Episode Notes
On the Gist, importing walkie-talkies into Myanmar.
In the Interview, we’re coming into a new constitutional cycle, and it means Democrats could take quite a bit of power. Well, if they don’t blow it. We’ve been in the same Republican-dominated cycle for decades, according to Jack Balkin, author of
The Constitutional Cycles of Time. Balkin and Mike talk about the extreme political polarization not seen since the Civil War, constitutional rot, and, just for fun, delve into conservative complaints about de-platforming and free speech. Balkin is a Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment and Director for The Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Episode Notes
On the Gist, once a Nobel Peace Prize winner, now a war criminal.
In the Interview, writer Jill Lepore joins Mike for part one of their conversation on her latest book:
, a precursor to data and polling companies.
If Then is an account on the mid-century boom in the advertising industry and its overlap with political marketing. Lepore articulates the deep prejudice in polling at the time, the rise of awareness of computers, and how Simulmatics’ people machine’s duplicity was made legible.
In the spiel, the GameStop/Wall Street debacle starring the usual suspects.
Podcast production by Margaret Kelley and Cheyna Roth.
Episode Notes
In the interview, it’s all about the voice; John Colapinto’s new book,
This is the Voice, that is. From sexy baby voice to deep baritones, Colapinto talks about his linguistic journey in writing his new book about the importance of the sounds, and the musicality of voice that come out of our mouths, and how a good bedside manner can save you from lawsuits. Colapinto is a staff writer at the New Yorker.
In the spiel, crackpot as croack-pots.
Email us at thegist@slate.com
Podcast production by Margaret Kelley and Cheyna Roth.