99% Invisible

by Roman Mars · · ·

Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.

307- Immobile Homes May 16, 2018
About a third of mobile homeowners live in parks where they rent a plot of land for their home. This arrangement is filled with uncertainty.
307- Immobile Homes May 16, 2018
About a third of mobile homeowners live in parks where they rent a plot of land for their home. This arrangement is filled with uncertainty.
When a doctor reveals a terminal diagnosis to a patient -- that process is as delicate a procedure as any surgery, with potentially serious consequences if things go wrong.
When a doctor reveals a terminal diagnosis to a patient -- that process is as delicate a procedure as any surgery, with potentially serious consequences if things go wrong.
305- The Laff Box May 1, 2018
For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous on television sitcoms, but in the early 2000s, it began to disappear. What happened?
305- The Laff Box May 1, 2018
For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous on television sitcoms, but in the early 2000s, it began to disappear. What happened?
The Gander Airport in Newfoundland was once the easternmost airfield in North America, so when transatlantic air travel was new and difficult, Gander played in critical role in getting people back and forth from Europe to America.
The Gander Airport in Newfoundland was once the easternmost airfield in North America, so when transatlantic air travel was new and difficult, Gander played in critical role in getting people back and forth from Europe to America.
303- The Hair Chart April 17, 2018
Andre Walker became famous for being Oprah Winfrey’s hair stylist, but he is also known for something else: a system that he created back in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products. The system categorizes natural hair types, and it's often referred to simply as "the hair …
303- The Hair Chart April 17, 2018
Andre Walker became famous for being Oprah Winfrey’s hair stylist, but he is also known for something else: a system that he created back in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products. The system categorizes natural hair types, and it's often referred to simply as "the hair …
To this day, architects tend to turn their noses up at Las Vegas, or simply dismiss it as irrelevant to serious design theory.
To this day, architects tend to turn their noses up at Las Vegas, or simply dismiss it as irrelevant to serious design theory.
301- Making it Rain April 3, 2018
The battlefield has always been at the mercy of the climate, but there was a time in U.S. military history when we did more than just pray for advantageous weather. We tried to create it.
301- Making it Rain April 3, 2018
The battlefield has always been at the mercy of the climate, but there was a time in U.S. military history when we did more than just pray for advantageous weather. We tried to create it.
They are hulking, but graceful -- human-made whales that float in the air. For over a century, lighter-than-air vehicles have captured the public imagination, playing a recurring role in our dreams of alternate realities and futures that might have been.
They are hulking, but graceful -- human-made whales that float in the air. For over a century, lighter-than-air vehicles have captured the public imagination, playing a recurring role in our dreams of alternate realities and futures that might have been.
299- Gerrymandering March 21, 2018
The way we draw our political districts has a huge effect on U.S. politics, but the process is also greatly misunderstood. Gerrymandering has become a scapegoat for what’s wrong with the polarized American political system, blamed for marginalizing groups and rigging elections, but there’s no simple, one-size-fits-all design solution for …
299- Gerrymandering March 21, 2018
The way we draw our political districts has a huge effect on U.S. politics, but the process is also greatly misunderstood. Gerrymandering has become a scapegoat for what’s wrong with the polarized American political system, blamed for marginalizing groups and rigging elections, but there’s no simple, one-size-fits-all design solution for …
200- Miss Manhattan Redux March 14, 2018
All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed.
200- Miss Manhattan Redux March 14, 2018
All around the country, there stands a figure so much a part of historical architecture and urban landscapes that she is rarely noticed.