Entries in Innovation Hub by Mary Dooe and Genevieve Gilson

Is increased consumerism making people too impulsive? If so, Paul Roberts, author of The Impulse Society, has a few solutions. Read More...

 
Here are three things to know about designing your life:

1. Forget flashy record labels and high-tech recording studios. You can become a pop star from the basement.

2. Your kitchen is about to become a manufacturing plant. Some are arguing that the Maker Movement will upend our economy, and democratize creative production.

3. Trust your gut when it comes to weight loss. Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that certain bacteria help mice keep their weight now on a high-fat diet.

The news may be depressing, but what if the world is actually getting better? Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.), talks about poverty, Earth’s resources, and why Americans are so down on themselves. Read More...

Forget recording studios and mega-endorsement deals. Would-be pop stars can record music in their basements and find fame through an online following. Read More...

Researchers at Vanderbilt may have discovered a tool that will help fight the obesity epidemic: gut bacteria. Read More...

Making things - from gadgets to jam to furniture - is becoming more mainstream. And it may be about to change our economy. Read More...

What are people doing to solve the biggest problems in education today? Sal Khan discusses how he’s reinventing education with more than just online videos. Author Amanda Ripley tackles the fear of many American parents that their kids are falling behind and psychologist David Anderegg gives us his remedy: stop stigmatizing nerdiness. Read More...

In the 1930’s, the president of Harvard devised a military-inspired way to bring in middle and lower-income scholarship students. However, in the past 80 years, it’s expanded way beyond the original purpose. Read More...

 
Here are three things you should know about this week's show:

1. Kids may love Sesame Street, but Jim Henson’s first televised muppet show was actually geared toward adults. That’s right, imagine the nightly news…with puppets.

2. Be careful if you play the slots because the buttons getting pushed could be yours. According to cultural anthropologist Natasha Dow Schull, casinos are using behavioral science and data tracking to make penny slots into big business.

3. Johnny Carson helped launch one of America’s favorite board games. Twister became an American icon, thanks to a team of inventors, the gang at Milton Bradley, and the magic touch of Johnny Carson.

Amazon wants to deliver books, CDs, and diapers to us by drone. But testing drones around the country opens up a world of potential problems. Read More...