Friction Matters: Resistance Is a Feature, Not a Bug

Friction Matters: Resistance Is a Feature, Not a Bug

Friction gets an bad rap, according Jennifer Vail. As a tribologist, she studies interacting surfaces in relative motion, and she’s worked on everything from aerospace materials to syringes to dog food. Her new book, Friction: A Biography, explores the science of rubbing surfaces, the history of lubrication, and why “frictionless” is a dangerous fantasy. Kara and Jennifer unpack everything from Roman chariot “pit stops” to ball bearings and how tiny tweaks in texture and lubricant chemistry can save massive amounts of energy. They end with a discussion of behavioral friction (the kind tech companies want to get rid of) and Kara makes the case for “good friction” in tech, work, and relationships. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Twitter Spaces On: WTF is Happening in the UK and the World

Twitter Spaces On: WTF is Happening in the UK and the World

Today, we’re sharing a bonus episode of Kara’s Twitter Spaces conversation recorded on Monday night. In the first part of the conversation, Kara talks to Jonathan Freedland, a British journalist and c...

25 Loka 20221h 6min

The Economy Stinks, and Dr. Doom is Not Hopeful

The Economy Stinks, and Dr. Doom is Not Hopeful

Nouriel Roubini, a.ka. "Dr. Doom," became famous for predicting the 2008 global financial crisis. Now, he is back with another grim forecast, in his new book, "MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That I...

24 Loka 202251min

Airbnb’s CEO on Nomadic Life, Loneliness… and Cleaning Fees

Airbnb’s CEO on Nomadic Life, Loneliness… and Cleaning Fees

Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky took the company public, laid off 25% of its staff and navigated worker demands for flexibility – all during the pandemic. Oh, and his mom moved in (and made him...

20 Loka 20221h 2min

Twitter Spaces On: Elon, Elon, Elon … and Trump

Twitter Spaces On: Elon, Elon, Elon … and Trump

Today, we’re sharing a bonus episode of Kara’s Twitter Spaces conversation that was taped on Monday night. She’s joined by William Cohan, journalist and founding partner of Puck, and Scott Galloway, b...

19 Loka 202250min

The Billionaire Who Took America Online

The Billionaire Who Took America Online

Kara and Steve Case go back — way back, to the 1990s. She was a young Washington Post reporter covering a new thing called “the Internet” … and he was a co-founder of the company that became AOL. In t...

17 Loka 20221h 1min

Will Stacey Abrams (Finally) Win?

Will Stacey Abrams (Finally) Win?

It feels like deja vu. Stacey Abrams is running for governor of Georgia, again … against Brian Kemp, again. The two last faced off in a heated contest in 2018, with Kemp’s win hanging on 54,723 votes....

13 Loka 202252min

John Fetterman and Kara Talk Strokes, Recovery & Senate Race

John Fetterman and Kara Talk Strokes, Recovery & Senate Race

Pennsylvania Lt. Governor and Senate candidate John Fetterman and Kara share a few things in common. As she puts it: they were both born in Pennsylvania, both wear sloppy clothes and both have survive...

10 Loka 202250min

Maggie Haberman Makes Sense of Donald Trump

Maggie Haberman Makes Sense of Donald Trump

Donald Trump has said journalist Maggie Haberman is like his “psychiatrist” — a remark she dismisses as a meaningless and failed attempt at flattery. Yet Haberman does have a deep understanding of wha...

6 Loka 202256min

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