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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
Monday Jan 25, 2016
Monday Jan 25, 2016
How does our brain make snap decisions, and how do external elements and personal bias infect that process? Answer: something called “priming.” Also: why Hulu is full of filthy lies, what is a slide rule(r)?,...
The post #26 – Where Snap Decisions Come From appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Monday Jan 18, 2016
The answer to life, the universe, and everything: the Higgs boson particle. Find out how the Large Hadron Collider, the biggest machine man has ever built, came together to find the particle that allows us...
The post #25 – The Large Hadron Collider Gets Particle Fever appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Jan 11, 2016
Monday Jan 11, 2016
The show is back! We dive back in to talk about the psychology of self-delusion via the Dunning-Kruger effect. Also, flirting with the meth-faced gas attendant, losing the recording of last week’s show, the New...
The post # 24 – The Science of Self-Delusion appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Cozy up to this potpourri of an episode for a literal Christmas fireside chat, where we briefly talk about rocket launching, orbiting, and accelerations per second/per second. Plus, Todd’s car gets hit, we both see...
The post #22 – Fireside Chat Stew (with rockets!) appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Is Bitcoin the future of currency? Or is it a scam developed by robot overlords to take over the economy? Find out! Also: The Jews VS the Japanese in the inaugural “SnackAttack!™” segment, the Oregon...
The post #21 – Bitcoin appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Monday Dec 07, 2015
How did humans figure out how to record and play back sound? How does a record groove contain an infinity of sound, and how does the speaker play it? Find out in this episode! Also:...
The post # 20 – Feel the Vibration appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Monday Nov 30, 2015
How does internet encryption work? How do you get the key from one party to the next without a security breach? Find out in this episode! Also, Apple TV needs a queue, “Webster” vs. “Alf,”...
The post #19 – 100 Million Years of Encryption appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Nov 23, 2015
Monday Nov 23, 2015
Guest Brian Kidd (aka the “Unipiper”) teaches us about his sciency day job — the amazing technology of “Lidar” (think radar/sonar but measured with light). Also, the Apple Watch, Todd get visited by a confused...
The post #18 – Lidar? I barely knew har! appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Nov 16, 2015
Monday Nov 16, 2015
What’s updog in this episode? Mark talks about what it takes to live in and operate an armed nuclear submarine in the Navy (as well as his favorite Dad Jokes to tell on sub tours)....
The post #17 – Nuclear Submarines and the Silicone Valley appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.
Monday Nov 02, 2015
Monday Nov 02, 2015
In this content-heavy episode, Todd experiences 4 minutes of schizophrenia via “Auditory Hallucinations” while attempting a few simple tasks.. Plus, Mark plays “When Did This Happen?” but has never heard of “Chocolate Rain,” Todd’s wasn’t...
The post #16 – Listening to Schizophrenia appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.