ZigZag

You may *feel *like a special snowflake, but even our best ideas usually take a predictable path: they'll pass through the 5 Phases of the Hype Cycle. Tech analyst   created this iconic graph (see below) 25 years ago, and it's been used to track innovations (yes, like blockchain) ever since. But the Hype Cycle isn't just for tech: understanding it can help you decide when to press ahead with a job, relationship, or New Year's resolution... or cut your losses and move on. All this season, we're exploring the lifecycle of ideas, including a visit to a town by the Canadian border where one of the biggest Bitcoin mining operations in the world is ramping up, and some claim crypto can save a community in financial ruin. Tell us what's going on in your life and where YOU are on the Hype Cycle right now: record a voice memo and send it to [ ). **Also, our email newsletter is a must read. ** about a programmer whose algorithm goes rogue!) Who You’ll Hear : (@jackiefenn) Jackie Fenn, Senior Analyst at Gartner, (@manoushz) Manoush Zomorodi, host of ZigZag

The co-founders of Stable Genius Productions have a candid conversation about their current financial situation (hint: their grant is running out soon), the highs/lows of making this season of the podcast (another hint: they had a fallout over email), and Civil's plans to resurrect itself in 2019 (final hint: the token lives on). GO DEEPER:   Blockchain has not yet added value to international development projects,  reaches 25,000 new contributors! WHO YOU’LL HEAR: @manoushz (Manoush Zomorodi, host of ZigZag and cofounder of Stable Genius Productions), @jpoyant (Jen Poyant, producer of ZigZag and cofounder of Stable Genius Productions) MANOUSH'S TOP 10 READS OF 2018: **10. (WIRED) 9. (The Cut) 8.  (Bill Gates) 7.  (New Yorker) 6. (Forbes)  5.  (Popula) 4. (The Cut) 3. (The Guardian) 2. (NYTimes) 1. (New Yorker)

The richest 1 percent of the world's population now owns more than half of the world's wealth. The calls for breaking up Big Tech companies are growing louder. On this episode, the author of , proposes a solution (think regulation, but on steroids) for wrangling monopolies, sparking innovation, and getting profits into the hands of more people. GO DEEPER: "What the California Wildfires Can Teach Us About Data Sharing," Joi Ito writes in  Who You’ll Hear: @manoushz (Manoush Zomorodi, host of @zigzagpod and cofounder of Stable Genius Productions), ‏ (Rufus Pollock, author of The Open Revolution)

Journalists-turned-entrepreneurs   which they hope can reboot our daily news habit by delivering trustworthy journalism without  overwhelming us. Afterall, they reason, we have apps to track our sleep, steps, and calories... Why not news consumption? But can there really be an app for that? GO DEEPER: You can . WHO YOU’LL HEAR: Manoush Zomorodi, cofounder of Stable Genius Productions and host of ZigZag Podcast (@manoushz), Mark Little, cofounder of Kinzen (@marklittlenews) Aine Kerr, cofounder of Kinzen (@AineKerr)

It's been an extraordinarily weird year. This mini episode compresses Manoush and Jen's story so far into a strange mash-up of voice memos that documents their leap from public radio producers to audio entrepreneurs (who often are very stressed and seem to rarely sleep). Think of it as an audio thank you note for being on this ZigZag ride. We're so glad you're here with us.  We hope you'll also consider supporting Radiotopia, the podcast collective that helps make ZigZag possible. Go to  where you can choose from an unusual array of donation gifts (including an outing to the Stable Genius' favorite bar).