7.11.15 Universal Problems (And Solutions)
Who sings for the unsung masses? Well, here at Innovation Hub, we do. This week, we’ve got stories of everyday people, from the crowds thronging Disneyland to that slow-moving line at the pharmacy....
View Article19th Century Radicals Learned to Forecast the Weather
Before the 1800s, our climate was unpredictable, poorly understood, and frightening. Author Peter Moore gives us the untold story of a generation of maverick scientists who finally let us predict the...
View ArticleHow Studying Your Email Data Can Improve Your Relationship
What if you could learn about your relationship by analyzing your own data? Statistician Emma Pierson did just that, combing through all the emails she and her boyfriend had sent each other over the...
View ArticleComputers That Can Read Your Emotions
In science-fiction, you’ll encounter a lot of computers that can feel... HAL 9000, Deckard, WALL-E. But what about computers that can really sense your emotions? MIT Professor Rosalind Picard takes a...
View ArticleCompanies Could Be Using Your Data to Charge You More
Are you paying the same price for a pair of sunglasses on Amazon as your friend? Maybe not. Dan Mongan tells us how companies are using big data to take as much of our money as possible.
View Article7.18.15 Waiting in Anticipation
This week on Innovation Hub: the thrill of anticipation, and the agony of computers that can read your mind. Author Dan Mongan talks about how companies will charge us wildly different prices, once...
View Article7.18.15 Waiting in Anticipation
This week on Innovation Hub: the thrill of anticipation, and the agony of computers that can read your mind. Author Dan Mongan talks about how companies will charge us wildly different prices, once...
View ArticleCompanies Could Be Using Your Data to Charge You More
Are you paying the same price for a pair of sunglasses on Amazon as your friend? Maybe not. Dan Mongan tells us how companies are using big data to take as much of our money as possible.
View ArticleThe Political Change That Wasn't
The Internet was supposed to revolutionize democracy and make government more responsive; so far, that hasn’t really happened. Author Micah Sifry tells us what went wrong, and what could still go right.
View ArticleA Geek Speaks Out Against Tech
Computer scientist Kentaro Toyama used to use tech to help the poor around he world. But slowly, he started believing it wasn't the answer. He explains why tech isn't doing much to educate the...
View Article50 Years Later, How Medicare Changed America
As Medicare turns 50, Yale Professor Jennifer Klein explains how the social program changed America - and why it almost didn’t happen.
View ArticleWhy You Have More Jobs Than You Think
Ever feel like you’re still at work, long after you’ve left the office? Well, you’re not alone. Professor Ian Bogost argues we live in a “hyper employed” time, and offers some ideas what we can do...
View Article7.25.18 Promises, Promises
This week on Innovation Hub: Promises, promises. Author Micah Sifry explains why we thought the Internet was going to transform politics, and why it hasn't... yet. Then, former Microsoft executive...
View ArticleThe Lessons Pirates and Gangsters Can Teach Us
The mafia, pirates, gangs, and hackers. What can we learn from them? According to author Alexa Clay, turns out a whole lot — including creativity.
View Article8.01.15 Icons and Infamy
This week on Innovation Hub: icons and infamy. Writer Alexa Clay tells us the surprising lessons about ingenuity we can learn from pirates, hackers, gangsters, and camel milk traders. Then Professor...
View ArticleWhen Science Met Celebrity
Move over, Britney there's a new kind of celebrity in town. American University's Declan Fahy explains the rise of the celebrity scientist, and why they're important to all of us.
View ArticleBuilding Sustainably... The Ancient Way
The Burj Khalifa might be the tallest building in the world, but is it the most advanced? MIT Professor John Ochsendorf thinks that today’s architects should take a page from classical structures.
View ArticlePushing the Limits of the Human Lifespan
The average American lifespan rose from about 50 years to nearly 80 during the 20th century. Can we live even longer? Harvard Medical School’s David Sinclair has done research that he says may one day...
View ArticleHow Death Shapes Our Decisions
Thinking about our mortality can change the way we vote, how we dole out punishment, and who we sit close to. Sheldon Solomon tells us about research into this phenomenon.
View ArticleWhy You're Tipping So Much
There’s a reason you’re giving your cab driver a 20% tip. Author Nir Eyal explains how companies use psychology and technology to squeeze more money from you.
View Article8.08.15 Life, Death, and Sharing
This week on Innovation Hub: life, death, and sharing. Harvard genetics professor David Sinclair on his research into how we may be able to live significantly longer. Then, Zipcar co-founder and author...
View ArticleThe Impact of the Sharing Economy
The rise of Uber and Airbnb may make you think that we've reached the peak of the "sharing economy." But to Robin Chase, co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, we're just getting started.
View Article8.15.15 Faith in the Unknown
This week on Innovation Hub: we dig beneath the surface. Second Life founder Philip Rosedale tells us about the virtual worlds we might soon be spending a lot of time in. Author Catherine Price...
View ArticleThe Downsides of Fitness Apps
Nir Eyal looks at the possible consequences of fitness apps.
View ArticleWhy Health Headlines Might Be Wrong
You’ve probably seen all those clickbaity headlines proclaiming the miraculous results of a radical new scientific study. But how accurate are these? Stanford’s John Ioannidis says… not very. He’ll...
