Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit;... more
You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of... more
When we got multiple listener emails asking about the swing revival of the late 1990s, host Willa Paskin’s first, knee... more
The storage container is a stealthy star of the modern home. It’s something we use to organize more of our... more
People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it,... more
It’s our annual mailbag episode! We get a lot of wonderful reader emails suggesting topics for the show — and... more
The mullet, the love-to-hate-it hairstyle, is as associated with the 1980’s as Ronald Reagan, junk bonds, and breakdancing. But in... more
In 1980, a variety show debuted on NBC called Pink Lady and Jeff. Its stars were a pair of Japanese... more
The fear that the Earth could be destroyed by a killer asteroid is an anxiety that pops up all the... more
There is a prominent bird in the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels that makes absolutely no sense. This so-called Pygmy Nuthatch... more
Whatever happened to selling out? The defining concern of Generation X has become a relic from another era. How that... more
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