Ginger Campbell Celebrates Five Years of Podcasting (BI 45)

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Ginger Campbell and GretaIn December 2006 I launched 2 podcasts: Books and Ideas and the Brain Science Podcast. In Episode 45 of Books and Ideas I take a few minutes to look back on my five years in podcasting and to thank some of my many guests.

 

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Episode Transcript (Download Free PDF)

 

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Show Notes:

The focus of this episode was to thank each of the 33 people who have been featured on Books and Ideas so far. 

  • Historians: Matthew Cobb, Holly Tucker, and Jennifer Michael Hecht
  • Scientists: Lee Silver, Pamela Gay, Robert Schleip, Eugenie Scott, Les Johnson, Daniel George, Sheril Kirshenbaum, and Frank Wilczek
  • Philosophers: Massimo Pigliucci and Tom Clark
  • Physicians: Paul Offit, Robert Martenson, Neel Varshney, and Steven Novella
  • Fiction Writers: Mur Lafferty, Christiana Ellis, Scott Sigler, Tabitha Grace Smith, Skyler White, and Karen Traviss
  • Psychologists: Delany Dean, Eric Maisel, Bruce Hood and Carol Tavris
  • Other Writers: Dan Ariely, Sue Bailey, and Carmen Flowers 
  • Special Guests: Patrick Pricken, Kirk McElhearn and Kyla Duffy

Click here for a complete list of guests (in alphabetical order).

Click here for a complete list of episodes.

Announcements:

 

Follow-up interview with Frank Wilczek (B&I 24)

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wilczek Episode 24 of Books and Ideas is a follow-up interview with Nobel Prize winning physicist. Dr. Frank Wilczek. We discuss the questions that we didn't get around to in Episode 23, including the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics, String Theory, and dark matter and dark energy. Dr. Wilczek also answers some questions from listeners and tells us a little about his current work.

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Download Episode Transcript (PDF)

Click here if you missed Dr. Wilczek's first interview

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Main Topics from this Episode:

  • 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics
  • String Theory: a look at how it differs from the standard model and the question of whether it can be tested
  • Dark Matter and Dark Energy: 95% of the matter in the universe remains unexplained!
  • Anti-matter: where science meets science fiction
  • Dr. Wilczek's research: Could axions be dark matter? Using quantum mechanics to create new electronics.
  • Questions from listeners
Announcements: Episodes 23 and 24 are based on Dr. Wilczek's excellent book:

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Mindfulness Meditation with Delany Dean (B&I 20)

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Delany DeanEpisode 20 of Books and Ideas is an interview with forensic psychologist Delany Dean, PhD. Dr. Dean began her career as a criminal lawyer but his interest in the mind and the brain lead her to a second career as a clinical psychologist. Besides forensic psyschology she has extensive experience with therapies based on the use of mindfulness meditation. In this interview, Dr. Campbell and Dr. Dean share there personal experiences with meditation, and Dr. Dean explains why she feels mindfulness meditation provides a extremely valuable tool for helping people deal with a wide range of problems, including the stress that we all face from time to time. They also give practical advise for listeners interested in beginning a mindfulness practice.

Listen to Delany Dean's Interview.

Download Episode Transcript

Links and References:

Mind Expressions: Delany's Dean's blog Teachers and Scientists mentioned in the interview: Books and Other Resources for Beginners: You can find more references at the Brain Science Podcast Discussion Forum where there is on-going thread devoted to meditation and the Brain. There is also a section for discussing episodes of Books and Ideas.

Listen to Episode 20

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"Predictably Irrational" with Dan Ariely (B&I 19)

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Dan Ariely is a professor of behavioral economics at MIT and author of the bestseller, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. He was my guest for episode 19 of Books and Ideas. During the interview he explains how his came to study human behavior. He uses examples from his book to explore the question "What makes a good experiment?" He also discusses how he hope that his findings can help strengthen our society despite our human tendency to make "irrational" choices.

Listen to Episode 19 Now.

Download Episode Transcript Links: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely Dan Ariely

Listen to Books and Ideas Episode 19

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Tabitha Grace Smith from "Buffy Between the Lines" (B&I 18)

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tabz-small.jpgTabitha Grace Smith Episode 18 of Books and Ideas is an interview with writer and podcaster Tabitha Grace Smith. Tabitha is the creator of Buffy Between the Lines, an award-winning podcast set in the universe of my favorite TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is also a writer and works on several other podcasts. In her interview we talk about writing, podcasting, and why we love the work of Joss Whedon. Included in this episode is the Valentine episode of Buffy Between the Lines, which is the episode in which I had my voice-acting "debut." Listen to Episode 18 Now. Download Episode Transcript Links: Tabitha Grace Smith Buffy Between the Lines Jane Espenson's blog: (Jane is one of our favorite TV writers) goaskmalice.jpgGo Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary (2006) by Robert Joseph Levy The Myth of Free Will: Revised & Expanded Edition (2008) by Cris Evatt (I have a short chapter in this edition.) Listen to Episode 18 Download Episode Transcript Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Subscribe by email Subscribe to Books and Ideas Blog Leave comments at the Discussion Forum
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Mur Lafferty: writer and podcasting pioneer (B&I 17)

