The Old School

As the two venerable hosts return, they do so with the man and the legend - Dr. Alex Fingers. During the course of the podcast, the three gentlemen discuss the nature of security in schools, the efficacy of such measures and questions related to personal liberties and freedom in the face of security issues. For the sake of the podcast, Dr. Fingers and Mr. Miller avoid any direct discussions about...

The two estimable hosts, after a detour of a survey that highlighted the best college football helmets, tackle the subject of creative tension. Starting with some of the greatest jazz groups and their work, the hosts debate whether tension among bandmates is essential for each to be at their best. The hosts then attempt to broaden this concept not only to other types of music but any form of colla...

Your two favorite but underrated podcasters take a closer look at phones. Consulting the latest data from the Pew Research and other legitimate surveying companies, the two hosts take a look at some of the data on how people use their phones, at what point people get phones and the prevalence of them in American and foreign societies. 

Your two favorite podcasters take a look at a psychological condition that has been studied for well over a century but without a great deal of clear answers - our sleep. The hosts first tackle the state of our own sleep habits and what scientists believe is the reason for sleep. Afterwards, Mr. Miller discusses the four main behaviors that shape our sleep and my students attempt to tinker with on...

The boys are back and today, in a rather muted but still fascinating episode, the gurus discuss the merits of grumpiness. What does it mean to be grumpy? What it is not? How and why is differs from the attitude of younger generations or at least, their aspirations? Personal anecdotes, philosophy and the importance and role of being are all discussed about how people should approach life, what they...

Your two intrepid hosts enter the choppy waters of politics but not directly. Mr. Miller brings up a topic for discussion where he bemoans the inability of people to discuss politics without generalizations and ad hominem attacks. He brings up his experience first in the classroom, where less than ideal forms of discussion take place and can be tolerated to the adults who should know better, yelli...

Your two hosts tackle the subject of American football. While the podcast has spent considerable - some would say too much - time discussing baseball and soccer, the hosts have only given marginal attention to the sport that defines much of our childhood and since, shared experiences. The two elder statesmen discuss our first experiences with football, how it connects them to their childhood and t...

The highly rated "State series" has returned and this time, with Mr. Stanton Cole - history teacher extraordinaire and Washingtonian. The hosts and guest discuss the state of Washington, its history, Mr. Cole's experience and memories of growing up there as well as some of the more quirky and fun traits of this Pacific northwest state. Personally, Mr. Miller was hoping for harsh words between the...

Your two musically adroit podcasters tackle the notion of live music in the aftermath of Mr. Miller's experience at a concert. The hosts discuss their first concerts, how they experience live music and what they see as the benefit of such experiences. They also discuss some of the downsides and how might live music change in the years to come. Two music lovers, one who has both attended and perfor...

Your two aging podcasters defy their age and speak about all things books - reading them, carting them around and moving them from one residence to another. Evidence to our stage of life, we discuss the empty nest syndrome, homes will smaller capacities and what to do with all those books? Of course, it would not be an Old School podcast without a discussion of the state of books and how we consum...

During this episode, your two sports-loving hosts take a look at the cultural and athletic phenomenon that is the FIFA World Cup. The hosts dive into exactly why Dr. Bourgeois is now interested in soccer, what are the qualities that has hooked him and millions of Americans into the tournament and to what degree is sports, as it is often said, a unifying force in the world and one for good. We disc...

Your two lovable hosts have returned to talk about the state of Ohio and the two hosts' experiences with the state. Additionally, the hosts will get into the success and meaning behind Dr. Bourgeois' recent conference he attended and presented at in Geneva, Switzerland. There are also some allowances for Mr. Miller to go on a rant regarding a car commercial he found particularly infuriating. Both...

Your two wonderful hosts have returned to talk about memory - losing memory as well as preserving it. The hosts start with the worrisome idea of losing memory as two ageing but still charming and handsome individuals. But then, they segue into the notion of memory and forgetting for good reasons and outcomes as well as for bad. It is an interesting conversation that centers on something that most...

