Tangential Banter

Jack & Ben examine the mindset behind fervent support for preventing even natural extinction events, debate the morality of purely natural systems, and opine about the connections to climate change.

A single word sparks a firestorm of thoughts and ideas when the Duo tackles a topic about relationships.

Ben recounts a recent mnemonic anecdote and Jack asks what makes humans so special.

Back after a long hiatus, Jack & Ben start by discussing the effect of a campfire on sounds and follow it with a disagreement about the definition of canon in fictional universes.

After months of silence, the Dynamic Duo break their fast with a juicy topic about America's most iconic condiment: ranch.

The Tangentialists, Jack and Ben, invite their first guest to discuss the necessity and value of college degrees pertaining to various career paths.

After a long, arduous COVID hiatus, Jack and Ben return to delight your listening ears, just in time for Christmas.

Jack and Ben muse about the awkwardness of being greeted by exuberant strangers.

COVID-19 rages across the nation. As an uncertain world enters into lockdown, Jack and Ben spring into action onto the free air of radio to prevent their listeners from succumbing to crushing despair.

In a Season 2 teaser, Jack and Ben discuss changes to the format and also discuss babies playing RPGs and different types of sandwiches.

Jack and Ben talk Star Wars and cooking gameshows. Tune in for the last episode of Season 1!

Jack and Ben debate the Beatles musical legacy, discuss weird engineering units of yore, and finally share some laughs about malapropisms.

After a brief encounter with two Jehovah's Witnesses, Jack and Ben muse on the logic of atheistic morality.

Jack and Ben explore the mysteries of human consciousness, before letting down their guard and sharing stories of less-than-glorious moments.

Jack and Ben start discussing the origin of the phrase "little boys' room", then talk about other regionalisms like pop vs. soda.

Jack and Ben muse on the nature of napkin shapes, then ponder the correct way to hold a tulip glass.

Turning their eyes back to the list of topical tangents, Jack and Ben explore human behavior and why we treat one another like we do.

After a week off due to disruptions in the recording studio, the gang (Jack and Ben) goes gangbusters talking about long days on the road, and Jack has a bone to pick with Iowan drivers and Southern dietary behaviors.

Jack and Ben have a lot of things in common, and one of the more surprising items is that they both undertook solo, cross-country bicycle trips.

Jack introduces a topic of porcelain proportions, fluid flow, and a behavioral backdrop. Ben interjects periodically with additional thoughts.

Jack and Ben have a rousing discussion on the origin of life, irreducible complexity, mirrors, environmental impacts of humans, and more!

Ben and Jack disagree on whether or not a situation was ironic. Help them settle the dispute by commenting!

We explore ways to linguistically dress-up simple things to make them sound more interesting (including ourselves in job interviews), discuss the impact of blindly trusting strangers, the effects of cognitive heuristics like attribute substitution, with a splash of Jack's take on world history.

Ben and Jack get the horse back in front of the cart by doing introductions, brief bios, and explaining the premise of the podcast. The conversation then rapidly goes off the rails on its journey to merriment, as we discuss pronunciation, evaluate America's flawed past and current strengths, and dive into how the way we treat people changes between high school and adulthood.

Jack and Ben wax poetic about the definition of life, autonomy, and how they relate to hives. The conversation covers topics like ants, subconscious programming, and artificial intelligence. We also learn that Jack thinks bees are very dumb.