Brain Food Dude #66

Here is the final episode of the Brain Food Dude podcast. Download here, or find us on itunes. 

History Under the Influence

One of my favorite episodes of Hard Core History covers the topic of drugs and alcohol abuse throughout hisory.

You can find this episode here.

Prohibition

Daniel Okrent just wrote a book about the history of prohibition called "Last Call". This podcast episode of Econ Talk interviews Okrent about not just the rise and fall of prohibition, but also who supported it in the first place (the Klu Klux Klan and the women's suffrage movement were totally in favor of prohibition, while the Jews, Germans, and Catholics were against it). This is a good history lesson, and they make an interesting point that so much public policy is ultimately shaped economics.

Listen now, or download it from itunes. The itunes release date was 6/7/10.

The Mammoth Cheese

Here's on of my favorite episode's ever from The Thomas Jefferson Hour. This show highlights 3 stories about Jefferson, one about a moose, one about a prairie dog, and one about an enormous piece of cheese.

Listen here, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/6/09.

In 1910 the U.S. was hit by the largest wildfire in the country's history, which burned an area the size of Connecticut over the course of a weekend. This episode of Fresh Air discusses the fire, and also has some great tales about Teddy Roosevelt wrestling and skinny dipping (not at the same time).

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

History of Childhood

On this episode of Planet Money, a history of childhood.

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

Brain Food Dude #65

Brain Food Dude #65 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Slow Down

Carl Honore on TED:

L.A. Gangs

Gregory Boyle is a priest who cares. He operates Homeboy Industries, which staffs former gang members. Listen to an interview with Boyle on Fresh Air.

Pirates Have Timesheets

Planet Money breaks down the economics of modern pirating. Listen here.

Prison Sounds Terrible

Wilbert Rideau knows prison, and he shares an excerpt from his book in this episode of Vanity Fair Writer's Reading.
Listen now, or download it here from itunes. The release date on itunes was 4/27/10.

Iron Man Madness

A few years ago Radiolab did a show about "limits," which included a segment about one of the craziest Iron Man stories ever. To download click here. The release date of this episode was 4/5/10. After you listen, here is the video of Julie Moss falling apart at the end of her Iron Man Race:

Brain Food Dude #64

Brain Food Dude #64 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

A Family Among Us

Take a listen to "A Family Among Us" a short story by Blake Kimzey, produced by http://www.myaudiouniverse.com/.

David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace at Kenyen College in 2005:

Ulysses

Every try reading James Joyce's Ulysses, but couldn't understand what the hell is going on? Here is your savior, a podcast by Frank Delaney that dissects the book one word at a time. It's called Re:Joyce, and I'm hooked.

Robot Wars

Brain Food Dude #63

Brain Food Dude #63 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Perspective Matters

Rory Sutherland discusses the importance of perspective...

Amarillo Slim

The Economist did an obituary for poker legend Amarillo Slim. Read the article here.

On the Media discusses why the myth that vaccines cause autism persists. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/10/12.

History of the Ball

On Point interviews John Fox, an expert in sports and why we play ball. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/14/12.

Retirement Kills

Retire and die. That's what the freakonomics dudes have concluded. Learn more on this week's episode of Martetplace. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/16/12.

Episode #62 of the Brain Food Dude Podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Malcolm Gladwell Revisited

A great new podcast called the TED Radio Hour kicked off their series by taking a new look at Malcolm Gladwell's classic TED Talk about spaghetti sauce. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/4/12.

Food of the Future

What will food be like in 2035? Find out on this episode of On Point. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/7/12.

Lyndon Johnson

This week on the New York Times Book Review, an interview with Robert Caro, author of The Passage to Power: The Lyndon Johnson Years. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 5/3/12.

Escape From Dubai

Last week on the Snap Judgement Podcast, a crazy tale from Hevre Jaubert, author of Escape From Dubai. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/27/12.

Episode #61 of the Brain Food Dude Podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

The Death of Facts

Learn about the death of facts in an age of 'truthiness' on All Things Considered. Listen here.

Money Can Buy You Happiness

Turns out money can buy you happiness, if you spend it on others...

