Parasites – Beautiful And Gross And Everywhere
Bees – Fuzzy, cute and essential for our survival
Bees? Yes, bees! They’re cute, they give us honey and without them we wouldn’t have food. And as all of our listeners probably know by now… WE LIKE FOOD!
Learn how bees communicate through dance and pheromones and how they’ve evolved into the perfect pollinators for all of the plants we rely on.
In the Moment Of Meta, we review the 9 enthusiandments we’ve proposed so far:
- Don’t yuck someone else’s yum!
- Any topic can be fascinating when presented with enthusiasm.
- Make sure to share your enthusiasms enthusiastically (you are not too much).
- Thou shalt not fake enthusiasm!
- You don’t have to participate in something to be enthusiastic about it.
- It’s OK to be enthusiastic about something that is flawed.
- Be enthusiastic about people. Always tell your friends what you like about them.
- You don’t have to be an expert in something to be enthusiastic about it (but researching a thing can deepen your enthusiasm for it).
- Seek out adjacent enthusiasms.
Do you have a suggestion for number 10? Tell us all about it in a comment.
Links
Weird Animal Mating Habits – Do It Like They Do On The Discovery Channel
Most species have sex but some have found VERY innovative, funny, strange or just downright bizarre ways of doing it and for some reason, Katie knows a LOT about this weird world. So does Jo, an animal keeper and trainer and our first ever repeat guest.
Learn why giraffes drink pee, what terrifying shape a duck’s penis has, why anglerfish males are the ultimate clingy boyfriends and much more.
Links
Body Disposition – Wanna Be A Tree When You Die?
We hate to break it to you, but you are going to die. What do you want people to do with your corpse?
The most popular options in the west, cremation and burial, are both terrible for the environment, so in this episode Katie talks about better methods for body disposal.
BTWs include voodoo dolls, capitalism and cannibalism.
In the moment of meta Alex talks about enthusiasm for… pigeons?
Links
The Ig Nobel Prize – The Nobel’s Funnier, Dorkier Cousin
Everyone knows about the Nobel Prize but the Ig Nobel Prize is WAY funnier and dorkier. It is given out for science that “makes you laugh and then makes you think.”
The science it awards is cool but the annual ceremony held at Harvard is the funniest thing ever. Especially how they weaponized adorable 8-year old girls to stop speakers from going over time.
BTWs include bee stings, kidney stones and how to hide gold from Nazis.
In the moment of meta Alex talks about enthusiasm for… pigeons?
Links
- The Ig Nobel Prize homepage.
- The 29th first annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony (2019).
- Alex’s 5 favorite winners: Research into cat sounds, Huh? in very language, Most painful bee stings, Why wombat poop is square, Kidney stones and roller coasters.
- The best of Miss Sweetie Poo.
- Why is the Nobel Peace Prize decided in Oslo? No one knows – not even the Nobel foundation.
Piet Hein: Poet or pirate? Why not both!
Piet Hein was a Danish philosopher, mathematician, designer, poet and all-round smart cookie who did amazing work in both science and arts. Be warned: This episode has POETRY!!!
BTWs include Piet Hein (the awesome pirate) and why Danish is the worst language.
In the moment of meta, Katie talks about closing feedback loops and proposes a new enthusiandment: Thou shalt always tell your friends what you like about them.
Links
- Documentary in English about Piet Hein.
- Time Magazine article from 1966 about Piet Hein.
- A selection of grooks in English.
- Piet Hein (the pirate).
- Article on why Danish is hard to learn… even for Danes.
- A linguist explains how Danish became so weird.
- Norwegian comedians ruthlessly mocking the noble Danish language.
- William Carlos Williams – This is just to say.
Niels Bohr: The Man Who Played Dice With The Universe… And Won
Alex gets his hometown pride on and celebrates the life of fellow Copenhagener Niels Bohr, a man who revolutionized physics twice over. He may be the smartest person in physics… and he was definitely the nicest!
Hear about Bohr’s epic feud with Einstein (drama!) and get a very short intro to the weird and freaky world of quantum physics.
BTWs include:
- Nerd humor
- The world’s smartest cat
- Dead people. So many dead people.
This episode was co-written by FDC Willard.
Moment of meta
In the moment of meta we talk about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and which one is better for enthusiasts.
Pics
