that's interesting

Sarah Cook is an independent researcher and writer who has spent over 20 years working on China, human rights, foreign influence, and media freedom. We cover the full spectrum of Beijing's foreign influence operations: research findings suggesting some Chinese AI models that are exploding in popularity generate less secure code when prompted in certain ways, as well as the traditional, overt state...

Originally recorded in 2020 and re-released for the 25th anniversary of September 11th. A ground-level, hour-and-a-half account from my good friend Rowan, who lived four blocks from the World Trade Center in 2001. He talks through the ordinary morning that preceded it, watching the towers from his office roof, the days of no internet and no cell service that followed, and the years he's spent sinc...

Humans are amazing at adapting, it may be our most defining trait, and something that's going to be all the more important starting now. The environment around us that has been fixed and stable, is now shifting drastically. Wildfires are becoming more common, as is flooding and drought. Things that in the summer of 2026, have become all the more apparent, and are only just the start. When comparin...

Can the work outlive the man enough to forgive him? Frank Lloyd Wright designed the homes that quietly shaped how millions of Americans live — and he was, by nearly every account, a genuinely difficult person to love. David ( Black Sheep Makery , Big Dudu , Dudetunes ) joins me to trace Wright's life from a childhood box of wooden blocks to Fallingwater, the Guggenheim, and a tragedy at his own ho...

Andrew Michler is a Santa Fe-based architect and author of Hyperlocalization of Architecture , and one of the leading practitioners of passive house design in the United States, including the first certified passive house in Colorado, which he built himself. Also checkout a great YouTube video ( and excellent channel ) walking through Andrew's Colorado Passive home. Passive house isn't a style. It...

We can't prove you're conscious either — and that's kind of the point. Istanbul-based researcher Mesut Bilgili joins to reframe the AI consciousness debate around what we can actually measure. Plus: what your dog, a forest, and ChatGPT have in common, and why curiosity might be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. Check out Mesut's paper on Functional Awareness , and follow along for more...

In part two of this episode, In this episode, Thom Van De Meer shares his journey from academic background to applying StrongFirst principles in training athletes, including the women’s rowing team he trained to prepare for the 2020 Olympics— Project2020. We explore the principles of strength training, the science of energy systems, and how targeted, sustainable training can enhance performance an...

In this episode, In this episode, Thom Van De Meer shares his journey from academic background to applying StrongFirst principles in training athletes, including the women’s rowing team he trained to prepare for the 2020 Olympics— Project2020. We explore the principles of strength training, the science of energy systems, and how targeted, sustainable training can enhance performance and health. Ch...

Where you live doesn't just shape your commute — it shapes your culture, your politics, and your relationship with everything alive around you. Paul Robbins, Dean of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison , joins to unpack how the places we inhabit are never just backdrop. They're active participants in the story of civilization. We get into cultural geography and why culture...

The dip in global population is something that's been gaining attention as of late, but mostly in the abstract. Something concrete in that dip is about to come due this fall, a staggering drop in the number of available 18+ year olds for the traditional college path. The first bellwether in what my guest for this episode labeled in a piece that, America is about to go over the ‘demographic cliff’...

An update on what's happening with expert in the region from UCLA James Gelvin . He's joining us 5 years on from his last episode to give an update on what's occurred, and what's to come. We delve into the complexities of global conflicts, particularly focusing on the Israel-Palestine situation, by exploring the historical context of U.S.-Israel relations, the implications of arms sales, and the h...

With only raw materials, could you recreate a toaster? Now could you do it considering the source of your materials, the effect extracting them has on the world, along with the use and inevitable destruction of it. This episode's guest did just that. Starting with the extraction of the materials, including learning 15th century techniques for smelting, created a toaster. Reflecting upon that proje...

Here we unpack the legacies of Julius Caesar and Augustus, exploring the complexities of the two, the nature of historical narratives, and the challenges of leadership in ancient Rome. My guest, Adrian Goldsworthy, emphasizes the importance of context in understanding these historical figures and reflects on the lessons that can be drawn from their lives and governance. We also chat about the inev...

