Pick up the Phone

Cough drop name drops

On today's episode, I start out with the most recent stupid thing the internet told me I need to buy (it's skincare, and I am embarrassed) and consider the role influencers play on the economy. Then I give an update (!!) to a previous traumatic experience I had in a coffee shop, which is a new but equally traumatic coffee shop experience. Our final story comes from a rabbit hole I ended up in after I lost my voice, which led me to discover what the "most hip-hop words" are. To read more: https://pudding.cool/2017/09/hip-hop-words/ [https://pudding.cool/2017/09/hip-hop-words/ ] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Awad talks public transit engineering + impact

This week's Desk Chair Expert, Awad, is a transportation engineer, and I start out the episode trying to figure out what the heck that even means. We dive into the important role public transit plays in a community as well as debating what makes a good subway system and I give my Full Official Review of the Washington, D.C. metro. Awad explains his previous work with autonomous vehicles and we compete to see who had a worse driver's ed experience (it was me). We talk about what public transit looks like across the world and Awad walks us through a project he's currently working on to collect and share transit data in Khartoum, Sudan. In between all of this, we chat about casual mansplaining, my transformation into a Darts Girl, and how to deal with disagreements in subtle ways. As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The case against fridge water

I start this episode talking about something my family did that I thought everyone else did, and how it took me years to figure out that we weren't the normal ones. Then I recount two of the (very few) times I've been skiing, both of which ended in disaster. One time ended in an actual fall, and the other severely damaged my pride, which we all know is much worse. Finally, I share my pitch for how I would like to see political parties rename themselves to give voters a clear idea of candidates' actual policy issues. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Meghan talks moving cities + artificial intelligence

The theme of this episode is all things New! Meghan, the featured Desk Chair Expert, gives her thoughts on New Years' resolutions, realizing you don't like your major and choosing a new one, how to establish yourself in a new city, and what new technologies are emerging that make her most excited. Listen for stories about how our friendship was love at first nerdy sight (we met in math class) and ways we were able to make friends after moving to a new place (including a fair bit of wallowing in loneliness). In addition, Meghan and I do a demo of what ChatGPT, a new generative chatbot, is like and debate our thoughts on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, data privacy, and how technology affects cheating in schools. As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Vampire propaganda

On today's episode, I start by sharing a magical ability I think I might have and why "normal" superpowers are better than flashy ones. Then I discuss why I find the vampire obsession on TV shows overdone and all the ways I think supernatural shows could be more interesting. All those love triangles but still only vampires and werewolves? Really?? Finally, my take on the one thing Karen's get right (I promise it's not as terrible as it sounds). In the new year, I'm hoping to be 5% more annoying, but only when it's warranted. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.