Scary stories about slot machines, as told by anthropologist Natasha Schull.

"At night while her husband was asleep, she would drive to the supermarket and play until dawn at these machines."

What you always wanted to know about the random number generator but were too afraid to ask. Plus, some crazy stories about addiction, escapism, and the early days of email.

Hear the complete, 5 minute audio online here.

Natasha Schull is hard at work on her new book. It's an ethnography of gamblers and game designers that will make huge waves in academia.

Production notes: These are basically the outtakes of a conversation Natasha and I had at WNYC's Studio 360, where I am working on an upcoming feature about slot machines. Derek John was the engineer. Background music: Send and Receive (Chachi Jones Remix) by Tycho, and Track 36 from the soundtrack of Synecdoche, New York.

Labels: audio, technology