My Views Are My Own

Making Sense of the World with Papp Johnson

Sometimes it seems like the world is completely spinning out of control and there's no way to make sense of it. And that's why I called Papp Johnson, a man of many talents and citizen of the world, to figure out what the heck is going on. We get to the bottom of several mysteries such as a German ballet director behind a premeditated feces attack on a harsh ballet critic, Ben Affleck writing a Michael Jordan movie directed by Ben Affleck and starring Ben Affleck, and a Florida school suspending a 7 year old boy because the principal was just too darned obsessed with his mom's OnlyFans content. We even start a new rumor about Michael Jordan and write Ben Affleck's next movie using a MadLib.

At Home on an Unruly Planet with Madeline Ostrander

Madeline Ostrander is a science journalist and author of At Home on an Unruly Planet, which tells the stories of four American communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. We discuss how individuals and communities are learning to adapt and adjust to mega fires in the Pacific Northwest, rising sea levels in Florida, melting permafrost in Alaska, and a town transitioning away from dependence on an oil refinery in California. And we even discuss the possibility of a Captain Planet reboot where he's willing to work outside of the law to serve a higher form of planetary justice. 

Paranormal Investigations with Danny Moss

Danny Moss is a paranormal investigator and TV host from the U.K. best known for his hit TV shows "Paranormal Captured" and "The Haunted Hunts." Danny joins me to talk about his journey from skeptic to a believer in the paranormal through his many experiences as a paranormal investigator. We talk about several of the locations he has visited with his team and paranormal activity he has witnessed or interacted with firsthand. He explains the gear and technology he uses to detect paranormal activity as well as how to decompress and have a good time after spending days studying and observing a haunted doll. 

The Environmental Voter Project with Nathaniel Stinnett

Nathaniel Stinnett is the Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan nonprofit that uses data analytics and behavioral science to mobilize environmentalists to vote. He joins me on the podcast today to discuss how the project was created, why some environmentalists don't vote, and why some people consider the environment to be a partisan issue. We also identify some of the largest obstacles to environmental protection, most notably billions of dollars spent by Citizens United and the fossil fuel industry to influence elections and hinder regulations. However this is one of the most optimistic conversations I've had on climate action and environmental conservation in a very long time. The Environmental Voter Project has mobilized millions of non-voting environmentalists to vote over the last few years. And environmentalists are on track to become an increasingly powerful and influential voter block that will be impossible to ignore in future elections.

The 100th Episode: Professional Pirates

Is Muppet Treasure Island the greatest book-to-film adaptation in cinema history? For the 100th episode Zach returns as a special cohost and we use the most sophisticated research methods ever devised to answer this question once and for all. 

Dude, Where’s My Ship of Theseus?

One of my favorite sci-fi authors Edward Ashton takes a break from doing cancer research, teaching quantum physics, and writing novels to drop by the podcast and solve the Ship of Theseus thought experiment once and for all. We get in depth about his novel "Mickey 7," soon to be a major motion picture directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo. We also talk about his upcoming book "Antimatter Blues," whether extraterrestrial arboreal cephalopods would like us, and could unfettered capitalism possibly have some negative consequences for society?

Doug and Colleen Review Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shobbs

In this very special bonus episode, Doug and Co-Producer Colleen review the beloved action film "Hobbs and Shobbs" of the Fast & Furious franchise. Notably absent Vin Diesel, this romp still packs a mighty punch with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason "The Bloke" Statham. There's even a girl in the movie! Join us as we learn the true meaning of friendship from Hobbs and Shobbs as these wise-cracking foes put their differences aside to save the world from Idris Elba and the evil tech start-up he works for. 

The New Iranian Revolution with Neda Toloui-Semnani

In this episode Emmy award winning journalist and author Neda Toloui-Semnani joins me to talk about the women led protests in Iran. She tells the story of escaping the Iranian regime with her mother when she was a child and and the profound impact the Iranian Revolution had on her family. We discuss how the methods and tactics of oppression have changed over the last four decades of the regime. And she explains why the protests in Iran have the power and momentum to become a successful revolution.  

The Coyote Episode

Documentary filmmaker Julie Marron joins me on the podcast this week to discuss coyotes and her upcoming documentary film American Bolshevik, detailing the century-long attempt to eradicate this intelligent and often misunderstood predator and how communities of people are learning to coexist with these animals while learning to appreciate the role they play in supporting a diverse and balanced ecosystem. She explains why coyotes seem to be popping up in new territories and urban areas and why coyotes have been so resilient while many other North American predator species have not been able to survive human encroachment.    

