Category: Skepticism

Monday Links – Clearing the Tab

November 18, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This is going to be a long one. Build up from last week, and a busy news week over all.

A slew of Reason first.

One good thing about the return of Trump to the White House – Lina Kahn will be removed.

If DOGE wants to successfully cut government spending, it must take on entitlements. Of course, it could also start with energy subsidies. Personally, they should cut all subsidies. Of course this is all predicated on Trump wanting to act financially responsible, which he hasn’t demonstrated any desire.

There are good reasons to oppose Gaetz’s nomination. I’m kinda leaning to the whole admitting to taking drugs and sleeping with underage girls. And the whole being the vanguard of treating Congress as a place to build the brand instead of doing, you know, actual work.

The FDA ordered Costco to recall and destroy 80,000 lbs of butter because the packaging failed to list it was made of dairy. Because rules must be followed – even when they make no fucking sense.

Apple quietly included an inactive phone reboot in the latest iOS update. It looks like if the phone has been locked and inactive for several days, the phone returns to a factory state. Of course, law enforcement is all pissed off because they can’t “get to evidence. “

A first amendment fight where Texas authorities are using whatever laws they can to shut down a citizen journalist.

A bi-partisan group of Congressfolk and Senate are asking for the courts to step in to allow a family to sue after the FBI raided the wrong house.

That concludes the Reason portion of our blogcast. Now on to other news stories.

From Reuters, it seems that Amsterdam had some trouble with antisemitic bands were attacking Israeli soccer fans. This did not come across my normal newsfeeds. I had to go searching for it after a friend on FB posted about an Arab man who escorted a group of Israelis to safety. I’m sorry, but why did I have to go searching for a story about pogroms in Europe?

Also from Reuters, the CFPB wants to put Google under “federal supervision.” Um, what? Oh, you want access to their records? Fuck you. That’s what discovery is for.

From CNBC, FEMA fires employee who told relief workers to skip anyone with a Trump sign in their yard. I’m using CNBC, because honestly, this is the kind of story I would be skeptical about. Any story that fits too neatly into one or the other camp’s narratives, I get sketchy about without confirmation. Also, I’m surprised someone got fired.

From Tech Crunch, Mozilla Foundation lays off almost a third of its workforce and is shuttering its advocacy branch.

I got this one from Military.com just for the headline – Commander of Navy Leadership and Ethics Center Fired over Personal Conduct. This seems so indicative of the current state of military leadership.

Borepatch discusses some recent security issues with using AI in healthcare. Having recently completed my annual required HIPAA training, it astounds me that this wasn’t taken into account when deploying AI tools into the healthcare setting. But as Borepatch routinely reminds us, security isn’t usually among the top considerations when deploying new tech.

From Tynan Motors, a focus group of Hyundai owners told the motor company that they want physical controls back. I don’t mind the touchscreen in the Ward Wagon, but it also has physical knobs/buttons for all the major controls. And I won’t buy another car where that isn’t the case.

A couple of articles by Tam. One on what keeps the 1911 so popular. A second on the “Wheelgun U-Turn.” You really need to read it.

Now for some light items.

Take a look at this Spaceship Size Comparison. It’s floated around the internet for years. A copy of it will soon grace my office walls.

Heard about Ammosquared on the ACP podcast. Interesting way to buy ammo. Will have to investigate further.

Apparently, there is a local company that takes you out on boats and lets you shoot machineguns. That sounds like it needs further investigation.

Quick Monday Links

October 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This is going to be a quick post.

From Forbes (via The Brother) discussing the dangers of spreading false AI images during emergencies. Why is this above the normal Reason links? Because I fell for one of the images and put it up last Thursday. I have edited the post, but leaving it up as a reminder to myself and others.

Now on to a few Reason links.

More fallout from extended school closures – drops in ACT scores. Of course, it looks odd with student grades being at highest levels.

Feds going after a landlord for not showing an apartment to people with emotional support animals.

A look at FEMA and states buying properties that have been repeatedly flooded out. This is a use of eminent domain I don’t have a problem with. Why? Because the .gov backstops flood insurance.

From TFB, there’s some friction in Canada between the federal government and the provinces over the recent federal gun legislation.

From The Tampa Bay Times, a look at neighborhoods not in flood zones that flooded during Milton. Many of these folks relied on those flood zone maps to decide whether to buy flood insurance. I have told all of the new residents in our neighborhood that they need flood insurance. It’s Florida – you will need flood insurance.

From GQ, a look at the restoration of Notre Dame after that horrible fire.

Don’t Let The Bastards Win

September 23, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Monday Links will return next week. I needed a break.

I saw this meme on the Book of Faces and thought it was a good example of creating a deceptive meme with a false comparison.

The reason is to drive a schism between people. To create outrage in some. To make others feel justified in their position. It’s not to educate, enlighten, or enhance the discussion. It’s just there for emotion.

The point of this meme is supposed to make people think tacos are more regulated than guns and outrage them. Except it’s a false comparison. It’s comparing the regulations of running a business compared to the rules buying a product. You will notice it makes no mention of all the regulations surrounding the selling of firearms. Or the lack of regulations in purchasing a taco.

If I see a meme that makes me angry, it behooves me to stop and ignore it. Because I’m not going to let the bastards win. If someone asks me about them, I will do my best to use my critical thinking skills to find the truth. Because I’m not going to let the bastards win.

Here’s a list of logical fallacies to remember to help with thinking critically.

Some Asshole Took A Shot

July 17, 2024 / / 0 Comments

My normal 72 hour hold has expired. So, I feel somewhat more confident in discussing the attempted assassination of Trump.

Not a Political Assassination – Unless something comes out, this has all the hallmarks of an attention seeking crazy. The color of the car parked next to him could have had more influence on his decision to kill Trump than any political stance. Just like the asshole that tried to kill Giffords, you can’t try to map rationality on the criminally irrational. Thankfully, he was also bad at judging wind speed.

Secret Service Response – There are legitimate questions on how someone managed to get that close with a rifle. It needs to be a very open investigation to try and quell the conspiracy theories. Although judging from my FB feed, it’s already too late for that. But we need the actual facts to refute the stream of bullshit already pouring out. My default unless proven otherwise is any errors had less to do with malfeasance and more to do with bureaucracy, incompetence, and complacency.

Heroism – One man lost his life because of some asshole. Corey Comperatore died shielding his family from the rain of fire. From his daughter’s statement, they are both horrified by what happened to their loved one and proud of his final act. I can sympathize with that sentiment.

