The Rental Life; How Humans Adapt To New Technologies; Tear Up That Parking Ticket?

Plus, the Jasons and the Pentagon.

Stories And Podcasts You May Have Missed  R. Fugate/Air Force Research Laboratory For decades, a group of top-secret scientists known as the Jasons has worked within the Defense Department to solve its thorniest problems. Now the Pentagon has suddenly decided it doesn’t need them any more. Some experts find the move confusing at a time the Defense Department needs as much advanced scientific expertise as it can get. The city of Saginaw, Mich., like many others around the country, uses chalk to mark the tires of cars to enforce time limits on parking. An appeals court says that's trespassing against personal property, and therefore a violation of Constitutional rights Steven T. Johnson owns the clothes on his back and almost nothing else — and that’s just how he likes it. More young people are moving toward minimalist lifestyles that rely heavily on “sharing” services and flexible rentals — and companies, including Ikea and REI, are hustling to keep up. Alabama weatherman James Spann started to notice a few years ago that he was getting, to be blunt, more and more dumb questions. Many seemed unable to pinpoint their home, or even their town, on a map. This widespread geographic illiteracy could prove deadly when severe weather, such as tornadoes, strikes the U.S. Any snoring from a partner is aggravating, but some types should get extra attention. Especially loud, erratic snoring can indicate sleep apnea. Hear the difference? “Pick your spots, and bet big when you identify them.” That’s the advice from James Holzhauer, the professional sports bettor who appears to have broken Jeopardy! As of last week, he’d won 16 straight games and more than $1.2 million. Best Podcasts Of The Week Angela Hsieh Big technological shifts can inspire both awe and trepidation. Throughline looks at how human have adapted to past world-altering innovations. Ours is the first generation that’s persistently asked to prove they’re not robots. Planet Money explains the strange systems behind CAPTCHA, the bot-blocking system that guards the Internet. Whitney Wolfe cut her teeth at Tinder, but found a workplace so toxic she wound up suing. She talked to How I Built This With Guy Raz about building Bumble, the dating app that gives more control to female users. It's human nature to compare ourselves to others, the social psychologist Keith Payne tells Hidden Brain.  But we compare ourselves to our peers, not to the world — so even the very rich might consider themselves impoverished alongside the absurdly wealthy. Hello Darkness, Our Old Friends Helen Sloan/HBO Your newsletter editor will be joining much of the rest of the country’s hot pop-culture obsession: Watching beloved fictional characters being brutally murdered or burned by dragons. Get caught up on Game of Thrones and hear the Pop Culture Happy Hour crew’s reactions to Avengers: Endgame, while contemplating why, exactly, these dire extravaganzas have to be longer than their predecessors. After the dust settles and the bodies cool, it’ll be time to consider big questions. — Christopher Dean Hopkins  What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002