How Technology Changes Who You Are & The Nuts and Bolts of Making Friends

How many times have you opened up a new box with electronics or shoes or maybe even some beef jerky and found one of those silica gel packs? If you look closely, they usually have warnings not to eat them - that doing so could be hazardous to your health. So, what exactly would happen if you did eat one of them? Just how dangerous are they? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-to-know-silica-gel For a few centuries now, humans have been interacting with machines in all kinds of ways. In the process, those interactions have changed who we are and how we live. As machines become more advanced with robotics and AI, our interactions with those machines will become deeper and more intimate. In some cases, it already has. Could we one day actually have relationships with machines - could robots actually be our friends - or even lovers? Debora Spar believes the ways humans and machines relate to each other is something we should all be interested in. Debora is a professor of business admin at Harvard Business school, former president of Barnard College. She is also author of the book Work, Mate, Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny (https://amzn.to/3xMLhOo) and she joins me to offer some fascinating insight into how machines have and continue to change us.  Everyone knows Santa but we don’t know much about Mrs. Claus. Listen as I explain who she is and why we seem to know so little about this mysterious woman who helps keep Santa’s workshop buzzing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Claus People report that they have fewer friends and feel more isolated than in previous generations. Especially around the holidays, that feeling of isolation can really sting. And the only solution is to connect with people. But how do you do that if it doesn’t come easily to you? Psychologist Dr. Elicia Nademin joins me to offer simple yet effective ways to connect with the people around you that will make you feel great and who know -- could lead to friendship or even romanc