View ArticleHow Technology Actually Creates More Jobs
If you’re worried that a robot might take your job, well, you’ve come to the right place. Economist James Bessen explores why technology may NOT displace workers - and why 19th-Century textile workers...
View Article6.13.15 Pressure Pushing Down on Us
Whether it’s work, school, the kids, or having a David Bowie/Queen collaboration stuck in our heads, we’re all under pressure. This week, we’ll examine how we get under pressure, and how we get out of...
View ArticleStartups Could Save Space Travel
If you think today’s travelers have reached the last frontier, think again. Arizona State Planetary Scientist Jim Bell explains how space startups will launch us into a new age of exploration.
View ArticleChannel Surfing
The idea of turning a knob to change a channel has gone the way of the dinosaurs. But today’s point-and-click comfort didn’t arrive overnight. We can thank Eugene Polley and his enormous Flash-Matic...
View ArticleHow IMDB and Amazon Are Making TV Better
We’ve all heard the age old complaint: hundreds of shows, but nothing to watch. Author and Professor of Media Jason Mittell explains why that disgruntled channel-flipping is becoming a thing of the...
View Article"Organ Marketplaces" of the Future
Do we know our bodies’ true value? Northeastern's Kara Swanson says the massive gap between organ supply and demand makes it much higher than we might think.
View Article6.20.15 It's Complicated
This week, our guests shun simple explanations. Film and media studies professor Jason Mittell reveals why we can actually handle more complexity in our television shows than ever before, despite our...
View ArticleHow Star Trek and Blade Runner Shape Our Future
The gizmos we gawk at in Star Trek and Blade Runner still seem light-years away. But the rapid growth in computing power may have put us on a fast track. Science journalist Steven Kotler tells us why...
View ArticleWhy We Need a "Digital Hat Rack"
As any Mad Men fan knows, the once-trendy fedoras that men sported were hung up the second they entered the office. Author and entrepreneur Nir Eyal wants that habit to come back in style – this time,...
View ArticleMoore's Law: 50 Years Later
We all owe a big thanks to Gordon Moore. Fifty years after he predicted an exponential rise in computing power – known as Moore’s Law – author Arnold Thackray gives us a glimpse into the unusual life...
View ArticleHow Star Trek and Blade Runner Shape Our Future
The gizmos we gawk at in Star Trek and Blade Runner still seem light-years away. But the rapid growth in computing power may have put us on a fast track. Science journalist Steven Kotler tells us why...
View ArticleMoore's Law: 50 Years Later
We all owe a big thanks to Gordon Moore. Fifty years after he predicted an exponential rise in computing power – known as Moore’s Law – author Arnold Thackray gives us a glimpse into the unusual life...
View ArticleGenetically Modi-flied
If GMOs in your grocery cart caused a stir, what will happen when they're buzzing around your backyard? KPBS' David Wagner says we should get ready for the next big step in genetic rewiring: wild flies...
View ArticleThe Art of Negotiation
You can’t always get what you want – or can you? Stanford Business School professor Margaret Ann Neale argues that you can negotiate successfully; it just takes a little help from science.
View ArticleThe Art of Negotiation
You can’t always get what you want – or can you? Stanford Business School professor Margaret Ann Neale argues that you can negotiate successfully; it just takes a little help from science.
View Article6.27.15 The March of Progress
This week, we take a look at progress. Tech and culture writer Steven Kotler will tell us how science fiction movies and novels are quickly turning into “science fact.” KPBS’s David Wagner reports from...
View ArticleThe Genius and Tragedy of Coco Chanel
Mistresses, Nazis, and lost love — the story behind Chanel No. 5 isn’t just about perfume. Tilar Mazzeo, author of “The Secret of Chanel No. 5,” explains how Coco Chanel invented modern glamour.
View ArticleA Dip Into History: Come Fly With Us
Before it was embraced by Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z, a serial inventor’s pet project kept exploding.
View ArticleThe Pharaohs and Princes of Silicon Valley
If you’re over 30 and you haven’t sold a tech company worth $10 billion… what are you doing with your life? Randall Lane, editor of Forbes and author of “You Only Have to Be Right Once,” takes a peek...
View Article7.04.15 Coping With Excess
Shrimp, billionaires, and the invention of modern glamour. On Innovation Hub, we'll explore excess of all kinds, and tell you how to cope with it.
View ArticleThe Changing Tide of the Fishing Industry
That shrimp you serve at your cocktail party? It might have traveled 9,000 miles to end up on your plate. “Four Fish” author Paul Greenberg talks about the revolution in modern fishing.
View ArticleThe Real Differences Between Generic and Name-Brand Drugs
What's in a name (brand)? Professor Jeremy Greene takes a look at the complex history of “generic” medicine, and its impact on modern health care.
View ArticleReinventing Disneyland for the 21st Century
Rides, costumed princesses… and wearable technology? Writer Austin Carr goes into the high-tech process of reinventing the happiest place on earth.
View ArticleThe Psychology Behind Right and Wrong
Justice isn’t always based on ethics or fairness, sometimes it’s based purely on luck. Harvard’s Fiery Cushman examines the science and psychology of morality, and how it affects our daily lives in...
View ArticleThe Benefits of NOT Taking Notes on a Computer
We all get distracted in meetings, and it’s mostly because of, you guessed it, our computers. But not for the reasons you think. Pam Mueller explains why you might want to take your notes longhand.
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