Friday, December 23, 2011

What are your favorite podcasts?

What are your votes for the best podcast of the year?

Brain Food Dude #45

Brain Food Dude #45 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Leonardo Fibonacci

What did Leonardo Fibonacci have in common with Steve Jobs? More than you probably think. Listen to this episode of Big Ideas to learn more.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/16/11.

Jargon

Do you sometimes feel like you don't know what the crap people are talking about, but you're too embarrassed to ask? You're not alone. Listen to this episode of HBR Ideacast with Dan Pallotta.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/15/11.

Measuring Big Distances

I know a light year is a very long way, but really, how can I comprehend such a large distance? It's a distance I can never really feel, grasp, or truly understand. This week on Engines of Our Ingenuity they discuss the way we measure such distances, and how we could possibly do better.

Listen here.

Differing opinions

This week on This American Life, and entire show about "nemeses."

Listen now or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/18/11.

More differing opinions

This is one of my favorite TED Talks of all time, by Jonathan Haidt.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What are your favorite podcasts?

The competition is on, and we've been tallying up all your favorite podcasts. If you haven't responded yet, leave a comment below. What are your favorite podcasts?

Brain Food Dude #44

Brain Food Dude #44 is now available. Listen now, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Billy Possum

How did the Teddy Bear get so popular, and whatever happened to Billy Possum? Learn all about it on this episode of 99% Invisible.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/23/11.

The Moth

For the first time ever, The Moth has aired a full length grand-slam show on their podcast.

It's in two parts, listen to part one here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/27/11.

A Different Way of Keeping Track of Life

Radiolab rules, this week's episode is a must listen.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/12/11.

The Decline of the West

This week On Point interviewed Neil Ferguson, author of Civilization: The West & The Rest.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/5/11.

The Common Cold

Learn what works, and what doesn't, in combating the common cold, this week on Skeptically Speaking.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/4/11.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What are your favorite podcasts?

Time to vote on your favorite podcasts (besides Brain Food Dude). Leave them in the comment box, and help us decide the best podcasts of 2011.

Brain Food Dude #43

Brain Food Dude #43 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

A History of the Holiday Season

In 2009 Backstory did a great history of the holiday season.

Listen here.

John Feinstein

On Fresh Air this week, an interview with sports columnest John Feinstein.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/1/11.

The Economics of Tablets

Why does Amazon sell their Kindle for so cheap? The answer may surprise you. Planet Money discusses.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/2/11.

Violence

According to Steven Pinker, we are living in the most peaceful time in world history. Listen to this interview with Pinker on To the Best of Our Knowledge.

Listen here.

Olive Oil

There's a lot about olive oil that you don't know. Learn more in an interview with Tom Muller, On Point.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/2/11.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What are your favorite podcasts?

Time to vote on your favorite podcasts (besides Brain Food Dude). Leave them in the comment box, and help us decide the best podcasts of 2011.

Brain Food Dude #42

The 42nd episode of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Jazz & The Cold War

This week on To the Best of Our Knowledge, they did a had a great segment on how jazz was used as a weapon during the cold war.

Listen here.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Case for Multitasking

On Harvard Business Review's podcast this week, an interview with Cathy Davidson, author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/23/11.

Do too many kids go too college?

Do too many kids go to college? Intelligence Squared addressed this question in a great debate.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/21/11.

Loss Aversion

Losing feels worse, than winning feels good. How does this simple fact effect the way we invest, and the way our economies work? Planet Money explores this topic.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/22/11.

Tough Guys

The State We're In Podcast did a cool show last week titled "tough guys." The whole show is great, but I especially enjoyed the first segment about "snatchback," or the business of rescuing kidnapped children abroad.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/25/11.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Brain Food Dude #41

The 41st episode of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Turkey

You will never look at turkeys the same, after you hear this episode of freakonomics.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/16/11.

Men

Why are men different than women? This week on Econ Talk, a great conversation about gender differences, with Roy Baumeister.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/14/11.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

J. Edgar Hoover

On Point had a great discussion about the good, the bad, and the ugly about J. Edgar Hoover.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/10/11.

Meriwether Lewis

Clay Jenkinson, host of the Thomas Jefferson Hour, just wrote a book about Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis & Clark expedition). Listen to Clay discuss his book, and Meriwether Lewis, on this week's episode of The Thomas Jefferson Hour.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/13/11.

I want my MTV

On Studio 360 this week they discuss the history of MTV, and how it affected music in its time.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/11/11.

History of the High 5

I always figured the high 5 had just been around forever. Like the wheel, or god, or The Simpsons. Turns out people have only been highing fives for a few decades, and on this episode of Radiolab they track it all down to the first high five ever (kind of).

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/15/11.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Brain Food Dude #40

Episode #40 of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Dogs & Wolfs

How exactly did dogs evolve from wolfs? Find out on Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/8/11.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is a bad ass journalist. Check out this interview with her on the On Point podcast.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/8/11.

Our Brains Have Tons of Tiny Parts

The human brain has a lot of small parts. More than even an ipod. Jeff Lichtman wants to make a map of our brains. Learn more on Science Friday.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/4/11.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Seth Shoshtak is a scientist for the SETI Institute. He looks for life in outer space. Listen to an interview with Seth on Point of Inquiry.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/31/11.

The Campaign Game

This week on Here's the Thing, Alec Baldwin interviews political strategist and legend, Ed Rollins.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/7/11.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Brain Food Dude #39

The 39th episode of our podcast is out now. Listen here, or subscribe to us on itunes.

Campaign Finance

Planet Money is doing a series on campaign finance, and just put out there first episode.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/1/11.

The Iliad

Who exactly was Homer, author of The Iliad and The Odyssey? The answer may be more complicated than you think. The New Yorker: Out Loud podcast had an interesting discussion about the Iliad, and the true Homer.

Listen now, download on itunes, or read the full article in The New Yorker.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

News

On the Media did an entire show dedicated to news.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/28/11.

The Happiest Man on Earth

On Being interviewed scientist turned Buddhist Monk, Matthieu Ricard this week. Here what the so called "happiest man on earth" has to say about spirituality, compassion, and happiness.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/27/11.

History of the Relationship Between Science & Religion

This month Backstory did a podcast about the history of the relationship between science and religion.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 11/1/11.

Big Waves

To the Best of Our Knowledge did a podcast all about forces of nature, including a segment on big waves.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/29/11.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Franz Lizst

Turns out Franz Liszt was the first rock star ever. Even outdated rock by like 150 years. Learn all about it here.

Brain Food Dude #38

This week's episode of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Malcolm Gladwell

Brand Washed

How much of an effect does advertising actually have on us? Listen to this All Things Considered interview with Martin Lindstrom, author of the book Brand Washed.

Listen here.

How to Fail

There's a right way to fail, and a wrong way to fail. Learn more on this episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge, with Carol Dweck, author of Mindset.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/22/11.

El Narco

This week on Fresh Air, an interview with Ioan Grillo, author of El Narco: The Trade Driving Mexico's Drug War.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/26/11.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Brain Food Dude #37

Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Pandemic

This week on Fresh Air, an interview with Nathan Wolfe, author of The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/18/11.

Design & Beauty

Richard Seymour claims we don't think beauty, but rather feel it. How does this translate into design? Find out on this TED Talk:

Bird Watching

Who knew the world of bird watching could be so competitive? Learn all about it on On Point.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/19/11.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Envy

The Science Times does a great segment about the science of envy. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/9/11.

The Auto Show

This American Life did a great show all about cars. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/16/11.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Brain Food Dude #36

Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Capitalism, Charity & Steve Jobs

The Cato Daily Podcast did a piece this week discussing the place of charity within capitalism.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/7/11.

The Universe

Learn about The Universe on this episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge. My favorite segment is an interview with physicist Michio Kaku.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/8/11.

Adventure

This American Life did a cool show about adventure this past week.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/9/11.