Building Bikeable Cities with Dr. Natalia Barbour

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Natalia Barbour to discuss building and redesigning cities to be bikeable, walkable, and skateable. Dr. Barbour specializes in transportation and travel technologies and we talk about methods for restructuring and the positive effects of transitioning to bikeable and walkable cities. She explains why cities have evolved to be so dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians and some of the obstacles for greener cities such as lobbying by the fossil fuel and automotive industries. We point out some of the cities and countries that are currently well designed for bikeabilty and how the culture shift toward cycling in the United States will help create positive design changes in American cities.

Is it Lit? Or Should They Be Ashamed of Themselves?

Sometimes changes in technology and culture seem to be happening so fast it can be hard to tell if people are doing something totally lit or if they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. That's why writer, comedian, former psychotherapist, and host of The Shame Spiral podcast Ely Kreimendahl brought over her level headedness and rational thinking skills to help me figure out what the heck is going on with society's modern mysteries. We fully and unequivocally get to the bottom of AI generated art, perineum sunning, the Supreme Court, Dolly Parton, the Balenciaga scandal, Avatar 2, and more.

Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by co-founder of The Lincoln Project Reed Galen to discuss Citizens United, the MAGA movement, QAnon, the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys, and whether or not Trump as an individual still has momentum. Reed shares some stories from his time as a campaign manager for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator John McCain and why the extremist trend in the Republican Party led him to become an Independent. And we play a short game of Would You Rather with the U.S. Constitution. 

Human-Wildlife Conflict Solutions with Petros Chrysafis

Petros Chrysafis is an independent human-wildlife conflict specialist working in California's central valley. We discuss creating coexistence between ranchers and predatory animals, innovations in nonlethal deterrents, wildlife conservation, ethical hunting, and why bears hate podcasts. Can you affect some predatory animal behavior with a carton of cigarettes with roughly the same efficiency as a $10,000 drone? Listen and find out.  

The Big Rock Candy Mountains Real Estate Agency LLC Inc. & Co

In this episode, comedian Dinah Leffert joins me as I obsess over the 1928 folk song "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" by Harry McClintock about a hobo's idea of paradise. Together we learn how to sell real estate in an imaginary place, how to spell Albuquerque, and how long you can survive in a lake of whiskey. And you can too! 

The (Adjective) Mystery of the (Noun)

In this episode, I am joined by author Avanti Centrae to discuss weaponized propaganda in the time of Cleopatra and Octavian leading to present day. We discuss military grade deepfakes, AI-generated news stories, and how to turn a classic kid's word puzzle into an action thriller.

Halloween Spooktacular 3

You'll never believe it, but I got trapped in a haunted mansion with evil spirits. Again! But this time, my only connection to the outside world was the four Zoom calls that I had previously scheduled. Plot twist! Every Zoom call was a terrifying tale. It was a miracle that I even escaped alive... or did I?? 

Featuring Sasha Srbulj, Shannon Hardy, Brandon Case, and Co-Producers Bill and Colleen. 

Goddess of Everything

In this episode I'm joined by author and depth psychologist Paul DeBlassie III Ph.D. to discuss the mythos of Aztlan, the contention between nature based spirituality and corporatized religion, the concept of soul loss, animal symbolism, and awareness of synchronistic events. Also which fad diets might be gateways to cults? Probably a lot of them. I don't typically use the term "tour de force" to describe anything. And I'm not about to start now. But I definitely gained some very interesting new insights recording this episode. Please enjoy the show.

Crafting Fantasy Worlds

In this episode I discuss the art of crafting fantasy worlds with journalist, author, and filmmaker Benjamin Reeves. We also get into the process of creating fantasy lore, writing fantasy as a collaborative project, human art vs. A.I. art, and why we love the genre. And Benjamin shares a couple of adventures from his time as a Vice News reporter in Latin America. Then we get into a debate so intense it makes the Kennedy vs. Nixon debate seem like nothing. A debate so gnarly it makes those guys over at WrestleMania look like a bunch of bozos. All that. And more.

Screenshotting Your Dreams With Divya Gunasekaran

The night before we recorded this episode I had a dream that the wise and amazing standup comedian Divya Gunasekaran had accidentally cut off her hand with a butcher knife and had to get it replaced with a robot hand. But despite her injury she was going to do the podcast anyway. But it turned out that my dream was only mostly prophetic. Although she still had both her original hands she did also show up to the podcast. So please join us as we revolutionize the world of competitive eating.  

We Are Nihilists. We Care About Nothing.

In this episode, I am joined by author Jack Moody to discuss inebriated nihilism, violence, blackouts, psych ward stints, dangerous sexual encounters, and tons of other fun stuff! And although we don't agree on whether it's fun to get drunk at Applebee's, we both agree that J.R.R. Tolkien could beat up George R.R. Martin in a fight.