When Tech Workers Form a Union (0:30)

Guest: Marcus Courtney, Tech Labor Activist, Principal, Courtney Public Affairs

Employees of the crowd-funding website Kickstarter formed a union last week. It’s a first for the tech industry, to have a bunch of white-collar, full-time workers unionize. And it’s a bit of a head-scratcher, because labor unions are traditionally how blue-collar workers fight for better pay and benefits. Salaried tech workers typically have generous benefits, including things like catered meals and paid parental leave. So why do they need a union?

 

The Lake Never Gives Up Her Dead: Shipwreck Hunting in the Great Lakes (18:07)

Guest: Ken Merryman, Past President, Founding Member, Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society 

The Great Lakes are so enormous they’ve got their own weather systems, making them more like inland seas. And where there are seas, there are shipwrecks. As many as 6,000 of them lie on the bottom of the Great Lakes. For several decades an avid group of amateur shipwreck hunters has been finding and protecting them.

 

Fireflies Going Dark (36:57)

Guest: Sara Lewis, PhD, Professor of Evolutionary and Behavioral Ecology, Tufts University 

Biologists worldwide have noted a decline in fireflies, which feels a little like magic is disappearing from the universe, one blink at a time. Fireflies are among the most fantastical insects – if you’ve ever been out in the woods and suddenly seen them blinking on at dusk, you can’t forget that sight. What’s killing the fireflies?

 

FDA Approval Rates Increase as Vigor for Acceptance Decreases (50:37)

Guest: Jonathan Darrow, Lawyer, Harvard Medical School 

More prescription drugs are getting approved more quickly by the US Food and Drug Administration – which is hopefully a good thing for very sick people desperate for a new treatment option. And hopefully, it’s good news for prescription drug prices, in general, because more drugs on the market means more competition and lower prices. Unfortunately, the prescription drug landscape in America isn’t that straightforward.

 

Is Your Online Reputation Worth Defending? (1:06:46)

Guest: Rich Matta, CEO, ReputationDefender

Have you Googled yourself lately? That first page of search results could affect your next job hunt. Public figures, like politicians, have a lot riding on what pops up when voters search them online. And corporations have whole teams dedicated to burnishing their image online. ReputationDefender is one of the leading tech companies in a growing industry that helps people and businesses manage their digital footprint.

 

Skijoring: Horse-Drawn Adrenaline (1:26:44)

Guest: Loren Zhimanskova, Founder of Skijor USA and Skijor International

If you head to Yellowstone this weekend, you’ll see skiers race to go off jumps, collect rings, and ski around gates, all while being pulled by a horse. Or, sometimes, a reindeer. It’s called skijoring, and the competition in Yellowstone is just one of five happening in the country this weekend. The quirky sport isn’t new to the US – it’s been here for about a century – but it’s gained a lot of traction in the last several years.