Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Help is available nationwide in Canada by calling toll-free 1-833-456-4566, texting 45645 or chatting online with Crisis Services Canada.
• NHS - Choices (UK): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/
• National Suicide Prevention Line (USA): https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Lifeline (Australia): https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand: https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

• https://archive.org/details/78_la-bamba_marga-llergo-rafael-mendez---his-trumpet-and-pan-american-orchestra_gbia0008140a
• https://archive.org/details/78_mack-the-knife_louis-armstrong-his-all-stars-louis-armstrong-blitzstein-weill-t_gbia0030848b
• https://archive.org/details/78_minnie-the-moocher-theme-song_cab-calloway-and-his-orch.-cab-calloway-c.-calloway_gbia0003944a
• https://archive.org/details/78_house-of-the-rising-sun_josh-white-and-his-guitar_gbia0001628b

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

In this episode we offer up our resolutions and predictions for 2018. Matt is determined to make this year his most focused ever and Phil doesn’t think the world will end, yet. With a heartfelt round of confessions, we agree that being warm is worse than cold. Typical. We decided to end things with a long overdue round of thank-you’s to all those who have graced us with iTunes and Facebook reviews. Kicking off the year sayin’, Thanks!

We thank David Wagner for kindly allowing us to play a few songs. Computer Hash is the brainchild of David from the tiny town of Fenwick, Michigan. Computer Hash creates techno and experimental electronic music littered with a variety of original audio samples recorded on cassette tape, many over a decade ago. Most of these audio samples are from various parties that David attended with cassette recorder in hand, ready to capture interesting drunken rants for future use in music. Recently, David has been working to promote and create new music under the Computer Hash umbrella. You can find Computer Hash on: Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/user-629368065 | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/computerhash/

We ended the show with “All Kinds of Crazy” by Codie Prevost. Codie is a four time Canadian Country Music Association nominee and a six time Saskatchewan Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year winner. He releases music on his own label, Good Spirit Records. He has recently released a new studio album entitled Radio. Find Codie’s work on: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/codieprevostmusic/ | Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/codieprevost | YouTube http://www.youtube.com/CodiePrevost | "All Kinds Of Crazy" is available on: ITUNES: USA- http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/codie-prevost/id111761108 Canada- http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/codie-prevost/id111761108 | Autographed CD available worldwide http://www.codieprevost.com/

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

On this episode we review 2017, a year punctuated with the bad, the ugly & the awkward. From Trump and #MeToo to the Phoenix pay system catastrophe and no more Sears holiday catalogues, we talk about key moments in politics and science, showing how 2017 was another year with far reaching impacts for all of us. 2017 was also Canada’s 150th birthday. As Canadians, we think back on what that meant to us and provide some advice for those of you looking to build a $4.3M outdoor hockey rink. 2017 also brought two births: Matt’s baby girl, Violet and, this podcast! In what will become a yearly tradition, we close the episode by talking about all our 2017 podcast appearances, the interviews we did throughout the year, and the great folks we had the chance to meet. Here’s to a wonderful 2018. Happy New Year everyone. Be kind.

• Canada Day art: http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/stephen-wilkes-day-to-night-photograph-documents-historic-canada-day-2017-celebration
• Hockey rink: http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-latest-wrinkle-in-the-4-3-million-canada-150-rink-its-too-cold-to-play-hockey-there
• Sears closures: https://globalnews.ca/news/3796103/map-sears-canada-locations-closing/
• Science news: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/top-10-science-1.4458365
• 2017 Canadian headlines: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/10-weird-and-wonderful-reasons-canada-made-headlines-in-2017-1.3723428
• 2017 CanLit review: https://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/8003125-2017-the-year-canlit-courted-controversy/
• USA Paris Climate deal https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/07/as-syria-embraces-paris-climate-deal-its-the-united-states-against-the-world/?utm_term=.ba4daf8b2bb1
• CWHL-NWHL merger: nwhl-merger.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/sports/hockey/cwhl-nwhl-merger.html
• #MeToo: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/beyond-metoo-can-times-up-effect-real-change/549482/

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

We all celebrate the holiday season differently. That’s a good thing. On this episode Matt & Phil share their holiday traditions. From savory meat pies, to sugary cookies, to cups filled with rum and eggnog, they show how good food and good people make the holidays a special time of the year. During the second half of the show, Phil connects with friends of the podcast to talk about their holiday traditions. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

We thank Alex Diskin for kindly allowing us to play three of his songs: Heist, Outlaw, and A.A.A. Make sure to check out Alex’s music and if you’re in the central New York, USA area why not book him for a gig? We tried to think of a more perfect way to host a party over the holidays and, quite frankly, couldn’t. Get Alex playing guitar and signing and you’ll be entertained for hours. Then get him to tell zombies stories. He does that really well too. Check his art out on: Soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/alex-diskin | Twitter @IsAnyoneThere2012 | YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO_rBw7mWl8iEjXFhSTYU1w

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

Matt & Phil chat on a cross-country check-up this week. Phil opens up about his life as an aspiring PhD, Matt tells us how to travel with a young one, and we debate the merits and demerits of compression socks and tourists. Yup, it got a little silly. Go figure. We do settle down and put on our serious faces to discuss how we, individually and collectively, experience space and time. Seen as social aspects of our world, how we experience space and time is highly dependant on the structures that surround us. However, we also have agency to navigate space and time, allowing for seemingly endless opportunities. With a different view of space and time, is it possible to think about creativity, productivity, technological advancements, and (dis)abilities differently?

• Theory of Ruins (from the new album “Theory of Ruins”)
• The Roamer (from the album “Blood is Thicker Than Gold”)
• Time (Original song written by Jeff Black)

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If you enjoyed this episode, we strongly urge you to make a donation to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and/or the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Please help continue Gord's charitable & activist work. He left us with memories and a lifetime of music to enjoy. Helping the causes he cared about is the best way we can thank him now.

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Semi-Intellectual Musings does not own any of the songs played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

Matt & Phil have been physically disconnected lately. That means their neural nets are out of alignment. Rough times. Luckily they had the chance to talk with Megan, co-host of Oh No! Lit Class. The discussion meandered around podcasting, life, politics, teaching, paper clips, literature and, finally, Franz Kafka. There was a point to all this, it’s just not obvious. How Kafkaesk.

• Norma Tanega “You’re Dead” (1966) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImAlx0amAIc

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• We do not own any of the songs or interview audio played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

While Matt & Phil yearn for longer summers their special guests would like some of the soft, fluffy, sticky, cold, frozen, lifeless substance we sometimes call snow. To be honest, most of the time we call it (insert expletive of choice). Enough about weather. Lindsay & Perry Johnson, co-hosts of the Hello Life WTF podcast, join us to talk about empathy and communication in relationships, disney movies, video games, baseball, squeaky chairs, and what drives them as a couple to podcast. Lindsay & Perry offer their top recommendations for new parents. Be warned: some of the advice ain't easy to follow. We laughed, we cried, we had a great time. This episode also has a big reveal...real big...HUGE...AMAZING...THE BEST, EVER!! Semi-Intellectual Musings is honoured to break the news. #2017PodScoop

You can find Lindsay and Perry everywhere you listen to podcasts. Follow Hello Life, WTF at: Twitter https://twitter.com/hellolifewtf |Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/hellolifewtf | Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/hellolifewtf | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellolifewtf/

The Podstuff will debut in January 2018. Get in touch now to get updates as they happen at: Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thepodstuff | Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepodstuff | Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thepodstuff/

Here’s the big one! The Podstuff has a Facebook Group where people can go now and join to get more details and start nominating Podcasts! All Indie Podcasters and podcast lovers can join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepodstuff

• Papa Roach Last Resort Live TOTP 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piLJh0XosGk
• Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart [Top Of The Pops 1984]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us0rPzPm4rY

Concluding thought:  The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

– Carl G. Jung

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• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• We do not own any of the songs or interview audio played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

We have yet to fully understand or realize the breadth and depth of Gord Downie’s influence. Musically, poetically, socially, personally, Gord Downie was always more than the frontman for The Tragically Hip: he was a Canadian icon. We connected with the guys over at the Skip & Josh Podcast to talk about the Hip, swap stories and have a good old fashioned tribute to a great Canadian from Kingston, Ontario.

This is part 1 of our chat. Be sure to check out the second part of our conversation, talking about politics and sports, on The Skip and Josh Podcast. You can find that episode everywhere you listen to podcasts. Follow Skip & Josh at: Website https://skipandjosh.com/ | Twitter @Skipandjosh | Facebook @skipandjosh

• Gord Downie on CBC Radio DNTO (02-12-2010) : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bw93T0mNqQzpekZNaERwbkIxOTQ
• Gord Downie Interview with Ron McLean (02-23-2002) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDH1U8pE-Ro
• Gord Downie on CBC The National with Peter Mansbridge (13-10-2016) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i51CPPminbM
• All live audio is from http://hipbase.com/show-archive/. If you like the archive and want to keep it going, please consider making a donation.

Concluding thought:  Music brings people together. So my function in anything I do is to help bring people closer in.

– Gord Downie

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Follow #PodernFamily #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.

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• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• We do not own any of the songs or interview audio played in this episode. Follow links above for proper attribution.

A few things have happened since our last patio session: daylight savings time kicked in, the trees got naked, some snow fell, and it started to get too cold to actually podcast outdoors. So with a slight sigh, we grabbed our gear and went inside for the winter. The good news about having to spend winter inside, which is almost 9 months of the year where we live, is that we can finally get back to our table top games. And what better way to start the gaming season than with a special guest for our very first SIMply A Chat episode. All the way from sunny California, we connected with Anthony von Dessauer the creator of The Curse of Silverlake. We talked homebrew table top games, collective storytelling and so, so much more. We even played a game of Friend or Foe that may well warn everyone of the evil that lurks among us. Or not. 

The amazing outro music is a song called Summer of 83 by Indianapolis, Indiana's very own Mikey Mason. Geek, Fanboy, Comedy Rock Star, he does it all. Make sure to check out Mikey's work here: http://www.mikeymason.com/. And if you like this song or any others of his, buy them here...yes, I said buy. As in send him money for his damn hard work, c'on folks!!: https://mikeymason.bandcamp.com/

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

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• Follow us on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook@thesimpod

• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

• Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V

• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ

• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq

• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at:http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Recorded outside on October 25th before the weather gets too cold. Matt & Phil decided they wanted to be current. In with the cool kids. Men of their time. In the know... So that meant, obviously, talking about one of the most anticipated movie releases this year: Blade Runner 2049 (Dir. Denis Villeneuve). Matt took one for the team and went to the cinema to see it on on the big screen. Spoiler alert: he left the overpriced popcorn scented auditorium feeling a little...muh. So how does one get excited about this new Blade Runner? By talking about Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep of course. Once you’re down that rabbit hole, why not see how it relates to the original Blade Runner released in 1982. Luckily for you, that’s what Matt & Phil did along with their signature social science, humanities and arts spin on the whole franchise. Why be current, when you could be ahead of the times.

