The Daily Dive

Latest Episodes:

Quarantine Puppies Are Misbehaving and Why the McDonald’s Ice Cream Machine Is Always Broken Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

Professional dog trainers are having to deal with an increase in misbehaving pandemic puppies. Because of quarantines and shutdowns many first time dog owners didn’t properly train or socialize their pups which led them to be overly reactive or have separation anxiety. The big worry for these trainers is that if people can’t get dogs under control, they may be surrendered. Bailey Berg, contributor to Vice News, joins us for more.

Next, how many times have you gone to McDonald’s for a nice frozen treat only to be told that the ice cream machine is broken? One couple attempted to get to the bottom of why the Taylor ice cream machines that McDonald’s uses are always breaking and found that there is a secret repair menu that most workers don’t know how to access which forces them to contact the manufacturer for maintenance. This couple eventually created a way to hack the machines, only to have Taylor and McDonald’s stop them. Andy Greenberg, senior writer at Wired, joins us for the fight over hacking McDonald’s ice cream machines.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rise of Godless America and Law Graduates Face Mounting Student Debt Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

We have been seeing a decline in those identifying as religious for some time now and in the absence of religious belief many have channeled that into political belief. What is America supposed to mean or what does it mean to be un-American? Politics has become the new religion and ideological intensity has risen driving a divide in the country. Shadi Hamid, contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins us for more.

Next, another story of students taking on mountains of debt only to have the high paying jobs they were promised out of reach. Law school, which was once seen as a great path to a well-paying job is the latest to be scrutinized as students often take out six figure federal loans. Recent graduates of the University of Miami School of Law borrowed a median of 163,000 and two years later, half of them were earning 59,000 or less, making it difficult to pay down their loans. Just 15% of recent grads were able to begin repaying their student loans after two years. Andrea Fuller, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House Sellers Strip Appliances Before Leaving Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

It's a seller's market out there and in some cases they are flexing their muscles to squeeze the most out of selling their homes. There have been some unusual demands such as taking all of the kitchen cabinets, mid-range appliances, and even toilets. Sometimes it's for sentimental reasons, but sometimes it's just because they can. Buyers, worn out from bidding wars, just accept the terms. Ronda Kaysen, NYT columnist and co-author of Right at Home, joins us for more.

Next, be careful when you see your favorite influencers and personalities promoting cryptocurrency. With all the hype around crypto right now, many are promoting “alt-coins” or “meme-coins” and unfortunately they are often tied to what are known as pump and dump schemes. Influencers pump up the altcoins in their networks, the value rises for a very short period of time, major investors dump the coins when it hits their peak, and everyone else is left with these crypto coins worth nothing. Matt Binder, reporter at Mashable, joins us for the shady world of influencers promoting cryptocurrency.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What It’s Like Inside a Super Secret Lockheed Martin Facility Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

About 60 miles north of Los Angeles, Lockheed Martin has a super-secret aircraft and weapons facility called Skunk Works. The U-2 spy plane and F-117 Nighthawk were both developed there and Lockheed is currently jockeying for a role in the Air Force’s next fighter jet program. Skunk Works has just opened a new state-of-the art factory and invited journalists to tour it, albeit in a very secretive manner with much of the travel around the campus through underground tunnels. Lee Hudson, defense reporter at Politico, joins us for a peek inside this very secretive facility.

Next, the WSJ set up 31 TikTok accounts registered to teenagers to see what the algorithm would serve them up. What they saw after thousands of videos was a never ending stream content related to sex, drugs, and eating disorders. TikTok’s algorithm is engagement based, so spend any amount of time on a video or re-watch it, and get ready for a flood of similar content. The company uses 10,000 people and other algorithms to police content, but the app does not restrict certain videos based on age. Georgia Wells, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how TikTok serves up videos to minors.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gene Therapy Helps Blind Man See and the Rise of Ghost Restaurants Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

A new treatment known as optogenetic therapy has given a blind man some of his vision back. Light- activated proteins were inserted into eye nerve cells and paired with specials goggles that emit flashes of amber-hued light. This combination allowed the man with a degenerative eye disease to see and count objects, when he could previously just detect some light. Tina Hesman Saey, senior writer at Science News, joins us for more.

Next, ghost kitchens or virtual restaurants have taken over America’s restaurants. The new world is search optimized and data-driven. Often these restaurants have no storefront and no place to dine-in. Instead, they can be found on food delivery apps like Uber Eats and GrubHub. Some experts say that these virtual restaurants will be a $1 trillion industry in the next ten years. At a time when restaurants are struggling due to the pandemic, this expansion can be a lifeline for many. Adam Chandler, contributor to Marker, joins us for the rise of ghost kitchens.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKEND EDITION- NASA Touches the Sun and Operation Whistle Pig Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKEND EDITION- Omicron Study, Mark Meadows Held in Contempt of Congress, Buying Real Estate in the Metaverse Dec 18, 2021

Show notes

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investors Buying up Metaverse Real Estate and Inside Operation Whistle Pig Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Many are expecting the Metaverse to be the next phase of the internet where our real lives increasingly mesh with our digital lives and companies are taking notice. Investors are already spending millions to buy up virtual real estate and just like in real-life, location matters. While the internet is infinite, virtual plots of land are not, and companies are buying up what they can in online worlds like Decentraland hoping to develop those areas into shopping centers and more. Debra Kamin, contributor to the NY Times, joins us for this new virtual land boom.

Next, there is a secret unit within the Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center called the Counter Network Division. This division has very few rules and used various databases at its disposal to investigate Americans. This division still operates today and would gain access to the personal information of journalists, government officials, congressional members and their staff. Jana Winter, investigative correspondent at Yahoo News, joins us to talk about Operation Whistle Pig and the investigation into journalist Ali Watkins.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes History: First Spacecraft to Touch the Sun Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has made history by being the first spacecraft to touch the Sun. The probe launched in 2018, but just this past April on its eighth flyby it flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere also known as the corona. There it was able to sample particles and the magnetic fields. The next flyby will be in January 2022 and scientists expect it to get closer still. Justin Kasper, Deputy Chief Technology Officer of BWX Technologies and professor at the University of Michigan, joins us for how humanity has touched the Sun.

Next, waves of Covid infections continue to cause problems for hospital systems facing staff shortages and that are already full treating people with other ailments. In most cases, those locking up the system are patients who are unvaccinated and it doesn’t stop in just one area. The ripple effects of transferring patients to different locations with space to treat them also puts a strain on hospital workers. Drew Armstrong, senior editor for healthcare at Bloomberg News, joins us for more.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Study Shows Omicron Variant More Resistant to Vaccines, but Appears to Cause Less Severe Illness Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

We are getting more information on the Omicron variant from the first large real-world study in South Africa and see protection from hospitalization fall to 70% and against infection fall to 33%. This study pitted the new variant against two shots of Pfizer, which has been widely used in the area. Denise Roland, healthcare reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what we are seeing from Omicron, more transmissible and so far, milder infections.

Next, many parents and guardians of school shooters unfortunately ignore some of the warning signs that something bad is imminent. We are seeing it with the parents of the shooter at Oxford High School in Michigan who have both been charged with involuntary manslaughter. But in once case in 2018, a grandmother took action and reporter her grandson, averting a disaster. Steven Rich, database editor for investigations at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

Finally, we are learning more about what was happening in President Trump’s inner circle during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Through text messages provided by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, we are seeing Trump’s son, Fox News personalities and even lawmakers plead with Meadows to convince Trump to do something to stop those storming the Capitol. Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter at Politico, joins us for what to know.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected