Note to Self — Overcast

Your Mailman Is a Drug Dealer. He Just Doesn’t Know It.

Jul 19 • 27 min

We visit the Dark Web, where you can get heroin, fentanyl and oxycontin shipped right to your door. This week, we stress out our IT department with our searches and talk to author Nick Bilton about the Silk Road, online drug markets, and the opioid crisis…

Should We Post Photos of Our Kids Online?

Jul 12 • 23 min

A third of kids are online before they’re even born, thanks to sonogram images posted to Facebook. Is there a downside to all the kid photos we share? This week, we revisit a conversation with Hillary Frank, host of the Longest Shortest Time. And we want…

When Was the Last Time You Peed Without Your Phone?

Jul 5 • 16 min

Yeah, it’s been a while for us too. So let’s reset. It’s the Bored and Brilliant bootcamp: three quick challenges to make space for brilliance in our accelerating world. Maybe you’ve heard this episode before, but even if you have, a boredom refresher…

We’ve Gained So Much With the iPhone. What Have We Lost?

Jun 28 • 23 min

Address books, maps, keys. Your Walkman, your datebook. All wiped out by your phone. Along with eye contact and boredom. This week, as the iPhone turns 10, we assess our most enduring love affair: the relationship between us and our devices. With tech…

We See Ourselves in Black Mirror

Jun 21 • 35 min

Netflix’s Black Mirror is a tweaked reflection of technology’s worst consequences - what show creator Charlie Brooker calls a “sarcastic version of the present.’ This week, Brooker and executive producer Annabel Jones join us for a cheerfully dystopian…

Father’s Day Bonus: Dad As the Lead Parent

Jun 18 • 34 min

This Father’s Day, one dad on his role as lead parent, and what it means for his career, psyche, and marriage. With Andrew Moravcsik, an accomplished author, academic, and husband to Anne-Marie Slaughter (yeah, the one who literally wrote the book on…

What Sen. Wyden Does When He’s Not Questioning Comey or Sessions

Jun 14 • 17 min

Besides investigating Russian election interference, Sen. Wyden is tackling government hacking, email surveillance, border device searches, and fighting for your rights online. How did a basketball-playing former gerontologist become your digital champion…

Preview: Sen. Ron Wyden of the Senate Intelligence Committee

Jun 8 • 2 min

Today, Sen. Wyden hears testimony from former FBI Director James Comey. Next week, he’ll be here on Note to Self. Here’s a sneak peek at our chat about cybersecurity and your digital rights.

Meet the Humans Who Protect Your Eyes

Jun 7 • 23 min

Rochelle LaPlante keeps horrifying images off the internet, screening photos for four cents a click. Content moderators do an important job. So why don’t employers like Facebook hold them up as heroes? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

What We Learned from Grandpa’s FBI File

May 31 • 19 min

Our producer discovered an FBI file on her grandfather. Back then, the big threat was communists. Today, it’s terrorists, Occupy and BLM. Maybe even you. And the surveillance methods are a lot less analog. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today…

Ed Snowden Says a ‘Very Very Dark Future’ Is Not Inevitable

May 17 • 25 min

With all the news of leaks, national security, and hacking, who better to talk to than Ed Snowden? So yes, Manoush and Ed tackle the NSA, privacy, and ransomware. But also identity, the self, and the “quantified spiderweb of all our worst decisions.” It’s…

Wait, What IS Reality? We Investigate.

May 16 • 21 min

Who among us hasn’t wondered, maybe in a stoned haze, if the colors you see aren’t even the same colors that I see? How do we know we’re even in the same reality, man? That’s what the world has been feeling like, except not so chill. This week, we dissect…

Taking the Lead Episode 1: The Pain Point

May 14 • 27 min

This Mother’s Day, a surprise. To celebrate working moms, we’re re-releasing all four episodes of our award-winning series, Taking the Lead. The story of two Brooklyn women and their tech idea to help harried working mothers - like themselves. Start here,…

Taking the Lead Episode 2: The Paradox

May 14 • 29 min

Episode two of Mother’s Day series is The Paradox. Rachael and Leslie test a prototype of their app on one very eager participant: Manoush. And they run into an ironic challenge. Turns out, it’s tough to build a work/life balance app without one.

