Armed with a slim laptop and a Wi-Fi hot spot, Bobbie Carlton used to work everywhere—coffee shops, clients’ offices. The 56-year-old, who runs an online speakers’ platform, felt like the archetype of the modern worker. “Cords are for old people,” she explained. Now 50 feet of Ethernet cable snakes through her 100-year-old house in Lexington, Mass., climbing over doorways, running up the staircase, taped to the floor of the upstairs hall. It’s seriously ugly, she acknowledges. “Good God, this is...
Mar 30, 2022•6 min•Ep. 121
Sandbox AQ, a software startup developing quantum-computing and artificial-intelligence tools for commercial use, on Tuesday officially spun off from Alphabet Inc.’s Google to become a stand-alone company. The move was fueled by a “nine-figure” funding round that included Breyer Capital, T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. and Guggenheim Partners LLC, among other investors, the company said. The amount and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Eric Schmidt, Google’s former chief executive, was named c...
Mar 29, 2022•38 sec•Ep. 122
Sandbox AQ, a software startup developing quantum-computing and artificial-intelligence tools for commercial use, on Tuesday officially spun off from Alphabet Inc.’s Google to become a stand-alone company. The move was fueled by a “nine-figure” funding round that included Breyer Capital, T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. and Guggenheim Partners LLC, among other investors, the company said. The amount and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Eric Schmidt, Google’s former chief executive, was named c...
Mar 29, 2022•4 min•Ep. 123
To Whom It May Concern: Job applicants are putting a hard stop to those dreaded cover letters. Many hiring managers say a sharp cover letter remains one of the best ways to make the case for why you are the right person for the job. Yet many job seekers say the self-promoting exercise is too torturous and time-consuming to be worth the effort for a less-than-dream role. It’s also just plain insulting, they argue, since it’s often an algorithm , not a human, that screens and sorts the application...
Mar 28, 2022•43 sec•Ep. 124
To Whom It May Concern: Job applicants are putting a hard stop to those dreaded cover letters. Many hiring managers say a sharp cover letter remains one of the best ways to make the case for why you are the right person for the job. Yet many job seekers say the self-promoting exercise is too torturous and time-consuming to be worth the effort for a less-than-dream role. It’s also just plain insulting, they argue, since it’s often an algorithm , not a human, that screens and sorts the application...
Mar 28, 2022•6 min•Ep. 125
As more companies begin their return to the office, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. FB +2.11% is becoming more remote than ever before. The company’s management team, including Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg , is scattering to locations far from its Silicon Valley headquarters in an extreme test of the limits of remote work . Naomi Gleit, the company’s head of product and one of its longest-tenured employees, has relocated to New York. Chief Marketing Officer Alex Schultz plans to move to t...
Mar 25, 2022•42 sec•Ep. 126
As more companies begin their return to the office, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. FB +2.11% is becoming more remote than ever before. The company’s management team, including Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg , is scattering to locations far from its Silicon Valley headquarters in an extreme test of the limits of remote work . Naomi Gleit, the company’s head of product and one of its longest-tenured employees, has relocated to New York. Chief Marketing Officer Alex Schultz plans to move to t...
Mar 25, 2022•5 min•Ep. 127
Broadway, looking to regain its prepandemic audiences, is relying on boldface names such as Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, Sarah Jessica Parker…and Mike Boschen. Mr. Boschen is in the current revival of “The Music Man.” He is a trombonist, and they are having a moment. In “Hadestown,” trombonist Brian Drye appears on stage and interacts with the cast. (As one theater observer noted on Twitter: “Phenomenal cast and all, but the trombone is the real star.”) In “Chicago,” trombonists Bruce Bonvissuto ...
Mar 24, 2022•46 sec•Ep. 128
Broadway, looking to regain its prepandemic audiences, is relying on boldface names such as Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, Sarah Jessica Parker…and Mike Boschen. Mr. Boschen is in the current revival of “The Music Man.” He is a trombonist, and they are having a moment. In “Hadestown,” trombonist Brian Drye appears on stage and interacts with the cast. (As one theater observer noted on Twitter: “Phenomenal cast and all, but the trombone is the real star.”) In “Chicago,” trombonists Bruce Bonvissuto ...
Mar 24, 2022•5 min•Ep. 129
People want to live in Manhattan as much as they ever have. The problem is that not enough people want to work there. And for Midtown Manhattan, a neighborhood built on the five-day-a-week commuter, that is a problem so momentous that after decades as the dominant office district in the country, real-estate developers and city planners are trying to imagine what else it can offer. On the residential side, Manhattan apartment rentals are booming and sales are reaching record levels. But offices i...
