Stuff To Blow Your Mind

Today, consumers, businesses and governments are united in their sense of urgency about the sustainability of the planet. But how do we go about achieving it? In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Marc Rolfe, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Partners Ecosystem Success at SAP, and Jason Kelley, General Manager, IBM Strategic Partners, about how strategic partnerships between companies can create a larger industry shift toward sustainability. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.

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Once more, Robert and Joe consult the winners of the Ig-Nobel Prizes for a few examples of the hilarious and the weird from the world of legitimate scientific research.

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Planet Earth a bit much for you right now? Well venture back out to Venus on Stuff to Blow Your Mind. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss recent news in the search for possible signs of life in the Venusian clouds, as well as the possibility of probes or even human explorers sailing over Venus in futuristic airships. (originally published 12/01/2020)

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It’s time to dive back into the Shaw Brothers cinematic treasure chest, this time for the sci-fi action film “The Super Infra-Man” starring Danny Lee and a whole bunch of monsters and stylish costumes.

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Once more, Robert and Joe consult the winners of the Ig-Nobel Prizes for a few examples of the hilarious and the weird from the world of legitimate scientific research.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses a most nautical form of exorcism...

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Stuff to Blow Your Mind is back from Thanksgiving break, so Robert and Joe discuss even more crab science and mythology.

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In recognition of Thanksgiving, Robert and Joe devote this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind to the very topics that might float through your head at the dinner table: What is a wishbone, why do we pull it apart and what does it have to do with dinosaurs? Are turkeys messengers of the gods? What is gravy and is it ever considered sacred? Find out... (originally publihsed 11/26/2020)

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In celebration of MST3K Turkey Day, this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema from earlier this year explores a film from a beloved episode of MST3K. We consider the Florida Movie par excellence: 1971’s “Zaat,” also known as “The Blood Waters of Dr. Z.” Prepare to stalk and skulk through the sargassum in this suitably swampy creature feature. (Originally published 4/30/2021)

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From the horror of “melt movies,” in which the melting human takes on nightmaric qualities, to far more benign and even sublime takes on the concept of the melt, there does seem to be something to our fascination with personal phase transition. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe try to figure out what it all means. (originally published 11/5/2020)

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In this classic episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses an ancient Chinese sword noted for its unusual sharpness and resistance to tarnish... (originally published 2/17/2021)

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We sure do spend a lot of time in bed, but what exactly IS a bed and what were ancient beds like? In this classic invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the ancient history of the bed. (originally published 11/17/2020)

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We're off this week, but don't let that stop you from having seconds on some classic content from last year.

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Are more people identifying and even foraging wild mushrooms than in previous years? If so, why is this? In these classic episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe talk about mushroom foraging, the importance of human foraging and even some studies that pit forager against forager. (originally published 9/17/2020)

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It’s time for a hippie necronomicon extravaganza as Rob and Joe crack open 1970’s “The Dunwich Horror,” starring the late, great Dean Stockwell, Sandra Dee and Ed Begley Sr.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe talk about crabs eating things. Do YOU have what it takes to become a delicious entree for crab gourmands? Find out!

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Creating trust and transparency in AI isn’t just a business requirement, it’s a social responsibility. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Christina Montgomery, IBM's Chief Privacy Officer and AI Ethics Board Co-Chair, and Dr. Seth Dobrin, Global Chief AI Officer, about IBM’s approach to AI and how it’s helping businesses transform the way they work with AI systems that are fair and address bias so AI can benefit everyone, not just a few. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe talk about crabs eating things. Do YOU have what it takes to become a delicious entree for crab gourmands? Find out!

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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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Are more people identifying and even foraging wild mushrooms than in previous years? If so, why is this? In these classic episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe talk about mushroom foraging, the importance of human foraging and even some studies that pit forager against forager. (originally published 9/15/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe wrestle with their first full-blown snake movie: 1981’s “Venom.” It stars Oliver Reed, Klaus Kinski and a live black mamba snake from the London Zoo. Film historians still debate which was the more difficult actor of the three.

