Sofa King Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 676: Yellowstone: World-Ending Super Volcano! Aug 10, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Supervolcano is one of the few in the world, and if it ever erupts, it will be a world-ending, cataclysmic event. America will pretty much be a wasteland (and a good chunk of Canada…sorry neighbors to the north). If there is a super eruption, it will last for months, send magma nearly 70 miles into the sky, and bury a significant portion of the U.S. in over ten feet of burning ash. So, what is NASA’s plan to cool it down? When did it erupt last, and when do the pattern suggest it is due again? Why do some geologists think it will never happen again? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.vox.com/2014/9/5/6108169/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GC005469 https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/volcano.htm https://yellowstonebearworld.com/interesting-facts-about-yellowstone-super-volcano https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-know-about-yellowstone-supervolcano-180965345/ https://www.doi.gov/blog/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-yellowstone-national-park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSdN8Rppnbs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera https://www.softschools.com/facts/us_geography/yellowstone_supervolcano_facts/2368/

Episode 675: Orcas: The Brainy Blackfin Behemoths Aug 04, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most intelligent animals on planet earth, the Orca. People call them killer whales, which is pretty wrong on both parts. One, they aren’t whales. Second, they aren’t really killers—at least not of humans. Sure, the ones held captive will kill after they are driven mad, but in the wild, they treat humans playfully. They form one of the most sophisticated animal cultures on earth, have a robust language, and teach their young. They can kill a great white, shut down half their brain when they sleep, and get in snowball fights with fishermen. And don’t forget Tilly, the captive Sea World Orca made famous by the movie Blackfin that killed three people! Visit Our Sources: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/facts-about-orcas/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/facts-about-orcas/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/watch-orca-whales-kill-a-great-white-shark-in-this-stunning-shark-week-footage https://us.whales.org/our-4-goals/end-captivity/orca-captivity/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilikum_(orca) https://nypost.com/2022/04/04/trainer-warns-of-more-seaworld-killer-whale-attacks-on-humans/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_attack

Episode 674: Mike Judge: King of the Cult Hit Jul 29, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we look at the one of the best comedic minds of our generation, Mike Judge. Judge blew up with his smash TV show Beavis and Butthead. It was an anthem to Generation X and a huge hit on MTV, spawning movies, and forcing people to do bad impressions of the main characters for years. He created King of the Hill which was a ratings hit, and he directed live action cult films such as Office Space and Idiocracy. Mike Judge has suffered controversy and success over the years, and has left us with everything from red Swingline staplers to President Camacho. Give this one a listen! Visit Our Sources: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0431918/bio https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-judge-6996.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Judge https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/producers/mike-judge-net-worth/ https://www.ranker.com/list/mike-judge-facts/erik-barnes https://www.cracked.com/article_32961_mike-judge-15-know-you-know-facts.html https://qz.com/work/1575833/how-the-red-stapler-in-office-space-changed-swingline/ https://beavisandbutthead.fandom.com/wiki/Fire_Controversy https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mike-judge-beavis-butthead-comic-con-1235184504/

Episode 673: Chowchilla Kidnapping: 26 Kids, 28 Hours, 1 School Bus Jul 28, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a strange case of True Crime known as the Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping. In 1976, three men (Frederick Woods, James Schoenfeld, and Richard Schoenfeld) did the unthinkable. As bus driver Ed Ray was driving 26 children back from a pool outing, the kidnappers boarded their school bus and held them at gunpoint. Then, the children and Ray were forced to endure an 11 hour claustrophobic bus ride and were dumped into a buried moving truck for 16 hours. Everyone from the media to the FBI swarmed the town. So, what did it take for them to escape? Were any of them harmed? How did all the victims end up in a prison? Why weren’t the kidnappers ever able to ask for their ransom demand? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.cityofchowchilla.org/300/1976-Bus-Kidnapping https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-frederick-woods-rare-photos-from-one-of-the-largest-kidnappings-in-u-s-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Chowchilla_kidnapping https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/02/us/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-victim-trauma/index.html https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22570738/chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping https://www.ranker.com/list/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-facts/jodi-smith https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/chowchilla-kidnapping-parole.html

Episode 672: Solar Flares: The Sun’s 11 Year Itch Jul 22, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we turn our eyes to the heavens and talk about Solar Flares. These nasty little critters blast off of the sun in eleven year cycles and can wreak havoc with high tech equipment. In the past, people didn’t care much about this phenomenon. For one, they didn’t have telescopes to see them, and even once they did, they just didn’t matter. But now, living in a world of satellites, GPS, cell phones and radio waves, these bursts of electromagnetic energy could really do some damage to our tech and even society at large. What was the biggest solar flare ever detected? Do people on earth die due to the Solar Flares? How much money did a Solar Flare cost Elon Musk when his Starlink satellite program got slammed by a flare? What is the real danger of them, and do you need to become a prepper? Listen, laugh, learn? Visit Our Sources: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/solar-flares-radio-blackouts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flare https://www.livemint.com/news/world/solar-storm-to-strike-earth-tomorrow-expect-mobile-gps-satellite-disruptions-11658224464966.html https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/What_are_solar_flares https://www.space.com/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation https://www.spaceanswers.com/solar-system/five-amazing-facts-about-solar-flares/ https://www.space.com/12584-worst-solar-storms-sun-flares-history.html Deaths Per Year Article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle

Episode 671: I Want My MTV! Jul 15, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at MTV. This little upstart cable channel first aired in 1981with very little content but a big dream. It fulfilled those dreams and then some. There would be no 1980s culture without MTV. The music, the fashion, the videos, all of it was first seen here. It low-key launched the careers of people like Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Spike Jonez, and John Stewart. It gave us Madonna’s sexy lace, Prince’s swagger, hair metal, music news, and Beavis and Butthead. This one will be a walk down memory lane and an exploration of one of the greatest cultural juggernauts of the past forty years. Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mtv-launches https://www.mtvpress.com/networks/mtv-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-mtv-the-channel-that-shaped-popular-culture-as-we-know-it-165365 https://www.everything80spodcast.com/the-history-of-mtv/ https://watchmojo.com/video/id/9782 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Concert_Hall Videos before MTV The Very First Two Hours of MTV.

Episode 670: Burt Reynolds: King of the Car Chase Jul 12, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the king of the chase scene, Burt Reynolds. Reynolds gave us classic movies such as Smokey and the Bandit, Cannonball Run, and Hooper and became an icon and sex symbol for decades. From the disturbing Deliverance to the porn-heavy Boogie Nights, he ended having a wide range as an actor. He fell off the scene for a while and had a resurgence and Oscar nomination in the late 90s. What director did he hate working with? What did Marlon Brando say about Burt Reynolds? Why did he turn down the role of James Bond when Sean Connery quit the franchise? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actor/burt-reynolds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Reynolds https://burtreynolds.com/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/burt-reynolds-dead-deliverance-boogie-nights-star-was-82-831093/ https://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/burt-reynolds/ https://fanbuzz.com/racing/people/burt-reynolds-net-worth/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/68855/10-surprising-facts-about-burt-reynolds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_and_the_Bandit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cannonball_Run#Original_race

Episode 669: Christopher Lee: Spy, Sauron, and Star Wars! Jul 08, 2022

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the greatest actors of all time, Christopher Lee. This legend played Dracula and was in little known film series such as James Bond, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. What’s more impressive is that in WWII he became a spy, a Nazi hunter, and a member of the infamous SOE—The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. After he mastered spy craft and acting, he also mastered thrash metal music, becoming the oldest musician to ever break the Billboard Top Twenty with his song “Jingle Hell.” You know his face and his rolls, but you don’t know Christopher Lee and his crazy back story. Visit Our Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/christopher-lee-3395.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lee https://gizmodo.com/22-incredible-facts-about-the-life-and-career-of-sir-ch-1710917366 https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Lee

Episode 668: Berlin Wall: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Tyranny Jul 06, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. This wall was both a symbolic and physical barrier between Soviet and Western ideals for over 30 years. After WWII, Germany was divided into four parts, each run by a different nation. Berlin was divided as well, and it served as the most important border-crossing and battle ground for the Cold War. After thousands of citizens fled the Soviet-let East, they built The Berlin Wall which divided the city in two. Hundreds were killed as guards had orders to shoot to kill, but eventually, the wall came down. What accidental press conference helped destroy the wall? Who was Harald Jager, and what part did he play? What does a mine field, archery, and fake planes have to do with one family’s escape? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: History Channel’s Take https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-berlin-wall-and-how-did-it-fall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_the_Berlin_Wall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall https://www.thoughtco.com/the-berlin-wall-28-year-history-1779495 https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/berlinwall https://time.com/5720386/berlin-wall-fall/

Episode 667: The Wonderful World of Ants! Jul 01, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the wonderful world of ants. Experts suggest that there are up to ten quadrillion ants alive on the planet, roughly 25% of all life on earth. They are highly organized, intelligent, social, and…creepy. They talk to each other via sound and pheromones. Ants grow crops, they go to war, and they even farm aphids to milk them for honeydew. Their size, scale, venom, and strength is wildly divergent. Their nests and colonies are so complex that they baffle architects, so they are sure to baffle the three of us. If you want to hear if Brent thinks they are machines, give this one a listen! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/insects/ant-facts/ https://www.toptenreviews.com/the-worlds-most-dangerous-ants https://canyouactually.com/researchers-poured-10-tons-of-cement-into-this-ant-metropolis-then-dug-it-up/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusociality Aphids and Honeydew Ant Colony in Cement Aluminum Ant Colony Casts

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