Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Episodes
The Sargasso Sea
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the sargassum seaweed and the many strange and amazing organisms that call it home....
The Artifact: Pants of the Necromancer
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the so-called necro-pants... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcas...
Dissolver of Worlds
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, Robert and Joe discuss the nature of the Alkahest, the universal solvent of alchemy. Learn mo...
Listener Mail: Robot Hell
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: The Bone Palace, Part 2
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From an imagined palace constructed out of bone to the curious ways in which animals and humans use bone for tools and construction materials, take a ...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Silent Era Double Feature
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss a pair of silent era films: the animated “Cinderella” from 1922 and “The Mechanical Ma...
Phobos and Deimos: The Moons of Mars, Part 2
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The god of war does not march into battle alone. His sons, embodying panic and terror ride beside him. The same can be said of the planet Mars and its...
The Artifact: Wiping With Homer
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe discusses a couple of weird textual treasures recovered from an ancient garbage dump in Egypt. Learn m...
Phobos and Deimos: The Moons of Mars, Part 1
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The god of war does not march into battle alone. His sons, embodying panic and terror ride beside him. The same can be said of the planet Mars and its...
Listener Mail: Fire of Unknown Origin
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: The Bone Palace, Part 1
17 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From an imagined palace constructed out of bone to the curious ways in which animals and humans use bone for tools and construction materials, take a ...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Frogs
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Humans can only hurt the environment so long before nature fights back -- and that’s just what happens in 1972’s “Frogs,” starring a young Sam...
Punish the Machine, Part 2
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What will we do when robots and artificial intelligences break the law? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the issue o...
The Artifact: The Pedrail Wheel
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the wheels with tiny legs on them... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...
Punish the Machine, Part 1
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What will we do when robots and artificial intelligences break the law? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the issue o...
Listener Mail: Rejoice in the Sun
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: Twilight of the Moa
10 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy an...
Weirdhouse Cinema Rewind: Mad Love (1935)
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss one of the great weird films of the 1930s: “Mad Love,” in which Peter Lorre gives a stel...
From the Vault: Medusa, Part 2
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster ...
The Artifact Redux: The Mirrors of Dr. Dee
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the mirrors of English occultist Dr. Dee, including the so-called Devil’s Looking Glass....
From the Vault: Medusa, Part 1
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all know snake-haired Medusa, the gorgon of Greek myth whose very gaze turns mortals and titans alike to stone. But where does this iconic monster ...
Spring Break!
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rob and Joe took the week off, so here are just a few quick words about what you can expect this week in the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed... ...
From the Vault: Rise of the Moa
03 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Moa of New Zealand were among the weirdest birds to ever live, and their history is full of evolutionary wonder, interspecies conflict, tragedy an...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Gunhed
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, enter a world of Japanese cyberpunk, killer AIs, giant robot tanks and more as Rob and Joe discuss the 1989 Toho movie...
The Machine Lords of Barnard 68, Part 2
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Even as humans reach out into the void with robotic probes and turn to artificial intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, we face...
The Machine Lords of Barnard 68, Part 1
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Even as humans reach out into the void with robotic probes and turn to artificial intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, we face...
Listener Mail: Yearly Dad Joke Inundation
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
Bonus Episode: Rob and Joe on "Record Store Society"
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Presenting "Record Store Society", a new iHeartRadio show hosted by STBYM producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. In this bonus episode, Rob and Joe stop by S...
From the Vault: Invertebrate Emotions, Part 2
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizen...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Music Videos with Seth of Record Store Society
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Robert and Joe are visited by producer and host of the Record Store Society podcast Seth Nicholas Johnso...
Jupiter the Destroyer, Part 2
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did the planet Jupiter, like a reckless god, wreak havoc on a young solar system? Join Robert and Joe and they consider the red planet’s destructive...
Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell – Using AI to Rethink the Way Work Gets Done
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With hybrid cloud and AI, businesses today can challenge the limits of how they put their data to work across the organization. In this episode of Sma...
Jupiter the Destroyer, Part 1
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did the planet Jupiter, like a reckless god, wreak havoc on a young solar system? Join Robert and Joe and they consider the red planet’s destructive...
Listener Mail: Spoonman
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
Welcome to Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world's most challenging problems need smarter solutions. Join host Malcolm Gladwell as he interviews industry leaders and innovators to discover ...