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In this Dune-inspired episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe pick up where they left off in the last episode discussing the politics, philosophy and pain science of the Bene Gesserit, before diving into the spice-assisted navigation of the Spacing Guild.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses one of the less known creatures from Frank Herbert’s “Dune” books…

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The Bene Gesserit of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” use advanced mental and manipulative tactics to further their ends across the galaxy. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss this mysterious order and some scientific and philosophic interpretations of the Gom Jabbar awareness test.

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From fictional tales of vampire thrust to to real-life medical research, the notion of synthetic blood brings with it a lot of possibilities. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the strange history of purported blood substitutes and possible ramifications if scientists ever solve this riddle in the blood. (originally published 10/8/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe take a very MTV-fueled jaunt into the underworld via the 1991 film “Highway to Hell,” an enjoyable horror comedy that features a terrifying Hellcop, Patrick Bergin and the entire Stiller family.

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In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with Barbara Blatchley about her book “What are the Chances? Why We Believe in Luck.”

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Over the next decade, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and live. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Dr. Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, about quantum computing and its potential to accelerate discovery and development.

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Yes, the Halloween tradition continues as, once more, Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. This year, they’ll dive into episodes of The Hammer House of Horror and The Outer Limits.

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According to Russian folklore, ancient, beastial spirits guard the depths of the forest, raging with each other and punishing any human who might break the law of the forest. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss these haunters of the woodland depths. (originally published 10/22/2020)

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As Weirdhouse Cinema completes its first journey around the sun, Rob and Joe commemorate the moment by discussing Lucio Fulci’s 1981 “The House by the Cemetery” -- a bloody and bonkers tale guaranteed to satisfy your craving for ghosts, haunted houses, mad scientists, slashers and Italian synth.

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In today’s invention-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss an important piece of cutting technology. Plus, during the Halloween season, masked brutes will chase you around your local haunted attraction with one of these if you buy a ticket. Yes, it’s time to discuss the chainsaw.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Chinese weretiger…

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In today’s invention-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss an important piece of cutting technology. Plus, during the Halloween season, masked brutes will chase you around your local haunted attraction with one of these if you buy a ticket. Yes, it’s time to discuss the chainsaw.

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...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Halloween tradition continues as, once more, Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on the STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. In 2020, they examined episodes of the 1990s Outer Limits revival, The Hammer House of Horror, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Creepshow and Are You Afraid of the Dark. (originally published 10/29/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss Mario Bava’s colorful anthology of gothic horror, starring the legendary Boris Karloff.

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We tend to relegate zombies and the walking dead to the infernal realm of demons, necromancers and the emptied charnel houses of Hell. So it might surprise you to know that, in some traditions, reanimated human corpses are pious church-goers. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the holy undead.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the monster Chiseltooth from Chinese mythology…

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We tend to relegate zombies and the walking dead to the infernal realm of demons, necromancers and the emptied charnel houses of Hell. So it might surprise you to know that, in some traditions, reanimated human corpses are pious church-goers. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the holy undead.

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...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Halloween tradition continues as, once more, Robert and Joe dive into the rich history of TV horror and sci-fi anthology series to focus on the STBYM topics they might not otherwise get to discuss on the show. In 2020, they examined episodes of the 1990s Outer Limits revival, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Creepshow and Are You Afraid of the Dark. (originally published 10/27/2020)

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If the many-worlds interpretation holds true, then there’s an alternate timeline in which the tyranny of Michael Myers ended in 1981 and 1982’s “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” ushered in a new age. In this alternative world, John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise became a long-running horror anthology series. Each subsequent October, anything was possible in a Halloween film, including pagan conspiracies and killer androids. In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe ride the chariot of pumpkins and attempt to cross over into this alternate reality.

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Strange presences walk the shore before the coming of the storm. Terrible forms move in its wake. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss a wide selection of ghosts and monsters connected to destructive weather patterns.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the horror of the Boxenwolf…

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Why do certain works of music make our skin crawl? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe chats with producer Seth about the science of scary music and Seth tells everyone about his new music podcast Rusty Needle's Record Club.

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