April 3 - April 9, 2016

Rank	Podcast	Episode	Lowdown
1	99% Invisible	Soul City (#207)	The best episodes of "99% Invisible" tell stories that seem to exist in a reality not aligned with my own. This may mostly be due to the fact that these shows draw on historical events set in places I've never visited, but it's also a testimony to the stunningly crisp audio production that evokes an other-worldliness. Most of all this show has the ability to draw out stories that need to be heard - as is the case with the episode on Soul City. Part segregated community, part economic vision, Soul City was the child of influential but seldom remembered lawyer and civil rights activist Floyd McKissick. This experiment in city planning aiming for racial equality was, of course, inevitably tainted with bureaucratic political tampering from factions with dubious motives, and in the end the city proved unable to overcome any and all opposing forces. Still, it's a noteworthy story to hear about a place that exists in some form to this day and ponder how utopias (or even just small, radical changes) are realized or fail to live up to their full potential.
2	Question of the Day	Are There Facts? (#109)	I love the casual format of "Question of the Day". Each week, two apparently learned people (authors James Altucher and Stephen Dubner) have a casual discussion about a singular question. pretty deep and probing questions. The questions tend to be epic in scope, but this also means that they are equally digestible for the masses and for the most part avoid getting too granular. The hosts attack the subject at hand with a fervor that does not sacrifice understanding to the lay-person, and both men radiate an earnestness that proves helpful in conveying a sense of discovery to the listener. While an episode detailing the nature of Truth could lead to some hazy rambling, these guys condense the topic down into some reasonable lines of logic that will still make you say "Duuuuude." Yet another piece of evidence that leads to the infinite graying of the world as facts I once recited with confidence slowly erode into a pit of enlightened despair. I promise the show is a lot of fun!
3	Planet Money	The Gun That Wouldn't Shoot (#694)	What happens when an established manufacturer attempts to bring technological advancement to a product used by millions across the country? Well, if the product in question is guns, a whole lot of people get pretty upset. Planet Money provides a glimpse into a semi-abandoned would-be innovation, wrapped in politics and seemingly doomed to take up residence in the annals of failed ideas. This episode highlights the notion that sometimes an idea most everyone would wish to come to pass - in this case, less/no gun-related deaths - can still be ridiculously hard to realize. That may be applicable to many other hot button issues, but this case is so compelling because the proposed disruption is so foreign that both sides of the debate reject it outright. Pro gun control types are often chastised because instating stricter control does not solve the problem of gun violence, but in this story those who would advocate for control apply the same logic to the smart gun - creating guns is always bad because it leads to more guns existing in the world. I can't say that at the end of the show I was fully convinced that the smart-gun would or wouldn't lead to a change in the amount of gun violence. What's most valuable here is contemplating the cognitive dissidence inherent in the human psyche, regardless of any kind of political or ideological bent we also claim to possess.