It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we charge people to use it? The short answer: it’s complicated. Also: We talk to the man who gets half the nation’s mass-transit riders where they want to go (most of the time).
May 15
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”) SOURCES: Alex Hardiman, chief product officer at The New York Times. Jonathan Knight, S.V.P. and general manager for New ... Show More
57m 17s
Jul 2020
Philip M. Plotch, "Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City" (Cornell UP, 2020)
Ever since New York City built one of the world’s great subway systems, no promise has been more tantalizing than the proposal to build a new subway line under Second Avenue in Manhattan. Yet the Second Avenue subway--although first envisioned in the 1920s, did not open until 201 ... Show More
39m 15s
<p>Economist Daron Acemoglu likes to tackle big questions. He tells Steve how colonialism still affects us today, who benefits from new technology, and why democracy wasn’t always a sure thing.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://economics.mit.edu/ ... Show More
<p>Is grade inflation on the rise? How much does your G.P.A. matter in the long run? And when did M.I.T., of all places, become “the cool university”?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthugo/">Scott Hugo</a>, housing just ... Show More
<p>Would you be more adventurous if you had more structure? Do you multitask while brushing your teeth? And what would Mike’s perfect brother Peter do? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/david-brooks">David Brooks</a>, opi ... Show More
<p>Economist Michael D. Smith says universities are scrambling to protect a status quo that deserves to die. He tells Steve why the current system is unsustainable, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.</p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3sK5t5r"><i>Th ... Show More
<p>Are modern parents too protective? Why do we worry so much about things that almost never happen? And how did Mike learn about bus stops?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psy.fau.edu/people/dbjorklu.php">David Bjorklund</a>, professor of psy ... Show More
