November 19, 2018
THE LIST
International trade is one of those subjects that seems really important and all-encompassing, and altogether too massive a concept to ever set out to tackle. While implications of the multinational swapping of goods evade easy understanding, it seems like a closer physical proximity to a trading partner can’t hurt in the quest for demystification. Mexico borders the US, so why not start there? The Planet Money team takes on a zany sounding story that got me thinking about how these conceptual monoliths we call government dictate the movement of real things in confounding patterns. In this case, we're talking cows, and the ways in which it does (and, really, doesn’t) make sense for the noble beasts to traipse to and fro across our southern border.
Continuing the theme of swapping exports, this 30 for 30 episode details the tumultuous journey of Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo as he sought to play professional baseball in the United States. After wowing major league players touring Japan, Nomo and his agent defied cultural norms and duped Japanese executives into opening the gate to cross the Pacific. The currents of favor and dissent ebb and flo so perfectly, and this singular story’s resonance to the history of the professional ranks in the US makes it an especially poignant 45 minutes of audio.
The novelty of a ride-along is often played for comedic effect in television or movies, highlighting the bravado of a civilian who thinks he or she could cut it as a cop. In this episode, host Phoebe Judge displays trace amounts of giddy fascination while mostly propping open the metaphorical window for audiences to listen in on the action.The result: a police officer's daily routine, free from the strictures of glamorizing honor or capturing malfeasance. It is still a voyeuristic thrill to be a fly on the wall, but closer to the pedestrian nature of C-SPAN than the crass prurience of COPS.
HONORABLE MENTION
SOMETHING NEW
Privacy. It’s a buzzword that used to evoke a distinctly Western sense of isolationism, the perceived right to retreat into a space where the individual could play judge, jury, and (if need be) executioner. It also connotes the hopes for a temporary reprieve; “give me some privacy” could be uttered with the understanding that once I’m done changing, going to the bathroom, doing that embarrassingly accurate celebrity impression, the illusion of privacy will be relinquished. With our increasingly digitally connected world, however, the word “privacy” becomes altogether more pervasive. Not only does privacy now encompass any imaginable type of metadata crumb, it occupies every part of our lives at any given moment. In his new book/audiobook/podcast The End of Privacy, journalist B.J. Mendelson posits that privacy as we’ve come to know it is dead.
To be candid, this is a podcast in as much as it is on-demand and free of charge. It is an audiobook split out into chapters and released fortnightly via podcast feed, chapter by chapter, across the span of a year. I am writing this review in part because Mr. Mendelson reached out to me on Twitter and mostly because I’ve followed along with all the episodes to date and have always been eager to hear more. The series starts out with a list of easily accomplished tasks, and I’ll admit I dutifully taped a piece of paper over my computer’s camera right after chapter one concluded. I know: this probably conjures an image of the man behind the Pod Piper curtain as a closeted conspiracy theorist. Think what you will about me, but don’t let any preconceived notions cloud your judgement of the work at hand. The helpful citation of established sources (like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford) lends Mendelson credibility that might help ease the concerns of some listeners. It is hard not to be skeptical of some dude on the internet opining about some unknown force that might be out to get you. But truly, if you listen even to the first introductory missive on security, this may be the most pragmatic bit of audio you encounter all year.
The content is certainly important, and the format of the podcast eases listeners into encountering territory they may well never have trod. The introductory section clocks in around 20 minutes, but most other chapters average out into very manageable 10 minute chunks. Each segment provides a summary of the main topics covered, which proves to be helpful in cementing ideas that may start to feel repetitive. If listening to these installments with even a couple hours in between, the sections do kind of blend together. The continuity in the production comes in the form of intro and outro from the author, in which he promotes a podcast editing service that seems to have underwritten the entire series run. Mendelson is offering up his work for free, so I can hardly hold this against him. If you’re setting out to make that paper, repping a product that services the furthering of podcast production is a pretty solid way to go.
After Mendelson’s gentle authorial hum comes the take-no-prisoners narration of Roger Wayne. This man’s self-assured, rather aggressive tone was no doubt intentional for the project as it reinforces Mendelson’s bold and often incendiary prose. The general idea that “people are dumb and/or monsters” is a common refrain as the series progresses - fitting and maybe even comparatively tame for the internet world, but much more hostile than any other audiobook I’ve ever encountered. I get that this stylized posturing of being fed-up may make the content more digestible for some, but I also think the author is selling himself and his audience a bit short. Maybe privacy doesn’t seem like a very lively subject, and perhaps working blue helps embolden this long overdue wake up call to the world. There is something admirable about the author voicing his concern in a subjective manner, but the anger occasionally teeters into rage...an emotion that shuts down my receptiveness even in the context of a legitimate problem.