Final Thoughts- This country is very lucky for a five mph wind and some fast shooting by the countersniper team. There are no grand conspiracies to let Trump die by an assassin’s bullet. There were likely multiple small mistakes that led to tragedy for three people. Over heated political rhetoric likely had little influence on this attack, but it’s still corrosive the American political soul. Remember that sometimes crazy nobodies change the course of history.

Monday Links

June 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Going to be shorter this week. We start off with Reason.

Reporting on Dr. Faucci’s latest appearance before Congress. It will probably be a generation for us to get a real accounting of the mistakes surrounding COVID. If Faucci’s hubris is not included, I will be very surprised.

A trio of senators want to mandate insurance coverage for IVF. Because health insurance isn’t expensive enough. Now you want to make them cover even more expensive treatments. How about a bill to decouple health insurance from employment and let insurers sell policies across state lines? Then let folks make the decision as to what coverages they need/want.

The Maldives have decided to deny entry to anyone with an Israeli passport. Really, because that’s going to do something?

Now on to other stories.

From Ground News, an aggregation on Boeing’s new spacecraft lifting off. I like the idea of competition in the space realm. Not sure I’d trust Boeing considering it’s recent troubles.

Streamlight has an article on travelling with flashlights. Personally, for travel through the airport, I keep a small Streamlight in my pocket. My Pro-Tac’s get packed away in my checked luggage.

After all of the rigamarole surrounding Disney and the State of Florida, the new entity has agreed on a fifth park. This is really a case of business as usual once the politics of the day subsides.

For our last entry, I have this nifty video from TFB.

Monday Links

May 27, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend. There will be a bit of tab clearing since we didn’t have a links post last week.

I’ve got a slew of Reason articles to start.

A look into how bad science is keeping bad regulations around nuclear power. We need more nuclear power. Because we need more power. Because we need to reduce our dependence on oil. Not just climate change, but because of the politics and other environmental hazards of oil.

A look at how zoning regulations empower the people we don’t want to have power.

Surprise, surprise, the real reason for self-checkout bans is not the stated reason of stopping theft. Incentives matter, and that doesn’t change once the issue becomes political.

No, Super Size Me was not a documentary. It was a bullshit publicity stunt that did nothing to address what it purported to address. Other than getting Mickey D’s to change it’s branding.

NYT says that looser gun laws caused the spike in homicides. Um, yeah. Keep thinking that.

This one about a New York man being convicted of building guns made the rounds of the gunblogs, but here’s Reason’s coverage. The judge telling the defense the Second Amendment doesn’t work here was surprisingly unsurprising.

Now on to other sources.

From Ground News, we have an aggregation of Uvalde parents suing Meta, Microsoft, and Daniel Defense because the bad guy was on Facebook, played Call of Duty, and used a DD rifle. I’m kinda glad the plaintiffs are pulling in Meta and Microsoft, as they can slap down those better than Daniel Defense.

From 404 Media – all those nifty northern lights that folks were able to see earlier this month? Yeah, that same coronal storm caused issues with tractors talking with GPS, which has resulted in issues with planting. Which will definitely have some downstream effects in the food supply chain.

Nature published an op-ed decrying climate scientists being climate activists. This has been one of the big problems with doing anything about climate change. The moment you step out of being a neutral dispenser of information to a partisan, whatever information you provide is degraded. Either because a swath of the population will no longer believe you, or your information becomes shaded. Because incentives matter.

Ars Technica has an article on a company that had its Google Cloud account completely wiped out. Including the backups. Fortunately, the company had backups other than Google, but it’s an interesting case study.

Via The Brother, here’s the transcript from a talk Bert Hubert delivered on Cyber Security and war.

From the local TV station, we have an article about a homeowner who killed an intruder, by stabbing him, after the intruder shot her in the face. In a fight for your life, don’t stop until you can’t fight anymore. Or the threat is stopped.

State of the Podcasts 2024

February 1, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Previous posts:

State of the Podcasts 2018

State of the Podcasts 2019

State of the Podcasts 2020

State of the Podcasts 2021

State of the Podcasts 2022

State of the Podcasts 2023

This is the seventh year I’ve reviewed which podcasts I listen to, how I listen to them, and when I listen to them. Part of it’s my own curiosity at how my podcast habits change. I’m also curious what others think about the same podcasts and which podcasts come and go.

I listen to my podcasts in Overcast. I prefer Overcast because the app deletes podcasts I’ve listened to, plus it has a smart speed feature which will speed up if it hears dead air. Generally, I listen to my podcasts at 2X speed.

Rather than try to fit podcasts into categories, I apply categories to the podcasts. Also, I try to listen to podcasts “with a shelf life” (i.e., current events) first. I’m going to include the show’s “blurb” and then any of my comments.

Podcast Categories

Comedy – One of the central themes of the podcast is making me laugh

Debate – The podcast uses a formal debate format

Economics – Discusses economic theory and impacts

Entertainment – Main subject matter is an entertainment form or persons

Free Speech – Discussing the current issues and assaults on free speech culture and laws

Government – Discusses the review of government operations

Guns – Discussing gun hardware and associated technology and skills

History – Delving into history in general or one facet/era

Legal – Discussing legal cases and theories

Libertarianism – Discusses libertarian theory

Interview – Substantial episodes interviewing guests

Opposing Views – Hosts regularly espouse politics or theories that are substantially different to my own

Prepping – Discussing prepping gear, methods, and skills

Politics Of The Day (POTD) – Discussion of current political events

Right To Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA) – Discusses issues around gun rights

Science – Discussing current science news and skepticism-related issues

Self-Defense – Discussing best practices for self-defense

True Crime – Podcast is a narrative/story of real crime events

War – Discusses issues surrounding armed conflicts

Writing Improvement – Helps me improve my writing

My podcasts as of February 2022:

Active Self Protection Podcast (Guns, Interview, RKBA, Self-Defense) – Active Self Protection exists to help good, sane, moral, prudent people in all walks of life to more effectively protect themselves and their loved ones from criminal violence. On the ASP Podcast, you will hear stories of life or death self defense encounters from the men and women that lived them. If you are interested in the Second Amendment, self defense and defensive firearms use, martial arts or the use of less than lethal tools used in the real world to defend life and family, you will find this riveting. One of the shows I listen to build up my “scenario card file” for self defense. Plus, the end segment with the host of The Reload (see below) is excellent.

Advisory Opinions (Legal, POTD) – Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur have a weekly conversation about the law, culture, and why it matters This one helps me understand how the law “thinks” and why it sometimes is at odds with what people think it should think.

Alienating the Audience (Interview, Entertainment, Science, Skepticism) – Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what’s science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets. This hasn’t been active since April of 2022, but it has some excellent discussions on different aspects of sci-if. The comedy bits aren’t my favorite, and I tend to skip them.

Angry Planet (War, Interview, Opposing Views) – Conversations about conflict on an angry planet. Formerly known as War College, this podcast is an interesting look at politics and military issues through interviews with specialists, but definitely not from my political point of view.

Assorted Calibers Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Entertainment, Interview, Self-Defense) – Everything including the kitchen sink. Weer’d Beard and Erin Pallette are the real reason I listen to this, but the other segments are generally surprisingly good. I’m also a patron, and listen to the Mag Dump round tables, Film Tracks, and Blooper Reels (which are hysterically funny).

Blocked and Reported (Free Speech, POTD) – Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster files. This one is just full of amusing internet drama. Okay, sometimes the internet drama is more worrying than entertaining.

Bound By Oath (Legal, Libertarianism) – Bound By Oath is a new podcast by IJ’s Center for Judicial Engagement where the Constitution’s past catches up to the present. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution requires every judge to be “bound by Oath” to uphold “this Constitution”. But to understand if judges are following that oath, it’s important to ask, “What is in ‘this Constitution’”? In this podcast series, Short Circuit takes a deep dive into specific parts of the Constitution, starting with the 14th Amendment, which turned 150 in 2018. “Bound By Oath” features interviews with historians, legal scholars, and the real people involved in historical and contemporary cases. The first season was on the 14th amendment and the second was on qualified immunity. Good primer on the legal issues surrounding those topics.

The Bradenton Times Podcast (POTD, Interview, Opposing Views) – A weekly podcast by the Bradenton Times that highlights the people and issues in the Manatee County community. This is one I use to get to know what’s going on in my local community. And as much as I disagree with the host, at least he makes me think and re-evaluate my stances.

Bribe, Swindle, and Steal (Interview, True Crime, Opposing Views, Writing Improvement) – Alexandra Wrage, president of TRACE, interviews luminaries in the field of financial crime, including bribery, fraud, money-laundering, inside trading and sanctions. Each week, Alexandra and her guests will discuss who commits “white collar crime”, how it works, and what is being done to stop it.

The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast (Interview, POTD) – A show about politics, music, technology, rollercoasters, golf carts, and the United States of America. The spiritual successor to Mad Dogs and Englishmen after Kevin Williamson’s departure to The Dispatch. Charlie Cooke’s still providing thought provoking takes and brings on guests to expound on them.

Clockwise (Tech) – Clockwise is a rapid-fire discussion of current technology issues hosted by Dan Moren and Mikah Sargeant and featuring two special guests each week. Four people, four topics – and because we’re always watching the clock, no episode is longer than 30 minutes. Generally enjoyable, even though it gets a little too Apple-centric or a little too media-centric.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (History, Writing Improvement) – In “Hardcore History” journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his “Martian”, unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn’t academic history (and Carlin isn’t a historian) but the podcast’s unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners. This podcast is a master craft in how to tell history in an exciting and entertaining way. It’s probably better to treat the arcs as audiobooks and just listen to them all at once to get the width and breadth of the story. This updates very infrequently.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Addendum (History, Interview, Writing) – Interviews, musings and extra material from the makers of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. If it did not fit in the HH feed it’s probably here. A companion to the Hardcore History podcast where Dan Carlin does segments outside his normal narrative style. Often very informative.

The Dispatch Podcast (POTD, Interview) – Host Sarah Imgur is joined by Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and David French for a weekly thoughtful discussion on politics, policy, and culture. The panel rotates a bit more often with other members of the Dispatch staff which gives the panel discussion a wider variety. The interviews are always entertaining.

Econtalk (Interview, Economics)- Econtalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford’s Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it’s like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. I’ve been learning a lot on economics, and even more on some wildly different topics.

The Editors (POTD) – Unravel the threads of American politics with incisive commentary and in-depth analysis on the state of the political scene. Editors from National Review discussing the issues of the day. Part of my keeping an idea of the conservative side of the issues of the day.

Fall of Civilizations Podcast (History, Writing Improvement) – A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fail? And what did it feel like to watch it happen? This is a good companion to Hardcore History and Revolutions. Not that they cover the same things, but this one does an excellent job in showing the decline and fall of various civilizations from every level.

FBI Retired Case File Review (Interview, True Crime, Writing Improvement) – Host Jerri Williams is a retired FBI agent and author on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does by interviewing retired agents, her former colleagues, about their most intriguing and high-profiled cases, as well as fascinating but not as well-known FBI investigations. This has been very useful in dispelling some misconceptions about how the FBI works. Plus many of the cases are very compelling.

The Fifth Column (POTD, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – Your weekly rhetorical assault on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (formerly Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. This is an excellent roundup focusing on the issues of the day and how the media reports them. They also bring on guests who will disagree with them and have excellent discussions.

GLoP Culture (POTD, Entertainment) – Jonah Goldberg, Commentary’s John Podhoretz, and Ricochet’s Rob Long discuss culture and politics. The hosts often muse on current POTD and culture through the lens of Gen X experiences.

Guns Guide To Liberals (RKBA) – Talking guns across the aisle with better communication and better arguments. This is a good podcast focusing on techniques to use when talking about guns and RKBA to those who don’t share our views. Not active, but would recommend going back and listening to the whole series.

The Handgun Radio Show (Guns, Interview, Self-Defense) – Your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world. Delving more into the history and technological aspects of guns – mostly handguns. Also, just fun musings on different aspects of guns. Sometimes they bring on interesting guests.

High Caliber History (Guns, History, Interview) – A podcast for enthusiasts about firearms, history, museums, and more, with a goal of providing an understanding of what it’s like to work with these items in an environment that is becoming less and less accepting of the scholarship and work being done in this field. Logan Metesh interviews specialists on the history of guns, as well as lending his own vast expertise.

The History of WWII Podcast (History, Interview) – A biweekly podcast covering the last Great War. Join Ray Harris Jr as he explores World War Two in intimate detail. This one is going through WWII chronologically, with interview episodes interspersed. Good for learning about areas where my own knowledge is skimpy.

Honestly (Free Speech, Interview, Opposing Views) – The most interesting conversations in American life now happen in private. This show is bringing them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss. Sometimes this one is interviews, and sometimes Bari brings on several guests for a panel to discuss an issue.

Honoverse Today (Entertainment, Writing Improvement) – Honoverse Today is a fan podcast providing review, commentary, and opinion for the Honor Harrington and Honorverse book series written by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The Honor Harrington series is one of the largest and most successful science fiction series in history. Yet it has never had a podcast. Until now. The series chronicles the life and world of Honor Harrington from her humble beginnings through the changing of the galactic order. The series includes 14 main series books, 2 spinoff series, several anthologies, 2 prequels, a comic series (which we will not be covering at this point), and several non-fiction reference and/or RPG game books. Honorverse Today will be covering the body of fictional stories, with the possible exception of the comics. More imporant, we will be covering all of the books in publication order. The three hosts analyze the Honor Harrington books. The nifty catch is that two of them are brand new to the series, while the third is a fan who has read the series multiple times. It’s interesting to hear the different items they pick out from the books.

How The World Works (Interview) – “How The World Works” features author, political commentator, and CEI writer in residence KEvin D. Williamson having a series of conversations with notable guests about work, specifically, the jobs he and his guests have had, why work matters, the role of work in our economy, and policy ideas for helping workers and employers get the most out of the work they do. Still in early days with this one, but I enjoy Williamson’s work.

The Incomparable Game Show (Comedy) – The people of The Incomparable play various games, including trivia, classic board games, word games, and even a few reimagined classic game shows from years gone by. Rotating panels playing rotating series of ostensibly board games. Often hilarious, sometimes dangerously so when driving. Some of the games I look forward to, others I bypass.

Just Asking Questions (Interview, Libertarianism) – One guest. One topic. Many questions. Reason’s Liz Wolfe and Zach Weissmueller put a current event, trend, or idea under the microscope and analyze it at length with help from an outside guest who knows a thing or two about it. We don’t have all the answers, but we do have lots of questions. The first episode with Russ Roberts on the changes in Israel since October 7 hooked me.

Left, Right, & Center (POTD, Opposing Views) – Left, Right, and Center is KCRW’s weekly civilized yet provocative confrontation over politics, policy and pop culture. This podcast covers the week’s political events with a progressive, a conservative, and a host who’s a left-leaning centrist. Guests are brought on to provide additional commentary – who tend to be overwhelmingly on the left-side of the aisles. Still, the debates are more conversational rather than confrontational.

The Michael Shermer Show (Interview, Science, Opposing Views) – The Michael Shermer Show is a series of long-form conversations between Dr. Michael Shermer and leading scientists, philosophers, historians, scholars, writers and thinkers about the most important issues of our times. Very thought provoking conversations as Dr. Shermer interviews scientists, scholars, and other intellectuals – generally on their new books.

The Political Orphanage (Interview, Libertarianism) – Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff. Andrew Heaton interviews a variety of individuals to discuss issues. Not necessarily just the POTD.

The Ponzi Playbook (True Crime) – Welcome to The Ponzi Playbook, the podcast that exposes the dark underbelly of the financial world. Join hosts Neal McTighe and Javier Levia as they take you on a journey through the seedy world of financial fraud, exploring some of the most audacious Ponzi schemes in history. The stories are interesting, but I wish the hosts would go from a half hour to an hour.

Quillette Narrated (Free Speech) – Narrated versions of selected Quillette essays.

Quillette Podcast (Interviews, Free Speech) – Quillette is an online magazine founded by Australian writer Claire Lehman. The publication has a primary focus on science, technology, news, culture, and politics. Interviews and articles focusing in on free speech issues and cancel culture.

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie (Interview, Liberatarianism) – Want to know comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century. Reason editor interviews a variety of guests. This would be an even better podcast if they had a different host.

The Reason Roundtable (POTD) – Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets” – Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman – discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

The Remnant With Jonah Goldberg (Interview, POTD) – In “The Remnant”, Jonah Goldberg enlists a “Cannonball Run”-style cast of stars, has-beens, and never-weres to address the most pressing issues of the day. Is America doomed? Has liberalism failed? And will mankind ever invent something better than ’90s-era “Simpsons”? Mixing political history, pop culture, rank punditry, and shameless book-plugging, Goldberg and guests will have the kinds of conversations we wish they features on TV. And the nudity will (almost) always be tasteful. Brace your bingo cards. The Wednesday show is interviewing pundits, politicians, and others. The Friday show is Jonah musings.

Revolutions (History, Writing Improvement) – A weekly podcasting exploring great revolutions. Really good series on various revolutions. Each season goes through one of the more pivotal revolutions in history, starting with the English Revolution. It’s ended its run, but I’m still getting through the appendices.

The Rewatchables – (Entertainment) – “The Rewatchables”, a filme podcast from The Ringer Podcast Network, features The Ringer’s Bill Simmonds and a roundtable of people from the Ringer universe discussing movies they can’t seem to stop watching. Variety panel of guests discussing a movie that is considered highly rewatchable. Depending on what movie they’re reviewing, if it’s one I haven’t seen, I’ll delete it. The categories are neat, but sometimes I get lost when they make sports references.

Self-Defense Gun Stories (Self-Defense) – Weekly reports and commentary on civilian self defense. I like the analysis of what went right and wrong from a variety of professional trainers. This is another I recommend to new shooters and those who are thinking about using a gun for self-defense.

Skeptoid (Science) – The true science behind our most popular urban legends. Historical mysteries, paranormal claims, popular science myths, aliens and UFO reports, conspiracy theories, and worthless alternative medicine schemers… Skeptoid has you covered. From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred. Another one that helped in developing my skeptical outlook. It takes a particular pseudo-science claim and investigates with a skeptical eye.

So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast (Free Speech, Interview) – So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations. FIRE’s podcast discussing free speech issues. The guests and legal theories put this more into theory although it sometimes delves into the issues of the day.

Tactical Tangents (Self-Defense, History, Writing Improvement) – Mike is a police SWAT team member, K9 handler, and tactical medic. Jim is an Air Force pilot with a background in close air support and combat search and rescue. Our goal is to elevate the conversation about all the things tactical for public safety, military, and concerned citizens. Join us to hear lessons learned about decision making, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork. I picked this one up originally because it has some excellent breakdowns of historical gunfights and mass shootings. It’s mostly geared to the professional, but the regular person can pick up some really good info.

Techmeme Ride Home (Tech) – The day’s teach news, every day at 5pm. From Techmeme.com, Silicon Valley’s most read new source. Fifteen minutes and you’re up to date. This is a relatively short, but thorough examination of the big news in tech.

We’re Not Wrong (POTD, Opposing Views) – Jen Briney, Andrew Heaton, and Justin Robert Young discuss the world of politics, government, and media. They have never, and will never, be incorrect about anything. This is another one of those I listen to because the guests bring different views than my normal feeds and challenge my ideas.