Mar 23, 2022•46 sec•Ep. 130
People want to live in Manhattan as much as they ever have. The problem is that not enough people want to work there. And for Midtown Manhattan, a neighborhood built on the five-day-a-week commuter, that is a problem so momentous that after decades as the dominant office district in the country, real-estate developers and city planners are trying to imagine what else it can offer. On the residential side, Manhattan apartment rentals are booming and sales are reaching record levels. But offices i...
Mar 23, 2022•6 min•Ep. 131
The supply-chain bottlenecks that have hobbled big retailers are proving to be a boon for off-price apparel sellers. Executives at discount stores, including Burlington Stores Inc. and Ross Stores Inc., say their buyers have been snapping up late-arriving clothing and other goods as their full-price counterparts cope with backlogs at congested U.S. ports. Ross Stores has been “able to capitalize on the volatility in the supply chain,” including stocks of apparel held for specific selling seasons...
Mar 22, 2022•46 sec•Ep. 132
The supply-chain bottlenecks that have hobbled big retailers are proving to be a boon for off-price apparel sellers. Executives at discount stores, including Burlington Stores Inc. and Ross Stores Inc., say their buyers have been snapping up late-arriving clothing and other goods as their full-price counterparts cope with backlogs at congested U.S. ports. Ross Stores has been “able to capitalize on the volatility in the supply chain,” including stocks of apparel held for specific selling seasons...
Mar 22, 2022•5 min•Ep. 133
The closure of late-night taco spots in York, Pa., has left Christian Williamson and his co-workers at a local hospital without a place to unwind after night shifts . Mr. Williamson used to order the Chicken Chalupas or Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell. He said he now says goodbye to his co-workers after clocking out after 11 p.m., goes home, plays videogames and orders from DoorDash —if he can find any restaurants still open. Midnight snack “Definitely I am nostalgic for those days,” said Mr....
Mar 21, 2022•49 sec•Ep. 134
The closure of late-night taco spots in York, Pa., has left Christian Williamson and his co-workers at a local hospital without a place to unwind after night shifts . Mr. Williamson used to order the Chicken Chalupas or Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell. He said he now says goodbye to his co-workers after clocking out after 11 p.m., goes home, plays videogames and orders from DoorDash —if he can find any restaurants still open. Midnight snack “Definitely I am nostalgic for those days,” said Mr....
Mar 21, 2022•5 min•Ep. 135
Apparel retailers and department stores are bumping up against pockets of price resistance, a sign that consumers are curtailing spending as inflation remains at the highest level in four decades. Macy’s Inc. M +0.34% tried to raise prices on some mattresses and sofas by $100, but shoppers pushed back, Chief Executive Jeff Gennette said. Clothing brand Bella Dahl raised prices on its T-shirts by about $20, then sales fell and the company rolled back the price increase. “There was a revolt,” said...
Mar 18, 2022•43 sec•Ep. 136
Apparel retailers and department stores are bumping up against pockets of price resistance, a sign that consumers are curtailing spending as inflation remains at the highest level in four decades. Macy’s Inc. M +0.34% tried to raise prices on some mattresses and sofas by $100, but shoppers pushed back, Chief Executive Jeff Gennette said. Clothing brand Bella Dahl raised prices on its T-shirts by about $20, then sales fell and the company rolled back the price increase. “There was a revolt,” said...
Mar 18, 2022•5 min•Ep. 137
Lydia Cohen was picking classes for her last semester at New York University when she saw it: an entire class about Taylor Swift. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I need to get into this class,’ ” said Ms. Cohen, a devoted fan of the musician who listens to her songs as soon as she wakes up. “How does this exist?” For nearly two months, the 22-year-old media-culture-and-communication major joined 19 other NYU students for 2.5 hours every Wednesday night to study the superstar. They discussed her impact...
Mar 17, 2022•44 sec•Ep. 138
Lydia Cohen was picking classes for her last semester at New York University when she saw it: an entire class about Taylor Swift. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I need to get into this class,’ ” said Ms. Cohen, a devoted fan of the musician who listens to her songs as soon as she wakes up. “How does this exist?” For nearly two months, the 22-year-old media-culture-and-communication major joined 19 other NYU students for 2.5 hours every Wednesday night to study the superstar. They discussed her impact...
Mar 17, 2022•5 min•Ep. 139
What if the key to managing your stress is…more stress? That is the finding of a growing body of biological research that indicates that short intermittent bouts of stress such as heat, exercise and dietary restriction can strengthen your ability to withstand chronic stress. Dosing yourself with bursts of pressure, called hormetic stress, can help your body and mind weather tough periods at work and home and help counter some of the unhealthy chronic stress caused by two years of pandemic . High...
