Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
500 Days in a Cave: How We Lose Track of Time
Episode 5763
What happens to your sense of time when every external cue disappears? Beatriz Flamini spent 500 days alone in a Spanish cave with no light, clocks, …
1 week, 2 days ago
Why 8 PM Bedtime Feels Wrong for Night Owls
Episode 5762
Daniel has been a night owl his whole life, but fifteen months into fatherhood, his shared nursery and Ezra's pitch-black bedtime routine are wreckin…
1 week, 2 days ago
Why You Shouldn't Dremel Your Antique Silver
Episode 5761
Every polish removes a sliver of the original metal, and you can't put it back. That single fact reframes everything about caring for antique silver …
1 week, 2 days ago
Pinterest Is a Pointer, Not a Backup
Episode 5760
Daniel has spent years curating images of world leaders' desks, corporate office design, and emergency dispatch centers on Pinterest. But as a self-d…
1 week, 3 days ago
Why Servers Have Two Power Cords
Episode 5759
Every year, data centers draw roughly 415 terawatt hours of electricity — about 1.5% of the world's power. But why does the equipment pulling that lo…
1 week, 3 days ago
Why Your Outlet Is 120 Volts and Europe's Is 230
Episode 5758
Why does the US run 120 volts and Europe 230? The answer isn't physics — it's a standards table, a diplomatic handshake, and a lamp. This episode dig…
1 week, 3 days ago
Why the Grid Still Runs on AC When DC Won
Episode 5757
Thomas Edison lost the war of the currents because you couldn't change DC's voltage — but modern power electronics can convert DC at eleven hundred k…
1 week, 3 days ago
The Blue Plug That Out-Engineers Your House
Episode 5756
The blue IEC 60309 plug — the 230V, 16-amp "Commando" connector you see on campsites and marinas — is a genuinely tougher piece of hardware than the …
1 week, 3 days ago
What Makes a School System "Best"?
Episode 5755
A BBC documentary called Korea's schools the best in the world — tutoring until midnight, up at six for class. A listener who lived it asks the quest…
1 week, 3 days ago
Your Home Rack's Power Problem, Solved
Episode 5754
A data center converts AC to DC three times and still looks immaculate, while your home rack converts it once and looks like a raccoon got into a box…
1 week, 3 days ago