Yet another hiatus comes to an end, but this time the Old School re-emerges with the dynamic Dan Albaum. Mr. Albaum speaks on his new book,  The Giving Edge: Why Putting Others First Creates a Lasting Advantage in Leadership, Business, and Life . The marketing entrepreneur and fellow podcaster ( Market Impact Insights ) lays out the skills and traits that separate the best leaders with those who w...

Your two intrepid hosts explore Dr. Bourgeois' recent trip to the Big Apple - his very first trip there in his life. The hosts first tackle perceptions and Mr. Miller, of course, works in a little history to show how the city became what it is today. Then, Dr. Bourgeois explores the best, most exciting and most unexpected elements of the largest city in the United States. Towards the end, and beca...

Your two loveable hosts draw on a topic that is near and dear to their hearts - the wonderful culture of the Germans. Using an episode of the German language podcast Easy German as inspiration, the Old School look at a few characteristics and quirks of the German culture and see to what it extent it applies to them in particular and the American culture in general. And in many cases, given the lon...

Your two favorite podcasters tackle the deep and complicated issue of rootedness. The United States has one of the most dynamic social mobility of any other country in the world - a statistic that is often defined by how far one lives compared to the birthplace of their parents. Additionally, many social commentators often speak to a lack of community, which can be a by-product of how little socia...

Your two masters of the message (whatever message that may be) take a look at volcanoes, with a particular attention to the one whose last eruption will soon be observing its 46th anniversary - Mount St. Helens. Despite Dr. Bourgeois' assertion that he knew little about it despite living mere hours away, the two tackle the events that led to the explosion and the lives lost. In discussing the volc...

Your two jet-setting hosts take a deeper look at plane travel. Dr Bourgeois and Mr. Miller consider the pros and cons of traveling by plane. They recount our favorite and least favorite parts of the experience. For all of the technological wonders that planes represent, the hosts also detail their scariest experiences. This is all preceded by controversies surrounding Southwest Airlines, as the at...

In this episode, your two favorite intrepid podcast hosts tackle the spine-tingling topic of fear. As they attempt to define it, the two learned gentlemen speak first of phobias but then, tackle the messier notion of personal fears - things that cannot be defined by some Greek mish-mash word but rather speaks to an internal insecurity. The hosts finish by discussing how to tackle fear and whether...

Your two forward thinking, future loving hosts celebrate the podcast's 150th episode by looking at changes in language. Inspired by an episode of Words Unraveled with Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris (link below), the hosts take a look at changes in language and whether they are ultimately good, bad or just a part of the dynamic nature of language as seen in the centuries before. They will look at prof...

Your two favorite curmudgeons set their sights on doctors in particular and the health care system in general. While there is much to love and admire about our health system, there are idiosyncrasies that annoy the hosts - from quick primary doctor visits to the tone that some physicians have when speaking to us to a host of other little things that lead to one big episode. What are you biggest pe...

The Old School podcasters celebrate the Olympics as the final events conclude in Milan on 22 February. There is a great deal of talk on what makes it special, what makes it annoying and what the hosts would add or subtract to the list of events. Mr. Miller regales in his story of his visit to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver while Dr. Bourgeois dwells in the wonder of watching track and field...

Your two intrepid podcast hosts tackle the subject of mysteries and conspiracies. Theories are debated regarding John F. Kennedy, fake pigeons and dodgy mattress stores. There is also a look at mysteries such as the cases of Amelia Earhart, D.B. Cooper and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The two hosts also broach the subject of the psychology of believing in conspiracies and the lionization of...

Returning to the field of education, your two favorite podcasters delve into a subject that has been touched on before but never elaborated upon and that is the hiring of teachers. The Old School first addresses how teachers are trained and whether, despite historical precedence, a nationalized and uniformed certification process is favorable to the various, and at times questionable, local and st...