But all tone aside, the issue of privacy in the internet age remains salient. Even a passing familiarity with headline news in the last five years illustrates the ubiquity of intangible though very real violations on an increasingly large scale. The End of Privacy serves as a beacon of hope for individuals pushing back against corporate interests while not giving up the advances in technology some of these companies have helped cultivate. It is in the best interest of Facebook to position social networking as inherently commercial, but that is simply the current reality and not necessarily a perpetual future inevitability. It is possible to write a book that is both broadly appealing and informative, illuminating cavernous realities to the masses who didn’t know what they didn’t know. I’m afraid The End of Privacy won’t quite hit that sweet spot for a complete novice on the topic of privacy. But revolutions aren’t started by everyone all at once - they are lead by regular humans who realize all people can act in extraordinary ways. If you are even slightly inclined to learn a bit about privacy and are interested in retained some measure of it for yourself, the barrier to entry is easily overcome. At the very least, do yourself a favor and see what you can handle - the risk in trying and not enjoying The End of Privacy are low while the potential for enlightenment is life changing.
To be candid, this is a podcast in as much as it is on-demand and free of charge. It is an audiobook split out into chapters and released fortnightly via podcast feed, chapter by chapter, across the span of a year. I am writing this review in part because Mr. Mendelson reached out to me on Twitter and mostly because I’ve followed along with all the episodes to date and have always been eager to hear more. The series starts out with a list of easily accomplished tasks, and I’ll admit I dutifully taped a piece of paper over my computer’s camera right after chapter one concluded. I know: this probably conjures an image of the man behind the Pod Piper curtain as a closeted conspiracy theorist. Think what you will about me, but don’t let any preconceived notions cloud your judgement of the work at hand. The helpful citation of established sources (like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford) lends Mendelson credibility that might help ease the concerns of some listeners. It is hard not to be skeptical of some dude on the internet opining about some unknown force that might be out to get you. But truly, if you listen even to the first introductory missive on security, this may be the most pragmatic bit of audio you encounter all year.
The content is certainly important, and the format of the podcast eases listeners into encountering territory they may well never have trod. The introductory section clocks in around 20 minutes, but most other chapters average out into very manageable 10 minute chunks. Each segment provides a summary of the main topics covered, which proves to be helpful in cementing ideas that may start to feel repetitive. If listening to these installments with even a couple hours in between, the sections do kind of blend together. The continuity in the production comes in the form of intro and outro from the author, in which he promotes a podcast editing service that seems to have underwritten the entire series run. Mendelson is offering up his work for free, so I can hardly hold this against him. If you’re setting out to make that paper, repping a product that services the furthering of podcast production is a pretty solid way to go.
After Mendelson’s gentle authorial hum comes the take-no-prisoners narration of Roger Wayne. This man’s self-assured, rather aggressive tone was no doubt intentional for the project as it reinforces Mendelson’s bold and often incendiary prose. The general idea that “people are dumb and/or monsters” is a common refrain as the series progresses - fitting and maybe even comparatively tame for the internet world, but much more hostile than any other audiobook I’ve ever encountered. I get that this stylized posturing of being fed-up may make the content more digestible for some, but I also think the author is selling himself and his audience a bit short. Maybe privacy doesn’t seem like a very lively subject, and perhaps working blue helps embolden this long overdue wake up call to the world. There is something admirable about the author voicing his concern in a subjective manner, but the anger occasionally teeters into rage...an emotion that shuts down my receptiveness even in the context of a legitimate problem.
But all tone aside, the issue of privacy in the internet age remains salient. Even a passing familiarity with headline news in the last five years illustrates the ubiquity of intangible though very real violations on an increasingly large scale. The End of Privacy serves as a beacon of hope for individuals pushing back against corporate interests while not giving up the advances in technology some of these companies have helped cultivate. It is in the best interest of Facebook to position social networking as inherently commercial, but that is simply the current reality and not necessarily a perpetual future inevitability. It is possible to write a book that is both broadly appealing and informative, illuminating cavernous realities to the masses who didn’t know what they didn’t know. I’m afraid The End of Privacy won’t quite hit that sweet spot for a complete novice on the topic of privacy. But revolutions aren’t started by everyone all at once - they are lead by regular humans who realize all people can act in extraordinary ways. If you are even slightly inclined to learn a bit about privacy and are interested in retained some measure of it for yourself, the barrier to entry is easily overcome. At the very least, do yourself a favor and see what you can handle - the risk in trying and not enjoying The End of Privacy are low while the potential for enlightenment is life changing.
From: Standalone
Recommended for: The future of individual liberty.
Drop Schedule: Thursday, Fortnightly
Average episode length: 10 minutes
Rating: Gotta Have It
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