This giant pile of podcasts
This giant pile of podcasts
How many podcasts can you ever listen to, Navajo codes in WW2, the most intense scholarship contest, and more podcasts and links to make you think.
Welcome to Hurt Your Brain #201, the place to get podcasts and links that will make you think, sent every other Sunday (usually?).
What if you spent every waking minute of your life listening to podcasts? What is the maximum slice of the podcast pie you could possibly get through? I did the math to find out.
I’m continuing to really enjoy the monthly breakdown of The Power Broker from 99% Invisible (here is link to intro episode). I can sense a future sadness when I’m done with both the book and the podcast series. Are there any other podcast companions to well known books that folks would recommend?
Alright, I have some great recommendations for you, and I don’t think you could go wrong by checking any of these out.
PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS
History’s Secret Heroes: The Unbreakable Navajo Code
The Big Idea: Helena Bonham Carter narrates this very well done BBC history show about “incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.” I knew the very basics of the use of the Navajo language in WW2, but like most things, the details of the real story is even more fascinating.
The Competition: 49 Girls is a Lot
The Big Idea: Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton’s America, Pink Card) has a fantastic new show about one of the most intense college scholarship competitions you’re likely to ever come across. 50 teenage girls (one from each state) compete to win $40,000 as the Distinguished Young Woman of America. Oliaee is able to provide unique access and context to the competition as both a current judge and as a previous competitor (for Nevada in 2001).
Unexplainable: Who’s the daddy? There isn’t one.
The Big Idea: Charlotte the stingray steals all the attention about her mysterious pregnancy, but apparently parthenogenesis (giving birth with no sex involved) is not entirely uncommon in the animal kingdom. It could happen more frequently than expected in animals such as snakes. Life, uh, finds a way.
Song Exploder: The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
The Big Idea: One of my all time favorite songs appearing in Song Exploder is an instant listen. Song Exploder continues to provoke continuous amazement in me around how vastly different musical artists are from each other in their creative process. I loved hearing how playful and nonchalant The Flaming Lips were with this song, and their initial resistance and eventual embracing of its massive success.
Short Wave: How AI Is Cracking The Biology Code
The Big Idea: A short and sweet breakdown on how AI is making massive advancements in understanding protein science (and why that matters).
I loved this quote: “There are theoretically more ways for one single protein to fold than there are stars in our night sky.” (billions of trillions).
PODCAST LINKS
How Many Podcasts Could You Possibly Listen To? What if you spent every second of every waking hour with earbuds in? These are the questions that keep me up at night. Let’s get to the bottom of it.
OTHER LINKS TO MAKE YOU THINK
I Saved 8,904.82 Using My Library Card. And other reasons why the library is amazing.
Merlin Bird ID is free and incredibly simple and well designed, and most important, it works phenomenally. I thought I was hearing an owl, but it was a Mourning Dove. Yes, I’m stupid, but now I know!
How To Make Retirement Less Scary. I’m not over here trying to share retirement tips, but I just love the way this article is illustrated. This is a version of the internet I could get behind.
FOR FUN
I Watched a Guy Eat a Barrel of Cheeseballs. Accurate title and enjoyable ride.
Most boring video of all time? Surely a contender, but this bit at 59:10 is maybe a peek into a true unhinged maniac.
Alright that’s all for today. Please like or comment (or reply) if you want to share any comments. See you next time.