Podcast appearances and mentions of Carol Smith

Today, we're bringing you an episode from our friends at KUOW's Booming podcast. Seattle’s city council just approved a one-year moratorium on data centers within city limits – making the city the biggest in the country to ban them. The move comes after several big developers proposed data center projects that could use up to a third of the power that Seattle uses on an average day. On today's episode, what do data center companies want to be in Seattle for, anyway? And are we better off without them? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle’s city council just approved a one-year moratorium on data centers within city limits – making the city the biggest in the country to ban them. The move comes after several big developers proposed data center projects that could use up to a third of the power that Seattle uses on an average day. On today's episode, what do data center companies want to be in Seattle for, anyway? And are we better off without them? Coming up: Sometimes it can feel like taking care of the planet will break the bank. What are your budget friendly hacks for being a good environmental steward? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CEOs have been making some bold claims about how artificial intelligence will change work—that in the future, the work week will shrink to four days or fewer, or that a job will be as optional as growing vegetables at home instead of buying them from the grocery store. Whether AI makes us work more or less, there’s no question it’s already changing the way millions of people do their jobs. On today's episode, how is AI transforming the workplace now? And how can everyday workers prepare for the future? Coming up: We're looking into the "IRL Economy." Are there any real world experiences you've turned to because you're tired of using an app, or being online? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent data show a record number of Americans are now sharing a home with people they’re not related to. Most of these roommates are renting, because living alone has gotten really expensive. But what if we made it easier for friends to own a place together instead? Could it be the game changer that allows them to live the American dream? More and more people are thinking about buying or building homes together with friends. These projects can be complicated to organize... and expensive to pay for. So how are people in Seattle making it happen? On today's episode, we explore two very different ways some creative Seattleites are making cohousing achievable. Coming up: Are you using AI agents? Do you have a task that you want an AI agent to complete for you? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a weird time to work in tech. Last year's tech layoffs in Washington state were the second highest in the country. That has some tech workers turning to fields they see as AI-proof. We sat down with Brett Burden, a laid off tech worker who did what a lot of people are advising: went into the trades. On today's episode, what’s it like to go from white collar to blue? And what can it tell us about where the workforce is headed? Coming up: Are you using AI agents? Do you have a task that you want an AI agent to complete for you? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last year and a half, tariffs have been harder to predict than the weather in Seattle. And that’s created a volatile climate for businesses. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned some of President Trump's tariffs, there’s a storm front looming between companies and their customers over who gets to pocket tariff refunds. A lot of people are wondering – where's my refund? And when will rising prices finally level off? On today's episode, we checked with some local companies to find out how they're navigating the tariff turmoil. Coming up: Is AI causing you to work more or less? We'd love to hear about your experience with AI and how it's impacting your work. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a scene that shows up in just about every spaghetti Western movie: the showdown. Two guys at opposite ends of a dusty street... their hands are hovering near their holsters... but neither one wants to draw first. Welcome to Seattle's housing market. What does this standoff mean if you’re trying to buy or sell a home right now? And could it finally drive prices down? On today's episode, we check in on the spring real estate market with Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's chief economist and author of Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work. Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot of debate in Seattle right now over whether it's still a good place to do business. It's hard to tell whether recent high profile moves by companies are signs of a wider exodus, or if they’re outliers -- but there may be lessons from the past that provide clues to what the future will hold. On today's episode, is big business souring on Seattle? We look at one of the city's most infamous tax battles to learn more. Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember when bookstores were an endangered species? Well not anymore. Thousands of independent bookstores across the country just celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. Brick-and-mortar places like Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle didn't just survive the e-commerce revolution. They’re thriving ... by leaning into doing what online sellers can’t do. On today's episode, how did independent bookstores escape Amazon’s shadow? And what lessons could other businesses learn from their revival? Check out the KUOW Book Club. Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People everywhere followed along as Artemis astronauts made their historic mission around the moon. But what made that possible was research -- and that kind of scientific discovery is in jeopardy after ongoing cuts to federal research funding. For decades, the University of Washington has received more federal research money than almost any other public university. And the research that's come out of the institution has fed the growth of the region’s biggest employers… and its most innovative startups. On today's episode: What could cuts to federal research funding mean for Seattle’s future economy? Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: this episode mentions suicide. Artificial intelligence powered chatbots have become unavoidable. We use them to search, get advice, and even for companionship. But getting close to an AI comes with real and serious risks. Washington state leaders want to do something about that. Two new state laws passed this year that require AI-modified content to be traceable, and limits the kinds of conversations these bots can have with minors. On today's episode, Monica sits down with journalists Kashmir Hill from the New York Times and Jeff Horwitz from Reuters to talk about their reporting on AI chatbots, and whether these new state regulations can protect us from their risks. This episode was recorded at a recent live event put on by the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public at the Seattle Public Library. GUESTS:Kashmir Hill, features writer on the business desk at The New York Times, covering technology and privacyJeff Horwitz, technology reporter at ReutersDo you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planet Money has been making economic news fun since 2008. And now it's the start of a new chapter for the beloved podcast... a whole book’s worth of chapters in fact. Their new book is called Planet Money: A guide to the economic forces that shape your life. On today's episode, Monica and Joshua sat down with Kenny Malone, host of Planet Money, and Alex Mayyasi, business reporter and author of the book, to talk about the hidden laws that control our economy, and how they’re affecting us here in Seattle. If you want to meet Alex and Kenny in person, they will be at Town Hall in Seattle on Monday, April 13th. You can grab your tickets here. Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The middle class economy is quintessentially American. It’s a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve the growing middle class after World War II. Think coffee and apple pie at your neighborhood diner. Or back-to- school shopping at Sears. But companies that cater to the middle class are cratering under the weight of the affordability crisis. On today's episode, why is the middle economy disappearing? And what does it mean for the businesses we love? Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s taken 10 years and almost $4 billion, but at long last, light rail will run across Lake Washington. For people living near the new light rail, it’ll mean shorter commutes, and faster trips to the airport, sporting events, and public parks. But its impact will extend beyond those conveniences for riders. Some say it could lead to an economic renaissance in the region, creating new jobs and housing opportunities. And there's precedent for making that claim. Today, we find out what a bridge in Scandinavia can tell us about our own future -- and whether the Crosslake Connection could bring this region the economic boost it needs. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington state just passed a tax on incomes above one million dollars a year. The so-called “millionaires tax” has critics warning we’re about to see an exodus of Washington’s wealthiest residents. So we wanted to know whether “millionaire migration” is really a thing.Today, what states that already have millionaire taxes can tell us about what to expect here in Washington.GUEST:Cristobal Young, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Cornell UniversityComing up: Are you house hunting as a first-time home buyer? We'd love to hear from you about how it's going. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About nine thousand tech workers in the Seattle area have lost their jobs in the past year. That could be nine thousand people competing for a shrinking pool of tech jobs. This year started off with the most layoffs we’ve seen in a January since the Great Recession, and the lowest hiring on record. Many companies are now citing artificial intelligence in their layoff announcements. On today's episode, where have all the laid off tech workers gone? And what can the rest of us learn from the first shock in the AI earthquake? Do you have an idea for a Booming episode? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we decide who gets financial support from the government? Usually, it comes down to the federal poverty line. You might think a lot of data and research goes into establishing that number. But in reality, it’s much squishier. So squishy in fact that it involves Jello... Today, a special episode brought to us by our friends at Control F: the surprising history of the federal poverty line. Sources in this episode: U.S. Census Bureau Timeline of Poverty Measure, 2014 How the U.S. Census Bureau Measures Poverty, 2022 What does living at the poverty line look like?, USA Facts, 2023 Poverty Guidelines vs Poverty Thresholds, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Line Matrix, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2026 Remembering Mollie Orshansky — The Developer of the Poverty Thresholds, Society Security Administration, 2008 Relatively Deprived, New Yorker, 2006 Mollie Orshansky, Statistician, Dies at 91, The New York Times, 2007 Mollie Orshansky: Inventor of the Poverty Line, NPR, 2007 Thrifty Food Plan, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021 Thrifty Food Plan: Better planning and accountability could help ensure quality of future reevaluations, U.S. Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters, 2022 Family Food Plans and Food Costs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1962 The Indians in the Lobby, Season 3, Episode 8, The West Wing, 2001 NPR audience call out on SNAP benefits, 2025 Legacies of the War on Poverty, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political & Social Science, 2024 Control F wants to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time ever, cities across Mexico, Canada, and the United States will be sharing the world’s most viewed sporting event... the FIFA men’s World Cup. But sports economists will tell you, the cost of hosting these games isn't always worth the reward. On today's episode, will the World Cup be an economic win for the city?GUEST:Lynnette Buffington, chief of staff for the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce Do you have a question for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you have sticker shock at the grocery store, you’re not alone. In Seattle, the cost of groceries is about 30% higher today than before the pandemic. Those high prices are straining family budgets and causing many people to change how they shop. Today, creative hacks for putting food on the table now that your dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. GUESTS:Rebecca Chobat, Dollar Tree DinnersJames McCafferty, Director of Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Business ResearchThank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty years ago, buying a house in Seattle felt like a stretch. Today, it feels like you need to win the lottery. Homeownership is slipping out of reach for a lot of people, especially those with modest incomes. But there’s a movement underway in Washington State -- one that could bring housing costs back within reach. State legislators want to make it legal to live in an RV in someone’s backyard or driveway year-round. On today's episode: could letting people live in tiny houses on wheels on someone's property actually reduce our state’s housing shortage? And could it be a solution for you? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data centers needed more space, so they literally moved there. This week, Elon Musk announced he has merged his rocket company, Space X – with his AI company, xAI. The reason? He wants to build AI data centers in space. But his company is not the only one that wants to take the cloud... off the planet. Various companies from Google to Blue Origin to smaller startups are looking to Earth's orbit as the next data center frontier. And companies in Seattle are leading the charge. Today, how close are we to actually putting data centers in space? And why would you want to? GUEST:Dr. Saadia Pekkanen, professor of Law, International Studies and Political Science at the University of Washington Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  Have you been laid off from a tech company in the last couple of years? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 7, the Department of War released an acquisition transformation strategy that seeks to remove bureaucratic hurdles and streamline acquisition processes to enable even more rapid adoption of technologies, including artificial intelligence. Getting AI into the hands of warfighters requires disciplined AI Engineering. In this podcast from the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, Carol Smith, lead of human-centered research in the SEI's AI Division, and Brigid O'Hearn, the SEI's lead of software modernization policy for the Department of War, sit down with Eileen Wrubel, the SEI's technical director of Transforming Software Acquisition Policy and Practice, to discuss AI Engineering challenges and guidance in the defense acquisition space. 

This week, Amazon announced it's laying off 16,000 employees. It’s part two of a continued downsizing Amazon started in October, when it laid of 14,000 employees. Taken together, this is Amazon’s biggest reduction in force ever. This week's layoffs are also the latest in a series of tech downsizings over the past few years that have pushed Seattle’s unemployment rate well above the national rate. On today's episode, is Seattle facing a tech recession? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cost of child care is at an all-time high. The typical American family with young kids now spends more on child care than housing. In most of the developed world, the government pays for child care so parents can work and contribute to the economy. But free, universal child care is nearly unheard of in the U.S. At least it was until a few months ago. In November, New Mexico became the first state to launch free, universal child care. On today's episode, what can Washington learn from a state that managed to pull it off?GUEST:Elizabeth Groginsky, Cabinet Secretary for New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care DepartmentThank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a Harvard economist, spending on data centers and artificial intelligence accounted for 92% of U.S. economic growth in the first half of last year. That's fueled speculation that we’re in an AI bubble, because spending on that level doesn’t feel sustainable. If the bubble pops and the spending stops, the shockwave could hit all of us. Past economic collapses led to bankruptcies, lost retirement savings, and disappearing jobs. But sometimes, the crash leaves something good behind... that we may not fully appreciate for years. This week, we look at bubbles from the past and ask: When the money burns away, what’s left? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin, Texas is not a cheap place. But for the last few years, it’s been a real outlier. While many cities saw rent go up, Austin’s average rent actually fell. A lot. On today's episode, what is Austin doing right? And what could Seattle learn from it? GUEST:Audrey McGlinchy, Housing reporter at KUT Austin Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year! The Booming team is taking a week to rest and recharge before the new year begins...we’ve got lots of new episodes up our sleeve that we’re excited to share with you. In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite episodes. This one is about the rising costs of Seattle sports tickets, and how you can enjoy games on a budget. This episode first aired in November 2024 -- you can read the original story here: Why are Seattle sports games so expensive? We looked into that and ways to save. If you want to give Booming a gift this holiday season, you can give us a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Finally, a big thank you from all of us at Booming. We appreciate everyone who listens to the show, and we hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Booming team is hard