Mar 16, 2022•51 sec•Ep. 140
What if the key to managing your stress is…more stress? That is the finding of a growing body of biological research that indicates that short intermittent bouts of stress such as heat, exercise and dietary restriction can strengthen your ability to withstand chronic stress. Dosing yourself with bursts of pressure, called hormetic stress, can help your body and mind weather tough periods at work and home and help counter some of the unhealthy chronic stress caused by two years of pandemic . High...
Mar 16, 2022•5 min•Ep. 141
“The Batman” has broken out as the biggest box-office hit of the year. Unofficially, the movie might have also set a new standard for the darkest superhero blockbuster ever made. Almost 100% of the movie plays out at night. Robert Pattinson’s vigilante superhero does his job in heavy rain, dim rooms and a nightclub resembling a bunker. One of the story’s few daytime sequences takes place at a funeral. “I am the shadows,” Batman murmurs in a voice-over before materializing in a crypt-like subway ...
Mar 15, 2022•39 sec•Ep. 142
“The Batman” has broken out as the biggest box-office hit of the year. Unofficially, the movie might have also set a new standard for the darkest superhero blockbuster ever made. Almost 100% of the movie plays out at night. Robert Pattinson’s vigilante superhero does his job in heavy rain, dim rooms and a nightclub resembling a bunker. One of the story’s few daytime sequences takes place at a funeral. “I am the shadows,” Batman murmurs in a voice-over before materializing in a crypt-like subway ...
Mar 15, 2022•5 min•Ep. 143
AUSTIN—Since 1975, Skeeter Miller’s The County Line barbecue restaurants have been dishing out ribs, brisket, turkey and sausage “so good you’ll want to get it all over ya,” their slogan says. Loyalists who have been coming since the beginning remember all-you-can-eat plates for $6.75. Amid the pandemic and the fast-rising cost of meat , Mr. Miller has had to raise prices, including four times in just the past year, he said. When he pushed the price of the Big Daddy Platter—a hefty rack of slow-...
Mar 14, 2022•51 sec•Ep. 144
AUSTIN—Since 1975, Skeeter Miller’s The County Line barbecue restaurants have been dishing out ribs, brisket, turkey and sausage “so good you’ll want to get it all over ya,” their slogan says. Loyalists who have been coming since the beginning remember all-you-can-eat plates for $6.75. Amid the pandemic and the fast-rising cost of meat , Mr. Miller has had to raise prices, including four times in just the past year, he said. When he pushed the price of the Big Daddy Platter—a hefty rack of slow-...
Mar 14, 2022•5 min•Ep. 145
The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, increased 7.9% over the past 12 months, a fresh 40-year high for the closely followed gauge, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The February acceleration was the fastest pace since January1982, back when the U.S. economy confronted the twin threat of higher inflation and reduced economic growth. Gas, groceries and shelter were the biggest contributors to the CPI gain. Auto prices ea...
Mar 11, 2022•35 sec•Ep. 146
The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, increased 7.9% over the past 12 months, a fresh 40-year high for the closely followed gauge, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The February acceleration was the fastest pace since January1982, back when the U.S. economy confronted the twin threat of higher inflation and reduced economic growth. Gas, groceries and shelter were the biggest contributors to the CPI gain. Auto prices ea...
Mar 11, 2022•4 min•Ep. 147
One of the greatest maritime mysteries of modern times was solved when a team of explorers said they had discovered the wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which disappeared under Antarctic sea ice in 1915. An international team of marine archaeologists and scientists located the wreck 3,000 meters under the Weddell Sea, approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded when Endurance sank. Videos show the ship, which was discovered on March 5, had been well preserved i...
Mar 10, 2022•58 sec•Ep. 148
One of the greatest maritime mysteries of modern times was solved when a team of explorers said they had discovered the wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which disappeared under Antarctic sea ice in 1915. An international team of marine archaeologists and scientists located the wreck 3,000 meters under the Weddell Sea, approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded when Endurance sank. Videos show the ship, which was discovered on March 5, had been well preserved i...
Mar 10, 2022•6 min•Ep. 149
TRY AS YOU MIGHT, in fashion, you can’t outrun the past. Believe it or not, the grungy, 1990s-style men’s denim trend is back. Though he wasn’t born when Soundgarden first hit the airwaves in the late ’80s, Josh Galdo, 26, a nurse in Las Vegas, is drawn to hole-ridden jeans like the ones so many Seattle bands wore in the ’90s. “Probably one of the biggest style icons, Kurt Cobain, always wore slouchy, loose-fit destroyed jeans, but it looks so comfortable on him,” said Mr. Galdo, who owns worn-o...
Mar 09, 2022•1 min•Ep. 150
