Zippers are the most common machine all around us. But it's a minor miracle how that came to be.
Pictures of early zippers and other links at articlesofinterest.substack.com
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesEngines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1423: The Day I Met Einstein
Episode: 1423 An encounter with Einstein. Today, a young man lets history slip by him.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1422: Alexandria
Episode: 1422 Technology in Alexandria, ca. 200 BC. Today, a 2200-year-old age of invention.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - How weird was the Med Sea heatwave?
In early July, the Mediterranean Sea experienced a marine heatwave. The surface of the water reached temperatures of 30 degrees in some places. A social media post at the time claimed that some of these sea temperatures were so different to the normal sea temperature at this time of year, that the sea was experiencing a “1-in-216,000,000,000-year sea temperature anomaly”. This would suggest that the likelihood of the event was on a timescale far longer than the amount of time the entire universe has existed. Is the claim true? Dr Jules Kajtar, a physical oceanographer from the National Oceanography Centre, takes a look at the statistics. We heard about this story because a listener spotted it and emailed the team. Get in touch if you’ve seen a number you think we should look at. moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Lizzy McNeill Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
Audio Mises Wire - Every Year is 1939 to the War Hawks
According to the neo-conservative war hawks, every so-called enemy is the Next Hitler and every year is 1939. The failure to seek new conflicts abroad is equated to the failure of Great Britain and France to stand up to Hitler before World War II broke out.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/every-year-1939-war-hawks
Audio Mises Wire - More Thoughts on the BRICS and Gold versus the US and the Dollar
The US and its Western allies may scoff at this challenge, but it only became possible due to high-handedness (to use the kindest word imaginable) and outright illegality of US actions.
Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/more-thoughts-brics-and-gold-versus-us-and-dollar
The Indicator from Planet Money - The nepo baby premium, frothing markets, and Apple vs. Apples
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our rapid run through the numbers you need to know.
On today’s episode: John Legend croons; CPI inflation soothes; Same job as mom? You’ll earn more, dude; Apple vs. Apple, a courtroom feud.
Related episodes:
Why every A-lister also has a side hustle
The DOJ's case against Apple
The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers and the Earnings of Young Workers
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Audio Mises Wire - You Can’t Yell “Chicken Jockey” in a Crowded Theater (Except When You Can)
The hackneyed argument for government regulation of speech -- yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater -- has always been a red herring. As Murray Rothbard wrote, private property rights should be front-and-center when dealing with free speech issues.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/you-cant-yell-chicken-jockey-crowded-theater-except-when-you-can
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3325: Machines That Forgot to Fail
Episode: 3325 Machines That Forgot How to Fail: An AI Guest’s Perspective on Reliability. Today, our guest, ChatGPT, talks about machines that forgot to fail.
Cato Podcast - Summits, Guns, and Money
As President Trump pushes to unwind one proxy war—with Russia in Ukraine—he’s ramping up another in this hemisphere: ordering the Pentagon to ready battle plans against Latin American drug cartels. On our panel, Cato scholars weigh the odds of a Putin deal and the risk of replaying past drug war disasters.
Featuring Ryan Bourne, Ian Vásquez, Gene Healy, and Justin Logan
Links for Show Notes
Justin Logan, “Trump Shouldn’t Settle for European Spending Pledges,” Foreign Policy, July 25, 2025
Brandan P. Buck, “Invading Mexico Will Not Solve the Cartel Problem,” The American Conservative, December 17, 2024
Ian Vasquez, “Deregulation in Argentina: Milei Takes “Deep Chainsaw” to Bureaucracy and Red Tape,” Free Society (Spring 2025)
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