The best 38 podcasts from a larger group of 174 for the week are shown below. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted titles to get single podcasts and explore the source, although it’s easier to get all of them as a zip file here for the next four months. A collection of over 7500 similar podcasts grouped by topic can be downloaded here, but those files total over 45GB and take awhile to transfer. The first entry of that collection is a text file listing all the titles for quick searches and researching. All these abstracts have also been assembled alphabetically in two large free volumes at this link and are updated quarterly. Even more diversity is possible using a podcast aggregator loaded with this opml file of 256 sources so even the discarded podcasts can be downloaded and you can make your own selected list.
Adderall Perspectives 31 mins – “’All my life I felt like I was playing a sport with one leg, and now suddenly I had two.” That’s how one user describes his first experience with Adderall – a psychoactive stimulant that works by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain. In episode #98, Jesse goes off-script with the normal episode format and throws four prescribed Adderall users into the mix. You will hear perspectives on everything from initial experiences with the drug and dosages to weighing the positive against the negative effects. Get ready to walk away with a strong opinion… but it could go either way.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Autism Attitudes 52 mins – “How have our attitudes to autism changed since the disorder’s first definition in 1943? Steve Silberman is an American journalist who writes about technology for Wired magazine and the New Yorker. His new book Neurotribes is a thorough study of how autism has evolved. Silberman’s new book charts the evolution of autism, from its origins in the shadows of the second world war, up to the current campaign to reframe autism as something to be accepted and accommodated, rather than eradicated. In the book, Silberman eveals the perfect storm of social forces that led to the sudden increase in autism diagnoses beginning in the late 1980s. He also highlights some of the most cutting-edge science and innovation that has been wrought by people on the autistic spectrum.ge of their natural gifts. Also, the recreation of part of the brain of a rat, and why George Boole‘s bicentenary is worth celebrating.The Guardian’s James Randerson also talks about phase two of the #keepitintheground campaign.” At the link right-click “Download MP3”and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Blind Technology 20 mins – “Discussion on why the RNIB’s [Royal National Institute of Blind People] library catalogue is partly inaccessible ..Listener Eve Smyth is a keen reader who, as a member of a number of reading groups, enjoys browsing through book catalogues like the RNIB’s library of braille and audiobooks. However, last September she became unable to log in. We find out why, and ask Dr Mike Townsend from the British Computer Association of the Blind what can be done to solve this problem.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Brain Bee Championship 13 mins – “The 2015 International Brain Bee Championship has just taken place in Cairns.” These are teenage students of neurology. At the link right-click “MP3” beside the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Broadband Open Access 31 mins “The holy grail of Internet access for many of us continues to be a situation in which multiple providers can compete on a level playing field, which should lower costs to subscribers and encourage innovation. Often called open access, this may involve a municipality building a fiber optic network and making it available on a wholesale level – a model that has been tried to various degrees of success. This week, we talk with Tim Pozar, a long time Internet entrepreneur and community network enthusiast, about why he supports that model and his ideal method of engineering such a network. We talk about different possibilities for how to design the network and trade-offs involved with those choices. Tim has worked for many years to encourage this model in San Francisco, which already has some of the locally rooted ISPs that we would hope would ultimately thrive if the City had that type of network available.” At the link right-click “…download this Mp3….” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Buddhism 18 mins – “What is the nature of the self? What is reality? How should we live? These are fundamental philosophical questions. Graham Priest discusses how such questions have been discussed in the Buddhist tradition for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.” At the link right-click beside “Direct download:” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Capacitors 78 mins – “Electrical engineer James Lewis stops by to share his insights on the surprisingly complex world of capacitors.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cephalosporins 6 mins – “It may not surprise you to hear that a story which starts knee-deep in sewage will end with the spread of drug resistant infections like MRSA and c. dif. But this story doesn’t take an obvious path, meandering as it does through the history of medicine, along paths paved with the best of intentions, setting the scene for what may be the biggest health challenge mankind has faced since the dawn of medicine. This is the story of cephalosporins – a diverse class of structurally similar antibiotics….” At the link right-click “Download: CIIE_Cephalosporins.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Complex Society Collapse 74 mins – “Joseph Tainter, our guest in this episode, is an anthropologist and historian. In 1988 he wrote a book called The Collapse of Complex Societies in which he argues that societies inevitably increase their inherent complexity, and, if and when the complexity becomes too “expensive” (diminishing returns), a society will collapse. In this episode, Joe explains his rationale and provides historic examples for collapse. We then discuss his theory relative today’s world, concluding with a not altogether positive outlook.” At the link find the title, “184 – Societal Complexity and Collapse,” right-click “Media files omegatau-184-societalComplexity.