September 17, 2018

-
THE LIST

Sears was a progenitor to Amazon...and IKEA. I knew the company once had a well-regarded catalog, but I did not know that it operated campuses in multiple US cities and even bought its own radio frequency. Also, as this episode highlights, Sears actually sold assemble-it-yourself property. For adults. Like, seriously, life-size homes. And a surprising amount are still around! While some of these unique products have stood for over a century and retained the purpose for which they were built, many of the giant regional Sears buildings have since been repurposed as the mail-order business waned. This episode is a fascinating entrypoint to a rabbit hole of googling. Even if you don't have a chance to listen the show, the 99PI website has some excellent photos to peruse (both on the link above and in this additional article focusing on the large plants left dormant after Sears vacated).

This title hints at the heartstrings about to be tugged, but I wasn't expecting the kind of access New Yorker reporters gained into a household where a mother was separated from her family. This is immersive journalism at its finest. More than just a story with a sympathetic conflict, the narrative really gives insight into the daily realities of a child coming of age in a home with an absent but also very palpably present parent. I was particularly moved by the coverage of the children's time in Honduras and the conflicting interests of self-preservation versus familial unity.
If you missed the controversy that unfolded at the US Open involving Serena Williams, or if perhaps you heard something and dismissed it as unimportant sports stuff, now is your chance to get caught up. This discussion contains a depth of understanding and context, is devoid of hottakes, and still flush with passion about the subject matter. Stick around as the panel parses LeBron James' latest venture - a barbershop-themed docuseries - and delight in the ritual afterballs segment which includes analysis of a Kevin Durant/LeBron James rap single from long ago.  

HONORABLE MENTION

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

November 11, 2018

-
THE LIST 1. Decoder Ring  - "The Incunabula Papers" Yes, this was my number one pick last week. And yes, I did listen to it again this week, in part for  my review of Decoder Ring  for Podcast Review (a channel of the LA Review of Books ), but also because it is very good. It's an exceptional episode of an incredible show, and intrepid listening leads to the revelation of a secret episode. Try to solve the puzzle yourself, or appeal to the power of the Reddit hivemind for the link. 2. Reply All  - "The Snapchat Thief" No doubt you've heard that securing your digital identity is incredibly important. But you might still not be completely compelled to do anything to protect yourself. What's that? You need a vivid narrative to spur you to act? This is it. A podcast host puts a lot on the line to foster a meeting between a scared teen and the thief that preyed on her. 3. Planet Money  - "Hot Dog Hail Mary" Why are prices so hig
Read more

July 7, 2019

-
SOMETHING NEW Born from the hosting team that brought you the branded podcast Breach , So, Bob is a podcast that informs and entertains with episodes surrounding internet surveillance and privacy. Alia Tavakolian and Bob Sullivan head up this Spoke Media show, and together create a sense of wonder to accompany an equal sense of dread about the trappings of our increasingly technological world. The hosting combo provides the perspective of an eager and well-informed millennial who nonetheless admits she has a lot to learn, and a battleworn tech journalist who possesses a guarded but healthy optimism about the state of the change in the world. So, Bob takes a layman centered approach, placing the concerns of the average user in the forefront to guide case studies seeking to understand whether tech is good or evil. This is the right question, albeit one that trends towards the same answer in every case: it depends on how the tech is being implemented and dissected. Before jo
Read more

November 5, 2018

-
THE LIST 1. Decoder Ring  - "The Incunabula Papers" Through her years as a television critic for Slate, Willa Paskin has developed an impressive critical eye. Now she has her own unique take on cultural criticism in podcast form. As the host of Decoder Ring, Paskin and producer Benjamin Frisch examine integral aspects of cultural that escape the bounds of a traditional review. On "The Incunabula Papers," the most ambitious episode to date and one of the most intriguing podcast episodes of 2018, the duo diabolically writes and executes a mesmerizing crossover from straightforward audio reporting to performative auteurism. The episode is about the original alternate reality game (ARG), and it really drives home the idea that crafting such a thing is a new form of literary art.  2. Breach  - "Midterm Election Special" Our voting system is susceptible to hacking in ways you may and may not have considered, and the duo behind Breach highlights th
Read more