Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
You Are What You Watch
Episode 571
What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 m…
2 years, 4 months ago
The Power Broker #2: Jamelle Bouie
This is the second official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.
This week, Roman Ma…
2 years, 5 months ago
The White Castle System of Eating Houses
Episode 570
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –-…
2 years, 5 months ago
Between the Blocks
Episode 569
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large "interblock park" green spaces between big apartment structure…
2 years, 5 months ago
Don't Forget to Remember
Episode 568
When a highway gets made, there’s a clear and consistent process for doing so. Not so, public memorials. From the Vietnam Wall to the National Memori…
2 years, 5 months ago
Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is
A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he simply talked about design details in his house -…
2 years, 5 months ago
The Double Kick
Episode 567
Watch a skate video today, and you'll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in th…
2 years, 5 months ago
The Power Broker #1: Robert Caro
Welcome to our first official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Robert Caro happ…
2 years, 5 months ago
Imitation Nation
Episode 566
Fake cities. Imitation nations. People role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It's all part of an effort coo…
2 years, 6 months ago
Mini-Stories: Volume 18
Episode 565
Our second and final set of mini-stories for the season: We'll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has be…
2 years, 6 months ago