse Skyscraper

    The Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC, is a federal jail right in the middle of downtown Chicago. It’s a triangle-shaped skyscraper, 27 stories, with tall, super-narrow, irregularly-spaced windows up...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 13
    Unsung Icons of Soviet Design

    There’s something that links most of the everyday objects presented in “Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design.” But it’s hard to tell exactly what that is just by looking at this collection of wobbly...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 13
    99% Invisible-25- Unsung Icons of Soviet Design

    There’s something that links most of the everyday objects presented in “Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design.” But it’s hard to tell exactly what that is just by looking at this collection of wobbly...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 6
    99% Invisible-24- The Capitol Columns

    If you were present for any of the presidential inaugurations, from Andrew Jackson to Dwight D. Eisenhower, you saw the solemn oath of office taken between twenty-two smooth, sandstone columns at the East...

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  • 2011 / 5 / 6
    The Capitol Columns

    If you were present for any of the presidential inaugurations, from Andrew Jackson to Dwight D. Eisenhower, you saw the solemn oath of office taken between twenty-two smooth, sandstone columns at the East...

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  • 2011 / 4 / 22
    99% Invisible-23- You Are Listening To + Radio Net

    youarelistening.to appeared online on March 6, 2011 and I was hooked instantly. The combination of the police scanner and ambient music is an intriguing, and distinctly live, experience (unlike most of the...

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  • 2011 / 4 / 22
    You Are Listening To + Radio Net

    youarelistening.to appeared online on March 6, 2011 and I was hooked instantly. The combination of the police scanner and ambient music is an intriguing, and distinctly live, experience (unlike most of the...

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  • 2011 / 4 / 15
    99% Invisible-22- Free Speech Monument

    In 1989, a group called the Berkeley Art Project decided to hold a national public art competition to create a monument that would commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement, which began on...

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  • 2011 / 4 / 15
    Free Speech Monument

    In 1989, a group called the Berkeley Art Project decided to hold a national public art competition to create a monument that would commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement, which began on...

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  • 2011 / 4 / 1
    BLDGBLOG: On Sound

    Most sound design in architecture is centered around designing for silence. Buildings are trying to block out that constant stream noise from the street and insulate you from those jarring clangs of industry....

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  • 2011 / 4 / 1
    99% Invisible-21- BLDGBLOG: On Sound

    Most sound design in architecture is centered around designing for silence. Buildings are trying to block out that constant stream noise from the street and insulate you from those jarring clangs of industry....

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  • 2011 / 3 / 25
    99% Invisible-20- Nikko Concrete Commando

    In 2001, Delfin Vigil was walking the streets of San Francisco and ran across the name “Nikko” carved into the concrete sidewalk. After seeing Nikko once, Delfin began to see the name everywhere. One block...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 25
    Nikko Concrete Commando

    In 2001, Delfin Vigil was walking the streets of San Francisco and ran across the name “Nikko” carved into the concrete sidewalk. After seeing Nikko once, Delfin began to see the name everywhere. One block...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 21
    99% Invisible-19X- RJDJ Reactive Music

    This week, the radio audience heard episode #10, but for you web and podcast listeners, I have a story I did about a year and a half ago, about the reactive music app called RJDJ. I did this piece for …...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 21
    RJDJ Reactive Music

    This week, the radio audience heard episode #10, but for you web and podcast listeners, I have a story I did about a year and a half ago, about the reactive music app called RJDJ. I did this piece for …...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 11
    99% Invisible-19- Liberation Squares plus NY Dick

    In a recent piece from Urban Omnibus, Vishaan Chakrabarti (Professor at the Graduate School for Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University), wrote about how urban open spaces contribute to...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 11
    Liberation Squares plus NY Dick

    In a recent piece from Urban Omnibus, Vishaan Chakrabarti (Professor at the Graduate School for Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University), wrote about how urban open spaces contribute to...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 4
    99% Invisible-18- Check Cashing Stores

    A few years ago, journalist Douglas McGray learned that the largest chain of check cashing stores in Southern California, Nix Check Cashing, was being bought by the nation’s largest credit union, Kinecta. The...

