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What remains of Todd Robbin's light bulb.

Carnival Talkers

Todd Robbins ate a incandescent bulb in our studio, a light snack before his show, “Carnival Knowledge” at the Soho Playhouse. Robbins is part of a dying breed, perhaps the greatest of the living masters of the “ballyhoo” — the sales pitch that happens outside of a sideshow tent that’s almost a show itself. Producers Jay Allison and Rachel Day take us into the world of the carnival talker (don’t call him “barker”) with a piece they produced for the NPR series “Lost and Found Sound.”

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Open Outcry

Trading stock online, or through a broker, may seem instantaneous – you hit send or hang up the phone and it’s done - but the person who actually pulls the trigger is a live human being in “the pit.” We’ve all seen this place on TV, where hordes of aggressive adrenaline junkies scream at the top of their lungs, waving pieces of paper. That’s how it still happens, despite all the technology. It’s an age old system called Open Outcry, and sound artist Ben Rubin, takes you right into the middle of it in this piece he produced for WNYC’s “The Next Big Thing.”

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Free Speech For Sale

In the late nineteen-eighties, a group of artists began to attack advertised messages by manipulating billboards to make their own statements, something known as “culture jamming.” In that same spirit, audio artist Jay Kennedy assembled “Free Speech for Sale,” a CD of audio art made with the mangled sound of commercials. Produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.

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All My Life For Sale

One day John Freyer decided he had too much stuff, so he went on the internet and sold all of it on eBay — from his sneakers to his sideburns. A meditation on property, tribal gift giving and second hand stories…

(The interview with Ave Maria Greene was recorded by reporter Ann Heperman.)

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A Damnation, Directed Toward Telemarketers

We found a book recently called 101 Damnations. It’s a collection of 101 personal visions of hell, contributed by writers like Tim Carvell, who mostly work at home between the hours of 9AM and 5PM—which, as we all know, is when they call…

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Tim Searcy

The National Do Not Call Registry has been in effect since October 1st, and over 30 million people have signed up already. If you’re anything like Tim Carvell this is a good thing. But, to be fair, there may be a potential downside, or 2 million potential downsides. That’s the number of jobs that could be lost, according to Tim Searcy, Executive Director of the American Teleservices Association.

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This hour of Radio Lab was produced by Neda Pourang and Jennie Schneier, with help from Ellen Horne, Miyuki Jokiranta and Trent Wolbe. Special thanks to WNYC archivist Andy Lanset.