Library of Congress
(de facto) national library of the United States of America
Episodes
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#5241: How the Library of Congress Became a Universal LibraryA fire, a retired book collector, and a copyright law nobody thought through — how three accidents built the world's largest library.Main topic -
#5236: Who Gets to Hold the Gun? Three Models of State ForceIsrael arms citizens for "distributed security," the U.S. treats guns as a right, Japan denies 90% of applicants. Three answers to one question. -
#5828: Punched Cards: The 200-Year Reign of Cardboard ComputingFrom Jacquard's silk looms to NSA key tapes, how holes in cardboard ran the world for two centuries — and why we can still read them. -
#5657: When Bad Effects Break the IllusionBirdemic's clip-art eagles, Plan 9's plastic saucers, and The Room's $6M greenscreen — when budgets break the illusion. -
#5586: The Ancient World Was More Connected Than You ThinkCould an ordinary person travel the Roman world? The evidence says yes — and the reasons we think otherwise are revealing. -
#5207: Hard Drives Are Having Their Biggest Boom in a DecadeEveryone assumes flash killed the spinning disk. Seagate's 52% margins and sold-out capacity through 2028 say otherwise.