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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From an imagined palace constructed out of bone to the curious ways in which animals and humans use bone for tools and construction materials, take a stroll through halls of bone with Robert and Joe in this pair of episodes from Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (Originally published 4/7/2020)

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Humans can only hurt the environment so long before nature fights back -- and that’s just what happens in 1972’s “Frogs,” starring a young Sam Elliot and a whole bunch of reptiles and amphibians. It’s a Florida movie through-and-through in this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema.

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What will we do when robots and artificial intelligences break the law? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the issue of robot moral and legal agency.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the wheels with tiny legs on them...

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What will we do when robots and artificial intelligences break the law? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the issue of robot moral and legal agency.

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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The Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa. (Originally published 3/26/2020)

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In this edition of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss one of the great weird films of the 1930s: “Mad Love,” in which Peter Lorre gives a stellar performance as the deranged and tragic Dr. Gogol. It’s a film full of obsession, cutting-edge surgery, wax figures, delusion and knife-throwing. (Originally published 11/13/2020)

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We all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster come from and why has she lingered so very long in our art, minds and culture? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe venture to the Gorgade isles in search of answers. (4/30/2020)

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the mirrors of English occultist Dr. Dee, including the so-called Devil’s Looking Glass. (Originally published 1/6/2021)

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We all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster come from and why has she lingered so very long in our art, minds and culture? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe venture to the Gorgade isles in search of answers. (Originally published 4/28/2020)

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Rob and Joe took the week off, so here are just a few quick words about what you can expect this week in the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed...

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The Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy and scientific hope. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the rise and fall of the great Moa. (Originally published 3/24/2020)

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This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, enter a world of Japanese cyberpunk, killer AIs, giant robot tanks and more as Rob and Joe discuss the 1989 Toho movie “Gunhed.”

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Even as humans reach out into the void with robotic probes and turn to artificial intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, we face the possibility that the life we find out there might be mechanical and governed by artificial intelligence as well. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss alien AI and post-organic life.

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Even as humans reach out into the void with robotic probes and turn to artificial intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, we face the possibility that the life we find out there might be mechanical and governed by artificial intelligence as well. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss alien AI and post-organic life.

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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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Presenting "Record Store Society", a new iHeartRadio show hosted by STBYM producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. In this bonus episode, Rob and Joe stop by Seth's virtual record store to chat about their favorite music videos.

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Humans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions. (Originally published 3/17/2020)

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In this special episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Robert and Joe are visited by producer and host of the Record Store Society podcast Seth Nicholas Johnson to discuss everyone’s favorite weird music videos.

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Did the planet Jupiter, like a reckless god, wreak havoc on a young solar system? Join Robert and Joe and they consider the red planet’s destructive powers on Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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With hybrid cloud and AI, businesses today can challenge the limits of how they put their data to work across the organization. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Rob Thomas, SVP Cloud and Data Platform at IBM about what’s possible, and the steps businesses can take to access more of their data to help them make more informed decisions.

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Did the planet Jupiter, like a reckless god, wreak havoc on a young solar system? Join Robert and Joe and they consider the red planet’s destructive powers on 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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The world's most challenging problems need smarter solutions. Join host Malcolm Gladwell as he interviews industry leaders and innovators to discover how IBM and its partners collaborate on projects that are designed to approach global issues in unconventional ways.

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Humans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizens of the animal kingdom? What about the octopods? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the question of invertebrate emotions. (Originally published 3/12/2020)

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This week’s episode of Weirdhouse Cinema is 30 percent human, 70 percent robot and 100 percent lethal -- because the subject is the 1986 Italian sci-fi action film “Hands of Steel,” a cyborg arm wrestling movie set in the dystopian future of 1997.

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We all know a “dad joke” when we hear one, but what exactly qualifies as a dad joke and what does it reveal about parenthood, childhood learning and comedy itself? Robert and Joe explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses a fascinating Celtic artifact...

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The annual inundation of the Nile was vital to the Ancient Egyptians, and therefore factored heavily into their mythology. Join Robert and Joe as they discuss flood waters, the origins of life and the Egyptian pantheon.

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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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Not to question the wisdom of Gandalf the Grey, but a hobbit might seem like a poor choice for a continent-sprawling journey to rid the world of evil. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe return to the science of Middle Earth with a look at scientific breakdowns of hobbit diet, hobbit physiology and hobbit vitamin requirements. (Originally published 3/10/2020)

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In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe consider yet another mad scientist in the form of Dr. Thorkel from 1940’s “Dr. Cyclops.” Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack of “King Kong” fame, it’s a special effects spectacle full of miniaturized people and animals.

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It’s time for another invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In this episode, Robert and Joe discuss a very old invention that we can scarcely imagine life without: the spoon.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe discusses the legend of a lost recipe for glass that could bend without breaking.

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It’s time for another invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In this episode, Robert and Joe discuss a very old invention that we can scarcely imagine life without: the spoon.

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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 is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business. (Originally published 2/27/2020)

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This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, world’s grumpiest detective Rutger Hauer investigates a series of monstrous murders in the climate change-ravaged future of 2008. It features Kim Cattrall, a great monster, flooded tunnels and a fun cast of character actors.

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The horizon is an interesting netherworld of optical phenomena, where -- to the human eye -- ghost ships may sail the sky, phantom islands offer relief to weary sailors, sea monsters tower and alien ships enter the atmosphere. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the Fata Morgana mirage.

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In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe contemplates the deep history of the color of the Pale Blue Dot.

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From glowing rings to flaming sun discs, the halo takes many forms in religious iconography. Why do angels, saints, gods and demigods love standing beneath or in front of these things? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the nature of halos in myth, art and optics.

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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.

What is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe explore the mythic roots of hubris, the psychology of overconfidence and its role in society and business. (Originally published 2/25/2020)

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In this 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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From glowing rings to flaming sun discs, the halo takes many forms in religious iconography. Why do angels, saints, gods and demigods love standing beneath or in front of these things? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the nature of halos in myth, art and optics.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the Mesoamerican weapon known as the Macuahuitl...

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How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss The Moses Illusion, one persistent example from a class of mental phenomena known as “knowledge neglect.”

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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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