Links to audio clips in this episode:

• Sea Wall, from the Blade Runner 2049 Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NujlXgBmUoU
• End Titles, from the Blade Runner Soundtrack, by Vangelis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgz6jFxMpyk&list=RDz_JgOlGq6i4&index=26

Concluding thought:  My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression.

― Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

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We played a promo for the Partly Political Broadcast Podcast. Connect with Tiernan on Twitter: @TiernanDouieb and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tiernandouieb. Download & Subscribe to the Partly Political Broadcast Podcast on iTunes https://t.co/paPjOTPdEZ or Non-iTunes https://t.co/xbboErjYNd.

Follow #PodernFamily #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.

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If you enjoyed this episode, we strongly urge you to make a donation to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and/or the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Please help continue Gord's charitable & activist work. He left us with memories and a lifetime of music to enjoy. Helping the causes he cared about is the best way we can think of to thank him now.

https://www.downiewenjack.ca/

https://give.umanitoba.ca/nctr

Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod

Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/

iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V

Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ

GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq

Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Interlude Music: Song "Secret Path” on the Album “Secret Path” by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire. Availbale at: http://secretpath.ca/

This bonus episode features us, Matt & Phil, escaping a zombie apocalypse. Luckily, we end up connecting over the airwaves with Alex & Zach from the Is Anyone There podcast. After having travelled through the infested terrain of Ottawa, Ontario and made our way to a safe bunker, Alex & Zach gave us much needed survival tips: light a bunch of gas on fire to make a smoke signal, empty out all our water because it could have killed us, and cut off Matt's arm. Do we survive? Probably. Is it because of Alex & Zach? Probably not. Do we figure out how to use Doxa? "Our praxis is better than yours. Our praxis brings all the zombies to the yard"...so ya, we do. This story is our Halloween 2017 treat. We really hope you enjoy it. 

Stay safe,

Matt & Phil

Music & Sound Effects in this Episode:

• From The Tragically Hip: "Last American Exit", "At the Hundredth Meridian", "New Orleans is Sinking", "Courage", "Fight"
• From Notorious BIG: "Mo Money, Mo Problems"
• Sound effects from www.freesound.org
• Aditional sound effects from:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0DNUj-QYq4

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQZZzJlE5Q

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Ip7RDFjZM&t=50s

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNbuF2C8c9A

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXhHLnaXas

If you enjoyed this epsisode, we strongly urge you to make a donation to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and/or the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Please help continue Gord's charitable & activist work. He left us with memories and a lifetime of music to enjoy. Helping the causes he cared about is the best way we can think of to thank him now. 

https://www.downiewenjack.ca/

https://give.umanitoba.ca/nctr

----------------------------------

• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/
• Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

On this patio session Phil talks about home renovations with Matt. He's no expert, but wanted to share a thing or two about the basics. Who knew he was also good with his hands? Key takeaway: do it right the first time. Second takeaway: contract out when you have to. Third takeaway: the details are important. Sounds a lot like writing a book. Actually, it's probably nothing like writing a book. Well, maybe. Uh oh. 

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook@thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at:http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Outro Music: Home Improvement K&B Boys song. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4swp9PYClo

This episode started out as solely Banned Books week themed. As it happens, it got out of hand. So instead, here’s a social science take on the censorship, banning, restriction and outright prohibition of works of art and speech. From Stan Cohen to Michel Foucault, we offer a few frameworks and examples to help make sense of how we govern censorship. Music abounds in this one. Fitting to play songs that some folks fought for us never to hear again.

Links to audio clips in this episode:

• Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrtF45-y-g
• Toby Keith - Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc
• Dixie Chicks - Travelin' Soldier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbfgxznPmZM
• Dixie Chicks, London 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo3EaMtxqBo
• Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pojL_35QlSI
• Dixie Chicks - Tonight The Heartache’s On Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDG6A4JolEw

Concluding thought:  Any book worth banning is a book worth reading

― Isaac Asimov

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Check out the Braintrust Bros Podcast Network and help raise awareness for breast cancer. Find all the info on their website: http://www.braintrustbros.com/podcasts/the-braintrust-bros/

Get good and bad zombie survival tips from Alex Diskin and Zach Brockway in Is Anyone There podcast. Check them out at: https://soundcloud.com/is-anyone-there-podcast and on their Twitter: https://twitter.com/isanyonethere12?lang=en

Follow Perry and Lindsay, co-host-partners-in-crime and creators of the Hello Life, WTF podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellolifewtf on FaceBook: fb.me/hellolifewtf and on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hellolifewtf

If you like to laugh, join Adam Nutter and Greg Trout from the Nerds with Words podcast, found on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nerdswithwords1?lang=en on their website: http://nerdswithwordspodcast.com/

We played Man of a Different Time by The Elders. Find their great music on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS8EaHxRk9QagqJiJ1U7WTQ

Follow #PodernFamily #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.

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Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod

Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/

iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V

Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ

GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq

Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Outro Music: Song "Liberty and Freedom” on the album “Let the Dominoes Fall” by Rancid.

Already our fourth patio session of the season. Whoop! Whoop! Matt tells us about his recent visit to the MOSAÏCANADA 150 exhibit (www.mosaicanada.ca). What better way is there to properlu end the summer season than walking around giant horticultural scuptures? Yah, what we thought too. 

We then dive into a very tasty grapefruit radler from Perth Brewery (http://www.perthbrewery.ca/). A great suggestion from our friends over at Nerdy by Nature (http://www.letusgetnerdy.com/). 

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook@thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: Song "Funkeriffic" by Kevin MacLeod
• Inrterlude Music: Song "Groovin" by Brian Boyko
• Outro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at:http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

This September bonus episode is our way of celebrating International Podcasting Day. We spent the week audio journalling our adventures and mishaps, recording on handheld devices on the fly - often while driving it seemed. We ended up talking a lot about other great podcasts too, so make sure to check them out. We hope this behind the scenes episode sheds some light on what it's like being a podcaster. Hopefully, somehow, it can help bring us all a little closer together. 

Music in this episode:

• Chill Beat by Frank Nora
• Anjou by Kevin MacLeod
• Jethro on the Run by Unknown
• A Wormhole in the Top of the World by Magdalen
• Monster by White Flag Agenda
• Prefunk Loop by Kevin MacLeod
• Sloppy Bossa Loop by Kevin MacLeod
• Pulling the Plug on Kindness by Kevin MacLeod
• Funkereffic by Kevin MacLeod
• All in a Silver Line by statusq
• All You Need is Noise by Alpha Hydrae
• Taboom by Kevin MacLeod
• Sabre and Spurs by The US Marine Band
• Heaven Is Free by Kevin MacLeod
• Firsts Theme by Kevin MacLeod
• Shaving Mirror by Kevin MacLeod

Concluding thought:  

One advantage in keeping a diary is that you become aware with reassuring clarity of the changes which you constantly suffer.

-Franz Kafka

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/
• Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Outtro: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

It's a hat trick: our third Patio Session. We sat down in the woods to chat about Banned Books week. Matt tells the story of a few challenged books from British Columbia, Canada while Phil provides a brief overview of what Banned Books week is all about. 

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

--------------------------------------

• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook@thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at:http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

We took our second Patio Session to the forest. No really, we like literally went and sat in the forest next to Phil's property. It was fitting as we talked about one of Matt's recent golf games, then got bantering about etiquette in sports and life in general.  

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

--------------------------------------

• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook@thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at:http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Semi-Intellectual Musings's first recorded Patio Session. We sit outside with a maple whiskey from Quebec. Somehow the discussion went from a lovely view of the Gatineau hills to a ghost story. 

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Patio Sessions are where we sit down to chat with little to no prep work done. It's a way to provide updates on the show, talk about what's on our minds and connect the old fashioned way: over drinks. 

As always, make sure to follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen More. Listen Indie.  

--------------------------------------

• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at: http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

It’s the start of Banned Books week, which means we begin to pontificate over works that have been challenged, mostly wondering why someone would want to ban The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. We figured a look at satire is a good entry way into the realm of the forbidden. Before we fall too far down that rabbit hole, we pause to thank some friends of the show.

The Art of Satire (14:33)

Satire isn’t easy. Too offensive and the satirist comes off as simply ill-hearted. Not offensive enough, however, the aspirating rhetorician will appear to be but a decoy (or in John Stewart's words: a hack). A good satire, a satire that sticks and makes people remember the punishment has to have just the right amount of wit, humour and pointedness. In this episode we discuss the art of satire from books, to plays, to visual arts and music. We try to understand what the idea of satire is and how it is best practiced. We wonder how satire differs from parody, irony, lampoons and farces. We end with a discussion of the cult-classic television cartoon South Park, exploring how satire is deployed in the series while debating it’s ironic value and wondering if it’s really all that funny (1:15:05). It’s an episode packed with attempts at humor, irony, exaggeration, and lots of ridicule. Not for the faint of heart. 

Links to audio clips:

• André-Philippe Gagnon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAEM0jOvGkE
• Anthony Atamanuik on Intercepted Podcast : https://theintercept.com/2017/09/20/intercepted-podcast-merican-psycho/
• Jon Stewart implodes Crossfire : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnyBCjPtmU
• Sean Spicer at the 2017 Emmys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8MMxTQSzI
• Song “Jurassic Park” appearing on “Alapalooza” by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh4zvQfDhi0
• Song “Eat It” appearing on "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI
• South Park Theme Song - Performed by Primus : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijBAG2O9GZs
• Song “Wynona's Big Brown Beaver” appearing on “Tales from the Punchbowl” by Primus : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDfwUJzYQg
• Song “Eric Cartman - Come Sail Away” appearing on “Chef Aid: The South Park Album” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb3XWTWtRxc
• Song “Blame Canada” appearing on “South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOR38552MJA
• Son "America, Fuck Yeah" appearing on ‘South Park’ by Team America : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDfEKwJJBdU
• South Park - Cartman's Poem : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk9CoZQuo4c
• South Park - Advice (Chef and Girls) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbwscO_1kuM
• South Park - The City Part of Town - “The Lofts at SoDoSoPa” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAPmjcBnxIs
• South Park - Hillary Clinton debates Mr. Garrison & Caitlyn Jenner : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcP8lZ1EHKg

Further reading:

• https://hyperallergic.com/81686/a-brief-history-of-popular-satire
• https://www.quora.com/profile/Varsha-Eluri
• https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-parody-satire-and-farce
• http://www.nestaso.com/new-blog/2013/12/10/andy-warhol-irony-in-art
• Jonathan Swift (1729) “A Modest Proposal”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal
• Trump and Paralipsis http://theconversation.com/how-donald-trump-gets-away-with-saying-things-other-candidates-cant-55615

Concluding thought:  

Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own

-Jonathan Swift

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Make sure to check out The Skip & Josh Podcast, available on iTunes, Podbean, many other places and their website: https://skipandjosh.com/category/podcast/

We played a promo for the Forgotten News Podcast. Check them out at: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/forgotten-news-podcast/id1260175711?mt=2

We also played a promo for Our Strange Skies podcast, which will debut in January. Follow the developments on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourstrangeskies and https://twitter.com/YerUFOGuy

Follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts.

