4.28.14: The People's Platform, Naming Genocide, Rash App & Slot Car Racing

On today's Word of Mouth, we explore the digital world and two apps recently added to it. NHPR's Sean Hurley brings us a story of a World Record with New Hampshire origins. Finally: a look at a Sundance film about genocide. We’ll learn about Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who coined the term, providing a legal framework for prosecuting the crimes of WWII. Listen to the full show and join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.

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The People's Platform

• The digital world has often divided people into two camps: those who see the internet as a democratic utopia where traditional capitalist power structures are flattened – and others who see it as an anti-social medium where marketers and intelligence agencies collect our personal data for nefarious purposes. Astra Taylor has a more nuanced view. The documentary filmmaker behind Zizek! and Examined Life has a new book out called The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age. 

Slot Car Racing

• For the fourth year in a row, a local slot car enthusiast has helped his team capture the world record for distance traveled in 24 hours by a car the size of an iPhone.  Sean Hurley visited Dickie Pearson, owner of Slot Car Corner in Penacook, fresh off his world record race at the Michigan 24 and brings us this story.

Rash App

• Tara Johnson is a field biologist and founder of the e-learning company Naturedigger.  Their new app Rash Plants provides a comprehensive pocket guide to identifying and dealing with outdoor irritants.

Autism App

• Thanks to one occupational therapist, some apps have had a dramatic impact on people with autism. Elliot Majerczyk reports.

Naming Genocide

• Watchers of the Sky debuted at Sundance earlier this year and will be released in theaters next year. I caught a screening at the Monadnock International Film Festival in Keene earlier this month and got to meet the film’s director and producer Edet Belzberg.