The Colin McEnroe Show

Nyctophiliacs rejoice! The color you know and love (black) is now blacker than ever before. And never mind that black is not technically a color. The point is that as you were traipsing through graveyards and reveling under the night sky, scientists were busy inventing two new shades which are so dark they'd make Wednesday Adams reach for a flashlight. But while Vanta black and Black 3.2 are undoubtedly achievements to be celebrated, they did not come without controversy. Indeed, the feud over who could use the blackest substance on Earth soon had the tempers of some artists running red hot. Can a color even be owned? As it turns out, yes! This hour, we speak with a historian of the color black as well as the creator of one of these remarkable new shades. We'll also speak with a scientist on the other end of the color-creating spectrum about a brand new ultra-white that'll soon be brightening our lives in strange new ways. GUESTS: Stuart Semple - Contemporary British artist and creator of several unique colors including PINK, the world's pinkest pink paint, and most recently Black 3.2, the world's blackest paint John Harvey - Life fellow and former director of studies in English at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University; art critic and author of many books, including Men In Black, The Story of Black, and the 2020 U.K. Booker prize-nominated Pax Silvia Vignolini - Associate professor at the University of Cambridge in chemistry and bio-inspired materials; lead researcher and creator of a new, ultra-white coating modeled on the scales of the Cyphochilus beetle Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired February 19, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut will reopen some businesses on May 20, as coronavirus-related hospitalizations continue to decrease. This may be good news for business owners and unemployed workers, and for those looking for a glimmer of light at the end of a long tunnel. It may be scary for people with greater risk for having severe illness from COVID-19 and front-line workers with greater exposure. The bottom line is that we still don't fully understand this virus. And, not all of the 40 states set to reopen are prepared to scale up the testing, tracing, and isolating necessary to prevent a spike in the curve. We must remain vigilant in the absence of a vaccine, and the lag time it will take for a spike to emerge. We talk with a virologist about the search for a vaccine and an emergency doctor about the risks of reopening too early. We want to hear from you too. Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR. GUESTS: Brianne Barker - Associate professor of biology at Drew University and a co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology (@bioprofbarker) Leana Wen - An emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University; she previously served as Baltimore's health commissioner and is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post (@DrLeanaWen) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter announced on Tuesday that its employees who can work from home can continue to work from home -- for forever, if they want. One wonders how many companies will follow suit -- and how employees will feel about such an arrangement. And: Ryan Murphy is the showrunner behind things like Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, 9-1-1, and The Politician. In 2018, Murphy signed the largest development deal in the history of television with Netflix. His new miniseries, Hollywood, is the second project to come out of that deal. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Little Richard, Founding Father of Rock Who Broke Musical Barriers, Dead at 87Pianist-singer behind "Tutti Frutti," "Good Golly Miss Molly," and "Long Tall Sally" set the template that a generation of musicians would follow Column: Will the new coronavirus kill spitting in sports? The pandemic has reminded us: We don't need more sports in our lives -- we need less Robot dogs are patrolling Singapore parks telling people to socially distance How Analog Clocks Can Give Us More by Giving Us Less Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree. New Banksy art unveiled at hospital to thank doctors, nurses Contact-Free Movie Theaters Being Tested in South Korea Solstice Studios' Russell Crowe Road Rage Thriller 'Unhinged' To Be First Film Back In Movie Theaters July 1 'Hamilton' Movie Will Stream on Disney Plus on July 3In a surprise move, the film of the original Broadway production is being released 15 months early. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 are being remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and PCTwo classics in one package A million people are pretending to be ants on Facebook -- and it could be therapeuticMore than 18,000 Facebook users responded to a post of ants on ice cream, writing comments like, "NOM," "SLURP" and "LIFT.TO.THE.QUEEN." Ex-Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga wants MLB to recognize 2010 perfect game, overturn blown call Bob Dylan Cancels U.S. Summer Tour in 'Interest of Public Health and Safety'"We hope to be back out on the road at the earliest possible time," he says Inside HBO Max, the $4 Billion Bet to Stand Out in the Streaming Wars GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bats get a bad rap. People are afraid of animals that tap into our deepest fears and revulsions. Bats aren't cuddly, they fly at night, have big eyes that can’t see, and conjure creepy images of vampires who steal the  blood of the unsuspecting as they sleep.  