Fascinating Nouns

*From His Bio* Dr. David G. Schwartz directs the Center for Gaming Research and teaches history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, writes articles and books, and only occasionally pines for his days working as Mr. Peanut on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. His research interests include gambling and casinos, Las Vegas, tourism, and games. Obviously we got into his days as Mr. Peanut, but we also...

The building of The Transcontinental Railroad really parallels the settlement of the west. It wasn't long after its completion that the U.S. took its modern form of 48 contiguous states. The Telegraph, another Western innovation, was built right along side the railroad so that progress could be communicated back East. From the Central Pacific's groundbreaking in Sacramento, until the Golden Spike...

For years Hollywood has experimented with the concept of living in an extremely realistic simulated world, and with Virtual Reality advancing in leaps and bounds, it may soon become difficult to distinguish between our reality, and a fabricated VR world. What if we are already living in a virtual reality simulation? Tom Campbell believes that we are, and is putting together a series of experiments...

I have been fascinated with Out Of Body Experiences for a long time. I even read the classic work on the subject: Robert Monroe's 'Journey's Out Of The Body'. While researching Tom Campbell for an interview on his work proving we live in a virtual reality simulation, I stumbled across his past as the physicist that helped scientifically quantify Robert Monroe's first Out Of Body experiments! We ta...

What do Vanilla Ice, Chuck Lorre, Venus de Milo, Leatherhead, and Brian Henson have in common? They are all vital to the history of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Learn the connections in my bonus ep with the mysterious Farago.

As you well know, I am a big fan of anything comic related, so of course it was inevitable that I would cross paths with the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum: Andrew Farago. We didn't just talk comic books, but two of my other favorites: cartoons and comic strips. Specifically we discussed Foghorn Leghorn, Vanilla Ice, He-Man, Wile E. Coyote, Calvin and Hobbes, The Ghostbusters, & The Real Ghostb...

Ever since first hearing about the Great Pacific Patch, an island of garbage 3x the size of Texas sitting in the pacific Ocean, I was fascinated. How could something like be accumulated, and what was being done to fix the problem? The answer to the first question is extraordinarily complex, and the answer to the second one is non-existent. This legendary captain is a modern day Christopher Columbu...

Known as "The Street Smart Psychic", Lisa knows how to spot a fake fortune teller. Listen as she gives some great tips on how to get a great psychic reading, while steering clear of the phonies. Also, learn how her first psychic reading involved the gift of a spaghetti dinner!

I have always been intrigued by tattoos. While not having any myself, I do appreciate the outward artistic expression. I never really thought of them as more then large, persona, permanent pieces of art. That is, until I talked to Lisa Barretta. She puts forth a paradigm that every aspect of a tattoo, from color, body placement, symbol, and intention, is critically important and imbues the tattoo...

Every concept has an origin story. Dubbed 'The Forlorn Hope', the first attempt at a rescue spawned two of the darkest and most infamous ones of the entire ordeal known as The Donner Party: Cannibalism and Murder. Listen as we discuss the treacherous events that lead this insidious course of action.

While the name "The Donner Party" sounds like a good time, it definitely was not. It is a macabre tale from the Wild West that *Spoiler Alert* famously ends in cannibalism. But that is only 5% of the story. Bestselling author Michael Wallis tells the twisted tale of this ill-fated and terribly timed wagon train. We discuss Johnny B. Goode, the infamous Hastings Cutoff, how President Lincoln was al...

Using poison to gain power and quiet dissidents did not end with the Renaissance. While trying to avoid becoming victims ourselves, we discuss how Vladimir Putin has turned Russia into the modern day center of political poisonings.

Since the dawn of time, man has clamored for sex and power, hellbent on eliminating of all rivals in this pursuit. Since most cannot be killed outright, the murderous minded had to find more clandestine methods of eradication. The best poisons have to be administered secretly, remain undetected, and appear to be a natural occurrence. I talk with historian and bestselling author Eleanor Herman abou...

It seems like machine intelligence is advancing at an exponential rate. The convergence of advanced artificial intelligence with highly skilled robots is inevitable, and imminent. How will this affect the human race? Where does virtual reality fit into this scenario? Linda and I discuss the ramifications of a robot-filled future, as well as several other topics including biological EMP's, Jack Par...

After discussing this world, it makes sense to explore all the creatures that inhabit it. We discuss plants that feed on sound, a deer like animal with seven legs, some poisonous, others nutritious, as well as the difference between biologically & culturally aquatic.

Eames Demetrios is an artist and filmmaker, who is best known as the creator of a parallel universe called Kcymaerxthaere. So what is this K word? It is the name of a fictional world that mirrors our own, with its own geography, flora, fauna, cultural identity, languages, and history. Looking to create an interactive story accessible to everyone, Eames installs story markers and historic sites all...

Talk about serendipity: Right after talking with George Pendle about Jack Parsons, "Mystical" Mitch was in town, and chatted with me about the occult side of Parsons. We even did the interview at Manly P. Hall's University for Philosophical Research! We discussed Aleister Crowley, L. Ron Hubbard, symbolic tattoos, and even the event in Mitch's life that sent him down the mystical path.

Much like Jack Parsons and myself, George Pendle is a man of many eclectic tastes. It turns out, he wrote an article on barbed wire! We discuss that, as well as his obsession with airport carpeting, and the alternative history of clown prohibition!

The Life of Marvel "Jack" Whiteside Parsons is an incredible one. He is the true Godfather of rocket science, for without his drive, imagination and reckless behavior, we might never have gotten to the moon. Well that's not entirely true, since we did import a bunch of Nazi scientists during Project Paperclip who were vital in getting man into space, but I digress. He was invaluable in launching t...

*BONUS EPISODE* Steve hangs out to talk about how these Barb Wire Barons put aside their differences, and combine their influence & resources to bring a major university to DeKalb Illinois. If that wasn't enough, we also talk about how Governor John Altgeld thought public building were so unpleasing to the eye that they were an insult to the people of Illinois! Every building built under his admin...

In my days at Northern Illinois University, I learned that DeKalb, IL was ground zero for barbed wire. At the time, I had no idea how historically important this was, but especially after learning about the Wild West, I came to realize that barbed wire made living on the open range possible. No one knows more about DeKalb history than Steve Bigolin. Of course we chat about the Big Three Barb Wire...

Texas State Historian Bill O'Neal sticks around to talk about the end of the west. We get into the Outlaw/Lawman Jim Plummer and how he worked both sides of the law with a group called The Innocents, as well as The Last Gunfight, and the Last Great Stagecoach Robbery.

I have always loved the Wild West. I don't know if it is the struggle against lawlessness, vigilante justice, gold prospecting, ghost towns, showdowns at high noon, snake oil salesmen, railroad tycoons, or riding a horse everywhere you go. I am sure it is one of those, or the perfect combination of all. The true encapsulation of this era are the various personalities that flavored the myths and le...

Carousels are a time honored tradition, stretching back to at least to the 12th century. According to expert and historian Lourinda Bray, they may even date back as far as the invention of the wheel: Fire, Wheel, Carousel. I sat down at her amazing restoration compound "Running Horse Studio" and learned all about their incredible history. We talked about standers, stargazers, lolling tongues, pole...

In honor of the 5th anniversary of his passing, I reached into vault for the second interview I did with Paul about his wrestling career. We talked about his secret life as a practical jokester, getting whacked over the head with a cane by an old man in the crowd, and hoe Michael P. S. Hayes beat him into the business because he had a referee shirt in his trunk.