Taking the Lead Episode 3: The Pressure

May 14 • 32 min

Faced with financial barriers, Rachael and Leslie join a startup accelerator. But while honing their pitch, different goals emerge. Rachael is focused on social change, while Leslie wants to create a giant woman-led company.

Taking the Lead Episode 4: The Partnership

May 14 • 35 min

The last episode in our Mother’s Day special. Rachael Ellison and Leslie Ali Walker face difficult choices: Should they drop the feminist mission behind the company when they make their pitch to investors? Does Rachael need to give up entrepreneurship so…

Why Are So Many Bots Following Manoush?

May 10 • 20 min

Bot armies are taking aim at our democracies, spreading garbage on Twitter from last November to Brexit to this weekend’s French election. But what do they want with Manoush? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Parents Just Don’t Understand, Tech Edition

May 3 • 23 min

Uh, mom, the eggplant emoji is not about food. The crying-laughing emoji is not appropriate for funerals. And dad, just texting ‘K’ is super passive-aggressive. This week, a real live therapist tackles your intergenerational tech dilemmas. And we try to…

AI Learns from Us. So It Learns Bias.

Apr 26 • 18 min

We count on robots to do more and more stuff. Drive cars, water crops, diagnose disease. What happens when the robots are racist? This week, a look back at one terrible AI mistake. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

Revealing Selfies. Not Like That.

Apr 19 • 20 min

Your selfies are sharing way more than your smiling face. They’re full of data. Which is being used by stores. And banks. And police. And, well, everyone. This week, you sent us your photos. We gave them to data scientist Andreas Weigend, to see what he…

Spring Cleaning for the Mind

Apr 12 • 17 min

Information overload has reached an all time high. Is there a way to stay-up-to-date without losing your mind? Yes. We call it “single-tasking.” Here’s a reminder of what multi-tasking does to your brain plus a proven way to find focus. Support Note to…

Cucked: Defining Manhood the Alt-Right Way

Apr 5 • 25 min

How one revolting, racist, sexist word emerged from the dark corners of 4chan and Reddit. And why we should care. With slang lexicographer Jonathon Green, writer Dana Schwartz of the Observer, and Derek Thompson of the Atlantic. Support Note to Self by…

Deep-Dark-Data-Driven Politics

Mar 29 • 26 min

The story goes: the Trump campaign hired consultants called Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge uses data to target voters’ personalities and emotions. Trump wins. But it’s not so simple. Did the Trump campaign have a secret sauce? Or just more ketchup? This…

The Man Who Invented Facebook Ad Tracking Is Not Sorry

Mar 22 • 20 min

After building the social network’s ad system, Antonio García Martínez tried to set his career on fire with a tell-all. An inside view on Face-versaries, terrifying emails from Zuck, and the cult of changing the world. Turns out, it takes a lot to get…

Government Secrets Worth Leaking… or Keeping?

Mar 15 • 26 min

So, the C.I.A. has a back door to your phone. At least, according to the Vault 7 data dump from WikiLeaks. This week, when are these tactics really making our lives safer? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Will You Do a Snapchat Streak With Me?

Mar 8 • 18 min

A little yellow ghost has joined Manoush’s home screen. This week, Note to Self takes the plunge into Snapchat. Where we find lots of opportunities for passive aggression, obligation, and shade. And that’s not a bug. It’s a feature. With designer Tristan…

Zapping Your Brain To Bliss

Mar 1 • 19 min

Can brain stimulation tech replace your glass of wine? Or your joint? We strap a digital potato chip to our heads, and zap our brains with electricity, in the name of science. And we accidentally over-chill. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today…

Can Your Phone Make You Better In Bed?

