Roman Mars · Arts & Culture

99% Invisible

Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.

Episodes

The evolution of data storage technology—from the mechanical bumps of music boxes to the punch cards of the Jacquard loom—serves as the foundation for modern computing and the design of children's clothing. Initially developed to automate intricate weaving patterns, the Jacquard loom’s punch card system enabled the 189...

Billboard Boys: The Greatest Radio Contest of All Time

19 Sep 2018

28m

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In 1982, Allentown radio station WSAN launched an endurance contest where three contestants lived on a billboard for months to win a modular home. Driven by the severe economic recession and high unemployment of the era, the participants endured harsh weather and isolation, turning the stunt into a symbol of blue-colla...

The House that Came in the Mail

11 Sep 2018

32m

The First Straw

05 Sep 2018

24m

Double Standards

29 Aug 2018

25m

Bundyville

21 Aug 2018

42m

It's Chinatown

14 Aug 2018

35m

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San Francisco’s Chinatown architecture and American-Chinese cuisine evolved as strategic responses to systemic racism and economic survival rather than authentic cultural expressions. Following the 1906 earthquake, city leaders attempted to relocate the neighborhood to clear valuable downtown real estate. In response, ...

Fire and Rain

08 Aug 2018

30m

Built to Burn

01 Aug 2018

31m

The Shipping Forecast

25 Jul 2018

27m

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The podcast explores the cultural phenomenon of the British shipping forecast, a seemingly cryptic weather report that has become a beloved and strangely comforting radio program for many, even those not at sea. It traces the forecast's origins to Admiral Robert Fitzroy, who coined the term "weather forecast" in his ef...