Think from KERA

Latest Episodes:

What if we didn’t think of time as money Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

Our days are marked by appointments dictated by the clock. What would happen if we just walked away? Artist and author Jenny Odell joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she believes our clock-watching is tied to for-profit goals and not the reality of nature, and to offer ways to slow down and take in the beauty of the true rhythms of life. Her book is “Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock.”

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The mysteries of memory and how to improve it Mar 16, 2023

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Memory is key to who we are and, yet forgetting is so common. Boston University School of Medicine neurology professor Andrew E. Budson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his work studying memory, how to control what you remember and how diet plays into this ability. His book, with co-author Elizabeth A. Kensinger, is “Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory.”

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Does being an American kill your ancestral culture? Mar 15, 2023

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Ethnocide refers to a systematic erasure of an ancestral culture. Barrett Holmes Pitner, founder of The Sustainable Culture Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Black Americans have faced ethnocide since the beginning of the slave trade, why the post-Trump world has spotlighted this issue further, and the way it continues to shape the future. His book is “The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America.”

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Meet your new AI shrink Mar 14, 2023

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The next job for sophisticated chatbots might be to stand in for mental health professionals. Dhruv Khullar is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and a physician and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the shortage in the mental health field and the development of predictive algorithms that promise to spot suicidal triggers. His article is “Talking to Ourselves.”

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Cities are full of wildlife, if you know where to look Mar 13, 2023

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Urban landscapes are spreading throughout the globe, pushing nature out. Ben Wilson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the modern quest for biodiversity within cities, how ancient civilizations lived alongside grasslands and rivers, and what we can do to reclaim green spaces. His book is “Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City.”

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From the Archive: The late Judith Heumann on her 50-year fight for disability rights Mar 10, 2023

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Judith Heumann has used a wheelchair since childhood – which forced her to fight for her right to an education. And that was just the beginning of her activism for disabled rights. Today, she’s an internationally recognized leader in the Disability Rights Independent Living Movement who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was the World Bank’s first adviser on disability and development. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her life’s work, the lawsuits and sit-ins that changed history for people with disabilities, and what it means to rebel against entrenched norms and win. Her book, co-authored with Kristen Joiner, is “Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution.”

This episode originally aired on June 17, 2021.

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From the Archive: The impossible expectations on American mothers Mar 09, 2023

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The perfect mother on TikTok or Instagram is a far cry from the reality of motherhood off the screen. Jessica Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times who writes the newsletter On Parenting, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what successful parenting really looks like, from her own stories of pregnancy and child-rearing to the societal expectations we have for parents. Her book is called “Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood.”

This episode originally aired on January 11, 2023.

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Why governments have such a hard time hiring Mar 08, 2023

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The nationwide shortage of police officers has made headlines, but cities are struggling to recruit for jobs of all types. Daphne Duret is a staff writer for The Marshall Project. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why jobs from garbage collectors to first responders are falling out of favor, and what’s being done to boost numbers. Her article is “It’s Not Just a Police Problem, Americans Are Opting Out of Government Jobs.”

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What veterinarians do for pet parents Mar 07, 2023

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Veterinarians might not care for humans, but they still tend to members of the family. Karen Fine is a veterinarian working in Massachusetts, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her dream to become a vet and the lessons she’s learned about care, life and heartbreak along the way. Her book is “The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality.”

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Chatbots say wild things, and they learn it from us Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated and are better able to mimic human speech. That can be exciting … and problematic. Washington Post tech reporter Gerrit De Vynck joins host Krys Boyd to break down what’s next for this new technology. His article is “Microsoft’s AI chatbot is going off the rails.”

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