When you make an account online or install an app, you are probably entering into a legally enforceable contract. Even if you never signed anything. These days, we enter into these contracts so often, it can feel like no big deal.

But then there are the horror stories like Greg Selden's. He tried to sue AirBnB for racial discrimination while using their site. But he had basically signed away his ability to sue AirBnB when he made an account. That agreement was tucked away in a little red link, something most people might not even bother to click through.

But, it wasn't always like this. On today's show, we go back in time to understand how the law of contracts got rewritten. And why today, you can accept a contract without even noticing it.

This episode was hosted by Emma Peaslee and Jeff Guo, and was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by James Willetts. Alex Goldmark is our Executive Producer.

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From prehistoric cave art to today's social media feeds, to design is to be human. This hour, designer Debbie Millman guides us through a world made and remade—and helps us design our own paths.

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From prehistoric cave art to today's social media feeds, to design is to be human. This hour, designer Debbie Millman guides us through a world made and remade—and helps us design our own paths.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Frenk is among 17 trailblazers recognized for their contributions to politics, business, culture, entertainment and other fields.

TORONTO, ON — A new study shows that while the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has significantly reduced some of the toxins that contribute to smog, the city continues to violate the Canada-wide standards for ozone air pollution. Smog, which can cause or aggravate health problems such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is produced by […]

National conference will spark discussion on reinventing education to prepare tomorrow’s diverse engineering leaders to address challenges we can’t yet imagineToronto, ON – The toughest problems facing humanity in the 21st century — from water scarcity to urban intensification to personalized medicine — will be tackled by tomorrow’s engineers. Many of the issues they will work to solve […]

Team led by U of T Engineering designs world’s most efficient catalyst for storing energy as hydrogen by splitting water moleculesToronto, ON — We can’t control when the wind blows and when the sun shines, so finding efficient ways to store energy from alternative sources remains an urgent research problem. Now, a group of researchers led […]

Toronto, ON – A team of MBA students from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management have won the Kellogg Business Design Challenge hosted by the Kellogg School of Management’s Innovation and Design Association. The long-running competition, which invites students to apply design thinking to a real-world business challenge, was opened up to teams […]

Special delivery!—a Moth Radio Hour all about letters. At work, for romance, and to the Tooth Fairy. This episode is hosted by Moth Executive Producer, Sarah Austin Jenness. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media.

Storytellers:

Meg Ferrill's letter is read aloud in her human sexuality class.

Danielle Dardashti is surprised by the severance letter she receives.

Matty Struski pens a letter in an attempt to win back his ex.

Lu Levin strikes up a correspondence with the Tooth Fairy.

Otis Gray gets a job writing rejection letters.

Stacey Perlman visits a medium, who knows of a letter to the great beyond.

Testing potential improvements can get complicated when working with multiple suppliers in different steps of a process. Using a Monte Carlo Simulation can help illuminate the results you’d like to see.

Learn how design controls can help quality managers assess medical devices.

Olympus now distributes Creaform’s Pipecheck Analyze software.

Listen to this podcast featuring Harshala Patil, a Senior Quality and Reliability Engineer. In it, she discusses her journey into quality, the significance of quality across various industries, and what attracted her to the manufacturing sector.

You started with a napkin drawing, revise it. Analyze component geometry and purpose. Eliminate parts where you can.

Design of Experiments (DOE) helps improve products and processes more efficiently, providing a comprehensive understanding of influences on the end result.

Brass Section Artist Signed by Romare Bearden is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 175 pcs

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Mecklenburg Morning: Sunrise for china lamp Artist Signed by Romare Bearden is a(n) Estate Certified. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 950 pcs

Girl In The Garden Artist Signed by Romare Bearden is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 150 pcs

Out Chorus Etching Artist Signed by Romare Bearden is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 200 pcs

Cable Cars on Powell Street by G. Harvey Giclee on Canvas Signed and Numbered by G Harvey is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition Of 250 pcs

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How virtual prototyping and dynamic load analysis can help reduce machine design costs and get to market faster.

How virtual prototyping and dynamic load analysis can help reduce machine design costs and get to market faster.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) program, established in 1973, needs to launch four Lockheed Martin [LMT] GPS III satellites with the L5 signal in short order to help counter adversary […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) on Aug. 27 sent a letter to former and current President-elect Trump at a P.O. Box in Arlington, Va.–a customary missive sent to all prospective […]

ASHRAE announced the launch of a new, redesigned version of its website, ashrae.org. This website offers quick and easy access to essential information and simplified navigation through mega-menus.

The upgraded website offers quick and easy access to essential information for LG’s solutions for commercial, light commercial, and residential applications.

You perform maintenance each year, but by the next maintenance visit, dirt and grime are in the equipment again. Have you ever wondered why this happens?

Parker Sporlanls latest offerings include a rugged carrying case, off-the-shelf valves, and a simple-to-use board for refrigeration control.

The manufacturers of HVAC products for indoor farming say their equipment can help optimize growers’ crop yields.

A compressor design proposes a new drive mechanism for compressors used for cooling in homes, buildings, airplanes, and cars.

Dynamic Systems Inc.’s l Stand-alone Mobile Inventory Application (SMIBA) uses barcodes to manage inventory and upload the information to any accounting system.

Managing equipment is increasingly important to the HVAC industry. Parasense Refrigerant Management Software, gold winner, helps with this.

Manifold Cloud Services Ltd. received the 2020 Gold award in the Contractor Services and Software category for its measureQuick app. The product is a universal Bluetooth application that allow tools from multiple manufacturers to be used on a single platform.

The Gold award for the Contractor Service and Software category went to SmartDiagnostics with SmartTutor™ (SDST) from Smartech Alliance, a division of SmartHVAC LLC.

The Contractor Services & Software category winners include an app that provides access to online product information, an app that helps contractors install and diagnose geothermal equipment, and a computer-based platform for home service businesses.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office has released a request for information seeking stakeholder input on the design and construction of tenant spaces that achieve high levels of energy efficiency in commercial buildings.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Autodesk, a leading global 3D design and engineering software company, have announced a strategic partnership to enable construction professionals to work smarter by harnessing digital solutions to increase productivity, reduce redundancy, and eliminate waste.

Lennox’s SL280NV Ultra Low NO_X gas furnace was built to address a market need in the South Coast and San Joaquin air quality districts in California, which require the reduction of emissions to 14 nanograms of NO_X per joule.

Like other companies working in the sector, Heatcraft Refrigeration Products faced a new set of DOE Annual Walk-In Energy Factor (AWEF) standards taking effect on Jan. 1 of this year.

The Gold award in the Refrigeration and Ice Machines category goes to the Copeland Digital Outdoor Refrigeration Unit, X-Line Series by Emerson.

The Refrigeration & Ice Machines category winners include a refrigerant charging scale, evaporative control technology, and a condensing unit.

The Gold award in the Refrigeration and Ice Machines category goes to a self-contained refrigeration system for walk-in coolers and freezers that eliminates several of the steps required for a traditional system.

The winner is a kit that is a universal, field-mount refrigeration controller with temperature sensors and pressure transducer kit that can be installed up to 40 feet from an air or electric defrost unit cooler.