If you know the name Dan Meyer, it is because he is the world’s foremost expert on sword swallowing.  He has had several appearances on America’s Got Talent, he has a famous Ted Talk, and he even has an IG Nobel Prize for his work documenting injuries sustained while swallowing swords.  What people don’t know […]

How far back do your memories go?  Do you remember your kiss with little Susie in second grade?  Can you remember your Kindergarten teacher’s name?  What do you remember about the day you were born?  My guess is, even if you CAN remember any of these things, the details are pretty fuzzy.  Not so for […]

Italian mobsters were not the only ones who wanted to control an entire musical genre.  Rap Mogul Suge Knight followed the formula of the Mafia by controlling the lives of up-and-coming rappers, and beating/killing the competition.  Just ask Vanilla Ice.

Today, it is a given that Rock ‘N Roll is still one of the most popular and lucrative music genres in the world, but this was not always the case.  In the 1950’s, it was an upstart musical movement that was nothing like the contemporary songs of the day.  It needed a push, and that […]

There is nothing more ubiquitous in human existence than waste.  To live is to produce refuse.  And there are so many kinds of waste:  Human, household, digital to name a few.  But what is waste really?  Turns out, the definition is pretty fluid.  In this episode I talk to John Scanlan, author of “The Idea […]

Initially I wanted this episode to come out during spring training this year, but now that the Cubs have clinched a playoff spot, this is a much better time to discuss Al Yellon’s new book “Chicago Cubs Firsts”.  We discuss the great players like Ernie Banks and Ryne Sandberg, as well as broadcasters Harry Caray […]

Henry and I talked for an hour about how the downfall of the human race was not only inevitable, but imminent.  Or is it?  In this bonus episode, Henry breaks down his plans for saving the human race.

Way back in the bonus episode to ep. 201, Henry Gee and I discuss his article on how the human race is in decline.  A better term would be free fall.  Well, he expanded that article into an entire book, and we finally get to discuss it!  It turns out, as soon as Homo sapiens […]

In a quiet theater, you sit and stare at a scene unfolding before your eyes, the participants unaware of your presence.  This excites you, and you just can’t seem to pull your eyes away.  That is because you, like everyone else who watches movies, is a voyeur, someone who loves to watch when others can’t […]

No matter what movie you are watching, there is a high likelihood that some form of mental illness will be presented there.  Whether it is a masked psychopath in the latest horror movie, or an OCD partner in the new buddy cop film, humans seem to be unable to look away from crazy.  But how […]