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music #1: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Intro Music #2: Song “Word Crimes: appearing on “Mandatory Fun“ by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.
• Interlude Music: Song “Pollution” (1969) From the Reprise album RS 6179 "That Was The Year That Was" by Tom Lehrer
• Outro Music: Song "Model of a Modern Network TV Show" appearing on ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’, Season 1 Episode 2 “The Cold Open” (TV Series, Creator: Aaron Sorkin, Director: Thomas Schlamme)

This is the conclusion to Networks of Conspiracies Part 1. We kick it off with a discussion of the 1980’s political, economic  and cultural context to help understand the war on drugs. We then dive into the conspiratorial plots of the 1990’s: Tupac, Biggie, Princess Diana and Kurt Cobain. We end with a discussion and a montage of newsroom sound bites from the most organized series of events in recent United States History: September 11th 2001. We get a little emotional about the whole affair, then ask some tough questions about the dark corners of the internet.

Links to audio clips:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKsh1R5ivkY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKSykdmuFkk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyBjKN3zQP4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vnT255QEaw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKncHt9ljFw

Concluding thought:  

The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.

Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby, or the New Generation (1844).

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This episode featured a few beers from Collective Arts Brewery located in Hamilton, Ontario. Great beers, beautiful artwork and amazing music await you: http://collectiveartsbrewing.com/home/

In honour of the banished, we tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon from 19 Crimes. Dark but subtle, it was a perfect way to end a long recording session. Check out their offerings and the stories behind the wine: http://19crimes.com/

Follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. And make sure to follow #2PodsADay: Listen More. Listen Indie.

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/
• Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

• Intro Music: “The Beats of Loose Change (2nd Edition)”, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqbD6pU33mA
• Interlude Music: Song “The Heist” by Lo Prophet Sound, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dezg9DqudTA
• Outro Music: Song “Signal”  appearing on “Rennen”, by SOHN.

Matt & Phil put on tinfoil hats, shut the curtains and prepare to free their minds. But first, they settle a debate about peameal bacon: friend or foe? Phil recounts a Facebook occurrence involving the Bombs Away podcast. Call it fate, or divine intervention, Disney’s Angels in the Outfield came back. Skip from the Skip and Josh podcast couldn’t resist getting in on the baseball movie action. Save us all, hockey season better start soon.

Networks of Conspiracies - Part 1 (22:08)

From government cover ups to alien encounters to covert mind control programs, conspiracies and conspiracy theories have captivated our imaginations for generations. But what can social science, humanities and arts offer us in order to make sense of enigmatic tales? By situating conspiracy theories in time and place and by focusing on the context and setting, we are provided with a unique view of socio-cultural anxieties and political uncertainties. At it’s foundation, theorizing conspiracies is a way for individuals and groups to 'locate' their anxiety about uncertainty and mistrust of forces beyond their control. By paying attention to the networks that form around conspiracies, we can then start thinking about the societal, cultural and political apprehensions of our times and bring some certainty to uncertain futures.

Further reading:

• Operation Paperclip
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip#Similar_operations
• MK-Ultra
  • http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/13inmate_ProjectMKULTRA.pdf (1977
  • https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-connection-between-the-CIA-MKultra-program-and-the-Unabomber
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/06/harvard-and-the-making-of-the-unabomber/378239/
  • http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/05/6-conspiracy-theories-that-actually-turned-out-to-be-true-5925268/
• Roswell
  • http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/774228/Roswell-UFO-Nazi-craft-US-Airforce https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3708896/roswell-ufo-crash-witness-never-before-seen-interview/
  • http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/incident/rdr8july1947.html
  • http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/812435/Roswell-UFO-Conspiracy-Nick-Redfern-aliens-top-secret-tests-flying-saucer-New-Mexico
• Puerto Rico experiments
  • http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-04-11/news/0404110509_1_gritty-village-pill-humacao

Links to audio clips:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZc-fO8pHc&t=133s
• http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/incident.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShnkBmoe3Y
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz4jE7huhMA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990k-5Jm5aA

Concluding thought: 

Secrecy, being an instrument of conspiracy, ought never to be the system of a regular government.

― Jeremy Bentham

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Make sure to check out Bombs Away podcast, available on iTunes, Podbean, many other places and their website: http://www.bombsawayshow.com/

Follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere on Twiter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts.

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• Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod
• Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com
• Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/
• iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V
• Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ
• GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq
• Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

• Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

• Outro Music: Song “Clubbed to Death” appearing on “The Matrix: Music From the Motion Picture” by Rob Dougan.

As the leaves turn to bright reds and golden yellows in our fast approaching fall season, nightmares of long snowy winters begin to occupy our minds. After all, it is September. For some, September means back to school. For us, this month also means leaving the enchanted woods where we record this podcast to venture into the world. Don’t worry, Matt went and returned safe. At least from what we can see. We talk cognitive nutritional supplements in a new Top 5.

Hockey Night at the Museum (25:25)

If you live or have travelled to Canada, you’ve been exposed to hockey in some way. From local team fundraising drives to very public NHL product endorsement, and from outdoor rinks lit throughout the night to the quasi-ubiquitous talk about who will win the Stanley Cup this season: hockey is a part of Canada, there is little denying that. But what happens when hockey becomes part of an exhibit meant to be a celebration of the influence of the game? Could the confines of the museum trap hockey, limiting our impression of just how pan-Canadian the game is? Or could this exhibit, created to align with Canada’s 150 celebrations, show us that hockey is much more ingrained in the mostly barren frozen land we call Canada? Matt spent a night at the Canadian Museum of History’s exhibit, appropriately entitled, Hockey in Canada: More than Just a Game! Matt gives us a thorough runthrough of the display as we dive into the socio-cultural aspects of the exhibit. We explore gender, race, Aboriginal and First Nations’ representation as we pick apart the revisionist portrayal of how hockey has made Canada and, how Canadians have made hockey. For more information on the exhibit visit: http://www.historymuseum.ca/hockey/

Recommendations (1:06:50)

• Matt recommends Writing Excuses Podcast and two short works of science fiction: Arthur C. Clarke’s Of Time and Stars; Isaac Asimov’s Short Story Bibliography
• Phil recommends Netflix’s Luke Cage

Concluding thought:  “I like ice hockey. No one is ever going to ask me to write about that as a metaphor for life”

― Steven Pinker

Make sure to check out the Poplar Cove podcast, on iTunes, Stitcher or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. You can find the show on Twitter @poplarcove, their website jocelyndevore.podbean.com and on their Facebook page @PoplarCove

Follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere on Twiter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts.

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Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod

Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/

iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V

Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ

GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq

Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Intro Music #1: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah

Available at: http://www.cullah.com

Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Intro Music #2: CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song - circa 1968.

Interlude Music: Song “The Hockey Song” appearing on “Stompin' Tom and The Hockey Song” by Stompin' Tom Connors.

Interlude Music #2: Song “He Shoots He Scores” appearing on “The Hockey Album” by Tripp & Giver.

Outro Music: Song “The Hey Song” appearing on “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” by Gary Glitter.

While we continue to podcast in the sleepy woods, the world continues to spin - perhaps out of control. Good thing Matt brought a special guest along to this episode, because Phil seems mad about recent events and wants some answers. We talk politics and some current events before getting into a new recurring segment. We tackle Youtube or U2: friends or foes?

Revolutionary Forces of Change (15:35)

Special guest Evan Ferguson is on to discuss Spain’s civil war and the workers’ social revolution of 1936. We talk about the forces that fought fascism and momentarily created an egalitarian ideal. Evan offers us an overview of some of the main players. We discuss the social and cultural aspects of the implementation of anarchist and libertarian socialist organizational principles throughout various portions of Spain. Paying attention to the regional realities of the revolution,  we debate a few potential critiques of the movement before drawing attention to George Orwell’s beloved account of the civil war and his admiration of the social revolution. We end by drawing connections between the Spanish revolutionary ideals of the past and present day Kurdish revolutionary forces.

 Suggested Reading:

• Francisco J. Romero Salvadó’s The Spanish Civil War : origins, course, and outcomes
• Sam Dolgoff (editor) The Anarchist Collectives: Workers’ Self-Management in the Spanish Revolution, 1936–1939
• Juan Gomez Casas’ Anarchist Organisation: The History of the F.A.I.
• David Graeber's twitter feed is a great way to keep up on the Kurdish propaganda.
• George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia
• One of the few news sites to cover the SDF and YPG in Rojava: http://theregion.org/
• For an overview of the players see:
  • CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, English: National Confederation of Labour)
  • FAI (Federación Anarquista Ibérica, English: Iberian Anarchist Federation)
  • UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores, English: General Union of Workers)

Recommendations (1:08:30)

• Matt recommends Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency
• Phil recommends Jeff Parker and Pasha Malla’s Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion (Featherproof, 2015)
• Evan recommends Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed & Citations Needed

Concluding thought:  

When I see an actual flesh-and-blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman, I do not have to ask myself which side I am on.

― George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia

Follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay for the best in indie podcasts. Listen more. Listen Indie.

Want to join the “IMDB for podcasts”? Find new shows, rate the shows you love and do what the cool kids do. Use promo code SIMPOD for your exclusive beta account at podchaser.com today. For news & beta updates: @Podchaser

Intro Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at: http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Interlude Music: A Las Barricadas, Spanish Anarchist Anthem of the CNT-FAI from the Spanish anarchist songs collection, Canciones Libertarias; CNT-AIT Spanish Anarchist Folk song.

Outro Music: Song “1936, un peublo en armas” appearing on “Guerra a la guerra” by Sin Dios.

We’re slowly recovering from the last few weeks. It must have something to do with the eclipse. Matt’s family is travelling so that means he can eat, sleep and podcast. Phil is back from a short trip to Montreal that involved a grilled cheese. Before getting on with our 25th episode, we send out some special messages and get into our podcasting friends’ top 5 baseball movie list.

Public Scholarship & Engaged Research (13:13)

We trace the concept of public sociology, or public scholarship at large, by assessing the ongoing relevance of Michael Burawoy’s call to action during his 2004 American Sociological Association (ASA) Presidential address. From his typology of practices, to his insistence that public scholarship requires a particular political standpoint, we review and critique some of Burawoy’s 11 theses. Is his call to sharpen the axe still relevant today? Which public or publics are included/excluded, and what role do researchers play at defining those boundaries? Can something like Nancy Fraser’s concept of counterpublic help the program of public scholarship reconcile its different audiences? We also consider a few of the potential tensions social media brings to public scholarship, offering our thoughts on the delicate balancing act that online forums and communities can entail. 

