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.
The material objects surrounding individuals—from folded boarding passes to old textbooks—collectively form a personal biography, a concept that extends to the national identity of the United States as it approaches its 250th anniversary. Beyond traditional museum artifacts like the Declaration of Independence, a deepe...
The "enshittification" of modern technology describes a systemic process where platforms and manufacturers lock users into proprietary ecosystems, subsequently degrading product quality and repairability to maximize corporate profits. This phenomenon manifests in diverse sectors, from agricultural machinery like John D...
Gary Davis, a former Broadway actor and WWII pilot, renounced his American citizenship in 1948 to protest the nation-state system, which he identified as the primary driver of global conflict. By declaring himself a "World Citizen," Davis founded the World Service Authority to issue alternative identity documents, incl...
Articles VI and VII of the U.S. Constitution establish the foundational framework for federal authority, specifically through the Supremacy Clause, which mandates that federal law overrides conflicting state statutes. This constitutional principle serves as the primary mechanism for navigating modern regulatory challen...
Co-op City, the world’s largest housing cooperative located in the Bronx, represents a unique "in-between" model of middle-class housing that bridges the gap between public projects and expensive market-rate real estate. Emerging from the vision of socialist organizer Abraham Kazin and the urban renewal efforts of Robe...
Major League Baseball has integrated the Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) system, shifting from human-only officiating to a challenge-based model where players can appeal strike zone calls to an automated system. While this technology aims to improve accuracy and reduce the 14 average blown calls per game, it has fund...
The podcast investigates predatory towing practices, focusing on how towing companies exploit loopholes and lack of regulation to maximize profits. It begins with a story about Kelly's car being towed from a 7-Eleven parking lot. Tom Berry, a retired Detroit police officer and fraud investigator, explains how towing is...
The podcast explores the complexities of Phoenix's electrical grid, focusing on how the city manages to maintain a reliable power supply in extreme heat. It highlights the intricate balance between energy generation and consumption, emphasizing the role of the Salt River Project (SRP) in coordinating power from various...
San Francisco's approach to public trash cans is explored, questioning the factors influencing their placement, maintenance, and design. Rachel Gordon from San Francisco Public Works, explains that the city strategically places trash cans near transit stops, commercial areas, and schools, and also responds to requests ...
The podcast examines Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which outlines the amendment process, and explores the history and challenges of amending the Constitution with historian Jill Lepore. Lepore argues that the Constitution was designed to be amended, but formal amendments through Article V have become functionally...
Los Angeles's traffic light system, known as ATSAC, is explored, revealing its origins in the 1984 Olympics when city leaders sought to alleviate traffic congestion for the influx of visitors. The system connects nearly 5,000 traffic signals, using sensors to monitor traffic flow and algorithms to adjust signal timing ...
NYC's 311 system, designed to streamline city service requests, is explored, detailing its origins, functionality, and impact. Beginning in the 1990s as a solution to overwhelmed 911 lines, 311 evolved in New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg into a comprehensive customer service operation. Joe Morrisroe, who is ...
The podcast explores the late 19th-century Martian craze, driven by Percival Lowell's theory of an advanced civilization on Mars. Lowell, from a prominent family, built an observatory and popularized the idea of Martian canals, which he believed were part of a planet-wide irrigation system. Despite skepticism from othe...
The podcast explores the historical problem of determining longitude at sea, focusing on the 18th-century Longitude Act and John Harrison's revolutionary clockmaking. The narrative details Harrison's journey from a self-taught clockmaker to creating highly accurate sea clocks, like H1 and H4, that challenged the prevai...
The podcast dissects Article IV of the U.S. Constitution and the 10th Amendment, focusing on the relationship between states and the federal government. It examines the Full Faith and Credit Clause, particularly in the context of same-sex marriage before and after the Obergefell decision, and the implications of the Re...
Australia's Dingo Barrier Fence, the world's longest continuous fence, stretches over 5,000 kilometers to separate dingoes from sheep-grazing lands. Originally intended as a rabbit-proof fence, it was repurposed to protect the booming wool industry, which relied on vast, unsupervised sheep flocks. Ecologist Thomas News...
Los Algodones, Mexico, also known as Molar City, has transformed from a cotton farming town to a dental tourism hub catering to Americans seeking affordable dental care. The town's reinvention began when Dr. Bernardo Magana recognized the opportunity to provide cheaper dental services to Americans, leading him to estab...
The history and controversy surrounding US license plates are explored, beginning with Idaho's innovative potato-themed plates in 1928, which sparked a trend of states using plates for tourism and marketing. However, this practice soon faced pushback, as seen when Idahoans rejected the potato design. The conflict escal...
The podcast explores the history and cultural significance of the em dash, sparked by a Reddit accusation that a newsletter writer, Brian Vance, used AI due to his em dash usage. It traces the em dash from its origins with Italian scholar Bonnie, through its adoption by Shakespeare for dramatic pauses, to its prominenc...
The podcast examines Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes the judicial branch, focusing on its surprising brevity and the significant role Congress plays in shaping the Supreme Court's structure and jurisdiction. Adam Liptak, a Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, joins the discussion, high...
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