Video games have become almost ubiquitous in today’s world. Most of us probably have some sort of computer game on our smartphone, as well as games on our desktop computer, and you might even have one or more dedicated computing devices dedicated solely to playing games.
The massive $100 billion dollar computer game industry had very humble beginnings, however.
Learn more about the history of computer games on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Restaurant delivery apps have made it possible for many of us to order pretty much anything we want to eat with the click of a button. And during the pandemic that convenience became even more valuable. But at what cost? Some restaurant owners say they now need the apps to survive, but resent what they feel to be forced partnerships. And other restaurant owners are finding ways to take the power back. From Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with Eater.
Heterosexuality is in crisis. Reports of sexual harassment, misconduct, and rape saturate the news in the era of #MeToo. Straight men and women spend thousands of dollars every day on relationship coaches, seduction boot camps, and couple’s therapy in a search for happiness.
In The Tragedy of Heterosexuality (NYU Press, 2020), Jane Ward smartly explores what, exactly, is wrong with heterosexuality in the twenty-first century, and what straight people can do to fix it for good. She shows how straight women, and to a lesser extent straight men, have tried to mend a fraught patriarchal system in which intimacy, sexual fulfillment, and mutual respect are expected to coexist alongside enduring forms of inequality, alienation, and violence in straight relationships.
Ward also takes an intriguing look at the multi-billion-dollar self-help industry, which markets goods and services to help heterosexual couples without addressing the root of their problems. Ultimately, she encourages straight men and women to take a page out of queer culture, reminding them “about the human capacity to desire, fuck, and show respect at the same time.”
Jana Byars is the Academic Director of Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender.
New York City holds its mayoral primary, today, one of the highest profile elections since the presidential election and a super visible test of ranked-choice voting. Closing messages in the last days touched on police violence, public safety, economic recovery and more. We spoke with Emma Fitzsimmons, City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Times, about the four leading candidates, and we interviewed voters to get their perspective, too.
And in headlines: SCOTUS strikes down NCAA’s restrictions on antitrust violations, the Biden administration won’t be able to deliver 80 million COVID vaccine doses abroad on time, and Steven Spielberg and Netflix bury the hatchet and announce a movie distribution deal.
Show Notes:
Edith!: The Untold True-ish Story Of America’s Secret First Female President – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/edith/
NYC Voting: Meet the candidates – https://www.voting.nyc/meet-the-candidates/2021-races/
NYC Voting: Get matched with a candidate – https://projects.thecity.nyc/meet-your-mayor/ultimate-match.html
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
We'll tell you about another sign showing the U.S. is turning a corner in the COVID-19 crisis and how the future of the pandemic could depend on young adults.
Also, a victory for student-athletes at the Supreme Court. They could soon be getting more rewards from their colleges.
Plus, a closely-watched election in New York City, a groundbreaking announcement from an NFL player, and a big-name director making movies for Netflix.
Amy Lannom Wilhite is executive director at 2ndVote, which keeps track of major companies' positions on social issues such as the transgender agenda.
"You wouldn't support [certain positions] at the ballot box with a candidate that you vote for, so why would you spend your dollars there?" asks Wilhite, who joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about how her organization helps Americans make consumer decisions based on their convictions.
"We say your first vote is at the ballot box and your second vote is with your wallet," Wilhite says. "It's the power of what you have in your pocket and with the money that you spend. And we want to educate consumers so that they can shop their values [and] so that we can make change with all the corporate activism that's going on."
We also cover these stories:
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy calls for China to be held accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court rules against the NCAA on the question of paying student athletes.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to be the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics.
NYC mayoral elections are tomorrow so we give our final review of the candidates - not great! Then we check in with a Chapo favorite we’ve not discussed in quite a bit but are happy to return to, offering a tentative defense of perhaps The Baseball Crank’s best ever take. Finally, a long and surprisingly thoughtful discussion of modern male intimacy.
Health Correspondent Allison Aubrey updates us on the Biden Administration's goal to have 70 percent of U.S. adults vaccinated by the July 4. Plus, as vaccine makers plan for the possibility that COVID-19 vaccine boosters will be needed, they're pushing ahead with research into new-generation flu shots and mRNA cancer vaccines.
Questions? Existential dread? Optimism? We'd love to hear it — write us at shortwave@npr.org.
Amanda Holmes reads Su Tung-Po’s poem “On the Birth of a Son,” translated by Arthur Waley. Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
If you've heard the buzz about Critical Race Theory lately, you... probably have absolutely no idea what it actually is because the people who have already passed laws in several states banning it don't even know. But if you've heard an informed person talk about it, you may have heard that it has its roots in the law. Well then, what better place to give you a deep dive than on a law show! So what is Critical Legal Studies? How did it pave the way for Critical Race Theory? OA is on the case!
