Rainy Days
Rainy Days
Episode: ”Whatever Happened to Acid Rain?” | Podcast: Distillations | 32m16s
Acid rain, once a much-feared consequence of pollution and climate change, has mostly been eradicated. The story of how this political and scientific progress came about is complicated and obscure, with involvement from six American presidents and the Pope. This podcast tells it clearly and concisely, combining the scientific discussion with archive material (32m16s)
Life On A Livestream
Episode: ”Filmmaker Hao Wu and Loretta Chao on streaming culture in China” | Podcast: Recode Media | 43m17s
The practice of livestreaming whole portions of a day has created a new class of celebrity in China. These people are emotionally and financially dependent on their thousands of fans, and are locked in a competitive battle to attract new followers. The documentary maker Hao Wu has made a film about this phenomenon. Here, he explains the societal shift he was trying to capture and why he thinks it is deeply dystopian (43m17s)
Paint A Picture
Episode: ”John Singleton Copley's Portrait of Samuel Adams (1772)” | Podcast: The Lonely Palette | 15m14s
Brief but beautifully produced podcast episode looking at the history and context of a single painting in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The host collects off the cuff impressions from other gallery goers before bringing her own expertise to bear. The result is a intense, focused and approachable discussion of art, power and propaganda (15m14s)
Meat Is Murder
Episode: “Will We Ever Stop Eating Animal Meat?” | Podcast: Crazy/Genius | 26m50s
Narratively reported exploration of the case against eating animal flesh. Both the moral and the ecological arguments against consuming meat are considered, before alternative protein sources such as insects and lab grown substitutes are explored and tasted. A comprehensive and informative study of an evolving topic (26m50s)
The Two Week Wait
Episode: “The TWW episode” | Podcast: Big Fat Negative | 49m24s
Podcast about infertility and IVF, featuring the perspectives of both medical experts and patients. In this episode, one of the hosts plays an audio diary she created during the dreaded “two week wait” women experience between embryo implantation and the first test that can determine if they are now pregnant. These procedures are now relatively common, but it’s still rare to hear first-hand about the anxiety and illness they can cause (49m24s)
