Wonder Cabinet

If everyone’s a critic online, does it mean that cultural criticism doesn’t matter anymore?

Guests:

Ann Powers, A.O. Scott, Mark Greif, Chuck Klosterman

Interviews:

Talking About Sex Is Hard. Singing About It Is Easier., A.O. Scott Recommends "The Film Criticism of Otis Ferguson", What Turns A Man Against Everything?, Chuck Klosterman Says You Will Be Defined By Your Greatest Failure

If everyone’s a critic online, does it mean that cultural criticism doesn’t matter anymore?

Guests:

Ann Powers, A.O. Scott, Mark Greif, Chuck Klosterman

Interviews:

Talking About Sex Is Hard. Singing About It Is Easier., A.O. Scott Recommends "The Film Criticism of Otis Ferguson", What Turns A Man Against Everything?, Chuck Klosterman Says You Will Be Defined By Your Greatest Failure

Why We War The Worth of War; War is Beautiful; War is Revenge; Is War Inevitable?; 50th Anniversary of "A Love Supreme".

We explore our complicated relationships with our digital devices in this hour. Mourning Our Lost And Broken Technology; The Internet Has Made Dying More Miserable; How Can Digital Citizens Reclaim Their Voices Online?; Why We're Alone Even When We're Together; The Bad Sort Of Time Travel.

Automated machines are taking over our lives. They're not the scary robots you see in movies, but more and more of today's technology - from smart phones to airplanes - is automated. And some of the world's biggest companies are racing to come up with a "master algorithm" - a formula that will let machines learn anything. This could lead to self-driving cars and even a cure for cancer. But do we want to give machines so much control? The Quest for the Master Algorithm; App Intelligence; Is Automation Ruining Our Lives?; They Had Androids in the Enlightenment?; Stephen Wolfram on Computer Creativity; Garth Hallberg's "City on Fire".

Why do women have to put up with this? And how do they fight back? Abused Game Developers Can’t ‘Just Go Offline’ to Escape; When You’re Under Siege Online, How Can the Law Help?; Facing Fox News and Reddit Trolls, Journalist Lauren Duca Persisted; Writer’s Advice from Roxane Gay: Write Truth and Get Uncomfortable, Online Or Off; A Broad History of Sexism, As Witnessed By A Feminist Scholar.

It doesn't matter whether you grew up going to Coney Island, Six Flags, or Pacific Park -- to a kid, all amusement parks are magical. This hour we take a trip to the land of funnel cake, freak shows and fast rides.  How Amusement Parks Modernized America; Coney Island A Century Ago; Behind the Scenes of a Sideshow; The Most Unusual Roller Coaster in the World; Getting High At Disney World; Walt Disney and the Cultural Significance of the Theme Park.

We explore what makes a short story with Ben Marcus, Jesse Eisenberg and Diane Cook. Also, Margaret Atwood on her new novel. Addicted to Short Stories; Ben Marcus on Robert Coover's "Going for a Beer"; Jesse Eisenberg the Writer; From "This American Life" to These Surreal Short Stories; Margaret Atwood Blends Dystopia and Social Satire.

On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will cross the United States for the first time in a hundred years. For millions of people in its path, it’ll be like opening a window directly onto the broader universe. Besides chasing eclipses, how else can we see what's out there, beyond our skies? For a full list of segments from this show, visit our beta version of our new website.

When was the last time you said something so mortifying that all you wanted to do was crawl under a rock and hide? We've all been through plenty of uncomfortable moments, but it seems like we rarely talk about them. From teenage angst to cringe comedy, this week we're setting aside the shame and reveling in all things awkward. Awkward Moments Read Out Loud; Our Awkward Age; Jesse Eisenberg Imagines An Awkward Introduction; The Upside of Awkwardness; Jennifer Jacquet Recommends 'Last Chance To See'; Rediscovering Alexander Von Humboldt, The Largely Forgotten Father Of Environmentalism.