The Strange Machine

On this episode, Nathan begins by going off to scenic Paris, Ontario to hunt for a monster, and (in a Twilight Zone-esque twist) he and Lee learn that the real monster is... human beings.

On this episode, Lee and Nathan attempt to leave behind this world (with all its hassles and irritations) and find a lost island civilization instead. However, things take a dark turn, as they learn a lesson about the dangers of myth making...

On this episode, Lee and Nathan examine the relationship that exists between conspiracy communities and scammers who try to take financial advantage of them. Coincidentally, while they are recording the episode someone is trying to scam Nathan over the phone. Also, Nathan talks about shrimp.

What does a witch hunt look like in America of the 1950s? Lee does a deep dive into the paranoid world of Senator Joseph McCarthy. But is McCarthy a true believer in his cause, or a cynical conman? As usual, the more pessimistic answer is likely the more accurate one...

Is it possible that our entire existence is nothing more than someone else's sandbox-style video game? On this episode, Lee and Nathan get into quantum physics, epistemology, metaphysics, ontology and ethics to try to get to the bottom of that question. Also, Nathan reminisces about playing Ultima IV on a Commodore 64 in the 1980s.

Are we really living in the real world, or just in some kind of elaborate trick or simulation? Turns out humans have been wondering that for a few thousand years, and on this episode Lee and Nathan explore three philosophical schools that take this question seriously.

On this episode, Lee, Nathan and special guest pod person Dr. Shelly Lesher dive deep into the nature of existence to look into the possibility that the Pentagon has been working on a gamma ray weapon that would fit in the palm of your hand, but destroy a city block. In order to help make the science make sense, they start with a 10 minute primer on what the atom is, what isotopes are, and what isomers are. Then, it's all military industrial complex mayhem for the rest of the episode...

On this episode, Lee and Nathan examine a mysterious and threatening area of the world in their own backyards. Is there something sinister going on in the Great Lakes that's claiming ships, planes, and lives?

At the end of the 17th century, the town of Salem accused dozens of people of being part of a massive witch conspiracy, and many of those accused end up being put to death. How could something like this have happened, and could it happen again?

If television and movies have taught us anything, it's that good guys won't break under torture, and bad guys confess the truth under torture. As it turns out, television and movies may have steered us wrong on both counts. Continuing their examination of the Witch Hunt disaster, Lee and Nathan discuss how in order to protect an absurd belief, you need to add more absurdity. And if you add enough absurdity, you can arrive at an atrocity...