Mike and Josh are joined by Kurtis Cusimano to talk about strength

sports and the culture around weightlifting, powerlifting and the World’s

Strongest Man.

About Kurtis

Kurtis Cusimano was Junior (u24) England’s Strongest Man in 2017. You can follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurtiscusiman03/

Mike and Josh share their thoughts on the academic jobs

market, and the many barriers stopping early career researchers making it in academia.

Mike and Josh are joined by Claire McGann to talk about the digitisation of historic archives, and the various pros and cons of the digitisation process.

Related podcasts

* Book History* The Digital Archive

What makes a ‘football person’? Is there such a thing as a ‘proper

fan’? Mike and Josh are joined by Luke Graham to discuss issues of identity and

gatekeeping in football.

How and why do we form addictions? How do we resolve them?

Mike and Josh are joined by Kurtis Cusimano to talk about neuroplasticity and

the way addictions are formed.

About Kurtis

Kurtis Cusimano was Junior (u24) England’s Strongest Man in 2017.

He has a special interest in psychology and mental conditioning, which he uses to

improve his sporting performance. You can follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurtiscusiman03/

Useful links

* Seeing

with your brain* Neuroplasticity definition

Claire’s deskMike’s deskJosh’s desk

Is our writing space important? What do our writing desks say about us? Mike and Josh are joined by Claire McGann to discuss all things writing-related, with a chat about writing desks and the way we write.

Related podcasts

* Book History* The Podcasts Episode* The Digital Archive

What is destitution, and how can we define destitution in

law? Mike and Josh are joined by Luke Graham (Law) to discuss this fascinating

new area of research.

About Luke

Luke Graham is a PhD student and Associate Lecturer at

Lancaster University. His interests lie in the field of international human

rights law and especially economic and social rights. His working thesis title

is ‘Destitution as a Denial of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Addressing

Destitution in the UK through a Human Rights Framework’.

How do armed forces seek to rationalise the chaos of war? Is it even possible? Mike and Josh discuss the use of technology during the Vietnam War and the infamous Operation Igloo White. They go on explore the implications of technology-led warfare, and ask whether there can ever be such a thing as too much information for commanders to digest.

Useful links

* Curtis LeMay* Robert S. McNamara* Millennium

Challenge 2002* Operation Igloo

White

What data should we store for posterity? How do we decide what to keep and what to throw away? In this episode, Mike and Josh discuss the digital archive, and the issues with long term data storage and the internet.

Useful links

* Internet

Archive Wayback Machine

Mike and Josh discuss the ever-increasing use of micro-transactions in gaming, and their impact on gaming communities and the wider economy. They also discuss the thorny issue of loot boxes, and the way games publishers are introducing gambling through the back door.

Useful links

* Forbes: The Ongoing Controversy Of Microtransactions In Gaming* Den of Geek: EA’s Stock Plummets Following Star Wars Battlefront 2 Microtransaction Controversy* Gamespot: Star Wars Battlefront 2’s Loot Box Controversy Explained* New Scientist: People with gambling problems seem to spend more on in-game loot boxes