Mike and Job discuss conspiracy theories and the complicated and public nature of the modern digital world. They then discuss how people underestimate the progress of democracy around the world and how some ideas in evolution and economics relate to one another. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How conspiracy theories come to be The difficulties of improving in public How democracy is advancing and thriving around the world Mentioned in the Episode: So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed Leader of Myan...
Jul 31, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 26
There is a pervasive and growing mood of pessimism in many parts of society. Our hosts struggle to understand and deal with it. They then tell some of their worst stories from work. The show closes with a discussion of potential university reforms to increase flexibility and practicality. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How to deal with the negative mood of the day Our worst work experiences How everyone would benefit from the rise of micro-credentials in university Mentioned in the Episode: A...
Jul 03, 2018•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Mike and Jon follow up on their discussion on repeated processes before debating what makes some revolutions successful. They then argue over the merits of the Irish abortion referendum and direct democracy more broadly. They close with a discussion of the Netflix Documentary Wild Wild Country about the sannyasin commune in rural Oregon. Listen to this Episode and Learn: Why some revolutions succeed The Irish abortion referendum Our analysis of Wild Wild Country Mentioned in the Episode: Wild Wi...
Jun 19, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 24
The hosts argue about the usage democratize, capitalism, democracy, and communism and then explore the downsides of capitalism. They debate the merits of single issue voting and contrast the events of the Latin American independence revolutions and that of the United States. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How democratize is misused The issues with capitalism Our thoughts on single issue voters Mentioned in the Episode: NEXT EPISODE: Wild Wild Country Doreen Simmons Japanese Honor: Order of th...
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Mike and Jon start out complaining about people with terrible grammar but quickly move on to an attempt to make boring things interesting and a far ranging conversation about the possibilities of terraforming Mars and Venus. They finish it all off with an examination of automation and the difference between scarcity and abundance. Listen to this Episode and Learn: Why dials are interesting Why Venus and not Mars will be terraformed The difference between scarcity and abundance Mentioned in the E...
May 31, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Mike and Jon complain about walking etiquette before exploring how society treats the elderly and experience. They then discuss creating new things and what goes into it. They close with a conversation on giant tech firms, and why there are none in Europe. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The importance of experience How process and execution interact in creative endeavours Why new technologies come from so few countries Mentioned in the Episode: Leisure World, Seal Beach Buffy The Vampire Slay...
May 27, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 21
To celebrate their twentieth episode Mike and Jon decided to try something a little different. Avoiding even the whiff of anything serious they discuss a series of peculiar questions written by the Author Chuck Klosterman. They discuss questions: 1,2,4,13,7,19, and 8 in that order with all of the awkwardness and unnecessary seriousness they bring to everything. Listen to this Episode and Learn: Why it’s hard to kill a horse The perils of having a banquet of ex-lovers If magic qualifies as impres...
May 15, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Mike and Jon talk about the potential use of DNA for data storage and the progression of science through the centuries. They then discuss their second quarter plans and the growing complexity of and conflicts between intellectual and tangible property rights. Mentioned in the Episode: The Economist Wired Magazine Fast Company Magazine Megatech 2050 23 And Me The brain uses 20 watts/day (Laptops use 50-100 watts/hour or 1200-2400 watts/day) Pi Day Mole Day Saint George’s Day CORRECTION: Saint Pat...
May 01, 2018•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Mike and Jon discuss how words for specific places or things generalize before exploring some simple strategies for improving memory retention when studying or reading books. They then break down the relationships between population decline, economic growth, and national debts, and Japan’s acute dangers with these. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How words with specific means expand and generalize How to remember more of what you read and study The relationships between growth in population, t...
Apr 24, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Mike and Jon clarify the importance simplicity when learning science. Then they discuss playing pool and the difference between knowing about and knowing how to do something. They follow that with an exploration of potential impacts of Autonomous Vehicles and then close by talking through some of the dangers around cults of personality and the rise of strong men in politics. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The difference between knowledge and skills Potential ramifications of Autonomous Vehicl...
Apr 11, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Mike and Jon start with a conversation about jobs their not suited for and the dull life of house painters before some follow up on the wilder side of genetic engineering. They then explain why they always rank things in their mind and go into how constraints and limitations can spur creative problem solving and help us to think of novel solutions. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How Genetic Engineering is advancing today Why ranking things helps to order the world around us How limits in crea...
Apr 03, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Mike and Jon discuss the differences between people who nitpick endlessly or make sweeping generalizations as well as how people wrap their identities up in their ideas. They also go over Jon’s condemnation of contemporary scientific units and the importance of feedback whether provided by yourself or others. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The problems with the Metric system The problems with scientific notation How our hosts deal with feedback Mentioned in the Episode: History of the metric ...
Mar 26, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Mike and Jon start with a conversation on the mentality of immigrants and the difference between risk and the unknown followed by a meandering walk through marginal cost how to evaluate friendships and the dangerous virality of long dead ideas. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The difference between risky outcomes and unknown outcomes The value of having relationships with people you disagree with How old ideas made new can come back with a vengeance Mentioned in the Episode: Jack Dempsey would...
