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All Songs Considered from NPR
New Music: Mount Kimbie, Laura Mvula, Jagwar Ma, More (Tuesday, May 21, 2013) — This week on All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer up a musical sampler of many styles from around the world. There’s an upbeat, atmospheric cut with amazing harmonies from the magnetic Laura Mvula, a voice you’ll hear a lot more of this year; Firehorse’s blazing combination of neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats; a heavy, hypnotic track from New York duo Small Multiples and some transfixing psych-pop from Jagwar Ma. NPR Music’s electronic music gurus Otis Hart and Sami Yenigun also stop by to share their picks for some of the best new songs with beats: Otis has a danceable cut by London duo Mount Kimbie and Sami Yenigun brings some instrumental ear candy from Archie Pelago.
Book Reviews from The New York Times
Inside the New York Times Book Review: ‘You Are One of Them’ (Friday, May 24, 2013) — This week, Elliott Holt discusses her novel You Are One of Them; Rick Atkinson discusses his The Guns at Last Light; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.
Books Podcast from NPR
NPR: 05-23-2013 Books (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — Stories: 1) Siblings’ Separation Haunts In ‘Kite Runner’ Author’s Latest 2) Dan Brown: ‘Inferno’ Is ‘The Book That I Would Want To Read’ 3) Stories Of Hope Amid America’s ‘Unwinding’ 4) Black In America: A Story Rendered In Gray Scale 5) After Crashing In Canadian ‘Abyss,’ Four Men Fight To Survive
Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com
How does a Crooke’s radiometer work? (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — Vacuums and light combine to power a Crooke’s radiometer — but how does it work? Listen in and learn more about the mechanisms inside the radiometer in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? (Wednesday, May 22, 2013) — In countries like the United States, people have a superstitious fear of one particular date: Friday the 13th. But why? In this episode, Marshall discusses the two main fears that have fueled the Friday the 13th superstitions, as well as their origins.
Why does my hard drive make that churning sound? (Monday, May 20, 2013) — Inside the hard drive of many computers, a small arm moves across the face of the hard disk. Tune in to this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com to discover how the movement of this arm produces sound — and why the arm must move to load files.
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
Central Park (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — About 38 million people visit Central Park in New York every year. Who won the competition to design it? What’s the story behind landmarks like Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle and the Alice in Wonderland Statue? Tune in to learn more.
Culturetopia from NPR
Star Trek, SNL, And Boldly Going To New Places (Friday, May 24, 2013) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’ How does a franchise with a long history satisfy both die-hard fans and those that are just jumping on board? Next, they’ll discuss ‘Saturday Night Live,’ its changing place in pop culture and whether it really needs to be live anymore. All that, plus What’s Making Us Happy This Week.
Film Junk
Episode 418: Star Trek Into Darkness (Monday, May 20, 2013) — We face the wrath of Reed haters as we review Star Trek Into Darkness and discuss the Last Vegas trailer, plus The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Prometheus, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
Freakonomics Radio
Can You Be Too Smart for Your Own Good? And Other FREAK-quently Asked Questions (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — Dubner and Levitt talk about circadian rhythms, gay marriage, autism, and whether “pay what you want” is everything it’s cracked up to be.
Ink & Quill
InQ Episode 71: Blindness (Tuesday, May 21, 2013) The whole town is suddenly blind! No reason, no cause, but it is contagious. And it is spreading…fast! The military takes matters into its own hands and in order to confine the epidemic, sends the affected into a secluded ward. Lost, only able to rely on themselves and each other, this is the story of a struggle. Will they be able to retain their dignity when faced with adversity? When push comes to shove, will they allow themselves to do the unthinkable to help themselves and each other?
The story follows seven principal protagonists of both sexes, of various ages and from different social backgrounds. Helped in their misery by the only person who has miraculously retained her eyesight, will those seven people survive the horrors that mankind is capable of causing? A heart-wrenching tale that will entice the reader and allow him/her to experience many and at times contradictory emotions. A fantastic work of literature by Jose Saramago, Nobel Prize winner for Literature.
PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com
Greatest Hits: Zombies and Vampires and … where is this headed? (Wednesday, May 22, 2013) — The entertainment market is saturated with supernatural creatures, but vampires and zombies seem to be the most popular, with werewolves coming in a close third. What will we be seeing the most of once the various iterations of the undead are played out?
Greatest Hits: Hello Kitty and the Culture of Cute (Monday, May 20, 2013) — You can get Hello Kitty everything. Everything. Tracy and Holly talk about the famous cat’s beginnings, staying power and her many Sanrio friends. Just how did a feline with no film or television origin get so popular in the first place?
Science Talk
Is There a Doctor in the Spaceship? (Tuesday, April 30, 2013) — NASA astronaut and medical doctor Michael Barratt spoke to schoolkids at the Family Science Days event at this year’s meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions with Peter Hook of New Order (Thursday, May 16, 2013) — Peter Hook separates fact from Joy Division legend. The influential bassist remembers bandmate Ian Curtis and addresses recent rifts in New Order. And later in the show, Jim and Greg review the next mixtape from up-and-coming Chicago MC Chance the Rapper.
Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com
Extreme Mammals Part I (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — In this two-part Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Julie discuss the amazing world of prehistoric mammals and count down their favorite weird warm bloods from the smallest to largest.
The Science of Beards (Tuesday, May 21, 2013) — Why do human males have beards? Do they protect us? Do they make us more fearsome? Better looking? More trustworthy? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.
Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
Russia’s Vladimir the Great (Wednesday, May 22, 2013) — Vladimir I is often credited with bringing Christianity to Russia, though he actually embraced paganism first as Grand Prince of Kievan Rus. Wishing to unite Russia under one religion, Vladimir changed the spiritual path of his country forever.
India’s Karni Mata Rat Temple (Monday, May 20, 2013) — Though it’s most famous for its rats, the story of this temple starts with Hindu goddess Durga and Karni Mata, a 15th-century mystic believed to be her incarnation. The reason for the rats in Karni Mata’s temple is a combination of legend and devotion.
Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com
How PTSD Works (Thursday, May 23, 2013) — With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder the sufferer relives, over and over again, the worst moment of his life. What’s worse is medicine still doesn’t know how to treat it. Learn about this condition and how it’s leading to a n understanding of memory.
How Cicadas Work (Tuesday, May 21, 2013) — Cicadas are crawling out from underground, where they have been hiding in the darkness for almost two decades. As of May 2013, they’re invading the East Coast From North Carolina to New York. But why? Learn more about cicadas with Josh and Chuck.
WNYC’s Radiolab
VIDEO: Radiolab Behind the Scenes (Monday, May 20, 2013) — If you’ve ever wondered how the podcast comes together, or what it’s like to work at Radiolab, here’s a peek into our process.