“Alif the Unseen” is steeped in an old tradition. It’s a book of magic about a book of magic.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Doug Dorst talks about "S.," the novel-within-another-novel that he wrote based on a concept by producer and director J.J. Abrams.
Psychiatrist Allen Peterkin tells Steve Paulson that beards make people think of either Santa Claus or Satan, and that facial hair is making a comeback.
Anne Matthews tells Anne Strainchamps that there’s been an explosion of wildlife in America’s towns and cities.
A loaf of fluffy white store-bought bread may look innocent -- but conceals a rich political and economic history. Aaron Bobrow-Strain charts the rise and fall of white bread and reveals what's really at stake when we argue about food.
In the mid-1930's, Alan Turing made the revolutionary discovery that launched the digital age. He proved that information can be translated and communicated using nothing but a series of ones and zeroes. And that was just the first of Turing's intellectual achievements. Biographer Andrew Hodges explained Turing's genius to Jim Flemming in 2012.
Albert Nerenberg tells Steve Paulson he was watching a documentary about intelligence when it occurred to him that stupidity would make a much more interesting film.
Before there was iTunes, Spotify, or Pandora, there was the mixtape. Jason Bittner is nostalgic for those days, when sweethearts would spend days crafting the perfect playlist. He's the editor of a book and former website called "Cassette From My Ex". He shares some songs from his collection, and explains why the mixtape is such a powerful medium.
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