Better World With Design

In this episode of Better World with Design , we unpack Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow through the lens of two competing systems in your mind: System 1 (fast, automatic, story-driven) and System 2 (slow, effortful, easily depleted). We walk through the book’s most memorable demonstrations—base rates versus stereotypes, the availability heuristic, the “Invisible Gorilla,” and decision fa...

In this episode of Better World With Design , we dive into Olga Ravn’s The Wax Child —a haunting historical novel narrated by a beeswax figure created in 1615 Denmark amid witch-trial paranoia. We unpack the book’s structure, themes, and “rumor-as-machinery” storytelling, including how grief, misogyny, and institutional power turn gossip into evidence. You’ll also hear a clear breakdown of the key...

In this episode of Better World With Design, I give a clear-eyed review of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I break down why the novel reads to me as a polished but shallow comfort-read: how the framing device makes the listener feel managed, how withholding gets mistaken for depth, and how nostalgia and unmarked whiteness are treated as the default “universal” setting. We also look at why Peter Duke’s c...

Join us as we dissect M.L. Rio's dark academia thriller If We Were Villains — not just as a story, but as a case study in craft, morality, and the seductive danger of performance. This isn't your typical book club. We're going deep: examining the Shakespearean architecture, the groupthink mechanics, and the character roles that turn seven theater students into a tragic machine. Hosted by a reader...

In this episode, I explore what happens when you let your younger self speak without interference—when you refuse to edit, improve, or apologize for who you were. Drawing from my 1996 handwritten journals, written as a nineteen-year-old immigrant in Florida, I discuss how those carefully crafted words became the lyrics for "Pop A Pill"—a track that bridges three decades without compromise. This is...

Settle in for a deep dive into one of electronic music's most transformative moments. This episode explores the birth and evolution of acid house—a genre that altered the course of music history. We trace the origins of that distinctive squelchy TB-303 sound from Chicago in 1987, examining Phuture's seminal "Acid Trax" and the accidental discovery that launched a movement. But the story goes deepe...

Join Gary Crossey as he kicks off 2026 with a deep dive into Better World With Design's new direction. This episode explores the decision to center marginalized voices through the Voices from the Margins series, examining why representation matters, how design shapes justice, and what it means to build with intentionality. Discover the year's content strategy, thematic focus areas, and the persona...

In this episode of Better World with Design, host Gary Crossey explores Sara Ahmed's groundbreaking work Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others . This dense but rewarding philosophical text challenges us to rethink how we orient ourselves in the world, and how people design spaces around normative assumptions. Gary shares his honest experience wrestling with Ahmed's challenging ideas,...

Join us for a fascinating deep dive into the life and legacy of Willem de Kooning, the Dutch-American painter who redefined Abstract Expressionism and broke all the rules. This episode explores his contradictions as an artist, the infamous $160 million art heist of his painting "Woman-Ochre," and the philosophical questions raised by his work during the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Discover the u...

When a giant walls off his garden, winter settles in for good—until one small act of welcome changes everything. In this immersive reading of Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant,” you’ll hear gentle sound design, a faithful performance of the text, and a warm reflection on why this simple fairy tale still melts hearts today. We connect this story to our earlier Oscar Wilde episode, The Canterville Gh...

In this episode of Better World with Design, host Gary Crossey takes you on an in-depth journey through Porridge Radio's 2024 album "Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me." This isn't your typical music review—it's an honest, unvarnished conversation about what makes this record work, where it falls short, and why emotional authenticity matters more than sonic innovation. We explore D...

In this episode, Gary Crossey examines Norman Ohler's "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," which reveals the widespread drug use in Nazi Germany during World War II. The book explores how methamphetamine, cocaine, and opioids were used by soldiers, leaders, and civilians to fuel the German war machine. Particular attention is given to the transformation of substances from "miracle medicines" to da...

This episode of "Better World with Design" examines Bruce Goldfarb's "18 Tiny Deaths" and reveals how Frances Glessner Lee's innovative dioramas revolutionized crime scene investigation. We explore how her unique approach combined craft skills with scientific methodology to transform an entire field, creating lasting impact through thoughtful design interventions.

Join Gary Crossey for a complete reading of Oscar Wilde's beloved supernatural comedy "The Canterville Ghost." This episode features: Opening Commentary - Personal reflections on discovering Wilde's works along Florida railway tracks and connections to Northern Ireland Complete Reading - The full unabridged text of "The Canterville Ghost" Closing Thoughts - Analysis of Wilde's brilliant blend of h...

POWERFUL AND HAUNTING: In this podcast, Gary Crossey takes you inside Claire Keegan's masterful novella "Small Things Like These," where one man's moral choice challenges generations of institutional abuse in 1980s Ireland. With personal stories and unflinching honesty, Crossey connects Ireland's traumatic past to the uncomfortable silences we maintain in our own communities today. A must-listen e...

Join host Gary Crossey for an in-depth analysis of Lola Young's haunting track "dealer." In this episode, we explore the song's raw emotional landscape, examining themes of addiction, dependency, and the complicated desire for escape. Through careful lyrical analysis, we unpack how Young masterfully captures the paralysis of emotional distress, the isolation of modern urban life, and the cyclical...

Join host Gary Crossey as he explores timeless philosophical ideas and applies them to modern life. Each episode unpacks complex ideas from history's greatest thinkers and makes them relevant to today's challenges in design, technology, and society.

Join me on a candid, track-by-track journey through The Cure's brand new 2025 remix album, 'Mixes Of A Lost World.' In this episode, I share my honest, fan-driven review of all 24 remixes from their acclaimed 'Songs of a Lost World' LP. From the initial disappointment with the early singles (looking at you, Paul Oakenfold and Four Tet !) to the unexpected, genre-bending triumphs by Meera , Âme , a...