This week on Econ Talk, Tyler Cowen discusses his book An Economist Gets Lunch. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/23/12.

The State We're In did a show called "street fights," with a great segment at the end about how a man used evolutionary biology to improve his own city. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/20/12.

Garbage

Learn more about trash, on this episode of Fresh Air. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/26/12.

After Dark

This week on the 3rd Coast International Audio Festival Podcast, a show about what happens after the sun goes down, including a great clip about the birth of hip hop in New York during a 1977 power outage. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/27/12.

One Square Meter of Forest

David Haskell spent one year examining one square meter of forest. Learn about what he saw on this episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge. Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/28/12.

Brain Food Dude #60

The 60th episode of the Brain Food Dude Podcast is available now. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Walking

Morning Edition had a great piece about the importance of a good walk. Listen here.

40 Year Itch

The New Yorker Comment Podcast had an interesting piece about what they call "the 40-year itch."

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/16/12.

Older People Are Happier

How to Get Better Gas Mileage

This week on How to do Everything, they teach us how to stretch our gas mileage by using a few simple, and a few crazy techniques.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/19/12.

Brain Food Dude #59

The 59th episode of Brain Food Dude is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Revelations

On this episode of the New York Times Book Review Podcast, an interview with Elaine Pagels, author or Revelations.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/5/12.

Knowledge & Wisdom

This week on To the Best of Our Knowledge, Steve Paulson talks about knowledge, wisdom, and his office.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/7/12.

The Atomic Bombs

How do we morally tackle the question "was it ok to drop the atomic bombs on Japan at the end of World War II?" That's as tough a question as any, but Dan Carlin does a great job of addressing it in the last episode of Hard Core History.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/31/12.

Knuckleball

Learn all about baseball's knuckleball, in this Fresh Air interview with R.A. Dickey.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/10/12.

History of Mexican Food

Learn about the history of Mexican food on this episode of On Point, with Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco Usa: How Mexican Food Conquered the America.

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

Brain Food Dude #58

Episode #58 of the Brain Food Dude podcast is available now. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Chinese VS. American Capitalism

Who does capitalism better, America or China? Listen to a debate on this subject, on Intelligence Squared.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/20/12.

Overpaid College Coaches

According to NPR science corespondent Shankar Vedantam, college sports coaches are overpaid. Listen here.

History of the F.B.I.

This week on the NY Times Book Review Podcast, an interview with Tim Weiner, author of Enemies: A history of the FBI.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/29/12.

You Are What You Wear

It turns out your clothes have a bigger effect on your cognition than you may think. Learn more on this Science Times Podcast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/2/12.

Guts

This week Radiolab did a podcast on that area between our mouths and our butts...our guts.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 4/2/12.

Brain Food Dude #57

Episode #57 of the Brain Food Dude podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Morals, Reason, Politics & Religion

This week on Point of Inquiry, an interview with Jonathan Haidt.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/19/12.

How the Russians Deal With Alcoholism

This week on the Third Coast International Podcast, an entire show dedicated to Russia, including a wacky segment about how the Russians often treat alcoholism.

Download this podcast on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/15/12.

The History of Keeping Time

In Our Time had a great discussion this week about the history of keeping track of time.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/29/12.

What Does the President Actually Do?

This week on Freakonomics Radio, more on what the President of the United States actually does, and does not do.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/28/12.

History of Income Tax

This week on Planet Money, a history of the income tax.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/23/12.

Brain Food Dude #56

Episode #56 of the Brain Food Dude Podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Iditarod

Listen to a great story about the Iditarod race, on this episode of How to do Everything.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/14/12.

A History of the Home

This week on Fresh Air, an interview with Lucy Worsley, author of If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/13/12.

Retraction

This American Life offered a one-hour retraction of their previous show, about sweat shops in China. Listen here.

Education Standardized Testing

U.S. standardized test scores may not be as bad as most think. Learn more on this episode of Bloomberg Edu.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/9/12.

Dangerous Household Products

Many household products may be more dangerous than we know. Learn more on this episode of On Point.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/13/12.

Creativity

Jonah Lehrer discusses creativity on All Things Considered. Listen here.

