Jan 25, 2017
In the final episode of the season, we explore ornamentation, the non-medical application of a device made with gold leaf, and how the MIT Media Lab stays creative. Special guests: Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab, and Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, a Ph.D. at the Media Lab working on the DuoSkin project in collaboration...
Jan 11, 2017
An investigation into one of humanity's oldest and most ubiquitous inventions: the ball. From Egyptian rituals to the birth of the rubber industry to new digital balls that can be controlled by software programs, the ball has played a surprisingly transformative role in society. Special guests: John Fox, author...
Dec 15, 2016
An exploration of the cultural shift that began with a leisure space of idle chatter and led to some of our most productive modern work environments being deliberately designed to make space for play. With special guests Matt Haughey of Slack and MetaFilter, Audrea Hooper of Zappos, and Andrew Sinkov and the...
Nov 30, 2016
From the thrilling story of the Pepper Wreck and its salvage to the strange tale of a 12 year old slave who solved the riddle that changed the global footprint of the vanilla trade forever, a look at how playful spices remade the map of the world with special guests Filipe Vieira de Castro and Patricia Rain.
Nov 2, 2016
A look into how games and childhood play encourage the kind of adaptive, flexible thinking we need to navigate a complex world. Special guests: Alison Gopnik, Shawn Green, Daniel Chao, and Asi Burak.