Feb 22 • 23 min

No, not by watching porn. By sharing with your partner what turns you on, and weirds you out. Through an app. Kaitlin Prest of The Heart podcast recruits two couples to test drive the Pls Pls Me app. And talk about awkward conversations, making out, and…

Privacy, Data Survivalism and a New Tech Ethics

Feb 21 • 28 min

Technologist Anil Dash on mistakes he’s made, and the new ethics of tech. Journalist Julia Angwin on why we’re all losing, and her strategies as a privacy prepper. Much laughter ensues. Note to Self nerds out, live from WNYC’s Greene Space. Support Note…

Privacy Paradox: Results Show

Feb 15 • 31 min

Tens of thousands of people did the Privacy Paradox challenge. And the results are in. Seven percent of you said you want to give up. (Sorry. Don’t!) Seventy percent of you want to push for big change. (Hooray! Do.) And we have ideas. We’ll hear from…

Day 5: Your Personal Terms of Service

Feb 10 • 12 min

The last day of the Privacy Paradox challenge. We’ll draw some conclusions from this week—and some boundaries for the future. With Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented a little something called the World Wide Web. He has a big idea for a more secure, more…

Day 4: Fifteen Minutes of Anonymity

Feb 9 • 11 min

It’s day four of the Privacy Paradox challenge. We talk to Elan Gale, executive producer of The Bachelor, about how we perform for social media, and how we change when we know we’re being watched. Also, the dangers of drunk tweeting. And Stanford…

Day 3: Something To Hide

Feb 8 • 11 min

It’s day three of Note to Self’s Privacy Paradox challenge. There are the things you know you share online: selfies, emails, Facebook posts. But there is so. much. more. Marketers are mining the words you use, your tone and sentence length, to profile…

Day 2: The Search For Your Identity

Feb 7 • 15 min

It’s the second day of the Privacy Paradox challenge. You know - as you move across the web, clicking and searching and liking, you’re being tracked. You might use an ad blocker. Or a do-not-track plug-in. But you’re still leaving tiny traces everywhere.…

Day 1: What Your Phone Knows

Feb 6 • 11 min

Your Privacy Paradox challenges start today. What does your phone know about you? Too much, probably. And it’s even more than you think. Many apps track your location, even when you’re not using them. Others listen in via your microphone, even when you’re…

Introducing: The Privacy Paradox

Jan 30 • 23 min

We want control of our personal information. But even when risks to our data are high, we sign up for services and apps. We download, click, and post without being sure where that data ends up. The Privacy Paradox, Note to Self’s latest interactive…

Saving Big Data From Itself

Jan 25 • 20 min

There’s so much potential. With big data, researchers can smooth social interactions and create better cities. Maybe cure cancer, and slow climate change. But the data has to come from somewhere. And that somewhere is us. Support Note to Self by becoming…

The Bookie, The Phone Booth, and The FBI

Jan 18 • 23 min

The Fourth Amendment doesn’t mention privacy once. But those 54 little words are a crucial battleground in today’s fight over our digital rights. This week, Note to Self gets in our time machine, back to the court cases that brought privacy from parchment…

The Four Tendencies: How to Feed Good Habits

Jan 11 • 17 min

Are you an upholder, a questioner, an obliger or a rebel? Gretchen Rubin of the Happier podcast has identified four ways that people respond to expectations - the Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw of habit change, if you will. Figuring out…

New Year. Same Old You.

Jan 4 • 26 min

Can we really start fresh when our every step, nap, and calorie are measured? If even a hard-core coder fails at a tech-enabled diet, maybe we need a new way to optimize our quantified selves. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

Go Ahead. Miss Out.

