Slate Culture Feed

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by creator Annie Rauwerda, who runs the popular @depthsofwikipedia account, to talk about 25 years of Wikipedia and the platform’s recent decision to ban AI. While Wikipedia has long been seen as an infinite well of knowledge, it’s kept alive by hundreds of thousands of dedicated human volunteers. From the teenager who’d drive to historical sites to find official sources to the persnickety editor whose only activity is deleting the phrase “comprised of” from entries, the humans of Wikipedia are what make the depths of Wikipedia so special.This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, and Kate Lindsay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donna Summer was a hit-maker for two decades and a dance floor deity for more than three. Her collaborations with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were formative in dance, electronic, and rock music, influencing everyone from David Bowie and Blondie to Madonna and Moby. But the rock establishment was stinting in its appreciation—whether at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979 or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the 2000s. In this encore episode from 2017, Chris Molanphy examines how Summer became the queen of disco … and then transcended that role altogether.Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/hitparadeplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the worst thing Steve, Dana, and Julia have ever done? And would you still love them if you knew the answer to that question? That’s not a subject for today’s episode, but these three do get into The Drama, the dark, polarizing rom-com directed by Kristoffer Borgli starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson which is animated by such disquieting inquiries.Next, it’s time for elk meat, Montana golden hour, and feckless city slickers as our hosts take on Taylor Sheridan’s latest The Madison. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, our hosts agree it’s an effective Western soap opera but is its Red State agitprop worth the price of admission?Finally… there’s good boy. With their curly mop tops and wet eyes, doodle dog hybrids have nuzzled their way into Americans’ hearts. What does that say about us? The hosts discuss these questions and more raised in a recent New Yorker piece by John Seabrook, How Doodles Became the Dog du Jour.In a bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, they have a spoiler-rich conversation divulging all of The Drama’s dirty secrets.EndorsementsDana: The latest from children's book author (and Dana's partner) Rowboat Watkins, Mousestache, Mooosestache about a riotous world overrun with mustaches. Julia: The memoir The Wanderers by immigration journalist Daniela Gerson detailing her unlikely family history.Steve: Book three of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and the work of singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, including his cover of Bob Dylan's "Tight Connection to My Heart" and his self-titled debut album.  --Email us your thoughts at [email protected]. Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.