AUGUST 30, 2019
Well, that sounds both fun and terrifying.
The Farmers’ Almanac has released their winter predictions and forewarned of colder than normal temperatures, with so many ups and downs that you might call it a “polar coaster.” While we were busy saluting their copywriters, we noticed our social media feeds were filling up with—of all things—acorns. Many folks are noticing that this year they are bigger and more copious than normal, all because oak trees know about the dire conditions to come. With our minds officially blown, but skeptical (are trees actually smarter than humans? Probably?), we’re digging into this listen about the magic of seeds to find out if there’s a kernel of truth to all this.A space-age divorce story…
Conscious uncouplingsmight be the trendy, modern way to split up, but it seems most divorces still involve your garden-variety domestic disputes. Last week one particular breakup was in the news not because the couple was fighting over anything extraordinary, but rather because of where it all took place: in outer space. One ex alleged that the other illegally accessed her bank account from a NASA computer at the International Space Station, leaving legal experts scratching their heads about jurisdiction beyond the borders of our planet’s atmosphere. One thing is certain, though—as space travel becomes more commonplace, anything we do on Earth will certainly happen out there eventually, too.
…and a scandal worth buckling in for.
Around here, we’re used to fictional tales of self-driving car mayhem—like Reverse Transmission, a black comedy about a killer AI behind the wheel, and The Passengers, John Marrs’s twisted technothriller set in a driverless future. But the news that a former Google and Uber engineer has been charged with 33 counts of attempted thefts of trade secrets is another reminder that truth can be juicier than fiction. So we’re shifting into high gear for Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, reporter Mike Isaac’s deep dive into one of driverless tech’s key players and a fascinating window into the company’s history and future.Early retirement goals.
The sports world is still reeling from Andrew Luck’s surprise announcement that he is retiring from his position as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Diehard fans are obviously upset, but many are commending Luck for prioritizing his mental health and happiness—a rare move from a successful, professional athlete—over the game. It’s important to know When to Jump, and we wish Luck…luck…on his next move!Dolls with history.
Barbie has had a rather complicated history in pop culture and in the minds of girls and women everywhere, much of it wonderfully chronicled in The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie. But this week’s news on Women’s Equality Day that two dolls honoring civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the first woman in space, Sally Ride, are now available is sure to make many people happy. We do hope the literature that accompanies each doll give a good comprehensive look at their lives, including Parks’ activism well before her refusal to sit in the back of the bus.Classics old and new.
- Classic literature can inspire passion, debate, and guilt, and we welcomed the first two while checking our guilt (mostly) at the door in the new classics episode of Audicted.
- Beloved children’s show Blues Clues is getting a reboot (that’s what classics do, people!). Till then, catch star Steve Burns in the magical musical adventure Foreverywhere, which Burns told us is a true “labor of love.”
—the audible editors
Audiobooks in This Edition
-
I Want My MTV
- The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
- By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,054
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 922
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 919
It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined. I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Most Entertaining Book of the Year
- By David on 10-24-12
-
Reverse Transmission
- By: Ben O'Brien, Param Anand Singh
- Narrated by: Dani Montalvo, Alan Resnick, Marc Steiner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 924
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 843
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 844
Reverse Transmission is a darkly comedic story that combines elements of science fiction and dystopian thrillers, centering on a murder spree involving a self-driving car. Jay, a starving artist, gets the only day job she’s qualified for: “driver” of a self-driving car at the rideshare company Awooga. The job turns from hilariously awkward to intensely frightening when the car runs over a pedestrian and manipulates Jay into disposing the body.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An ARG comparable to "This House Has People In It"
- By Dario Motomochi on 11-08-18
-
The Passengers
- By: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Roy McMillan, Tom Bateman, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,303
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,160
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,163
You’re riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, “You are going to die.” Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man. From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Not a long shelf life on this one
- By Kate on 09-27-19
-
Super Pumped
- The Battle for Uber
- By: Mike Isaac
- Narrated by: Holter Graham, Mike Isaac
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,941
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,622
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,616
A New York Times technology correspondent presents the dramatic rise and fall of Uber, set against the rapid upheaval in Silicon Valley during the mobile era. Based on hundreds of interviews with current and former Uber employees, along with previously unpublished documents, Super Pumped is a pause-resisting story of ambition and deception, obscene wealth, and bad behavior, that explores how blistering technological and financial innovation culminated in one of the most catastrophic 12-month periods in American corporate history.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A forced narrative and a bad version of Bad Blood
- By Benji on 09-09-19
-
Tales from the Indianapolis Colts Sideline
- A Collection of the Greatest Colts Stories Ever Told
- By: Mike Chappell, Phil Richards
- Narrated by: Mark Delgado
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Relive the greatest moments in Colts football—newly updated! With roots that go back to 1913, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. But the real legacy of achievement began in 1984 when the Colts arrived in Indianapolis after a midnight escape from Baltimore.
