Collaborative Consumption

By Tucker Ives

Somehow, the people behind the “collaborative consumption” movement made this economic model very visual. Maybe our new HD transmitters can beam pictures to you while listening to WNPR (I may be grossly overestimating the power of this technology). Perhaps it’s so artistically visual because the movement still has a hipster-vibe…and of course ALL hipsters are artistic. I kid of course because what was very evident in yesterday’s show was how this is something that can appeal to everyone. From sharing a snow-blower to sharing boats to…horse manure, this is something that makes sense. Rachel Botsman is the author of What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption and did a great job of describing this movement during the 2010 TEDxSydney conference:

Collaborative consumption may just be a fancy term for “being a nice neighbor and sharing.” But now with social networking and technology, we can have thousands of neighbors (if not millions). Here is a list of just some of the sites that utilize collaborative consumption: eBay, Airbnb, Zipcar, Davezillion, TaskRabbit, New Haven Free Store and Hey, Neighbor! Please feel free to add your other favorite sites in the comments section and I can update this list. A lot of these organizations have very little money exchanging hands but that’s not how the rest of the world operates. Fortunately for them, Craig Shapiro and the Collaborative Fund comes to the rescue (definitely check out their website…it’s very slick). This fund “aims to be the leading source of capital and strategic support for creative entrepreneurs who want to change the world.”

Shapiro said the popularity of collaborative consumption is inversely related to the strength of the economy. This might be the case but it shouldn’t be. Even in a great economy, who wants junk laying around that rarely gets used? Why not rent out your car if you only drive it a few times a month? Extra-cash has always been great, right Don Draper? Remember in elementary school when you tried trading your soggy ham sandwich for Johnny’s Lunchable (or if you were lucky…other kids were trying to trade with you)? We were learning how to barter before we learned how to enter our PIN into the ATM machine.

Maybe the “collaborative consumption” term isn’t as foreign as it might seem.

Coming Up! August 1 to 6, 2011

By Catie Talarski

It’s Tech Week on Where We Live! Pull yourself away from politics(if at all possible) and take a trip on the tech train. CHOO CHOO! (David Pogue, Conductor.) Free wifi, of course.  Yes, there is a bar car.

MONDAY: Civility in the Digital Age
News organizations seem to have a love-hate relationship with online commenters. On one hand, they allows readers to continue a conversation and stay on the site longer – driving up ad revenue. On the other hand, there are spammers, trolls and sometimes just downright nasty people out there.  We’ll have a conversation about free speech in the digital age. How far is too far?

TUESDAY: The Google Universe
How much has Google infiltrated your life? Do you use Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Maps, or even Google Body? We’re talking about the history and recent developments of Google. Have you jumped on the Google+ wagon yet? Are you afraid of Google? This conversation might raise more questions for you than answers…and these might not be answers that you can use Google to find. We will talk with two authors including Steven Levy of Wired and former Google employee Douglas Edwards.

WEDNESDAY: TBA

THURSDAY: Media Fast
twitterGoogleFacebookGchatGoogle+FlickrLinkediniPhoneBlackberryiPad
iTouchiPodcomputerphonebeeper AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sometimes you’ve just got to unplug. But is that actually possible in this media saturated world? And is all this stimulation detrimental to our well-being, or is it helpful to be able to multitask? Today we’ll give you tips on how to unplug, and hear from one of our listeners taking a “media fast” – you can join her, and break your fast with us on Wednesday.

FRIDAY: Jazz and Deep Sea Exploration
Matt Wilson is the kind of musician who fits in anywhere he plays.  The jazz drummer has been part of countless groups that range from very modern to very traditional sounds.  His own ensembles display this same kind of range.  He’s featured as a musician, as an educator and now as an interviewer during the upcoming Litchfield Jazz Festival.  Fellow drummer John Dankosky sits down with one of his favorite percussionists to talk about his music…but also about being a teacher and a talker about the music he loves.  Also, we’ll catch up with famed deep Sea Explorer Robert Ballard, who will talk about his new expeditions in the Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

 

Coming up! July 25 – 29, 2011

By Catie Talarski

Here is what’s on the air this week.  As always, thanks for listening!

