Simon Adler

In this engaging discussion, Simon Adler, a Radiolab producer, and Greg Leibach, a deaf attorney and activist, dive into the groundbreaking history of speech recognition and closed captioning. They explore the pivotal 1988 Gallaudet University protest that demanded deaf leadership and sparked nationwide discussions on representation. The duo also highlights early speech recognition technology's struggles and triumphs, emphasizing its impact on accessibility today. Humorous anecdotes enrich the conversation, shedding light on the relationship between humans and evolving tech.

Simon Adler, a Radiolab reporter, dives into the revolutionary story of Professor Wang Yongmin, who created the Wubi input method for Chinese characters. Tom Mullaney, a Stanford history professor, adds depth with insights on how this innovation reshaped China's technological landscape. They discuss the challenges of typing in Chinese, the clash between modern tech and cultural heritage, and the evolution of input methods. The conversation ultimately reveals how typing innovations reflect broader societal changes in China, showcasing a fascinating intersection of language and technology.

In 1946 Bing Crosby was the king of media. He was the movie star, the pop star and his radio show was reaching a third of American living rooms each week.  But then, it all started to fall apart. His ratings were plummeting and his fans were fleeing. Bing however, was not going down without a fight.  Today, the story of how Bing Crosby and some stolen Nazi technology won his audience back, changed media forever and accidentally broke reality along the way.  Mixtape is reported, produced, scored and sound designed by Simon Adler with original music throughout by Simon Adler. Invaluable reporting and production assistance was provided by Eli Cohen. Special thanks to: Michele Hilmes, Pete Hammer, Rich Flores, Mara Mills, Jonathan Sterne, Claudia Mewes. Though their voices weren’t in the piece, input certainly was. And to Mary Crosby and Robert Bader, for opening up Bing’s archive for us, and enabling us to fill this episode with so much of Bing’s music. Support Radiolab by becoming a member today at Radiolab.org/donate.