Podcast: Download
This week we talk to Manoush Zomorodi about remaining human in a digital age
This interview was recorded live in the WNYC studios in New York city, home of other popular podcasts like RadioLab, The New Yorker Radio Hour and Freakonomics.
Manoush Zomorodi is the host and managing editor of Note to Self, “the tech show about being human,” from WNYC Studios.
Every week on her podcast, Manoush searches for answers to life’s digital quandaries, through experiments and conversations with listeners and experts. Topics include information overload, digital clutter, sexting “scandals,” and the eavesdropping capabilities of our gadgets.
Manoush’s goal, as the New York Times wrote, is to “embrace the ridiculousness” of modern life, even when that means downloading dozens of apps to fight the feeling of digital overload. She often speaks on creativity in the digital age, kids and technology, and non-fiction storytelling.
Manoush has won numerous awards including 4 from the New York Press Club. In 2014, the Alliance for Women in Media named her Outstanding Host. Prior to New York Public Radio, Manoush reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters. In 2012, she published Camera Ready, a guide to multimedia journalism.
The Note to Self podcast is starting a new challenge called Infomagical to help cope with information overload.. You will hear more about during the episode. If you want to sign up to participate at go to wnyc.org/infomagical. Challenge week starts February 1 and runs through February 5.
In This Interview, Manoush and I Discuss:
- The One You Feed parable
- How the good and bad wolf help each other to find the middle ground
- Which “technology” wolf are you feeding?
- Keeping our humanity in a digital age
- Trying to understand the effects our technologies have on us
- Having to make too many small decisions all day long
- Information overload
- How the average American takes in over 12 hours of information per day
- The Note to Self Infomagical challenge
- The consumption to creation ratio
- Taking in too much information but not remembering or applying any of it
- How a theme is important for memory and learning
- The myth of multi-tasking
- How not being perfect is the point of being human
- The new digital literacy
- Information filter failure
- Asking “What’s the Point” when consuming digital content
- Eric’s Three Questions:
- What am I doing?
- Why am I doing?
- Is it what I should be doing?
- Pulsing- working in small bursts
- Getting everything out of your mind and written down somewhere and then prioritize it
- How we can only keep track of about four things in our mind at once
- Apps that help us become more human
- Gamifying our habits
- How “spacing out” can makes us more creative and productive
- Apps that make you more human: Moment, BreakFree, Coach.me, Joe’s Goals, and Insight Timer.
Manoush Zomorodi Links
seme says
This was my first podcast. I’m 72 years young and I found it a little tedious. My bad wolf side is too dominant in my life and that’s why your site drew my attention What the H is an algorithim ?
Eric Zimmer says
I’d suggest you try a different show.
Try this one:
https://www.oneyoufeed.net/toni-bernhard/
An algorithm is a procedure or formula for solving a problem. Usually used in mathematics or computer programming.
Ben says
Hey in the podcast you stated that you would put the apps you use out here. I was wondering if you could do that for us.
Eric Zimmer says
Hi Ben,
They are now in the list above. Thanks for listening!