The Weekly Reload Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Interview, Opposing Views) – A podcast from The Reload that offers sober, serious firearms reporting and analysis. It focuses on gun policy, politics, and culture. Tune in to hear from Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski and special guests from across the gun world each week. The audio companion to The Reload newsletter. The host interviews a wide variety of pro-gun and anti-gun guests, or those who just have something to important to add to the world around guns.

What the Hell Is Going On (Interview, POTD) – The American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen addresses the questions we’re all asking in their podcast, “What the Hell Is Going On?” In conversational and irreverent episodes, Pletka and Thiessen interview policymakers and experts, asking tough probing questions about the most important foreign policy and security challenges facing the world today.

White Collar Crime and Fraud Podcast (True Crime, Self-Defense, Writing Improvement) – An exploration of fraud and white collar crime. Your host is Gene P. Tausk of The Tausk Law Firm in Houston, Texas. We will discuss various aspects of fraud and white collar crim including: legal, historical, the personalities involved, law enforcement responses, and the victims of fraud. This show discusses more of the theory behind scams and frauds, but also discusses actual cases.

Words & Numbers (Economics, Libertarianism, POTD, Interview) – Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. An economist and a political scientist discuss different aspects of economics from a libertarian perspective. Sometimes dipping into issues of the day.

Writer Dojo (Writing Improvement) – The WriterDojo is different than most other writing podcasts out there – our primary purpose is to cut through all the bad advice and help you tell stories that people want to read (and get you paid in the process.) This is advice on becoming a Professional Writer from two very knowledgeable Professional Writers. Authors Steve Diamond and Larry Correia discuss the ins and outs of writing for fun and profit. Readers will find interesting tidbits as well and may come away with new insights into what goes into creating the stories they love. This one has helped me with the art of writing. If I ever decide to actually get my stories published, I’ll probably go back through those episodes. One of the podcasts I support financially.

Monday Links

August 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is going to be one of those heavy weeks for links.

Let’s start out with probably the biggest media story – the new indictment against Donald Trump. The Dispatch has had the best take on the whole issue thus far.

What may actually be the more important story is Fitch downgrading the US credit rating from AAA to AA+ (Reuters article). Of course, Reason explains why this is a function of our current governmental disfunction.

In that same vein, Reason examines the broken budget process.

Sticking with Reason, here’s a couple of gun-related articles. First, an examination of how New Zealand can’t keep its registry of gun owners private. Second, a law professor advocating officials hiding behind qualified immunity to enforce unconstitutional gun laws.

Keeping in the RKBA vein, John Richardson discusses the latest push to rebrand gun control as “gun responsibility.”

From Ars Technica, an article about Reddit not having to reveal user names who discussed torrenting.

From Vox, an article advocating using “windfall profits” from AI companies to fund a universal basic income. For the entire planet. Let me be clear – when you use the term “windfall profits,” your whole proposal sounds uneducated.

From The Atlantic, an article debunking the common wisdom on learning styles.

From Cato, a fun little game called “The Green Card Game.” Can you navigate the current immigration system?

From Your Observer, a local library is offering teens a course on “Adulting 101.”

Whew! We need some light items.

First, you can now watch the first season of the original TMNT.

Second, T.REX Arms has done a bunch of detail scans to make holsters. They’re offering those scans up for other companies to use.

This last one you just have to watch.

Forensics Failure – Ballistics Edition

June 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Over the past decade, I’ve been reading more and more about how forensic science isn’t well, scientific. It’s not replicable and rife with false assumptions. Listening to The Reload podcast, I heard the latest salvo – an article from Radley Balko about forensics firearms analysis.

Last February, Chicago circuit court judge William Hooks made some history. He became the first judge in the country to bar the use of ballistics matching testimony in a criminal trial.

Um, what? Why? Because the judge was skeptical about the claim that a specific bullet can be matched to a specific gun.

But as with other forensic specialties collectively known as pattern matching fields, the claim is facing growing scrutiny. Scientists from outside of forensics point out that there’s no scientific basis for much of what firearms analysts say in court. These critics, backed by a growing body of research, make a pretty startling claim — one that could have profound effects on the criminal justice system: We don’t actually know if it’s possible to match a specific bullet to a specific gun. And even if it is, we don’t know if forensic firearms analysts are any good at it.

Considering I am supposed to be reporting for jury duty next month, this is going to be fun to bring up during questioning.

State of Podcasts – 2023

February 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Previous posts:

<p><a href="http://www.derek-ward.com/2018/03/state-of-my-podcasts/">State Of Podcasts 2018</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2019/03/state-of-podcasts-2019/">State of Podcasts 2019</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2020/03/state-of-podcasts-2020/">State of Podcasts 2020</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.derek-ward.com/2021/02/state-of-the-podcasts-2021/">State of Podcasts 2021</a></p>

State of Podcasts 2022

This is the sixth year I’ve reviewed which podcasts I listen to, how I listen to them, and when I listen to them. Part of it’s my own curiosity at how my podcast habits change. I’m also curious what others think about the same podcasts and which podcasts come and go.

I listen to my podcasts in Overcast. I prefer Overcast because the app deletes podcasts I’ve listened to, plus it has a smart speed feature which will speed up if it hears dead air. Generally, I listen to my podcasts at 2X speed.

Rather than try to fit podcasts into categories, I apply categories to the podcasts. Also, I try to listen to podcasts "with a shelf life" (i.e., current events) first. I’m going to include the show’s "blurb" and then any of my comments.

Podcast Categories

Comedy – One of the central themes of the podcast is making me laugh

Debate – The podcast uses a formal debate format

Economics – Discusses economic theory and impacts

Entertainment – Main subject matter is an entertainment form or persons

Free Speech – Discussing the current issues and assaults on free speech culture and laws

Government – Discusses the review of government operations

Guns – Discussing gun hardware and associated technology and skills

History – Delving into history in general or one facet/era

Legal – Discussing legal cases and theories

Libertarianism – Discusses libertarian theory

Interview – Substantial episodes interviewing guests

Opposing Views – Hosts regularly espouse politics or theories that are substantially different to my own

Prepping – Discussing prepping gear, methods, and skills

Politics Of The Day (POTD) – Discussion of current political events

Right To Keep and Bear Arms (RKBA) – Discusses issues around gun rights

Science – Discussing current science news and skepticism-related issues

Self-Defense – Discussing best practices for self-defense

True Crime – Podcast is a narrative/story of real crime events

War – Discusses issues surrounding armed conflicts

Writing Improvement – Helps me improve my writing

My podcasts as of February 2022:

Active Self Protection Podcast (Guns, Interview, RKBA, Self-Defense) – Active Self Protection exists to help good, sane, moral, prudent people in all walks of life to more effectively protect themselves and their loved ones from criminal violence. On the ASP Podcast, you will hear stories of life or death self defense encounters from the men and women that lived them. If you are interested in the Second Amendment, self defense and defensive firearms use, martial arts or the use of less than lethal tools used in the real world to defend life and family, you will find this riveting. One of the shows I listen to build up my "scenario card file" for self defense. Plus, the end segment with the host of The Reload (see below) is excellent.

Advisory Opinions (Legal, POTD) – Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur have a weekly conversation about the law, culture, and why it matters This one helps me understand how the law "thinks" and why it sometimes is at odds with what people think it should think.

Alienating the Audience (Interview, Entertainment, Science, Skepticism) – Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what’s science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets. This hasn’t been active since April of 2022, but it has some excellent discussions on different aspects of sci-if. The comedy bits aren’t my favorite, and I tend to skip them.

Angry Planet (War, Interview, Opposing Views) – Conversations about conflict on an angry planet. Formerly known as War College, this podcast is an interesting look at politics and military issues through interviews with specialists, but definitely not from my political point of view.

Assorted Calibers Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Entertainment, Interview, Self-Defense) – Everything including the kitchen sink. Weer’d Beard and Erin Pallette are the real reason I listen to this, but the other segments are generally surprisingly good. I’m also a patron, and listen to the Mag Dump round tables, Film Tracks, and Blooper Reels (which are hysterically funny).

Black Man With A Gun (Guns, RKBA, Interview, Self-Defense) – Discover American history, gun training tips, product reviews, and interviews with great people on the responsible, family friendly, gun owners podcast hosted by Kenn Blanchard (since 2007). I have a soft spot for this podcast as it was one of the first podcasts I found. Plus, there was the whole Zombie Strike thing.

Blocked and Reported (Free Speech, POTD) – Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster files. This one is just full of amusing internet drama. Okay, sometimes the internet drama is more worrying than entertaining.

Bound By Oath (Legal, Libertarianism) – Bound By Oath is a new podcast by IJ’s Center for Judicial Engagement where the Constitution’s past catches up to the present. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution requires every judge to be "bound by Oath" to uphold "this Constitution". But to understand if judges are following that oath, it’s important to ask, "What is in ‘this Constitution’"? In this podcast series, Short Circuit takes a deep dive into specific parts of the Constitution, starting with the 14th Amendment, which turned 150 in 2018. "Bound By Oath" features interviews with historians, legal scholars, and the real people involved in historical and contemporary cases. The first season was on the 14th amendment and the second was on qualified immunity. Good primer on the legal issues surrounding those topics.

The Bradenton Times Podcast (POTD, Interview, Opposing Views) – A weekly podcast by the Bradenton Times that highlights the people and issues in the Manatee County community. This is one I use to get to know what’s going on in my local community. And as much as I disagree with the host, at least he makes me think and re-evaluate my stances.

Bribe, Swindle, and Steal (Interview, True Crime, Opposing Views, Writing Improvement) – Alexandra Wrage, president of TRACE, interviews luminaries in the field of financial crime, including bribery, fraud, money-laundering, inside trading and sanctions. Each week, Alexandra and her guests will discuss who commits "white collar crime", how it works, and what is being done to stop it.

The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast (Interview, POTD) – A show about politics, music, technology, rollercoasters, golf carts, and the United States of America. The spiritual successor to Mad Dogs and Englishmen after Kevin Williamson’s departure to The Dispatch. Charlie Cooke’s still providing thought provoking takes and brings on guests to expound on them.

Clockwise (Tech) – Clockwise is a rapid-fire discussion of current technology issues hosted by Dan Moren and Mikah Sargeant and featuring two special guests each week. Four people, four topics – and because we’re always watching the clock, no episode is longer than 30 minutes. Generally enjoyable, even though it gets a little too Apple-centric or a little too media-centric.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (History, Writing Improvement) – In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn’t academic history (and Carlin isn’t a historian) but the podcast’s unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners. This podcast is a master craft in how to tell history in an exciting and entertaining way. It’s probably better to treat the arcs as audiobooks and just listen to them all at once to get the width and breadth of the story. This updates very infrequently.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Addendum (History, Interview, Writing) – Interviews, musings and extra material from the makers of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. If it did not fit in the HH feed it’s probably here. A companion to the Hardcore History podcast where Dan Carlin does segments outside his normal narrative style. Often very informative.

The Dispatch Podcast (POTD, Interview) – Host Sarah Imgur is joined by Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and David French for a weekly thoughtful discussion on politics, policy, and culture. The panel rotates a bit more often with other members of the Dispatch staff which gives the panel discussion a wider variety. The interviews are always entertaining.

The Economist Asks (Interview) – One question posed to a high-profile newsmaker, followed up with lively debate. Anne McElvoy hosts The Economist’s chat show. It’s mostly an interview with a newsmaker on an issue. The host doesn’t really have a lively debate, but occasionally asks more probing questions.

Econtalk (Interview, Economics)- Econtalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford’s Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it’s like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. I’ve been learning a lot on economics, and even more on some wildly different topics.

Editor’s Picks From The Economist (POTD, Opposing Views) – Selected articles from the audio edition of The Economist. I listen to the Economist, because it provides a different perspective and reports on areas that barely hit my normal feeds.

The Editors (POTD) – Unravel the threads of American politics with incisive commentary and in-depth analysis on the state of the political scene. Editors from National Review discussing the issues of the day. Part of my keeping an idea of the conservative side of the issues of the day.

Fall of Civilizations Podcast (History, Writing Improvement) – A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fail? And what did it feel like to watch it happen? This is a good companion to Hardcore History and Revolutions. Not that they cover the same things, but this one does an excellent job in showing the decline and fall of various civilizations from every level.

FBI Retired Case File Review (Interview, True Crime, Writing Improvement) – Host Jerri Williams is a retired FBI agent and author on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does by interviewing retired agents, her former colleagues, about their most intriguing and high-profiled cases, as well as fascinating but not as well-known FBI investigations. This has been very useful in dispelling some misconceptions about how the FBI works. Plus many of the cases are very compelling.

The Fifth Column (POTD, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – Your weekly rhetorical assault on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (formerly Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. This is an excellent roundup focusing on the issues of the day and how the media reports them. They also bring on guests who will disagree with them and have excellent discussions.

Geeks Gadgets and Guns (Guns, Tech, Entertainment, POTD, RKBA) – A show of geeks discussing passions from technology and video games to firearms, design, history, and testing. A roundtable of geeks discussing guns and other geeky stuff with sometimes politics intruding.

GLoP Culture (POTD, Entertainment) – Jonah Goldberg, Commentary’s John Podhoretz, and Ricochet’s Rob Long discuss culture and politics. The hosts often muse on current POTD and culture through the lens of Gen X experiences.

Government Accountability Office Podcast: Watchdog Report (Interview, Government) – Featuring interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports, the Watchdog Report is recorded, hosted, and produced by GAO staff. The Government Accountability Office discussed some of their reviews they’ve done on federal agencies. Kinda dry, with occasional interesting insights.

Gun and Gear Review (Guns) – Gun Reviews – Gear Reviews This is a good review podcast for new stuff in the gun world. I enjoy the reviews and the banter between the hosts.

Guns Guide To Liberals (RKBA) – Talking guns across the aisle with better communication and better arguments. This is a good podcast focusing on techniques to use when talking about guns and RKBA to those who don’t share our views. Not active, but would recommend going back and listening to the whole series.

Handgun Radio (Guns, Interview, Self-Defense) – Your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world. Delving more into the history and technological aspects of guns – mostly handguns. Also, just fun musings on different aspects of guns. Sometimes they bring on interesting guests.

High Caliber History (Guns, History, Interview) – A podcast for enthusiasts about firearms, history, museums, and more, with a goal of providing an understanding of what it’s like to work with these items in an environment that is becoming less and less accepting of the scholarship and work being done in this field. Logan Metesh interviews specialists on the history of guns, as well as lending his own vast expertise.

The History of WWII Podcast (History, Interview) – A biweekly podcast covering the last Great War. Join Ray Harris Jr as he explores World War Two in intimate detail. This one is going through WWII chronologically, with interview episodes interspersed. Good for learning about areas where my own knowledge is skimpy.

Honestly (Free Speech, Interview, Opposing Views) – The most interesting conversations in American life now happen in private. This show is bringing them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss. Sometimes this one is interviews, and sometimes Bari brings on several guests for a panel to discuss an issue.

Honoverse Today (Entertainment, Writing Improvement) – Honoverse Today is a fan podcast providing review, commentary, and opinion for the Honor Harrington and Honorverse book series written by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The Honor Harrington series is one of the largest and most successful science fiction series in history. Yet it has never had a podcast. Until now. The series chronicles the life and world of Honor Harrington from her humble beginnings through the changing of the galactic order. The series includes 14 main series books, 2 spinoff series, several anthologies, 2 prequels, a comic series (which we will not be covering at this point), and several non-fiction reference and/or RPG game books. Honorverse Today will be covering the body of fictional stories, with the possible exception of the comics. More imporant, we will be covering all of the books in publication order. The three hosts analyze the Honor Harrington books. The nifty catch is that two of them are brand new to the series, while the third is a fan who has read the series multiple times. It’s interesting to hear the different items they pick out from the books.

The Incomparable Game Show (Comedy) – The people of The Incomparable play various games, including trivia, classic board games, word games, and even a few reimagined classic game shows from years gone by. Rotating panels playing rotating series of ostensibly board games. Often hilarious, sometimes dangerously so when driving. Some of the games I look forward to, others I bypass.

Left, Right, & Center (POTD, Opposing Views) – Left, Right, and Center is KCRW’s weekly civilized yet provocative confrontation over politics, policy and pop culture. This podcast covers the week’s political events with a progressive, a conservative, and a host who’s a left-leaning centrist. Guests are brought on to provide additional commentary – who tend to be overwhelmingly on the left-side of the aisles. Still, the debates are more conversational rather than confrontational.

Managing Uncertainty (Prepping, Writing Improvement) – Welcome to Managing Uncertainty, a podcast series discussing crisis management, business continuity, and crisis communications. You’ll learn strategies, tactics, and resources about preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all sorts of disruptions and critical moments. Will you be ready to lead through your company’s critical moment? This podcast is mainly focused on risk management from an organizational standpoint, but I find it’s useful as a prepping exercise as well.

The Michael Shermer Show (Interview, Science, Opposing Views) – The Michael Shermer Show is a series of long-form conversations between Dr. Michael Shermer and leading scientists, philosophers, historians, scholars, writers and thinkers about the most important issues of our times. Very thought provoking conversations as Dr. Shermer interviews scientists, scholars, and other intellectuals – generally on their new books.

Part of the Problem (POTD, Libertarianism) – Dave Smith expounds upon current events, our government, foreign policy, and all things Libertarian. He is part of the new generation of pundits. He’ll educate you and open your eyes to the possibility of a truly feee nation. Rabid anti-war libertarian comedian Dave Smith is interesting. He’s certainly challenging some of my ideas. Particularly when he veers over to the conspiracy theories.

The Political Orphanage (Interview, Libertarianism) – Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff. Andrew Heaton interviews a variety of individuals to discuss issues. Not necessarily just the POTD.

Pop & Locke (Entertainment, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – Political ideas meet pop culture. This one looks at pop culture media (books, TV, movies) through the libertarian lens. Sometimes the panel goes a little more woke than I appreciate.

Popular Front (Interview, War, Opposing Views) – Popular Front is a grassroots media organization that focuses solely on war and conflict. We go deeper than mainstream news in a way that makes important war coverage accessible for everyone. The podcast focuses on the niche details of modern warfare and underreported conflict. A look into smaller conflicts going on or unusual aspects of modern warfare.

Power Problems (Interview, Libertarianism, Opposing Views) – Power Problems is a bi-weekly podcast from the Cato Institute. Host John Glaser offers a skeptical take on U.S. foreign policy, and discusses today’s big questions in international security with distinguished guests from across the political spectrum.

Quillette Podcast (Interviews, Free Speech) – Quillette is an online magazine founded by Australian writer Claire Lehman. The publication has a primary focus on science, technology, news, culture, and politics. Interviews and articles focusing in on free speech issues and cancel culture.

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie (Interview, Liberatarianism) – Want to know comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century. Reason editor interviews a variety of guests. This would be an even better podcast if they had a different host.

The Reason Roundtable (POTD) – Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of "Free Minds and Free Markets" – Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman – discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

The Remnant With Jonah Goldberg (Interview, POTD) – In "The Remnant", Jonah Goldberg enlists a "Cannonball Run"-style cast of stars, has-beens, and never-weres to address the most pressing issues of the day. Is America doomed? Has liberalism failed? And will mankind ever invent something better than ’90s-era "Simpsons"? Mixing political history, pop culture, rank punditry, and shameless book-plugging, Goldberg and guests will have the kinds of conversations we wish they features on TV. And the nudity will (almost) always be tasteful. Brace your bingo cards. The Wednesday show is interviewing pundits, politicians, and others. The Friday show is Jonah musings.

