Chris Walsh is a jack-of-all-trades performer with a deep love for music. He joins the podcast this week to talk about his experience with music and discusses with Blacksmith why people are often emotional moved by music. We also see if you can tell a psychopath by their taste in music. 

Sources

https://abbeyroadinstitute.nl/blog/emotion-in-music-giving-you-the-chills/?fbclid=IwAR08gmO3a-dU2C5WIQ26QCdFfnnEcGyHjIsaljWIQonLkQwzfyAEkfroljY

https://www.prismbitch.com

https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/psychopathy?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2

Check out live performances at The Launchpad.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Launchpadabq

Firefighter and movie monster lover, Alejandro Naranjo, joins the podcast to talk about fear, classic movie monsters, and why we are so fascinated with monsters and cryptids such as Bigfoot. 

Sources:

https://hobbylark.com/fandoms/Why-Are-We-Fascinated-with-Monsters

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/duncanmadden/2018/11/16/fantastic-cryptids-and-where-to-find-them/?sh=2ea6dfc81d99

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160830113745.htm

Gabriel Hesch, engineer and science podcast extraordinaire, joins Blacksmith for a fascinating discussion on whether or not we are living in a simulation. They talk about The Matrix, the phenomena of deja vu, and scientific (and some very unscientific) reasons people believe we're living in a simulation. 

Blacksmith's Sources:

https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/15-irrefutable-reasons-we-might-be-living-in-a-simulation.html?fbclid=IwAR1xTShFjVSC2gDMKvX6m-IMRtnENiMt0KQQNV0EdE4lhLHKyGhAD05aNCA

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-science-explain-deja-vu/?fbclid=IwAR1zG6-MmsDi4O1EIy5HOEuOOkSyErUBxpzyEwnWluw1mRk33blWRvOvjuk

Where to find Gabriel Hesch:

https://www.youtube.com/turingrabbitholespodcast

https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/episodes/47-Blast-to-the-Past-Retrocausality-eb5js9/a-aiert9?fbclid=IwAR0SQrgToOD6_iSkAYEDR94ha26F5ygNkuBxtVA11iOANmZbjKIMHhILWl4

https://anchor.fm/nerdforensics/episodes/Zelda-vs--Final-Fantasy-Part-1-emu554?fbclid=IwAR1YptDAWQJfrdsqFrwwEEnDH6KrO61RXMsuj7tfP3nGwRsHpcNwmqsqlUo

Zachailustria joins the podcast to educate Blacksmith on the finer points of drag. They discuss a very brief history of mainstream drag and mainstream representations in film and television. (TW: this episode contains a brief discussion of sexual assault. Please listen at your own discretion.)

Sources:

https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-drag

Owen Reid Callis drops by the podcast to talk to us about the American fascination with vigilantes. We talk about it's horrible roots in this country then touch on the evolution of the sole, vigilante hero from the Wild West to Superheroes. We also discuss modern militias, police, and white supremacy and the ways in which they intersect with each other and vigilante mentality. 

Sources:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/wild-west-how-lawless-was-american-frontier/

https://theconversation.com/vigilantism-again-in-the-news-is-an-american-tradition-141849

https://screenrant.com/marvel-dc-killer-movie-superheroes/

Manipulation is the topic of this episode as we discuss some of the various types of manipulation and how to prevent yourself from being manipulated by people. (TW: This episode includes discussion of emotional, physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Please listen at your own discretion.)

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201510/14-signs-psychological-and-emotional-manipulation

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/10-popular-techniques-used-by-manipulators-and-how-to-fight-them.html

Kainon Orion Bachtel joins us for todays episode that is all about role playing games. Why do people want to dive headfirst into fantasy realms and take command of an eclectic range of characters? Blacksmith and Kainon give a very basic introduction on how to play Dungeons and Dragons and talk about the psychology behind players' choices when building a character. 

https://www.wizardslaboratory.com/dd-basics-ability-scores-an-what-they-mean/?fbclid=IwAR154du4GMYVnh8Qqbn5lAITMkSrr6Zhj_l062MFMjTKziDM0CjfzrJDVTo

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/builder#/

https://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789?fbclid=IwAR0apqFlzjoi20XFeKM16R39JVxHdF2YOdYmZMTc6RZL1w4OSnutlLeZSX0

The last time Lexi Lou came on the podcast we talked about anxiety. Now, we have a loose chat about how our anxieties have evolved in times of COVID. We also talk about COVID/anxiety dreams, protesting, and fun stuff people have created in quarantine. 

Sources:

https://www.insider.com/funny-things-people-do-stuck-inside-coronavirus-2020-4?fbclid=IwAR2-s0rv-EGdPvJIUCmFBJdjpwOyknaEqeSXuy9LvI-RSA0WTBydeF46dLA

https://nypost.com/2020/10/03/bizarre-covid-19-erotica-novel-goes-viral/?fbclid=IwAR2LCLrU0BcQA7DmhPkwQOBGH3iZ89evsqinxl7gOKT9BLaVFOqHXhJGIr0

https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-covid-19-dreams/?fbclid=IwAR1YbijY39MysNaC-95PUNROqHaqNzMisL3QWv9Tkd-4noy8DpNDVITvRcg