Dec 28, 2016 • 18 min

FOMO is real. And it’s amplified during the holiday season when party glam shots and scrumptious food pics are everywhere. So let’s embrace a little JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) instead. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

Messages From the Beyond

Dec 21, 2016 • 28 min

Ginger Johnson is battling cancer. She has three children and wants to stay in their lives after she’s gone. So she’s using a service called Safe Beyond that helps her make messages and then schedule them for delivery in the future. But her kids aren’t…

Meet the Textalyzer… and Our Next Big Project

Dec 14, 2016 • 19 min

If police smell booze on your breath behind the wheel, you’ll be asked to blow into a breathalyzer. But if they notice distracted driving, how do they measure clicks, taps and swipes? Plus, a sneak peek at Note to Self’s next big listener project. Support…

Distracted Is the New Drunk

Dec 7, 2016 • 16 min

Back in the ‘90s, health researchers planted stories against drunk driving on primetime shows. Growing Pains even killed off Matthew Perry in a crash. Now, the challenge is getting people to stop texting on the road. But we don’t watch TV like we used to.…

Tech Under Trump

Nov 30, 2016 • 31 min

We’ve seen the good, bad and ugly of tech this election cycle. And we all have big feelings about it. So Manoush hosted a good old-fashioned call-in, for listeners to share their thoughts and fears about our digital lives under a Trump administration.…

Shaking Up Your Echo Chamber. For Democracy.

Nov 29, 2016 • 10 min

We tend to click on things we agree with already. And social media networks like it that way. Bumming out your customers is a bad business model. This week, we talk with Tracy Clayton and Katie Notopoulos from BuzzFeed about why that’s a problem, and get…

Your Facebook Friend Said Something Racist: Thanksgiving Edition

Nov 23, 2016 • 18 min

Don’t throw a turkey leg. Don’t go ALL CAPS rage over racism on Twitter. This Thanksgiving, when the conversation makes your blood boil, take some deep breaths and just LARA. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Drop Your Phone, Make Your Bed, Says Gretchen Rubin

Nov 16, 2016 • 21 min

Note to Self listeners are struggling to find joy on the internet after this election. Gretchen Rubin, ‘Happier’ host and author of the New York Times bestseller, The Happiness Project, has advice. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

A Post-Election Note to You

Nov 9, 2016 • 5 min

The nation is divided, and we’re all processing. So, we curated a list of 7 episodes from the archive for your post-election reality. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Do You Really Want to Live Forever?

Nov 8, 2016 • 23 min

Americans voted. Now we can think way, way beyond 2016. The failed 2016 presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan (pretty convincingly) explains why you might live forever and vote for him and the Transhumanism party in 2040. Support Note to Self by becoming a…

Mindfulness on Demand

Nov 2, 2016 • 24 min

Can’t afford a personal guru? No worries. Chade-Meng Tan, Silicon Valley’s mindfulness coach, is making meditation accessible and he’s got tips to incorporate it into our everyday lives. His latest book is, ”Joy on Demand: The Art of Discovering the…

Come and Sit with Marina Abramović

Oct 26, 2016 • 21 min

Sure, legendary performance artist, Marina Abramović, got 750,000 people to wait in line at MoMA just to sit across a table from her. But can she get us ALL to count lentils? She just published Walk Through Walls: A Memoir and she stopped by N2S to chat…

Bonus: Marina Abramović’s Method Blew Our Minds

Oct 25, 2016 • 21 min

How Marina Abramović, the world’s most famous performance artist, got Manoush and producer Jen Poyant to sit in silence for 30 minutes before a “magic” performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at…

If My Body is a Text

Oct 19, 2016 • 27 min

In a time of racial tension, how do you manage information overload—the storm of news online—when paying attention is painful? This week, two friends find their answer. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

When Silicon Valley Takes on Elementary School

Oct 12, 2016 • 27 min

This week, Manoush visits a micro-school in her Brooklyn neighborhood where the cushions are cozy and every child is optimized. Think Montessori 2.0… and the future of education if one former Google executive gets it right. Support Note to Self by…

Facing Our Weirdest Selves

Oct 5, 2016 • 25 min

After exchanging hand-drawn postcards for a year, two data designers discover how compiling and parsing the little things in life can lead to unexpected self-reflection— and friendship. Those real-life pen pals and authors of the book, Dear Data, divulge…

