Cindy Cohn can remember using punched cards for computing during her college years in Iowa. She can tell you about watching the rise of the internet and home computing with her techie friends in San Francisco. 

She can also recall the times she’s stood in court, working to protect someone’s right to put encrypted code on the internet, or the fight against the NSA’s mass surveillance system after 9/11 and the Patriot Act.

Cohn has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 25 years. That’s a non-profit that advocates for privacy and free speech. 

This year, she announced she is leaving her role, but not before putting out a memoir she hopes will inspire others to take up the work… 

GUEST: Cindy Cohn, author of Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.

RELATED LINKS:
Cindy Cohn | Town Hall Seattle - Tues 3/17
Privacy's Defender - Cindy's Book
Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights | WIRED
The Big Idea: Cindy Cohn

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Cindy Cohn&nbsp;can remember using punched cards for computing during her college years in Iowa. She can tell you about watching the rise of the internet and home computing with her techie friends in San Francisco.&nbsp;
She can also recall the times she&rsquo;s stood in court, working to protect someone&rsquo;s right to put encrypted code on the internet, or the fight against the NSA&rsquo;s mass surveillance system after 9/11 and the Patriot Act.
Cohn has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 25 years. That&rsquo;s a non-profit that advocates for privacy and free speech.&nbsp;
This year, she announced she is leaving her role, but not before putting out a memoir she hopes will inspire others to take up the work&hellip;&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="https://www.eff.org/about/staff/cindy-cohn">Cindy Cohn</a>, author of Privacy&rsquo;s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.
RELATED LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://townhallseattle.org/event/cindy-cohn/">Cindy Cohn | Town Hall Seattle</a> - Tues 3/17</li>
<li><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262051248/privacys-defender/">Privacy's Defender</a> - Cindy's Book</li>
<li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/eff-cindy-cohn-stepping-down/">Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights | WIRED</a></li>
<li><a href="https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/03/12/the-big-idea-cindy-cohn/">The Big Idea: Cindy Cohn</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

Can we still have private conversations if we live our lives online? EFF's Cindy Cohn discusses her new book, "Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance"

A privacy advocate reflects on 30 years of fighting the good (digital) fight

Artist Bootsy Holler joined Seattle's punk and grunge scene while it was taking off. Then, she documented the genesis of the “post-grunge” independent music boom of the early 2000s.

She photographed many of the bands that would go on to define the “indie” scene: like Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Gossip, Modest Mouse, Interpol and more.

Whether the bands are onstage or in a portrait, her photos are full of movement, life and quirk. When you see them, you feel like you can almost hear the microphone feedback and smell the sweaty crowd at the Crocodile or El Corazon.

Her new book is "Making It: An Intimate Documentary of the Seattle Indie, Rock & Punk Scene, 1992–2008".

Guest 

Bootsy Holler

Related links

Bootsy Holler’s photobook is a tribute to the golden era of indie rock (flying bassists and attitude included)- It's Nice That

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Artist Bootsy Holler joined Seattle's punk and grunge scene while it was taking off. Then, she documented the genesis of the &ldquo;post-grunge&rdquo; independent music boom of the early 2000s.
She photographed many of the bands that would go on to define the &ldquo;indie&rdquo; scene: like Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Gossip, Modest Mouse, Interpol and more.
Whether the bands are onstage or in a portrait, her photos are full of movement, life and quirk. When you see them, you feel like you can almost hear the microphone feedback and smell the sweaty crowd at the Crocodile or El Corazon.
Her new book is "<a href="https://bootsyholler.com/BOOKS/1">Making It: An Intimate Documentary of the Seattle Indie, Rock &amp; Punk Scene, 1992&ndash;2008</a>".
Guest&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bootsyholler/">Bootsy Holler</a>
Related links
<a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/bootsy-holler-making-it-photography-project-140126">Bootsy Holler&rsquo;s photobook is a tribute to the golden era of indie rock (flying bassists and attitude included)</a> - It's Nice That
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Bootsy Holler photographed some of the PNW'S biggest indie artists. 

What "Making It" in the PNW indie music scene looked like

The animated short film ‘Tulip’ opens as many stories do - with "once upon a time."

The tale might sound familiar. It begins with a woman finding a tiny baby girl, curled up at the center of a blooming flower. Soon, Tulip climbs out her window and sets off on an adventure in her own backyard – meeting the many creatures that call it home as she tries to find her way back to her own.

