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Culture Gabfest: How the BlackBerry Got Squashed May 17, 2023

Show notes

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about the movie BlackBerry. Then they discuss the new Peacock series Bupkis. Finally, Slate’s Isaac Butler sits in to talk about the questions around Shakespeare’s identity that refuse to die.

In Slate Plus, Steve's recent move and how physical place relates to phases of life.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: The vibes-based playlists on Matthew Perpetua’s YouTube channel

Julia: Amityville: An Origin Story on MGM+ and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One | The Biggest Stunt in Cinema History (Tom Cruise)

Stephen: SeeFeist live if you have the opportunity.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

Outro music: "Bloody Hunter" by Paisley Pink

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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ICYMI: Quiet Luxury is TikTok’s Latest Nonsensical Fashion Trend May 17, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined again by Nadira Goffe for a sequel to their August 2022 episode “What is A Clean Girl?” The two dive deep into TikTok’s latest favorite fashion trend: quiet luxury, or stealth wealth. The aesthetic’s adherents posits that rich people don’t dress in ostentatious labels, but instead communicate their wealth through brands like Brunello Cucinell, Loro Piana and The Row. Quiet luxurists point to figures like the Roy family from HBO’s Succession and Gwyneth Paltrow at her recent trial as examples of stealth wealth. But the trend, like it’s “old money” predecessor, is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of fashion, classism and racism.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Rachelle Hampton and Daisy Rosario.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Hi-Phi Nation: Rise of the Music Machines May 16, 2023

Show notes

On this show we explore three different AI and machine-generated music technologies; vocal emulators that allow you to deep fake a singer or rapper’s voice, AI-generated compositions and text-to-music generators like Google Music LM and Open AI’s Jukebox, and musical improvisation technologies. We listen to the variety of music these technologies generate, and two guitarists face off against an AI in improvised guitar solos.

Along the way, we talk to philosophers of music Robin James and Theodore Gracyk about what musical creativity is and whether machines are more or less creative than human musicians, and Barry gives his take on each of the technologies and what they mean for the future of musical creativity.

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Hang Up: How to Cover a Dog Show May 16, 2023

Show notes

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to discuss the 76ers’ Game 7 loss to the Celtics and other NBA playoff storylines. Meg Rowley of FanGraphs also joins to assess the terrible Oakland A’s and the excellent Tampa Bay Rays. Finally, the New York Times’ Sarah Lyall talks about reporting on the Westminster Dog Show.

NBA (3:26): How Philly blew itand what to look for in the conference finals.

Baseball (30:15): Are the A’s one of the worst teams in history?

Dogs (52:13): How a breed few people have heard of won Best in Show.

Afterball (1:08:41): Stefan on Joe Kapp, NFL labor pioneer.

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Slate Money Succession S4 Ep8: Election Night May 15, 2023

Show notes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and guest Euan Rellie discuss the Election Night episode of Succession season 4.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working: A Hit YouTube Channel's Whimsical English Subtitles May 14, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Karen Han talks to Hannah Yim and Justine Won, subtitle translators for the YouTube channel SBS Animal Farm. The channel features cute animal videos with Korean subtitles, which Hannah and Justine adapt for an English-speaking audience. In the interview, they discuss the challenges of translating Korean slang and other culturally specific language into English. They also discuss their fast-paced workflow and what it’s like to get feedback from YouTube commenters.

After the interview, Karen and co-host June Thomas talk about the positives and negatives of fast-paced work environments.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Hannah and Justine talk more about their workflow and how they divide up their duties.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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ICYMI: Why Tarte Cosmetics is Being Accused of Racism (Again) May 13, 2023

Show notes

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by ICYMI favorite, Nadira Goffe to talk about the makeup meltdown that’s taken over TikTok. The two dissect a Miami F1 brand trip sponsored by Tarte Cosmetics that ended in multiple apology videos and a promise by Tarte CEO Maureen Kelly to make her brand’s creator program more equitable. They dive deep into Tarte’s less than inclusive history and explain how exactly Pyrex got involved.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Rachelle Hampton and Daisy Rosario.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Hit Parade: Champagne Supernova Edition Part 1 May 13, 2023

Show notes

In the ’90s, U.K. rock was by Britons, for Britons. The music of the U.K. indie, Madchester and shoegaze scenes fused together into a new wave of guitar bands with punk energy, laddish lyrics and danceable grooves. They called it Britpop.

In the motherland, Britpop set the charts alight: Blur faced off against Oasis. Pulp poked fun at the class system. Suede sold androgyny, and Elastica repackaged ’70s art-punk as ’90s pop. But with rare exception, these hits didn’t translate in America. There was no Third British Invasion in the ’90s—with the exception of that one inscrutable Oasis song about a “Wonderwall.”

Why did Britpop fire up Old Blighty and flop with the Yanks? Join Chris Molanphy as he tries to define Britppop—was it a scene? a sound? a movement?—and explains how the music boomed and busted faster than a cannonball.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Dear Prudence: My Co-Worker Repeatedly Ignores My Boundaries. Help! May 12, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, award-winning actor, director, and educator LeVar Burton joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters from readers about stealing from abusive parents, sharing snacks with children, and how to cope as an actor when you don’t land a role you really wanted.

If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Brandon Nix.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Word: Dungeons, Dragons, and Diversity May 12, 2023

Show notes

The persistent stereotype that role-playing, tabletop game players are overwhelmingly white is rooted in race, housing, and history. The suburban homes where people could dedicate a surface to a sprawling, multiplayer board game used to be almost exclusively white. And the knights, wizards, and other fantastic creatures in these games were closely tied to European mythology. But a more diverse world of game playing is rising, with more people of color getting a seat at the creative table. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses diversity in hobby games with Aaron Trammell, a professor of informatics at U.C. Irvine. He’s also the author of the new book The Privilege of Play: A History of Hobby Games, Race and Geek Culture.

Guest: Aaron Trammell, author of The Privilege of Play: A History of Hobby Games, Race and Geek Culture

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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