In this episode:

Explanation of what "the grid" is

A movie that highlighted this

Vulnerabilities of the grid

A few tips on how to survive if the grid goes down

In this episode:

Brief history of Social Security in the US

Trends over the last 40 years due to demographic changes

Fears of what will happen in the 2030s

My "hot take"

In this episode:

Analysis of the statement: "War is good for the economy"

History of American wars

Attempt to determine their effects on the economy

Analysis of who war really could benefit

In this episode:

Definition of a trade deficit

How it differs from national debt

History of the US balance of trade and country-by-country breakdown

Speculation on whether or not a constant trade deficit matters

In this episode:

Definition of socialism and how it differs from communism

History of socialism and where it is practiced today

Elements of the US that are socialist

Brief speculation on the future

In this episode:

Definition of inflation

History of inflation around the world and in the US

Current US inflation rates compared to historical standards

The question of whether or not it matters

In this episode:

Current energy consumption by energy source

A history of energy sources used in the US

Renewables and non-renewables

Speculation on the future

In this episode...

Overview of US "allies" and "enemies"

History of how US alliances have changed

Global power dynamics

A cool map that shows how "friendly" other countries are

In this episode, I talk about the $36 trillion US national debt and try to make sense of it.

In this episode, I give a brief overview of global semiconductor manufacturing and talk about how relations between China and Taiwan (and the US) relate to it.