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Computer Virus History 75 mins – “Guest Mikko Hypponen has written on his research for the New York Times, Wired and Scientific America and he appears frequently on international TV. He has lectured at the universities of Stanford and Cambridge and he has delivered the most watched computer security talk on the internet..Mikko Hypponen is the Chief Research Officer of F-Secure.” At the link click “Download options,” right-click “audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Corruption in Washington 58 mins – “Former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart (D-CO) discusses his book, [The Republic of Conscience], in which he compares the current U.S. government to the republic he says the founders intended to create.” At the link find the title, “Q&A with Gary Hart,” right-click “Media files program.417198.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cyberwarfare 48 mins – “Cybersecurity is an elusive goal: Breaches such as the theft of more than 4 million sensitive records from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management make news, but countless others go unreported. Security experts warn that many countries around the world are now engaged in a high-stakes digital arms race both to boost protection and to create offensive tools. But unlike the nuclear arms race, cyberweapons are much easier to come by: Cash and computers are the essential prerequisites. We discuss the threat of cyberattacks and what governments and businesses are doing to block them.” (Three guests.) You can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Drug Program in Sweden 28 mins – “Dr. Brian Goldman travels to Stockholm to look at its pharmacare system.” At the link find the title, “White Coat Black Art – Swedish Pharmacare,” right-click “Download White Coat Black Art – Swedish Pharmacare” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Emotional Intelligence 35 mins – “The Ancient Greek aphorism “know thyself” is one of the Delphic maxims and was inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. (You may also remember it from “The Matrix” when the Oracle meets Neo for the first time.) Learning to recognize our own emotions and those of others — along with managing them effectively — forms the crux of episode #97. Jesse is joined by Professor Con Stough, who returns for his second outing on Smart Drug Smarts, for a candid conversation about the emotional aspects of intelligence.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Financial Bubbles 14 mins – “Things are booming in Silicon Valley. Maybe too booming. But economists say you can’t call it a bubble until it goes POP. Today on the show: We find three bubbly barometers that could signal a bust.” At the link find the title, “#656: Bubblelicious,” right-click “Media files 20151009 pmoney_pmoneypod.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fly-In Fly-Out Work 68 mins – “Working in Engineering construction sometimes requires working away from home and this comes with its own set of challenges. Vic Hudson joins John to talk about good and the bad and the issues no-one else seems to think or talk about.” At the link right-click “Download it” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Greenhouse Effect Impact 2 mins – “Scientists explore the trade-offs involved in controlling greenhouse gases.” At the link find the title, “Episode 561 – October 14 2015,” right-click “Media files ScienceElements_Oct14_2015.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gun Violence 48 mins- “On the show this week we talk to psychologist Brad Bushman about the science of gun violence. Brad Bushman is a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University and a professor of communication science at the VU University Amsterdam. For over 25 years he has studied the causes, consequences, and solutions to the problem of human aggression and violence. He is a member of President Obama’s committee on gun violence, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the topic of youth violence.” [Starts at the 20m mark.] At the link find the title, “06 Brad Bushman – The Science of Gun Violence,” right-click “Media files 6713b675-1c52-4042-9c58-6eeb47e1ca4d.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ideas at 50 P2 54 mins “To help us celebrate this milestone anniversary, we invited those listeners to tell us about programs that inspired them to make major life changes, altered their world-views or simply piqued their intellectual curiosity.” This episode includes insights about depression and conflict. At the link find the title, “Ideas at 50, Part 2,” right-click “Media files ideas_20151016_27671.mp3”
Income Inequality 48 mins – “In Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, the issue of income inequality was front and center. Bernie Sanders said: “Millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages, and yet almost all of the new income and wealth being created is going to the top one percent.” And Hillary Clinton added: “This inequality challenge we face…hasn’t been this bad since the 1920s.” Now, new research is putting even more of a focus on the question of economic inequality on a global scale, indicating the top one percent of the population owns half the world’s wealth. Understanding the widening gap between the super-rich and everyone else… and what it could mean for our political and economic future.” Four guests.) You can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Ivermectin and Artemesinin 87 mins – “ The paratenic [type of] hosts reveal a case of scabies in the Traveling Salesman, and discuss a role for natural antibody in protection from infection with Plasmodium. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The first part of the program covers the development and use of artemesinin and ivermectin drugs, then an interesting scabies case to the midpoint and a new case to annalyze in the last twelve minutes. At the link right-click “TWIP #97” beside “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Katrina Recovery 78 mins – “Pete Boettke of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the political and economic lessons he has learned as program director of research in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In this wide-ranging conversation, Boettke discusses the role of civil society, the barriers to recovery that have hampered New Orleans and what worked well as people and institutions responded to tragedy and devastation.” At the link right-click “MP3 below the EconTalk description, and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Kissinger Biography 62 mins – “No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. To the late Christopher Hitchens he was a war criminal who should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. To his admirers he is the greatest strategic thinker America has ever produced, the ‘indispensable man’, whose advice has been sought by every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. Internationally renowned Harvard historian Niall Ferguson came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his new appraisal of Kissinger. In his view, far from being the amoral arch-realist portrayed by his enemies, Kissinger owed a profound debt to philosophical idealism. In this exclusive London appearance, Ferguson was joined by the distinguished historian Andrew Roberts, who brought his expertise from writing about great statesmen of the past – from Napoleon to Churchill – to the examination of this controversial figure. How did Kissinger’s worldview develop over the course of his early years, as a Jew in Hitler’s Germany, a poor immigrant factory worker in New York, a GI at the Battle of the Bulge, and in the aftermath of the war an interrogator of Nazis? How should we assess Kissinger’s record during his time as adviser to Kennedy, Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon, as he helped steer US policy during the Vietnam War, the rapprochement with China, and the Cold War?: At the link find the title, “Niall Ferguson: Henry Kissinger Reappraised, with Andrew Roberts,” right-click “Media files 228676822-intelligence2-niall-ferguson-henry-kissinger-reappraised.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Macau Trends 27 mins – “In under a decade, Macau leapfrogged Las Vegas to become the world’s most lucrative gambling centre. But after a decade of unparalleled growth Macau now faces both an economic downturn and a crackdown from mainland China, where gambling is banned. How will this impact on its residents?” At the link find the title “Macau: Monte Carlo of the Orient,” right-click “Media files p0357179.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Mass Spec Uses 84 mis – “Host Vincent Racaniello meets up with guest Ileana Cristea at Princeton University to talk about how her laboratory integrates molecular virology, mass spectrometry-based proteomics, and bioinformatics to unravel the interplay between virus and host.” At the link right-click “Download TWIV 358” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Migrant Kids Unaccompanied 62 mins – “U.S. Customs and Border Protection had apprehended more than 76,000 unaccompanied children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras at the U.S.-Mexico border as of August 31, 2015—the highest level ever.These children represent a high-needs population, and their large numbers may place a strain on the states and communities that bear the costs of their education and other services with minimal federal assistance. This webinar marked the release of a new Migration Policy Institute brief that offers data and a qualitative research summary on where unaccompanied child migrants are being placed, how they are faring in immigration courts, what types of services are available to them, and how school districts and communities are adapting to their arrival.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Onion Futures 16 mins – “Vince Kosuga farmed onions. Then he tried trading them on the market, too. He made millions. Today on the show: How trading got so out of hand that the Chicago River flowed with America’s onions.” At the link find the title, “#657: The Tale Of The Onion King,” right-click “Media files 20151014 pmoney_pmoneypod.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Prison System in US 49 mins – “The biggest release of federal prisoners in US history is unfolding this month. By November 2, six thousand prisoners will be out through the gates, the first of more than 40,000 on the road to early release. Most are drug offenders whose sentences, under mandatory sentencing guidelines, now just look too long. Like overkill. And there is more sentencing reform coming. The US is a stark world leader in incarceration. By a very wide margin. Now there is bi-partisan support for doing something about it. But how much? And how fast? This hour On Point, facing America’s imprisonment problem.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Resource Wars 48 mins – “Yale historian Timothy Snyder has shaken up what seemed the settled history of World War II and the Holocaust with a more complicated view of Hitler and his motives. Anti-Semitism, yes. Raging. But tied, crucially, to a desperate sense of limited resources. An “ecological panic,” says Snyder, that drove Hitler and the Nazis to conquest, the dissolution of states that might resist them, and to mass murder. Genocide. Now, Snyder warns, we should not think those impulses are frozen in the past. Climate change could spark a return. This hour On Point, a new warning on ecological panic and resource wars.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Roma Predicament 50 mins – “In 2005 a plan was launched to improve education, health, housing and jobs for the Roma – Europe’s poorest minority. But did it succeed? Ten years later Delia Radu travels across Eastern Europe to find the Roma she spoke to when the plan was launched, to see if it has delivered its promise.” At the link find the title, “Roma: A Decade On,” right-click “Roma: A Decade On,” right-click “Media files p0351644.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up men.
