dunc tank

John Horgan is a professor of psychology and global studies at Georgia State University, and is an expert in terrorism.  We talked about why it's often idealism that inspires terrorists, the similarities between ISIS and white nationalist groups, and why we overreacted to 9/11.

In the first-ever recurring guest on the podcast, James Fallon, neuroscientist extraordinaire and diagnosed psychopath, joins us to talk about politics, depression, and why he might just plant a chip in his brain.

Norman Finkelstein is an American political scientist and author, whose work focuses primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He was denied tenure at DePaul and banned from Israel for a decade, but continues to publish and speak out.  Send feedback to: [email protected]

Gerard Milburn is a professor of quantum physics at the University of Queensland in Australia.  We talked about the future of quantum computing, how it will affect research into artificial intelligence, and why they will be able to solve problems that no computer has been able to solve before. 

John McAfee is the inventor of McAfee antivirus software, a major proponent of crypto currency, and a Libertarian candidate for President.  He is running from abroad, as he is currently on the run from the United States government.  We talked about his wild life, including his time in Belize, as well as why he is recruiting an army of McAfee clones to help his candidacy.

Ed Viesturs is the only American mountaineer to climb all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks, and he is the fifth person in world history to do so without supplemental oxygen.  We talked about what inspired him to climb, how he evaluates risk, and what comes after achieving your goals.

Norman Ohler is a German novelist and historian, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, “Blitzed”, about drug use in Nazi Germany. We talked about how he uncovered it, why previous historians failed to see the signs, and why giving your kids speed chocolate was as acceptable as a cup of coffee.

Pete Penseyres is a cyclist who in 1986 set the world record for the fastest time across America on a bike.  We talked about what level of preparation it took to win the race, how he was able to train in between his full-time job, and why a taunt from a professional Tour de France cyclist pushed him into the race.

Jed Perl is an art critic for The New York Review of Books and The New Republic.  He's the author of the biography, "Alexander Calder: The Conquest of Time", and we talked about the artist's work and his impact on sculpture.

Bethany McLean is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has written books about Enron, the 2008 financial crisis, and the fracking industry.  We talked about her role in the collapse of Enron, why fraud continues to fool the best minds on Wall Street, and whether businesses like the fracking industry (and even Tesla!) might be due to bust.