Category: Science

Super Boost!

Last Friday, I got my COVID booster shot. I know many of my friends are suspicious of the vaccines, but I think they’re the best defense against a nasty disease. I’m going to use some gun analogies to explain my viewpoint based on the best information that I’ve learned. They aren’t perfect, but they may help.

  1. Vaccine vs Natural Immunity – Think about this like hand-loads vs factory ammunition. Your friend gives you a random hand=load. It’ll probably do the job. However, there’s no idea if it’s going to be super-powered or under-powered just by looking at it. Conversely, while there are occasionally screwed up factory loads, you can generally count on them. Natural immunity will protect you, but you don’t know for how long.

  2. Why Get Vaccine If You Can Still Get COVID? – I routinely carry a gun. Why would I do that if I could still get killed by a bad guy? Because it lessens the chance that a bad guy will want to FAFO, and if he does, it will lessen the chance of a bad outcome.

  3. I’m Healthy With A Strong Immune System – Why would a world-class martial artist still need to carry a gun? Because you don’t want to have to get into melee range. Because you don’t want to have to go up against an armed opponent without a weapon.

  4. They Have [Insert Current Fad Drug Here] – I carry a tourniquet and blood clotting bandage in case of really nasty injuries. I carry my gun to prevent the need to have to use those things. Saying “I’ll just take [current fad drug]” is kinda like saying “I’ll just apply my tourniquet after being shot.”

You know what the worst part of all this? The fucking vaccine became fucking political too fucking fast. If Trump won the presidency, it would be the right screaming to vaccinate everyone, and it would be the left screaming against mandates. How do I know? Because the chattering class fucking admitted to it before the election.

Who Wants Some Links?

First, an article from Active Response Training on spotting a bad guy.

An article from Techradar asking how influential Babylon 5 was for today’s tv shows.

From Flatfile, we have listicle of common Excel mistakes.

From Popular Mechanics, an article about a very long missile shot.. This is interesting considering that I grew up with Tomcats and Phoenix missiles.

Finally, scientists and zookeepers in South Florida identified a new species of spider. The best part of the article is when they say it’s probably already in danger of being wiped out.

A Year of COVID

A lot of us are looking back as this is the week COVID hit. Yeah, the virus was in the US back in January of 2020, but March was when things started shutting down. It was when people started to work from home. It was when toilet paper and hand sanitizer vanished. It was when our government officials lied to us about masks because they didn’t trust us – and then got upset because we no longer trusted them.

I’m disturbed how quickly both sides turned a pandemic into a political football. Trump was the biggest factor in that. It was either everything he said was brilliant and the other side was trying to kill people by denying it, or he was deliberately doing the wrong things to kill people. The noise made it so hard to get reliable information. Even those “independent” voices found themselves swayed one way or another by the Trump tidal wave.

Just as with 9/11 twenty years ago, COVID’s impact has changed the world. I’m seeing this and there are scary parallels to the decades before the fall of the Roman Republic, as well as the time before the French Revolution.

I really hope I’m wrong.

State of the Podcasts 2021

This is the fourth year I’ve reviewed which podcasts I listen to, how I listen to them, and when I listen to them. Part of it’s my own curiosity at how my podcast habits change. I’m also curious what others think about the same podcasts and which podcasts come and go. Here are my previous years’ entries:

State Of Podcasts 2018

State of Podcasts 2019

State of Podcasts 2020

I listen to my podcasts in Overcast. I prefer Overcast because the app deletes podcasts I’ve listened to, plus it has a smart speed feature which will speed up if it hears dead air. Generally, I listen to my podcasts at 2X speed.

An issue I ran into last year was podcasts that fit into multiple categories. So, instead of trying to put each podcast into one category, I’m adding all the applicable categories to each podcast. I also used to designate a podcast as promotable. What I’ve found is that I’m trying to get podcasts around current events (i.e., have a shelf life) up to the top. The rest I listen to as I have time.

Podcast Categories

Comedy – One of the central themes of the podcast is making me laugh

Debate – The podcast uses a formal debate format

Economics – Discusses economic theory and impacts

Entertainment – Main subject matter is an entertainment form or persons

Free Speech – Discussing the current issues and assaults on free speech culture and laws

Government – Discusses the review of government operations

Guns – Discussing gun hardware and associated technology and skills

History – Delving into history in general or one facet/era

Legal – Discussing legal cases and theories

Libertarianism – Discusses libertarian theory

Interview – Substantial episodes interviewing guests

Opposing Views – Hosts regularly espouse politics or theories that are substantially different to my own

Prepping – Discussing prepping gear, methods, and skills

Politics Of The Day (POTD) – Discussion of current political events

Right To Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA) – Discusses issues around gun rights

Science – Discussing current science news and skepticism-related issues

True Crime – Podcast is a narrative/story of real crime events

War – Discusses issues surrounding armed conflicts

Writing Improvement – Helps me improve my writing

My podcasts as of March 2021:
13 Hours Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre (True Crime, Writing Improvement) – This podcast relates the events surrounding an active shooter event in Nova Scotia in 2020.

Advisory Opinions (Legal, POTD) – David French and Sarah Isgur discuss legal issues and theory on the politics of the day. With some pop culture on the side.

Alienating the Audience (Entertainment, Libertarianism, Interview) – Andrew Heaton brings on guests to discuss different aspects of various science-fiction properties.

All the Presidents’ Lawyers (POTD, Opposing Views, Legal) – I picked this one up because Ken White is one of the hosts. It’s a different perspective on Trump’s – and soon to be Biden’s – legal issues than most of my normal feeds.

Angry Planet (War, Interview, Opposing Views) – Formerly known as War College, this podcast is an interesting look at politics and military issues through interviews with specialists.

Assorted Calibers Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Entertainment, Interview) – Weer’d Beard and Erin Pallette are the real reason I listen to this, but the other segments are generally surprisingly good. I’m also a patron, and listen to the Mag Dump round tables, Film Tracks, and Blooper Reels.

Black Man With A Gun (Guns, RKBA, Interview) – After an almost year-long hiatus, Kenn Blanchard continues his musings on gun rights, the black community, and other issues. Yes, I have a fondness for Kenn’s podcast since I wrote the Zombie Strike segment for a few years.

Blocked and Reported (Free Speech, POTD) – Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal discuss the various social media dust-ups with occasional interviews.

Bound By Oath (Legal, Libertarianism) – From the Institute for Justice, this podcast focuses on specific issues. The current season is focusing on the myriad of protections and immunities public officials enjoy.

The Bradenton Times Podcast (Interview, POTD, Opposing Views) – This podcast is focused on my local area. I’m using it to get better acquainted with the ins and outs of Bradenton, Manatee County, and the Sarasota area. It’s still new enough that I’m not sure if I have all the categories correct.

Bribe, Swindle, and Steal (Interview, True Crime, Opposing Views, Writing Improvement) – This one popped up when I was searching for podcasts on white-collar crime. It focuses on issues, challenges, and items that are of note for compliance officials.

Cato Daily Podcast (Libertarianism, Economics, Interview, POTD) – A good quick podcast that covers various topics from a libertarian viewpoint.

Cato Events Podcast (Economics, Libertarianism, POTD) – Recordings of various panels put on by the Cato Institute. I’ve heard a lot of very interesting discussions and arguments. Some, not so much. I would recommend listening even if the subject doesn’t seem interesting. I’ve been surprised by what I learned.

Clockwise (Tech) – Two hosts and two guests discuss four tech topics in thirty minutes. Sometimes those topics on current tech news. Sometimes it’s just musing on tech and life. Generally enjoyable.

Daily Tech Headlines (Tech) – Good fast summary of the big tech stories.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (History, Writing Improvement)- Dan Carlin’s storytelling on various historical events is spellbinding. Unfortunately infrequent, which can be a bit daunting since he does multi-part stories. I highly recommend, when possible, going back and relistening to the previous parts before continuing onto the new one.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Addendum (History, Interview, Writing)- A companion to the Hardcore History podcast where Dan Carlin does segments outside his normal narrative style.

The Dispatch Podcast (POTD, Interview) – The flagship podcast of The Dispatch network, the Wednesday show has the main hosts discussing the politics of the day, while the Friday show is an interview with a newsmaker, thought provoker, or just someone the hosts like.

Econtalk (Interview, Economics)- Economist Russ Roberts does great interviews with a wide variety of guests and topics. I’ve been learning a lot on economics, and even more on some wildly different topics.

The Economist (POTD, Opposing Views)- I listen to the Economist, because it provides a different perspective and reports on areas that barely hit my normal feeds.

The Editors (POTD) – Editors from National Review discussing the issues of the day. Part of my keeping an idea of the conservative side of the issues of the day.

FBI Retired Case File Review (Interview, True Crime, Writing Improvement) – A former FBI Special Agent and current author interviews retired FBI agents about the cases that had a unique impact on them.

The Femsplainers (Interview, POTD, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – The hosts discuss free speech, free thoughts, and feminism of the issues of the day.

The Fifth Column (POTD, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – This is an excellent roundup focusing on the issues of the day and how the media reports them. They also bring on guests who will disagree with them and have excellent discussions.

Firearms Nation (Guns, Interview) – Interview podcast with leading competition shooters and others to discuss both competition and practical shooting techniques and strategies. I’ll be honest, if they’re just discussing how to make you a better competition shooter, I’m more likely to bypass it. However, they have had some great interviews on self-defense and self-defense scenarios.

Free Thoughts (Interview, Libertarianism) – The hosts interview authors who promulgate new books that cover or intersect with libertarian issues and theories.

GAO Podcast (Interview, Government) – The Government Accountability Office discussed some of their reviews they’ve done on federal agencies.

Geeks Gadgets and Guns (Guns, Tech, Entertainment, POTD, RKBA) – A couple of geeks discussing guns and other geeky stuff – with sometimes politics intruding.

GLoP Culture (POTD, Entertainment) – The hosts muse on the POTD, and the entertainment industry.

Gun and Gear Review (Guns) – This is a good review podcast for new stuff in the gun world. I enjoy the reviews and the banter between the hosts.

Guns Guide To Liberals (RKBA) – This is a good podcast focusing on techniques to use when talking about guns and RKBA to those who don’t share our views.

Handgun Radio (Guns, Interview) – Delving more into the history and technological aspects of guns – mostly handguns. Also, just fun musings on different aspects of guns. Sometimes they bring on interesting guests.

Handgun World (Guns, Interview, RKBA) – Bob has good information on carrying and self-protection, but sometimes his views annoy me, particularly when he goes off on rising evil.

High Caliber History (Guns, History, Interview) – Logan Metesh interviews specialists on the history of guns, as well as lending his own vast expertise.

The History of WWII Podcast (History, Interview) – This one is going through WWII chronologically, with interview episodes interspersed.

The Incomparable Game Show (Comedy) – Rotating panels playing rotating series of ostensibly board games. Often hilarious, sometimes dangerously so when driving.

Left, Right, & Center (POTD, Opposing Views) – This covers the week’s political events with a progressive, a conservative, and a host who’s a left-leaning centrist. Guests are brought on to provide additional commentary – who have been overwhelmingly on the left-side of the aisles.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen (POTD) – Charles Cooke and Kevin Williamson opine on the issues of the day and other things that amuse them.

Make No Law (Free Speech, History, Legal)- Ken White delves into the case law around the First Amendment and free speech. Unfortunately infrequent.

Managing Uncertainty (Prepping, Writing Improvement) – This podcast is mainly focused on risk management from an organizational standpoint, but I find it’s useful as a prepping exercise as well.

The Michael Shermer Show (Interview, Science, Opposing Views) – Michael Shermer interviews scientists, scholars, and other intellectuals on a variety of topics.

The One With Greg Gutfield (POTD, Interview, Entertainment) – Sometimes Greg interviews a variety of guests. Other times, it’s just clips from his tv show.

Part of the Problem (POTD, Libertarianism)- Rabid anti-war libertarian comedian Dave Smith is interesting. He’s certainly challenging some of my ideas. Particularly when he veers over to the conspiracy theories.

Polite Society Podcast (RKBA, POTD, Interview, Opposing Views) – The hosts interview people in the RKBA movement, while also discussing news (often gun-related), and self-defense analysis.

The Political Orphanage (Interview) – Andrew Heaton interviews a variety of individuals to discuss issues. Not necessarily just the POTD.

Pop & Locke (Entertainment, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – This one looks at pop culture media (books, TV, movies) through the libertarian lens. Sometimes the panel goes a little more woke than I appreciate.

Popular Front (Interview, War, Opposing Views) – A look into smaller conflicts going on or unusual aspects of modern warfare.

The Portal (Interview, Free Speech, Economics) – Eric Weinstein discusses a variety of subjects with guests. Very high-intelligence demanding.

Power Problems (Interview, Libertarianism) – A Cato podcast focusing on foreign affairs.

The Pursuit (Libertarianism) – The first season was a great overview of government seizures of private property, with the second going into various abuses of power by the government.

Quillette Podcast (Interviews, Free Speech) – Interviews and articles focusing in on free speech issues and cancel culture.

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie (Interview, Liberatarianism) – Reason editor interviews a variety of guests. This would be an even better podcast if they had a different host.

The Reason Roundtable (POTD) – Four editors from Reason discuss the issues of the day.

The Remnant With Jonah Goldberg (Interview, POTD) – The Wednesday show is interviewing pundits, politicians, and others. The Friday show is Jonah musings.

Revolutions (History, Writing Improvement) – Really good series on various revolutions. Each season goes through one of the more pivotal revolutions in history, starting with the English Revolution.

The Rewatchables – (Entertainment) Variety panel of guests discussing a movie that is considered highly rewatchable. Depending on what movie they’re reviewing, if it’s one I haven’t seen, I’ll delete it.

Roboskull Cast – (Entertainment) A Robotech podcast where the hosts go through the episodes and the new comics. One has seen the series, one is watching it, and neither were old enough to watch in ’85. The hosts are finished up with the series and the movies, so new podcasts are going to be light on the ground unless/until something Robotech-media breaks (new comics, movies, etc)

Self-Defense Gun Stories (Guns) – I like the analysis of what went right and wrong from a variety of professional trainers. This is another I recommend to new shooters and those who are thinking about using a gun for self-defense.

Short Circuit (Legal, Libertarianism) – From the Institute of Justice, this one discusses notable cases that IJ is arguing. I put it under libertarian theory rather than politics because it discusses legal libertarian arguments rather than issues of the day.

Skeptics Guide to The Universe (Science, Opposing Views) – This was my first science podcast and really helped forge my skepticism.

Skeptoid (Science) – Another one that helped in developing my skeptical outlook. It takes a particular pseudo-science claim and investigates with a skeptical eye.

So To Speak (Free Speech, Interview) – FIRE’s podcast discussing free speech issues. The guests and legal theories put this more into theory although it sometimes delves into the issues of the day.

The SoHo Forum Debates (Debate, Economics, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – Oxford-rules debates on a variety of issues.

Techmeme Ride Home (Tech) – This is a relatively short, but thorough examination of the big news in tech.

The Tom Woods Show (Economics, Libertarianism, Interview, POTD) – A mainstay of the Mises wing of the libertarian world interviews and discusses events and theories.

Unregistered with Thaddeus Russell (Interview, Libertarianism, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – Thaddeus interviews a varied list of guests he finds intriguing. Some are very interesting, some less so.

The Way I Heard It With Mike Rowe (Entertainment, History, Writing Improvement) – After growing up with Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story”, this one is a wonderful substitute.

Words & Numbers (Economics, Libertarianism, POTD, Interview) – An economist and a political scientist discuss different aspects of economics from a libertarian perspective. Sometimes dipping into issues of the day.

Arecibo Radio Telescope Collapses

For the perspective, I’m just going to quote Wikipedia’s preface paragraph:

The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), is an observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico owned by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

You may recognize it as the site of many an adventure or sci-fi film.

The observatory’s main instrument was the Arecibo Telescope, a 305 m (1,000 ft) spherical reflector dish built into a natural sinkhole, with a cable-mount steerable receiver and several radar transmitters for emitting signals mounted 150 m (492 ft) above the dish. Completed in 1963, it was the world’s largest single-aperture telescope for 53 years, surpassed in July 2016 by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in China. Following two cable breaks supporting the receiver platform in the prior months, the NSF stated on November 19, 2020 that it was decommissioning the telescope due to safety concerns. On December 1, 2020 the main telescope collapsed before controlled demolition could be conducted.

Yeah. Collapsed. See for yourself:

Mount Saint Helens, Plus 40 Years

Monday was the fortieth anniversary of the Mt. Saint Helens eruption. I have vague memories of the eruption when it happened, as I was only a kindergartner and on the other side of the continent. The Wife was living in Washington State at the time and remembers the ash fall.

This is an interesting little video out out by the Smithsonian Channel:

State of Podcasts 2020

Previous Podcast Posts:

State Of Podcasts 2018

State of Podcasts 2019

This is the third year I’ve reviewed which podcasts I listen to, how I listen to them, and when I listen to them. Part of it’s my own curiosity at how my podcast habits change. I’m also curious what others think about the same podcasts and which podcasts come and go.

I list the podcasts into some broad groups, with any annotations about frequency I listen to them or general impressions. I listen to my podcasts in Overcast. I prefer Overcast because the app deletes podcasts I’ve listened to, plus it has a smart speed feature which will speed up if it hears dead air. Generally, I listen to my podcasts at 2X speed.

I used to use three playlists, but I’ve consolidated it down to one playlist. I was finding over the past year that I wasn’t listening to my history or writing playlists. So, now I’m just down to my Daily playlist. This is a playlist of what I want to listen to during my commutes, work, and other times. I used to have certain podcasts for certain days/times, but the volume and rate with which I go through podcasts makes that difficult. Some are “promotable”, which means they go to the top. The rest are filler, and I’ll get to them when I can – or just delete them if they don’t capture my interest.

My podcasts as of March 2020:

Comedy/Entertainment

Friendly Fire – Three guys watching and critiquing war films. Sometimes they get a bit too much into the art of film, or into the wokeness world, but I generally end up enjoying what they bring to the film. This is filler.

The Incomparable Game Show – Rotating panels playing rotating series of obstensibly board games. Often hilarious, sometimes dangerously so when driving. It’s filler.

Penn’s Sunday School – Penn prognosticating on the world with a few of his friends and/or guests. Hilarity ensues. This is a promotable.

The Rewatchables – Variety panel of guests discussing a movie that is considered highly rewatchable. It’s filler.

Roboskull Cast – A Robotech podcast where the hosts go through the episodes and the new comics. One has seen the series, one is watching it, and neither were old enough to watch in ’85. It’s filler.

Economics / Libertarian Theory

Cato Events Podcast – Recordings of various panels put on by the Cato Institute. I’ve heard a lot of very interesting discussions and arguments. Some, not so much. I would recommend listening even if the subject doesn’t seem interesting. I’ve been surprised by what I learned. It’s filler.

Econtalk – Economist Russ Roberts does great interviews with a wide variety of guests and topics. I’ve been learning a lot on economics, and some wildly different topics. This is a promotable.

Free Thoughts – Interview podcast on libertarian issues and theories. It’s a filler.

GAO Podcast – GAO discussing some of their reviews they’ve done on federal agencies. This is filler.

Make No Law – Ken White delves into the case law around the First Amendment and free speech. It’s a promotable when it infrequently drops.

Pop & Locke – This one looks at pop culture media (books, TV, movies) through the libertarian lens. It’s filler.

Power Problems – A Cato podcast focusing on foreign affairs. It’s a filler.

The Pursuit – The first season was a great overview of government seizures of private property, with the second going into various abuses of power by the government. It’s filler.

Short Circuit – From the Institute of Justice, this one discusses notable cases that IJ is arguing. I put it under libertarian theory rather than politics because it discusses legal libertarian arguments rather than issues of the day. This is filler.

So To Speak – FIRE’s podcast discussing free speech issues. The guests and legal theories put this more into theory although it sometimes delves into the issues of the day. This is filler.

The SoHo Forum Debates – Oxford-rules debates on a variety of issues. It’s a filler.

The Tom Woods Show – A mainstay of the Mises wing of the libertarian world interviews and discusses events and theories. It’s filler.

Words & Numbers – Two economists from the Foundation For Economic Education discuss different aspects of economics from a libertarian perspective. Sometimes dipping into issues of the day. It’s filler.

Guns, RKBA, and Prep

Assorted Calibers Podcast – The spiritual successor to the Gun Blog Variety Cast. Weer’d Beard and Erin Pallette are the real reason I listen to this, but the other segments are generally pretty good. I’m also a patron, and listen to the Mag Dump round tables, Film Tracks, and Blooper Reels. This is a promotable.

Concealed Carry Podcast – This is a good podcast that will do interviews or just discussion from the hosts. It’s filler.

Firearms Nation – Interview podcast with leading competition shooters and others to discuss both competition and practical shooting techniques and strategies. It’s a filler.

Geeks Gadgets and Guns – A couple of geeks discussing guns and other geeky stuff. It’s filler.

Gun and Gear Review – This is a good review podcast for new stuff in the gun world. I enjoy the reviews and the banter between the hosts. It’s filler, but may go to promotable in the next year.

Guns Guide To Liberals – This is a good podcast focusing on how to talk about guns and RKBA to those who don’t share our views. It’s a promotable.

Handgun Radio – This one I’ve been enjoying. Especially the in-depth histories of different firearms companies. It’s a promotable.

Handgun World – This one is filler on my Daily playlist. Bob has good information, but sometimes his views annoy me, particularly when he goes off on rising evil. This one’s filler.

Managing Uncertainty – This podcast is mainly focused on risk management from an organizational standpoint, but I find it’s useful as a prepping exercise as well. It’s filler.

MichaelBane.TV On The Radio – This is the successor to DownRange.TV podcast, with Michael opining on the gun world. It’s filler.

Polite Society Podcast – Good information, but often too long if I have a backlog. This one is filler.

Save The Second – Podcast on the current issues with the NRA and the fight to reform the organization. It’s filler.

Self-Defense Gun Stories – I like the analysis of what went right and wrong from a variety of professional trainers. This is another I recommend to new shooters and those who are thinking about using a gun for self-defense. This one is filler.

Skip’s Tactical Solutions Podcast – Avery’s a new voice in the gun podcast world, and I find some of her insights fascinating. It doesn’t hurt that she’s local. I may end up taking a class from her if I can scrape up the cash/time. It’s filler.

This Week In Guns – Three hosts talk on issues in the gun world. It’s a promotable.

Trigger Words – Just subscribed to this one and haven’t made up my mind. It’s filler.

History

Hardcore History – Dan Carlin’s storytelling on various historical events is spellbinding. This is promotable on the infrequent occasions new podcasts show up.

Hardcore History: Addendum – A companion to the Hardcore History podcast where Dan Carlin does segments outside his normal narrative style. This one is promotable.

The History of WWII Podcast – This one is going through WWII chronologically, with interview episodes interspersed. It’s filler.

Revolutions – Really good series on various revolutions. Each season goes through one of the more pivotal revolutions in history, starting with the English Revolution. This is a promotable.

Intellectual Dark Web / Interview

The Femsplainers – Christina Hoff Summers and her sidekicks discuss free speech, free thoughts, and feminism of the issues of the day. It’s a promotable.

The Long Game – Long interview form podcast with different former and current politicians. This is definitely on the progressive side of the aisle.It’s filler on my Daily playlist.

Popular Front – A look into smaller conflicts going on or unusual aspects of modern warfare. It’s filler.

Quillette Podcast – Interviews and articles focusing in on free speech issues and cancel culture. It’s filler.

The Reason Interview With Nick GillespieReason editor interviews a variety of guests. This would be an even better podcast if they had a different host. It’s filler.

The Portal – Eric Weinstein discusses a variety of subjects with guests. Very high-intelligence demanding. It’s filler.

The Rubin Report – Long form interview with an eye to free speech and social justice zealotry issues. It’s a promotable.

Unregistered with Thaddeus Russell – Thaddeus interviews a varied list of guests. Some are very interesting, some less so. It’s a filler.

