It's the late 1960s, and in the new technology of cryonics, a California TV repairman named Bob sees an opportunity to help people cheat death. But freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds. Harder still was admitting to the family members of people Bob had frozen that he'd screwed up. Badly.
You’re As Cold As Ice
By
In the late 1960s, a California TV repairman named Bob Nelson joined a group of enthusiasts who believed they could cheat death with a new technology called cryonics. But freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds. Harder still was admitting to the family members of people Bob had frozen that he'd screwed up. Sam Shaw reports. (42 minutes)
Song:
You’re Willing To Sacrifice Our Love
There's a famous William Carlos Williams poem called "This is Just to Say". It's about, among other things, causing a loved one inconvenience and offering a non-apologizing apology. It's only three lines long, you've probably read it...the one about eating the plums in the icebox. Marketplace reporter (and published poet) Sean Cole explains that this is possibly the most spoofed poem around. We asked some of our regular contributors to get into the act. Sarah Vowell, David Rakoff, Starlee Kine, Jonathan Goldstein, Shalom Auslander and Heather O'Neill, all came up with their own variations of Williams's classic lines. (7 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act Two: Now You Sec Me, Now You Don't
TAL producer Alex Blumberg reports on a peculiar Wall Street practice with a dirty-sounding name—naked short selling—and how one of Wall Street's main regulators, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, doesn't seem all that interested in regulating anything.
Act Four: Just Be Yourself
Jonathan Goldstein with a story about what it's like to date Lois Lane when she's on the rebound from Superman.
Act Four: Now We Are Five
David Sedaris comes from a big family, who for many years growing up, took annual vacations to the same beach house.
Staff Recommendations
Americans In Paris
David Sedaris takes Ira on a tour of his favorite spots in Paris.
The Night in Question
Conspiracy theories about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin continue to shape Israel's politics and future.
