WSJ’s The Future of Everything The Wall Street Journal
-
- Technology
-
What will the future look like? The Future of Everything offers a kaleidoscope view of the nascent trends that will shape our world. In every episode, join our award-winning team on a new journey of discovery. We’ll take you beyond what’s already out there, and make you smarter about the scientific and technological breakthroughs on the horizon that could transform our lives for the better.
-
Science of Success: How Self-Reporting Made Flying Safer
This year, several high profile incidents have kept flying in the limelight. Yet air travel is currently safer than ever. The biggest U.S. commercial airlines have now gone 15 years without a fatal crash. So, how did hurtling through the sky in a giant metal tube become this safe? WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks with former FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization executive William Voss about the voluntary self-reporting programs that made flying the safest form of travel and asks if the airline industry’s safety measures could provide a blueprint for regulation in other fields.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player.
Further reading:
Flying in America Has Actually Never Been Safer
Boeing Tells Airlines to Check 787 Cockpit Seats After Mishap on Latam Flight
Behind the Alaska Blowout: a Manufacturing Habit Boeing Can’t Break
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Why Waymo's Robotaxis Are Hitting the Arizona Freeway
After years of promises that driverless cars were just over the horizon, one of the industry's biggest players is headed for the freeway. Now, for the first time, Alphabet’s Waymo is allowing robotaxis to take its employees on high-speed roads in Phoenix, Arizona without a human driver. The move comes just as the industry is facing a harsh reality after high-profile crashes: GM’s Cruise had its permits to operate driverless robotaxis pulled by the California DMV, and Waymo issued its first-ever recall after two of its cars collided with a pickup truck being towed. WSJ reporter Meghan Bobrowsky discusses what this could mean for the future of self-driving cars and where the industry is heading.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Further reading:
Self-Driving Cars Enter the Next Frontier: Freeways
Self-Driving Car Company Waymo Issues First-Ever Recall After Two Phoenix Crashes
GM’s Cruise Says U.S. Is Investigating Driverless Car’s Collision With Pedestrian
America’s Most Tech-Forward City Has Doubts About Self-Driving Cars
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Recharge as You Drive? The Future of EVs Could Be Wireless.
Imagine driving down a road that recharges your electric car as it moves. Companies around the world are experimenting with new technology that can wirelessly charge EVs while they drive, thanks to copper coils buried beneath the asphalt. It could mean less time spent plugging in at slow chargers, no need for heavy, expensive lithium-ion batteries and wave goodbye to range anxiety. WSJ’s Danny Lewis reports on what it would take for this tech to hit the road, and how it could change the way we refuel our vehicles.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Further reading:
These Companies Want to Charge Your Electric Vehicle as You Drive
No More Charging Stops? We Take a Road Trip in an Ultralong-Range EV
The Big Year for EVs Gets Off to a Bumpy Start
Electric Cars and Driving Range: Here’s What to Know About EV Range
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How Today’s Aircraft Accidents Could Make Future Planes Safer
In recent months, an Alaska Airlines jet lost a door plug mid-flight, and a Japan Airlines plane collided with another aircraft at an airport in Tokyo. Accidents like these are uncommon, but they could help engineers design safer airplanes. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University associate professor Anthony Brickhouse tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how advanced materials and computer systems could bring flight into a safer future, while making sure human pilots are still part of the equation.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Further reading:
How Safe Is Flying Today? Answering Your Questions
Boeing 737 MAX Missing Critical Bolts in Alaska Airlines Blowout, NTSB Says
Boeing Finds New Problem With 737 MAX Fuselages
Inside a Flaming Jet, 367 Passengers Had Minutes to Flee. Here’s How They Did It.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Science of Success: The Mind at Work Behind an Iconic Song
Is it an earworm or an icon? The Super Mario Bros. theme is the soundtrack to many childhoods and has remained resonant today. Recently inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the song was not easy to write. Video game composer Koji Kondo faced musical and technical challenges in creating the song. Columnist Ben Cohen talks to New England Conservatory musicologist Andrew Schartmann about how Kondo created this lasting and genre-changing piece of music.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Further reading:
The Mind Behind the Music You Can't Get Out of Your Head
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Could AI Prevent the Next Global Supply Chain Crisis?
AI has brought new challenges for corporate executives in managing their workforces and supply chains. Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi tells WSJ reporter Emily Glazer how she is adjusting to uncertainty and gives her outlook on the future of the workplace and manufacturing. This conversation was recorded at WSJ’s CEO Council Summit on December 12, 2023.
What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com
Further reading:
Leading in Uncertain Times
Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI
Logistics-Tech Startups Face Uncertain Future as Freight Slump Continues
The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Generative AI in the Workplace
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices