In this episode, you’ll learn what midwifery is all about from a professional midwife who runs a birth center in Northern California. Our special guest Allison Blackham talks about the relationship midwifery has with the healthcare industry, the history of midwifery, the risks and rewards of childbirth, and even the odd requests she has gotten from…

When you think of authority, what is the first color that you think of? What is authority? What are social contracts? Where does authority come from? What is the difference between power and authority? Commercial: Listen to more episodes! Looking through The Power of Political Authority, a book by Michael Huemer. Implicit and explicit consent. What…

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What is a consumer?Producers vs. consumers in the ecological worldWhat is the difference between consumerism and materialism?Are consumers more empowered than before?Protecting consumersMarketing and consumer behaviorThe obsession with acquisitionBlack FridayMorality and Spending (e.g., “Fair Trade”)Customizing consumerismClothing subscription serv…

With guest Pascal Guyon! Pascal is a musician, an investor, and more. In this episode, he shares his insights about the music industry and where it’s headed.Positive Feedback Loop

Our guest was Lyn Ulbricht of the Free Ross movement. Ross Ulbricht was convicted of crimes associated with the Silk Road. Topics discussed in this episode: Ross’s experience in federal prison. Libertarian philosophy. Becoming a public figure; opportunities for public speaking. Learning about law, government, and rights. Seeking clemency. Experienc…

Is memory reliable? Has technology changed how we remember? What is the purpose of memory? How do you want to be remembered? All this and more in this episode about memory.Positive Feedback Loop

Ray and Steph recorded this week without Luis, but he’ll be back next week! In this episode about events, Ray and Steph discuss some memorable events and try to determine what defines an event. Does an event have to have a purpose, a focus? Hackathons, VR, Facebook Live. Event logs in computing. Event as initiation. Burning man. An unplanned event.…

In this episode we define truth and we compare truth vs. reality. Then, we talk about the role of data in truth-seeking, and ask, will the truth set us free? Is ignorance bliss? What does it mean to be a truth seeker? The responsibility of truth, painful truths, perceptions of truth, truth vs. belief, truth in religion and science. What is the valu…

In this episode we start with some stories about famous liars. Then we talk about types of lies. We discuss pathological liars, influence, the dating world, and employment. Commercial: Lie Detector Siren. Are we lying more? Social media, justification, blockchain’s impact, why and when we lie, social pressure.…

What happens—or could happen—to our data after we die? Listen to Ray, Luis, and Steph talk about the possibilities.Positive Feedback Loop

In this episode, we talk about forms of meditation and prayer. We discuss topics such as Tai Chi, taking the time to think, running as meditation, Ray's temple visit, the role of silence, the rhythms of our bodies, chanting, ASMR, breathing, singing, flying, and slowing down. Also, joining us during the commercial for a "moment of ohm."…

In this episode, we talk about attention. Have our attention spans gotten longer or shorter or stayed the same? What distracts us? How does the future of marketing impact our attention? Can AI lose attention, or is AI attention limited? What are the dimensions of attention? Is attention quality tied to the quality of our relationships? Cultural att…

What defines an influencer? The Present: How much do influencers get paid? How do you become an influencer? What is more effective for advertising: macro-influencers or micro-influencers? The dark side of influencer marketingThe Past: The history of influencers — Ancient Rome, Coco Wine, Vaudeville, etc.Commercial: DinnerSmashThe Future: AI influen…

What are some popular conspiracy theories? Can a conspiracy theory be proven wrong? How have social media propagated conspiracy theories and what are the implications for free speech? Should communication platforms limit or block conspiracy theorists? What is your favorite conspiracy theory?Positive Feedback Loop

What Kari is working on at Screen Door Labs, what augmented reality can do for first responders, AR features that are well-suited for serving first responders, the hardware she has worked with, and where Kari thinks the future of AR is headed. We also discuss one-way and two-way AR. Commercial: Screen Door LabsWe begin the second half of the episod…

From online forums of the 1980s to social media and beyondForms of spamWhy do people send spam?Statistician Paul GrahamRobo callsSpam vs. scamsCAN-SPAM ActCommercial: Future Spam ProtectionSpam in social media, online reviews, etc.Fake followers and bot engagementIs spam in the eye of the receiver?What is spam, really?How can you avoid being spammy…

What is Compassion Fatigue? The difference between Compassion Fatigue and BurnoutThe Green CrossCharles Figley and the Figley InstituteCommercial: Robot PatientsCaring for aging parentsResilienceSurvivor vs. victim mentalityPost-traumatic growthExperiences that can result in compassion fatigueHow to treat compassion fatigue…

A special thanks to Alex Straley, a leadership development consultant at IBM, for joining us! Alex's views in this episode are solely his own and does not represent IBM.Episode notes:Characteristics of bad bossesWhat makes a bad boss “bad”?There is not one kind of managementManagers vs. leadersMilitary leadershipCruel work environmentsWhy are we me…

Episode notes: What is a nation-state?Globalization and local communitiesHow will Bitnation redefine the nation-state?Security and jurisdictionGovernment is like an icecream shopGlobalization and the preservation of cultureThe potential for private armiesGovernments’ roles in genocidesWar and land/conflictThe Pangea appThe technology of BitnationCo…

Sandra Miller IntroWhat is Democracy.Earth? Origins of Democracy Earth FoundationDemocracy and votingProblem to be solved- CorruptionCommercial - DemocracyEarth Ambassador Program How do you prove your identity without a third party?Facebook as an authoritarian regimeTrustHow the Internet has changedDavid Bowie analogy about the internetHow you can…

