I'm No Expert

Not a glorification. More like an acknowledgement that more of us are doing more drinking, both of us have some funny drinking-related stories to share, and one of the most memorable lines from the film masterpiece that is "Friday" was delivered by a man who sadly has recently departed. You don't have to drink while listening, but it'd be a lot cooler if you did. Maker Minute: Tommy Lister Jr. aka...

Twas the night after COVID / and all through the town / not a human was stirring / because of lockdown. Find joy during a pandemic? You bet your butts we will (try). Pour some eggnog, plug in the lights, set the Netflix fireplace channel to "no music." Maker Minute: Gavin Newsom

Time for a routine check up. Pulse reading. State of the state. Jason and Ben talk politics, ignorance and fear, COVID, and Jason's upcoming trip to a supervolcano a few hundred (or thousand) years overdue for an eruption. 2020 seems the year to take such a trip, no? Maker Minute: Pompeii by Robert Harris

This is you, standing in front of one. The play button is the key. Will you use it and find out what's beyond? Maker Minute: Southord The Story of Jose

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them." - Bruce Lee. Being a small business owner ain't easy. Add a pandemic, a disrupted global supply chain, and a social upheaval and you'd forgive a person if they overlooked a detail here or there. But one that costs over $100K? This one has to be heard to be believed.

Jason and Ben return to the microphones to discuss the state of the state, re-opening after COVID closures, how the world has and will changed, silver linings, and what happens when a NASA engineer tackles a squirrel problem. Maker Minute: Mark Rober

What does Jason have cooking out west in his mad lab? It's pull-back-the-curtain time as he gives us a sneak peek at a few new products he hopes to launch in 2020, like the Beta Magnetic, a Titanium Preon, the MX3 and what's this? A Foursevens ALPHA? Coronavirus be damned. The show goes on.

You didn't think it could get any weirder? Jason and Ben go deep down the rabbit holes of the Coronavirus (spoiler alert: it's intentional), 5G (spoiler alert: it's tied to the Coronavirus), Jeffrey Epstein (spoiler alert: he didn't kill himself) and the Reptilian Elite. (Won't spoil that one). Enjoy the ride.

Tinfoil hat time! Jason and Ben dive into some of their all-time favorite conspiracy theories, from directed energy weapons and weather control to alien technology and military bio weapons tests gone horribly wrong. Isn't the internet amazing? Maker Minute: Bitten (We called an audible on the Maker Minute after recording. You'll understand when you listen to the podcast.)

Or is it? Are the victors always the good guys? Why is Disney pushing a genocide agenda? Jason and Ben take a walk on the dark side as they dissect this famous phrase in the context of the latest Star Wars installment plus other notable conflicts and conquests of both distant and recent past. Hold onto your light savers. Maker minute: George Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic . Notes: How Star War...

Mental health check in time. For you, for us, for all of society. Jason and Ben explore the merits of happy lights, Vitamin D, sun gazing (it's real, look into it) and having a tribe. Also, we love you and we're here for you. Maker Minute: Mr. Sun

Modders gonna mod. Ton of fun in this episode as Jason and Ben dive into some of Jason's philosophy on flashlight modifications, his favorites, his no-gos, radioactive mods, and the boys give a shout out to an old-skool modder lurking in the CPF.  Maker Minute: Saabluster

You can't avoid it, so you might as well embrace it. Jason and Ben talk traditions, tree cutting, Starbucks cup controversy and more. Get yourself into the spirit and don't forget that 15% off Holiday sale Jason's running over at www.darksucks.com . Discount code HOLIDAYME15 gets you savings on a bunch of great gift options. Maker Minute: All of Amazon's seasonal workers.

Alternate title: Dogs vs Cats. Alternate alternate title: Dog People vs Cat People. It's all of that and more. Hear tales of dogs throwing owners under the bus, magic cats who form uncanny psychic links with their owners, a dog that can detect blood sugar levels. Love em, hate em, can't live without em? Doesn't matter: they are hear to stay. Maker Minute: Elle & Coach

We're baaaaack. Kicking off Season 2 with product recommendation on a pair of wiper blades that Jason swears by. Change your life. Maybe save your life. Bonus feature: they'll wipe away all those tears you've been crying since INE went on break. Winter is coming. With it comes rain and snow. Maker Minute: PIAA

Jason rocked the LED flashlight world a year and a half ago when he announced the acquisition of the Foursevens brand. Since then he's released updated versions of the Preon and Mini flashlights, and now he's finally launched the newest version of the Foursevens flagship flashlight: the Quark MKIII. We get into all the details about the new light and the process of iterating a legendary product. S...

Death and taxes, right? Jason and Ben talk strategies to increase life expectancy AND improve the quality of those extra years, the biggest killers you can avoid, and immortal jellyfish. Ready to face the unknown? Maker Minute: Cixin Liu

Jason grew up in Montana where lifetime hunting licenses are issued at birth (jk) and Ben lives in Vermont where half the bars are Hunters Only (also jk). They go full choke at first kills, breaking down hunting types, and why everyone should know their way around a firearm. Maker Minute: Adam Greentree

More than 50% of Americans (including Jason & Ben) either work for or own a small business. So everybody: how's it going for you? The future of our country's economy depends on you listening to this episode. Don't let us down. Maker Minute: (just you wait and see).

Where would we be without it? There'd be no podcast, for starters. No Prometheus Lights? Is there any great achievement in life that wasn't powered by coffee? No surprise here: Jason took a scientific approach to determine the perfect brew, which he shares in this episode. It's an exploration in grind fineness, time in contact, filter properties, and, of course, personal taste. We also briefly inv...

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world. –  Dalai Lama And yet who among us hasn't suffered a crisis of confidence at some point in their lives? In this episode Jason & Ben explore self esteem & self confidence – how to define them, ways to manufacture the latter, and real-world examples that can inspire you to find yours. Maker Mi...

Jason took a few driving courses so that basically makes him an expert. Both Ben and Jason recount their brushes with death behind the wheel, and Jason issues a sobering PSA to all you listeners who think "I can probably get another season out of these tires." Maker Minute: Corey Hosford

Jason knows too well the negative impact knock offs can have on a small business. Unfortunately the small guy has little recourse when up against a big company or a manufacturer in China. We dive into one of the more famous examples of a knock off – the Emeco Navy Chair, explore some of Jason's experience with Prometheus Lights and Beta knock offs, and offer a few ways (both practical and impracti...

From the good ole days of smoking sections and free meals to the modern day cattle cars with wings – this one's got it all. But we'll have to charge extra for most of it. Tips to minimize travel stress, must-have travel carries, plus a billion dollar flight-related app idea that one lucky listener will surely rush off to develop.

If you are, are going to be, never will be, or might be (you know who you are) a parent, this is the Last Parenting Podcast Episode You'll Ever Need. An optimist and a pessimist distill their combined decade+ experiences as parents into a de facto guidebook for the modern mom & dad. Also, Nature Wins. Also, stop judging other parents.  Also, cut yourself some slack. Maker Minute: [You'll have to l...