May 28 - June 3, 2017
1. Invisibilia - "Emotions Part One"
Invisibilia is back for its third season, and the debut episode packs a punch. The subject of emotions has previously surfaced on the podcast (not surprising, as this is one of the most present hidden forces at play in the human experience), but here hosts Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin probe the territory in earnest. In "Emotions Part One" we hear the troubling tale of a family who is sued after their daughter dies in a car accident. This forced me to think about legality and morality as being much more multidimensional topics. As much as we strive to be in control, it is unsettling that the world can obstruct that desire for autonomy. The real heart of this episode hit me in the form of a question: do we accept a lack of control over our lives, or must we always seek to assign responsibility in the form of someone's actions?
2. Planet Money - "Unspeakable Trademark"
Freedom of speech is as quintessentially American as the notion of a society (however fully realized) where people of all faiths, races, and ethnic backgrounds can stand on equal ground. But what happens when those two ideals collide and, unintentionally, combat each other? Planet Money tells the still-ongoing story of a man seeking to re-appropriate an ethnic slur into a point of pride. Musician and activist Simon Tam battles the Supreme Court (and Urban Dictionary!) in a fight to define what is offensive to whom from where. Apart from being a compelling journey with a likable protagonist, this got me thinking a lot about the bounds of free speech and how or if such a thing needs to be maintained in a civil society.
3. 99% Invisible - "Squatters of the Lower East Side"
Similar to "Unspeakable Trademark" in that it caused me to reflect on societal boundaries, "Squatters of the Lower East Side" really generated a lot of thought about societal constructs. In this episode the constructs are more tangible, specifically focusing on shelter and access to community services like fire stations. 99% Invisible aptly paints a picture of a grass roots movement to take over property no one seemed to really want. Having visited Manhattan's Lower East Side in it's modern bourgeoisie ambiance in the recent past, this story seemed almost like apocalyptic science fiction. It's worth noting that this is part of a series from Radiotopia called "Doing Time" leading up to the release of Ear Hustle, a new addition to the network that drops later this month.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Cracked Podcast - "14 Simple Changes That Would Revolutionize the World"
Invisibilia - "Emotions Part Two"
Hang Up and Listen - "The Not a Victory Cigar Edition"
SOMETHING NEW
It's come to my attention that I failed to provide a rating for Death, Sex and Money when I featured the show last week (for the record: Make It Work). I'll do a better job of marking each podcast appearing in this section with one of the following ratings:
Gotta Have It (Subscribe!)
Make It Work (Listen to the odd episode here and there)
Break It (Ears beware...)
And now, without further ado, this week's show:
Futility Closet
At first glance, Futility Closet may appear to be nothing more than someone reading a few excerpts from an obscure historical text. Host Greg Ross does seem to read from some kind of a script, but the monologue is punctuated ever so slightly with comments from his co-host (and wife) Sharon. To be sure, the tone of the show lies somewhere in between the highly produced content of a narrative-storytelling show and the off-the-cuff banter of a comedy podcast, but this need not be a bad thing. In addition to the historical morsels, each episode features a lateral thinking puzzle where either Greg or Sharon must ask only yes or know questions to aid in explanation an odd scenario. This show touches on familiar podcasting territory - I often wonder how many quirky tales are really out there to be mined to such an end - but the delivery is so earnest that it endows the show with novelty. After listening to two consecutive episodes (#154 about a little-known volcanic eruption & #155 about an intercontinental giraffe transport) I was hooked and subscribed to the feed. Recommended for: Kitschy historians and amiable puzzleheads Rating: Gotta Have It
Invisibilia is back for its third season, and the debut episode packs a punch. The subject of emotions has previously surfaced on the podcast (not surprising, as this is one of the most present hidden forces at play in the human experience), but here hosts Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin probe the territory in earnest. In "Emotions Part One" we hear the troubling tale of a family who is sued after their daughter dies in a car accident. This forced me to think about legality and morality as being much more multidimensional topics. As much as we strive to be in control, it is unsettling that the world can obstruct that desire for autonomy. The real heart of this episode hit me in the form of a question: do we accept a lack of control over our lives, or must we always seek to assign responsibility in the form of someone's actions?
2. Planet Money - "Unspeakable Trademark"
Freedom of speech is as quintessentially American as the notion of a society (however fully realized) where people of all faiths, races, and ethnic backgrounds can stand on equal ground. But what happens when those two ideals collide and, unintentionally, combat each other? Planet Money tells the still-ongoing story of a man seeking to re-appropriate an ethnic slur into a point of pride. Musician and activist Simon Tam battles the Supreme Court (and Urban Dictionary!) in a fight to define what is offensive to whom from where. Apart from being a compelling journey with a likable protagonist, this got me thinking a lot about the bounds of free speech and how or if such a thing needs to be maintained in a civil society.
3. 99% Invisible - "Squatters of the Lower East Side"
Similar to "Unspeakable Trademark" in that it caused me to reflect on societal boundaries, "Squatters of the Lower East Side" really generated a lot of thought about societal constructs. In this episode the constructs are more tangible, specifically focusing on shelter and access to community services like fire stations. 99% Invisible aptly paints a picture of a grass roots movement to take over property no one seemed to really want. Having visited Manhattan's Lower East Side in it's modern bourgeoisie ambiance in the recent past, this story seemed almost like apocalyptic science fiction. It's worth noting that this is part of a series from Radiotopia called "Doing Time" leading up to the release of Ear Hustle, a new addition to the network that drops later this month.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Cracked Podcast - "14 Simple Changes That Would Revolutionize the World"
Invisibilia - "Emotions Part Two"
Hang Up and Listen - "The Not a Victory Cigar Edition"
SOMETHING NEW
It's come to my attention that I failed to provide a rating for Death, Sex and Money when I featured the show last week (for the record: Make It Work). I'll do a better job of marking each podcast appearing in this section with one of the following ratings:
Gotta Have It (Subscribe!)
Make It Work (Listen to the odd episode here and there)
Break It (Ears beware...)
And now, without further ado, this week's show:
Futility Closet
At first glance, Futility Closet may appear to be nothing more than someone reading a few excerpts from an obscure historical text. Host Greg Ross does seem to read from some kind of a script, but the monologue is punctuated ever so slightly with comments from his co-host (and wife) Sharon. To be sure, the tone of the show lies somewhere in between the highly produced content of a narrative-storytelling show and the off-the-cuff banter of a comedy podcast, but this need not be a bad thing. In addition to the historical morsels, each episode features a lateral thinking puzzle where either Greg or Sharon must ask only yes or know questions to aid in explanation an odd scenario. This show touches on familiar podcasting territory - I often wonder how many quirky tales are really out there to be mined to such an end - but the delivery is so earnest that it endows the show with novelty. After listening to two consecutive episodes (#154 about a little-known volcanic eruption & #155 about an intercontinental giraffe transport) I was hooked and subscribed to the feed. Recommended for: Kitschy historians and amiable puzzleheads Rating: Gotta Have It
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