Suggested Reading:

• Michael Burawoy ‘For Public Sociology’: http://burawoy.berkeley.edu/Public%20Sociology,%20Live/Burawoy.pdf
• Rob Borofsky ‘Why A Public Anthropology’: http://www.publicanthropology.org/WaPA/chapter1.pdf
• Charles R. Tittle ‘The Arrogance of Public Sociology’: http://burawoy.berkeley.edu/PS/Social%20Forces/Tittle.pdf
• Peggy Reeves Sanday ‘Public Interest Anthropology’: https://web.sas.upenn.edu/psanday/public-interest-anthropology/public-interest-anthropology-opening-statement/
• Carolyn Rouse, Rena Lederman & John Borneman ‘Engaged Anthropology: The Ethics and Politics of Collaborations in the Field’: Engaged-Anthropolgy-PR.pdf">https://www.princeton.edu/international/doc/Rouse_GCN-Engaged-Anthropolgy-PR.pdf
• On Bill C-16: http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-16/first-reading
• ‘The Revolution Will Not be Funded’ (INCITE, 2004): national.org/page/revolution-will-not-be-funded-anthology">http://www.incite-national.org/page/revolution-will-not-be-funded-anthology
• Public Action Research consulting firm: http://publicactionresearch.com/index.html

Recommendations (1:29:57)

• Matt recommends two podcasts: Politically Re-Active & PRI’s The World to help consume the political tensions of the day, as well as a few beers from the Quebec based brewery Unibroue to help digest those White House stories.  
• Phil recommends two podcasts: Oh No! Lit Class, which is probably more addictive than any street drug; a new podcast from a fellow Canadian called Salty Canadian that offers rants, reviews and stories. 

Concluding thought: 

Follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay on Twitter and Facebook for the best in indie podcasts. Listen more. Listen Indie.

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Top 5 lists serve a precise purpose: they tell us what’s cool. David Letterman put out his top 10 lists night after night, and everyone fell in love. So, with a feeling of nostalgia, we decided to offer you our Top 5. From procrastination activities (or strategies) to podcasting pet-peeves and from cooking tips to favorite baseball movies, you’ll find that we seldom agree on stuff. And that’s a bonus.   

We truly hope you enjoy it!

Check out #podernfamily #podmosphere and #2PodsADay for the best in indie podcasts. Listen more. Listen Indie.

Want to join the “IMDB for podcasts”? Find new shows, rate the shows you love and do what the cool kids do. Use promo code SIMPOD for your exclusive beta account at podchaser.com today. For news & beta updates: @Podchaser

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It’s mid-summer and that means another form of nuisance has arrived to the rural way of life. To continue our fly-suite discussions, Phil talks about how deer flies made him miserable for a few days. Matt went to physio therapy and reports back on his sensory overload session. It seems that all of our senses were under attack this past week. Sometimes it's better to stay in a dark room. A very dark, quiet room.

Friend or Foe? (18:30)

For this episode we tell you what we really think about everyday things. Are microwaves our friend or foe? Is the knuckle-shredder box cheese grater something we love or hate? What about postmodern social theory, friend? Foe? We try to uncover what’s so great about camping chairs and dental floss, while agreeing that some people take academic citation styles and driverless cars way too seriously. So put on your best yoga pants, snap a selfie, update your Tinder/POF profile, grab an energy drink and get ready for some modern AM radio with your very own Batman and Robin podcasters. It’s almost as fun as fishing, but as addictive as a Buzzfeed list with a hint of new car smell.

Recommendations (57:55)

• Matt recommends Project Runway (Bravo) & The Great British Bake Off (BBC).
• Phil recommends Radio Benjamin, Edited by Lecia Rosenthal (2014, Verso) & University of Alberta and Coursera’s online course “Indigenous Canada”

Concluding thought: We'll be best friends forever because you already know too much. 

Follow #PodernFamily, #Podmosphere and #2PodsADay for the best in independent podcasts.Listen more, Listen indie. 

Want to join the “IMDB for podcasts”? Find new shows, rate the shows you love and do what the cool kids do. Use promo code SIMPOD for your exclusive beta account at podchaser.com today. For news & beta updates: @Podchaser

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Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod and on Facebook @thesimpod Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/ iTunes: https://goo.gl/gkAb6V Stitcher: https://goo.gl/PfiVWJ GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/uFszFq Corrections & Additions webpage: http://thesim.podbean.com/p/corrections-additional-stuff/

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Join us on a journey as we recount the funny, the strange, the whimsical and the just plain odd newspapers stories of the past. It’s a very different episode than the regular show, and that’s a bonus.

We truly hope you enjoy it!

Check out #podernfamily and #podmosphere for the best in indie podcasts.

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On the things that Matt & Phil enjoy: the long lunch during a round of golf, classic SNES games, poutine and late night walks that include other podcasts talking about the show. Matt’s baby can recognize faces, so she’ll quickly figure out what the fed-up face from buying diapers from Walmart is. Bye-Bye Markov and hello to hockey talk. Afterall, it is already the end of July.  

Generations & Kinship Ties (15:35)

The concept of McCrindle.pdf">generations has provided a convenient way to group people together. Which generation do you fall in and, what happens if you don’t feel like you fit with the rest of the group? We explore the social and cultural contours of the concept and take aim at making it feel strange. Who says generations also says family, so we take the opportunity to explore the ins and outs of kinship.

Suggested Reading

• Dan Woodman on the xennial generation: http://www.mamamia.com.au/xennial-generation/ & http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/28/xennials_a_23006562/
• Generational theory from Strauss & Howe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory#Works
• On the Sixtiers generation from Russia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixtiers
• Herbert Spencer on kinship: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/spencer-the-principles-of-sociology-3-vols-1898

Recommendations (56:28)

• Matt recommends Mao: The Untold Story by Jung Chang & Jon Halliday (2006, Anchor Books)
• Phil recommends white clover seed from Gloco.

Concluding thought: "The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurent. Every table had an argument going" -George Carlin 

Check out @JuiceInTheAM @NerdWithWords1 and follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere for the best in podcasts.

Want to join the “IMDB for podcasts”? Find new shows, rate the shows you love and do what the cool kids do. Use promo code SIMPOD for your exclusive beta account at podchaser.com today. For news & beta updates: @Podchaser

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Guess who’s back? Back to podcast....it’s Matt! Matt is back from newborn lalaland and ready to talk with us about the journey so far. He reveals the name of his newborn and sheds a few tears. He brought along a couple tunes and some kind of journal that gets Phil talking about poop.  

Social Science Fiction & Twin Peaks (25:27)

The sub-genre of science-fiction.php">social science fiction can be considered alive and well since at least the 1700’s. We sketch out the speculative genre, pointing to a few classic examples before asking if Twin Peaks could be considered social science fiction. Would it change how we understand (or not understand) what’s going on in the 90’s classic TV show? Time, space, liminal places, gender, murder & ghosts. This episode will be sure to raise the hairs on your arms and a few eyebrows too. For an academic introduction to the study of genre, check out Neil Gerlach & Sheryl N. Hamilton's Introduction: A History of Social Science Fiction in Science Fiction Studies, 2003, Vol.30(2).

Recommendations (1:11:00)

• Matt recommends The Bill Simmons Podcast & Reveal Podcast
• Phil recommends Urban Beard beard oils & soaps.

Check out @JuiceInTheAM @nudging30cast @ThisIsItPod and follow #PodernFamily and #Podmosphere for the best in podcasts.

Want to join the “IMDB for podcasts”? Find new shows, rate the shows you love and do what the cool kids do. Use promo code SIMPOD for your exclusive beta account at podchaser.com today. For news & beta updates: @Podchaser.

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This is the episode overflowing with gratitude and recognition to our amazing listeners and contributors.

Matt and his wife welcomed a very special someone into the world. A baby girl, born in Ottawa, Ontario at 17:55 on Wednesday July 12, 2017, weighing in at 8 lb. 9 oz. The podcast has a new listener now.

We wanted to offer up all of our recommendations, together at last! Give it a listen during those long summer days, your road trips and, most importantly, remember to moisturise.

Check out @JuiceInTheAM and follow #podernfamily and #podmosphere for the best in podcasts.

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Mel & Phil had an adventure in Lanark County, Ontario and felt they had to talk about it. Although it rained their whole stay, the B&B they stayed at comes highly recommended. It started to resemble a long advertisment. It wasn’t. Mel & Phil saw some orchids with a visit to the Purdon Conservation Area. They brought down the median age of the site’s visitors. Don’t worry though, they had craft beer with them like the good hipster-millennials they are.

Volunteering & Boots on the Ground (16:27)

Mel is on to talk about volunteering and shed light on some of dynamics of volunteerism. Phil opens the discussion with a short recap of an interview with a chief resilience officer that aired on Green Connections Radio. They explore the contours of ‘boots on the ground’ volunteering and the role that policy plays. Mel connects Canada150for150 Volunteer Challenge to the feel-good marketing tactics to get people involved. They argue that volunteering ends up being about much more mundane, although important, activities that risk being overtaken by ‘point-and-pay’ style of involvement. It’s not entirely critique. The bad and the ugly meet the good as Mel tells us how volunteering has changed her perspective on youth and enabled her to live experiences she didn’t expect. So don’t ghost until you hear her full talk.

We’d love to hear your stories of volunteering - the good, the bad or the ugly. Email us your tale, and we’ll read it on the show if you’re cool with that.

Suggested Reading

• The Rebel Sell: Why The Culture Can’t be Jammed by Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter (Capstone, 2004).
• Pink Ribbons, Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy by Samantha King (University of Minnesota Press, 2006).
• national.org/page/revolution-will-not-be-funded-anthology">The Revolution Will Not Be Funded Anthology Edited by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence (South End Press, 2009).

Recommendations (1:01:20)

• Mel recommends This Savage Song & Our Dark Duet in the Monsters of Verity series, by Victoria Schwab (Greenwillow Books, 2016).
• Phil recommends two beers from Perth Brewery: Easy Amber (5% ABV, 20 IBU) & Hopside IPA (5% ABV, 52 IBU). The IPA may make it to Phil’s top 5 beers of the season.

Concluding thought: Keep keepin’ on.  

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Aaron is back with Phil to tell us all about The Fatherland. Recorded at Carleton University, where Aaron completed his Master’s and Doctoral work, Phil wonders if he’ll escape these solemn halls or is also destined to roam like the poets. Whatever the outcome, delivery of online orders will probably fail.

Fatherland - Mini-Series Part 3 (13:30)

Aaron connects an aborted essay, the anxiety of parenting and a vision of a fallen soldier to something like an allegiance to ‘The Fatherland’. We ask what the relationships between state power and patriarchal power could be. From the etymology of patriot, which follows the Greek patrios, we explore historical cultural expressions of the patriarch. Aaron points us to The Road (by Cormac McCarthy), The Walking Dead, Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Men to argue that the characteristics of the mythical patriarch have been questioned and, maybe, undone. If so, Phil wonders about the implications in relation to state formation. Can a politics of state relations be imagined without the image of the patriarch? What does that entail?