What role will bitcoin play in the future of money?Positive Feedback Loop

We start with our first memories of the Internet. Then we discuss fake news and echo chambers. Can we find good sources and can we trust the press? What is a good incentive structure for journalism? Is journalism (or can it be) unbiased? Infographics and data without context. Listening and understanding vs. winning arguments. Outrage: our biologica…

This episode is all about why and how to forgive, gaining back trust, making mistakes, the purpose of forgiveness, and more. Commercial: ConfessionalPositive Feedback Loop

Utopia 3: How Do We Get There?From the perspective of inputsHow do you make real your utopic vision of the future?Barriers to reaching utopiaTypes of utopias, e.g., techno-utopia, eco-utopia, agrarian utopiaThe near future: what can we do to get on a trajectory toward utopiaHow do you reach Mormon utopia?Utopia: do we need to share core values?The …

Perception, crafting an apology, timing, blame, responsibility, hurt, guilt, and more! Examples include: Kitchenaid, Amazon reviews, Dove, Netflix, Apple, a steakhouse in Brighton MA, Electronic Arts, Tesla, etc.Positive Feedback Loop

We’ve discussed what Utopia might look like, but how do you get there? The future of Artificial IntelligenceUtopia or Eutopia?CommercialThe future of workWill technological trends take us to a dystopia?Positive Feedback Loop

Episode notes: What are we grateful for?Is gratitude natural?The benefits of being gratefulDaily gratitudeCommercial: Presidentially Pardoned TurkeysWhen you shouldn’t be gratefulGrateful for challengesPositive Feedback Loop

In this episode, the three co-hosts describe their very different concepts of utopia. Episode notes:Mormon UtopiaIs modern society the past’s utopia?What is consciousness?Do any two people imagine the same utopia?Ray’s utopia: all people become one unified energy outside of timeMatryoshka Brain Static vs. dynamic worldLuis’s utopia of work and leis…

Episode notes:What are pets? Being a “pet parent”What’s in an animal’s mind?Humans raised by animalsDo animals feel emotions similar to humans’?Commercial: Petcestry GenomicsWhy do we have pets?Homeless petsPeople who poison other people’s petsRay’s chameleon Luis’s dogSteph’s dog Worm charmingAre people like their pets?Caring for pets vs. children…

Most destructive diseases in historyContagionSocial contagionThe spread of ideasShould you vaccinate your child?Travel and diseaseThe Anthrax storyDisease in warSuicide contagionCommercial: Minority animal diseasesWorld of Warcraft and the CDCStudying the spread of diseaseGoogle Flu TrendsDancing Plague of 1518Fictitious monsters on the InternetLep…

Episode notes:MIT’s Moral Machine test Who would you save?Fate and interference, guilt Kant’s autonomous moralityUtilitarianismPatience with people vs. machinesMBTA and Amtrak storiesConsumer comfort with driverless carsBlame in autonomous vehicle accidentsThe future of machine autonomyApplying moral frameworks in the context of changing technology…

This is a Listeners’ Choice episode! The topic ("the importance of celebration”) was submitted by Akshay. We also talked about birthdays, which was submitted by Jan Marie! Episode notes: Is “celebrating the everyday” really a celebration?Celebrations as checkpointsCelebration vs. recurring holidaysLuis’ story about his mother’s giftsRay on Turkish …

Episode notes: What we did before we started the MBA programThe role of diversity and different types of diversityChoosing extracurricularsWhat is a case competition?“Teaming” A clear vision vs. experimentationCommercial: Bartholomew's School for Shady BusinessHow to network effectivelySkills for learning in the classroom…

What is a “golden age”?How do we know if we are in a golden age?The golden ages of media: television, information, radio, video games… The golden age of hip hopAre we able to identify a golden age while we’re in it?Commercial: Customized Element AgesThe golden age of televisionThe metrics for identifying a golden ageIs ubiquity or acceleration a si…

What defines sleep?What’s your common sleep position?Why do we sleep?Sleep deprivationThe relationship of anxiety and sleepSleep apnea and night terrorsNaps and siestasCommercial: Hypernation PillsSleep paralysis and kanashibariCultural views of sleepDebunking bunker: Does turkey make you sleepy?Food and sleep: Rip Van Winkle, pizza dreamsHow to fa…

Baby BowlingThomas Gotchi“Nothing”Barry BerriesThe Screaming RoomRay’s Fireworks BarnSnow BoxPositive Feedback Loop

*Special episode* We visited the Popnology Exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science! In this episode we discuss some topics that come up in the exhibit, such as: Lots of robotic arms (e.g., Baxter!)Space ElevatorWhat the smartphone has replacedThe love for retroDigital vs. 35mm photography3-D printed carsA world with flying carsThe wall of tech prophe…

What is a MOOC?Are MOOCs more interesting than normal college courses?Are MOOCs the future?Are online courses effective?The role of online learning in the workplaceWho learns online?Can one put online learning on a resume?Commercial: PifflorationsYou can learn just about anything onlineOnline misinformation: how do you know what’s true?The modulari…

Ep. 32: Venture Capital (with Carlo Santelli of Stonehenge Capital)Carlo Santelli explains growth capital The role of venture capital in community developmentTrends in the private equity and venture capital worldsAre the unicorns in a bubble?Networking in the VC worldDoes size matter?The management teamThe college majors that will prepare you for w…

When are you most bored?Are children more prone to boredom than adults?Inactivity vs. boredomIs boredom related to imagination, motivation, energy?Boredom as a lack of freedom Boredom from entertainment overloadBoredom as a source of innovation and creativity Commercial: Bartholomew’s School for Active ChildrenAre we more bored as a society than we…

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