Mitt Romney

All Things Considered did an interesting profile on Mitt Romney this week.

Listen here.

Bootsy Collins & James Brown

Listen to a great interview with Bootsy Collins, on The Sound of Young America. Bootsy talks about James Brown, funk, and his career.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/9/11.

Here's the hardest working man in show business:

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Behind a Presidential Debate

Ever wonder how a candidate prepares for a presidential debate? Learn all about it, on this episode of How to do Everything.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/6/11.

Paris-Brest-Paris

The Bike Show did a great piece this week on the oldest bicycle race in the world: Paris-Brest-Paris.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/10/11.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Brain Food Dude #35

Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs has been talked about a lot since his death, but the best piece I've heard about him is from All Things Considered. Listen here.

John Lennon

What could possibly be said about John Lennon that hasn't been said before? Apparently a lot. This week On Point interviewed Tim Riley, author of Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music – the Definitive Life.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/4/11.

Pathological Altruism

Can altruism be a bad thing? Sometimes. Learn more on this episode of Science Times.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/3/11.

Amazing Altruism

This week On Being played a replay of a 2006 interview with Wangari Maathai.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/29/11.

Bad Science

Learn about why bad science is, well, bad. Ben Goldacre delivers a great TED Talk all about it.

More Bad Science

On The Psych. Files Podcast learn about some more examples of bad science with Tim WIlson, author of Redirect.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/2/11.

Suicide Bomber

This week on Fresh Air I heard a different outlook about suicide bombers. The interview is with Ken Ballen, author of Terrorists in Love: The Real Lives of Islamic Radicals.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 10/5/11.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Brain Food Dude #34

Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson did a TED Talk about what he calls the "6 killer apps" that have led to modern economic success. Check out the TED Talk below.

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola did an excellent interview with the HBR Ideacast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/29/11.

The virtues of drilling deeper

On All Things Considered they discuss the economic potential of oil and gas in the United States.

Listen here.

The evils of drilling deeper

At the end of this episode of Fresh Air they have a great discussion about the potential evils of fracking, and drilling deeper.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/29/11.

Monday, September 26, 2011

A trust that could break the world economy

Check out this wild tale from Lapham's Quarterly about a trust that could break the world.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Brain Food Dude #33

The 33rd episode of our Brain Food Dude podcast is out now. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Genomics

Genomics is going to cure diseases, extend our lives, and change things we can't even imagine. Learn more on this TED Talk with Richard Resnick.

Willpower

In his new book Willpower, John Tierney, discusses how willpower actually works like a muscle. It can be strengthened over time, and if fatigued can lead to some bad decisions.

Listen here to learn more.

Should we end the war on terror?

This week on Intelligence Squared, a great debate on whether or not we should end the war on terror.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/14/11.

America Walks Into a Bar

Some of our nations most important conversations have taken place in a bar. Learn more in this Talk of the Nation interview with Christine Sismondo, author of America Walks Into A Bar: A Spirited History Of Taverns And Saloons, Speakeasies And Grog Shops.

Listen here.

Lincoln Beachey

Lincoln Beachey is perhaps the most famous person you've never heard of. Learn all about this flying daredevil on Radiolab.

Download on itunes, or listen here:

Maphead

If anyone wants to know what to get me for Christmas, I always love a great map. That's why I'm so stoked about this new book by Ken Jennings called Maphead. Last week on Fresh Air Jennings talked about the book, and about his 74-episode run on Jeopardy.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/21/11.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Brain Food Dude podcast #32

Brain Food Dude #32 is available now. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Richard Engel

Fresh Air did a great interview this week with foreign war correspondent Richard Engel.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date is 9/9/11.

The So-Called Student-Athlete

How should we view student Athletes? What is the future of college athletics? Learn all about it on NPR, and in The Atlantic Monthly.

History of Oktoberfest

This week on The Economist: The Week Ahead, a great 1-minute history of Oktoberfest.

Listen below, or subscribe to the week ahead on itunes.