at work on some new episodes coming out next year. In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite stories this holiday season. We think this one will be particularly useful for those of you still doing some last-minute holiday shopping. It explores the ways AI is being used by some of your favorite retailers to get better at selling you stuff. This story first aired in December 2024 -- you can read the original story here: How Stores are Spying on You If you want to give Booming a gift this holiday season, you can give us a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Finally, a big thank you from all of us at Booming. We appreciate everyone who listens to the show, and we hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we have an episode from our friends at Booming. The recent flooding in Washington is a reminder of the extreme weather impacts of climate change. But the Northwest has become a destination for people seeking a more livable climate. Climate migration is difficult to study, and even harder to predict. But some researchers say a historic population shift has already begun. On today's episode: is the Pacific Northwest ready for an influx of climate refugees? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know the cost of living is really high in Seattle. Whether it's housing or groceries, this town is a tough place to make ends meet. But just how expensive is Seattle compared to other cities? On today's episode, Monica talked to a researcher who sends armies of shoppers to find out. And we get his tips for making your dollar stretch as far as possible in this very expensive city. GUEST:James McCafferty, Director of the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Northwest has been booming for decades, and home builders have struggled to keep up. That’s led to a housing shortage, homelessness crisis, and transportation headaches. But we may see an even bigger population boom here as climate change makes more places unlivable. Climate migration is difficult to study, and even harder to predict. But some researchers say a historic population shift has already begun. On today's episode: is the Pacific Northwest ready for an influx of climate refugees? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard that the economy is maybe... definitely... probably... in an “AI bubble.” Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the AI infrastructure of the future. The hope is all that spending will pay off with super-advanced AI that will more than cover the cost of building it. But that payoff isn’t coming — at least not yet. Companies are struggling to make a profit on the AI of today. So, is that future real, or just a mirage? Today: What happens to Seattle’s economy if the AI bubble bursts? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy this bonus episode. The Booming team recorded a live event a few weeks ago at the Seattle Public Library about the future of Seattle’s highways – so we wanted to drop it in the feed in case you missed it. Booming's Joshua McNichols co-hosted the event with Ian Coss. Coss is a reporter from WGBH in Boston and host of The Big Dig, a podcast about one of Boston’s biggest and most controversial infrastructure projects – to bury a downtown highway – and the lessons it offers today. We dug into two major projects in Seattle – one from the past, and one that is very much live and ongoing – to look at how big decisions are made about our public infrastructure and what they mean for the communities they serve. We'll be back with a regular episode next week. Guests:Greg Nickels, former mayor of Seattle Cayce James, strategic advisor for the city of SeattleJosé Manuel Vásquez, activist from the South Park neighborhood We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Coming up:  If you live in the Seattle area, you may have noticed that it's gotten pretty darn expensive here. We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we have an episode from our friends at Booming. In a recent episode, they reported how young people are choosing trade school over college out of fear of white-collar jobs drying up. Companies appear to be making big bets that AI can replace huge chunks of their workforces. It seems like “go to trade school” has become the new “learn to code.” But Dan Grossman, professor and vice director of the UW's Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering -- says the outlook isn’t so bleak for students who still want a career in tech. On today's episode: Are reports of AI driving a “white collar bloodbath” greatly exaggerated? Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our power grid is maxing out. We're plugging in electric cars, massive data centers, and heat pumps all at once. And it's not stopping anytime soon. Demand is expected to grow by 30% over the next ten years. And the increasing demand is spiking our energy bills. But Big Tech is betting on a solution straight out of science fiction. Nuclear fusion. Today, could nuclear fusion fix our growing electricity crisis? Or is it too good to be true? We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Coming up:  If you live in the Seattle area, you may have noticed that it's gotten pretty darn expensive here. We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On our most recent episode, we reported on how tons of young people are choosing trade school over college out of fear of white-collar jobs drying up. Companies appear to be making big bets that AI can replace huge chunks of their workforces. It seems like “go to trade school” has become the new “learn to code.” But Dan Grossman -- professor and vice director of the University of Washington's Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering -- says the outlook isn’t so bleak for students who still want a career in tech. On today's episode: Are reports of AI driving a “white collar bloodbath” greatly exaggerated? We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to the white-collar workforce, warning signals are blinking red. That uncertainty has more kids going blue collar. Trade schools are booming. On today's episode, as artificial intelligence and economic uncertainty reshape the