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Episodes
Pour yourself something warm. Let it drizzle outside. This one's for the curious.
The Mark & Toddcast is your weekly escape from the algorithm, the outrage cycle, and whatever fresh hell is trending. Broadcasting from the rainy heart of Portland, Oregon, two friends have spent 11 years and over 300 episodes doing exactly what you wish you could do at your favorite dimly lit neighborhood pub: sitting down with a pint and wandering through whatever's genuinely interesting.
Consider us comfort food for your brain.
Instead, expect pure Pacific Northwest chill and unfiltered curiosity about topics like:
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Why we absolutely hate the sound of our own voices
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The secret origin of the biohazard symbol
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America’s classified, Cold War plan to nuke the moon
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The Stanford Prison Experiment (and why it was actually kind of BS)
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Portland’s very own infamous Barbie-hacking culture jammers
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The unsolved mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
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And yes... the actual science of farts
What’s in an Episode?
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The Catch-Up: A little life banter between two longtime friends navigating the Rose City.
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Just the Headlines: A quick spin through the weirdest, wildest science and culture news of the week.
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The Deep Dive: A 20-minute, high-level plunge into whatever strange subject one of us couldn't stop reading about.
Meet Your Hosts:
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Mark spent his twenties operating nuclear reactors for the Navy before coming home to Portland's Silicon Forest to keep the machines that build microchips running. Now, he’s a technical director helping companies get found online.
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Todd has lived several lives—ad copywriter, artist, Newsweek-published writer, and an unrepentant Madonna superfan. Today, he’s a local therapist helping people untangle their stories and reconnect with the humans around them.
Pull up a chair. Grab a local beverage.
Science is funny.
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 01, 2017
Tuesday Aug 01, 2017
Tiny bones, flexing membranes, percussive protection, and some fluid for good measure — our ability to hear and instantly translate sound into meaning is both amazingly advanced, yet mechanically fairly simple. Take a listen to...
The post #93 – Can You Hear Me Now? appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jul 24, 2017
Monday Jul 24, 2017
Emojis are everywhere from plush toys to lip balm to the movie theaters, but where did they come from? Does someone own them? Can I design my own? Find out the answers in this surprising...
The post #92 – [Eggplant Emoji] appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jul 10, 2017
Monday Jul 10, 2017
This week we look at what exactly is happening when you see a mirage or other atmospheric phenomenon (phenom-mnah), and how light bends around and through the air like crashing waves to create optical illusions...
The post #91 – Mirages, Light Bending, and Other Phenom-mnah appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jul 03, 2017
Monday Jul 03, 2017
Much like salt, sugar has played an integral role in the spreading of humans around the world. Domesticated by New Guinea, powdered by India, perfected by Muslims, spread by Crusades, and the reason half of...
The post #90 – Gimme Some Sugar, Baby appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jun 26, 2017
Monday Jun 26, 2017
Todd is out of town, so Brian “The Unipiper” Kidd fills in to chat with Mark about the world of file sharing and torrenting. Also discussed: a steel mill that only needs 14 employees, an...
The post #89 – Don’t Download This Episode appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Tuesday Jun 20, 2017
Tuesday Jun 20, 2017
It’s not an understatement to say that trains built this country, and to this day are the backbone of our transportation industry. In this episode we take a closer look at a few of the...
The post #88 – Trainspotting appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jun 05, 2017
Monday Jun 05, 2017
Have you ever wondered how they pack such intricate explosions into those compact projectiles when you’re watching fireworks? Find out the history and mechanics of fireworks on this week’s show! Plus, the Unipiper tells us...
The post #87 – Baby You’re a Firework appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday May 22, 2017
Monday May 22, 2017
William Shakespeare changed the world with his writing, but for centuries people have argued he never even existed at all. From Mark Twain to Walt Whitman to even members of the US Supreme Court (who...
The post #86 – Was Shakespeare a Conspiracy? appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday May 08, 2017
Monday May 08, 2017
IBM’s “Watson” is more than just an AI or supercomputer – it’s a staggering step into a future of machines that can both learn (it can learn up to a million books per minute) and...
The post #85 – My Dear Watson appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Sunday Apr 30, 2017
Sunday Apr 30, 2017
In this episode we take a look at momentum and how it moves the world around us (and how it relates to inertia! Whee!). Pirouette with us through this interesting discussion, as well as the...
The post #84 – A Moving Episode About Momentum appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.