Companion podcasts to keep you hyped
Behind every great piece of media is a great podcast (so it seems). Also, eclipse pods! And pancakes! Plus other recommendations and links to make you think.
Welcome to Hurt Your Brain #199, the place to get podcasts and links that will make you think, sent every other Sunday (usually?).
I have a lot of new podcasts on my list to check out, but I’ve gotten sidetracked by a few great companion podcasts, which I then wrote an article about.
On top of that, there are some struggles with finding time to listen to new podcasts.
But even so, there are some real bangers below, and an old eclipse playlist I dug up from 2017. Plus lots of other links that have been building up that I’m excited to share.
If you are eclipsing it up tomorrow, may the clouds be ever in your favor.
Let’s jump in.
PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS
Unexplainable: The Bleeding Edge part 1 and part 2
The Big Idea: “Menstrual fluid’s underexplored medical treasures.” The title of the companion article to these podcast episodes says it all. Medicine has long looked at men as the default in terms of how biology works and how medical studies should be conducted, but here is a great story where very obvious measures to study painful conditions like endometriosis are finally being taken.
I love a good science + medicine story, and this is an excellent two parter.
Imaginary Worlds: Class of ‘84: Turtles, Transformers and Toys Takeover TV
The Big Idea: Like most people, I knew the idea that the late 80’s and 90’s were full of kids cartoons that mainly existed to sell toys. What I didn’t know is that this marriage of merchandise and media is called “toyetic”, and that the stories behind some of these mega franchises of my childhood are actually quite fascinating (and not solely full cynical capitalism mode).
The Recipe with Kenji and Deb: Pancakes
The Big Idea: I’m going to recommend this podcast again because I made Deb’s pancake recipe she discusses on this episode, and damn were they good. I am fully behind podcast formats that encourage real world action as part of the participation.
Website with recipes and transcript.
The Big Idea: I keep hearing how good this show is, and I finally checked out the first few episodes. Here is the official description which says it best: “Weight For It unpacks the nuanced thoughts of fat folks, and of all folks who think about their weight all the time. Through narrative storytelling, and some memoir host Ronald Young Jr. hopes to have the conversations that we tend to avoid when it comes to our bodies.”
I’m two episodes in and loving it. Ronald Young Jr brings a level of introspection and vulnerability about himself and those in his life that is quite rare.
PODCAST LINKS
Three Companion Podcasts To Keep You Hyped. Behind every great piece of media is a great podcast.
The Total Eclipse Playlist. A playlist from all the way back in 2017 that I wrote. My favorite part is the ending: “I am completely jealous of anyone who will be there, but I just recently found out there will be another total solar eclipse passing through the U.S. in just seven years, on April 8, 2024. And it actually cuts through upstate NY where I live, which is incredible luck.” GUESS WHAT PAST SELF? THAT’S TOMORROW! I live in one of the cloudiest places in the US, so I’m going to expect the worst (and of course today is an absolutely blue sky beautiful day and tomorrow does indeed look cloudy).
The playlist still holds up, but I would add these recent episodes to get you in the eclipse mood:
Podcast visual: Exhibit A for my current status of podcast discovery. The longer and more honest title of this is: “The struggle of a podcast recommender who loves podcast discovery but doesn’t want to fall behind on the shows he loves when he finds himself with less time to listen just to, all in an effort to not end up resenting the whole process and burning out.” 2x speed is looking quite nice. Just kidding, that’s crazy. Or is it?
OTHER LINKS TO MAKE YOU THINK
The effects of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) - 4 of spades. This is why you put your own oxygen mask on first.
The Deadliest Infectious Disease of All Time | Crash Course Lecture: “In 2022, this disease killed more people than malaria, typhoid, cholera, homicide, and war, combined.” Must watch for fans of John Green and The Anthropocene Reviewed (or anyone really). It’s long, but worth it.
Why is this number everywhere? Think of a number between 1 and 10. And then watch this video.
4.5 Billion Years in 1 Hour. Some nice background vibes. Evolution and chill.
FOR FUN
The watch people die inside subreddit never disappoints
If our cover letters were honest
Alright that’s all for today. Please like or comment (or reply) if you want to share any comments. See you next time.