labor market, could trade schools be the new ticket to the American Dream? We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle has more single people living alone than any major U.S. city. The average new apartment size in Seattle is just 650 square feet -- that’s the smallest in the nation. If you’re single, that might work for you. But if you want to raise a family in a larger space, that can get expensive: $3500 a month on average for a 3-bedroom apartment. That’s more than double what a studio would cost. A house with a backyard could cost thousands more. Now, a growing number of people are building a different kind of housing to get the benefit of more space without the added cost. It’s called co-housing, where people come together with friends and strangers to live in modest apartments with more shared spaces -- all designed from scratch. On today's episode, can a housing model built on sharing really make city life more affordable? Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle and Portland are wrestling for the title of the city with the lowest birth rate. But it's not just the Pacific Northwest. Birth rates are declining across the country. Environmentalists say there are benefits to slowing population growth, like less consumption and strain on resources. But economists start to worry when birth rates dip well below the replacement rate. That’s because it can mean slower economic growth and labor shortages down the road. There are a lot of things driving down Seattle’s birth rate, but the most obvious: it costs a lot to raise a family here. On today's episode, what does it mean for Seattle’s economy if people can’t afford to have kids? Sign up for our first FREE live event at KUOW.org/events. Join Joshua and The Big Dig podcast to explore the future of Seattle’s highways and hear some experts making big decisions about what’s next for our roads. October 27 at 7pm at the Central Library in downtown Seattle. Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the debate over how fast we should be embracing artificial intelligence, one thing comes up again and again. The claim from tech CEOs that AI can cure cancer. So can it? On today's episode, we get into what new AI developments in Seattle's biotech industry could mean for finding a cure. Sign up for our first FREE live event at KUOW.org/events. Join Joshua and The Big Dig podcast to explore the future of Seattle’s highways and hear some experts making big decisions about what’s next for our roads. October 27 at 7pm at the Central Library in downtown Seattle. Coming up: We're working on an upcoming episode about co-housing in Seattle. And we have a question for you. If you're a single renter, how do you connect with your neighbors? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electronic Arts (EA), one of the largest video game companies in the world, just sold for $55 billion, a record for a leveraged buyout. The sale is sending shockwaves through Seattle's video game industry. Not just because a lot of people in Seattle worked on EA games, but because the company is banking its future on generative AI. Generative AI has created a cultural conflict so deep, it's sliced the video game industry in two -- like a battle axe through a rotten zombie. On one side: indie game developers and their fans who believe video games are an art form that should be made by humans. On the other: big companies pushing generative AI that could replace workers, making games cheaper and faster to produce. Today: can generative AI make better games than humans can? Do we want it to? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Have you or someone you know decided to go to a trade school instead of pursuing a four year degree? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us why. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coding looks like one of the first real-world skills AI is close to mastering. And AI coding tools are helping a lot more people build apps and websites – no technical expertise required. But there’s a problem. It turns out, handing the keyboard over to a robot can end up costing more time and money than hiring a human to do that work. Today, the unintended consequences of replacing human coders with AI. And what can we learn about embracing this technology too fast from the cleanup crew mopping up AI slop. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Have you or someone you know decided to go to a trade school instead of pursuing a four year degree? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us why. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The long-awaited trial between Amazon and the FTC is over... after just a few days. Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the case over its Prime membership program. On this bonus episode, Joshua and Monica were in the courtroom during the trial, so they sat down to chat about what they heard during the hearings and why they think Amazon might have settled the case so soon. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Has there been a moment when you have encountered something that you're pretty sure was written by AI in a place that you didn't expect? If so, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever found it impossible to find the “unsubscribe” button? Maybe you’ve accidentally opted into “accepting all cookies?” Then you may have fallen for a "dark pattern." Dark patterns are at the heart of a lawsuit between Amazon and the federal government. The FTC claims Amazon used dark patterns to trick millions of users into subscribing to Prime without meaning to. And the complaint says Amazon created a long, difficult process full of roadblocks that stopped Prime members from unsubscribing. The trial kicked off in Seattle this week, and the outcome could change how companies sell us stuff online. Today, what are dark patterns? And how could a crack down on them change how we experience the internet? Guest:Harry Brignull, a user experience designer and psychologist in the UK. Founder of the Deceptive Patterns Initiative, a nonprofit advocating against deceptive design. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Has there been a moment when you have encountered something that you're pretty sure was written by AI in a place that you didn't expect? If so, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

