Backyard Philosophy Podcast

Ceremonies, traditions and festivities are in the air these winter months. For many the Christmas tree is a staple during the holiday season but getting the perfect Christmas tree and just getting a tree in general can be annoying, difficult and occasionally expensive. Have no fear though, for Nick will walk both Mike and you through the steps of finding your own Christmas tree and have it ready f...

You know sometimes even God makes mistakes. Sometimes nature has one to many and creates a creature many would argue should not exist. But one creature in particular, puzzled scientist minds, at first not believing in its existence, thinking it was a hoax. To scientist asking each other how did this animal came to be. You may know this creature, popularized in media. I am talking about the weird a...

The ground beneath our feet is disappearing right in front of us! Cement, concrete and sand may soon be a thing of the past. It sounds obscured but it is true. The world of sand and concrete is one few know about but yet plays such a vital role in all of civilization. Trillions of dollars all rely on such a simple thing. But this simple thing has caused islands to be stolen, sand mafias to form an...

Humanity and mother nature have a complex and abrasive relationship and occasionally they try to hurt one another. Sometimes humans win, sometimes they lose. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss time humans have declared war on specific animals and lost.

All creatures in nature want to preserve their life, live long enough to pass on their genetics and ensure their survival .... except humans. Some humans will gladly give their lives to protect and save they ones they love and even complete strangers. But with a trait like this questions arise. How did self sacrifice evolve? Are certain people more willing to sacrifice themselves than others? How...

The big bad wolf… Just in time for this holiday season. A story or stories similar foreboding and telling the danger of the monster that lay in the dark. Only, in this case unlike Red Ridding hood, this terror is true. A wolf, a monster, the devil himself. Either way this creature would kill and terrorized people for years. Leading to hysteria, bounty hunters, and a King himself getting involved....

The world is filled with dangerous things, many of which could bring about your death. From asteroids to car crashes, but sometimes the most dangerous things are right in front of our noses. The thing that may or may not be lethal could be living amongst you and you would have no idea. Join Nick and Mike as they talk about toxoplasmosis a force of nature that hiding in your home and how a cat may...

In North America the man made line that has separated Mexico and America has been constantly in debate and changing. But few know the story of the adventures groups of surveyors from bother America and Mexico had. From crossing impossible deserts, shoot outs and surviving some of the harshest weather. Join Nick and Mike as they tell the tale of of a finishing line that was constantly moving and gr...

Marriage.... it is defined many different ways and has itself changed through history... from the ancient Egyptians to modern era, marriage has shaped and been shaped by culture and society. But what makes humans want to marry? Is it just chemistry in our brain.... is it societal pressure and how does marriage change one mind and body? Well Join Mike and Nick as they discuss customs and history, a...

Killers come in many shapes and sizes with a wide arranges of deaths and monstrous acts. But few are usually the first of their kind. Join Mike and Nick as they talk about America's first sleep walking killer, did he do it on purpose or was it out of his control? Did he do it out of jealousy, revenge? Or was there some one else who was the true killer?

A city on fire, not caused by invaders, war, or a power plant explosion but rather... whiskey. Perhaps the most Irish way possible to start a fire. Join Nick and Mike as Nick tells the tale of how a distillery flooded the streets, caused the towns people to become drunk and set the city of Dublin on fire. And all the chaos that would ensue due to alcohol and flames. 

In last few decades the world has seen an increase in countries become authoritarian in nature. Entire governments being toppled for dictators and authoritarian governments. But why are so many countries becoming authoritarian? How do countries go from being democratic to authoritarian? What is the psychology of both the dictator and the people to allow such things to happen? Join Mike and Nick as...

Crisper... it is everywhere now in multiple industries, but what exactly is it, how does it work, and what does the future entail for humanity? Join Nick and Mike as they discuss how crispr is changing science, the patent battles happening over who own crispr and the extreme experiments being conducted with experiment.

The world of myth and science has always butted heads with each other. One claiming the will of the gods the other claiming the sanity of reason. But what happens when a scientist creates a myth. A demon so pronouns that it would plague scientists for more than a hundred years. You get Maxwell's demon, a demon that can bend the laws of physics and thermodynamics to its whim. A demon that hundreds...

The earth has changed many times over its life time. From being nothing but atoms and gas, to being a lava engulfed apocalyptic planet, all the way to the earth we know today. But many things has changed over the planets life time and it didn't all come at once. Join Mike and Nick as they talk about ice ages, tectonic plates and how the earth was formed through catastrophe.

Chaos, randomness, the unknown. A thing many hate and dread. To have no control, no way of knowing, to be helpless. But what if the very thing many fear, the chaos that engulfs our lives is one of the things that protect us in the modern world. What if I were to tell you, your safety and mine is dependent and reliant on randomness. What if I were to tell you your safety depends on lava lamps.

Chaos, mayhem and war, plague Syria right now in a more than decade long civil war. But this is a civil war unlike any others. There are many sides, fractions and international players in this civil war. From the Syrian government, to the Kurdish people, to Russia, Turkey, America and Iran. To many more countries in between. Join Nick And Mike as they try to explain the complex situation that is h...

The valley of kings, land with hidden tombs, graves, and treasures. Filled with history, stories, and untold wealth. Only… This is probably not the valley of kings you are thinking of. No, this valley of kings is not land covered by a desert in Egypt. No this is land covered by snow, this is the valley of kings found not in Egypt but in Siberia. Join Nick and Mike as they talk about an ancient los...

Out of the pan straight into the fire! It seems as of late that the world is coming to the end and apocalypses is upon us. Which begs the question how did the first dark ages start? And more importantly how did they get out of the dark ages? Join Mike and Nick as they discuss overlap between the dark ages and modern times, how Europe fell into darkness and how they made it out of one of the worst...

Once in a blue moon a perfect storm brews. Sometimes literally with flood, hurricanes, and tornados… and sometimes figuratively with a series of misfortunes all building upon each other. But occasionally… you get a mixture of figuratively and literally. A perfect storm that caused millions to abandon their homes in mass exodus in search of greener pastures. You get The Great Migration during the G...

Since the beginning of humanity, humans have been sitting around the fire enjoying a meal together. From there the culture, traditions and customs have change, from region to region and from time period to time period. Put something have stayed the same, others have morphed and some are making a come back. Join Nick and Mike as they talk about the importance of eating as family not only in history...

America has had firearms every since the country was formed, but as the country formed so did laws. But what were the early American gun laws? Do they still exist? Should we bring them back? Join Nick and Mike as the discuss early gun laws in America's history.

From making pyramids to launching ashes into space, humans do a lot of weird and odd things to their dead love ones. In this episode Nick and Mike talk about burial rituals of the dead. From corpses being sacrificed to vultures to QR codes being made to visit dead love ones and everything in between. Join us this episode as we dive into the fascinating and strange world of death rituals still in p...

Over recent years the spotted owl in North America has been making some major headlines; The Owls Are Disappearing, Forest Fires Reek Havoc On Owls, Is Logging Destroying Owl Habitat. But much like most headlines and news articles, they are only telling the half truth or are opinionated. So what is truly happening to the spotted owl? Well, join Nick and Mike as they talk through and explain what i...

Border changes... What are the different ways countries change their borders? Through war, debates, money, a game of poker or letting mother nature take the lead. There are many different ways that the borders of the world change and many problems that arise with it. Join Nick and Mike as they discuss the issues of open vs close borders, how borders change and are changing and how mother nature is...