Category: "People"

RIP, Space Cadet

August 28th, 2012
We might tell ourselves that the moon landing was about exploration and science, but perspectives of time and profession show the years of the space race in the context of the cold war. Those Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions were footnotes to the main story, that the United States could launch the biggest god-damn bomb in the history of the universe and land it in the middle of the Kremlin. more »

socialist killers on econtalk

May 28th, 2012
These two fascinating pieces surround people who were in the center of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia; the guests each authored biographies.  The one about Trotsky has a chilling conclusion from Robert Service: "This is one of the terrifying things… more »

on the perpetuation of ignorance

January 29th, 2012
One of my regular podcasts is The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, which features a "science or fiction" segment where the host tries to stump the panel to distinguish obscure science news items from roughly plausible science fictions, following up with… more »

bailouts on econtalk

March 1st, 2010
If you had reason to believe that someone would bail you out if your investments turned bad and you ended up over your head, would you be more or less prudent in the choice of those investments?  These three episodes provide different perspectives to th… more »

more simple talk that really scares me

February 21st, 2010
... human wants in the face of "finite stuff" more »

Bodies - I am an animal

October 8th, 2006
And if you had not already come to this conclusion, it is also a little creepy. They once were people, with unique hopes and dreads, thoughts and dreams, style and affectations, skills and habits, ... more »

Bradford Dies, Liberty Survives

January 8th, 2006
I discover in my post-holiday reading that R W Bradford has died of illness. I recall my first connection to the man - it was though the money and currency newsletter and precious metals exchange he operated in Michigan back in the 1980's.  What drew… more »