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Technology coverage from across the Slate Podcast network
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Oct 8, 2021 • 25min
What Next TBD: Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Difference?
The last month has seen a steady drip of leaked documents from inside Facebook, each seemingly more damning than the next. This week, the whistleblower behind the leaks revealed her identity.What motivates Frances Haugen? And can she do real damage to the social media giant?Guest: Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2021 • 23min
What Next TBD: What Instagram Does to Teens
Since 2018, internal research teams at Facebook have been studying the effect on Instagram on mental health. Their results couldn’t be more clear: Instagram is causing problems, especially for teen girls. Why has it taken so long for their research to surface? And what can be done to improve the relationship between kids and the platform?Guest: Georgia Wells, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 24, 2021 • 29min
What Next TBD: Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong?
In the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the dease—than the rapid antigen test. What if that isn’t quite true? Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 17, 2021 • 18min
What Next TBD: China vs. Video Games
Recently, China restricted video game playing to just three hours a week for its young people: 8pm to 9pm, Friday through Sunday.And that’s not the only change. Over the last few months, private tutors, diehard celebrity fans, and tech giants have all faced fresh restrictions from Beijing. What’s behind this new wave of crackdowns?Guest: Brenda Goh, technology correspondent for ReutersHost: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 21, 2021 • 22min
What Next: TBD: Will Booster Shots Make a Difference?
Hey Secret History fans! We thought you might like this episode of What Next: TBD. What Next is Slate’s daily news show. And every Friday, What Next: TBD turns the news of the present into a glimpse of what tomorrow holds. From fake news to fake meat, augmented reality to MRNA, in each episode host Lizzie O'Leary talks to an expert about the technology that’s reshaping our world.In this episode: The Biden administration says a third dose of vaccines for all American adults will end the pandemic faster. And experts say there is evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness against mild-to-moderate disease. But globally, what’s the best use of the next available dose? If you like this episode, subscribe to What Next or What Next: TBD on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.Guest: Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. Host: Lizzie O’LearyThis episode was produced by Alyssa Edes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 27, 2020 • 22min
Introducing: Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism
Hey Secret History listeners! We'd like to introduce a new show from Slate, Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism. Each episode dives into the history of a brand that shapes the way we live and work. This first episode is about The Carnival Corporation, the biggest cruise company in the world. Carnival made headlines at the start of the covid-19 crisis when its ships harbored some of the world’s first coronavirus outbreaks. But it turns out the cruise industry is no stranger to disaster--on the contrary, mishaps have plagued Carnival since its very first voyage. How has cruising remained a popular way to vacation, in the face of one disaster after another? Listen to find out, and if you like it, subscribe to Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.Podcast production by Jess Miller and Asha Saluja.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 16, 2019 • 37min
Introducing Cautionary Tales
Hello, Secret History fans! Here's an episode of another show we think you might like: Cautionary Tales from Pushkin Industries. Learning from our mistakes can be hard. Learning from other people’s mistakes...well, that’s a lot more fun.In Cautionary Tales, from Pushkin Industries, economist and journalist Tim Harford retells true stories of unexpected outcomes, from the development of tanks in modern warfare to the accidental crowning of La La Land at the 2017 Oscars. Some of these tales are tragic, some are comic, but like the great fables and parables, each has a moral.Tim takes you aboard a doomed airship, sits you on a concert stage in front of a broken piano, and puts you in a room with cult members counting down the final seconds before the end of the world. A cast of actors joins him in telling these stories. You’ll hear the famous Alan Cumming, Archie Panjabi, who won an Emmy award for The Good Wife, and Russell Tovey from The History Boys. Cautionary Tales from Pushkin Industries. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me, it would be a mistake not to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 26, 2019 • 23min
Introducing What Next: TBD
Hey Secret History of the Future fans! We're excited to introduce you to another show we think you'll like. It's called What Next: TBD, and it's a weekly show about tech, power, and the future. Secret History's very own Seth Stevenson guest hosted this episode. Check it out, and then subscribe here: https://slate.com/podcasts/what-next-tbd or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 4, 2019 • 42min
S2E10: New Media, Old Story
This podcast explores the initial excitement and community spirit of radio, the connection between early radio and modern ham radio operators, the Titanic disaster and its impact on radio regulation, the rise and fall of blogging as an alternative to mainstream media, and reflections on media platforms and possibilities for the future.

Aug 28, 2019 • 37min
S2E9: A Brief History Of Timekeeping
The podcast explores the origins and evolution of timekeeping, including the societal implications and impact of technology. It also delves into the Long Now Foundation and the 10,000-year clock project funded by Jeff Bezos, emphasizing the importance of considering the future impact of our actions. Additionally, it discusses the design challenges faced in creating a clock that can run for 10,000 years and explores the concept of time manipulation and different cultural perceptions.


