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A new book by critic Olivia Laing explores the link between alcohol and writing through the commentaries of famous writers who were themselves alcoholics. Fresh Air's Maureen Corrigan calls Laing's readings "exquisite," and says she wisely avoids "any one-size-fits-all conclusions about the bond between the pen and the bottle."

Ezra Klein, founder of The Washington Post's Wonkblog policy website, is planning to leave the Post, according to a report in Friday's The New York Times. The Times says the Post's new owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and the Post's publisher turned down Klein's request for a dollar amount in "eight figures" to launch a new explanatory journalism venture. It's a boom time for so-called "content verticals" among news operations, with new projects being launched by the Times, The Wall Street Journal and ESPN, among others.

Braille hasn't changed much in the nearly 200 years it's been around. But with tablets, smartphones and e-readers, how we read things has. Judy Dixon of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped talks with NPR about how technology has changed Braille — and whether it can endure.

The term "Rube Goldberg machine" has become shorthand for a convoluted contraption made up of a series of chain reactions. But Goldberg was also a real person, whose ideas for whimsical devices have captivated imaginations for decades.

Hollywood set records at the box office in 2013. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Stephen Galloway of the Hollywood Reporter about the year in movies, from big budget flops to the awards season logjam, and what to expect in 2014.

The Everly Brothers influenced an entire generation of popular musicians. Don's voice usually handled the melody, but Phil gave the higher accompanying harmony to that melody, which defined the brothers' sound. Phil Everly died Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.

On the 2010 album Scratch My Back, Gabriel covered songs by the musicians he loves. For the follow-up, he invited those artists — who include Arcade Fire, Randy Newman, David Byrne, Regina Spektor, Lou Reed, Bon Iver and more — to cover his own material.

After a procedural vote in the Senate on a bill that would temporarily extend emergency insurance for the jobless, President Obama held a White House press conference to pressure Congress to keep the momentum going. But Republican leaders say they need spending cuts or job-creation plans in return.

Wearable technology is often said to look dorky. "Stylish" and "fashionable" are not words anyone would associate with devices like Google Glass or smart watches. But companies are now working to embed technology into clothing so that it's unobtrusive or even attractive.

As the courts decide whether the NSA practices revealed by the former contractor are constitutional, the court of public opinion considers what should become of him. David Greene talks to Jennifer Granick, director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, about why she believes Snowden's actions were commendable.