For as closely linked as the voice is to our body and sense of identity, there are also a lot of external forces affecting our voices, both social and technological. In fact, when we're talking about mediated voices—voices we hear in music, film, and of course, on the radio—we're actually not talking about "voices" any more. We're talking about signal processing. And, as media historian Jonathan Sterne tells Craig Eley, signal processing shapes the sound of all vocal media, from your telephone calls to the music of T-Pain.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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"New Yorker" staff writer and book critic James Wood recommends Theodor Fontane's 1894 novel, "Effi Briest."
Brian Raftery tells Jim Fleming about karaoke in Japan and the man who invented it.
Augustin De la Pena is a psycho-physiologist who works at a sleep disorders center in South Texas, and a leading authority on boredom.
Carl Honore talks with Anne Strainchamps about how the Slowness movement got started and how it's developed into a revolution.
David Kalat, author of "J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond" tells Steve Paulson what these Japanese gore-fests have in common.
Dean Ripa owns and operates the Cape Fear Serpentarium. He spent decades trekking the world hunting examples of the most venomous reptiles alive.
Corby Kummer is the food writer for The Atlantic Monthly. He talks with Anne Strainchamps about Flur de Sel, a gourmet sea salt imported from France.
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