MONDAY: Open Source Architecture
What if the blueprints to the next great American building were released to the public and it was designed collaboratively? That’s a far cry from the “individualistic” approach in the iconic novel, “The Fountainhead.” This new idea suggests all of us might have something to contribute to Architecture.  It’s called “Open Source Architecture” and it’s based on an inclusive approach to the profession. Today we’ll talk to architects from MIT, Yale and New Haven who are leading the way on a new kind of building.

TUESDAY: Where We Vote: William Tong
In 2006, William Tong became the first Asian American elected to a state office in Connecticut.  Now, he’s raised more than a half-million dollars in a surprise campaign for Joe Lieberman’s Senate Seat. Coming up we’ll talk to state Representative William Tong, and give you a chance to ask questions of the candidate.

WEDNESDAY: Four Failing Lungs
Approximately 900 lung transplants are performed in the United States each year. For a person with Cystic Fibrosis, the transplant may extend life by years – or it could lead to continued suffering and rejection of the new organ. Today we hear a documentary about two young people struggling with end-stage Cystic Fibrosis and their decision whether or not to get new lungs. And we’ll explore the latest in lung transplant technology.

THURSDAY: Free Stuff
I’ll swap you this old shirt for that DVD. How about you fix my car and I’ll help you plant your garden? I’m coming through town; can I sleep on your couch?  Collaborative Consumption is the rapid explosion in sharing, bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting, and swapping – and it’s happening in big ways in New Haven through the Free Store and GiftFlow.org. Today we’ll explore this new form of interacting, throwing aside our normal ideas of currency. Bartering in the technology age – are you involved? Let us know.

FRIDAY: Reporter Roundtable – Really!
From crumbling debt ceilings to ongoing union negotiations: Today we bring together our crack team of reporters to tell us what we need to know about the political landscape nationally and here at home.

Coming Up! July 18-22, 2011

By Catie Talarski

Dankosky is off golfing somewhere, and the weather is spectacular. So… screw it, we’re going to the beach.

(no we’re not.)

We’re booking shows! And saying farewell to our wonderful and talented producer Josie Holtzman who is leaving us for the big city (New York, that is) and welcome to our new producer (and former forever-intern) Tucker Ives.

Among the Where We Live team, Josie is well known for crafting some of our most intricately-produced pre-taped programs and segments (and many many live ones as well.) To name some of my favorites – the Art of Field Recordings, Awesome African Music Show, IKEA and The Spirituality of Jazz.  Best of luck, milady!

MONDAY: Putting Humanity Back Into Medicine (rebroadcast)
Doctors get years of training in medicine, but what’s often left out is humanity. The relationship between doctor and patient is among the most important many of us will have in their lives, yet it’s becoming increasingly depersonalized thanks to overwhelming patient loads. But there’s a growing field of study – and practice – that aims at putting the humanities back into doctor’s training…to better treat the humans they serve. Today we’ll look at “Narrative Medicine” and the “Medical Humanities” and how programs at Yale and Columbia are training physicians in poetry as well as anatomy. Is compassion the missing link in better health outcomes?  Can a more well rounded doctor provide more compassionate treatment?

TUESDAY: Fun! Baseball!
Today, a baseball celebration – about heroes and the places where they play.  We’ll talk with the author of a new oral history of Fenway Park; with the organizers of a Hartford Little League trying to stay afloat; and hear a classic public radio documentary about the real homerun champion.

WEDNESDAY: Susan Bysiewicz
She’s running for U.S. Senate and today she’ll be back in our studios answering the tough questions.

THURSDAY: Books, EBooks, ETextbooks…
Borders is closing its doors and tablets are the new hot thing. Today we continue the never-ending conversation on the future of the book. How are used bookstores faring? And what about the emergence of eTextbooks?

FRIDAY: Jim Himes
Congressman Himes joins us from the studios in Washington DC  to talk about debt limit deadlines and more.

Coming up!

By Catie Talarski

Here we go, people. Here’s what’s on the radio, 9AM and 7PM, July 11 to 15, 2011:

MONDAY: Eating Disorders
Here’s the misperception: Eating disorders affect white, middle and upper class women.  A new study says, “not true.”  The study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, finds that Native American women are just as likely to suffer from binging and purging as white women. Ruth Striegel-Moore, is a professor of psychology at Wesleyan University, and is a pioneering researcher in the field of eating disorders.  She’s done a number of studies over the years showing that these problems cross racial and cultural lines.  Women and men and people of all ages and races struggle with body image.  Today we’ll learn why the stereotypical affluent white adolescent female is no longer the face of eating disorders in the United States.  Are eating disorders, so long undiagnosed and unacknowledged in minority groups a silent epidemic?