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  • 2011 / 3 / 4
    Check Cashing Stores

    A few years ago, journalist Douglas McGray learned that the largest chain of check cashing stores in Southern California, Nix Check Cashing, was being bought by the nation’s largest credit union, Kinecta. The...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 25
    Concrete Furniture

    The New City Hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, was the first modern, concrete, civic building in Toronto. When it opened in 1965, it stood out very prominently in the traditional Victorian...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 25
    99% Invisible-17- Concrete Furniture

    The New City Hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, was the first modern, concrete, civic building in Toronto. When it opened in 1965, it stood out very prominently in the traditional Victorian...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 18
    A Designed Language

    The idea is simple and quite beautiful: if we all shared a second, politically neutral language, people of all different nations and cultures could communicate freely and easily, and it would foster...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 18
    99% Invisible-16- A Designed Language

    The idea is simple and quite beautiful: if we all shared a second, politically neutral language, people of all different nations and cultures could communicate freely and easily, and it would foster...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 11
    Sounds of the Artificial World

    Without all the beeps and chimes, without sonic feedback, all of your modern conveniences would be very hard to use. If a device and its sounds are designed correctly, it creates a special “theater of the...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 11
    99% Invisible-15- Sounds of the Artificial World

    Without all the beeps and chimes, without sonic feedback, all of your modern conveniences would be very hard to use. If a device and its sounds are designed correctly, it creates a special “theater of the...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 4
    99% Invisible-14- Periodic Table

    Everyone knows it when they see it. The classic “castle with turrets” periodic table is a beautiful and concise icon that contains a great deal of amazing information, if you only know how to read it. And...

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  • 2011 / 2 / 4
    Periodic Table

    Everyone knows it when they see it. The classic “castle with turrets” periodic table is a beautiful and concise icon that contains a great deal of amazing information, if you only know how to read it. And...

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  • 2011 / 1 / 7
    99% Invisible-13x-Game Over (Snap Judgment)

    99% Invisible Extra! The tape rolls as we witness the tearful end of a perfect online world. This is a piece I did for Snap Judgment, based on a story from Robert Ashley’s brilliant A Life Well Wasted...

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  • 2011 / 1 / 7
    Game Over (Snap Judgment)

    99% Invisible Extra! The tape rolls as we witness the tearful end of a perfect online world. This is a piece I did for Snap Judgment, based on a story from Robert Ashley’s brilliant A Life Well Wasted...

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  • 2010 / 12 / 17
    13- Maps

    I’m sorry, but if you don’t love maps, I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Maps are amazing. They are art and story. A representation of where we are and where we wish we could be. They’ve always had …...

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  • 2010 / 12 / 17
    99% Invisible-13- Maps

    I’m sorry, but if you don’t love maps, I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Maps are amazing. They are art and story. A representation of where we are and where we wish we could be. They’ve always had …...

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  • 2010 / 12 / 3
    99% Guilt Free

    “Sustainable Design is a design philosophy that seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment, while minimizing or eliminating the negative impact to the natural environment.” -Jason F. McLennan, The...

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  • 2010 / 12 / 3
    99% Invisible-12- 99% Guilt Free

    “Sustainable Design is a design philosophy that seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment, while minimizing or eliminating the negative impact to the natural environment.” -Jason F. McLennan, The...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 25
    99% Invisible-11- 99% Undesigned

    Almost everything in modern life is designed to waste energy. The whole system evolved on a false premise that petroleum is cheap and plentiful and will be that way forever. The awesome Lisa Margonelli,...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 25
    99% Undesigned

    Almost everything in modern life is designed to waste energy. The whole system evolved on a false premise that petroleum is cheap and plentiful and will be that way forever. The awesome Lisa Margonelli,...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 19
    99% Sound and Feel

    Chris Downey explains it like this, “Beethoven continued to write music, even some of his best music, after he lost his hearing…What’s more preposterous, composing music you can’t hear, or designing...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 19
    99% Invisible-10- 99% Sound and Feel

    Chris Downey explains it like this, “Beethoven continued to write music, even some of his best music, after he lost his hearing…What’s more preposterous, composing music you can’t hear, or designing...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 13
    99% Doomed

    99% Invisible Extra! NASA is figuring out how to take the next great leap into space. The difficulty is, if we leap to Mars, we might not make it back. This is a story I produced last year (Summer 2009) …...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 13
    99% Invisible-09X-99% Doomed

    99% Invisible Extra! NASA is figuring out how to take the next great leap into space. The difficulty is, if we leap to Mars, we might not make it back. This is a story I produced last year (Summer 2009) …...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 13
    One Way Ticket To Mars

    99% Invisible Extra! NASA is figuring out how to take the next great leap into space. The difficulty is, if we leap to Mars, we might not make it back. This is a story I produced last year (Summer 2009) …...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 5
    99% Private

    Privately Owned Public Open Spaces, or POPOS, are these little gardens, terraces, plazas, and seating areas that are private property, but are mandated for public use. City planners require developers to add...

