Fascinating Nouns

Mike Headley is the Executive Director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, and current head of the Sanford Lab in Lead, SD. It is my assertion that the story of the creation of the Homestake Mine through its transition into the Sanford Laboratory is an encapsulation of America's progress from Post Civil War to the Space Age. It has everything: The Wild West, a gold rush, evil ind...

*BONUS* episode: Kathleen sticks around and talks to me about her two favorite examples: A barnacle that takes over the mind and body of a crab, and Orb Spiders that are commanded to spin very particular webs for their new hosts.

Have you ever felt like your thoughts were not your own, that there was some unseen force guiding your actions from deep inside your brain? One possibility is that you are absolutely crazy and should seek professional help immediately. Another is that you may be under the influence of a mind controlling parasite! I chat with Kathleen McAuliffe, author the the book 'This is your Brain on Parasites'...

There are endless tales of mediocre artists who get noticed because they live in either LA or New York, but it takes an extraordinarily special one to become world renowned from a small town in rural South Dakota. That is exactly what Dick Termes, creator of the Termespheres, has done. His secret? Advancing beyond the two-dimensional world of traditional canvas art, Dick developed a way to paint t...

Just in time for the New Year, I sit down with Dr. Samuel West, the curator of The Museum of Failure. In my mind, there is no better way to prepare for your future success than by analyzing the mistakes of your past, or better yet, the pasts of others. Sammy Dubs and I discuss what makes something a failure, and several other amazing things, including a threatened lawsuit over Colgate Frozen Dinne...

There are few subjects more perfect for Christmastime than the candy cane. Especially in recent years, but dating back centuries, peppermint has become the official flavor of the holiday season, in the same way pumpkin rules Thanksgiving. Unbeknownst to me, hand-rolled candy canes have become a lost art, but Jerry Rowley of Logan's Candies is determined to bring quality back to the cane. Just in t...

There are very few times in life where you get to be the first ever to do something, but that is exactly what happened to Astronomer Dr. Maria Drout. She was one the team that both "heard" and "saw" a Neutron Star Collision/Merger for the first time! Obviously this was exciting for her, but it is also an important milestone for science as a whole. Why? Well you will have to listen to find out. We...

My 100th episode: The 100 year anniversary of the 100 inch Hooker telescope. How perfect is that? Dr. Cynthia Hunt was my guide down the truly historic path. Why is it such a big deal? This piece of machinery was paradigm shifting in the way it collected light, and how it was constructed. At the time it was built, it was the largest such structure constructed. The glass that ultimately became it's...

BONUS EPISODE! Jeff walks me through his theory that H. H. Holmes was in fact the notorious Jack The Ripper.

In Part 2 of my H. H. Holmes discussion, I talk to one of his living relatives, Great Great Grandson Jeffery Mudgett. At the forefront of Holmes history, Jeff has both literally and figuratively uncovered some long-hidden evidence, culminating in the exhumation of the body buried in Holmes' Grave. For years, Jeff has postulated a very compelling theory: He believes the notorious Jack the Ripper wa...

Harold Schechter is an American true crime writer who specializes in serial killers. He attended the State University of New York in Buffalo where his PhD director was Leslie Fiedler. He is professor of American literature and popular culture at Queens College of the City University of New York. He chose the perfect title for his book on H. H. Holmes - Depraved. Born Herman Webster Mudgett, H. H....

This is a preview of my new podcast Fascinating Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gear Based Technologies! In our first episode, just in time for Halloween, Physicist Dr. Michael Dennin, Rocket Scientist Ben Siepser, Microbiologist Dr. Brittany Needham, and The Analytical Mastermind Daniel J. Glenn discuss how to create your very own reanimated corpse. Okay, so reanimating dead tissue is out of our grasp right...

Finally Michael Carbonaro has come to Fascinating Nouns! I love his show The Carbonaro Effect, but I have been following his career since he was the Magic Clerk on The Tonight's show! After a four and a half year pursuit I sit down with Carbo, and we get WAY into the weeds. We talk about his first love, a lap dancing Pennywise the Clown, his reality-bending duties as a Time Lord, a profound moment...

I am from Chicago, the "Windy City". It turns out that nickname was earned because native Chicagoians were inherently chatty, or "full of wind", and not because it is windy weather wise. To make matters more confusing, the city does in fact have incredible gusts, especially in the winter. Why am I bringing this up? Well, it turns out that wind is a powerful resource, and it is being harvested in t...

BONUS EPISODE! We discuss some of my favorite movies including how The Ghostbusters is a film about the battle between zodiac signs, and how RS4 has NEVER listened to The Wizard of Oz w/Pink Floyd. I am not sure how that is even possible.

I have always been a fan of Easter eggs, hidden clues, and occult mysteries. Enter Robert Sullivan IV, AKA RS4. His books on Cinema Symbolism are amazing. He outlines common mystic narrative threads (Gnosticism, Alchemical, Hero's Journey), as well as hidden meanings behind popular movies/tv shows. Listen as we discuss his fascination with the Tarot, how casting can be used for occult purposes, an...

John Lybrand is the latest in a long line of Rubel Castle Blacksmiths. He sat down with me to talk about about blacksmithing merit badges, a secret blacksmith society, and how to make a dagger out of old railroad spikes.

In this modern age, there are a few places filled with wonder and magic. There are even fewer castles. In Glendora, California there is a place with both. Michael started his construction career at nine years old when he would build three story forts out of stuff he found from the local junkyard. All of this practice culminated into the creation of his masterpiece: Rubel Castle. With a lot of help...

In a city like Los Angeles, it is hard to stand out, although everyone is desperately trying to. The easyish way to do that is to be the first to do something culturally relevant; first viral star, first one to discover blogging, or the first person to walk across the continent. Charles Lummis was all of those things, and possibly one other: The first celebrity in LA! Lummis was a real character....

BONUS EPISODE! Sara dares to discuss the very scary Femme Fatale of the firefly world: Photuris, AKA The Vampire Firefly.

For me, the nostalgic draw of fireflies (which I call lightening bugs) is overwhelming. I remember waiting until dusk to see these amazing creatures take flight, tangible and twinkling, as if the night sky had come down to earth. Their bioluminescence has always captivated me. Luckily Dr. Sara Lewis, the world's foremost firefly expert, is here to explain these very curious creatures. As larva, th...

BONUS EPISODE! Carla sticks around to talk about some specific pieces in her collection, including grave wax, items extracted from a human butt, and a teratoma the size of a human head!

Carla Valentine is trailblazer in the Death Industry. She is an author (Past Mortems), blogger, creator of the only Death Industry networking/dating website Dead Meet, former pathologist, and current Technical Curator of the most famous Pathology Museum in the world: St. Batholomew's! There she is in charge of preserving and categorizing 5,000 specimens of human remains, some of which are over 200...

BONUS EPISODE! Stanton sticks around to discuss a second concurrent crash, one that backs up his theory, and describes a scene involving possible extraterrestrial bodies.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of what is commonly referred to as "The Roswell Crash", I was incredibly honored to sit down with none other than Stanton Friedman, the godfather of Ufology. He was the first civilian to seriously investigate the crash. In this interview, we discuss his tenacious research skills, his falling bass ackwards into an interview that changed his life, and a his new...