The film is a take on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale Thumbelina. Each scene is awash in bright colors and textures. 

Every part of Tulip - from the characters to the sets and backgrounds - is made by hand, most of it in felt, and brought to life using the time-intensive technique of stop motion animation.

And the lush, green backgrounds may look familiar - the co-directors behind the film are based here in Western Washington.

Tulip was originally released in 2020. It screened at film festivals like the Annecy International Animation Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival.

Now, for the first time, anyone can watch the short on YouTube.

Guests:


Andrea Love is a stop motion animator based in Port Townsend. She was co-director for Tulip, and also headed up fabrication & animation. 
Phoebe Wahl is an illustrator and children’s book author based in Bellingham. She was the co-director, lead set and character designer, and script writer for Tulip.

Related links:
Watch 'Tulip' on Youtube

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

The animated short film &lsquo;Tulip&rsquo; opens as many stories do - with "once upon a time."
The tale might sound familiar. It begins with a woman finding a tiny baby girl, curled up at the center of a blooming flower. Soon, Tulip climbs out her window and sets off on an adventure in her own backyard &ndash; meeting the many creatures that call it home as she tries to find her way back to her own.
The film is a take on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale Thumbelina. Each scene is awash in bright colors and textures.&nbsp;
Every part of Tulip - from the characters to the sets and backgrounds - is made by hand, most of it in felt, and brought to life using the time-intensive technique of stop motion animation.
And the lush, green backgrounds may look familiar - the co-directors behind the film are based here in Western Washington.
Tulip was originally released in 2020. It screened at film festivals like the Annecy International Animation Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival.
Now, for the first time, anyone can watch the short on YouTube.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/andreaanimates/">Andrea Love </a>is a stop motion animator based in Port Townsend. She was co-director for Tulip, and also headed up fabrication &amp; animation.&nbsp;
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/phoebewahl/">Phoebe Wahl </a>is an illustrator and children&rsquo;s book author based in Bellingham. She was the co-director, lead set and character designer, and script writer for Tulip.</li>
</ul>
Related links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvMuSpGmZ8">Watch 'Tulip' on Youtube</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

The animated short film ‘Tulip’ opens as many stories do - with "once upon a time." But every part of Tulip - from the characters to the sets and backgrounds - is made by hand, most of it in felt, and brought to life using the time-intensive technique of stop motion animation. 

Stop motion film 'Tulip' reimagines Thumbelina in our own backyard

Federal lawmakers are returning from their Spring Break tomorrow, when the House goes back in session. And, what a two week recess it has been.

The President threatened Iran with destruction of its “whole civilization,” and then agreed to a cease fire. That cease fire is now in doubt after peace talks failed in Islamabad over the weekend and the U.S. military began a blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Meanwhile, congress is still battling over whether to fund the Department of Homeland Security with future pay for TSA agents and other workers in doubt.

And Cuba saw a brief respite from a U.S. oil blockade that has led to nationwide blackouts. My next guest says U.S. policy amounts to collective punishment of the Cuban people and she’s calling for formal negotiations to begin. 

Guest: 

Representative Pramila Jayapal

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes


Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Federal lawmakers are returning from their Spring Break tomorrow, when the House goes back in session. And, what a two week recess it has been.
The President threatened Iran with destruction of its &ldquo;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116363336033995961">whole civilization</a>,&rdquo; and then agreed to a cease fire. That cease fire is now in doubt after <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/us/jd-vance-pakistan-iran-war-talks.html">peace talks failed in Islamabad over the weekend</a> and the U.S. military began a blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, congress is still battling over whether to fund the Department of Homeland Security with <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5826637-lawmakers-return-dhs-pay-uncertainty/">future pay for TSA agents and other workers in doubt</a>.
And Cuba <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CUBA-CRISIS/OIL-EXPLAINER/gkvlkjgxkpb/">saw a brief respite</a> from a U.S. oil blockade that has led to nationwide blackouts. My <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/pramila-jayapal-calls-u-s-oil-blockade-on-cuba-outrageous-full-interview-261197381859">next guest says</a> U.S. policy amounts to collective punishment of the Cuban people and she&rsquo;s calling for formal negotiations to begin.&nbsp;
Guest:&nbsp;
Representative Pramila Jayapal
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a> 
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Representative Pramila Jayapal joins Soundside as federal lawmakers return from a two week recess.

A privacy advocate reflects on 30 years of fighting the good (digital) fight

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