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PJ Vogt

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small.

Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

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26 episodes
weekly
Avg 52 min
English

Episodes 26

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#150
Yesterday · 1 hr 5 min
Bollywood Dreams
An email hits our inbox with the subject line: “My Dad is making a Bollywood Movie… is he being scammed?” We investigate. Become a premium subscriber.
#149
September 11 · 50 min
Why’s everybody going to Japan?
A Japanese listener gets so many houseguests she starts a spreadsheet to try to figure out what's going on. Why has American tourism to Japan gotten so out of control? The story of a government plot. Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. by Roland Kelts Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx Become a premium subscriber!
#148
August 28 · 49 min
The Killing of the Gaza Chef
Mahmud Almadhoun ran a soup kitchen in the north of the Gaza Strip. In November 2024, he was killed. A reporter tries to answer a big question. Was Mahmud intentionally targeted? And if so, what does that mean about the future of war? Listen to The Gaza Chef. Become a premium member!
#147
August 21 · 47 min
The Chosen One
A listener asks: whose penis gets the top spot on the Wikipedia page for penis? Our quest for an answer takes us on a surprisingly philosophical journey — where we learn about the cutthroat fight to be number one and the extremely overthink-y debate that precedes the coronation. Wikipedia page for Lane Rasberry. Wikipedia page for penis. Wikipedia page for human penis. Become a premium member!
#146
August 11 · 40 min
A road trip through the data center debate
The midterms are approaching, and as the discourse heats up, one of big new villains is: a kind of building. Data centers. Reporter Jasmine Sun took a road trip through two swing states to meet the people living at the center of these debates, and to understand where this all might be headed. no data centers in my backyard by Jasmine Sun
#145
August 6 · 37 min
The machines are learning… to do crimes?
For the first time, an AI model has autonomously hacked a company. This week, an evolving story, a postcard from a strange, frightening moment in the story of our technology. A big week for AI denialism by Casey Newton Its AI agent spent days hacking a company, but sources say OpenAI did not notice for a week by Deepa Seetharaman, Raphael Satter, and Kenrick Cai Cheating behaviour in frontier model evaluations by AI Security Institute More On An Internal OpenAI Model Hacking Into HuggingFace by Zvi Mowshowitz
July 24 · 1 hr 1 min
What’s in your cocaine and the questions Search Engine CAN’T answer
An interview with a cocaine salesman about cocaine adulterants, plus – questions Search Engine can’t answer, with special guest Kelefa Sanneh. Become a premium subscriber!
July 17 · 47 min
How to pursue excellence … in noodles (unlocked bonus)
The world right now, seems tilted towards the good enough. The AI-written wedding toast, the half-assed attempt. Despite this, a handmade noodle shop is trying to make perfect noodles. Trying so hard that they have signs admonishing their customers to ONLY EAT THEIR SPICY NOODLES THE CORRECT WAY, DO NOT TAKE THEM TO-GO, THE EXPERIENCE WILL BE RUINED. Why do some people still want to do small things perfectly, even at the expense of profits? An interview with Jason Wang, of Xi'an Famous Foods. Become a premium member!
July 10 · 1 hr 10 min
Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 2 (classic)
We travel to Germany to trace techno’s history from Detroit to Berlin. The story of how, after the Wall fell, Berlin exorcised its brutal past with a very strange, decade-long party. A mission that takes us all the way to the gates of Berghain. Music Credits: Original composition in this episode by Armen Bazarian. Additional Tracks: Game One - Infiniti, Dead Man Watches The Clock - Marcel Dettmann & Ben Klock, The Call - Marcel Dettmann & Norman Nodge, Quicksand - Marcel Dettmann. Full playlist here. Sven von Thüle: https://soundcloud.com/svt // Der Klang der Familie Gesine Kühne: https://soundcloud.com/wannadosomething Become a premium member!
July 3 · 52 min
Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 1 (classic)
Two Americans embark on a quest: fly across an ocean to try to get into the most exclusive nightclub in the world – Berghain. A German techno palace where the line outside can last 8 hours, and the bouncers are merciless in their judgments. The club does not explain how it makes its decisions about who can enter, but one foolish podcaster will try to explain anyway. Become a premium member!
#144
June 25 · 1 hr
A Strange Voyage
This month, SpaceX had the largest IPO in all of human history. In a mission to understand a bewildering moment, we trace the story of the stock market itself. From its very beginnings in the Netherlands, to its supersizing in America, through the prism of crypto and widespread speculation that has led to this moment with SpaceX. What happened? ⁠The World's First Stock Exchange⁠ by Lodewijk Petram ⁠The Wisdom of Finance⁠ by Mihir Desai ⁠Liftoff⁠ and ⁠Reentry⁠ by Eric Berger Search Engine's earlier reporting on Elon Musk’s controversial data centers: ⁠Colossus 1⁠ & ⁠Colossus 2⁠ ⁠⁠Sign up to be a premium subscriber!⁠
#143
June 15 · 47 min
Why doesn’t anybody come to my parties?
Claire Haber-Harris has a question. When she sends out an invitation, why does she get a tidal wave of excuses and no's? How could someone claim to have had the same stomach virus three times in a row? Search Engine investigates why a random American mom might be annoying people in her community. Cartoons Hate Her on Substack Become a premium member!
June 5 · 1 hr 8 min
Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret? (classic)
An investigation into a mysterious room. A room that the most famous family in England apparently does not want you to see. Support the show!
#142
May 29 · 40 min
Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund?
The President has created a 1.776 billion dollar fund of taxpayer money he can direct to whoever he wants. Huh? How did this happen, and what might happen next? We talk to Pro Publica’s Jesse Eisinger, an investigative reporter who has played a strange role in this whole story. Listen to our series with Jesse: Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1) and (Part 2) Check out the new ProPublica podcast Paper Trail. Support the show!
May 27 · 34 min
Presenting: Family Lore
Presenting an episode of Family Lore, a new show on the Audacy network. The granddaughter of a prolific Jewish art collector who fled Europe during World War II embarks on a quest to recover the looted art.
#141
May 22 · 1 hr 6 min
The many lives of Taiwan
We go deep into the story of Taiwan. How a tiny island escaped demise, chartered a course from colonial subjugation through mass Barbie production and into the technological powerhouse it is today. The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China's Economic Rise by Shelley Rigger Get tickets to hear PJ read live! Friends With Words at Roulette
#140
May 8 · 49 min
Why are people excited about nuclear power again?
Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers for Google and Microsoft. What does new nuclear technology look like, and why do the nuclear optimists believe this new tech is superior? Meltdowns, reactors that can fit in your backyard, and one podcaster’s heroic attempt to describe nuclear fission. Rachel Slaybaugh Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (check out her book Atomic Dreams) Adam Stein Search Engine’s episodes on data centers: Colossus 1 & Colossus 2 Support the show!
May 1 · 49 min
What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)
We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the place we go where we die and an answer to what happens when it runs out of money. Is the Cemetery Dead? by David Charles Sloane Support the show at searchengine.show
#139
April 24 · 38 min
Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?
An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results. Read Caity Weaver’s story. Support the show!
#138
April 17 · 48 min
The Cost of War
The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public does not understand. One question we can try to answer: how much is this conflict costing us? The surprising story of how the government learned to hide the costs of war, and how someone learned to get to the bottom of those costs anyway. Check out Professor Bilmes’ work. Additional listening: our episode on ballooning national debt and why it's a big deal Support the show!

Showing 1–20 of 26 episodes