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- 03 / 04 / 2020 -
Kyle and Emmanuel are wearing masks, demonstrating how to put one on properly, a change of plans, why people don't need to be walking around with masks during the coronavirus crisis, examples of stupidity that are being demonstrated in society, why people shouldn't panic, how the air has gotten much clearer in China due to things shutting down, the consequences of sneezing, Alex explains how family helps people get through these challenges, most of the last remaining payphones in the city are set to be removed, Rob and Gila join the conversation from a payphone in Queens, Rob describes the phone being used, times in history when payphones were important, the prevalence of payphones in the Montreal metro, how payphones were designated inside the Bell system, Alex recalls the relative anonymity of payphones in the past, how payphones compare to LinkNYC kiosks, Rob demonstrates red box tones, the incredibly simple way these tones worked, Alex remembers calling Bruce Sterling using a red box one Thanksgiving long ago, why it's a good idea to have different forms of technology running in parallel, the overall sound quality of the payphone, calling the payphone that's next to Rob and Gila, a caller describes unwanted anonymity, how collect calls have become a thing of the past, memories of calling random payphones, the old "WarGames" trick, the huge amount of stories involving payphones, Alex describes his law firm's DNS monitoring project focused on coronavirus domain names, examples of some of the registrations, how people can get their questions answered, there will be 2600 meetings this week.
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March 4
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- 03 / 11 / 2020 -
The sound of a melody, an algorithm to generate every possible melody is released, over 68 billion melodies are a part of this, Noah Rubin and Damien Riehl join the conversation, the reaction so far to this project, the major and minor scales, other melodies that are being added, how this is all just math, the legal implications of this, the issue of subconscious plagiarism, a previous George Harrison case, the notion of numbers protected by copyright, what was involved in having computers do all of this, specifics on how Python was used in this project, thoughts on the melodies, relevant tales from Tom Petty and The Rutles, the unfairness of the current copyright system, creative ways of challenging trademarks, schools have begun to shut down due to the coronavirus crisis, concern over those who don't have broadband access, how LinkNYC has fallen short, Emmanuel's wish to have both LinkNYC kiosks and payphones, the St. Patrick's Day parade has been canceled, why it makes more sense to avoid drug stores than Chinese restaurants, Alex gives an update on coronavirus domain registrations, why local radio has never been more important.
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March 11
16k mp3
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- 03 / 18 / 2020 -
An extended show in a troubled time, a strict attendance limit has been placed on the show, frustration at how people aren't taking this crisis seriously enough, the virus is spiraling out of control, this is very different from the flu, how this could get so much worse if precautions aren't followed, why this doesn't mean people need to suffer, what we can learn, the short term results of cutting back significantly on pollution, why the economy isn't what's important right now, how supermarkets aren't necessarily scenes of pandemonium, a subdued St. Patrick's Day, there are over 7,000 cases in New York with over 100 deaths so far, the peak could come in 45 days, why it's important to remember that everybody is going through this, Emmanuel's advice to not pay the rent or mortgage until this is over, how Kyle is dealing with impending doom, a reminder of how fragile we all are, why it should be called physical distancing instead of social distancing, Alex is sick with a potential case of COVID-19 and is isolated in Pennsylvania, how to get an appointment for COVID-19 testing in New York, who should and shouldn't get tested, Alex explains how keeping cool and taking the proper actions is so essential, Kyle initiates a Skype connection to Rob and Gila, Rob is still using mass transit every day, what it's like to be an essential worker, the financial effects this is having on the MTA, how this demonstrates the importance of a government that supports a strong social structure, Gila describes the scene while shopping, why shelter-in-place won't be happening in New York, the lack of a single trusted national voice, impressions from supermarkets, why going to Asian markets might be a good idea, misinformation from a Trump announcement on Google's involvement in testing, Alex describes the history of the website in question, why people should consider having a pet in times like this, a "Hacker News" story that doesn't seem to know a whole lot about hackers while reporting on a story about COVID-19 related online crimes, why "huckster" is a better word to use than "hacker" when describing these activities, the real story behind the Spanish flu, comparing the numbers, how both China and the United States failed to be on top of the virus in the early days, the death toll in Italy is about to exceed that of China's, why it's harmful to name the virus after a nation of people, a listener from Kentucky describes ways the hacker community there is helping, how all of this is affecting doctor-patient relationships, the unique way Kyle and Emmanuel communicated safely in person with a friend, a description of shelter-in-place from California, effects on the environment, how this is a unifying event, ICE announces it will stop making arrests, the importance of local radio, being alone together, the prospects of a pause in rent, how this will change society, how evil people will take advantage of this, the good and bad that can come from traumatizing the population, film recommendations, realizing that the little things matter the most, the difference between COVID-19 and other deadly diseases, uncertainty over next week.
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March 18
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- 03 / 25 / 2020 -
The first entirely remote show coming from a number of different locations, Alex gives an update on his condition in isolation, the torture of not knowing whether you've caught the virus, how people are driving like idiots, the vital role that long haul truckers are playing, some of the unique problems they're facing, the importance of getting people to take this seriously, why this is nothing like the flu, comparing the numbers, some of the things that people have rediscovered as a result of being stuck indoors, reports that the show isn't on the air, Rob describes the emptiness of the subways at rush hour, Reggie tries to communicate with the show without anyone able to hear, describing how the remote setup works, the show is back to a one-hour format, the ability to take phone calls from the remote location will soon be realized, why all of the home broadcasting going on is a good thing, Kyle updates the on-air situation, why unpolished radio is sometimes better, rating Trump's performance so far, shock at the latest popularity ratings, some of the dangerous suggestions Trump has made, why people need to stop taking him seriously, some potentially dangerous apps that are being peddled during the crisis, Emmanuel's laptop starts to flake out, confusion as the signals start to fail, Emmanuel's laptop loses power and installs a mandatory Windows update which prevents the outro from playing, hopes that Windows 11 won't be as terrible.
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March 25
16k mp3
128k mp3 (or download via bittorrent)