Recommendations (1:29:38)

• Aaron recommends The Hobbit (by J.R.R. Tolkien) as a good seasonal read.
• Phil recommends Dennis Molinaro’s Exceptional-Law-Section-98-and-the-Emergency-State-1919-1936.html">An Exceptional Law: Section 98 and The Emergency State, 1919-1936.

Concluding thought: If one finds oneself stuck in a labyrinth, it’s probably for a good reason.

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In our neck of the woods, the month of June brings the start of warm weather, the end of the school term and the start of BBQ and patio season. It also brings blackflies, heatwaves, a perpetual feeling of regret and sustained anxiety over what to bring or wear to BBQ parties.

But most importantly, this June also brings a bonus epiosode Semi-Intellectual Musings. So snuggle up during a storm or plug in for a long car ride, this bonus episode is a compilation of all our intros to date. 

Phil provides commentary on a bird fight he witnessed between crows, blue jays and little sparrows. Matt admits that he is a sinker who is afraid of zombies. Who knew?

Matt’s Anthropology 101 (14:27)

This episode is a succinct overview of anthropology, the study of human culture. Every anthropologist has their own definition of culture but these definitions change like culture itself. Matt reads the Clifford Geertz ‘Webs of Signification’ definition and then offers his own. The traditional division is between American and Continental (European) Anthropology; AA’s traditionally follow linguist C.S. Peirce (Pragmatic Semiotics) whereas CA’s follow Ferdinand de Saussure (relational binary model: signified-signifier). Phil and Matt have their first little debate.

The early history of anthropology (1860-1920’s) is mired in racism and eugenics. Arm-chair ‘scholars’ would collect cultural artifacts sent to them by ‘field-agents’ and compose racial classification schemes that ranked groups of people around presumed moral-potential based on superficial physical differences. Notable early exceptions were Paul Radin and Edward Sapir. Phil and Matt close out the early history with a brief conversation about the Bureau of American Ethnology and how it both systematized the discipline while also being responsible for rampant cultural appropriation.

Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski are identified as the first modern anthropologists. Both engaged in fieldwork collecting data through participant observation, interviews and other methods like kinship charts, collecting mythologies and material culture. Boas and Malinowski revolutionized the discipline by taking account of cultural ‘difference’ in a non-judgmental ‘scientifically rigorous’ manner, which is called cultural relativism. Boas founded the Four-Field model of American Anthropology and Malinowski codified the ethnographic method of participant observation, cultural dislocation and semi-structured interviews along with the theoretical tradition of structural functionalism and british social anthropology.

Malinowski, like many others, was influenced by Freudian thinking which can be seen in his use of comparative categories in Structural Functionalism. Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead were Boas’ main protégées. Malinowski’s students were E.E. Evans-Pritchard who promoted structural functionalism and Talcott Parsons who both expanded SF and ‘founded’ the influential field of social action theory. Phil thinks we should stop going to ‘other places’ and messing around in people’s cultures is not needed anymore, Matt tries to answer this charge by talking about ‘manufacturing ethnographic distance’ in his concussion research.

Third debate: Claude Levi-Strauss was a french anthropologist who founded the field of structuralism in the 1950’s. He was concerned with mythologies and linguistics (Saussure style) but he took a lot of criticism in the 1980’s over the ‘over-application’ of his theoretical model. Matt lists some of the classic text-book critiques of structuralism while Phil argues that structuralism uses an historical methodology. Matt argues that structuralism is more about relations (act and react for example) and reads a quote from Levi-Strauss’ obituary which was his ‘final word’ to all the critics.

Next Matt speaks about Clifford Geertz. Geertz came from literary studies and as such he was interested in semiotics and linguistics. He helped initiate a ‘return to culture’ (theoretically), a renewed focus on our writing (ethnography) and using ‘thick descriptions’ to show cultural nuance. At the time Geertz was having influence (late 70’s, early 80’s) anthropologists started getting heavily criticized heavily by english and literature departments around how we ‘represent Others’. Writing Culture was the book that was meant to answer these critiques.

Matt finishes off the conversation by name dropping three of his favorites as a way of explaining post-modern approaches in anthropology. Sherry Ortner (1974 and 1984) wrote two great theory papers and has just published a follow up “Theory Since the 1980’s”. Nancy Sheper-Hughes ‘returned to the field’ to account for herself and her ethnography, what we now call ‘ethnographic responsibility’. Renato Rosaldo illustrated the value of emotional-reflexivity as a research method. Phil asks about contemporary and applied anthropology. We finish off with our fourth and best debate about investing agency in non-human actors à la Bruno Latour.

Recommendations (1:32:25)

• Matt recommends a podcast for the chronically ill, Sickboy. Sometimes you need to find humor in pain and this podcast certainly does that!
• Phil recommends Michael Paterniti’s The Telling Room (The Dial Press, 2013) which is a story about cheese, procrastination and Spanish culture.

Concluding thought: Rather than building disciplinary walls, it’s better to jump over them to exchange ideas

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Aaron is back for the second installment of his mini-series. From patio furniture gone amiss to cross country delivery shenanigans, before getting into the show Phil & Aaron share a few stories of capitalism’s dark corner: online shopping. Maybe problems with shipping are adding to millennials’ tendency of buying less? Suppose these problems don’t quite compared to those on Alone (History Channel). But wait and see what happens when the avocados don’t ship to all those toast fiends.

The Wolf - Mini-Series Part 2 (13:40)

Aaron shares some his postdoctoral research, including the case of Ka-ki-si-kutshin (Swift Runner). While it may remain unclear if Swift Runner did indeed howl “like a wolf”, it is clear that he was the first person to be legally executed in Alberta under Canadian law. Aaron provides an insightful journey into the links between criminality, banishment, state structures and the processes of othering while keeping his focus on the recurring imagery of the wolf. Why do certain criminal behaviours get codified through the wolf? When is the wolf invoked to describe a person? How does the wolf appear in media and popular culture accounts? The hunt produces lots to chew on in this episode. Phil gets to talk about Fargo some more and Aaron uses Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining to set the stage for his next segment in the mini-series: The Fatherland.

Audio clips Played on this episode:

• Fargo (FX Network) - Season 1 Episode 4 “Eating The Blame”
• Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”

Recommendations (1:12:35)

• Aaron recommends the board game Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (by designers Jonathan Gilmour & Isaac Vega). .
• Phil recommends the Podernfamily podcast community. Find them on Twitter and Facebook at @Podernfamily/#Podernfamily.

Concluding thought: “Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon”. William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Matt is back for this episode. The black flies are gone. The clover is growing slowly. Matt offers us an update on the little Sanderson. Phil is working from home full-time now and admits he may be procrastinating. He’ll tell us later about that. The intro gets real when Phil decides to talk ontology and epistemology. Apologies in advance for a few annoying glitches in the audio. We fixed it up for the main section. So take a peek-a-poo before you protest too much.

Protest & Political Music - Part 1 (15:34)

Matt & Phil take a look at music from the 1920’s to the 1970’s that had strong political themes. This isn’t a comprehensive exploration of the genre, but rather a selection of tunes and artists that had a significant social and cultural impact. Sometimes, as in the case of Lead Belly, the artists focused on have influenced generations of musicians. There’s no Dylan, but there’s some Dr. Martin Luther King.  

A list of songs & artists discussed/played during in this episode:

• Lead Belly - Ain’t Gonna Study War No More (Down by the Riverside) (1940)
• Mamie Smith - Crazy Blues (1920)
• Mamie Smith - Harlem Blues (1935)
• Ma Rainey - Trust no Man (1926)
• Ma Rainey - See See Blue (1924)
• Elizabeth Cotten - Washington Blues and I’m Going Away (1965)
• Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train (1956)
• Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (1939)
• Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come (1964)
• Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome (1963)
• Buffalo Springfield - For What It’s Worth (1966)
• Lesley Gore - You Don’t Own Me (1963)
• Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son (1969)

Recommendations (1:11:41)

• Matt & Phil both recommend brews from Sleeman. It's Silver Creek for Matt, and Railside Session Ale for Phil. Both are low alcohol, loaded with just the right amount flavour and hops. Perfect for a warm summer afternoon after some heavy lifting (or a day of heavy podcasting). Cheers!

Concluding thought: “Rebel, rebel and yell ’cause our people still dwell in hell!” – Rage Against the Machine, Township Rebellion

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Our first in a series of special guest hosted episodes with Aaron Henry. Phil and Aaron introduce the series by trying to make sense of survivalism. Following from a previous episode on Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the discussion kicks off by way of dystopian worlds then asks: what does it mean to be prepared? How and why do we prepare for the worst? What are we all preparing for anyway? Does surviving contain elements of resilience and/or coping?  From zombies, to Silicon Valley preppers, Aaron points us to The Walking Dead, 28 Days later, The 100, and other pop-culture references that we need to pay attention to as indicators of our current social conditions. Aaron gets us thinking and connects social theory to how we live within a world characterized by risks. What happens when we can no longer rely on what was once certain? At least this is for certain: Phil will take any chance he can to talk about Fargo. Maybe that makes him a hack...Aaron helps us out on that idea too.

A few articles on the themes discussed:

• “The Walking Dead”: A gory lesson in human resilience - by Neil Drumming (Salon, 2014)
• Stoicism’s Solution for the Millennial’s Rush Against Time - by Audrey Cheng (Huffington Post, 2014)
• A guide to stoicism for neurotic millennials - Rosie Liezrowice
• Doomsday Prep For The Super-rich - by Evan Osnos (The New Yorker, 2017)
• Weak Signals (Policy Horizon Canada)

Recommendations (1:09:29)

• Aaron recommends Muskoka Detour: lots of favour with less alcohol. Great summer brew.
• For a special birthday podcasting session, Phil tried and highly recommends El Dorado 12 year rum.

Concluding thought: “There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls” - George Carlin

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Bad drivers beware: Phil & Matt say to stay home on rainy or snowy days. Phil starts his work-at-home life and gets Matt to provide some guidance on what not to do. Even though Matt was sick, we are committed to getting these episodes out!

Academics & The Changing Nature of Work (13:34)

As a way to open an ongoing discussion on academic careers, Matt & Phil talk about their schooling and career trajectories. What it takes to be a professor in today’s academic environment has changed from what were the historical benchmarks. H-Indexes are an example of what seems to count these days. The university hasn’t been the only field to be forced into altering their practices. Phil brings in Richard Sennett’s “The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism” (2000, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.) as a guide to start to understand how the structural changes to the nature of work have also changed our identities and sense of self. Entrepreneurship, just-in-time labour tactics, the need to market transferable skills and the need to adapt to the rhythms and flows of changing employment all play a role in how we experience new arrangements of our working life. It was a fragmented conversation about an increasingly fragmented aspect of our modern world. The show will pick-up and expand on these themes in future episodes. In the meantime, keep on 'trucking.     