TUESDAY: Men At Work
In the economic recovery, men are getting more jobs than women. And they are having a hard time handling “work-life conflict.”  Today we’ll talk about men and women in the workplace. And get the latest on job numbers here in Connecticut.

WEDNESDAY: The Education Takeover
The Board of Education in Bridgeport has asked the state to take over its troubled public school system. Today we’ll talk to Mayor Bill Finch and community members about what this might mean moving forward for the students and the city. We’ll also look at the appointment of former Hartford school Superintendent Steven Adamowski as “Special Master” to Windham Schools.

THURSDAY: Big City Violence
There have been 18 homicides in Hartford this year, compared to 11 in the same period last year. In response to the rise in crime, the city has created a “shooting task force.” Meanwhile the FBI has named New Haven the 4^th most dangerous city in the country (behind Flint, Detroit and St Louis.) They’ve had a rash of violence this year, and have responded with new surveillance cameras around the city. But are they working? Today we’ll look at how two cities are dealing with crime.

FRIDAY: Hedge Funds (rebroadcast)
Hedge Fund managers are America’s new economic elite…they weathered the storm of the financial collapse better than anyone, and have made the kind of money that’s hard to imagine.  In fact, author Sebastian Mallaby calls it “More Money Than God.” He’s studied the history of hedge funds for this bestselling book that’s – now out in paperback.  He paints a picture of complicated men – who crave secrecy, exude eccentricity, and who have unlocked the mystery of how markets work, making billions in the process. Today we’ll talk about the success stories and the cautionary tales; we’ll talk about how new financial reforms might affect the hedge fund industry, and whether it’s even a good idea to try to reign them in; and we’ll discuss the impact of an industry that makes “more money than God” on the rest of us.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!  Here is what’s coming up next week - July 4 to 8, 2011:

MONDAY: America Abroad: Roots of Arab Spring (4^th of July Special Programming)
While the Arab Spring may have toppled a couple of regimes, democracy alone can’t solve the bread and butter issues of the region. The Arab world faces a stark demographic dilemma: nearly a quarter of Arabs under 30 remain jobless. The bleak economic conditions that fueled the Arab uprisings have become the inheritance of any new governments that stand up in the region. And youth in the region aren’t likely to sit quietly and wait for economic change.

TUESDAY: Animal Rights
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization. From renegade mountain lions to the underground world of dog fighting, HSUS has dealt with it all. Today we’re joined by CEO and New Haven native Wayne Pacelle as he talks about the deep links of the human–animal bond, as well as the conflicting impulses that betray this bond through widespread mistreatment of animals –  and his new book The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them.

WEDNESDAY: TBA
It’s gonna be good.

THURSDAY: Ikea (Rebroadcast)
You can find a blog called “Colorado Ikea Fans” – where you’ll see a real-time countdown to the store’s opening in Denver on July 27th at 9 AM.  Now, anxious shoppers – we’ve learned – will be lining up 48 hours before opening day.   The Ikea craze is widespread – indoctrinating us with their “Life Improvement Plan” mentality.  Its inexpensive products that you largely build yourself, home organizers for your stuff, art for your walls, everything you could need, right? But not everyone is so enamored of IKEA.  A recent article in Fast Company magazine wondered whether the world’s largest furniture retailer – can really claim to be “sustainable” while making all of these nearly “disposable” products. Today we discuss the IKEA phenomenon.  Do you shop there?  Do you love it?  Do you hate it…and shop there anyway?  Can you resist the lure of the Swedish Meatballs?

Frederick Law Olmsted, oil painting by John Singer Sargent, 1895, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

FRIDAY: Olmsted’s Parks
When you stroll through the winding paths of Central Park, or the tidy rows of roses in Elizabeth Park, or the bustling campus of Trinity College, you see and feel the hand of Frederick Law Olmsted.  This Hartford native is credited as the father of landscape architecture, and on today’s Where We Live, we’ll explore his legacy, here in Connecticut and across the country – from the Back Bay of Boston to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to Stamford University in Palo Alto.