Stuff To Blow Your Mind

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

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Take the Minotaur out of its maze and you have but another beast man -- but within his manufactured environment, he is a singular terror in myth and popular consciousness. But where does this monster come from? What does his existence mean? What does the stalker of these bloody halls reveal about the human mind and human history? In this trio of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe discuss the minotaur. (originally published 10/15/2020)

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Yes, kiddies, in this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss Ernest Dickerson’s 1995 siege movie “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight.” Strap in for grotesque monsters, a whole host of character actors and some Crypt Keeper puns. (originally published 2/19/2021)

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To fully understand the minotaur myth, we also have to consider the Minoan civilization of Crete. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe chat with Professor Nicoletta Momigliano, author of “In Search of the Labyrinth: The Cultural Legacy of Minoan Crete.” Learn all about ancient Creteomania as well as modern artistic treatments of the minotaur. (originally published 10/13/2020)

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The world is hitting a data tipping point where vast connectivity requires massive network capacity. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm Gladwell talks to David Shacochis, Vice President for Enterprise Technology and Field CTO at Lumen, and Howard Boville, Head of IBM Cloud Platform, about how hybrid cloud is serving as a catalyst for innovation in a world where computing can and must happen everywhere: private clouds, public clouds, the edge of the network.

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Take the Minotaur out of its maze and you have but another beast man -- but within his manufactured environment, he is a singular terror in myth and popular consciousness. But where does this monster come from? What does his existence mean? What does the stalker of these bloody halls reveal about the human mind and human history? In this trio of Stuff to Blow Your Mind episodes, Robert and Joe discuss the minotaur. (originally published 10/6/2020)

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Stuff to Blow Your Mind is off for the week, but Robert and Joe take a few minutes to discuss the classic episodes that will be showcased in the feed.

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Wax Museums are frequent haunts in horror cinema, but where do they really tie into our sense of revulsion and anatomical unease? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe kick off a month of Halloween-themed episodes with a science-filled night in the house of wax. (originally published 10/1/2020)

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In this classic episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe dive into one of Mexican luchador El Santo's various horror cinema adventures -- and not just any Santo film but the legendary "Santo In The Treasure of Dracula," which features time travel, dracula and more.

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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.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the legend of the lindworm and the 19th century Swedish ethnologist who searched for it …

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The Black Death was the most fatal pandemic in recorded human history, decimating a late Medieval world unaided by the germ theory of disease. In this episode of Stuff to Blow your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the ways that religion responded to the plague and the effects these efforts had on its spread and impact.

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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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The creation of atomic weaponry changed human civilization forever, but it also left its mark on the Earth itself -- in both obvious and subtle ways. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss some of the ways in which the world would not be the same. (originally published 9/24/2020)

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Before John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” there was Howard Hawks’ “The Thing From Another World,” the first adaptation of John W. Campbell Jr.’s short story “Who goes there?” In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe bust out the thermite and discuss this 1951 sci-fi classic.

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The Black Death was the most fatal pandemic in recorded human history, decimating a late Medieval world unaided by the germ theory of disease. In this episode of Stuff to Blow your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the ways that religion responded to the plague and the effects these efforts had on its spread and impact.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the winged beasts of the Nazgûl in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

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The Black Death was the most fatal pandemic in recorded human history, decimating a late Medieval world unaided by the germ theory of disease. In this episode of Stuff to Blow your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the ways that religion responded to the plague and the effects these efforts had on its spread and impact.

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.

Lichen are incredibly widespread and easy to take for granted, but these composite organisms are some of the most fascinating lifeforms on the planet. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore their remarkable qualities. (originally published 9/10/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss 1979’s “Time After Time,” in which Jack the Ripper steals H.G. Wells’ time machine and travels to modern San Francisco.

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What are tears? Are humans indeed the only animal that wraps and what purpose do they serve? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the topic of tears from a scientific and even religious standpoint.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Spanish nursery bogeyman known as El Coco…

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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."

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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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What does our growing understanding of neuroplasticity reveal about our brains and the future of technology? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with neuroscientist David Eagleman about his new book “Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain.” (originally published 9/29/2020)

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Yep, 1986 was a great year for genre movies — and also “Spookies” came out. In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe consider this overstuffed and underdone turkey of a horror movie.

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What are tears? Are humans indeed the only animal that wraps and what purpose do they serve? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the topic of tears from a scientific and even religious standpoint.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses a murderous monster from Naskapi legend. Plus Benjamin Franklin shows up...

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What are tears? Are humans indeed the only animal that wraps and what purpose do they serve? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the topic of tears from a scientific and even religious standpoint.

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.

How fast do human fingernails and toenails grow? Are they claws and, if not, what are they? In this classic Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe dive into the anatomy, evolution culture and mythology of the “nail as old as time.” (originally published 9/3/2020)

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Are you ready for a 1960 Mexican sci-fi comedy involving multiple alien monsters, space vampires, interplanetary politics and several música norteña songs? Also a robot falls in love with a jukebox. Rob and Joe discuss it all in this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema.

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What is a gear and when did humans invent it? Plus, Rob and Joe discuss the only known creature to have gears in its anatomy. Plus hear about a couple of wheel-based mythical creatures in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses possible science of the vampire Drugula…

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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 episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore…

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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.

How fast do human fingernails and toenails grow? Are they claws and, if not, what are they? In this classic Stuff to Blow Your Mind exploration, Robert and Joe dive into the anatomy, evolution culture and mythology of the “nail as old as time.” (originally published 9/1/2020)

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How can the British public possibly survive the ravages of youth biker gangs, unholy rites and frog-based necromancy? In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the 1973 British supernatural biker film “Psychomania.”

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Fish covered in thick coats of fur, fish with strange spines, fish with the beard or chin whiskers of a wise old sage… The water offers up many mysteries, and in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore accounts of furry trout, ancient marvels, otters and fish that kind of look like they have hair.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses so-called Meister footprint (which is in no way an actual footprint)...

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Fish covered in thick coats of fur, fish with strange spines, fish with the beard or chin whiskers of a wise old sage… The water offers up many mysteries, and in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore accounts of furry trout, ancient marvels, otters and fish that kind of look like they have hair.

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.

In this classic episode of STBYM, Robert and Joe discuss the orcs of Middle Earth and their origins both in the dark corners of the human imagination and the loathsome pits of Utumno. (originally published 9/22/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the stand-alone, second installment of Spanish director Amando de Ossorio’s “Blind Dead'' series from 1973. The sightless revenants of the Knights Templars return 500 years after their grisly deaths to enact vengeance on a sleepy and corrupt Portuguese town.

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While the so-called “golden apple” has at times been viewed with suspicion, it has become a staple of summertime cuisine and may one day follow us to farms on other worlds. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the tomato. (originally published 8/27/2020)

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the bazooka and whether it is ever OK to bring one on a commercial flight…

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Smoking pools of dark reflection. Propagator of uncanny doubles. Gateway to inverse kingdom. It’s time for Stuff to Blow Your Mind to venture into the world of mirrors, discussing their predecessors, their invention and way humans relate to the world on the other side.

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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.

While the so-called “golden apple” has at times been viewed with suspicion, it has become a staple of summertime cuisine and may one day follow us to farms on other worlds. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe consider the tomato. (originally published 8/25/2020)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.