Brain Food Dude #55

Episode #55 of the Brain Food Dude Podcast is available now. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Dueling

This week on Stuff You Should Know: how dueling works.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/6/12.

WWI

This week On Point reexamines World War I.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/28/12.

Women Can Run Marathons

Until the late 60's, it was thought to be impossible for a female body to handle running more than 1.5 miles at one time. Learn more on this episode of BBC Witness.

Download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/3/12.

The President Doesn't Matter

According to the good fellows at Freakonomics, it the president doesn't have as much power as we think.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/7/12.

Q-Theory

Everyone hates standing in line, but most don't know about the science behind it. Learn more on this episode of 99% Invisible.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/8/12.

Breaking Habits

Learn about how habits work, and how to break them, on this Fresh Air interview with Charles Duhigg.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/5/12.

Brain Food Dude #54

Episode #54 of the Brain Food Dude podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

The Great Plains

This week on the Thomas Jefferson Hour, a quick diversion to discuss the great plains.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/4/12.

Will Innovation Save Us?

Innovation has saved us in the past, will it in the future? Peter Diamandis thinks so, learn more on this episode of On Point.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/29/12.

Popcorn

This week on NPR, a brief history of popcorn. Listen here.

Myth Busters

The Myth Busters are awesome, listen to them discuss nearly a decade of busting myths on this episode of On Point.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/28/12.

Vladamir Putin

Vladamir Putin is hard core. Learn more on this episode of Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 3/1/12.

Gossip Girls Creating Language

OMG!!!!!!! Gossiping teenage girls may just be talking about boys and Glee (the television show, not the emotional state), but they're also on the cutting edge redifining our language.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/27/12.

Brain Food Dude #53

The 53rd episode of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Humor as Translation

Chris Bliss talks humor theory:

Isaac Newton

Radiolab has an awesome show this week on the topic of "escape."

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/20/12.

Is Obesity the Government's Business?

Listen to this debate from Intelligence Squared, about whether or not the government should take a role in the obesity crisis.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/13/12.

Real Life Super Powers

We may soon be able to do what only super heroes have been able to do in the past. Learn more on this episode of Skeptically Speaking.

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

Super PAC

Want to figure out exactly what a Super PAC is? Listen to this Fresh Air interview with Trevor Potter.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/23/12.

Brain Food Dude #52

Episode 52 of our podcast is now available. Listen here, or subscribe to our podcast on itunes.

More Unintended Consequences

This week on Econ Talk, and interview with David Owen, author of The Conundrum.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/13/12.

Too Much Sugar

Why is too much sugar bad for us? Learn on this episode of Science Friday.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/17/12.

The History of Dating

This week on Backstory, a history of dating and courtship.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/13/12.

Human Trafficking

This week on Here's the Thing, an interview with Rob Morris, co-founder of Love 146.

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

Unintended Consequences

This episode of The Cato Daily Podcast interviews Todd Myers, author of Eco-Fads. They discuss how sometimes even the best intentions can have negative outcomes.

Watch below, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/14/12.

Brain Food Dude #51

Brain Food Dude #51 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Basketball & Compassion

Why did the best-female basketball player in the nation choose to stay home rather than play at a top school? To spend time with her disabled sister.

Check out and listen to the story here.

Choosing the Gun

If there's ever been a good argument for peace through the use of a gun, this is it:

Indian Slums

Learn about what happens in the slums of Mumbai, India, on this episode of Fresh Air.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/8/12.

Medicine & Compassion

On this episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge, listen to an interview with the Dali Lama's doctor, and a lot of other people who speak of medicine and compassion.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/21/12.

Journalism & Compassion

Listen to this great interview with Nicholas Kristof on the On Being podcast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/9/12.

Humanity 2.0

What will it be like to be a human in 300 years? How about 1,000 years? According to Robert Sawyer, a few of us might even live to find out. Learn more in this lecture on the Big Ideas podcast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 2/3/12.

Brain Food Dude #50

Brain Food Dude #50 is now available. Listen now, or subscribe on itunes.

1948 Olympics in London

A lot has changed since 1948, listen to what the Olympics were like the last time they were in London, on this episode of BBC Witness.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was`1/18/12.