Recommendations (1:05:15)

• Matt recommends Pete Seeger’s Little Boxes and Bob Seger’s Turn the Page
• Phil recommends the TV series Fargo (FX Network)

Concluding thought: In America, the professor talks to the mechanic. They are in the same category - Noam Chomsky

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Phil & Matt start this episode by talking about their favorite writing implement: pens. Phil is reminded of the West Wing, again. While retelling the story of how we got our first unsolicited podcast advice, we had to do our first content edit after Phil told the listener to !@#$ off... Fortunately, the show moved on to things that actually matter.

Conferences & Making SSH Matter (16:10)

As academic conference season gets off to a start, Matt & Phil talk about how and why academics share their goods in public. If you’re looking for a large academic gathering of SSH like-minded folks, check out Congress 2017 organized by the idees.ca/">Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Phil makes the claim that academics go to conferences to network, receive and and offer feedback on work, and contribute to publicizing SSH. Respect the time limit allotted, and practice before you present. It’ll make for better conferences all around. Conferences are also great places to network across disciplines.

Matt & Phil start to talk about relevance, and how SSH can be made to matter. Phil discusses Bent Flyvbjerg’s “Making Social Science Matter: Why Social Inquiry Fails and How It Can Succeed Again” (Cambridge University Press, 2001). Matt get’s going on the inability of fully understanding how biases impact our observations. Phil tries to tie Flyvbjerg’s approach back to conferences, arguing that speaking publicly about values, power relations and biases is important work. 

Recommendations (59:50)

• Matt recommends NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
• If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, Phil recommends the podcast Sleep with Me.
• And, Matt & Phil both recommend to be nice to one another. 

Concluding thought: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” -Maya Angelou

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Phil & Matt talk about how the little Sanderson will soon be coming into the world. Matt recounts his most recent parenting class and shares his birthing plans. From that, Phil is reminded of his bachelor party and realizes that Matt has a deep-rooted shady Surrey side. The move is called the Surrey Shuffle, according to Matt.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (18:24)

Matt & Phil deep dive into Ray Bradbury’s dystopian tale of a world obsessed with suppressing books. No spoiler alerts here, Matt & Phil tell all and reveal that Fahrenheit 451 is possibly more a tale about life than censorship of books. To follow along, read a few synopses of the book here and here. If you haven't read the book, don’t worry about it. Sit back, listen then tell us your thoughts on Bradbury’s oeuvre.

Ray Bradbury narrated the book, which is fantastic! The audiobook can be found on YouTube, here.

Recommendations

• Matt & Phil recommend to keep on reading!

Concluding thought: If books could be seen as dangerous, podcasts must be incendiary.

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Phil & Matt talk about their recent landscaping adventure, sharing their annoyance of black flies. Phil talks about lawn grass and an easier option: a clover lawn. They show that two social scientists can indeed do manual work--but neither could everyday!

Hockey Cards - Part 1 (17:56)

 Matt & Phil are joined by a collection of hockey cards from Phil’s past. They crack open a few binders and boxes of cards from the 1990’s. The story goes that it all started with a convenience store-owning uncle, but turned into a collection of life and hockey memories. From Manon Rhéaume to Patrick Roy, and (Captain) Kirk McLean to Martin Brodeur, Matt & Phil talk about their favorite goaltenders. Take a trip down memory lane with this episode all about cards.

Recommendations (1:02:14)

• Matt recommends to watch the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.
• Phil recommends a few books from Lee Gutkind: “Keep it Real”, “The Art of Creative Nonfiction”, “At the End of Life” and one by Carolyn Forche and Philip Gerard “Writing Creative Nonfiction”

Concluding thought: The gum from packs of hockey cards always got chewed.

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Phil & Matt talk about cooking. Matt tells us his secret ingredient to making a killer bechamel sauce and Phil gives us his take on sweet n’spicy BBQ chicken and homemade turkey stock. Warning: this intro will make you hungry! Admittedly, it was a meat heavy conversation. Phil’s pasta sauce can be made vegan, which is how he normally likes it.   

Logical Fallacies & Fantasy Politics (15:09)

Mel settles in to talk about logical fallacies, truth tables & syllogisms. Matt & Phil find out that they could either be a podcast, be on the internet or are the internet. It got a bit confusing to the non-initiated, but Mel does a good job at walking us through the details of logically sound v.s. empirically false arguments. Our baseball team fandom differences are put aside as we go off the rocker and talk fantasy fiction and politics in the era of Trump. Mel brings up The West Wing episode titled Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc as we go down the rabbit hole on this one. Aye yai yai! Mel’s favorite fallacy is Ad hominem (Tu quoque), which is the “you too” argument. Matt goes meta on us, Phil wants to see more civility in arguments and Mel simmers us down, bringing the conversation back on point. We make connections around emotions, oratory and politics, revealing the shortcomings and limits of truth tables and logical expressions.

Mel makes a strong argument that all undergraduates should take a course in philosophy to hone critical reasoning and argumentation skills. Stronger writing will result. Matt & Phil couldn’t agree more, especially in the current political climate.

We end on a connection between works of fiction and logic. Phil asks how logic can operate in a fantasy world. Mel sheds light on how the world building that is done in fantasy (and high fantasy) needs to create the conditions for logical arguments, while not being factually or empirically true according to our earthly world. Sarah J. Maas’s ‘Throne of Glass’ series is an excellent example of this, according to Mel. Phil realizes that Plato and Aristotle had creativity and the arts in mind the whole time.

Mel’s tips: find a passion, discuss a counter point, debate openly and follow a sound structure. This, especially in writing and arguing, is a good thing. Trust us.

Links

• Purdue OWL has a good primer on fallacies: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/
• “Brief” description from Stanford on Syllogisms: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-logic/#SubLogSyl
• There is so much about truth tables on so many places. This Wikibooks page is the most succinct, if you accept that: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Formal_Logic/Sentential_Logic/Truth_Tables

Recommendations (1:07:43)

• Delhi2Dublin, the song we played was Apples (They’re Canadian too, ey!): http://www.delhi2dublin.com/
• Riverdale, a show based on the Archie comics that Mel loved as a youngin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverdale_(2017_TV_series)
• Sarah J. Maas’s ‘Throne of Glass’ series: http://sarahjmaas.com/throneofglass/
• Girl Guides Canada: https://www.girlguides.ca/web/
• International Organizations: https://www.wagggs.org/en/
• Bath & Body Works lotion: tea-body-lotion-021720066.html">http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/p/eucalyptus-tea-body-lotion-021720066.html

Concluding thought: Slippery slopes are greased with logical fallacies.

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Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah

Available at: http://www.cullah.com

Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Matt and Phil start talking about Cal Ripken Jr. Matt finally looked after his cousin’s kid and it went well after a short time of scream-crying. We then start talking about the flooding our region (and country) has experienced this past couple weeks, it was an unanticipated conversation, however, it was probably the most important intro that we have recorded. We talked about ways people can help out and the challenges facing people when they return. On that bright note, onto an episode about smallpox!

Smallpox & Montreal (18:20)

Matt digs into his archaeological sub-stratums on this episode and got bogged down in pre-modern history. Smallpox can be traced back to 10,000 BP when humans started farming and domesticating animals. Written descriptions of its treatment (inoculation) existed in India and China in the 11thC. CE, but it took 7 more centuries for the Europeans and Americans to ‘discover it’ (which also includes 4 centuries of introducing it in the ‘new world’). Peasants in Europe and people from the ‘Far East’ knew what to do.

Matt reads descriptions of smallpox and cholera and gives us some stats. Despite improvements in sanitation (cholera) and public health (smallpox), outbreaks of both diseases continued to happen in India until the 1930’s, whereas Canada and other wealthy nations all but eradicated it by the late 1800’s.

Matt gives a much briefer background on Montreal, its epidemic history and its sanitary conditions, all of which comes from “Plague: A Story of Smallpox in Montreal” by Michael Bliss (Harper Collins, 1991). Montreal had a smallpox epidemic from 1872-80 and by 1881-85 there were no outbreaks, which lead to a false sense of security among the population which was localized into specific neighborhoods divided along linguistic and religious lines.

We go over some of the key actors of this story, focusing on R.M. Ross who was the main anti-vaccinationist that drummed up fervor among the less-inoculated French speaking populations in Montreal. The campaign started as an opposition to the idea of inoculation - ingesting ‘disease’ to avoid disease is actually maybe a logical fallacy (see our next episode!) – and morphed into an opposition to English Protestant power centered in city hall. As 1885 dragged on, techniques were developed ad-hoc by the municipality, they started ‘enforcing’ inoculation laws through placarding, detainment and forced inoculation. Matt picked this topic because he knew that Phil was going to glom onto the state formation dynamic at work. We talk about the on-the-fly approach in Montreal, but we also do note that everyone was trying their best despite the challenges they faced (seems to be a common theme for us).

We also talk about French-English relations, including spatial and religious divides, which was the reality despite the image that the tourism department was putting forward of Montreal as a cosmopolitan and progressive city (economically). Micheal Bliss also uses the rebellion, trial and execution of the Metis leader Louis Riel (1885) as a parallel narrative that mirrors the divides and questions about Canadian nationhood (racially, ethnically and linguistically). We finish up by talking about public gatherings and the emotions of epidemics.

Recommendations (1:12:12)

Matt recommended a hemp-based beer called Buzz, by Cool Brewery. We know, it’s an odd name, but tasty nonetheless. The beer is amber but it is crisp and dry, making it a good all weather/multi-sport viewing brewski. Phil recommends “0745679595.html">The Sociologist & the Historian” by Pierre Bourdieu and Roger Chartier (Polity, 2015), which is a good primer and chalk-full of stuff Bourdieusians will like. While reading lately, Phil likes to sip on the latest batch of Glenlivet 12 year single malt scotch. Matt takes his whiskey (or whisky) with a single ice cube, ideally made from distilled spring water! (or the tears of a thousand unicorns will do just as well for him!)

Red Cross Quebec spring flood appeal information can be found here : https://goo.gl/b4vv4x

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Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah

Available at: http://www.cullah.com

Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

We have on our first guest, the disillusioned Leninist Evan who talks about anarchist anthropology! Evan’s had his name dropped on the show before so we figured it was time we had him on to defend himself. Matt is still in a state of nervousness about looking after a one year old because he has not read as many books as he should have. We recorded this episode in baby’s room which made Evan eyeball the crib for a post-pod nap.

Phil gives us a This Day in History challenge. Matt and Evan wonder how May 11, 1820 and 1997 are connected. They had no idea. In 1820 the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin’s ship set sail and in 1997 Deep Blue beat Gary Kasparov at chess. Answer: connected to evolutionary theory, progression or one might argue regression. You gotta watch Phil, always slipping in those connections.

Evan regales us with some library stories. No spoiler, but they were better than we thought! Turns out library stank sticks with you like a whopper and somehow Phil has never had a dull moment in a library. After the show Evan is planning his own treasure hunt in the film studies and gastronomy sections of the stacks to find our squirrely hiding places.

