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Podcast Recs

"Safe for Work." I really like this podcast. It's about the psychology of the workplace. How to get by in an office.

Topics: what to order if you are at lunch with your boss, how to manage friction, when to leave a job, how to deal with a deficient manager, what to do if you're calling a meeting. These are practical discussions about things we don't always consider; many of us float through work, accepting bad arrangements, subconsciously believing that sanity isn't really an option.

But sometimes sanity *is* an option. For example: Before calling a meeting, what if you considered the ideal space for the meeting, and how the furniture should be arranged? (How often does this happen?) What if you explicitly disinvited certain people who really did not need to attend--and what if you clearly, dispassionately explained why their presence wasn't needed? What if you foreground-ed *productive controversy* -- so there was not an illusion of consensus, followed by a series of hushed, secret decisions that pissed off half your employees? The mind reels.

"In the Dark." This is a famous series about Curtis Flowers, who has been tried for murder six times. Six times! The same series of murders. It's unclear to me whether this guy is guilty--I'm only two episodes in--but I enjoy the many colorful interviews, and, as in any good case, the details are stunning. What if a person in fact was not in the place he claimed to be in? What if a story changed eight or nine times? When are investigators inappropriately applying pressure, and when are they simply doing their job?

(I'm also curious about the OJ Simpson element. The Curtis Flowers trial, like the OJ trial, seems to be an example of a story where one's response may sometimes seem to have a correlation with one's race. I hope the series digs into this more.)

"The Big One," "The Last Days of August," "Up and Vanished." I'm curious about each of these. Have not listened yet. Stay tuned!

*P.S. I'm away for the next few days. Will resume writing on Monday!
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