Learn It from a Layman

The Basics of the Olympics (and CrowdStrike)

We're back from vacation to discuss the Olympics, and a bit about CrowdStrike. What happened when the computers all went down, and how? When did the Olympics start? What is the IOC and what does it do? How are Olympic venues chosen? How are Olympic sports chosen? How much better/faster/stronger are Olympians than your hosts?

The 10 Worst Creatures

We opine on the 10 worst creatures (species, not including individual human mass murderers of the past). What is a lamprey and is it the inspiration for the sandworm in Dune? Why are bats so ugly? What is an assassin bug? How many people do mosquitoes kill every year? Are crocodiles actually dinosaurs? What are Tsetse flies and how do they kill? Where and what variety of snake and spider are the worst and why? Listen to the definitive list.

Should You Become a Teacher?

We discuss how to become a teacher, and why to become a teacher. Why is Tim a teacher? How far can altruism take you? Is there a shortage of teachers? How do we increase the quality of teachers? What certification do you need to be a teacher? Do you need a college degree? How are teachers given specific class assignments? Who were your favorite teachers in school and what does that have to do which subject they taught? What are teachers unions for? How can teachers increase their pay? Does Tim know how to retire? What's the best thing you can do as a teacher to make it through the difficult times?

The Basics of Making Money

We discuss the basics of making money. How should you structurally think about making money? What are the principles of improving your financial situation? Who is Steve Ballmer and what does he teach us about making money? Why are all Ivy League grads rich? What does success mean for you financially?

The Basics of Biotechnology

Dr. Erika Handly joins the podcast to discuss the basics of biotech. Is the 'tech' in 'biotech' using technology to understand biology, or using technology to fix biology? What are the types of problems that biotech is being used to understand and solve? What is CRISPR in layman's terms? How predictable are the outcomes of editing DNA? Can biotech help solve global climate change and famine? Are implantable microchips inevitable? What are some of the biggest advancements in biotech for cancer? Can technology reverse aging?

The Basics of Vocabulary

We discuss the basics of vocabulary. What is a word? What is a lemma? What is morphology? How many words do most people have in their vocabulary? How many words are there in the English language? Does cursing mean you're not as intelligent? What is lexical density? How do you increase your vocabulary, and does a larger vocabulary mean you're more intelligent?

The Basics of Rocket Science

We discuss the basics of rocket science. What is the difference between a rocket and a jet? What is the rocket equation? What is delta-v? Was Wall-e actually saying delta-v? What is rocket fuel? What is rapid unscheduled disassembly? What is a specific impulse? What are stages of a rocket for? Why does it look like rockets aren't going straight up? Why are rockets clamped to the launch pad?

The Basics of Anesthesia

MD-PhD Seth Vogel joins us to discuss the basics of anesthesia. What happens in the brain when you put someone under? What are the drugs that you use and how do they work differently? How often does general anesthesia cause incontinence, or is that a thing? Are there drugs that can wake you up from general anesthesia? How common are medical issues resulting directly from general anesthesia? How difficult are epidurals for the anesthesiologists? Why are people loopy when they're waking up? In the police academy, you have to be tased before you can have a taser. Is anesthesiologist training similar?