Revolutions (History, Writing Improvement) – A weekly podcasting exploring great revolutions. Really good series on various revolutions. Each season goes through one of the more pivotal revolutions in history, starting with the English Revolution. It’s ended its run, but I’m still getting through the appendices.

The Rewatchables – (Entertainment) – "The Rewatchables", a filme podcast from The Ringer Podcast Network, features The Ringer’s Bill Simmonds and a roundtable of people from the Ringer universe discussing movies they can’t seem to stop watching. Variety panel of guests discussing a movie that is considered highly rewatchable. Depending on what movie they’re reviewing, if it’s one I haven’t seen, I’ll delete it. The categories are neat, but sometimes I get lost when they make sports references.

Self-Defense Gun Stories (Self-Defense) – Weekly reports and commentary on civilian self defense. I like the analysis of what went right and wrong from a variety of professional trainers. This is another I recommend to new shooters and those who are thinking about using a gun for self-defense.

Short Circuit (Legal, Libertarianism) – The Supreme Court decides a few dozen cases every year; federal appellate courts decide thousands. So if you love constitutional law, the circuit courts are where it’s at. Join us as we break down some of the week’s most intriguing appellate decisions with a unique brand of insight, wite, and passion for judicial engagement and the rule of law. From the Institute of Justice, this one discusses notable cases that IJ is arguing. I put it under libertarian theory rather than politics because it discusses legal libertarian arguments rather than issues of the day.

Skeptoid (Science) – The true science behind our most popular urban legends. Historical mysteries, paranormal claims, popular science myths, aliens and UFO reports, conspiracy theories, and worthless alternative medicine schemers… Skeptoid has you covered. From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred. Another one that helped in developing my skeptical outlook. It takes a particular pseudo-science claim and investigates with a skeptical eye.

So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast (Free Speech, Interview) – So To Speak: The Free Speech Podcast takes an uncensored look at the world of free expression through personal stories and candid conversations. FIRE’s podcast discussing free speech issues. The guests and legal theories put this more into theory although it sometimes delves into the issues of the day.

Stop The Killing (Self Defense, Opposing Views) – A deep dive into the case files of former head of the FBI’s Active Shooter program Katherine Schweit with co-host Sarah Ferris. This US-UK dynamite true crime podcast duo reveal the insider’s story of what happened and what went wrong at some of the world’s worst mass shootings, empowering listeners along the way. Not a fear and scary facts conversation, and no politics. Sarah and Kate prove true crime in not just for criminals as they provide a bit of reality check on just how much power each of us has to stop the killing. Okay, the no politics isn’t quite correct. Still, useful to think about how to react during mass shootings. Also about looking for warning signs in others who might be about to commit these atrocities.

Tactical Tangents (Self-Defense, History, Writing Improvement) – Mike is a police SWAT team member, K9 handler, and tactical medic. Jim is an Air Force pilot with a background in close air support and combat search and rescue. Our goal is to elevate the conversation about all the things tactical for public safety, military, and concerned citizens. Join us to hear lessons learned about decision making, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork. I picked this one up originally because it has some excellent breakdowns of historical gunfights and mass shootings. It’s mostly geared to the professional, but the regular person can pick up some really good info.

Techmeme Ride Home (Tech) – The day’s teach news, every day at 5pm. From Techmeme.com, Silicon Valley’s most read new source. Fifteen minutes and you’re up to date. This is a relatively short, but thorough examination of the big news in tech.

Unregistered with Thaddeus Russell (Interview, Libertarianism, Free Speech, Opposing Views) – A show about what you’re not supposed to say. Thaddeus Russell, author of A Renegade History of the United States, interviews people who break the rules of conventional discourse and expand the realm of the possible. Thaddeus interviews a varied list of guests he finds intriguing. Some are very interesting, some less so. It’s gotten a little weird since the pandemic.

The Way I Heard It With Mike Rowe (Entertainment, Interview, History, Writing Improvement) – In The Way I Heard It, Mike Rowe gives a different take on a variety of topics – from pop culture to politics, history to Hollywood, each mystery is trueish tale about someone you know, filled with facts that you don’t. Delivered with Mike’s signature blend of charm, wit, and ingenuity, these stories are a part of a larger mosaic – full of surprising revelations, sharp observations, and intimate, behind-the-scenes moments drawn from Mike’s own life and career. This one is mostly interviews with people Mike finds interesting.

We’re Not Wrong (POTD, Opposing Views) – Jen Briney, Andrew Heaton, and Justin Robert Young discuss the world of politics, government, and media. They have never, and will never, be incorrect about anything. This is another one of those I listen to because the guests bring different views than my normal feeds and challenge my ideas.

The Weekly Reload Podcast (RKBA, Guns, Interview, Opposing Views) – A podcast from The Reload that offers sober, serious firearms reporting and analysis. It focuses on gun policy, politics, and culture. Tune in to hear from Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski and special guests from across the gun world each week. The audio companion to The Reload newsletter. The host interviews a wide variety of pro-gun and anti-gun guests, or those who just have something to important to add to the world around guns.

White Collar Crime and Fraud Podcast (True Crime, Self-Defense, Writing Improvement) – An exploration of fraud and white collar crime. Your host is Gene P. Tausk of The Tausk Law Firm in Houston, Texas. We will discuss various aspects of fraud and white collar crim including: legal, historical, the personalities involved, law enforcement responses, and the victims of fraud. This show discusses more of the theory behind scams and frauds, but also discusses actual cases.

Words & Numbers (Economics, Libertarianism, POTD, Interview) – Words & Numbers touches on issues of Economics, Political Science, Current Events and Policy. An economist and a political scientist discuss different aspects of economics from a libertarian perspective. Sometimes dipping into issues of the day.

Writer Dojo (Writing Improvement) – The WriterDojo is different than most other writing podcasts out there – our primary purpose is to cut through all the bad advice and help you tell stories that people want to read (and get you paid in the process.) This is advice on becoming a Professional Writer from two very knowledgeable Professional Writers. Authors Steve Diamond and Larry Correia discuss the ins and outs of writing for fun and profit. Readers will find interesting tidbits as well and may come away with new insights into what goes into creating the stories they love. This one has helped me with the art of writing. If I ever decide to actually get my stories published, I’ll probably go back through those episodes. One of the podcasts I support financially.