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a bad mammer jammer. Learn more on this episode of On Point where they interview Nigel Cliff, author of Holy War: How Vasco da Gamas Epic Voyages Turned a Tide in a Centuries Old Clash of Civilizations.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date is 9/13/11.

Predicting the future

People have been predicting the future for as long as we know, but how accurate have they been? From fortune tellers to wall street bankers to sports forecasters, I think it's safe to say one thing: it's very difficult to know what is going to happen in the future. Learn more on this episode of Freakonomics Radio.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/14/11.

When congress plays chicken

What exactly is going on in congress right now? Planet Money does a great job of laying it all out in an easy to understand way.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date is 9/13/11.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Brain Food Dude #31

Brain Food Dude podcast #31 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Scientists who experiment on themselves

I once did a scientific experiment on myself in which I went an entire month without eating any Blue Bell Ice Cream. It was hell. But some other scientists out there have gone much, much further. Learn about 10 such scientists on this episode of Stuff You Should Know.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/6/11.

Nonviolence in Palestine

More journalists need to cover the nonviolence taking place in Palestine. Learn more on this Ted Talk with Julia Bacha

David Simon

If you haven't watched all 5 seasons of The Wire yet, do so. If you want to learn what The Wire is all about, check out this interview with David Simon on Bill Moyer's Journal, from back in 2009.

Watch now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/17/09.

How does information affect our brains?

This week on To the Best of Our Knowledge they discuss information, and how too much of it affects our brains for better and for worse. My favorite part is about halfway through when they interview Nicholas Carr, the author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/1/11.

3 firefighter's tales from 9/11

Last week on Fresh Air, an interview with three firefighters who survived 9/11, and the author of A Decade of Hope.

Listen to their tales now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 9/7/11.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Episode #30

Episode #30 of our podcast is now out. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

This week's show features clips from the following podcasts:

Radiolab about games.
This American Life about gossip, aids, and Malawi.
Fresh Air about bananas.
Story Corps about learning to love reading.
2 clips about bees, from To the Best of Our Knowledge and Skeptically Speaking.

Bees

This week we found two great podcasts about the topic of bees.

The first is an episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date is 8/26/11.

The second is an episode about bugs from Skeptically Speaking. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date is 8/21/11.

Learning the love of reading

Last week on the Story Corps podcast, a great tale about how a judge first fell in love with reading.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/26/11.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Gossip, Africa, aids, and prevention...

How do Africans talk about, and think about aids? Differently than most think. Learn more on This American Life.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/28/11.

Bananas

How did bananas get so darn popular, and why might they be a lot harder to find in a few years? Learn all about bananas on this episode of Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/30/11.

Games

In the 1863 World Checkers Championships, the two best checkers players on earth went head to head in a series of 40 matches. The result...40 ties. Learn about how this ruined the world of professional checkers, and why this isn't likely to happen to chess anytime soon, on Radiolab.

Listen here:


Or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/23/11.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Brain Food Dude #29

Brain Food Dude #29 is now available. Listen here, or better yet, subscribe to us on itunes.

This week's show featured clips from the following podcasts:

Fresh Air about baseball catching.
The Thomas Jefferson Hour about the letters between Jefferson & John Adams.
Econ Talk about potato chips.
Fresh Air about the A&P grocery store chain.

History of the grocery store

Going into a grocery store will never be the same after you listen to this episode of Fresh Air, about the history of grocery stores, and the rise of the A & P grocery chain.

Listen now or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/23/11.

What's it like to be a baseball catcher?

Find out what the life of a major league catcher is like, in this Fresh Air interview with Brad Ausmus.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/18/11.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Letters between Adams & Jefferson

The Thomas Jefferson Hour recently did an excellent two-show series about the 50 year correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. This is a great two hour intro into the founding fathers, and a great first two episodes to try out The Thomas Jefferson Hour.

Here are links to part 1 and part 2, or download on itunes. The itunes release date of these two episodes was 8/14/11 and 8/21/11.

