AppStore, Talking to Yourself, Mountain Unicycling, Ancient Water

Guest: Paul Stancil, Professor of Law, Brigham Young University The US Supreme Court heard arguments Monday that could change how much control Apple – and potentially other companies like Google and Facebook – exert over the experience we have when using their services. In the Supreme Court case called “Apple v. Pepper” iPhone users argue that Apple’s App Store is a monopoly and apps cost more there than they would if Apple didn’t have such a tight hold on what you can download on your phone. Apple argues it’s just a marketplace where iPhone users can buy apps directly from the people who create them. As a result, Apple says iPhone users aren’t even eligible to bring this lawsuit. That’s what the Supreme Court will decide.

Guest: Jason Moser, Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University People talk to themselves a lot and that’s not unusual. But we always refer to ourselves as “I” – as in, “I’m so hungry.” Or, “I gotta it together here.” Is that a thing people actually do? But there is some research to suggest we ought to do it more.

Guest: Kris Holm, Early Pioneer of Mountain Unicycling and Founder of Kris Holm Unicycles Kris Holm has climbed the highest mountain in Central America – and the 3rd highest in North America. He’s also traversed the trade-routes across the Himalayas in Bhutan, traveled the Great Wall of China, and climbed a nearly volcano in Bolivia that’s nearly 20,000 feet high. And he did it all on one wheel.

Guest: Ewine Van Dishoeck, Professor of Astrophysics, Leiden University, Netherlands The search for life on other planets typically starts with a search for water. Liquid oceans are a distinguishing feature of this planet, where life thrives. We, humans, are mostly water ourselves. Astrochemist Ewine van Dishoek of Leiden University in the Netherlands has dedicated her career to figuring out where the water in our solar system – and in our bodies – initially came from and her conclusions will give you a whole new appreciation for that bottle you’re sipping water from right now.

Guest: Brandon Alinger, Chief Operations Officer of the LA Branch for The Prop Store The pair of slippers that Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz were recently recovered by police – 13 years after they were stolen. There’s a booming business in movie props. And if you have the money, it can be a fascinating hobby. But be careful out there – movie prop collecting is a rough and tumble world. They were taken from a Minnesota museum in 2005, when someone broke in through a window late at night. The slippers are often said to among the most valued props in movie history. This pair was insured for $1m but experts have said they could be worth two times that now.

Guest: Ruth MacDonald, PhD, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University Healthy food bloggers and authors like Michael Pollan encourage us to steer clear of food that contains ingredients we can’t pronounce. "Aim for clean and simple foods," is the mantra. So, something that contains glutamic acid, histidine, methionine, phytosterols and 2-hydroxy-3-methylethl would be a definite no-go right? Except the food I’m describing is a banana. And not even a genetically-modified one.