How Your World Works

On today’s show, we try to find out what actually happens inside a craft brewery. It’s not just brewing beer, and even when it is, that doesn’t always go smoothly—have you ever heard of a beer bomb? Three members of the New York brewing community – Matt Monahan of Other Half Brewing, Anthony Accardi of Transmitter Brewing, and Keir Hamilton of Sixpoint Brewery – come to the studio to to explain.

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On today’s show, we go from exciting to concerning: First, we discuss whether the future of cars is a Lincoln Navigator with the doors of a DeLorean and the stylings of a Range Rover, or Tesla’s Model 3, which aims to be the sleek electric car of the common man. Then we talk about a movie that tries a whole new method of filmmaking. It might make you queasy, for all the wrong reasons. Finally, we make a game of finding out which countries are members of the nuclear club.

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There are 121, 362 people currently on the organ transplant list and not all of them will get the organs they need in time. On this episode of How Your Word Works, we learn about a new medical procedure that can reduce organ rejection and potentially save many more of these people. Jacob Pomrenke of the Society for American Baseball Research explains what sabermetrics is and how Major League Baseball will continue to use it, and on Stupid or Amazing, we debate the future of Amazon. 

 

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It was 40 degrees out at the start of this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The dogs prefer –10. We find out how warmer temperatures are causing mushers to try different strategies to make sure they meet the requirement of having at least six of their dogs finish the race (They start with 16). Then we learn about new technologies in the worlds of distilling and personal hygiene. One involves boiling and one involves dirt—you might be surprised which is which.

 

Music credits:

Intro: "Toot! Toot!" by Spectre Folk (http://www.myspace.com/spectreflux)

Exit: "Aurora borealis (instr.)" by Nafta (http://www.myspace.com/naftaspace)

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On today's show, we talk to the guys who turn science and technology into movie magic. Then we hear from astronaut Mike Hopkins about life on the International Space Station--the little things, like chewing, swallowing, and sneezing. Finally, we tell you if auto lease swapping programs that can put you in a Bentley for the price of a Honda are stupid, or amazing."

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With the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary in the books, election season is in full swing. In this week’s episode we asked professional pollster Nick Gourevitch the question on everyone’s mind in the run up to the election: Are polls all they're cracked up to be? Then an epidemiologist tells us what we need to know about the Zika virus, and what we can expect from it here in the US. Then we give you an inside look at what it takes to make convincing visual effects with the help of Jonathan Rothbart, the VFX Supervisor on the most profane and hilarious superhero movie yet, Deadpool. And finally, Brian Kelly of thepointsguy.com helps us determine if a new innovation in air travel is amazing or stupid.

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On January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its mission, America changed in a profound way. The schoolchildren of America had been watching the launch with keen excitement, a schoolteacher among the crew. NASA was pursuing an ambitious launch schedule. Spaceflight was routine, regular, and something America was good at. Then came the Challenger tragedy. On this episode, we hear the voices of journalists, NASA staff, and civilians that lived through the disaster as author Margaret Lazarus Dean, an expert on the shuttle program, explains it.

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In the waning days of 2015, kick your Christmas Tree to the curb and get started thinking about the new year. On today’s episode, we tell you what happens to your tree after you part with it, and suggest an unconventional choice of drink for toasting the next trip around the sun. Then we evaluate an upgrade you might consider in 2016 and decide if it’s stupid, or amazing.

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On today’s show, we take a look at the craftsmanship that was required to shoot Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight in Ultra Panavision 70mm and project Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 70mm on quaint, old film. Then we decide if today’s luxury movie theater experience is stupid, or amazing.

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This week on How Your World Works, New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs drops by the studio to to discuss, germs, healthy living, and why he once let his son lick ice cream off the sidewalk. Plus: Dr. Christopher Mason of Weil Cornell Medical College explains whether or not you should be worried about touching the subway pole, and Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the CDC’s Influenza Division, reminds you of the best ways to avoid the flu.

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