The Yellow Light Sound

Me against the World

We all want to change the world, but social change doesn’t come from converting every person, one by one. The current crop of new urbanists and champions of active mobility don’t aim to bully each listener into a new lifestyle. We won’t expect you to defy the incentives that make driving sensible for you. We only ask to have the option to safely walk, ride, and roll. This demands new considerations in the built environment, not in your individual choices. Opening theme music by Computer Music All-Stars, “May the Chords Be with You,” released 2018, available on the Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0. Closing theme from the Korea Copyright Commission, a 2022 performance of samul-nori music, available at Gongyu Madang, LSMBG0704, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 KR. Logo art by Kyle Keswick of Keswick Design Company in Plattsburgh, New York, with edits for contrast and color. Recorded in Plattsburgh, New York. Copyright 2025 by Sae Ong Jee Ma LLC.

Chaos Theory

“Jurassic Park” introduced most of us to chaos theory. You may think that disaster could’ve been prevented if not for Dennis Nedry, the T. rex, or XYZ, but this misses the point. Chaos theory warns us to anticipate the unpredictable when many factors interact. John Hammond, however, committed to the idea of the park, then wanted to fix this or that after a death. But park users, human and dinosaur alike, won’t conform to expectations. Opening theme music by Computer Music All-Stars, “May the Chords Be with You,” released 2018, available on the Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0. Closing theme from the Korea Copyright Commission, a 2022 performance of samul-nori music, available at Gongyu Madang, LSMBG0704, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 KR. Logo art by Kyle Keswick of Keswick Design Company in Plattsburgh, New York, with edits for contrast and color. Recorded in Plattsburgh, New York. Copyright 2025 by Sae Ong Jee Ma LLC.

What Is Inclusive and What Is Not

Accessibility goes beyond checking a box. It defines dignity and participation in society. Unfortunately, even those who claim to favor social justice often use the disabled as caricatures and props. Sometimes, they become cudgels. Bad-faith actors cite the disabled to shame the opposition, but this action serves the speaker and actively harms actual people with challenges. Opening theme music by Computer Music All-Stars, “May the Chords Be with You,” released 2018, available on the Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0. Closing theme from the Korea Copyright Commission, a 2022 performance of samul-nori music, available at Gongyu Madang, LSMBG0704, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 KR. Logo art by Kyle Keswick of Keswick Design Company in Plattsburgh, New York, with edits for contrast and color. Recorded in Plattsburgh, New York. Copyright 2025 by Sae Ong Jee Ma LLC.

Trailer

The Yellow Light Sound is the podcast to go along with The Yellow Light, a project to explore the built environment with essays, analysis, and counterintuitive insights at TheYellowLight.Org. Opening theme music by Computer Music All-Stars, “May the Chords Be with You,” released 2018, available on the Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0. Closing theme from the Korea Copyright Commission, a 2022 performance of samul-nori music, available at Gongyu Madang, LSMBG0704, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 KR. Logo art by Kyle Keswick of Keswick Design Company in Plattsburgh, New York, with edits for contrast and color. Recorded in Plattsburgh, New York. Copyright by Sae Ong Jee Ma LLC.