Think from KERA

Deciding when to do something – whether it’s starting a job, ending a relationship or just scheduling a vacation – can be tough since we have to make these choices without knowing what’s to come. Daniel Pink has studied how we can use data to better plan our lives, which he writes about in “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing” (Riverhead Books).

As an anchor of “All Things Considered,” Robert Siegel updated millions of Americans on the day’s news as they made their way home from work. Siegel retired in January, and he joins us to talk about how he helped to elevate NPR from a fledgling network into a major media organization.

True innovators throughout history – from Edison to Einstein – possessed innate character traits that separated them from even run-of-the-mill geniuses. That’s according to NYU business professor Melissa A. Schilling, who joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about the qualities that connect the world’s great visionaries. Her new book is called “Quirky: The Remarkable Story of the Traits, Foibles, and Genius of Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World” (PublicAffairs).

For more than a decade, Annie Clark has been one of the darlings of the indie rock universe – from playing with the Polyphonic Spree and touring with Sufjan Stevens to releasing her own material as St. Vincent. The Dallas native joins us to talk about her musical influences, how she writes a song and what it’s like to perform with your heroes.

In America, we’re good at dividing ourselves into groups based on race, religion and ideology. Yale Law professor Amy Chua joins us to talk about how our tribalism influences the ways in which we interact with the rest of the world – and about how we might transcend these divides. Her new book is called “Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations” (Penguin Press).

In the novel “An American Marriage,” a newlywed couple is split apart when the husband is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. And when Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, Celestial is confronted by the reality that she’s moved on. The book is the latest from novelist Tayari Jones, who joins us to talk about writing a love story set against a backdrop of racial injustice.

This Sunday’s Academy Awards is shaping up as a two-horse race for best picture between “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” But could “Get Out” or “Lady Bird” pull an upset? We work through the possibilities with a panel of North Texas film experts.

When we search for something online, an algorithm designed by the people running the search engine selects the results we see. University of Southern California assistant professor Safiya Umoja Noble joins us to talk about how data can discriminate, the topic of her book “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism” (NYU Press).

Earlier this month, special counsel Robert Muller filed an indictment of 13 Russians, accusing them of using social media networks to undermine the 2016 presidential election. As Think broadcasts from the studios of Houston Public Media, we talk with University of Houston assistant professor of communications Erica Ciszek about how special interest groups are increasingly using social media to influence and confuse public discourse.

President Trump’s March 5 deadline for Congress to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is fast approaching. As Think broadcasts from the studios of Houston Public Media, we talk with Luis Torres of the University of Houston’s Borders, Trade and Immigration Institute about what’s necessary for Congress to reach a deal – and about new technology that could soon play a role in border security.