Wonder Cabinet

we explore the fine art of comedy writing Spoiled Brats - Simon Rich; Bob Odenkirk on Comedy as an Act of Truth and Destruction; Science...for Her! - Megan Amram; The New Yorker Cartoons - Bob Mankoff; Dangerous Idea: Can Too Much Christmas Drive Kids to Kill?; What Do Your Passwords Say About You?.

In his short life, British mathematician Alan Turing changed the world. He cracked the code that helped defeat the Nazis, dreamed up artificial intelligence, and laid the foundation for the computer age. Patrick Sammon - Turing's Final Years; Andrew Hodges - The Roots of Turing's Genius; Alan Garner - Running With Turing; Mohan Embar - The Turing Test; Brian Christian - The Most Human Human; BookMark: "My Struggle" by Karl Ove Knausgaard; On Our Minds: P.D. James.

The Secret Language of Plants Thinking Like a Forest - Suzanne Simard; What a Plant Knows - Daniel Chamovitz; Sonic Sidebar: Data Garden Quartet; Plant Intelligence - Jeremy Narby; The Grammar of Animacy; Dangerous Idea: Question Your Beliefs; On Our Minds: Ralph Nader .

Reality is catching up to science fiction.  But there are still new science-fiction writers who are thinking the unthinkable and daring to go beyond the limits of our imaginations. The Book of Strange New Things - Michel Faber; Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang; Questionable Practices - Eileen Gunn; BookMark: Edmund White; On Our Minds: Kurt Godel.

The average American spends more time on Facebook than with their pets or exercising -- and that's not counting Twitter, Instagram, or Vine. We're more connected than ever these days, but at what cost? Reclaiming the Internet; Sonic Sidebar: Alone Together; When Everything Happens Now; Who Owns the Future?; Dangerous Idea: Save the Habitat for All Creatures; On Our Minds: Rethinking Our Approach to Climate Change.

Who doesn’t love a good book? We all know a great novel can change the way we see the world, but what about the way we treat each other? Today, we discuss whether reading great literature makes us more moral. And, we celebrate William Shakespeare's 450th birthday. And if you're wondering if movies can make us more caring, we did some digging on that too. Read all about it, here. The Psychology of Fiction - Keith Oatley; Sonic Sidebar: Literature Behind Bars; In Defense of the Sentimental - Leslie Jamison; Can Literature Make You More Empathetic? ; Watch This! "Salinger" & "Shakespeare Uncovered"; On Our Minds: Shakespeare's Influence.

In this hour, we explore people's obsessions with movies and talk with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. Room 237 - Manohla Dargis; Werner Herzog Strives for the 'Ecstatic Truth'; Frank - Jon Ronson; Found Film: John Waters; On Our Minds: National Novel Writing Month.

How we think about the environment will have real-world consequences for our children and grandchildren.  Today, we talk about new environmental paradigms for life after climate change.  And, we remember the great environmentalist Rachel Carson on the 50th anniversary of her death. New Environmental Paradigm - Bill McKibben; Remembering Rachel Carson - Rob Nixon; Living the Ecotopia Dream - Charles Monroe-Kane; Colors of Nature - Lauret Savoy; Dangerous Idea: We Are More Significant Than We Think; On Our Minds: Michael Lewis & Flash Boys.

Do nations need states? Do Nations Need States?; Sonic Sidebar: Scotland Votes "No"; Lands in Limbo; The Islamic State; BookMark: Lauren Beukes on “The Three” by Sara Lotz; On Our Minds: Abortion.

Is there anything science won’t tackle? The latest question neuroscientists are taking on is, “What makes something beautiful?” We're checking in with scientists, philosophers and artists in this hour. Beauty & Brains; Sonic Sidebar: Umberto Eco on Beauty; Beauty & Justice - Elaine Scarry; Folksy Beauty; BookMark: Ruth Ozeki; On Our Minds: Russell Brand on Revolutionary Politics.