Note to Self - podcast cover

Note to Self

WNYC Studioswww.wnycstudios.org
Is your phone watching you? Can texting make you smarter? Are your kids real? Note to Self explores these and other essential quandaries facing anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts, including Radiolab, Death, Sex & Money, Snap Judgment, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin, Nancy and many others. © WNYC Studios
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Episodes

Father's Day Bonus: Dad As the Lead Parent

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 women in the workplace). This bonus episode is one of our favorites from the Note to Self archive, and was first released as part of our now award-winning series Taking the Lead. We thought it fitting to return to today.

Jun 18, 201735 minEp. 283

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

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 in Congress? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Jun 14, 201718 minEp. 282

Meet the Humans Who Protect Your Eyes

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 NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate .

Jun 07, 201723 minEp. 280

What We Learned from Grandpa’s FBI File

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 at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate .

May 31, 201719 minEp. 279

Ed Snowden Says a 'Very Very Dark Future' Is Not Inevitable

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 a very Note to Self chat with a very smart man. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

May 17, 201726 minEp. 278

Wait, What IS Reality? We Investigate.

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 reality itself, with our friend Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC’s On the Media. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

May 16, 201722 minEp. 277

Taking the Lead Episode 1: The Pain Point

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, with Episode 1: The Pain Point. And happy Mother's Day, ladies. You rock.

May 14, 201728 minEp. 276

Taking the Lead Episode 2: The Paradox

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.

May 14, 201729 minEp. 275

Taking the Lead Episode 3: The Pressure

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.

May 14, 201733 minEp. 274

Taking the Lead Episode 4: The Partnership

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 she can remain the kind of mom she wants to be?

May 14, 201735 minEp. 273

Why Are So Many Bots Following Manoush?

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 .

May 10, 201720 minEp. 272

Parents Just Don’t Understand, Tech Edition

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 stop copping out of tough conversations with a text. Admit it, you do it too. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

May 03, 201724 minEp. 271

AI Learns from Us. So It Learns Bias.

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 NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate .

Apr 26, 201718 minEp. 270

Revealing Selfies. Not Like That.

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 could deduce. A lot, it turns out. Date and time. Location, down to where in a building you were. Your name, education, employment history. Your hopes and dreams. Well, not quite. But close. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at Note...

Apr 19, 201720 minEp. 269

Spring Cleaning for the Mind

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 Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Apr 12, 201718 minEp. 268

Cucked: Defining Manhood the Alt-Right Way

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 becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate .

Apr 05, 201725 minEp. 267

Deep-Dark-Data-Driven Politics

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 week, some answers. With Matt Oczkowski of Cambridge Analytica, psychometrics pioneer Michal Kosinski, and Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Mar 29, 201726 minEp. 266

The Man Who Invented Facebook Ad Tracking Is Not Sorry

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 shunned in the Valley. Especially when you write a bestseller. The author of Chaos Monkeys, on the fallout from his attempt to commit career suicide. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Mar 22, 201720 minEp. 265

Government Secrets Worth Leaking... or Keeping?

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 .

Mar 15, 201727 minEp. 264

Will You Do a Snapchat Streak With Me?

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 Harris, of Time Well Spent, and Snapchat artist CyreneQ. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Mar 08, 201718 minEp. 263

Zapping Your Brain To Bliss

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 at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate .

Mar 01, 201719 minEp. 262

Can Your Phone Make You Better In Bed?

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 more… unusual desires. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Feb 22, 201723 minEp. 261

Privacy, Data Survivalism and a New Tech Ethics

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 to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Feb 21, 201729 minEp. 260

Privacy Paradox: Results Show

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 Michal Kosinski, creator of Apply Magic Sauce, and Solon Barocas, who studies the ethics of machine learning at Microsoft Research. Plus, reports from our listeners on the wonder and terror of digging through their digital identities. Support Note t...

Feb 15, 201732 minEp. 259

Day 5: Your Personal Terms of Service

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 private experience online. And he thinks we can build it together. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Feb 10, 201713 minEp. 258

Day 4: Fifteen Minutes of Anonymity

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 psychology professor Elias Aboujaoude on how to find your true self when your personal details are public knowledge. Plus, it's time to get away from wifi, unplug the smart devices, and turn off your phone. We're going off the grid. Briefly. Support Not...

Feb 09, 201712 minEp. 257

Day 3: Something To Hide

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 you. To assess your personality. Today, find out who the Internet thinks you are. With the man who helped Google implement the right to be forgotten. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate ....

Feb 08, 201711 minEp. 256

Day 2: The Search For Your Identity

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. Today, we go from creepy to crappy. Creepy is that vague feeling that the machines know… something. Crappy, at least, is knowing what they know. And taking a step to slow the information flow. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at N...

Feb 07, 201716 minEp. 255

Day 1: What Your Phone Knows

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 not talking to them. Maybe you want your apps to know what you’re up to. Or maybe want to open up your Settings app and check out what data you’re giving away. That’s your task for day one of “The Privacy Paradox,” our five-part project to help...

Feb 06, 201711 minEp. 254
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