Mixed Mental Arts

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Ep98 - Chad Kultgen Jan 30, 2014

Show notes

Bryan sits down with author, producer and actor, Chad Kultgen. He is a controversial author notable for publishing several novels on the sexual relationships of Americans. He has published opinion pieces on the Huffington Post, and was a staff writer for Hits and The World Weekly News. His works have been reviewed by Maxim, Penthouse, and the New York Times amongst others. He has several writing and production credits, including for The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a 2013 film starring Steve Carell. Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep97 - Steven Strogatz Jan 27, 2014

Show notes

Steven Strogatz has a really impressive resumé. Besides being a professor at Cornell, he also has the sixth most highly cited paper in all of physics and his 1998 paper "Collective dynamics of small-world networks" was the most highly cited paper in its field for a decade. Cool as all of that is that's not what excites us most about Steven Strogatz, because as you look at his resumé you realize that Strogatz is perhaps the greatest living popularizer of something that underpins all of our lives but most people have (at best) mixed feelings about: math. As the author of a series of NY Times columns that the Harvard Business Review "must reads for entrepreneurs and executives who grasp that mathematics is now the lingua franca of serious business analysis." Those columns have now been collected in an awesome book called The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math From One to Infinity. From basic arithmetic to calculus and beyond, Strogatz shows readers not just what math is but puts it in a context that allows us to experience the beauty of math regardless of how much math we actually know. In this interview, Professor Strogatz discusses his book and gives Bryan and Hunter an inside look at the life of a top-level mathematician. They discuss math prodigies, cultural beliefs at math and the importance of constantly striving for excellence every day even if you're not sure it'll pay necessarily pay off. This conversation will not only teach you the Joy of X; it will teach you the Joy of Talking to Professor Strogatz. Steven Strogatz is the author of three books: The Calculus of Friendship, Sync and The Joy of X. They're all available at Amazon and everywhere else. Also, check out his awesome TED talk about how flocks of birds and other animals sync up: http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_strogatz_on_sync.html Steven Strogatz is on twitter @stevenstrogatz. Be sure to check out his website stevenstrogatz.com.

Ep96 - Jared Diamond Jan 23, 2014

Show notes

Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author best known for his popular science books The Third Chimpanzee (1991), Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997, awarded a Pulitzer Prize), Collapse (2005) and The World Until Yesterday (2012). Originally trained in physiology, Diamond's work is known for drawing from a variety of fields, including anthropology, ecology, geography, and evolutionary biology. As of 2013, he is Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been described as "America's best-known geographer". Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep95 – Lawrence Krauss Jan 20, 2014

Show notes

Lawrence Krauss is the only physicist to have received awards from all three major American physics societies. In addition to his work as a theoretical physicist and cosmologist where he has authored or co-authored more than three hundred academic articles, Krauss has devoted much of his career to getting the public of their fear of science. As Krauss explains to Bryan and Hunter, you don't have to be a professional musician to enjoy music and you're wrong if you think you have to be a professional physicist to enjoy the beauty of physics. With books such as The Physics of Star Trek and Fear of Physics, Krauss meets the public where they are and helps move them towards being able to enjoy science without feeling like they need a PhD. In this interview, Krauss also tackles head on why we don't need God to explain the existence of the Universe and why he thinks we're better off without religion.Lawrence Krauss has authored nine books for the general public. They're available from all good booksellers and they're as entertaining as he is.

Ep94 - Sarah Tiana Jan 16, 2014

Show notes

Bryan and Hunter sit down with comedian, Sarah Tiana. They talk about their lives in comedy as well as comedians in relationships and much more. Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep93 - Charles Duhigg Jan 13, 2014

Show notes

Charles Duhigg is a writer for the business section of The New York Times. He's clearly pretty good at it, because he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for a series of ten articles on Apple called iEconomy. He's also clearly pretty good at writing books, because The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business was on The New York Times bestseller list for 62 weeks. Basically, Charles Duhigg is pretty damn awesome. Oh, wait. He won a Pulitzer Prize and wrote a New York Times bestseller. He's incredibly awesome. In this week's episode, Charles tells Bryan and Hunter about how the book came about (it began with civil unrest, food vendors and being with the US Armed Forces in Iraq), the science behind the book and how—by breaking down the true and often surprising sources of our own habits—we can shape our habits to fit our lives rather than the other way around. The Power of Habit is available from all good booksellers and you can follow Charles on twitter at @cduhigg.

Ep92 - Skylar Stone Jan 09, 2014

Show notes

Bryan sits down with comedian, Skylar Stone. Stone has been seen on telelvision and in comedy clubs throughout the country. He has a monthly show at the Improv in Hollywood. Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep91 - Russell Foster Jan 06, 2014

Show notes

Along with his colleagues Professor Russell Foster broke the conventional wisdom and discovered a light-sensitive cell inside the eye that had nothing to do with vision. Although much of the scientific community was originally skeptical, these photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (pRGCs) have not only become an accepted part of our biology they have major consequences for people young and old living in every part of the world. That's because pRGCs regulate sleep. In spite of playing no role in vision, these crucial components of the eye use the light exposure in our daily lives to manage an activity so important we spend a third of our lives doing it. In this episode of the show, Professor Foster offers insight into what sleep is, why it matters so very much and what his research means for individuals, businesses and societies as a whole.Russell Foster is the author of three particularly excellent books for a general audience Sleep: A Very Short Introduction, Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing and Seasons of Life: The Biological Rhythms that Enable Living Things to Thrive and Survive.

Ep90 - Michael Callen Jan 02, 2014

Show notes

Back by popular demand, Bryan sits down with his dad, Michael Callen. They talk about a variety of different things, from professional schooling and the changes they are encountering, as well as the differences regarding traditional schooling verses online. Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep89 - Chris Bell Dec 30, 2013

Show notes

"Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test. There is a message hidden in this image. Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through. Good luck. 3301." Hidden in that image were a series of elaborate clues that would draw the world's best cryptographers, steganographers and internet security experts racing to unlock the mysteries of this puzzle. It's still going on…or is it? On November 25th, 2013, Chris Bell wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph about what has come to be known as Cicada 3301 and made the wider world aware of what only the internet's superusers had known before. The intent of Cicada 3301's creators remains unknown as does what will happen next. On this episode, Chris tells Bryan and Hunter all about the known knowns and the known unknowns of Cicada 3301. (Hunter's note: For the best listening experience, read Chris' article first: The Internet mystery that has the world baffled) You can follow Chris on Twitter @chrisbellwriter.

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