-
The Triumph of Seeds
- How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History
- By: Thor Hanson
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,683
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,493
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,499
We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life, supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and the humble peppercorn drove the Age of Discovery, so did coffee beans help fuel the Enlightenment and cottonseed help spark the Industrial Revolution. And from the fall of Rome to the Arab Spring, the fate of nations continues to hinge on the seeds of a Middle Eastern grass known as wheat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Delightfully simplistic!
- By Adrian on 03-30-16
-
I Want My MTV
- The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
- By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,054
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 922
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 919
It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined. I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Most Entertaining Book of the Year
- By David on 10-24-12
-
Reverse Transmission
- By: Ben O'Brien, Param Anand Singh
- Narrated by: Dani Montalvo, Alan Resnick, Marc Steiner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 924
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 843
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 844
Reverse Transmission is a darkly comedic story that combines elements of science fiction and dystopian thrillers, centering on a murder spree involving a self-driving car. Jay, a starving artist, gets the only day job she’s qualified for: “driver” of a self-driving car at the rideshare company Awooga. The job turns from hilariously awkward to intensely frightening when the car runs over a pedestrian and manipulates Jay into disposing the body.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An ARG comparable to "This House Has People In It"
- By Dario Motomochi on 11-08-18
-
The Passengers
- By: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Roy McMillan, Tom Bateman, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,303
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,160
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,163
You’re riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, “You are going to die.” Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man. From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Not a long shelf life on this one
- By Kate on 09-27-19
-
Super Pumped
- The Battle for Uber
- By: Mike Isaac
- Narrated by: Holter Graham, Mike Isaac
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,941
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,622
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,616
A New York Times technology correspondent presents the dramatic rise and fall of Uber, set against the rapid upheaval in Silicon Valley during the mobile era. Based on hundreds of interviews with current and former Uber employees, along with previously unpublished documents, Super Pumped is a pause-resisting story of ambition and deception, obscene wealth, and bad behavior, that explores how blistering technological and financial innovation culminated in one of the most catastrophic 12-month periods in American corporate history.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A forced narrative and a bad version of Bad Blood
- By Benji on 09-09-19
-
Tales from the Indianapolis Colts Sideline
- A Collection of the Greatest Colts Stories Ever Told
- By: Mike Chappell, Phil Richards
- Narrated by: Mark Delgado
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Relive the greatest moments in Colts football—newly updated! With roots that go back to 1913, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. But the real legacy of achievement began in 1984 when the Colts arrived in Indianapolis after a midnight escape from Baltimore.
-
The Triumph of Seeds
- How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History
- By: Thor Hanson
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,683
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,493
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,499
We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life, supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and the humble peppercorn drove the Age of Discovery, so did coffee beans help fuel the Enlightenment and cottonseed help spark the Industrial Revolution. And from the fall of Rome to the Arab Spring, the fate of nations continues to hinge on the seeds of a Middle Eastern grass known as wheat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Delightfully simplistic!
- By Adrian on 03-30-16