The Next Big Idea LinkedIn

The Ohio, Hudson, Mississippi, and Yellowstone — Dick Conant canoed them all. And then he disappeared.
In his riveting new book, “Riverman,” journalist Ben McGrath tries to track down the man who may be the greatest American folk hero you’ve never heard of.
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Close your eyes and picture paradise. What do you see? For many people, it’s a turquoise ocean crashing into a white-sand beach. Where did this fantasy come from? Sarah Stodola, author of “The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach,” has a few ideas.
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Here’s another episode from our archives that we love: Rufus’s 2020 interview with Ryan Holiday, the author of “Stillness Is the Key,” who shared his tips for slowing down, calming your mind, and accessing the tranquility deep inside.

Today we’re bringing you a timely — and tasty — episode from our archives. Science journalist Amanda Little tells Rufus that the biggest threat posed by climate change is the collapse of our food systems. Provisions we love, like coffee and wine, are losing their flavor. And crops we rely on, like corn and soy, are getting harder to grow. If we don’t change our agricultural practices, we won’t be able to feed the globe’s swelling population. But don’t lose hope. Amanda says that if we can combine the wisdom of traditional farming practices with radical advances in agricultural technology, we might be able to create a healthier, more sustainable, and perhaps even more delicious future.

Today, we are revisiting one of our favorite episodes: an interview with New Yorker staff writer John Colapinto. In his brilliant book, "This Is the Voice," John says that while opposable thumbs are handy, the voice is our species' greatest attribute. We rely on it to communicate and collaborate, woo our mates and protect our children, win wars and make podcasts. John would know. A vocal injury changed his relationship with his instrument and set him on a path to better understand what his voice means to him — and what the voice means to humanity.

We laughed. We cried. We learned.
As our fourth season draws to a close, we thought we'd share the moments we're still talking about at Next Big Idea Club HQ.
Further Listening:
• REGRETS: Daniel Pink Has a Few (And So Should You)
• VOICE: You Are What You Speak
• EXTENDED MIND: Want to Get Smarter? Try Thinking Outside of Your Brain
• FUN: How to Have More of It
• FEELING & KNOWING: Unlocking the Secrets of Consciousness
• REALITY+: Are We Living in a Simulation?
• DRUNK: Can Alcohol Make You More Creative, Sociable, and Attractive?
• DAWN OF EVERYTHING: The True History of Humanity
• LAZINESS: There's No Such Thing
• DOPAMINE NATION: Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction
• BITTERSWEET: Susan Cain on the Beauty of Sorrow and Longing
• THE BOMBER MAFIA: Malcolm Gladwell on Warfare, Audiobooks, and the Future of Storytelling