Month: January 2016

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The Gist - Paleo and Palin

On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker examines the benefits of eating the “Paleo” diet for a game we call “Is That Bulls--t?” She’s the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, can Sarah Palin see syntax from her speech?  Today’s sponsor: Harry’s, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code THEGIST. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Changing More Than a Mayor

On The Gist, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn explains the likelihood that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel will resign, and suggests a possible plan B for protestors. For the Spiel, what we do and don’t need to know about presidential candidates and their families.  Today’s sponsors: Texture, the mobile app that lets you tap directly into the world's most popular magazines using your phone or tablet. Dive deeper into Vogue, People, Esquire, Time—with interactive content for a richer reading experience. Try Texture for free at Texture.com/gist. Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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Song Exploder - MGMT – Time to Pretend

MGMT was formed by Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden in 2001. The song Time to Pretend was one they wrote early in their career. It first came out on their debut: the Time to Pretend EP in 2005. And three years after that, they put out a new version of the song, on their first full-length album, Oracular Spectactular, which was named album of the year by NME and was one of Rolling Stone's top 20 albums of the decade. It went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. In this episode, Ben and Andrew trace how the song Time to Pretend was made, from its dorm room origins, to its first recording, to re-envisioning it with Grammy-winning producer Dave Fridmann. They also uncover the hidden sounds and easter eggs within the recording.

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The Goods from the Woods - Episode #74 – “Goodbye Ziggy Stardust”

In this episode, the Goods from the Woods Boys talk about recent celebrity deaths and especially the late great David Bowie. We also talk about who is going to have the biggest postmortem redemption: Hulk Hogan or Mel Gibson? We also talk about the weirdness that is Los Angeles Open Mic Comedy. Song of the week this is "Starman" by David Bowie.  Follow the show @TheGoodsPod  Rivers is @RiversLangley  Dr. Pat is @PM_Reilly  Mr. Goodnight is @SepulvedaCowboy  Pick up a Goods from the Woods t-shirt at: http://prowrestlingtees.com/TheGoodsPod

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - WS MoreOrLess: Gravitational Waves

One of our 2015 ?Numbers of the Year? predictions might have come to pass. There is great excitement over rumours that one of the predictions Einstein made in his theory of General Relativity has finally been observed. But it?s not the first time it?s been reported that ?gravitational waves? have been discovered, and the last time proved to be an equipment test.

What is the total number of possible tweets that could be created from 140 characters? In a recent programme Professor John Allen-Paulos told us that when you take into account all of the symbols available, the total number of possible tweets is Googol^2.8 (which is a 1 followed by 280 zeros.) But has he missed some options?