All Rings Considered

One study from 2018 found that Major League Baseball umpires blow about 14 calls every game. That’s 34,000 bad calls every year. And it makes a difference. A blown strike call can decide a win or a loss, a championship or six months at home, wondering what could have been. And wh ... Show More

A missing car reveals the confusing rules, murky fees, and private actors behind modern towing. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org. Service Request ... Show More

In a place where losing power can turn deadly, keeping the lights on is a high-stakes balancing act. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org. Service Req ... Show More

The Nokia ringtone used to be heard more than a billion times per day, making it one of the most popular songs in the world. We tend to consider cellphone rings as somewhat antithetical to music. There is a whole subset of YouTube videos dedicated to the perverse thrill of watchi ... Show More

<p>It's 1905 and you've just come to the premiere of Debussy's La Mer. The orchestra begins playing, and a magical and completely unique journey begins. Gone are the peaceful and placid portrayals of water in music of the past. Instead, you hear strange harmonies and a diffuse la ... Show More

The song was recorded many times during sessions for The Beatles. During the 18 July 1968 sessions, the Beatles recorded a version of the song lasting 27 minutes and 11 seconds,although this version is rather slow and hypnotic, differing greatly from the volume and rawness of the ... Show More

The Netflix series Bridgerton has hooked audiences with its bodice-ripping sex scenes, a colorblind approach period drama casting, and a soundtrack featuring recreations of modern bangers from pop stars like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish arranged in the style of a classical str ... Show More

<p class="p1">Bucolic. Sunny. Cheerful. Joyous. Folksy. Ebullient. Thrilling. These are all words that I found while researching Dvorak's 8th symphony. Dvorak's gift for writing the most gorgeous of melodies is on full display in his 8th symphony, a piece that has been charming l ... Show More

<p>Intro music by my good friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/keithsblackberry/">Keith</a>! We all have things we should have said but didn't, in this episode, I finally say a few of mine. Con amor siempre, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofaromantica/">Celia</a> &l ... Show More

You’ve heard it a million times, you know how to sing it, its ubiquitous during the holiday season, but you’ve never heard a definitive recording. Where does it come from, why is it so catchy, and why of all holiday songs is Jingle Bells the most widely played song? FEATURING She ... Show More

<p>As the years went by, and there seemed like there were no worlds left to conquer, The Beatles started to create songs about the subject they knew best: Themselves. Over the years these songs were direct, opaque, angry, conciliatory, happy and sad. Nothing Is Real hosts Steven ... Show More

Our vocal system is incredibly complex. What we call “the voice” starts with very precise movements of our vocal cords, and then goes through an entire “resonation system” that includes our throat, mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth. With enough control over these components, people ... Show More