SHORT BIO
Molly Wood is the former host and senior editor of "Marketplace Tech," a daily broadcast focused on demystifying the digital economy, and former co-host of "Make Me Smart," where she and co-host Kai Ryssdal would try to make sense of big topics in business, tech and culture.
What was your first job?
Grocery store checker (but I also drove an ice cream truck once).
Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.
Time, the most precious thing of all.
What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?
A pet!
What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?
My electric fireplace! It is both cute and cozy.
Episodes by Molly (3,464)
Latest Stories (2,747)
Comcast, Netflix, Level 3, and what it means for your checkbook
by
Molly Wood
Dec 4, 2010
This week we heard about a story involving Level 3 Communications complaining that Comcast was charging Level 3 fees because of Netflix traffic. Soon, the story had morphed into fears that Comcast would block Netflix. We wanted to unpack this situation, find out what's really going on, and what it all means to you.
Can the FTC protect your privacy? And is privacy even real?
by
Molly Wood
Dec 2, 2010
The Federal Trade Commission issued a massive report on consumer privacy on Wednesday, including a list of recommendations on how websites could do more to help people protect themselves. But given how much data people are sharing online, how realistic is the expectation that we can keep our lives hidden from the Internet?
Kinect will be more than a video game system
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Molly Wood
Dec 1, 2010
The Kinect video game system is selling like crazy. 2.5 million units have already been sold, according to Microsoft, and five million are expected to sell between now and Christmas. It's going to be very significant to the video game industry but the technology of the controller-less controller could mean a lot to the world outside of gaming as well.
Could a Do Not Track list become a reality?
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Molly Wood
Nov 30, 2010
The idea of a Do Not Track list for web users has been kicked around for a while. After the relative success of the Do Not Call telemarketing list, it seems like an easy and practical way for people to choose not to be tracked around the Internet by online advertisers.
The brave new world of 3D printing
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Molly Wood
Nov 29, 2010
What if you didn't have to drive to the hardware store and instead you could just print out whatever tool or part or object you might need? What if when the kids were demanding the latest must-have toy, you could just print it instead? In 3D? That may be the world that's just around the corner. A world where you buy blueprints instead of things and the 3D printer is the most important appliance in your house.
Technology to make shopping easier and less painful
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Molly Wood
Nov 26, 2010
Even if you're not hitting the malls for those crazy doorbuster sales today, chances are pretty good you'll need to do some holiday shopping between now and the end of the year. Given that technology is supposed to be making our lives easier, we're offering some ways to leverage the digital age to make your shopping fruitful and easier.
The unpaid army behind Wikipedia
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Molly Wood
Nov 25, 2010
Wikipedia is one of the top 10 most popular websites in the world. Looking through some of the massive entries and their histories of meticulous editing, one wonders who the people are who create and maintain the site. In large part, they are volunteers, driven to create and improve the site.
Algorithm could lead to many more kidney transplants
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Molly Wood
Nov 25, 2010
The process of waiting for a new kidney can be agonizing for patients in need of one. But there's new hope thanks to computer science and math. A team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh thinks they've found an algorithm that can make a huge difference.
Is there a way to be both safe AND private at airport security?
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Molly Wood
Nov 23, 2010
It's a busy travel week and many passengers are facing a choice in security screenings between scanners many see as a violation of their privacy or a physical pat down search that could violate their privacy in different ways. Today, we're looking into just how effective the scanners are and whether a better system could be found.
Kevin Kelly says technology is alive. And he knows what it wants.
by
Molly Wood
Nov 22, 2010
You can think of technology as gadgets, computers, the internet. Kevin Kelly says the most helpful and accurate way to see it is as a living force with a mind of its own. Like any living creature, technology has desires. Understanding those desires is the key to living in harmony with technology. We talk to Kevin Kelly about the ideas in his new book, What Technology Wants.