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  • 2010 / 11 / 5
    99% Invisible-09- 99% Private

    Privately Owned Public Open Spaces, or POPOS, are these little gardens, terraces, plazas, and seating areas that are private property, but are mandated for public use. City planners require developers to add...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 29
    99% Invisible-08- 99% Free Parking

    It’s weird how much anxiety comes from parking in a city. Beyond the stress of looking for parking, you must contend with the frequently unreliable meters. The signage can be indecipherable. As a point of...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 29
    99% Free Parking

    It’s weird how much anxiety comes from parking in a city. Beyond the stress of looking for parking, you must contend with the frequently unreliable meters. The signage can be indecipherable. As a point of...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 14
    99% Invisible-07- 99% Alien

    Humans need a few basic things to survive- air, water, food, heat, shelter- but just surviving isn’t really enough. We also need familiarity, a little comfort, interaction, a small place of our own. When it...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 14
    99% Alien

    Humans need a few basic things to survive- air, water, food, heat, shelter- but just surviving isn’t really enough. We also need familiarity, a little comfort, interaction, a small place of our own. When it...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 7
    99% Invisible-06- 99% Symbolic

    Before I moved to Chicago in 2005, I didn’t even know cities had their own flags. In Chicago, the city flag is everywhere. It’s incorporated into all different aspects of city life and the design elements are...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 7
    99% Symbolic

    Before I moved to Chicago in 2005, I didn’t even know cities had their own flags. In Chicago, the city flag is everywhere. It’s incorporated into all different aspects of city life and the design elements are...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 1
    99% Invisible-05- 99% Forgotten

    At the top of Mt. Olympus in San Francisco, on what was once thought to be the geographic center of the city, is a pedestal for a statue that isn’t there. There’s no marker. You can just make out the …...

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  • 2010 / 10 / 1
    99% Forgotten

    At the top of Mt. Olympus in San Francisco, on what was once thought to be the geographic center of the city, is a pedestal for a statue that isn’t there. There’s no marker. You can just make out the …...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 24
    99% Details

    It’s a stick with bristles poking out of it. It doesn’t even qualify as a simple machine, but the careful thought and design that went into the creation of the modern, angled bristle, fat handled toothbrush...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 24
    99% Invisible-04- 99% Details

    It’s a stick with bristles poking out of it. It doesn’t even qualify as a simple machine, but the careful thought and design that went into the creation of the modern, angled bristle, fat handled toothbrush...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 24
    99% Reality (only)

    There’s not much that we can do about all the physical matter that’s been designed and built by someone else. It is the way it is. But with the advent of portable devices with GPS, a compass, and a network, …...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 24
    99% Invisible-03- 99% Reality (only)

    There’s not much that we can do about all the physical matter that’s been designed and built by someone else. It is the way it is. But with the advent of portable devices with GPS, a compass, and a network, …...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 23
    99% 180

    In the beginning, former AIA-SF president Henrik Bull and the Transamerica Pyramid did not get along. The building was an affront to late 1960’s modernist ideals. It was silly. It looked like a dunce cap. Its...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 23
    99% Invisible-02- 99% 180

    In the beginning, former AIA-SF president Henrik Bull and the Transamerica Pyramid did not get along. The building was an affront to late 1960’s modernist ideals. It was silly. It looked like a dunce cap. Its...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 23
    99% Invisible-01- 99% Noise

    This episode of 99% Invisible is all about acoustic design, the city soundscape, and how to make listening in shared spaces pleasant (or at the very least, possible). It features an interview with Dennis...

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  • 2010 / 9 / 23
    99% Noise

    This episode of 99% Invisible is all about acoustic design, the city soundscape, and how to make listening in shared spaces pleasant (or at the very least, possible). It features an interview with Dennis...

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