Note to Self

We tend to click on things we agree with already. And social media networks like it that way. Bumming out your customers is a bad business model. This week, we talk with Tracy Clayton and Katie Notopoulos from BuzzFeed about why that's a problem, and get their tips on widening our everyday nets. With minimal ick factor. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Don't throw a turkey leg. Don't go ALL CAPS rage over racism on Twitter. This Thanksgiving, when the conversation makes your blood boil, take some deep breaths and just LARA. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Note to Self listeners are struggling to find joy on the internet after this election. Gretchen Rubin, 'Happier' host and author of the New York Times bestseller, The Happiness Project, has advice. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

The nation is divided, and we're all processing. So, we curated a list of 7 episodes from the archive for your post-election reality. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Americans voted. Now we can think way, way beyond 2016. The failed 2016 presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan (pretty convincingly) explains why you might live forever and vote for him and the Transhumanism party in 2040. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Can't afford a personal guru? No worries. Chade-Meng Tan, Silicon Valley's mindfulness coach, is making meditation accessible and he's got tips to incorporate it into our everyday lives. His latest book is, "Joy on Demand: The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within." Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Sure, legendary performance artist, Marina Abramović, got 750,000 people to wait in line at MoMA just to sit across a table from her. But can she get us ALL to count lentils? She just published Walk Through Walls: A Memoir and she stopped by N2S to chat with Manoush about how she's going to help us put down our phones and restore our overtaxed systems in a digital world. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

How Marina Abramović, the world’s most famous performance artist, got Manoush and producer Jen Poyant to sit in silence for 30 minutes before a "magic" performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

In a time of racial tension, how do you manage information overload—the storm of news online—when paying attention is painful? This week, two friends find their answer. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

This week, Manoush visits a micro-school in her Brooklyn neighborhood where the cushions are cozy and every child is optimized. Think Montessori 2.0... and the future of education if one former Google executive gets it right. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

After exchanging hand-drawn postcards for a year, two data designers discover how compiling and parsing the little things in life can lead to unexpected self-reflection-- and friendship. Those real-life pen pals and authors of the book, Dear Data, divulge some of their most revealing discoveries to Manoush with a special Note to Self soundtrack. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Algorithms are everywhere in our daily lives. But most of the time, we have no idea how they work. In this week's episode, ProPublica investigative journalist Julia Angwin explains how Facebook's algorithms categorize us. Plus, Note to Self listeners, we want you to get involved. Try out ProPublica's new tool, and tell us what you discover. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

In this bonus mini-episode, Chelsea Clinton tells Manoush why she's frustrated by the gender gap in tech. Plus, the art of juggling a new baby and a hectic campaign schedule. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Games are the new self-help. Jane McGonigal, game researcher and developer explains how, with the right approach, games can be a powerful tool for unlocking our best selves. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Imagine a future where every word you utter is recorded and saved. It's not that far off. Our guest Rose Eveleth, host and producer of the Flash Forward podcast, tested out the transcribed life to see what happens when nothing is off the record. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

On this week’s episode, Manoush goes to North Carolina to find out why a high school star quarterback and his girlfriend were charged with felonies for sending each other racy (or romantic, depending on your point of view) photos. Turns out the U.S. is at a crazy cultural crossroads when it comes to teenagers, sexting, and the law. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Touchscreen phones work so well for blind people that Braille may become obsolete. But advocates worry this could render the next generation "functionally illiterate." Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

If you're not one of Text From Your Ex's 1.9 million followers already, here's what you need to know: Elan Gale's brainchild is an Instagram account with pages and pages of awkwardness captured in screenshots. It turns out, reading through hundreds of thousands of other people's emotionally loaded conversations gives you some pretty profound insight into relationships, technology, and privacy (or rather... the utter lack thereof). Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Nearly 92 percent of kids in the U.S. have some digital presence by the age of two. But that doesn't necessarily mean your child's face should be all over the internet. So where should we draw the line? In this episode, which is a repeat from 2015, hear a debate about the ethics and etiquette of posting pictures of your kids online with three moms who have very different approaches: Note to Self Host Manoush Zomorodi, who posts nothing. Note to Self Executive Producer Jen Poyant, who posts every day on Instagram. Longest Shortest Time Host Hillary Frank, who posts drawings and side-angles but no faces. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Security technologist Bruce Schneier, author of “Data and Goliath,” says you should stop feeling guilty about skimming the Terms of Service. Get mad instead. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Is your phone listening a little too closely to what you have to say? Author Walter Kirn tells us why you'd be crazy NOT to be paranoid about your phone. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Author and academic Andrew Moravcsik dives into why he and his wife decided he would be their family’s "lead parent," how they came up with that term, and how that decision has affected his marriage, his kids, and ultimately his career. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