War College – An interesting look at politics and military issues through interviews with specialists. It’s filler.

Politics of the Day

Advisory Opinions – David French and co-host from The Dispatch discuss legal issues and theory on the politics of the day. With some pop culture on the side. It’s a promotable.

The Argument – The New York Times takes the Left, Right, & Center format, takes one big step to the progressive left, and discusses the issues of the day. Sometimes frustrating, but a good look into the minds of on the political left. It’s a promotable.

Cato Daily Podcast – A good quick bit in various topics from a libertarian viewpoint. This is filler.

Contra Krugman – Bob Murphy and Tom Woods tear apart a Paul Krugman column using Austrian economics. It’s filler.

The Dispatch Podcast – Kind of like The Editors, but for The Dispatch. It’s a promotable.

The Economist – I listen to the Economist, because it provides a different perspective and reports on areas that barely hit my normal feeds. This is a promotable.

The Editors – Editors from National Review discussing the issues of the day. Part of my keeping an idea of the conservative side of the issues of the day. It’s a promotable.

The Federalist Radio Hour – Editors of the Federalist website interviews guests about the issues of the day. This is filler.

The Fifth Column – This is a really good roundup focusing on the issues of the day and how the media reports them. It’s a promotable.

Left, Right, & Center – This covers the week’s political events with a progressive, a conservative, a left-leaning centrist, and often some guests. This a promotable.

LRC Presents: All the President’s Lawyers – I picked this one up because Ken White is one of the hosts. It’s a different perspective on Trump’s legal issues than most of my normal feeds. It’s a promotable.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen – Charles Cooke. That’s why I listen to this podcast. It’s a promotable.

The One With Greg Gutfield – Greg does interviews in the way only Greg can do. Currently promotable.

Part of the Problem – Rabid anti war libertarian comedian Dave Smith is interesting. He’s certainly challenging some of my ideas. Particularly when he beers over to the conspiracy theories. Promotable.

The Political Orphanage – Politics of the day with a heaping helping of humor. It’s a promotable.

The Remnant With Jonah Goldberg – Politics of the day from The Dispatch’s Jonah Goldberg. It’s promotable.

The Reason Roundtable – Four editors from Reason discuss the issues of the day. It’s a promotable.

Squirrel Report – Three former bloggers talking over the issues of the day. Amusing with gusts of hilarity. It’s promotable.

Science and Skepticism

The Prism Podcast – A dentist and a pediatrician interview guests and discuss skeptical topics. It’s a filler.

Skeptics Guide to The Universe – This was my first science podcast and really helped forge my skepticism. It’s a promotable.

Science Salon – Michael Shermer interviews scientists, scholars, and other intellectuals on a variety of topics. It’s filler.

Skeptoid – Another one that helped in developing my skeptical outlook. It’s filler.

True Stories

Cults – This goes through various cults that have popped up. It focuses mainly on North American cults in the twentieth century, and generally covers the cult over two episodes. Generally, I wait for both parts to drop and then listen to them together. This is filler.

Espionage – This one talks about particular spies in history and some of their methods. Generally each spy is given two episodes. I wait for both parts to drop and then listen to them together. This is filler.

Hostage – This podcast goes through a particular hostage event. Most are done in two-part episodes, and I generally wait until both parts drop to listen to them together. This is filler.

This Is War – The host relates a combat veteran’s story interspersed with the veteran providing his/her own insights. This is the brutal personal side of combat and its effects on a person – both physical and emotional. It’s filler.

The Way I Heard It With Mike Rowe – After growing up with Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story”. this one is a wonderful substitute. It’s a promotable.

Tech

Clockwise – Two hosts and two guests discuss four tech topics in thirty minutes. Generally enjoyable. It’s a promotable.

Daily Tech Headlines – Good summary of big tech stories. It’s promotable.

Dinosaur Tail Preserved In Amber

The most noticeable feature is that it is covered in feathers.

The 99-million-year-old amber had already been polished for jewellery and the seller had thought it was plant material. On closer inspection, however, it turned out to be the tail of a feathered dinosaur about the size of a sparrow.

From what I understand, feathers started out as a means of insulation and only later evolved to help with flight.