In this last episode for 2019, Atish and Spiro farewell the decade with a chat about a fundamental of life. They discuss the Yogic practice of Pranayama and correlation of the benefits found by a German research team on decelerated breathing. The conversation goes deep and even includes a matra sung by Atish. Now take a deep breath and listen. Link to article: https://physicsworld.com/a/can-decelerated-breathing-confer-health-benefits/

What is reality? Does reality need to involve matter, or can it be virtual? In this episode, the team discuss all things virtual. From the digital such as movies and games to the analog like physical books. Join us as we debate the virtues of the virtual. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality Episode Image by the European Space Agency Intro music by Skincage. https://skincage.bandcamp.com/

In this episode, we discuss the existence of the most famous lost civilisation, the sunken city-state of Atlantis. First introduced by the great Greek philosopher Plato in his dialogues, Atlantis has continued to captivate the minds of historians, archeologists and story writers for over two thousand years. But, did it ever exist or was it a literary construct designed to engage the reader in contemplating different political paradigms and ways of living? Join Spiro, Doug and Ondrej as they debate and explore the history and potential real-world locations of this mythical culture. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timaeus_(dialogue) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critias_(dialogue) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis Intro music by Skincage. https://skincage.bandcamp.com/

Welcome to season 2 of the Lunchtime Special podcast. We're starting off this year with a brief look back on 2018 with our highlights and experiences. We then dive deep into the future of autonomous and electric vehicles, be they on the ground or in the air. Our favourite conspiracy theory on data and privacy makes a comeback as well as cryptocurrencies and Blockchain. Lots of salient points and interesting factoids are presented, so sit back and enjoy the show. Further Info A digital spinal cord that streams your thoughts: https://youtu.be/mmiIz6ZJfq0 Electric cars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle#Experimentation Blockchain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain Google Duplex:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Assistant#Google_Duplex

Do you feel that reality is an illusion? Are we living a fabricated reality? Well, a famous chap called Plato contemplated the same questions over 2,300 years ago. Within his Socratic dialogue the Politeia (The Republic), Plato crafted and wrote the Allegory of the Cave. This short story filled with hidden meaning and symbolism is ripe for the picking in our current day and age. In this episode, Spiro and Atish delve deep into the cave of the noumenon and explore Plato’s ideas of reality and perception. East meets West as we find the correlations between Ancient Greek philosophy and Sanskrit sutras from the subcontinent. So prepare to take a katabatic journey into the subterranean land of shadow, illusion and Maya. Enjoy. Further reading: http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/~matlmc/Allegory_cave.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_(Plato) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(religion)

How does society induce the desired behaviour and how does it punish transgression? Are we responsible for our actions or are they mere reactions to the manipulation of culture and propaganda? Building on the ideas presented in the previous show, we push forward and discuss the idea of the carrot or the stick. This is a free-flowing episode which touches on various ideas and scenarios, including the actions of a well known Hollywood star. As serious as it all sounds, it was a lot of fun to record. We hope you enjoy the show. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_and_stick

Hate and compassion and the biases that doom us all. In this weeks episode, we tackle the difficult topic of prejudice. We debate whether cognitive biases and prejudices are innate or conditioned by the tribe we identify with. So strap in for a challenging subject which eerily feels very timely in relation to the current state worldly affairs. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prejudice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

Life in the universe, is it as abundant as the stars in heaven or are humans alone? Are humans the result of a spontaneous eruption of life or were we seeded by passing cosmic travelers like comets and meteors? If we're not alone in the vastness of time and space, then who are our neighbors? Are Greys, Angels and Faery Folk all the same thing? We had a great time debating and exploring these questions, so join us in this interstellar chat as we boldly go where no Luncher has gone before. Further reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_alien https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch

On this weeks episode, we take a journey to the red planet, the home of green Martians and gods of war. We discuss the future of space exploration, colonization and the social and biological implications to humanity. So join us as we take a one-way ticket to Mars and leave it all behind to explore a strange new world. Further readings: https://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/2018-year-tourists-get-to-space-spacex-virgin-galactic-blue-origin.html http://www.spacex.com/hyperloop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWo6LscqSGg Audio samples: http://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/microphones/sounds-on-mars.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sagan_martian_greeting.ogg

In this weeks episode, our fellow Luncher Atish takes us on a journey of discovery. We delve in to the bottomless abyss of abstraction and attempt to ride the wave out with absolute perception. How close to the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha do we get? Well have a listen and you decide. We all enjoyed the conversation and were left thirsty for more insights into the true nature of reality. Further Reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_in_Buddhism http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/philosophy1.htm Eastern Thought Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/