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Behavior : All Tech Considered Tracking how technology — from the simplest tools like pencils, to the most advanced artificial intelligence — is affecting and changing our individual habits, but also group behavior and society.
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Behavior

Thursday

Blind Auditions Could Give Employers A Better Hiring Sense

In the face-to-face interview process, research shows that managers tend to hire applicants who are similar to them on paper. Bjorn Rune Lie/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption

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Bjorn Rune Lie/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Behavior

Blind Auditions Could Give Employers A Better Hiring Sense

KUT News

It works for singing competitions. What about landing a job? To beat hiring bias, some applicants could first complete an online challenge with companies that are in the dark about their background.

Blind Auditions Could Give Employers A Better Hiring Sense

Listen · 4:07
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Monday

As Emojis Spread Beyond Texts, Many Remain [Confounded Face] [Interrobang]

Comedian Aziz Ansari became a pioneer of emoji language use in 2011, when he transcribed the hit Jay-Z and Kanye West song, "Ni**as In Paris." azizisbored.tumblr.com hide caption

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azizisbored.tumblr.com

Behavior

As Emojis Spread Beyond Texts, Many Remain [Confounded Face] [Interrobang]

There's a growing tendency to bring the tiny hieroglyphs off phones, but not everyone is fluent. New takes on emoji integration suggest misunderstanding may be remedied with universal translation.

As Emojis Spread Beyond Texts, Many Remain [Confounded Face] [Interrobang]

Listen · 7:38
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Monday

Is Cash-Free Really The Way To Be? Maybe Not For Millennials

More Americans are ditching traditional cash and plastic, opting instead for new mobile payment applications. But new research indicates cash isn't completely dead. Amy Sancetta/AP hide caption

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Amy Sancetta/AP

Behavior

Is Cash-Free Really The Way To Be? Maybe Not For Millennials

Financial advisers advocate using cash whenever possible. New technologies make it easier to do just the opposite. Still, a recent study shows more millennials are turning away from plastic.

Is Cash-Free Really The Way To Be? Maybe Not For Millennials

Listen · 7:02
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Monday

Bringing Internet To The Far Corners Of The Earth

Google is doing test flights of its balloons carrying Internet routers around the world. Last June, a balloon was released at the airport in Teresina, Brazil. Google hide caption

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Google

Behavior

Bringing Internet To The Far Corners Of The Earth

About 5 billion people are mostly or entirely disconnected from the Internet. So to capitalize on this opportunity, Google and Facebook have begun high-profile campaigns to connect the unconnected.

Bringing Internet To The Far Corners Of The Earth

Listen · 5:26
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Tuesday

Wednesday

Recruiting Better Talent With Brain Games And Big Data

With the technology to conduct more nuanced tests, some companies say they can provide more useful detail about how people think in dynamic situations. Marcus Butt/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption

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Marcus Butt/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Behavior

Recruiting Better Talent With Brain Games And Big Data

Some companies are using surveys or brain games to assess what kind of workers candidates are. Employers say the tests can help reduce turnover and surface talent recruiters might otherwise overlook.

Recruiting Better Talent With Brain Games And Big Data

Listen · 4:30
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Monday

Pick Up Your Smartphone Less Often. You Might Think Better.
Illustration by John Hersey/Courtesy of WNYC

Behavior

Pick Up Your Smartphone Less Often. You Might Think Better.

Our friends at the WNYC podcast New Tech City recently challenged you to put down the smartphone to see what sort of brilliance beckoned. We check in on the results.

Pick Up Your Smartphone Less Often. You Might Think Better.

Listen · 5:31
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Monday

Bored ... And Brilliant? A Challenge To Disconnect From Your Phone
Illustration by John Hersey/Courtesy of WNYC

Behavior

Bored ... And Brilliant? A Challenge To Disconnect From Your Phone

Studies suggest we get our most original ideas when we stop the constant stimulation and let ourselves get bored. The podcast New Tech City is challenging you to disconnect — and see what happens.

Bored ... And Brilliant? A Challenge To Disconnect From Your Phone

Listen · 5:47
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Monday

Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

While viral videos are a common feature of modern Internet life, recently a few audio clips, including sounds from a comet, have become popular. Underwood & Underwood/Corbis hide caption

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Underwood & Underwood/Corbis

Behavior

Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

Sure, the Internet is littered with viral cat videos. But recently some bits of audio have drawn millions of listens. Yet it may be too soon to say we're entering a new age of viral audio.

Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

Listen · 4:24
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Monday

Even Techies Limit Their Children's Screen Time

A recent UCLA study found that screen time could negatively affect children's ability to read emotion. But scientists are still unsure how much screen time is too much for a child. Anatoliy Babiy/iStockphoto hide caption

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Anatoliy Babiy/iStockphoto

Behavior

Even Techies Limit Their Children's Screen Time

Steve Jobs was said to be a low-tech parent, and so are others in the tech industry. That means they're often putting strict limits on family use of the very gadgets and software they're developing.

Even Techies Limit Their Children's Screen Time

Listen · 4:45
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Friday

Monday

A Good IT Person Needs To Be Half Technologist, Half Psychologist
iStockphoto

Behavior

A Good IT Person Needs To Be Half Technologist, Half Psychologist

Your doctor and lawyer may know a lot about you. But in a time when we are using computers to socialize, keep track of finances, do work and store family photos, your IT person probably knows more.

A Good IT Person Needs To Be Half Technologist, Half Psychologist

Listen · 4:15
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Thursday

Tuesday

Do Feelings Compute? If Not, The Turing Test Doesn't Mean Much
Vertigo3d/iStockphoto

Behavior

Do Feelings Compute? If Not, The Turing Test Doesn't Mean Much

Fresh Air

For the first time, a computer passed the test for machines engaging in intelligent thought. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the real test is whether computers can behave the same way thinking people do.

Do Feelings Compute? If Not, The Turing Test Doesn't Mean Much

Listen · 9:10
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Sunday

Redefining What It Means To Talk In The Age Of Smartphones

Twenty-nine percent of all cellphone owners described their phone as "something they can't imagine living without," according to a Pew Research Center survey. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Behavior

Redefining What It Means To Talk In The Age Of Smartphones

Why talk when we can text? For many, our phones are a habit — a bad one — and only a small number of us realize it. Our voices are a way to express and define ourselves; a text message can't do that.