The Happy Secret to Better Work

Check out this TED Talk by Shawn Achor.

Creating Dog Breeds

On NPR this week, an interview with Evan Ratliff about the history of dog breeding.

Listen here.

Behind the Curtain of a Washington Lobbyist

Planet Money is doing a great series on Lobbyists. This episode is great.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/27/12.

Nikola Tesla

Studio 360 did an entire show about the original mad scientist: Nikola Tesla.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/26/12.

Brain Food Dude #49

Brain Food Dude #49 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

A Long Swim

Awesome TED Talk...

The Super Bowl

Nothing I love more than going to a Super Bowl party armed with some good statistics. Listen to this week's episode of Freakonomics to learn more.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/25/12.

How to Make Your Team More Creative

Jonah Lehrer recently wrote a New Yorker article about how to improve teamwork, and why brainstorming doesn't work. He discusses his article on this episode of The New Yorker Out Loud.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/23/12.

Read the full article here.

Making Your Workplace Creative

How do you make your workspace more creative? Learn on this episode of the HBR Ideacast, with Scott Doorley & Scott Witthoft, authors of Make Space.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/19/12.

Glock

On Fresh Air this week, and interview with Paul Barrett, author of Glock: The Rise of America's Gun.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/24/12.

What's the Healthiest Brain Food?

Michael Pollen says when you go to the supermarket, stick to the edges, and consume mostly foods that are whole and unprocessed. What's the brain food equivalent? Reading a bill? Reading a piece of classic literature? Let us know your thoughts and ideas.

Brain Food Dude #48

Brain Food Dude #48 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Nassim Taleb

This week on Econ Talk, a discussion with one of my favorite thinkers, Nassim Taleb.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/16/12.

Middle Age

Patricia Coen wrote the book on middle age. Listen to this interview with Coen on the NY Times Book Review Podcast, about her new book: In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age.

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

Information Diet

Some of my favorite brain food is about brain food, such as this NPR interview with Clay Johnson, author of The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption.

Listen here.

Who Wrote That Book?

Studio 360 did a great segment about ghost writers, who are probably more prominent than you had thought.

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

David Brooks

David Brooks talks social science on politics, on this episode of Big Ideas.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/13/12.

Brain Food Dude #47

Brain Food Dude #47 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

Laugh Tracks

On the Media did a great segment about the history of the laugh track.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/6/12.

The Bad Show

Radiolab did an entire show titled "the bad show," which is really quite good.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/9/12.

Sweatshops

This week's This American Life is one of the best podcasts I've heard in a long time.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/8/12.

Trend Forecasting

This week on To the On the To the Best of Our Knowledge, a show all about trend forecasting.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/7/12.

The Brain Foodie Awards

Finally, after much speculation and predictions, here are the best podcasts of 2011:

6) Freakonomics
5) The Moth
4) WTF
3) Fresh Air
2) Radiolab
1) This American Life

Plus, the dude's bonus picks:
-TED Talks
-Thomas Jefferson Hour
-Planet Money

Brain Food Dude #46

Brain Food Dude #46 is now available. Listen here, or subscribe on itunes.

This podcast is about a lot of things, including terrorism, psychology, hiring practices, heroes, and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

Listen here.

What's Wrong With Washington?

Laurence Lessig, author of Republic Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress and How to Stop It has a lot to say about government, and what's wrong with it. If you pay attention to politics, this episode of On Point is a must-listen podcast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/2/12.

How We Decide

This week on To the Best of Our Knowledge, an interview with Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/24/11.

Trading Adds Value

This week on Planet Money they discuss economics, how trade adds value, and why giving gifts for Christmas is inefficient.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/23/11.

Economics for Humans

Economics are broken according to Umair Haque. Listen how on this episode of the HBR Ideacast.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 12/22/11.

Science, Brian Greene, and the Higgs Boson

Nobody makes science interesting like Brian Greene, and he was interviewed last week on Point of Inquiry talking about science, Higgs Boson, his television series Fabric of the Cosmos, and much more.

Listen now, or download on itunes. The itunes release date was 1/2/12.