Potato Chips

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about potato chips, and a whole lot more, in this interview with Brendan O'Donohoe of Frito Lay, on Econ Talk.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/22/11.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Brain Food Dude #28

Episode #28 of the Brain Food Dude podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

How to be a good parent

This week on Freakonomics Radio they discuss how to be a good parent...according to economists. I love it!

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/16/11.

Why Cleaned Water Stays Dirty In Our Minds

What people think is best for them, is often totally wrong. This is often the case with cleaned drinking water. Learn more on this episode of Morning Edition.

Drinking wine in prison

Last week The Moth aired one of the best episodes I've heard in a long time. Sherman "O.T." Powell tells about prison, and how to make really bad wine.

Listen now.

What's a life worth?

How do you put a price tag on life? Engines of Our Ingenuity discusses how insurance companies must, and do.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/11/11.

Magic Trip

A new documentary, called Magic Trip, describes a road trip, and a good old freak out, led by Ken Kesey and the marry pranksters, in 1964. Fresh Air dedicated an entire episode to the film, my favorite clip is an interview with Tom Wolfe, author of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/12/11.

The Bataan Death March

The last remaining survivor of the Bataan Death March recently died at age 105. Learn about Brown, and the Bataan Death March, on this episode of All Things Considered.

Al-Quada

Fresh Air did an interview with Thom Shanker & Eric Schmitt of the NY Times, and authors of Counterstrike: the untold story of America's secret campaign against Al-Quada.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/16/11.

Robert Kennedy

One of Robert Kennedy delivered a speech in South Africa, in 1964, which went on to become one of the best known speeches in history. A new documentary was just made about that speech, and you can listen to a discussion about the speech, and this new film, on All Things Considered.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Brain Food Dude #27

The Brain Food Dude podcast #27 is out now. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

This week's episode features clips about the following:

Secrets of the FBI on NPR.
Christopher Columbus and ecology on Fresh Air.
Passing on the family business on Freakonomics Radio.
History of the air conditioner on All Things Considered.
Mayan culture and the truth about 2012 on To the Best of Our Knowledge.

History of Anheuser Busch

Freakonomics Radio did an entire show about family businesses, and the success rate of passing them from one generation to the next. Within that show they give a great history of the anheuser busch corporation.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/3/11.

Mayans and the truth about 2012

To the Best of our Knowledge did an entire show about the apocalypse, including an interview with David Stuart, author of The order of Days and the truth about 2012.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/5/11.

Christopher Columbus and Ecology

When Columbus discovered America, the world changed both culturally, and ecologically. This week on Fresh Air they had a great discussion about the ecological aspect, with Charles Mann, author of 1493 Uncovering the New World Columbus Created.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 8/8/11.

History of the Air Conditioner

If air conditioning had never been invented, I'm pretty sure I would have never moved to Texas. Check out this short history of AC on All Things Considered.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Secrets of the FBI

What exactly does the FBI do these days? Check out this interview with Ronald Kessler on NPR.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Brain Food Dude #26

Brain Food Dude podcast episode #26 is out now. Listen here, or subscribe to us on itunes.

This week's episode includes the following clips:

Drone technology on NPR.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on The International Spy Museum SpyCast.
Video games on the On the Media podcast.
Thugs on This American Life.
The origins of pleasure on TED Talks.

Video games will soon be part of real life

Brushing my teeth will earn me points. Cleaning my dog's poo poo will earn me points. Listening to Brain Food Dude will earn me points. How am I going to get all these points, and what on earth am I going to do with them? Check out this episode of On the Media, with a speech by Jessie Schell.

Listen to the full episode of On the Media here.

Thugs

This week This American Life did an entire episode on "thugs." My favorite part is the introductory story about drug gangs in Mexico. Listen here.

Drones

If it weren't for military inventions of the past, we probably wouldn't have GPS, low level light photography, or microwave ovens. What inventions will arise next? Check out this NPR clip about the next steps in drone technology.