Mar 20, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Our hosts examine the difficulties of migration and demographic decline in Eastern Europe and how this is exacerbating populism in Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary. They go over what mike wants in a place he lives and talk about the history of number systems as well as what an ideal system might look like. They close out with some speculation about the future impact of fusion, solar energy, and genetic engineering upon societies. Listen to this Episode and Learn: How Eastern Europe’s demographic cr...
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Mike and Jon recap their conversation on time tracking and rank the three most underrated U.S. Presidents and the three worst periods of history. They then discuss why branding and advertising are so despised and the often ignored intrinsic value they bring to society. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The value of time tracking Interesting facts about underrated Presidents The upside of branding and advertising Mentioned in the Episode: Smart Phones without advertising: One Plus One Smart Phone...
Mar 02, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Mike ruminates on the origins of stairs, housing and doors before challenging Jon to find something interesting in the mundane topic of rope. They continue with a discussion of commuting, getting gas in LA, and how traits like optimism, caution, responsibility, and age might impact decision making around things we all do. They then explore the contemporary political realignment seen around the world in the decades since the end of the cold war, the lack of capitalist tradition in post soviet rep...
Feb 22, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Mike and Jon begin by discussing how our expectations around marriage, schooling, and work are influenced by our families, the media, and society at large. They examine how desires interact with expectations and some of theirs growing up. After touching on some of the failings of the educational system they go into how the search for passions in work distracts from true satisfaction and how passion is actually developed. They close with a comparison of rationalism and empiricism. Going through t...
Jan 30, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Our hosts broaden their conversation of grammar by complaining about people not using the plural possessive, schools not teaching grammar, and an exploration of German cases and the echoes of these that remain in English. They continue with a discussion of people’s interests and why different people are interested in such different things; examining sports and history in particular. They close by analyzing the media they consume, how long media remains relevant, and what mediums are best for con...
Jan 23, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Our hosts start off contrasting the snow in Korea to the fires all over California. Jon then complains about speed bumps and somehow generalizes them as a symptom of greater evil in society. They suggest a way to think about implementing long term permanent changes whether as a city planner or for yourself. They then touch on the hidden French etymological origins of some word families and how finding these connections between languages can shed meaning on patterns in our own language, discuss t...
Jan 16, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Mike and Jon follow up on the cost of cabs and Ryanair flights, and make corrections about car ownership and New York hurricanes. They also talk about the Economist Newspaper’s odd practice of collective authorship, and why we trust certain media sources sources. After this they explain the Catalan independence movement and have a discussion on various secession movements and the future of the European Union more broadly. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The origins of the Economist Newspaper O...
Jan 09, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Jon and Mike talk about recent trips to liverpool and Milan, hate listening to podcasts like “the Joe Rogan Experience”, Mike’s new job in the property management industry, and how it feels to listen to recordings of yourself. They then examine some ideas about change, how and why people are resistant to it, and how integral it is to the way we perceive the world. Following this conversation they break down generational change, what kinds of beliefs become entrenched in people after adolescence,...
Jan 04, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Mike has been having a lot of great days lately. Jon and Mike discuss what makes for a good day and how to keep your momentum and good energy. They argue about commuting, and car ownership, then explore what makes a city nice to live in. After that they delve into their opinions on how Halloween compares to their favorite holidays, and what it’s like to celebrate American holidays while living abroad. Links: New York, USA vs Seoul, South Korea: average temp: 12.7°C vs 12.2°C Chicago winters Buff...
Dec 27, 2017•59 min•Season 1Ep. 5
After a summer break Mike and Jon return to discuss their travels in Peru, California, and Ireland, new jobs, settling into a new city and country, the American educational system, how we learn, the distinctions between skills and knowledge, how society thinks about failure, life long learning, and a some recommended reading. Links: What we did instead of recording: Shrugging at a waterfall Making faces at a river Taking in the Sierra Nevadas Skills versus Knowledge Rote memorization Improving M...
Dec 21, 2017•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 4
Mike and Jon discuss some new gadgets they’ve bought, how to get money out of China $500 at a time, Jon’s long path toward personal development and organization, the value of tracking how we spend time, how to assess goals and measure success, a trip to South Korea, Jon’s total lack of punctuality, Mike’s tooth infection, dental insurance, medical insurance, and how and why insurance is structured like it is.
Dec 18, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Mike and Jon touch on: fitness and stretching, traveling from China to Peru, and some of their pet peeves. They then go in depth on an archeological breakthrough regarding the origins of humans in the Americas and discuss the types of information they consume and how they think about the news media.
Dec 14, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
MIke and Jon Introduce themselves and While We’re On The Subject. They then discuss China and break down its ethnic makeup, how it compares with Korea, and how the very diverse people of China interact with a regime that often doesn’t relate to them at all.
Dec 11, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 1
