Tell Me Something I Don't Know
New York Times
Journalism wrapped in a game-show package. Host Stephen J. Dubner (of “Freakonomics Radio”) and a celebrity co-host invite guests on stage in front of a live audience to tell us something we don’t know. The co-hosts — a mix of leaders in science, academia, sports, media, and comedy — grill the guests, and by the end we’ve all gotten a bit smarter. Each episode has a new topic, a new co-host, and new guests. There’s also a real-time human fact-checker to keep everyone honest. Think of the most crackling dinner-party conversation you’ve ever heard. Produced in association with Stitcher.
Location:
United States
Networks:
New York Times
Description:
Journalism wrapped in a game-show package. Host Stephen J. Dubner (of “Freakonomics Radio”) and a celebrity co-host invite guests on stage in front of a live audience to tell us something we don’t know. The co-hosts — a mix of leaders in science, academia, sports, media, and comedy — grill the guests, and by the end we’ve all gotten a bit smarter. Each episode has a new topic, a new co-host, and new guests. There’s also a real-time human fact-checker to keep everyone honest. Think of the most crackling dinner-party conversation you’ve ever heard. Produced in association with Stitcher.
Twitter:
@TMSIDK_Show
Language:
English
Contact:
212-678-8774
Website:
http://tmsidk.com/
Email:
editor@tmsidk.com
Episodes
New Episodes Coming Soon!
10/16/2018
We are about to tape new episodes of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. You’ll be able to hear them later this year in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed. Details in this short announcement.
Duration:00:01:31
An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguists Walk Into a Bar…
11/18/2017
Why New York has skinny skyscrapers, how to weaponize water, and what astronauts talk about in space. John McWhorter is co-host; Bari Weiss is live fact-checker.
Duration:00:53:33
Extra 7: Corrosive Energy Drinks and Peruvian Cat Stew
11/17/2017
In this special call-in episode: why some Peruvians eat cats; why operas need repetiteurs; and why we should get rid of prisons. Michael Smerconish (CNN) is co-host; AJ Jacobs (It’s All Relative) checks the facts.
Duration:00:48:12
Farming Without Sun or Soil and Eating Manna From Heaven
11/11/2017
This week, we work on our survival skills: in the desert, on the tundra, and growing food in abandoned warehouses. Actress Sas Goldberg is co-host; A.J. Jacobs (author of It’s All Relative) is live fact-checker.
Duration:00:39:02
Mind Games
11/4/2017
How to make people like you, why you should lick rocks, and what an awkward person is really thinking. Angela Duckworth (Grit author) is co-host; Mike Maughan (Qualtrics) is live fact-checker.
Duration:00:47:47
Jon Batiste, Gail Simmons, and Strange Smells
10/28/2017
Things we learn this week: dogs aren't so great at sniffing, men aren't so lazy, and New York doesn't smell so bad (anymore). Gail Simmons (Top Chef) is co-host; Jon Batiste plays his melodica for us; the live fact-checker is Mike Maughan.
Duration:00:56:01
All About Bugs (of the Animal and Computer Varieties)
10/21/2017
Musical crickets, crop-saving wasps — and why you should pre-bug your software. John McWhorter is co-host; the live fact-checker is Bari Weiss.
Duration:00:57:06
School Start Times, Brand Names, and Too Much Ground Beef
10/14/2017
Alex Wagner (CBS This Morning Saturday, The Atlantic) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. We filled this episode with insights about the true value of ground beef, sleeping in, company names, and more.
Duration:00:42:31
How to Count to Infinity
10/7/2017
Mary Roach (author of Stiff, Spook, Bonk, Gulp, and Grunt) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. If the promise of tractor beams doesn't pull you in, our guests also explore robotic fish, counting to infinity, and more.
Duration:00:47:31
The Perfect Potato Chip, the Origin of Seltzer, and Why We Eat “Beef” and Not “Cow”
9/30/2017
Alex Guarnaschelli (Iron Chef America and Chopped) is our special guest co-host, with Sean Rameswaram (Radiolab Presents: More Perfect) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK explores the origins of food words, children's menus, and seltzer.
Duration:00:56:52
You Say “eye-RACK,” I Say “ear-ROCK”
9/23/2017
Hari Kondabolu (comedian and host of Politically Re-Active) is our special guest co-host, with Sean Rameswaram (Radiolab Presents: More Perfect) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK reaches into our "grab bag" for fascinating facts on the downside of keeping secrets, the origin of fantasy sports, what pronunciations say about our politics, and more.
Duration:00:47:14
Season 4 Preview
9/10/2017
Alex Guarnaschelli, Alexandra Petri, Hari Kondabolu, Mary Roach, and Jemele Hill are some of the brilliant co-hosts joining us during Season 4. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll learn in 10 new episodes beginning September 17th.
Duration:00:03:05
Womb to Tomb
9/9/2017
Alexandra Petri (Washington Post columnist) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK covers everything from birth to earth, including pregnancy tests, parenting, monogamy, aging better, and, finally, embalming.
Duration:00:51:39
Extra 6: A Better Way to End Basketball Games
9/5/2017
Basketball fans know how boring a game's ending can be — intentional fouls can stretch 90 seconds into 10 minutes. What if we could fix it by blowing up the last 4 minutes?
Duration:00:16:23
Extra 5: The Actress Who Never Takes a Sick Day
9/4/2017
Off-Broadway actress, producer, and Guinness Record-holder Catherine Russell has played the same off-Broadway role for three decades. What’s more impressive than the play itself? She’s never called in sick.
Duration:00:18:50
Extra 4: The Most Renewable Energy of All
9/3/2017
Some of our most important inventions safely remove human waste. But what if we could use that waste to generate electricity?
Duration:00:20:38
Extra 3: The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Rosé Wine
8/29/2017
From medieval times through the French Revolution, rosé ruled the wine world — and now it’s staging a comeback. Actress (and rosé fan) Miriam Shor joins as a co-host.
Duration:00:12:38
Extra 2: Meet the Senator Who Wants to Start an Evidence-Based Revolution
8/28/2017
Senator Todd Young of Indiana wants to make government-funded social programs more effective with Social Impact Partnerships, which pair private funding with proven projects.
Duration:00:21:41
Extra 1: How the Mafia Got Its Start
8/27/2017
In 1803, Sicily and Malta won contracts to provide lemon juice to the entire British Royal Navy. Half a century later, the mafia was born.
Duration:00:15:15
Urinetown
8/6/2017
James Altucher (host of The James Altucher Show) is our special guest co-host, with Mike Maughan (head of global insights at Qualtrics) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK is on the weird side of the tracks in Philadelphia with everything you've ever wanted to know about graffiti, cockroaches, tattoos, pee, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Duration:00:56:09