Russia in Syria 48 mins – “For years, Syria fell apart and the Obama administration – by its action and inaction – celebrated American restraint. A quarter million died. Millions fled. ISIS rose. Europe was besieged. Washington largely held its fire. Now, Moscow is firing. Russian jets hit scores of targets just this last weekend. American jets are there as well, hitting ISIS. But Vladimir Putin is the swaggering power right now. With his own agenda. President Obama says he’ll find a quagmire. Right now he’s riding high. This hour On Point, new game. The Russian play in Syria, the US response, and where this goes.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Snowden Interview 24 mins – “Why Edward Snowden exposed the mass surveillance by American and British intelligence.” At the link find the title, “An Interview with Edward Snowden,” right-click “Media files p035158p.mp3” and select Save File As” from the pop-up menu.
Solar Cell Boost 22 mins – “Hybrid solar cell converts both light and heat into useable energy.” At the link find the title, “Episode 560 – October 12 2015,” right-click “Media files ScienceElements_Oct12_2015.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Supreme Court Operation 57 mins – “OTM [On The Media] digs into the Supreme Court, an institution as secretive as it is powerful — and how we understand it through the media. Plus: how regular people become poster children for thorny legal issues, potential press influence on the court, and cameras in the courtroom: now set to music.” At the link find the title, “Bench Press,” right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Torture 27 mins – “In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States approved ‘enhanced’ interrogation methods that have been condemned as torture. The most notorious was controlled drowning, known as waterboarding. For Assignment, Hilary Andersson hears from those who approved, ran and suffered the programme in secret CIA prisons around the world. And she experiences some of the techniques herself. Does harsh interrogation yield reliable intelligence in the fight against terror? And what impact has the interrogation programme had on on-going conflicts – did it fuel support for ISIS? Produced by Linda Pressly “ At the link find the title, “Fighting Terror with Torture,” right-click “Media files p0356lm6.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Uncommon Knowledge 54 mins – “Icicles, the weather, and cooking. At Moses Znaimer’s ideacity Conference, a geophysicist nicknamed “Dr. Freeze”, an editor from the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and a journalist who’s written about taste, present some very uncommon insights into the ordinary.” At the link find the title, “Uncommon Knowledge – Moses Znaimer’s ideacity Conference,” right-click “Media files ideas_20151014_21338.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Veritasium 36 mins – “As we have been talking about science videos lately, we decided to investigate what it takes to make a good science video. So we invited Derek Muller, creator and host of Veritasium: An Element of Truth to the show. Veritasium is a YouTube channel of science and engineering videos featuring experiments, interviews, demos, and other cool science topics. Derek joins us to talk about his work with Veritasium, what he has learned from the experience, and even gives a few hints at how to make a good science video.” At the link right-click “Download” below the playback bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Water Issues 15mins – “Clean drinking water isn’t a problem most of us worry about in the United States today. But there are still communities in our country where water is brown or green out of the tap. It’s got stuff floating in it. It smells bad. Neena Satija of our partner The Texas Tribune heads to two Texas towns that sit along the Mexican border to meet with residents who’ve fought for drinkable tap water for decades.” At the link find the title, “But not a drop to drink…” right-click “ Media files But-not-a-drop-to-drink….mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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Media Mining Digest 