Their role in the pandemic hasn’t made them more popular. Most scientists who study the genomes of bat viruses believe the horseshoe bat played a role in transmitting the virus from an animal to a human host. People encroaching on animal habitats and handling wildlife they shouldn't touch is way more likely to cause a pandemic than the animal who was minding its own business. But fear of bats and disease has led to violence and destruction of bat colonies worldwide. They're vital for pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal. Bats also live a long time, have highly efficient immune systems, and are social creatures that share blood with "friends" and adopt orphans.  Bats once impressed one dentist so much that he got the U.S. government to support a plan to use bats to bomb Japan during World War II.  GUESTS:  Jonathan Epstein is a veterinarian, disease ecologist and the Vice President for Science and Outreach for EcoHealth Alliance. His work has been published in Science, Nature, and Emerging Infectious Diseases, among others. (@epsteinjon) Merlin Tuttle is an ecologist, wildlife photographer, and bat conservationist. He’s the founder of Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation and a research fellow at the University of Texas.  Cara Giaimo is a freelance writer. She spent three years as a staff writer at Atlas Obscura, and now writes for the New York Times, Grist, Anthropocene Magazine, and elsewhere (@cjgiaimo) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In November, 2016, we did a show about all the problems presented by, well, a-holes. And so it seems only logical to expand our scope a bit and do a show about all the problems presented by, well, a hole. For instance: How many holes are there in a straw? Did you say one? Okay, cool. Then how many holes are there in a sock? (A relatively new sock, I mean.) You said one again, right? But how can both of those things be true at the same time? Or, put another way: What happens to the hole in the donut as you eat the donut around it? This gets into mereology, the theory of parthood relations -- for our purposes, the parts and wholes of holes and the wholes the holes are parts of. Your head hurts a little, right? And then there's trypophobia, an irrational fear of clusters of holes and cracks. And finally: We've just found a black hole right in our cosmic backyard. GUESTS: Chrissie Giles - A science writer and the global health editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Marina Koren - Staff writer at The Atlantic Achille Varzi - Professor of philosophy at Columbia University and the coauthor of Holes and Other Superficialities Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can observe how economic inequality in America plays out during this pandemic by watching who gets help and who gets ignored. Two America's live side by side, often in the same community. Nowhere is it on display more than in Greenwich, Conn., where hedge fund managers in gilded mansions live across town from minimum wage workers in local service jobs. The inequality on display today is the byproduct of decades of policy choices that benefit the wealthy. Also this hour: We help you make sense of the sometimes conflicting news about COVID-19 with the host of the podcast This Week In Virology. GUESTS: Evan Osnos - Staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China Vincent Racaniello - Professor of microbiology & immunology in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the host of the podcast This Week in Virology Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Hours To Kill is Jerry Seinfeld's fourth-ever standup comedy special and his second for Netflix. It hit the streaming service on Tuesday, and The Nose thinks it's great. And also that it sucks. And then: Waco is a six-part miniseries that tells exactly the story you'd guess it tells. Taylor Kitsch plays David Koresh. Waco was the big, original launch title for the Paramount Network when it rebranded from SpikeTV in January, 2018. So why is it relevant now? One wonders, but it was recently added to Netflix, and it's been trending there for weeks. