Podcast Episodes

PUZZLES: What Crosswords, Riddles, and Wordle Can Teach You About the Meaning of Life

For the last 25 years, writer A.J. Jacobs has attempted to live his life as a human guinea pig.

“I’ve engaged in a series of experiments on my mind an…

3 years, 6 months ago

BUILD: Tony Fadell’s Guide to Making Cool Stuff

Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone, and Nest Learning Thermostat. In his new book, “Build,” he shares everything he’s learned ab…

3 years, 6 months ago

SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST: How Tech Billionaires Are Preparing for Doomsday

Have you ever found yourself sitting around a table at a luxury resort with five mega-rich strangers who want to know where you think they should bui…

3 years, 6 months ago

HAPPINESS: Arthur C. Brooks Shares His Roadmap for Finding Purpose, Meaning, and Success

Arthur C. Brooks used to run a prominent think tank where he was paid handsomely to influence public policy. Did all that success make him happy? Nop…

3 years, 6 months ago

DeepMind's Demis Hassabis on the future of AI (from The TED Interview)

Demis Hassabis is one of tech's most brilliant minds. A chess-playing child prodigy turned researcher and founder of headline-making AI company DeepM…

3 years, 7 months ago

Summer Getaway #4: The Making of ‘Bull Durham’ (with Ron Shelton)

Ron Shelton is an Academy Award–nominated writer and director, former shortstop for the Bluefield Baby Birds, and author of a humdinger of a new memo…

3 years, 7 months ago

Summer Getaway #3: The 12-Hour Walk (with Colin O’Brady)

What happens when you put your phone in airplane mode, walk out your front door, and don’t come home for 12 hours? Our producer Caleb finds out, with…

3 years, 7 months ago

Summer Getaway #2: An American Odyssey (with Ben McGrath)

The Ohio, Hudson, Mississippi, and Yellowstone — Dick Conant canoed them all. And then he disappeared.

In his riveting new book, “Riverman,” journali…

3 years, 7 months ago

Summer Getaway #1: The Beach (with Sarah Stodola)

Close your eyes and picture paradise. What do you see? For many people, it’s a turquoise ocean crashing into a white-sand beach. Where did this fanta…

3 years, 8 months ago

Finding Stillness With Ryan Holiday

Here’s another episode from our archives that we love: Rufus’s 2020 interview with Ryan Holiday, the author of “Stillness Is the Key,” who shared his…

3 years, 8 months ago