Journalist Kara Swisher, who's been covering the internet and the tech industry for decades, says she's not surprised when people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk lie to her — but what she says they sometimes don't realize is how much they lie to themselves. Her new memoir, Burn Book, recounts what she's learned in conversation with some of the brightest minds in Silicon Valley. In today's episode, Swisher tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that as disillusioned as she is with how much harm the industry has caused, she's still optimistic about the future of tech and AI.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
In 1961, at the Green Bank observatory in West Virginia, a small conference was held for astrophysicists. The meeting was organized by Cornell University professor and astronomer Frank Drake.
The subject of the conference was the search for extraterrestrial life.
In preparation for the conference, he jotted down his thoughts in the form of an equation. An equation that has changed how we think about life on other worlds.
Learn more about the Drake Equation and the variables that make it up on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Before the Allied invasions of Normandy or Sicily in World War II, the ground war against Germany and Italy was first fought in North Africa.
The reason why there was even a conflict in Africa was a combination of geography and history. Even though it doesn’t get the attention the war in Asia or Europe receives, the war in North Africa was pivotal to the ultimate resolution of the war in Europe.
Had things gone differently, the entire course of the war would have changed.
Learn more about the North Africa Campaign, why it was fought and how it was resolved on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Democrats begin to grapple with two huge questions: is it possible to replace Biden at the top of the ticket—and is it wise? Mehdi Hasan joins Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan, live in Boston, to debate the options. Plus, Gov. Maura Healey joins the show to give her own debate reaction and talk about rising to the challenge on immigration and abortion.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
he US has been portrayed as in the grip of a maternal mortality crisis. In contrast to most other developed nations, the rate of maternal deaths in the US has been going up since the early 2000s.
But why? With the help of Saloni Dattani, a researcher at Our World in Data, Tim Harford explores how a gradual change in the way the data was gathered lies at the heart of the problem.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Debbie Richford
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Sound Mix: Emma Harth
Editor: Richard Vadon
Indicators of the Week is BACK! This week we're doing something just a little bit different. You see, it's the same 'ol Indicators of the Week you're used to, but as a nod to last night's presidential debate, this time, it's debate style.
On today's episode, your candidates argue over who has the best Indicator of the Week: the links discovered between health care prices and layoffs, stress-tested banks, and ... cow burps?
After President Joe Biden appeared distracted in last night’s debate with Donald Trump, some lawmakers are now discussing the 25th Amendment's provisions to remove a mentally unfit chief executive. And how would a political party replace a candidate after the selection process in states has largely concluded? Gene Healy and John Samples explain.