Digging Into Facebook’s File on You

Sep 28, 2016 • 18 min

Algorithms are everywhere in our daily lives. But most of the time, we have no idea how they work. In this week’s episode, ProPublica investigative journalist Julia Angwin explains how Facebook’s algorithms categorize us. Plus, Note to Self listeners, we…

Bonus: Chelsea Clinton Talks Global Equality and Breastfeeding

Sep 26, 2016 • 10 min

In this bonus mini-episode, Chelsea Clinton tells Manoush why she’s frustrated by the gender gap in tech. Plus, the art of juggling a new baby and a hectic campaign schedule. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

The Secret to Making Video Games Good for You

Sep 21, 2016 • 24 min

Games are the new self-help. Jane McGonigal, game researcher and developer explains how, with the right approach, games can be a powerful tool for unlocking our best selves. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

There Is No “Off the Record”

Sep 14, 2016 • 25 min

Imagine a future where every word you utter is recorded and saved. It’s not that far off. Our guest Rose Eveleth, host and producer of the Flash Forward podcast, tested out the transcribed life to see what happens when nothing is off the record. Support…

Sext Education: Teens, Photos, and the Law

Sep 7, 2016 • 25 min

On this week’s episode, Manoush goes to North Carolina to find out why a high school star quarterback and his girlfriend were charged with felonies for sending each other racy (or romantic, depending on your point of view) photos. Turns out the U.S. is at…

Blind Kids, Touchscreen Phones, and the End of Braille?

Aug 31, 2016 • 19 min

Touchscreen phones work so well for blind people that Braille may become obsolete. But advocates worry this could render the next generation “functionally illiterate.” Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

The Thing About Texts From Your Ex

Aug 24, 2016 • 20 min

If you’re not one of Text From Your Ex’s 1.9 million followers already, here’s what you need to know: Elan Gale’s brainchild is an Instagram account with pages and pages of awkwardness captured in screenshots. It turns out, reading through hundreds of…

Should We Post Pictures of Our Children Online?

Aug 17, 2016 • 23 min

Nearly 92 percent of kids in the U.S. have some digital presence by the age of two. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your child’s face should be all over the internet. So where should we draw the line? In this episode, which is a repeat from 2015, hear a…

The One Thing You Can Actually Do to Fight Surveillance

Aug 10, 2016 • 19 min

Security technologist Bruce Schneier, author of “Data and Goliath,” says you should stop feeling guilty about skimming the Terms of Service. Get mad instead. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Is My Phone Listening in On Me?

Aug 3, 2016 • 27 min

Is your phone listening a little too closely to what you have to say? Author Walter Kirn tells us why you’d be crazy NOT to be paranoid about your phone. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Taking the Lead Bonus: Andrew Moravcsik

Jul 27, 2016 • 35 min

Author and academic Andrew Moravcsik dives into why he and his wife decided he would be their family’s “lead parent,” how they came up with that term, and how that decision has affected his marriage, his kids, and ultimately his career. Support Note to…

Taking the Lead Episode 4: The Partnership

Jul 26, 2016 • 34 min

In the final chapter of our four-part series about women and work, co-founders Rachael and Leslie hear a tough critique of their pitch and make a tough decision. Plus, New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter explains how she thinks the culture around work…

Taking the Lead Episode 3: The Pressure

Jul 20, 2016 • 32 min

After tapping into their kids’ college funds, Rachael and Leslie join a startup accelerator to compete for a cash prize. But as they prepare for the competition, the business partners feel pressure to choose between selling investors on their app’s…

Taking the Lead Episode 2: The Paradox

Jul 13, 2016 • 28 min

In episode two of our 4-part series, the two moms-turned-entrepreneurs beta test their app on 20 local mothers (including Manoush). But as they get deeper into start-up life, personal differences begin to surface. Leslie, whose husband is her family’s…

