**Sorry for the audio issue in this episode** As of 2021 the Marvel and DC Comic franchises are estimated to be worth $10 billion each. Staking a claim that one is better than the other will incite flame wars and possibly cost friendships. Besides, we all know Dark Horse Comics is the best. Marvel Comics was started in 1939 by Martin Goodman under a number of corporations. But by 1951 it had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in 1961, the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee. Marvel counts among its characters the well-known superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America. Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in 1934.  Three years later he released its final title called Detective Comics, the title inspiration of DC Comics. The brand features numerous culturally iconic heroic characters, such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Listen to hear how these titans of the comic world compare and also to hear my first segment with a guest narrator.  Her name is Maren and she is probably my biggest, or just maybe my only podcast listener. Wikipedia DC Comics Net Worth 2021 Marvel Vs DC: Who Really Has The Strongest Heroes? Marvel vs. DC: Which comics universe reigns supreme? What’s the difference: DC vs. Marvel Comics? by Thadues Howze Marvel vs. DC: A Battle of Big Budgets and Rotten Ratings --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

If you were born in the developed world your life expectancy as a male is about 78 and for women, it’s 81. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarians worldwide. Longevity has been a topic not only for the scientific community but also for writers of science fiction and utopian novels. Now there is research to suggest the possibility of living to be 150 years old. Twin studies have estimated that approximately 20-30% of the variation in human lifespan can be related to genetics, with the rest due to individual behaviors and environmental factors which can be modified. If you listen to Dr. Peter Attia’s podcast The Drive or have read David Sinclar’s book titled Lifespan, then, like myself, you are probably starting to think about how not only to live a longer life but a healthier one. Continue listening to hear how we can make substantial gains in our healthy life expectancy by focusing on three key areas of cognitive, nutritional, and physical health. The Drive Podcast by Peter Attia: (https://peterattiamd.com) Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To (https://amzn.to/2SMFSag Blue Zones by Dan Buettner:  https://amzn.to/3gWwoSN National Institute of Health Berkley News Real Simple / Jill Carnahan --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck and published in 1937, Of Mice and Men tells the experiences of two migrant workers who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States. The title of the book comes from a 1785 Robert Burn’s poem titled  - To A Mouse. The poem tells of the regret the narrator feels for having destroyed the home of a mouse while plowing his field. Although written in a Scottish dialect, for both our sakes, I’ll just recite the main stanza in from the English translation. But Mouse, you are not alone, In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes of mice and men Go oft awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! Without question, Of Mice and Men has been included on nearly every teenagers reading list for over 50 years, and along with Steinbeck's other books such as Grapes of Wrath, many consider it an American classic. In the United Kingdom, Of Mice and Men is one of the key texts used by the examining body in English Literature. Personally, John Steinbeck has written some of my favorite books, which is why I wanted to make this episode. Sadly, not everyone has the same view of this story or of the author. Perhaps this is why I struggle with the criticism. Continue listening to hear about Steinbeck's timeless novel and why it appears on the American Library Association's list of the Most Challenged Books in both the 20th and even 21st Century. Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck: https://amzn.to/3q11n36 https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/steinbeckreview.10.2.0118 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/banned-of-mice-and-men/ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/john-steinbeck-author-anniversary-death-of-mice-and-men-grapes-wrath-east-eden-a8690851.html --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I'm probably certain we are not alone in the universe but have we just been contacted? No, that’s not the question I have for you today. That would be way too obvious. From Area 51 in Roswell to flying tic-tacs over the ocean we as a society have been obsessed with the idea of contact with extraterrestrials. Claimed sightings of unidentified flying objects, or as the US government now calls them - unidentified aerial phenomena, have been the stuff of legend. And it’s not just the past several decades. Claimed sightings date back centuries - if not millennia. Perhaps we can brush off some ancient historical accounts with excuses such as the lack of science, technology, and a healthy dose of skepticism. But it’s now the 21st century and one would expect us to have the ability to decipher fact from fiction. However, according to an article in Scientific American,  the U.S. Department of Defense has been quietly cataloging and investigating scores of bizarre encounters.  which ultimately spurred the US Congress in 2017 to demand that the Pentagon produce a report summarizing everything the U.S. government knows about UAPs. I for one am curious to know if THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. Continue listening to hear about some more historically interesting reports about sightings including one about the Foo Fighters as well as what the conclusion was from that Pentagon report. Scientific American National Public Radio New York Times Wikipedia --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The dream of being able to control your environment with thoughts has been in the realm of science fiction and con artists. However, the advance of technology has brought a new reality.  There have been several demonstrations where we are now able to use the electrical signals from brain activity to interact with, influence, or change our environments. A Brain-Computer Interface also known as Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) is a direct communication pathway between an enhanced or wired brain and an external device. They are often directed at researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions. For example, this can be done by controlling external software or hardware such as a computer or robotic arm. Just a few titles from scientific reports on Nature.com are quite astonishing to read. “High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting” “Neuroprosthetics in systems neuroscience and medicine” “Restoration of grasp following paralysis through brain-controlled stimulation of muscles” While Elon Musk’s Neuralink company with their pigs and pong-playing monkeys gets most of the attention, there are several others with fascinating plans and mission statements. So continue listening to hear what might be in store. Including one CEO who openly states “we’re in conversations with various wings of the military to use our technology to increase performance for training” Neuroprosthetics in systems neuroscience and medicine Enhancing Nervous System Recovery through Neurobiologics, Neural Interface Training, and Neurorehabilitation Nature.com Forbes Brain-Computer Interfaces in Medicine Monkey Playing Pong --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Although they couldn’t be further apart in musical style, you’d be hard-pressed to deny that Bob Dylan and Prince are the two biggest music icons to hail from the state of Minnesota in the US. What might be a bit of debate is which one will have a more of a long-term impact on music culture.  Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and visual artist. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time according to Rolling Stone. Many consider him to have been the voice of the counterculture revolution of the early 60’s. He’s been creating music for over 60 years.  Prince is regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation and he worked across multiple genres often playing most or all the instruments on his recordings. He’s credited with pioneering a funk rock,synth-pop, new wave music genre termed “The Minneapolis Sound” Sadly in 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.  Listen to hear some interesting facts about Dylan and Prince. What made them similar and what made them different. Perhaps some of these facts will help you respond to the question in today's episode.  Maire Claire  New Yorker  Rolling Stone  Ebony  Wikipedia Philanthropy Daily  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Undoubtedly one of the most difficult issues to think about, let alone talk about in the world, is the Israel and Palestine conflict. I lay no claims to providing an opinion about the matter on this podcast; only to ask you to spend some time thinking about a question prompted by the story. As much as possible I will attempt to lay down a simple and short history, and even that is complicated. I want to do my best to be neutral in sources but will ask for forgiveness if it appears I haven’t and hope it will be an opportunity to listen and to learn. As always, I will leave the citations in the notes. The conflict has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the birth of nationalist movements among the Jews and among the Arabs, both geared towards attaining sovereignty for their people in the Middle East From the First Zionist Congress in 1897 to secret agreements by western powers during WWI.  From United Nations attempts at a partition plan to all-out war in 1967. The world has seen the ebb and flow of failed policies, violence, and unfulfilled peace efforts numerous times. Fighting has cost thousands of innocent lives. Mutual distrust and significant disagreements are deep over basic issues, as is the reciprocal skepticism about the other side's commitment to upholding obligations in an eventual agreement. Although I stated I will try to not provide my own opinions, which is probably contentious anyway, there is one that I will definitely share. So continue to listen to hear what that is. BBC News Middle East al-Jazera Timeline Israeli–Palestinian Conflict Wikipedia Photo: By I, Makaristos, CC BY-SA 3.0 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins used the term meme as an attempt to explain how ideas replicate, mutate, and evolve. I can’t imagine he anticipated how that term has come to define an idea, behavior, or style that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms and especially for humorous purposes. Yes, today’s story is about memes. Those images and catchphrases are often cringe-worthy,  sometimes hysterical, and on-point, but mostly just confusing because I don’t get the reference. What is considered a meme may vary across different groups on the Internet and is subject to change over time, but traditionally, memes consist of a combination of images with a catchphrase.  However, the concept has since broadened to include GIFs, videos, and other viral sensations. While many got their starts on old-school internet forums, the advent of social media made them more mainstream and popular than ever. We now refer to such things as “meme-culture” and it’s become leveraged by major marketing entities, social movements, and even serious political campaigns. Regardless if you consider the dancing baby as the first meme, or prefer the more “dank” memes, you will want to continue listening. Even if it’s just to understand what the heck “dank” means in this context.  References:  PBS From Kilroy to Pepe: A Brief History of Memes New York Times article The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Affiliate link) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest precedent for Mother’s Day is an early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Across Europe, this was typically celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the United States, it has been celebrated on the second Sunday of May since 1914 when it became an official holiday. Sadly, I don’t think mother’s actually got an actual day off from work for this quote-unquote holiday. While there are a handful of precursors and events prior to the modern celebration, Ann Jarvis is typically credited with the push to establish a formal recognition for mothers. She conceived of a Mother’s Day, after her own mother’s death, as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. Keep listening to hear how Anna Jarvis reacted to the success of Mother’s Day. You might be surprised!  Citations:  History.Com - Mother's Day 2021  Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle for the Control of Mother’s Day (Amazon Affiliate Link) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange. Ownership records are stored in a decentralized electronic ledger using strong cryptography to secure transaction records, to control the creation of coins, and to verify the transfer ownership. Bitcoin is likely the most well-known cryptocurrency and was built upon the invention of a technology called blockchain. Over the last few years, it’s garnered sensational headlines for its use in the illegal drug trade, money laundering and environmental impacts. But at the same time, it’s making millions for people who may have gambled and purchased coins years ago. While listening to Lex Fridman’s podcast episode 80, he asked his guest, Vitalik Buterin, the question “What is Money?”. His answer was “It’s a game”.  Although not the question I have for you today, it is one I have been thinking about. Continue listening to hear more about cryptocurrency, the mysterious and unresolved background of Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, why I mentioned Vitalik Buterin, and how many governments are still trying to wrap their heads around it’s impact and figure out cyroptocurreices promise, and it’s threat.  linktr.ee Lex Fridman Episode 80 - Vitalik Buterin (YouTube) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app