College football season is here! If you follow college athletes on Instagram, you may have noticed -- they're doing a lot more commercials lately. And for doing this work, some athletes are raking in big bucks. A court settlement this summer determined that students have a right to make money from sports. And for the first time ever, universities will be the ones to pay them. How this new money flows will determine which college athletic programs thrive, and which ones will watch from the sidelines. On today's episode, who should profit from college sports? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Have you ever found yourself subscribed to a service online, or signed up for something, and you have no idea how it happened? We want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, tens of millions of tourists visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the Elliot Bay waterfront, and sports stadiums. That tourism industry is growing -- this year, a record number of cruise ships are expected to fill Seattle’s piers. Next year, the population of Seattle will swell- to about double its normal size when it hosts the Word Cup. On today's episode, Seattle needs tourists to keep downtown economically viable — so how do we make sure they don’t love the city to death? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes or help fuel KUOW's fall fund drive at www.kuow.org/donate Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thrifting has long been a favorite pastime of Seattleites, so much so that we have the biggest Goodwill store in the world. But buying second-hand is also an economic survival strategy for people who can't pay full price on back-to-school clothes or home appliances. Now, in this increasingly expensive city, there's a sense that thrift stores are no longer fitting that need. On today's episode, Monica talks to an expert on thrift culture about the economic forces shaping second-hand shopping and why some say it might not be the place for bargain-hunters anymore. Guest:Jennifer Le Zotte, author of From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's music festival season. Seattle's own Bumbershoot is just days away. But music festivals across the country are on shaky financial ground, and their futures could be in trouble. Over the past few years, dozens of small festivals have been canceled, and even the biggest ones are showing some signs of softening demand. On today's episode, why is it so hard for this generation of music festivals to find their rhythm? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm on holiday this week, but it would be most unGundlachian of me not to provide an episode to sustain my listeners in my absence. I recently purchased a mammoth 13-LP set on the Concert Hall Society label. The release promises a variety of excerpts that illustrate the history of opera from Monteverdi through Puccini. As such it makes use of a number of complete operatic recordings made for the now-nearly-forgotten label, as well as some impressive individual performances recorded in the early 1960s. One of the attractions of this release to me is that it presents rare recordings by three of the supreme African American divas of that era: Mattiwilda Dobbs, Reri Grist, and Felicia Weathers, the latter two at the very beginning of their international careers in the early 1960s, when they were both fest at the Zürich Opera (where, my astute listeners will remember, contralto Carol Smith) was also ensconced. None of these recordings has received wide distribution (in fact, to my knowledge the majority of them were never re-released in any form). So it is my particularly pleasure to present to you each of these three estimable artists in peak form on recordings that I (at least) had never before encountered: Dobbs as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Olympia and Antonia in Tales of Hoffmann; Grist as Norina in Don Pasquale; and Weathers as Dido, Manon (by Massenet, not Puccini!), and Butterfly! A number of interesting male singers are nearby to provide assistance in duets: the Swiss tenor Fritz Peters, the American Glade Peterson (both of whom were also fest in Zürich at that time), the legendary French-Canadian Léopold Simoneau and Italian dramatic baritone Scipio Colombo. Far be it from me to throw together an episode that was not as fascinating as some of my more deeply-researched efforts! I'm also celebrating this week 100,000 downloads of the podcast. I've often referred to Countermelody as “the Little Podcast that Could,” so this milestone is particularly gratifying to me. Finally, this episode also serves as a belated birthday tribute to Felicia Weathers, who just last week turned 88 years old. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

If the exceptional Illinois-born contralto Carol Smith (20 February 1926 – 06 June 2021) has previously escaped your notice, now is the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. She began her career singing the music of Bach with the legendary Bach Aria Group, founded in 1946 by philanthropist, scholar, and collector William H. Scheide. Smith then went on for further vocal training in Italy, making her operatic stage debut in 1961 in Napoli. There followed a glorious operatic career as one of the world's leading dramatic mezzo-sopranos, with performances throughout Italy and Germany as well as with her home company in Zürich. She went on to become an esteemed and highly respected voice teacher on two continents. This episode digs deep into her recorded legacy, featuring cantata arias of Bach, Lieder of Brahms, arias by Gluck, Verdi, and Saint-Saëns, and scenes from Cavalleria rusticana, Roberto Devereux, and Penthesilea, a hidden early 20th-century masterpiece by Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck. No matter what repertoire Smith was singing, she was, by virtue of her chocolate-timbred voice, dramatic flair, and vocal glamour, power, and flexibility, a true Queen of Song. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.