From the Vault: Invertebrate Emotions, Part 1
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are feeling creatures, constantly awash in a sea of emotion. We struggle to understand the waters that suffuse us, but what about other denizen...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Hands of Steel
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode of Weirdhouse Cinema is 30 percent human, 70 percent robot and 100 percent lethal -- because the subject is the 1986 Italian sci...
The Dad Joke
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all know a “dad joke” when we hear one, but what exactly qualifies as a dad joke and what does it reveal about parenthood, childhood learning a...
The Artifact: The Corleck Head
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses a fascinating Celtic artifact... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpo...
The Nile Inundation: Gods, Water and Life
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The annual inundation of the Nile was vital to the Ancient Egyptians, and therefore factored heavily into their mythology. Join Robert and Joe as they...
Listener Mail: Mirages and More
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: Biology of the Hobbit
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not to question the wisdom of Gandalf the Grey, but a hobbit might seem like a poor choice for a continent-sprawling journey to rid the world of evil....
Weirdhouse Cinema: Dr. Cyclops
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe consider yet another mad scientist in the form of Dr. Thorkel from 1940’s “Dr. Cyclops.” Direc...
The Invention of the Spoon, Part 2
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for another invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In this episode, Robert and Joe discuss a very old invention that we can s...
The Artifact: Glass Like Dough
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe discusses the legend of a lost recipe for glass that could bend without breaking. Learn more about you...
The Invention of the Spoon, Part 1
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for another invention-based episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. In this episode, Robert and Joe discuss a very old invention that we can s...
Listener Mail: Humbaba's Seven Terrors
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: Overconfidence, Part 2
06 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuf...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Split Second (1992)
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Weirdhouse Cinema, world’s grumpiest detective Rutger Hauer investigates a series of monstrous murders in the climate change-ravaged fu...
Fata Morgana
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The horizon is an interesting netherworld of optical phenomena, where -- to the human eye -- ghost ships may sail the sky, phantom islands offer relie...
The Artifact: The Color of the Dot
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe contemplates the deep history of the color of the Pale Blue Dot. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...
The Halo, Part 2
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From glowing rings to flaming sun discs, the halo takes many forms in religious iconography. Why do angels, saints, gods and demigods love standing be...
Listener Mail: Avatar State, Yip Yip!
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: Overconfidence, Part 1
27 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is overconfidence? We tend to know it when we see it, but the concept is increasingly hard to nail down the more you think about it. In this Stuf...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Santo in the Treasure of Dracula
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe dive into one of Mexican luchador El Santo's various horror cinema adventures -- and not just any Sa...
The Halo, Part 1
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From glowing rings to flaming sun discs, the halo takes many forms in religious iconography. Why do angels, saints, gods and demigods love standing be...
The Artifact: The Macuahuitl
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the Mesoamerican weapon known as the Macuahuitl... Learn more about your ad-choices at ht...
The Moses Illusion
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss The Moses Illusion, one pe...
Listener Mail: The Corporeal Earth
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
From the Vault: Occam's Razor
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a standard tool of skeptical thinking: When presented with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well, choose the simpler of the two. In...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Demon Knight
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, kiddies, in this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss Ernest Dickerson’s 1995 siege movie “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight.”...
From the Vault: The Mighty Sarlacc
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Few places in the Star Wars universe are regarded with as much horror as the Great Pit of Carkoon, within the Dune Sea of Tatooine. In this episode of...
The Artifact: The Sword of Gōu Jiàn
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses an ancient Chinese sword noted for its unusual sharpness and resistance to tarnish... Lea...
Gold: Metal of the Sun
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the nature of gold, humanity’s history extracting it from the Earth and the amazi...
Listener Mail: Here There Be Dragons
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here's your weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcast...
From the Vault: Lessons of Vesuvius, Part 2
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on P...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Freejack
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The bonejackers thought they could jack Alex Furlong, but now he's gone freejack in the future of 2009. Yep, in this installment of Weirdhouse Cinema,...
Monsters of the Shān Hǎi Jīng, Part 2
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the previous episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discussed the Shān Hǎi Jīng or “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” an ancient C...