In the final chapter of our four-part series about women and work, co-founders Rachael and Leslie hear a tough critique of their pitch and make a tough decision. Plus, New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter explains how she thinks the culture around work and caretaking has shifted since she quit her job as Hillary Clinton’s right-hand woman at the State Department. Anne-Marie’s husband, Andrew Moravcsik, wraps it up with the male perspective... and why he feels so strongly that the conversation about work/life balance is really about the new role of men in society. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

After tapping into their kids' college funds, Rachael and Leslie join a startup accelerator to compete for a cash prize. But as they prepare for the competition, the business partners feel pressure to choose between selling investors on their app's feminist mission or its projected revenue. How they decide to present their final pitch surprises Manoush... so much so, that she inserts herself into the story. Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

In episode two of our 4-part series, the two moms-turned-entrepreneurs beta test their app on 20 local mothers (including Manoush). But as they get deeper into start-up life, personal differences begin to surface. Leslie, whose husband is her family's primary parent, is ready to put in the long hours required of a typical tech company founder. Rachael, though, wonders whether she can manage start-up life and school pickup. Things get meta as the working moms wonder: Is playing by Silicon Valley's rules the only way to win over investors? Can Leslie and Rachael create a new model of feminist entrepreneurship that makes money, has social value, and doesn't cost them their own work/life balance? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Welcome to the first episode of our 4-part series: Taking the Lead. This is the story of two working moms, Rachael and Leslie, who have a big idea (a tech idea) to help more women get some work/life balance and "lean in." But before they can launch a company, they'll need to overcome their own work/life issues and deal with some broader questions: can women find a place in the tech economy? Is society ready to radically redefine gender roles in the home? What really has to change in our culture to get more women into the C-Suite? Support Note to Self by becoming a member today at NotetoSelfRadio.org/donate.

Rachael and Leslie are two working moms in Brooklyn, building an app to help more women on their quest to 'have it all.' Manoush follows them on their journey as they confront the same struggles many women face as they try to reconcile profession with parenting. Along the way even more questions arise: Do women have a place in the tech economy? Is society ready to radically redefine gender roles in the home? Can women REALLY have it all? Special guest Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of The Atlantic article "Why Women Still Can’t Have it All," also stops by during the series to talk about work/life balance, lead parents, and the career advice every millennial needs.

Putting down your phone and letting yourself get bored can jumpstart your creativity. Tens of thousands of you helped us prove this in 2015 with our week-long project: Bored and Brilliant. Now, just in time for summer, try out the bootcamp version with three easy behavior changes. They're fun AND proven to get you rethinking your brain, all those notifications, and how we spend our time.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, Elise Hu and Gregory Warner share their insider knowledge regarding how people in other countries use tech.

This week we dive deep into the modern media diet with theSkimm co-founders Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, and John Herrman, media reporter at the New York Times.

If you've been with us for awhile, you know about our Infomagical challenge to fight information overload. This week, we're giving those of you who loved it a tune-up, those of you who were overwhelmed the tl;dr version, and those of you who totally missed it the first time around an episode to catch up.

Can algorithms help us eat and love better? We went on a mission to find out.

That pile of papers on your desk? That lunch meeting you can't seem to nail down? The hundreds of emails that raise your blood pressure? We're here to help.

Author Peggy Orenstein tells us what the Internet is teaching teen girls about sexiness and desirability.

We've put it off for long enough. It's time to talk about VR.

Exploring the Lonely Web.

Ross McNutt has a superpower — he can zoom in on everyday life, then rewind and fast-forward to solve crimes in a shutter-flash. But should he?

We head inside Etsy's Usability Testing Lab to understand the art of User Experience and online shopping seduction.

Phoebe Robinson—a stand up-comedian, writer and co-host of WNYC's new podcast '2 Dope Queens'—joins us to talk about finding digital feminism.

The man behind the Bulletproof empire explains why sometimes in order to get results, you have to go to extremes.

There are a lot of tools out there that claim to train—even change—your brain. So do they work? We put them to the test and things get... interesting.

If your phone was stolen, you'd most likely be concerned that the thief would now have access to your bank account...and your vacation photos. But what if the thief was the government?

What happens when we start thinking of ourselves as walking, breathing, calorie-consuming piles of data? We asked hundreds of people to weigh in (figuratively speaking).

Douglas Rushkoff, author of "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus," argues that our fixation on "growth" has made us less financially secure, with big consequences for our communities.

As promised! The time has come to talk about sex. Or, rather, to swipe about sex.

How much would it take for someone to hack YOUR life? And really, how worried do you actually need to be? This is what happened when Fusion's Kevin Roose asked some of the best hackers in the world to have at him.

We tried using apps to stop sugar cravings. It... didn't work. Now, we want to hear your stories.

What we learned through a week of experimenting with information overload interventions.

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Discuss something you’ve heard, read, or watched with someone for at least seven minutes, by phone or in person. Social psychologist Sherry Turkle explains why and how. More details here: http://wny.cc/XUksG