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mur-gin-07.jpgGinger and Mur Episode 17 of Books and Ideas is an interview with writer Mur Lafferty. Mur's podcasts I Should Be Writing and Geek Fu Action Grip helped inspire me to start podcasting, so I was excited to get a chance to talk with her about her new novel, Playing for Keeps. We also talk a little about the challenges of podcasting. Listen to episode 17 Download Episode Transcript pfk_icon.jpgPart 1 of the audio version of Playing for Keeps is included in this episode. It starts at 30:48. You can find the novel at http://playingforkeepsnovel.com or at http://podiobooks.com. Mur emphasized that her "street team" has done a lot to promote Playing for Keeps. Special thanks go to Natalie Metzger and Jarod Axelrod for artwork, and to Chris Miller for the companion video podcast, which is available on youtube. tricksofthepodcastingmasters.jpg Mur co-wrote Tricks of the Podcasting Masters with Rob Walch. She has also had several great stories on Escape Pod. My favorite is "I look Forward to Remembering You," which is scheduled to become a video on http://strangerthings.tv. To find more of Mur's work go to http://murlafferty.com. Listen to Episode 17 of Books and Ideas Download Episode Transcript Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Subscribe by email Subscribe to Books and Ideas Blog Leave comments at the Discussion Forum
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Transcript of Steven Novella's interview is now available

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podsinprint.jpgEpisode 16 of Books and Ideas has been chosen as an Editor's Pick by Pods in Print©. This means the transcript of Dr. Steven Novella's interview is available when you sign up for a free 14-day trial of their podcast transcript service. Click here to learn more. Note: I will NOT receive any royalties for downloads of this transcript.
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Additional Reference links from Robert Schleip, PhD

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schleip.jpgRobert Schleip, PhD of the University of Ulm in Germany was a guest on Books and Ideas episode 15. His personal website is http://www.somatics.de/ Here are some additional links to supplement those in the original show notes: General site on fascia related research Wikipedia entries (English) Rolf Institute for Structural Integration (official website) scientific literature related to Rolfing Science magazine article about Dr. Schliep and the 2007 International Fascia Research Congress in Boston World Congress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain Below are some links in German: European Rolfing Association
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Dr. Robert Schleip discusses Fascia (B&I 15)

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schleip-science.jpg Books and Ideas Podcast #15 is an interview with Robert Schleip, PhD from the University of Ulm in Germany. Dr. Schleip is an experienced practioner of the body work method known as rolfing, but several years ago he went back and earned his PhD in Biology and began a second career as a research scientist. In our interview we discuss some of the recent discoveries that may revolutionize the way we look at the connective tissue that is commonly called fascia. We also talk about the importance of applying the scientific method to the evaluation of alternative and complimentary healing methods (CAM). Dr. Schleip's enthusiasm for science made this a very enjoyable interview. Listen to the interview now.

Download Episode Transcript (PDF)

References and Links: Dr. Schleip recommends the Wikipedia entry on Fascia if you would like to learn the basics. To learn more about Dr. Schleip's work visit the Fascia Research Project website at http://www.fasciaresearch.de/ The First International Congress International Research Congress was held in October, 2007 in Boston, MA. You can find some of the scientists Dr. Schleip mentions on this speaker page. Click here for more references, including those written in German. Listen to Books and Ideas Episode 15 Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Subscribe by email Leave comments at the Discussion Forum
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Dr. Pamela Gay from "Astronomy Cast" (B&I 14)

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pgay_headshot.jpg Listen Now Show Notes for Books and Ideas Podcast #14 This episode is a conversation with Dr. Pamela Gay from the Astronomy Cast. Dr. Gay teaches astronomy and physics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Before the Astronomy Cast she was one of the hosts of one of the first science podcasts, Slacker Astronomy. I think her enthusiasm for science and especially for astronomy comes through in this interview. Besides astronomy we talked about the challenges of teaching science as well as the challenges of being a female scientist. Links: Astronomy Cast Pamela Gay's Blog FemaleScienceProfessor Blog Chandra: A Biography of S. Chandrasekhar by Kameshwar C. Wali Buffy Between the Lines: an audio drama definitely worth checking out if you love the Buffyverse Pushing Daisies my favorite new TV show Listen to Books and Ideas Episode 14 Download Episode Transcript Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Subscribe by email Leave comments at the Discussion Forum
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An American Living in France (B&I 10)

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guillestre202.jpgGuillestre in the French Alps Show Notes Make sure you got episode 10 because episode 1 was accidentally uploaded. It was only up a few minutes but if you got the wrong episode please note that this has been corrected. This episode of Books and Ideas is a conversation with writer Kirk Mcelhearn , a native New Yorker, who has lived in France for over 20 years. We talk about the challenges of learning a second language, and what it is like to live in France after 9/11. McElhearn is able to bring some interesting historical perspective to current events. Unfortunately there is some echo in the second half of this interview, which was recorded using Skype™ and Audio Hijack Pro™. Listen to #10 Now Download Episode Transcript Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Join email list Additional Links: Kirkville is Kirk McElhearn's excellent blog where you can find Mac™ and iTunes™ hints, as well as commentary on books and digital music. Here is a list of his books from Amazon.com The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War by Michael Shaara This is an excellent novel that I talked about briefly on an earlier podcast. It is also available in audio download format from Audible.com. Kirk said he has this book coming from BookMooch. BookMooch started by the founder of Magnatune, this is a great place to exchange books
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