The Artifact: Stone Mushroom Clouds
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe talks about mind-boggling prehistoric mineral formations. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
Monsters of the Shān Hǎi Jīng, Part 1
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the Shān Hǎi Jīng or “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” an ancient Chinese tex...
Listener Mail: Gravy, Sinkholes and Soviet Sci-Fi
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here's your weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcast...
From the Vault: Lessons of Vesuvius, Part 1
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on P...
Weirdhouse Cinema: The Brain
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe cap off Brain Week with the 1988 Canadian monster movie “The Brain.” It’s kind of bargain-bin ...
Brain and Head Theft, Part 2
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
First they came for their heads. Then they came for their brains. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the weird and fas...
The Artifact: The Heslington Brain
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses one of the oldest, best-preserved human brains. Learn more about your ad-choices at https...
Brain and Head Theft, Part 1
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
First they came for their heads. Then they came for their brains. In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the weird and fas...
Listener Mail: Nightmare Key
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for more listening mail! Robert and Joe use the Nightmare Key to unlock a boss battle with YOUR e-mails... Learn more about your ad-choic...
From the Vault: Here Come the Warm Feels
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s often a gap between feeling and understanding, but language and classification provide us with tremendous tools for self-reflection. In this...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Teens in the Universe
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Soviet work ethic versus the siren song of fun in 1975’s “Teens in the Universe,” a beautifully crafted and thoroughly weird space advent...
The Tempest Stele
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Ahmose I erected a stele detailing a great storm that destroyed tombs, temples and other structures....
The Artifact: Submoon Fever
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe sees visions of orbits within orbits within orbits within orbits... Learn more about your ad-choices a...
The Bonsai Tree
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Spanning centuries of human history, the iconic bonsai tree is a widely recognized example of Japanese mastery. Each miniature tree speaks to the beau...
Listener Mail: The Flood
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here comes the STBYM listener mail, once again. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener f...
From the Vault: Horseshoe Crabs
23 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Their fossils date back 450 million years and their copper-rich blue blood continues to benefit various medical applications. In this episode of Stuff...
Weirdhouse Cinema: The Oily Maniac
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, it’s time to grease up Weirdhouse Cinema with a Shaw Brothers horror film from 1976. “The Oily Maniac” is a tale of sleaze, revenge and a r...
Funeral for a Bug
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do insects factor into our traditions of death -- and how do insects handle their own burials? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind...
The Artifact: The Cairo Toe
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses one of the oldest known human prosthetics. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://ww...
Sinkholes, Part 2
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the science and history of sinkholes. How have these impressive geographic features...
Listener Mail: Blue Öyster Cult
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Robert and Joe for even more STBYM and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com...
From the Vault: David Grinspoon on Pluto
16 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the book “Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto,” authors Dr. Alan Stern and Dr. David Grinspoon recount the riveting hi...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Arena
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to lace up for a boxing movie -- but not just any boxing movie. In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the 1989 sci-fi ...
Sinkholes, Part 1
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the science and history of sinkholes. How have these impressive geographic features...
The Artifact:The Psychedelic Blindfold
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Joe talks about a 2004 study of blindfolding and visual hallucinations. Learn more about your ad-choices a...
The Invention of the Lock & Key
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The lock and key are such a central part of modern life, both technologically and metaphorically, but when and how did this technological advancement ...
Listener Mail: Our Blessed Saint Poochie
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for more listener mail! Let's dig in. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener f...
From the Vault: The Psychology of Architecture, Part 2
09 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The natural world evokes various feelings in the mind, but humans spend a great deal of their time within spaces that they themselves designed and bui...
Weirdhouse Cinema: Doctor X
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the medical academy where EVERYONE is a suspect in the cannibalistic “Moon Killer” slayings. Yes, from the director of “Casablanca”...
From the Vault: Bandersnatch
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From its literary origins in the mirror realm of Lewis Carroll to its terrifying appearance in Charlie Brooker's “Black Mirror,” the frumious Band...
The Artifact: The Mirrors of Dr. Dee
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses the mirrors of English occultist Dr. Dee, including the so-called Devil’s Looking Glass....
From the Vault: Brian Greene on the End of Time
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Theoretical Physicist Brian Greene’s new book “Until the End of Time” contemplates the entirety of human history and the known universe in a sin...