Click here to listen to the full story.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is probably one of the most evil men alive. He was not just a mastermind of the 911 attack, but also allegedly played a role in most major terrorist attacks of the last 20 years, including the World Trade Center 1993 bombings, the Operation Bojinka plot, an aborted 2002 attack on the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles, the Bali nightclub bombings, the failed bombing of American Airlines Flight 63, the Millennium Plot, and the murder of Daniel Pearl.

Learn more about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on this riveting speech by Richard Miniter, author of Mastermind: The many faces of 911 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, on the international spy museum spycast podcast.

The origins of pleasure

Pleasure is a more mysterious thing than we realize. Check out what Paul Bloom as to say about it on this TED Talk.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Brain Food Dude #25

The 25th episode of our podcast is now available! Download here, or subscribe on itunes.

This episode includes the following Segments:

Fresh Air about art thievery.
Ted Talk about how you can do anything for 30 days.
New Yorker Out Loud about the Rwandan Cycling Team.
Fresh Air about pleasure and addiction.
How to do Everything about snipers.
Planet Money about how much it takes to create a hit song.

Rwanda's Cycling Team

Philip Gourivitch of The New Yorker did a great piece about the Rwandan Cycling Team.

Listen here, download on itunes, or read the full article.

Pleasure & addiction

Why do certain things feel so much better than others? Why are more people addicted to cigarettes than heroin? Check out this episode of Fresh Air with David Lyndon, the author of The compass of pleasure: how our brains make fatty foods, orgasm, exercise, marijuana, generosity, vodka, learning, and gambling, feel so good. Perhaps this will help me with my raging addiction to Blue Bell Ice Cream. Hopefully not.

This podcast is no longer available on itunes, but you can listen here.

Song of the summer

What does it take to produce a hit song? According to Planet Money, about one and a quarter million dollars. Forget that, I've got garageband, I'm going to be mixing mad beats all night!

This podcast is no longer available on itunes, but you can listen here.

You can do anything for 30 days

Want to break a bad habit? Or start a good one? Just try it for 30 days, and see what happens...that's what Matt Cutts says.


Art thievery and the FBI

Ever wonder how they track down stolen art? Find out on this episode of Fresh Air, interviewing former FBI agent Robert Wittmam.

This podcast is no longer available on itunes, but you can listen here.

Snipers

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a sniper? Well now you can find out, for the good dudes at How to do Everything. Find their podcast here, on itunes.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Brain Food Dude-The Music Episode

This week we've got a special edition of Brain Food Dude, an episode all about music. We wanted to keep it diverse, so no genre will be mentioned twice. The episode includes the following clips:

How Architecture helped music evolve, a TED Talk with David Byrne (lead singer of the Talking Heads)
NPR interview with reggae legend, Lee 'Scratch' Perry
Concerts a Emporter documentary with bluesman, Seasick Steve.
Fresh Air interview with Jay-Z.
New Yorker Out Loud discusses Los Tigres del Norte.
Fresh Air interview with country legend, Doc Watson.

Architecture influences music

How does architecture influence music? More than you think. Here's a great TED Talk by David Byrne, of the Talking Heads.

Doc Watson

Doc Watson may be blind, but man can he pick a guitar. Listen to this 1988 interview with Doc on Fresh Air.

Seasick Steve

La Concerts a Emporter (Take Away Shows) is a blog by French director, Vincent Moon. I've watch most of his videos, but my all time favorite is with Bluesman, Seasick Steve.


Seasick Steve - A Take Away Show - Part 1 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.


Seasick Steve - A Take Away Show - Part 2 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z on Fresh Air. Listen to the interview, or buy his book.

Los Tigres del Norte

Listen to the podcast, or read the article by Alec Wilkinson.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry

Lee 'Scratch' Perry is the genius behind countless reggae songs, and at the age of 75 he just came out with a new album. Listen to this great interview with Scratch on NPR.

Friday, July 1, 2011

4th of July Brain Food Dude

A new episode of the Brain Food Dude podcast is out now. The topic this week: the 4th of July.