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: 'Murder Hornets' in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant HornetSightings of the Asian giant hornet have prompted fears that the vicious insect could establish itself in the United States and devastate bee populations. A 5-year-old boy was pulled over in Utah on his way to California to try to buy a Lamborghini What will Connecticut restaurants look like after coronavirus? Owners expect an entirely different dining experience from the past The Red Sox are exploring 'changes' to their uniform Was Donald Trump Good at Baseball?The president has long claimed he could have gone pro. We looked into it. TV Ratings: Remote 'Voice' Slips to Monday Season Lows Grimes & Elon Musk Have A Baby Boy Named X Æ A-12 Turns Out Elon Musk and Grimes Can't Actually Name Their Baby X Æ A-12 Due To California LawsWell, they tried. Risky Business? NASA and Tom Cruise Talk Movie Shoot in SpaceThe head of NASA said the agency is working with the "Mission: Impossible" star on a new film aboard the International Space Station. Drive-Thru Strip Club Serves Up Sexy (And Safe) Solution For Coronavirus BluesLucky Devil Lounge in Oregon has come up with yet another innovative, fun and sexy idea to keep income -- and customers -- coming during the pandemic. What Is Demon Time? Instagram's 'After Dark' Craze, Explained Twitter Asks Users to Reconsider Before Sending Vulgar Tweets Drive-in concerts could provide coronavirus workaround An Unhappy Ending For Movie Theater Chains AMC And Cineworld Adele's new birthday photo thanking frontline workers sparks debate on body image TV Writers Wrestle With How (and When) to Work COVID-19 Into Series What Happened to Val Kilmer? He’s Just Starting to Figure It Out. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - An Emmy-winning musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer, and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It is the rare person who doesn't own a pair of sweatpants." I am, it turns out, that rare person. Sweatpants are just too warm, is my take. But I do own a number of pairs of cotton pajama pants. They're my sweatpants proxy. Back before the pandemic became the central preoccupation of our existence, back when we made our radio show in, ya know, a radio studio, I would always get a little dressed up on my show days. I'd wear a jacket. Or a tie. Or a jacket and a tie. Now that we're all working from home all the time, I spend the great majority of my work hours in pajama pants and stocking feet and a bathrobe. But when it comes time for one of my shows -- like this one, for instance -- I change out of my PJ pants into jeans or chinos. That's what "a little dressed up" means these days: putting real pants on. (Or even "hard pants," as they're now known.) For we are living in the age of sweatpants. Question is: Are we ever going back? Or should we go back right now and start dressing like grownups again? What if we got, like, some fancy pants sweatpants? Would that be grown up enough? This hour, from The Bad Ideas Dept.: a show about sweatpants. GUESTS: Tim Chan - Lifestyle and market editor at Rolling Stone Rebecca Jennings - A reporter covering pop and internet culture at The Goods by Vox Rachel Tashjian - Style writer for GQ Adam Tschorn - Deputy fashion editor at the Los Angeles Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joni Mitchell is a singer-songwriter from Alberta, Canada. In 1968, her debut album, Song to a Seagull, was released and since then, Mitchell has become one of the most influential and greatest recording artists. Mitchell has won nine Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and countless music awards, and her albums are considered among the best ever made. We're big fans. It turns out we're not alone. This hour, we talk to a few friends of the show to discuss Mitchell's influence on them while listening to their favorite Joni songs. Plus, we chat David Yaffe, the author of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell. GUESTS: David Yaffe - Assistant professor of Humanities at Syracuse University and the author of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Brendan J. Sullivan - Producer and author of Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives Lee Newton - Director of program promotion at Connecticut Public Jim Chapdelaine - Musician, producer, recording engineer, and Emmy-winning composer Steve Metcalf - Music critic, arts consultant, composer, director of the University of Hartford's Presidents' College Noah Baerman - Jazz pianist and composer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, Carlos Mejia, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired April 4, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to fathom the idea that more people have to die from COVID-19 before we come out on the other end of this pandemic. Is it time for political leaders of both parties to have an honest conversation about the moral trade-offs of this pandemic and how to balance them toward the public interest? The world is rushing to produce a vaccine against COVID-19. We talk about the trade-offs of shortening a process that typically takes 10-15 years to complete and the ethical challenges of manufacturing one or more vaccines and how we choose to distribute them. The Asian giant hornet has arrived in the U.S. for the first time -- and it doesn't bode well for honeybees. What are scientists doing to eradicate it? GUESTS: John Harris - Founding editor of Politico Carl Zimmer - The author of 13 books about science; his latest is She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Power, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity Mike Baker - Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.