Episodes

Friday Feb 26, 2021
The Basics of Trigonometry
Friday Feb 26, 2021
Friday Feb 26, 2021
Come learn about trigonometry. What are the six trigonometric functions and how do they work? How do you measure the distance to a star? How would you ballpark the height of the Eiffel tower without a compass and without Google? Find out with us.

Friday Feb 12, 2021
Resumes and Job Interviews
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Friday Feb 12, 2021
What makes a good resume? How do you make your resume stand out? What are employers looking for? How do you tailor your resume for an specific job? What do you need to do to prep for an interview? Should you or should you not throw something at your interviewer? Join us to learn it from a layman.

Friday Jan 29, 2021
Buying a Home
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Friday Jan 29, 2021
We walk you through the process of buying a home. How do you get the best mortgage? How do property taxes work? What is an adjustable rate mortgage? What are the most important things to consider when buying? Should you pay off your home early? Is a vacation home or a rental property worth buying? Come find out with us.

Monday Jan 11, 2021
Car Maintenance
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
We discuss car maintenance. How often should you change your oil? Is buying higher octane fuel worth the cost? What is knock and how does it affect engine performance? What type of tires should you buy? What does a tire alignment actually do? How do you tell what are necessary repairs vs. optional repairs if you don't think your mechanic is being honest? When and how should you replace an old vehicle and what's the best way to go car shopping?

Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
World History Part 4: 1930s
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
We continue our history series. Who were the biggest names in music in the 1930s and how does Justin Bieber measure up? What happened in Nanjing and why do we need to know? What caused the Great Depression? What did Einstein originally think about researching the atomic bomb? Who were the Flying Tigers? What is Blitzkrieg and how does it work? Did Germany really start World War 2?

Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Phonetics and Speech Recognition
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Come find out what phonetics is all about. What is the IPA? What is an allophone and could it hurt me? How does speech recognition software work? We discuss the basics of machine learning and why masks make listening hard.

Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Holiday Origins and Traditions
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
What are some American holiday traditions and their origins? Where did Thanksgiving come from? Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? What is the Miracle on 31st street? Is The Man Who Knew Too Little a Christmas movie? What is the best Christmas music and other traditions?

Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Suriname
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
We discuss Suriname, one of the least known countries in the Western Hemisphere. What is the culture of Suriname? What languages do they speak there? What's a creole language vs. a pidgin language? How many times can Carl say "by and large" in one podcast? What do grubs taste like? We give you the highlights and some of the lesser-known facts about Suriname.

About Us
We bring an eclectic group together: a linguist turned computer scientist, a mechanical engineer, a hospitality manager, a teacher, and a doctor. And that doesn't include our guests. Some would say, "Hey, you're not 'laymen'!" To that we would respond, "Shh..." In reality, we take on various subjects in which we are certainly laymen. Additionally, from a philosophical perspective, we think everyone is a layman sometimes, and that's ok. We should embrace that and learn. So join us in learning. We try to keep it fun and interesting, but mostly we try to bring you along with us as you learn it from a layman.