We hear about algorithms all the time, but what is an algorithm exactly? This hour, we learn about how algorithms work, a bit about their history, and how they're impacting our culture.

GUESTS: 


Ed Finn: Author of What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing, and founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University


Bruce Gil: Reporter for Quartz


Liz Pelly: Writer and editor, whose forthcoming book is Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. 

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 22, 2024.

We hear about algorithms all the time, but what is an algorithm exactly? This hour, we learn about how algorithms work, a bit about their history, and how they're impacting our culture.
GUESTS: 
<ul>
<li>
Ed Finn: Author of What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing, and founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University
</li>
<li>
Bruce Gil: Reporter for Quartz
</li>
<li>
Liz Pelly: Writer and editor, whose forthcoming book is Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub21ueWNvbnRlbnQuY29tL2QvcGxheWxpc3QvYWMwYmU5NjktZDdkZi00NjBjLWE2NmMtYTZmOTAwZTFlYmQxLzcxZGM0YTBmLWU4Y2EtNDAyMS1hZWM5LWFhMDMwMDI2MDQyZC9iNjk1Y2I4Ny1mNmE5LTRjNzYtOGYxMS1hYTAzMDAyNjA0M2IvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. 
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 22, 2024.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

How algorithms shape our world, for better and for worse

Roommates: can't live with them, can't (afford to) live without them. They're the people who use your dishes and don't wash them. They're the people who apparently have a huge influence on your career choice and drinking habits. This hour, we're getting to know them better!

GUESTS: 


Ken Jennings: Colin’s college roommate


Kelli María Korducki: Journalist who writes about work and the family


Bruce Sacerdote: Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College


Francesca Fontánez: Social Media Editor at CT Public and a former college RA

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Lily Tyson, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 23, 2024. 

Roommates: can't live with them, can't (afford to) live without them. They're the people who use your dishes and don't wash them. They're the people who apparently have a huge influence on your career choice and drinking habits. This hour, we're getting to know them better!
GUESTS: 
<ul>
<li>
Ken Jennings: Colin’s college roommate
</li>
<li>
Kelli María Korducki: Journalist who writes about work and the family
</li>
<li>
Bruce Sacerdote: Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College
</li>
<li>
Francesca Fontánez: Social Media Editor at CT Public and a former college RA
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p?si=89RJodkWRsOo1dck5BCdMA&amp;nd=1">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub21ueWNvbnRlbnQuY29tL2QvcGxheWxpc3QvYWMwYmU5NjktZDdkZi00NjBjLWE2NmMtYTZmOTAwZTFlYmQxLzcxZGM0YTBmLWU4Y2EtNDAyMS1hZWM5LWFhMDMwMDI2MDQyZC9iNjk1Y2I4Ny1mNmE5LTRjNzYtOGYxMS1hYTAzMDAyNjA0M2IvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/colin-mcenroe-show-rsspodcast">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Lily Tyson, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 23, 2024.

Roommates wanted: How the people you live with impact your life

As I type this, four states remain uncalled, including two battlegrounds. It could take days or longer to determine the final popular vote tally. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still to be determined.

But that’s nothing like the uncertainty we were expecting to reign over the day and days after Election Day.

Put another way: Donald Trump is projected to have won the presidency. And pretty decisively.

In some ways, we’ve been here before.

In other ways, though, things seem pretty significantly different this time around. Just as an example, Connecticut seems to have swung toward Trump by 10 points or more as compared to 2020.

This hour, we start to pick up the pieces after a long and consistently, persistently surprising election that has come to its inevitable end.

GUESTS:
Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry
David Folkenflik: NPR’s media correspondent
Azar Nafisi: The author of six books, including Reading Lolita in Tehran; her newest is Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

As I type this, four states remain uncalled, including two battlegrounds. It could take days or longer to determine the final popular vote tally. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still to be determined.
But that’s nothing like the uncertainty we were expecting to reign over the day and days after Election Day.
Put another way: Donald Trump is projected to have won the presidency. And pretty decisively.
In some ways, <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/politics/2016-11-09/uh-well-the-election-is-over" data-cms-ai="0">we’ve been here before</a>.
In other ways, though, things seem pretty significantly different this time around. Just as an example, <a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/connecticut/?r=0" data-cms-ai="0">Connecticut seems to have swung toward Trump by 10 points or more</a> as compared to 2020.
This hour, we start to pick up the pieces after a long and consistently, persistently surprising election that has come to its inevitable end.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry</li>
<li>David Folkenflik: NPR’s media correspondent</li>
<li>Azar Nafisi: The author of six books, including Reading Lolita in Tehran; her newest is <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2022-04-07/literature-as-resistance-azar-nafisi-on-the-subversive-power-of-reading-in-troubled-times" data-cms-ai="0">Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times</a></li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884" data-cms-ai="0">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p" data-cms-ai="0">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show" data-cms-ai="0">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/" data-cms-ai="0">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/" data-cms-ai="0">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters" data-cms-ai="0">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow" data-cms-ai="0">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow" data-cms-ai="0">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

OK. Well. The election is over 

On Election Day we do a show where we ask people across Connecticut to do a simple thing: Go vote in your town before 1 p.m. Then call us between 1 and 2 p.m. and tell us how it felt, what you saw, whom you spoke to. Say whatever you want to say about the experience of voting.

This hour we hear from Citizen Observers about their experiences at the polls.

GUESTS: 
Lara Herscovitch: Singer-songwriter-poet, performer, advocate, former CT State Troubadour, and children’s book author
Logan Tomlinson: Student at the University of New Hampshire
Kate Rushin: Poet, writer, and educator
Francesca Fontanez: Associate Social Media Editor here at Connecticut Public
Charles Barber: Nonfiction author and writer in residence at Wesleyan University
Betsy Kaplan: Senior Producer emeritus of The Colin McEnroe Show
Dr. Ulysses Wu: System director of infectious diseases and chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare
George Noujaim: Owner of Noujaim’s Bistro in Winsted
Terry Cowgill: Was an op-columnist at CTNewsJunkie for 12 years who now has a Substack "Red Meat For Mushy Moderates"
Susan Clinard: Owner of Clinard Sculpture Studio in West Haven

On Election Day we do a show where we ask people across Connecticut to do a simple thing: Go vote in your town before 1 p.m. Then call us between 1 and 2 p.m. and tell us how it felt, what you saw, whom you spoke to. Say whatever you want to say about the experience of voting.
This hour we hear from Citizen Observers about their experiences at the polls.
GUESTS: 
<ul>
<li>Lara Herscovitch: Singer-songwriter-poet, performer, advocate, former CT State Troubadour, and children’s book author</li>
<li>Logan Tomlinson: Student at the University of New Hampshire</li>
<li>Kate Rushin: Poet, writer, and educator</li>
<li>Francesca Fontanez: Associate Social Media Editor here at Connecticut Public</li>
<li>Charles Barber: Nonfiction author and writer in residence at Wesleyan University</li>
<li>Betsy Kaplan: Senior Producer emeritus of The Colin McEnroe Show</li>
<li>Dr. Ulysses Wu: System director of infectious diseases and chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare</li>
<li>George Noujaim: Owner of Noujaim’s Bistro in Winsted</li>
<li>Terry Cowgill: Was an op-columnist at CTNewsJunkie for 12 years who now has a Substack "Red Meat For Mushy Moderates"</li>
<li>Susan Clinard: Owner of Clinard Sculpture Studio in West Haven</li>
</ul>

How algorithms shape our world, for better and for worse

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