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Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 2 (classic) Jul 10, 2026

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We travel to Germany to trace techno’s history from Detroit to Berlin. The story of how, after the Wall fell, Berlin exorcised its brutal past with a very strange, decade-long party. A mission that takes us all the way to the gates of Berghain.

Music Credits: Original composition in this episode by Armen Bazarian. Additional Tracks: Game One - Infiniti, Dead Man Watches The Clock - Marcel Dettmann & Ben Klock, The Call - Marcel Dettmann & Norman Nodge, Quicksand - Marcel Dettmann. Full playlist here.

Sven von Thüle: https://soundcloud.com/svt // Der Klang der Familie

Gesine Kühne: https://soundcloud.com/wannadosomething

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Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 1 (classic) Jul 03, 2026

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Two Americans embark on a quest: fly across an ocean to try to get into the most exclusive nightclub in the world – Berghain. A German techno palace where the line outside can last 8 hours, and the bouncers are merciless in their judgments. The club does not explain how it makes its decisions about who can enter, but one foolish podcaster will try to explain anyway.

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A Strange Voyage Jun 25, 2026

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This month, SpaceX had the largest IPO in all of human history. In a mission to understand a bewildering moment, we trace the story of the stock market itself. From its very beginnings in the Netherlands, to its supersizing in America, through the prism of crypto and widespread speculation that has led to this moment with SpaceX. What happened?

⁠The World's First Stock Exchange⁠ by Lodewijk Petram

⁠The Wisdom of Finance⁠ by Mihir Desai

⁠Liftoff⁠ and ⁠Reentry⁠ by Eric Berger

Search Engine's earlier reporting on Elon Musk’s controversial data centers: ⁠Colossus 1⁠ & ⁠Colossus 2⁠

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Why doesn’t anybody come to my parties? Jun 15, 2026

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Claire Haber-Harris has a question. When she sends out an invitation, why does she get a tidal wave of excuses and no's? How could someone claim to have had the same stomach virus three times in a row? Search Engine investigates why a random American mom might be annoying people in her community.

Cartoons Hate Her on Substack

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Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret? (classic) Jun 05, 2026

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An investigation into a mysterious room. A room that the most famous family in England apparently does not want you to see.

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Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund? May 29, 2026

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The President has created a 1.776 billion dollar fund of taxpayer money he can direct to whoever he wants. Huh? How did this happen, and what might happen next? We talk to Pro Publica’s Jesse Eisinger, an investigative reporter who has played a strange role in this whole story.

Listen to our series with Jesse: Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1) and (Part 2)

Check out the new ProPublica podcast Paper Trail.

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The many lives of Taiwan May 22, 2026

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We go deep into the story of Taiwan. How a tiny island escaped demise, chartered a course from colonial subjugation through mass Barbie production and into the technological powerhouse it is today.

The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China's Economic Rise by Shelley Rigger

Get tickets to hear PJ read live! Friends With Words at Roulette

Why are people excited about nuclear power again? May 08, 2026

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Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers for Google and Microsoft. What does new nuclear technology look like, and why do the nuclear optimists believe this new tech is superior? Meltdowns, reactors that can fit in your backyard, and one podcaster’s heroic attempt to describe nuclear fission.

Rachel Slaybaugh

Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (check out her book Atomic Dreams)

Adam Stein

Search Engine’s episodes on data centers: Colossus 1 & Colossus 2

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What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic) May 01, 2026

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We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the place we go where we die and an answer to what happens when it runs out of money.

Is the Cemetery Dead? by David Charles Sloane

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Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America? Apr 24, 2026

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An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results.

Read Caity Weaver’s story.

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