logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2019
1h 1m

Things

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
From a piece of the Wright brother's plane to a child’s sugar egg, today: Things! Important things, little things, personal things, things you can hold and things that can take hold of you. This hour, we investigate the objects around us, their power to move us, and whether it's better to look back or move on, hold on tight or just let go. 
Up next
Jul 17
Neither Confirm Nor Deny
In an episode we first ran back in 2019, we explore how a sunken nuclear submarine, a crazy billionaire, and a mechanical claw gave birth to a phrase that has hounded journalists and lawyers for 40 years and embodies the tension between the public’s desire for transparency and th ... Show More
29m 5s
Jul 10
The Holy Shiver
Lauren Brown gets goosebumps. A lot. Sometimes several times a day. When her partner, writer Carmen Maria Machado, noticed it...she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why does she get them in so many different situations? What’s happening in her body and what does it mean? We take ... Show More
37m 47s
Jul 3
Atomic Artifacts
Back in the 1950s, facing the threat of nuclear annihilation, federal officials sat down and pondered what American life would actually look like after an atomic attack. They faced a slew of practical questions like: Who would count the dead and where would they build the refugee ... Show More
40m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2020
Memento Mori
Some things stick around long after we've forgotten about them, while other objects vanish before we can use them. Let's explore both types today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comJoin our Patreon for ad-free episodes!: https://www.patreon.c ... Show More
9m 22s
May 2021
Why We Hold on to Things
<p>What do the things you own say about who you are? Psychologist <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/bruce-m-hood">Bruce Hood</a> studies our relationship with our possessions – from beloved childhood objects to the everyday items we leave behind.</p> <p> ... Show More
45m 45s
Dec 2021
The Value of Things
The value of things: At a time when many of us are sorting through Christmas presents, both wanted and unwanted, Laurie Taylor explores the value of attachment in a disposable world. Christine Harold, Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, asks why we hang on ... Show More
28m 29s
Oct 2019
Emotional Children
Some say that we hold the power to move physical objects and change things around us. Do you remember being able to do so? For more: ScaryPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
6m 30s
Nov 2022
Leaving A Mark
For millennia, humans have created artifacts of their lives—from art, to books, to music. This hour, we explore ideas about capturing the ephemeral human experience for future generations to find. Guests include paleoanthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger, museum curator Ariana C ... Show More
49m 30s
Dec 2021
Stunning
tail spinning
9m 5s
Nov 2021
Open Water
tail spinning
10m 29s
Oct 2021
What’s the Buzz?
tail spinning
10m 12s
Jun 2025
Exciting Time Capsules From The Past
If you wanted to really summarise the times we live in, what items would you put in a time capsule, only intended to be opened after many, many years? It’s a difficult question. To really define a time with just items alone can be tricky, but plenty have done it, and once opened, ... Show More
23m 57s