What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the...
Every Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.
351
Space Junk! (And Space Wars?)
Is space a battlefront, a garbage dump, or both?
19 min
352
The Kid-Vaccine Holdouts
Many vaccinated parents aren’t ready to take their younger children in for a COVID shot. What’s holding them back?
21 min
353
How Schools Surveil Your Kids
A startup named GoGuardian is changing the way teachers monitor their students online.
18 min
354
Why Are Bots Buying Sneakers?
When algorithms start buying up products, there’s something wrong with the system.
22 min
355
Honey, I Sold the House to Zillow
Why are tech companies flipping houses?
16 min
356
The Return of Hacktivism
Massive data dumps from inside Twitch and Epik may signal a new era in the world of moralistic hacking.
19 min
357
Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Difference?
Frances Haugen thinks we’re talking about Facebook all wrong.
21 min
358
What Instagram Does to Teens
A leaked internal report concludes, “we make body issues worse for one in three teen girls.”
19 min
359
Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong?
It may be time to reimagine how we use tests in the U.S.
25 min
360
Sponsored: Tech Solutions that Serve L.A. Citiz...
30 min
361
China vs. Video Games
Why is Beijing restricting young people’s gaming to three hours a week?
14 min
362
Can This River Be Saved?
The 40 million people who rely on water from the Colorado River are running out of time.
17 min
363
The Rush for Ivermectin
Who’s profiting from the latest unproven COVID treatment craze?
19 min
364
Elizabeth Holmes on Trial
The founder of Theranos faces criminal charges in court next week. Here’s what to expect.
21 min
365
Will Booster Shots Make a Difference?
Globally, what’s the best use of the next available dose?
18 min
366
What's Taking the FDA So Long?
Full approval of the vaccines could move the needle on U.S. vaccination rates. So what’s the holdup?
23 min
367
Can America Fix Its Trains?
To make a real difference, we first need to learn how to spend the money well.
16 min
368
I Bought It. Why Can't I Fix It?
Manufacturers don’t let customers repair their own stuff. That may be about to change.
16 min
369
How Spyware Mercenaries Hack Your Phone
A new spyware technology has the cybersecurity world scrambling to catch up.
27 min
370
It's Hot. It's Flooding. Is This the New Normal?
A climate scientist on why it’s not too late to turn things around.
19 min
371
So, What Happens to WFH Now?
White-collar workers are heading back to the office. Will anything be different after a year and a half away?
25 min
372
Sponsored: The Race to Vaccinate a Nation with ...
30 min
373
It’s Time to Talk About UFOs
A new report shows that the government is changing its tune on unidentified aerial phenomena.
21 min
374
Welcome to Bitcoin Beach
Can El Salvador’s seaside crypto experiment really work as a national policy?
19 min
375
What Cops Are Doing With Your DNA
Police have solved hundreds of cold cases using open-source DNA platforms. But at what cost?
20 min