Stuff To Blow Your Mind

Smoking pools of dark reflection. Propagator of uncanny doubles. Gateway to inverse kingdom. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture into the world of mirrors, discussing their predecessors, their invention and way humans relate to the world on the other side. (originally published 8/12/2021)

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The year is 1984 and it’s time to save the galaxy… with arcade games. On this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, join Rob and Joe as they discuss “The Last Starfighter.”

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Humans have burned incense since ancient times for reasons that range from the practical to the divine. To aid in these rites, various cultures have created exquisite censers and housings for the burning, smoke-emitting biotics. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some outstanding examples from the history of incense, including the incense clocks of China and swinging thuribles of Catholic tradition.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses incense and ghosts in Eastern traditions…

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Humans have burned incense since ancient times for reasons that range from the practical to the divine. To aid in these rites, various cultures have created exquisite censers and housings for the burning, smoke-emitting biotics. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider some outstanding examples from the history of incense, including the incense clocks of China and swinging thuribles of Catholic tradition.

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Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...

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Smoking pools of dark reflection. Propagator of uncanny doubles. Gateway to inverse kingdom. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture into the world of mirrors, discussing their predecessors, their invention and way humans relate to the world on the other side. (originally published 8/10/2021)

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Once more on Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe venture into the wild world of Spanish b-movie cinema with Juan Piquer Simón’s “Extra Terrestrial Visitors,” in which a pair of aliens respond to drastically differing human encounters in the woods.

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What exactly is "fun" and how does it differ from other concepts related to quality and experience? Robert and Joe explore the question in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses Ocron, the masked sorceress in Lucio Fulci’s 1983 film “Conquest.”

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What exactly is "fun" and how does it differ from other concepts related to quality and experience? Robert and Joe explore the question in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...

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Smoking pools of dark reflection. Propagator of uncanny doubles. Gateway to inverse kingdom. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe venture into the world of mirrors, discussing their predecessors, their invention and way humans relate to the world on the other side. (originally published 8/5/2021)

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This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the 1954 Scottish sci-fi film “Devil Girl From Mars,” featuring a fashionable Martian queen, her robot Chani and interplanetary intrigue on the Scottish moors.

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What exactly is "fun" and how does it differ from other concepts related to quality and experience? Robert and Joe explore the question in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Locksnakes of “The Dark Crystal.”

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You might not think your car’s odometer is that exciting, but it’s actually the modern incarnation of an ancient invention with roots in China and the Greco-Roman world. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss the invention of the hodómetron and the li-recording drum carriage in this invention-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss regression to the mean, a phenomenon that occurs when a random sampling point is an outlier -- with applications to everything from economics and sports to health, religion and disappointing sequels. (originally published 8/3/2021)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe continue their jaunt through 1980s fantasy with gore master Lucio Fulci’s 1983 film “Conquest.” It’s a strange, hazy dream full of werewolves, warriors, magic, snakes, dolphins, morlocks, bats and stoneage nunchucks.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with Bill Schutt, author of "Pump: A Natural History of the Heart," about the evolution of the heart and the history of humanity’s attempt to understand it -- along with a few questions about monsters. (originally published 09/30/2021)

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The world’s first autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean is signaling a new era in maritime technology. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell takes on this topic with Lauren Ober, host of The Loudest Girl in the World, and guests Brett Phaneuf and Don Scott, the engineers behind the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project. The two explain how automation and AI allowed them to reimagine the design and use of a ship at sea and their implications beyond maritime navigation.

This is a paid advertisement from IBM.

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In this invention-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the origin of surgical gloves, the differing concepts for their composition and the struggle to get surgeons to wear them.

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From dogs in old paintings that look like dope smokers to Aztec psychopomps, what’s with all these fire dogs? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore… (originally published 8/31/2021)

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This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe dive into another slice of 1980s big screen fantasy with 1983’s “Krull,” which pits a ragtag group of fantasy adventurers against a technologically advanced alien force from another world.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the standard nugget of textual thought: the paragraph.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses an ancient style of writing that involved reading left to right and right to left…

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the standard nugget of textual thought: the paragraph.

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Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...

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Weapons capable of thought, speech and autonomous action appear throughout multiple myths and legends. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore some stand-out examples and discuss what it all might mean. (originally published 7/29/2021)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe venture into the magical world of Oz – not the 1939 version, but the dark fantasy stylings of 1985’s “Return to Oz,” featuring electrotherapy, nightmarish wheelers and other strange delights.

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In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe discuss the history and principles of the vacuum airship or null ship. Will futuristic materials ever make this 17th century concept possible?

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog…

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the nature and history of human whistling – including the subject of whistled languages.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe is joined by producer and host of the Rusty Needle's Record Club podcast Seth Nicholas Johnson to talk about that moment when a song sends a shiver down your spine. (Originally published 6/10/2021)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the 1981 Taiwanese fantasy adventure “Thrilling Bloody Sword.” This relentlessly psychotronic adventure isn’t easy to find, but rewards the seeker with bumbling dwarves, rampaging monsters and face-melting magic.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe welcome acclaimed science writer Mary Roach back to the show to discuss her new book "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." (originally published 09/14/2021)

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the boomerang-headed Pokémon Dreepy, with some help from his son Sebastian.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the nature and history of human whistling – including the subject of whistled languages.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss sea turtle mysteries, biology, research and conservation with sea turtle researcher and conservationist Dr. Christine Figgener. (originally published 6/29/2021)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe finally discuss a film that almost defies description: “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” Yes, it’s Ed Wood’s 1957 cinematic monolith featuring Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Vampira and the Amazing Criswell!

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the nature and history of human whistling – including the subject of whistled languages.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses something that happens in the 2022 Jordan Peele movie “NOPE” and there will be spoilers…

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the nature and history of human whistling – including the subject of whistled languages.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail...

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In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the organic substance that has been referred to in the scientific literature as “marine mucilage.” Prepare to be slimed. (originally published 7/1/2021)

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Yes, this week on Weirdhouse Cinema, the 1955 film “Tarantula” takes to the hills. Join Rob and Joe as they discuss this atomic-age sci-fi thriller’s titular giant spider, a mutating Leo G. Carrol and Mara Corday’s “lady scientist” character Steve.

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