When you think of sharks, do you think Jaws? Or a creature with enough understanding to seek help from a person? Would you be surprised to know, that someone has been working with sharks for years to the point, that they allow her to take out hooks lodged in their skin? Given our misconceptions of the creatures, I'd imagine you would be. Cristina Zenato is that person, who's a master diver and exp...

A reality of our contemporary time, is the American President is increasingly acting as an Emperor. This interview explores the evolution of the imperial presidency, the implications of increased executive power, and a look behind the scenes of the West Wing in how it plays out in the day to day. We also get tangible examples of what can be done to improve the structural gaps existing in the const...

Giddy up for a fun episode that touches all the right topics to get your noddle going. How can we manage a fast-paced world that seems to increasingly change from what we’ve become used to? What changes when someone has immense wealth, or when someone is homeless? Both living completely different lives outside of the norm of anyone listening to this. We explore the ethical dilemmas in our current...

This is my interview with author and historian Dr. James Gelvin , professor of Middle Eastern history at UCLA. [ This episode was originally released in December 2020. Professor Gelvin will be coming back for an episode next season to give an update on what's occurred in the past four years. ] The episode is centered around the Israel and Palestine conundrum, but touches upon the rich and ancient...

Is math an invention or a discovery? Given how time works at the scale of a galaxy, can a civilization across the stars exist? In this episode's conversation, I chat with Alex Cruikshank to come up with some interesting answers to those two questions. Along with the surprising role creativity plays in math's inventive nature, and how we may be able to have a civilization that spans light years, bu...

A new, ancient, creature was discovered! And even stranger than it having existed for so long without us knowing, is that it actually has another creature inside of it. Nitroplasts, what this episode's cover art shows, are tiny little bacteria that within them have another creature that provides all the nitrogen it needs to thrive way out in the ocean. In this episode, Tyler Coale , one of the res...

Did you know there’s a mammal that can dive a mile down the ocean to hunt giant and colossal squid? And that same mammal was hunted until the 1970’s to extract the oil in their head for car transmissions? Well that creature is none other than the poorly named Sperm Whale, and the fascination with them goes much more than just that Hal Whitehead , a researcher of sperm whales, discusses their habit...

With the influx of AI running rapid across the internet, what is this going to do to it as a tool or cultural space? In this essay, I explore the concept of the 'Dead Internet Theory,' which posits that a significant portion of online content is generated by bots rather than humans. Is this valid? If so what are the implications on online interactions, trust in content, and the rise of AI-generate...

An exploration into the unnoticed complexities of life, the impact of technology on our perceptions, and the paradox of reductionism in understanding the world. Observation and creation are two sides of the same coin, and what we need is a balance between the two to foster deeper understanding and wisdom. Chapters 00:00 The Unnoticed Depths of Life 02:56 The Impact of Technology on Perception 06:0...

In this one we dive into the complexities surrounding the concept of cartels, particularly in the context of the drug trade. Do drug cartels in Latin America exist? In this interview we discuss how misconceptions about cartels have been shaped by narratives in media and government, leading to a distorted understanding of their economic realities and the implications of militarization in regions af...

Deep dive discussing Marshall McLuhan's idea of, "The medium is the message" with Dr. Aiden Hirshfield, Media Psychologist, Researcher, Tech Consultant and host of Media Psyched . 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙏𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙧 Timestamps (0:00) - 🎬 (5:00) - 💡 Technology: The Essential Yet Unseen Force in Our Lives 🌊 (10:00) - 🔥 Fire: The Genesis of Modern Technology 🔬 (18:40) - 📝 Writing: A Technology That S...

🍔 In this episode, we dive into the importance of understanding the source of things. 📊🔎🧠🌱 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 & 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙏𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙧 Just like how whole, unprocessed foods are better for our health, understanding the chain that sprout an idea, or data directly from the source can lead to better decision-making. With the rise of processed foods and data, it's easy to get caught up in the con...