logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
1h 4m

Decoder Ring | Jump, Jive and Fail: The ...

Slate Podcasts
About this episode
When we recently got a couple of listener emails asking about the swing revival of the late 1990s, host Willa Paskin’s first, knee jerk reaction was just: no. She lived through it, and remembers it as being so incredibly corny and uncool. Insofar as the swing revival persists in the cultural memory, it’s usually as a punchline or as head-scratcher, a particu ... Show More
Up next
Feb 2025
Decoder Ring | The Scratch-Off Ticket’s Instant Win
You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of gambling that’s simply a pedestrian part of American life. But not so long ago, they were risky and innovative, the killer app of their time and the must-play game of ... Show More
37m 18s
Feb 2025
Introducing Supercommunicators
In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scientists, and even a Hollywood writer to explore how to ask the right questions, communicate without words, and find meaningful connectio ... Show More
1m 15s
Feb 2025
Supercommunicators | 1. How to Talk to Anyone
Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here… In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyd ... Show More
32m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Shhhh! It’s the sound and silence episode
<p>Humans are noisy. The National Park Service estimates that all of our whirring, grinding, and revving machines are doubling or even tripling global noise pollution every 30 years. </p><p>A lot of that noise is negatively affecting wildlife and human health. Maybe that’s why we ... Show More
29m 55s
Jul 2025
Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”
In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all ... Show More
48m 1s
May 2024
Your Mind Is Being Fracked
<p>The steady dings of notifications. The 40 tabs that greet you when you open your computer in the morning. The hundreds of unread emails, most of them spam, with subject lines pleading or screaming for you to click. Our attention is under assault these days, and most of us are ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2024
A star is born | Elon's Spies Ep4
When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi asks whether the insights he gained from that inves ... Show More
29m 38s
Sep 2023
Sliding doors
Kirat is a successful marketer and radio presenter. Online, she’s contacted by a man she vaguely knows called Bobby, and they start chatting. Slowly, they become close… and she’s reeled in to a scam of epic proportions.All 6 episodes are available to listen now.To get exclusive a ... Show More
31m 2s
Sep 8
Deep Brown Noise Sound Machine (12 Hours)
Download our Mobile App! iOS | Android --- The deepest, fullest Brown Noise you'll find! I took our beloved Brown Noise Sound Machine enjoyed by tens of millions of people worldwide and lowered the lows while also reducing the mids and highs. This is the gold standard for people ... Show More
11h 57m
Apr 2025
‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of’
<p>There’s something of a policy revolution afoot: As of March, more than a dozen states — including California, Florida and Ohio — have <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_policies_on_cellphone_use_in_K-12_public_schools" target="_blank">passed bills or adopted policies</a> t ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
334: BRYAN JOHNSON: The Controversial Anti-Aging Millionaire Determined To Live Forever
<div>Support our Sponsors!<br> Rocket Money: <a href="https://rocketmoney.com/milehigher">https://rocketmoney.com/milehigher</a><br> <br> Timestamps:<br> Intro 0:00<br> An Extremely Brief 20 Minute Rant 0:53<br> The Early Life of Bryan Johnson 28:58<br> Bryan Finds his "Calling" ... Show More
2h 33m
Aug 22
MAHA Is a Bad Answer to a Good Question
<p>“Make America Healthy Again” is a great idea — somebody should try it.</p><p>A lot of the concerns animating the MAHA movement — chronic disease, the unhealthiness of the American diet, how profits warp our health care system — are serious issues. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ... Show More
1h 22m