Meet people in Utica, NY around something worth discussing
Begin with a current story, public event, campus article, book, podcast, or thoughtful question. Then continue the conversation online or meet at a nearby Roundtable.
From Common Quandary Today
Current stories with more than one reasonable way to see them.
Scientists have created robots the size of a pencil tip intended to travel through the body to deliver medicine to infections inside a beating heart. The bots, designed to replace risky open-heart surgery and ineffective IV-drug therapy to treat life-threatening heart infections, could also be used to less invasively and more precisely treat other hard-to-reach diseases, including cancer. “With just a little…
Consumers who buy Affordable Care Act health insurance are going to see changes both big and small as open enrollment for 2027 coverage kicks off. These include premium increases, possible additional identity checks, potential delays in working with a broker, and new limits on which immigrants can get subsidies. Shoppers need to plan accordingly. Open enrollment starts Nov. 1 in most states. Idaho, Connecticut, and…
Halloween excitement, not sugar, may be behind your child’s “sugar rush,” experts say. Your child eats a handful of Halloween candy and suddenly seems to be bouncing off the walls. It may be tempting to blame the sugar, but there could be a simpler explanation: Halloween is exciting. Kids are dressing up, running around the neighborhood, seeing friends, and coming home with a haul of treats they don’t usually have.…
What does it truly cost a human being to lead a nation through an existential war while the world watches from afar? President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reveals the psychological toll of continuous survival, the grim realities of geopolitical negotiation, and what keeps him still stand
Polling is facing an existential crisis. People aren't picking up the phone. Nobody wants to talk to pollsters. Trust is on the line. We pluck a solution from the economics canon and convince a polling firm to let us test it. Today on the show, we head to Marist College — home of
OTM producer, Molly Rosen, has been on a mission to find out what technology her two-year-old kid will confront when he’s old enough to go to school. In a recent interview she did with a New Yorker staff writer, Jessica Winter, about how AI chatbots are infiltrating schools, Moll
Ben Folds Five are reuniting for their first tour in 14 years. The sardonic piano-rockers got together for a one-off hometown show at the storied North Carolina venue Cat’s Cradle in 2023, but they haven’t hit the road together since their last reunion tour wrapped up in 2013. Th
The resale platform is publishing a surprisingly deep manual about shopping and styling your clothes. Vanity Fair spoke to chief brand officer and coauthor Kristen Naiman about how a retail site becomes a book, the changing zeitgeist of style, and what she buys.
Your roommate's partner sleeps over six nights a week. Are they now a roommate?
Your roommate's partner stays almost every night, showers daily, and keeps food in the kitchen. They are pleasant and spend weekends elsewhere, but pay no rent or utilities. The lease limits overnight guests.
A parent clearly built the winning science project. Who should lose the prize?
An elementary student submits an elaborate science project far beyond their apparent ability. The parent proudly describes working together all weekend, and the child clearly learned something, but other students completed simpler projects themselves.