Listen now, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

Myths Of Independence

I never realized how much myth surrounded the American celebration of the 4th of July. Learn more in this All Things Considered interview with Ray Raphael, author of Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past.

Backstory of July 4th

Here is the best of all the 4th of July podcasts, on Backstory. Learn about the Declaration of Independence, the history of fireworks on the 4th, and how alcohol consumption rates have changed over the years.

Thomas Jefferson and the 4th of July

What does president Thomas Jefferson have to say about the Independence Day? Find out on the Thomas Jefferson Hour.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 7/4/10.

Uncle Sam

Where did all those Uncle Sam posters come from? Learn about that, and a lot of other 4th of July fun, on this episode of Studio 360.



The Declaration of Independence

This is either the most boring, or the most important thing I have ever posted...probably both. I present, the Declaration of Independence, read by NPR staff.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Special Brain Food Dude episode about food

This week we're featuring a special episode of Brain Food Dude, all about the topic of "food." Listen now, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

This week's episode includes the following clips:

A brief history of eating lobsters on The Memory Palace.
An interview with Michael Pollan on Science Friday.
Debate about organic food on Intelligence Squared.
Wholesale food market in Hunts Point, New York, on Planet Money.
A TED Talk with Mark Bittman, about What's wrong with what we eat.

Eating lobster is yuckee (or at least it used to be)

Eating lobster used to be about as socially acceptable as eating a squirrel. Seriously, listen to this episode of The Memory Palace to learn more.

What's wrong with our food?

Is organic food marketing hype?

Intelligence Squared held a 3 on 3 debate last year about organic food, take a look:

ORGANIC FOOD IS MARKETING HYPE (Full Debate) from Intelligence Squared US on Vimeo.

Wholesale food market

In November of 2009 Planet Money did a great podcast about a wholesale food market in Hunts Point, New York. I realize that doesn't sound very exciting, but trust me people, it is!

This episode is no longer available on itunes, but you can check it out here.

Michael Pollan

Back in 2006, Science Friday did an excellent interview with Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

This episode is no longer available on itunes, but you can find it here.



Friday, June 17, 2011

Brain Food Dude Podcast #21

Episode #21 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

This week's show includes clips from the following shows:

An interview with boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, on Fresh Air.
The invention of basketball's jump shot, on Storycorps.
Credit card fraud on Planet Money.
An interview with the mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland on NPR News.
Pawn shops on Fresh Air.
Why the rat race is good for you, on Econ Talk.

Who invented the jump shot?

I always figured the jump shot in basketball was just something that's always been part of the game, and just came about naturally. I was wrong. It turns out the shot was developed by a guy named Kenny Sailors, and you can hear the 87-year-old talk about it on Story Corps.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/10/11.

Pawn Shops

My favorite podcast of the week was this interview with Rich Harrison, on Fresh Air. Harrison is the star of Pawn Stars on the History Channel, and author of the book License to Pawn.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/9/11.

The Mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland

Jon Gnarr is an absurdist comedian who ran for mayor of Iceland's capital...and won. Listen to this interview with the mayor of Reykjavik, on NPR News.

Sugar Ray Leonard

What is it like to be a boxer? How about an awesome boxer? Sugar Ray Leonard tells all in his book The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring and on this episode of Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/6/11.

Why You Need and Love the Rat Race

This week on Econ Talk, a great conversation with Todd G. Buchholz about his book Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/13/11.

Credit Card Fraud

Ever wonder what the bad guys do with your stolen credit card? On Planet Money they dive into the dark underbelly of credit card fraud.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/14/11.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Brain Food Dude Podcast #20

The 20th episode of our podcast is finally here! Listen now, or subscribe to us on itunes.

Segments from this show include:

The unconscious mind on Fresh Air.
Computer-human interactions on Radiolab.
Central American Drug Cartels on NPR.
Research about psychedelic drugs on To the Best of Our Knowledge.
Nominating judges in Chicago on This American Life.
Human brains can only handle 150 friends on NPR.

