Manoush Zomorodi is the host and managing editor of the podcast Note to Self 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.
Her book, Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, is based on an experiment she did with tens of thousands of her listeners in 2015.
Prior to New York Public Radio, Manoush reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters. Manoush grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and went to Georgetown University. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Shows:
Manoush Zomorodi appears in the following:
How the first LGBTQ+ video game was given a second life
Friday, January 27, 2023
In 1989, CM Ralph created "Caper in the Castro", the first LGBTQ+ video game. Nearly lost when diskettes became obsolete, this piece of gaming and queer history found new life in the Internet Archive.
How do you create an internet archive of all human knowledge?
Friday, January 27, 2023
The internet is forever ... or is it? The average webpage is deleted or changed in just 100 days. To preserve all human knowledge — digital and analog — Brewster Kahle created the Internet Archive.
How DNA could provide data storage for more than our genetics
Friday, January 27, 2023
Humans are generating vast amounts of data each day— and we're running out of storage space. Molecular biologist Dina Zielinski discusses a solution that can pack tons of data into a tiny space: DNA.
What would we learn and what could we save, if we had a 3D-scan of the entire earth?
Friday, January 27, 2023
LIDAR technology is an innovation in archeology and ecology that has uncovered lost civilizations. But archeologist Chris Fisher realized it could help track and study the effects of climate change.
Want to spend more time with family? Expand your definition of ... family
Friday, January 13, 2023
We often resolve to spend time with family. A.J. Jacobs may have found one solution: treat everyone like family. He says genealogy platforms have linked him to family trees with millions of cousins.
How to travel more without going anywhere
Friday, January 13, 2023
Traveling lets us take in the awe of new places. But author and travel writer Pico Iyer realized he could bring an adventurous spirit to familiar spaces and see local beauty that he had overlooked.
Willpower won't help you save money. Changing your environment can
Friday, January 13, 2023
When it comes to money, knowing better doesn't always help us save more. Wendy De La Rosa suggests changing and automating factors in your environment to take back control of your finances.
Hey adults, fun is one antidote to stress. Try it more
Friday, January 13, 2023
How often have you resolved to stress less? But what does that mean? For journalist Catherine Price, she found the first step to making us happier, healthier, and more present is to ... have more fun.
Choosing mindfulness over dieting
Friday, January 13, 2023
Dieting doesn't work. Despite that, many people feel immense pressure to starve themselves. Neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt argues for a better, healthier way to live with mindful eating.
Do your brain a favor — move your body
Friday, January 13, 2023
Did you know working out is the single best thing you can do for your brain? Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki found regular exercise helps grow your brain, improve memory and help protect against dementia.
Alzheimer's, memory, and how to keep our brains healthy as we age
Friday, December 23, 2022
The prospect of a neurological condition like Alzheimer's or ALS can be terrifying. But these illnesses affect us all. Neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova asks us to confront that reality head-on.
How facial recognition allowed the Chinese government to target minority groups
Friday, December 09, 2022
Journalist Alison Killing explains her investigation in Xinjiang, China, where the government has used facial recognition cameras to track Uyghurs and detain them in camps across the region.
What if we gave our technology a face?
Friday, December 09, 2022
We rely on technology for so much. Researcher Mike Seymour wondered: could our interactions be improved if tech had a face? He discusses how humanizing tech might make it more friendly and engaging.
How businesses are deploying facial recognition
Friday, December 09, 2022
As facial recognition software becomes easier to acquire, businesses are using it to surveil and analyze customers. Bloomberg's Parmy Olson explains where and how the technology is being deployed.
What it's like to remember nearly every face
Friday, December 09, 2022
Yenny Seo remembers nearly every face — that's because she is a super recognizer. She describes what it's like to live with this extraordinary ability.
Our Late Bloomer Stories: Listener Voice Memos
Friday, November 18, 2022
We asked you: Do you consider yourself a late bloomer?
How to overcome the post-retirement blues
Friday, November 18, 2022
Retirement is a time full of new possibilities — which can be exciting and intimidating. Retired educator Riley Moynes offers suggestions for how to find fulfillment in a new chapter of life.
How we can end ageism
Friday, November 18, 2022
We receive a lot of messages about how bad it is to grow old. Anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite says that while some of our fears may be valid, aging offers more opportunities than we think.
What your age really says about your chance of success at work
Friday, November 18, 2022
We often equate youth with success at work. Physicist and network scientist Albert-László Barabási put this belief to the test, and found that with persistence, we can be successful at any age.
Embracing life as a late bloomer
Friday, November 18, 2022
For most of her life, writer Doree Shafrir felt like she was always falling behind her peers. She describes how she finally came around to accepting – even celebrating – life as a late bloomer.
