The Greatest Nobel Prize Snubs

The Greatest Nobel Prize Snubs

Podcast Transcript As of the recording of this episode, 1,012 people have been awarded Nobel Prizes across every category.  This episode is not about any of them. This episode is about the people who didn’t win a Nobel Prize but arguably should have.  Whether they were the victims of personal petty politics, geopolitics, or sexism, …

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The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud

The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud

Podcast Transcript The Solar System is a pretty big place. When most people think of our Solar System, they probably think of the Sun, the planets, and all their moons. However, the solar system is much larger than most people realize. In fact, it is vastly larger than the model they have in their heads. …

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The History of the Guitar

The History of the Guitar

Podcast Transcript One of the most popular instruments in the world is the guitar.  The guitar is the primary instrument in many popular forms of music today.  Yet, this wasn’t always the case. The guitar is related to multiple stringed instruments and has a lineage that goes back thousands of years.  However, the guitar that …

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The Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror

Podcast Transcript For a 10-month period from September 1793 to July 1794, the nation of France went through a period which could only be called insanity.  In the aftermath of the French Revolution, a small group of radicals took control of the Revolutionary French government and began eliminating all enemies of the revolution, both real …

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Open Source Software

Open Source Software

Podcast Transcript Computer software seems to be everywhere. No matter what kind of computer you use or where you use it, all computers use software.  That is the entire point of a computer.  However, not all software is the same. There are actually enormous differences between software applications. Not just what they do, but how …

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Mass Extinction Events

Mass Extinction Events

Podcast Transcript We like to think of the Earth as a very stable place. While there might be seasonal variation in the weather, things don’t really change that much within our lifetimes.  However, if you take a longer perspective, a much longer perspective, things can change a lot.  In fact, there have been five times …

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Questions and Answers: Volume 29

Questions and Answers: Volume 29

Podcast Transcript If you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, April is a time when days get longer, the temperature gets warmer, and things start to become green again. It is also the month of National Unicorn Day, National Superhero Day, National Take A Wild Guess Day, and, of course, National Hairball Awareness Day. …

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The Crimean War

The Crimean War

Podcast Transcript In the mid-19th century, Europe saw one of its largest wars since the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  The war was ultimately fought over who would pick up the pieces of the failing Ottoman Empire. However, every country that fought in the conflict had its own unique reasons for doing so.  What no …

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The Knuckleball

The Knuckleball

Podcast Transcript In the game of baseball, it might not seem at first glance that there is much strategy involved in the game.  However, there is an enormous amount of strategy that goes into every pitch in the game.  Pitchers have different pitches in their repertoire, which can rise, fall, and curve on their way …

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