Anarchism & Anthropology (12:48)

What the heck is anarchist anthropology and who is this really interesting sounding guy, David Graeber? Evan gives the ‘I know nothing’ disclaimer and a brief backgrounder. He explains the intersection of anarchism, continental philosophy and anthropology: horizontal approaches to explore ‘everyday life’. Evan came at anarchism from disillusionment with Marxist-Leninism as a youth and an interest in continental philosophy. Everyone’s understanding of Marx was made easier by working low wage, alienating jobs. Evan met Matt at one of those jobs, who was later strong-armed into Matt’s Anth-100 tutorial group. It was like having a teaching reviewer in each class. The best feedback Evan gave: Matt teaches in a chaotic, discursive style. He has since tried to bring more structure and make connections clearer (let us know if he is succeeding).

Evan defines anarchism as active, a creative on the ground political action that is designed to be adaptable. David Graeber resists the label of ‘Anarchist-Anthropologist’ because it is not ‘who’ you are but ‘what you do’. Matt, Phil and Evan make Marxist connections, it being understood as an active and widely applicable philosophy. “Two Cheers for Anarchism” by James C Scott is Evan’s first recommendation. It uses a vernacular methodological approach to anthropology, which is essentially an horizontal or non-top down perspective. Examples: gardens in Guatemala, Henry Ford’s rubber plantation disaster and the worn paths at college campuses. This reminds Matt of emergent theory, trying to not impose theoretical frameworks before entering the field. The vernacular definition of anarchism seems to not match up with Evan’s definition. But where is the politics? According to Evan, experience is where politics should emerge, not the other way around. This lived, experiential approach is connected to continental philosophy. Does Graeber focus on this or is this Evan’s analysis? Evan, are you an anarchist? He is but it doesn’t make any difference. “If you are not a Utopian, you are a Schmuck” as Graeber the optimistic anarchist says. The anarchist ideal is therefore all around us, everywhere, organic and existing in our relationships.    

Black Block vs. Optimistic Anarchism? Direct action is what anarchism can be boiled down to, are these actions purely symbolic or effective? Violence is more symbolic, Evan argues. Aesthetics of practicing (praxis) anarchism: Evan argues that the Black Block is dependent on peaceful protests. It scares Matt that peaceful protesters get lumped in with black block ‘extremists’ even if their violence is intended to be symbolic. Evan makes a great connection with Marcel Mauss and the Gift, a hugely influential book because it describes worlds that are alternatives. Matt connects Techniques of the Body by Mauss, Evan also appreciates this as he was a clunky body person just like Matt.

Neo-Liberalism: Anarchism should be seen as a methodological alternative, relying on cooperation and collaboration in our political actions. Phil brings in Trump and his atrocious policies and the French election results, asking what Evan thinks about all this? Evan appreciated the Trotskyite Mélenchon, Matt argues that the extreme right is small but vocal and that their messaging is uncomfortable because cultural norms have changed. Evan points to the recent turn-away from market economics. Phil connects ‘anger’ and the right, which is just as legitimate as any movement from the left but Evan argues that the left is more concerned with aesthetics then direct political action. Evan talks to “Direct Action and Ethnography” by D. Graeber, set in Quebec in 2001 (please email us David…).

Populism and the privileged right: Trump the anarchist, Trudeau the opportunist-anarchist? The president is ‘just like me’ and this worries Matt. Trump is selling how uncouth he is and Americans want to see this even though they are born into privilege. A Return to praxis, or the final nail in the coffin: If you want to be an anarchist, what should you do? Evan believes in further education, asking questions and making connections.

Some books by Graeber to read: “Fragments of an anarchist anthropology”, “Direct Action and Ethnography”. And, “Two Cheers for Anarchism” by James C Scott. Finally, a Podcast: The Intercept by Glen Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill.

Recommendations (50:36)

Astonishing Legends: a podcast that Matt describes as ‘rational conspiracy theory’ where they really dig into (pun totally intended) the research. Some notable episodes: Oak Island and the Knights of the Golden Cross.

On the Media: hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield is a social sciency take on media analysis which is always current and always relevant.

A blog by writer Sam Kriss

The Hockey PDOcast: is an analytics driven hockey show produced and hosted by a Canadian Dimitri Fillipovich. That’s pretty cool there then eh?

How to Write a Thesis in Three Years: A Practical Guide: a book by Stephen Harrison. Phil’s a little preoccupied by that whole thing at the moment.

Concluding thought: “Changes and progress very rarely are gifts from above. They come out of struggles from below” (Noam Chomsky, 2008).

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Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod

Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

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Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah

Available at: http://www.cullah.com

Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Matt went for a baby care crash course by looking after his cousin’s son. This conversation regressed or progressed, depends on how you look at it, into a vague discussion on kinship and the significance of cousinhood. We were both confused as to what constitutes a 2nd cousin, there is an answer (5:45). Phil brings us back to the surface with his most recent experiences grading, of course this also quickly digressed into a conversation about grading philosophies and how as graders we should pay close attention to our emotional states. Turns out neither one of us wants to see another multiple choice test in the social sciences. BOOK IT!

Our Top Technology Teaching Toolbox Tips (14:37)

We wanted to do an episode early on about teaching, but these kinds of conversations can tend to be somewhat all over the place which is why Phil put together this list of teaching tools that he has used in the classroom. Matt had a heady day, so he just sat back, took the notes and asked questions.

We started off with a confession: we are both Luddites. Matt connected the Luddites to the invention of the printing press which he connected to the Protestant Reformation. CORRECTION: Turns out the Luddites can be traced to the late 1700-early 1800’s, we placed them a bit early it seems.

There are many recommendations in this episode, falling broadly within 5 categories. We finish up the conversation with another confession: WRITING IS HARD! It’s difficult for everyone, even for Stephen King. We also start talking a bit about classroom power dynamics using certain pedagogical techniques such as flipped Learning and the need to be authentic while presenting.

In-Class and Conference Presentations:

Prezi (21:14): pushing Power-Point to the brink, but with more functionality and ease of use, Prezi makes your classroom and conference presentations visually appealing and easier to make. Prezy saves your presentations to a cloud which means it is always available across multiple platforms. Prezi is free to use and you can seamlessly embed videos and audio. Prezi saves you time when creating a presenting and makes your presentation stand out against other linear styles of presenting information.

TED, TEDx, TED Ed (23:00). Quality content that is easily embedded into presentations and allows lecture content to be re-watched and expanded on at after class time ends.

Socrative (27:23) is a program that allows you to easily create assessment tools that combines fun games and easy to understand reports to follow students progress.

Jeopardy Maker (28:17): Website for making engaging and fun Jeopardy-style quizzes. Matt got a little too jazzed-up over this, Phil said that he incentivizes with candy…even for the losers.

The good old chalkboard (31:07): The primary tool of all teachers, for a good reason. We share some tips and experiences about using this underappreciated technology. The Walk, Chalk & Talk is explored here.

Collaboration:

Dropbox (35:36): Easy to use, even for these Luddites, and Phil likes it because you can easily share and unshare documents and he is not convinced other cloud based services are as easy to use.

iScanner (iTunes / GooglePlay) / Scanner Pro (iTunes) (36:59): Matt thinks this will ‘steal your retina’ Phil explains that it is a picture-to-PDF converter that he uses to snap shots of notes, comments and mind maps to then share with students. Really easy to use, helpful for continual feedback and makes collaborating easy when getting together physically is difficult.

Skype and GoogleVoice (38:10): Skype is a bit easier for multi-person conversations because of its ease of sharing screen screens, but either are adequate to chat with a student or a collaborator when physically getting together is difficult. Skype and Google offer phone numbers, like those landline number we used to all have. This additional avenue to communicate can only help collaboration (Here’s how to share your screen in Skype).

Office Hours (38:28): Whether it’s time one-on-one, or as a small group, office hours are an important part in connecting and collaborating with students. Phil and Matt both tell their students that “I’m your note taker”. This allows students to free up thinking power and when combined with some of the previous technologies, makes collaboration a breeze. Don’t forget your white board and your mobile scanner.

Time Management:

Toggl (42:50): This is a simple to use time tracker. You press record, define what activity you are doing, it makes easy to understand timesheet reports at the end of the week. It works on phones and a webtop browser, making it easy to use wherever you’re working. Matt likes this idea of pressing a button and locking in, he also offers up his own recommendation: work in 40-45 min intervals, this is the upper limit of human attention span. He says to set an alarm and you will find that if your attentions starts to waver it has probably been 45 mins. This apparently is called the Pomodoro Technique. Phil ponders in his head if this podcast is too long and we are losing people along the way? Let us know.

Doodle (46:06): This is a  great meeting tool, easy to use and easy to modify, it replaces the 37 email long chain when trying to organize a meeting with three people, two weeks from now.

Citation Management:

End Note (46:32): While there are many citation management tools out there, for ease of use Phil recommends End Note. It allows PDF documents to be imported into the tool, allowing you to markup the file with notes. There are many citation management suites out there, find the one that works best with your workflow.

Writing:

Scrivener (48:18): Get away from using the standard linear text editing software. Phil makes a strong recommendation for adopting Scrivener to prepare lengthy manuscripts. Scrivener brings together all your data, chunks of text, folders and stacks of papers into one place. Scrivenor will become your writing engine. Through the use of binders, Scrivener organizes your writing into sections, and the cork board allows you to take notes on the fly. This allows you to you work with one window open, forcing your attention on what counts in our line of work: writing. There is now a tablet version that easily syncs your documents to a cloud. The tool also has a neat writing counter that tells you how much you need to write each session to meet your target goal. There are many many more features as well, go check it out for a free trial before you commit cash to it. Thanks to Leslie for introducing Phil to this!

Evernote (51:20). If Scrivner is the engine, Evernote is your virtual notepad. Keep things written down and easily allows you to declutter your mind. Evernote syncs with so many applications now that it has become the go-to note-taking, list-making, reminder-prodding tool. Obviously, these show notes would have been much better (shorter!) had they been written in Evernote.

Powerthesaurus.org (53:17). Easy to use thesaurus resource. It’s crowdsourced, offers several sorting options and at the time of writing this claims to have 19M synonyms. Get inspired.

Hardware:

MacBook Air / Chromebook (53:47): Phil puts forth a strong argument for using small, portable laptops. This allows you to write anywhere and doesn’t take-up much needed desk real estate. Battery life is generally good on smaller devices and can be easily paired with a more robust Bluetooth or USB keyboard (if you are anything like Phil and have a habit of pounding on the keys as if they are the ones responsible for writer’s block, a Bluetooth or USB keyboard is a wise investment). Matt waxed poetic about his little Netbook (RIP).

External hard drives (55:25): Make sure to keep backups -even if you save to a cloud service. Save everything twice, Phil says.

Wrapping things up on a broader note, Matt and Phil talk about dismantling power dynamics in the classroom through flipped learning and basically being an empathetic and hopefully, an authentic human being.

