Podcast · 134 episodes
99% Invisible, page 2
by Roman Mars · English
Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.
All episodes, page 2
The Score“The Score” (99% Invisible) explores how metrics and scoring systems can “value-capture” our real goals—flattening nuance and inviting gaming—while also arguing that, in the right context, scoring…7 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 11 chapters
100 Objects #7: The Otis PamphletThis episode of 99% Invisible’s “100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet” follows journalist Jack Hitt’s discovery of James Otis’s 1764 pamphlet, The Rights of the British Colonies, Asserted and Proved, in…3 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 16 chapters
Transatlantic Fiber-Optic ExpialidociousThe 99% Invisible episode traces how transatlantic fiber-optic infrastructure beat satellite communications, focusing on the Transatlantic Telephone Fiber Optic Submarine Cable 8 (TAT-8), its…30 Jun 2026 · 32 min · 13 chapters
100 Objects #6: "Sharpened Screwdriver"The “mythical sharpened screwdriver” story from the 1984 New York City subway shooting by Bernie Goetz, and how misinformation helped justify white vigilante violence.26 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 15 chapters
The Most Exciting Change America Has Ever SeenHow U.S. coin design and materials enabled the government to profit from “seniorage,” and how the 1999–2008 50 State Quarters program used collectible hype to pull billions of quarters out of…23 Jun 2026 · 43 min · 17 chapters
100 Objects #5: Blue Back SpellerNoah Webster’s pocket-sized 1783 primer, The Blue Back Speller, and how Black Americans repurposed it to gain literacy and freedom, shaping debates over what education and civil rights should be.19 Jun 2026 · 46 min · 17 chapters
The Horn That Divided the World CupThe episode explains why the 2010 World Cup in South Africa became synonymous with the loud plastic vuvuzela, and how that sound reflected deeper histories of football culture, identity, and power.16 Jun 2026 · 34 min · 11 chapters
100 Objects #4: Lowe's Gas BagThaddeus Lowe’s “Enterprise” gas bag and how it evolved from a failed 1861 Cincinnati-to-Washington overnight mail stunt into the U.S. Army Balloon Corps, influencing later aviation and spaceflight.12 Jun 2026 · 39 min · 12 chapters
Karaoke VideosThe “karaoke video” micro-movement—how Pioneer’s Laserdisc karaoke system included short, narrative music videos (often weird, ambitious, and film-shot), why they flourished in the late 1980s/early…9 Jun 2026 · 35 min · 16 chapters
100 Objects #3: The Pension FilesThe Combahee River Raid (June 1863), led by Harriet Tubman and Union forces, and how U.S. Army Civil War pension files preserve the identities and testimonies of formerly enslaved participants.5 Jun 2026 · 43 min · 22 chapters
The MAPL TestThe episode explains Canada’s “CanCon” (Canadian content) radio rules and the MAPL test—how songs qualify for Canadian airplay, why the policy was created, how stations gamed it, and what effects…2 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 16 chapters
100 Objects #2: 60-Degree ScrewHow the 60-degree screw thread became a global standard and helped the U.S. build an “invisible empire,” from early-1900s chaos to WWII logistics and postwar international standardization.29 May 2026 · 36 min · 13 chapters
Drug Story: IvermectinThe podcast episode “Drug Story: Ivermectin” explains how ivermectin works against parasite diseases (especially river blindness and hookworm), how it was discovered and distributed, and why it…26 May 2026 · 48 min · 21 chapters
100 Objects #1: The Century SafeThe “Century Safe” time capsule—built for the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition, sealed with objects meant to represent America, and finally opened in 1976 by President Gerald Ford—plus what its…19 May 2026 · 30 min · 9 chapters
Ask Your Doctor AboutHow pharmaceutical brand names are created and regulated, and why they often sound like sci-fi or Star Trek villains.12 May 2026 · 32 min · 13 chapters
A History of the United States in 100 Objects TrailerThe podcast “A History of the United States in 100 Objects” frames U.S.8 May 2026 · 4 min · 1 chapter
Enshittification“Enshittification” (99% Invisible) explains how digitizing everyday products and platforms can lock users in, make repairs harder, and shift value from users to companies.5 May 2026 · 35 min · 15 chapters
Citizen of the WorldThe episode critiques how passports and nation-states determine human worth, then tells the story of Gary Davis, who renounced U.S.28 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 16 chapters
Constitution Breakdown #9: Alondra NelsonThe episode (99% Invisible Breakdown of the Constitution #9) connects Articles 6–7 to modern federalism questions, then uses those ideas to discuss AI regulation—especially the tug-of-war between…24 Apr 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 21 chapters
Co-op CityCo-op City, the Bronx’s massive 35-building housing cooperative, and how its “in-between” model (between renting and owning, and between poor and market-rate housing) was built, criticized, and…21 Apr 2026 · 38 min · 17 chapters
RoboUmp Hits the Big LeaguesMajor League Baseball’s “robot umpires” (ABS) and how they’re being used in 2026+—not as full replacements, but as an automated challenge/arbitration system for balls and strikes.14 Apr 2026 · 32 min · 14 chapters
Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?Predatory towing and impoundment “black box” practices, using Kelly Prime’s car theft-by-tow experience at a Brooklyn 7-Eleven as the entry point.7 Apr 2026 · 33 min · 15 chapters
Service Request #4: How Does the Grid in Phoenix Work?How Phoenix’s electricity grid works and how it stays reliable during extreme summer heat, including generation, transmission, distribution, and real-time balancing.3 Apr 2026 · 33 min · 13 chapters
Service Request #3: Why Is There So Much Litter in San Francisco?San Francisco’s litter problem and how the city decides where trash cans go, how they’re maintained, and how their design affects dumping and vandalism.31 Mar 2026 · 28 min · 12 chapters