Taking the Lead Episode 1: The Pain Point

Jul 6, 2016 • 26 min

Welcome to the first episode of our 4-part series: Taking the Lead. This is the story of two working moms, Rachael and Leslie, who have a big idea (a tech idea) to help more women get some work/life balance and “lean in.” But before they can launch a…

Coming Soon: Taking the Lead

Jun 30, 2016 • 3 min

Rachael and Leslie are two working moms in Brooklyn, building an app to help more women on their quest to ‘have it all.’ Manoush follows them on their journey as they confront the same struggles many women face as they try to reconcile profession with…

Bored and Brilliant: BOOT CAMP 2016

Jun 29, 2016 • 16 min

Putting down your phone and letting yourself get bored can jumpstart your creativity. Tens of thousands of you helped us prove this in 2015 with our week-long project: Bored and Brilliant. Now, just in time for summer, try out the bootcamp version with…

A Beginner’s Guide to International Tech Etiquette

Jun 22, 2016 • 24 min

NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley, Elise Hu and Gregory Warner share their insider knowledge regarding how people in other countries use tech.

What Happens When We Skimm the News

Jun 15, 2016 • 26 min

This week we dive deep into the modern media diet with theSkimm co-founders Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, and John Herrman, media reporter at the New York Times.

Infomagical: BOOTCAMP

Jun 8, 2016 • 18 min

If you’ve been with us for awhile, you know about our Infomagical challenge to fight information overload. This week, we’re giving those of you who loved it a tune-up, those of you who were overwhelmed the tl;dr version, and those of you who totally…

When To Stop Looking for a Better Date or Restaurant

Jun 1, 2016 • 20 min

Can algorithms help us eat and love better? We went on a mission to find out.

6 Algorithms That Can Improve Your Life

May 25, 2016 • 20 min

That pile of papers on your desk? That lunch meeting you can’t seem to nail down? The hundreds of emails that raise your blood pressure? We’re here to help.

Sexiness, Social Media and Teenage Girls

May 18, 2016 • 22 min

Author Peggy Orenstein tells us what the Internet is teaching teen girls about sexiness and desirability.

The Realities of Virtual Reality

May 11, 2016 • 19 min

We’ve put it off for long enough. It’s time to talk about VR.

What Happens to the Videos No One Watches

May 4, 2016 • 22 min

Exploring the Lonely Web.

Eye in the Sky

Apr 27, 2016 • 35 min

Ross McNutt has a superpower — he can zoom in on everyday life, then rewind and fast-forward to solve crimes in a shutter-flash. But should he?

The Puppet Masters Behind Online Shopping

Apr 20, 2016 • 23 min

We head inside Etsy’s Usability Testing Lab to understand the art of User Experience and online shopping seduction.

Two Dope Queens on Feminism

Apr 13, 2016 • 12 min

Phoebe Robinson—a stand up-comedian, writer and co-host of WNYC’s new podcast ‘2 Dope Queens’—joins us to talk about finding digital feminism.

Creating a Super-Human You with Dave Asprey

Apr 6, 2016 • 14 min

The man behind the Bulletproof empire explains why sometimes in order to get results, you have to go to extremes.

Forget Edibles: Getting High on Wearables

Mar 30, 2016 • 20 min

There are a lot of tools out there that claim to train—even change—your brain. So do they work? We put them to the test and things get… interesting.

Apple’s Security Debate is Everyone’s Problem (Including Yours)

Mar 23, 2016 • 13 min

If your phone was stolen, you’d most likely be concerned that the thief would now have access to your bank account…and your vacation photos. But what if the thief was the government?

Your Quantified Body, Your Quantified Self

Mar 16, 2016 • 27 min

What happens when we start thinking of ourselves as walking, breathing, calorie-consuming piles of data? We asked hundreds of people to weigh in (figuratively speaking).

Why You Feel More Productive But the Economy Isn’t

Mar 9, 2016 • 17 min

Douglas Rushkoff, author of “Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus,” argues that our fixation on “growth” has made us less financially secure, with big consequences for our communities.