Last plug: 57 Ways to Screw Up in Grad School, by Kevin D. Haggerty & Aaron Doyle (University of Chicago Press, 2015). Some of the ways folks can screw up are applicable beyond grad school.

Even more Recommendations (1:03:37):

Matt brought in two by Orwell to talk about: Books v Cigarettes (Penguin) is a collection of articles and essays, including the title essay which is a cost benefit analysis Orwell’s two addictions. The second is Road to Wigan Pier (Penguin), which is an ethnographic account of Lancashire and Yorkshire and its coal industry in the mid 1930’s. The Elias book that Phil talked about (and for which he feels really silly not remembering!): The Established and The Outsiders by Norbert Elias & John L. Scotson (SAGE).     

Concluding thought: Gesticulation is a good thing, whether during a presentation or a podcast, but doesn't help much when writing.

-------------------------------

Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod

Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com

Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/

For full show notes: https://thesim.podbean.com/e/technology-teaching-toolbox/

The show is now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/semi-intellectual-musings/id1232065376

The show can also be found on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=138244&refid=stpr

Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show!

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah. Available at: http://www.cullah.com. Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Metabolizing Marx’s metabolic processes while watching kabaddi shirtless: talk about ruptures! Phil watches his meadow grow while digging into the nesting habits of bats. Matt enthusiastically describes Kabaddi, an Indian sport that combines rugby and red rover with rhythmic breathing and unarmed combat. We watched a few clips of the game and decided that maybe we should just stick with golf (Phil watched this one while Matt was talking). Phil attempts to describe the intent of the podcast in a different way, inevitably fumbled the website link (again!), while Matt just totally pulled a blank.    Marx & Metabolism (15:42) Phil and Matt talk about Marx through a political ecology reading. More specifically, Phil argues that paying attention to the notion of metabolism in Marx’s works is a powerful way to (re)frame his philosophical and political arguments.  This could be a fresh way to apply Marx to our daily lives.Phil kicks us off by reading some quotes and using these to give a short overview of Marx and his understanding of political ecology. Matt suggests change found in the concept of metabolism could lead us away from a ‘structuralist’ way of reading Marx. We then talk around continuity vs ruptures/rifts and Phil hopes he can return to this in a later episode. Phil connects metabolic processes to Epicurean and Stoic philosophies, which was a new way of framing Marx and tracing his philosophic tradition (legacy?) for Matt. After some more ponderous speculation, Matt asks Phil the “So What Dude?” question: How can we apply this dynamic notion of Marxist-Metabolism to our daily lives (to think through political and economic changes, maybe). Phil brings up BitCoin as an example, showing that this seemingly new/novel currency that held the promise of being a great leveler/equalizer actually has gotten (appropriated?, subsumed?) by pre-existing relationships. Phil suggests that Marx can and should continue to be read in new ways and praises Foster for the track he laid out to explore the works from a fresh perspective. After that we (Matt?) decided that he “was done”. Keep it classy. Links For the Marx & Engel complete works, see here. For a controversy surrounding the complete works, see here. John Bellamy Foster “Marx’s Theory of Metabolic Rift: Classical Foundations for Environmental Sociology” (Appearing in AJS, Vol.105(2), 1999). John Bellamy Foster “Marx and the Rift in the Universal Metabolism of Nature” (Appearing in Monthly Review, Vol.65(7), 2013. John Bellamy Foster “Marx’s Ecology” (Monthly Review Press)   Recommendations (59:21) Matt recommended his favorite history podcast: Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (RSS can be found here). Dan also produces a US-International current events show called: Common Sense with Dan Carlin (RSS feed can be found here). The history show’s episodes are hours long where he takes a sweeping view (contextual) of some historical event or trend in the most engaging way. Some favorite episodes: 3 part series on the Persian Empire, the 5 part Mongol empire episode and the stand-alone episode on the Protestant Reformation called Prophets of Doom.   Phil takes us to a deserted island: Oh no! Look out there! It’s Jenny trapped on a rock, there’s a storm coming, you gotta build a raft to save her AND yourself!! What will you do?? Good thing you have your dehumanized ‘helper’ Friday to push into harm's way! Yes, we are talking about the board game Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island designed by Ignacy Trzewiczek and published by Portal. Phil and his better half have been playing this game for a few months; the instructions are 40 pages long, there are expansions available and really Matt’s main takeaway is that Friday, the ‘helper’ might be...some kind of ghost. Concluding Thought: Workers of the world unite! Happy May Day 😀 ---------------------- Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: @The_SIM_Pod Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com Subscribe to the podcast: https://thesim.podbean.com/feed/ For full show notes: https://thesim.podbean.com/e/marx-metabolism The show is now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/semi-intellectual-musings/id1232065376 The show can also be found on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=138244&refid=stpr Please leave us a rating and a review, it really helps the show! Music: Song “Soul Challenger” appearing on “Cullahnary School” by Cullah 
Available at: http://www.cullah.com 
Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/      

Phil proctored an exam, the most exciting aspect of grad school, and passes on a few tips that he feels will help everyone in the room. Matt fueled up on some spring rolls before attending the most competitive used book sale of his life, you can hear the giddiness in his voice which qualifies him for at least 9 criteria of bibliophilic personality disorder. They finish by again trying to define their podcast and Matt struggles to not say ABSOLUTELY, in whimsical fashion.

Concussions and sports (14:28):

Phil has had concussions. Matt introduced us to his research and his own concussion history, which dates back to 1997, as a way of starting a conversation about stigma, gender and the shifting cultural perceptions of concussion and sports. Phil and Matt then got into the articles, starting with one about the writer's experiences witnessing her brother recover from multiple concussions while playing in the WHL. Matt and Phil deep dive into medical and social science perspectives on concussions. Phil floats some statistics around while Matt argues that women’s concussions (especially female teenage athletes) continues to be understudied, underreported and underappreciated due to the prevailing cultural and social assumptions around female athletics.

Matt and Phil then watch some clips about the NHL and concussions (54:25). They saw a video montage of Eric Lindros’ concussions, talked a bit about Sidney Crosby and how perceptions changed over time and finish with the (in?)infamous Canadian hockey commentator Don Cherry calling out players and the ‘new NHL’ for being ‘soft’.

After watching they return and talk about the Aaron Hernandez story. Matt brings in some neurophysiology: Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI), hormonal disruptions, causes of dementia and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). CTE often gets mentioned alongside stories about ex-athletes who donate their brains to science (Boston U also has a donation program). CTE seems to be caused by DAI where the Axon, which is the middle section of the nerve cell, ‘shears’ causing a ‘damaged pathway’. Due to ‘medical.net/news/20170425/Braine28099s-ability-to-rewire-after-injury-can-lead-to-long-term-strains.aspx">neuro-plasticity’ the brain will re-route information along new or previously existing pathways, however the pre-existing ones get overloaded causing symptoms like cognitive fatigue or communication impairments and the damaged (non-used) pathway builds up a protein which has been linked to various neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Dementia and CTE. It’s intense but stuff we need to remember about our noggins.

Links:

• Emilie Medland-Marchen "Alone in the dark: The effects of concussions on Canada's greatest game" (appeared in the Gaunlet, April 25, 2017)

• Max Kutner "The Aaron Hernandez suicide: A football brain injury link?"

• Brain Injury Canada list-serv: http://multibriefs.com/optin.php?BIAC

• Reuters "related-concussions-more-common-in-high-school-girls.html">Sport-related concussions more common in high school girls"

Recommendations (1:08:54):

Phil brought up a musical group that Matt hasn’t heard or thought about in years. Yes it’s the return of BONOBO! Where is my adult soother and glow sticks, Matt thinks?? (You just know we hung onto my giant cargo pants and multi-coloured suspenders, don’t you?!?). But seriously, it’s great music that you can study to, read to, dance to or do whatever you do.

Matt recommended the comedic-history podcast called The Dollop. Anyone who knows him has had this podcast recommended to them at least once. Because there are hundreds of episodes (and a forthcoming book, free plug!) Matt narrowed it down a bit: Ep. 150-James Sullivan and the 1904 Olympic Games and Ep. 250-Phantom of the Open. Matt also recommends the episode on the Iraq War.

Concluding thought: all our heads are actually quite soft. 

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Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah  Available at: http://www.cullah.com  Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Matt gets ready to be a father by painting a room; Phil picked up Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb but lost it on his bookshelf ...he’ll delay reporting back to us about what he learns/finds out. Phil then makes Matt realize that the Blue Jays season is over after the first 12 games and that the evil empire (The Yankees) have returned to dominate the division.

Resilience and Mental Health in the Classroom (14:50): We wanted our first episode to initiate an ongoing conversation about the challenges students, teachers and administrators face around mental health within academic/scholastic settings. We both feel there is a persistent stigma around admitting one is “struggling” which often can create a barrier to finding help despite the growing resources provided.

Phil talks about three articles related to resilience and we discussed the amorphous character of the concept. There was an historical bent to the whole discussion. Phil suggests that the concept is a static one, which made Matt think for a second before suggesting that ‘vulnerability’, a term often associated with resilience, could denote change. We looked deep into each others eye’s, agreed, somewhat (Phil wasn’t as convinced) and then settled on the idea that all students and all teachers need guides.

We pondered whether resilience was a thing (materialistic) or an idea (object for analysis). Maybe it’s a multiplicity. Phil convinced Matt that we all undergo ‘switching’ between conceptualizations of resilience constantly, who then hinted at the dynamics of imposed meaning (defined by an other) and how intent and meaning interplay within an individual's experience of resilience and vulnerability. The conversation took a serious tone for a moment there.

Links: •Jessica Riddell “Building resilience into the classroom” (appearing in University Affairs, April 11, 2017). 

•Daniel R. Curtis “Coping with crisis: The resilience and vulnerability of pre-industrial settlements”  It's a book Phil reviewed for Histoire Sociale/Social History 

•Ben Anderson “What kind of thing is resilience?” (appearing in Politics, Vol.35(1), 2015)

Recommendations (49:35): Matt brought in two books: 1491 by Charles C. Mann and The Plague by Albert Camus. He wants everyone to know that 1491 made him reconsider everything he learned in archaeology class, it's an account written by a science journalist about the history of North, Central and South America up to the year before Columbus and his Merry Men arrived. The political bent is that it challenges the colonialist-reading of ‘their history’. The Plague (available in audio) is the second most popular book by Camus, it's about the quarantining of a Algerian city during an outbreak of some kind of plague, but is more a vehicle for Camus to work through many philosophic themes (ugh).

Phil recommended a podcast about Star Trek while Matt tried to ask questions with a straight face. Phil attempted to justify his actions (to whom, exactly?). To be continued...

Concluding thought: failure can be good.

Follow Semi-Intellectual Musings on Twitter: twitter.com/The_SIM_Pod Email Matt & Phil: semiintellectual@gmail.com Subscribe to the podcast: thesim.podbean.com

Music: Song "Soul Challenger" appearing on "Cullahnary School" by Cullah Available at: http://www.cullah.com Under CC BY SA license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/