Speculation (full episode)

What can we know about the future? And where do we look? We plan ahead by speculating. We can’t imagine not imagining the next hour, the next day, the next email. In this show we look at the nature of guessing, of predicting, and what that can tell us about the future. And the past.

Host: Yue Li

Producers: Chris Leboa, Cameron Tenner, Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow, Sam Kargilis, Risa Cromer, Sam Greenspan

Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty, Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn, Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller

Story 1: Miner Threat

Meet the last Bitcoin miners of Stanford.

Producer: Sam Kargilis

Music (from Free Music Archive): Curves, Jhhhzzr

Story 2: Vanquishing Vaccines

During the 2017-2018 flu season over 60 million Americans were infected with influenza and an estimated 50,000 died. Why has there been so much sickness when a vaccine does exist? Producer Chris LeBoa investigates the process and guesswork that goes into creating the flu shot each year and what is being done to take guesswork out of future vaccines.

Producer: Chris LeBoa

Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty

Story 3: The Coming Storm

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians Yue and Claudia wonder how future storms can be predicted. And if they can be predicted, whose responsibility is it to protect Houston?

Producers: Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow

Featuring: Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn

Music (from freesound.org): vision- ambient gamelan by that jeff carter, Ambient Drone Solfeggio by Headphaze, Cosmos by pointpark cinema, cyclone hurricane hugo by solostud

Story 4: My Dear Melville

Herman Melville’s “great American novel,” Moby Dick, has fascinated, entertained, bored, and horrified audiences for the past 150 years, but … is Moby Dick gay? Was Herman Melville caught up in a same-sex-love affair? Producer Cameron Tenner searches for answers and learns about exploring queerness in the past.

Producer: Cameron Tenner

Featuring: Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller

Music: Cylinder Five by Chris Zabriskie, Gentle Chase by Podington Bear, Skeptic by Podington Bear, Vanagon by Podington Bear, Little Black Cloud by Podington Bear, Waltz for an Imaginary Piano by Johnny Ripper, Lonesome by Podington Bear, Lucky Stars by Podington Bear, In My Head by Podington Bear, Sensitive by Podington Bear, Whaling Song by Paul Clayton