The Unconscious Mind

What's going on in those little heads of ours? Forget about Sigmund Froid, and listen to this interview on Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/31/11.

Talking to Robots

Oh boy, they're finally building smart robots. Don't believe me? Listen to this episode or radiolab, and find out how people get fooled into unknowingly "dating" robots online.



Click here to download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/1/11.

Psychedelics

Last week To the Best of Our Knowledge did a fascinating show about the research being done on psychedelic drugs.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 6/2/11.

150 friends

If I have 1,300 friends on facebook, does that mean I have, like, 1,300 friends? Not according to Robin Dunbar and the good folks at NPR. Listen to this story about why our brains can only handle 150 friends.

The Windy City

Chicago is infamous for its corruption, but is it really still that bad? Well listen to how they select their judges on This American Life.


Central America's Drug War

I once heard the war on drugs described as a game of whack-a-mole. Suppress it in one area, and it just pops up in another. A few years ago the problem was rooted in Colombia, now it's Mexico, but where next? Potentially Central America. Listen to this story on NPR.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Brain Food Dude Podcast #19

Listen now, or subscribe on itunes.

This week the show features the following clips:

Book of Mormon, the musical, on Fresh Air.
I hugged the man who murdered my son, on Story Corps.
Iceland is more than just a baron rock, on NPR.
Dog behavior on Fresh Air.
What are all those bees actually doing in the backyard? On Morning Edition.
A TED Talk about smiling.

An amazing story

What would you do if someone murdered your son? The last thing you would probably say would be to adopt the murderer as your own son, but that's exactly what happens in this amazing episode of Story Corps.

Listen now:



Or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/20/11.

You can also check out the StoryCorps website.

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is no longer just a book, it's now a hit broadway musical. Learn more in this interview on Fresh Air, with writers Matt Stone & Trey Parker.

This podcast is no longer available on itunes, but you can listen here.

Smile

Learn about the power of a smile, on this TED Talk with Ron Gutman.

Bees

What on earth are all those bees in your backyard actually doing? Learn here.

Dog psychology

Ever wonder what's going on in your dog's head? Find out here, on this Fresh Air interview with John Bradshaw, author of Dogs Sense: How the new science of dog behavior can make you a better friend to your pet.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/26/11.

Iceland

Iceland. The land of Bjork, Sigor Ros, and massive financial meltdowns. But it's got oh so much more.

Learn all about the wonderful land of ice on this NPR clip.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Brain Food Dude Podcast-Sports Episode

This week we did a special episode about sports. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

This week's show includes the following clips:

Doug Glanville being interviewed about baseball on Fresh Air.
Freakanomics Radio discussing home field advantage.
John Wooden giving a TED Talk about basketball, coaching, and life.
The 1904 Olympic Marathon on The Memory Palace.
Andre Agassi being interviewed on Fresh Air.
A bike race across America on Radiolab.

Crazy bike race across America

This was the first podcast I ever posted on the blog, but it's so good I'm posting it again (and because I mentioned it on the Brain Food Dude podcast this week).

It's an episode of Radiolab titled "limits." As a whole it was probably my favorite podcast of 2010.

You can download it on itunes, the release date was 4/5/10.

Andre Agassi

Does Andre Agassi hate tennis? A little. Listen all about it on the Fresh Air podcast from last year. It's no longer available on itunes, but you can listen here.

If you want to learn more, read his book:

World Cup & Freakanomics

I once asked an NFL player about his thoughts on home field advantage, and his answer was "It doesn't make any difference...well, maybe it helps to know where the sprinkler heads are, but other than that it doesn't matter."

The good fellows at Freakanomics Radio beg to differ. Listen to why they believe home field advantage exists.

This episode is no longer available on itunes, but you can listen now.

Doug Glanville

Doug Glanville, a.k.a. "The Rocket Scientist," has an interesting perspective on the game of baseball. Check out this interview with Glanville on Fresh Air.

This episode is no longer available on itunes, by you can listen now.