Almost Educational

This week Patrick invites Stephen Gower to create a North American super hivemind in which we construct different alternate realities. A reality in which the MLB of consists of only 18 teams Another in which the MLB follows Premier League Soccer rules of promotion and relegation. A Blue Jays Quiz too Find more of Stephen on his podcast https://www.alternativeairwaves.com/

This week Patrick is joined by a real-life human lawyer, Professor Winston Conrad, with the goal of understanding the world of intellectual property. Winston explains the concepts of intellectual property through the history of guilds ownership and how the patents grew from this knowledge.   Patrick is shocked to learn that trademarks are designed to help the consumer.  Winston explains it was designed as a system to show the public what they planned on the purchase was verified and vetted. How evil is Disney?  Like uber-evil?  Demigod evil?  Minor level evil?

This week, Patrick and Dennis cover COVID19 Rona American Populism The Zombie Democratic Primary

This week, Patrick invites guest host Cassidy on to cover the 1983 film Videodrome Topics discussed: Is this a plotless film? The film is Marshall Mcluhan distilled Are we in Videodrome right now? Links mentioned in this episode: https://macguffinpod.podbean.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoCrx0scCkM&t=137s This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Patrick is joined by guest host Roejen of the Project Archivist Podcast to discuss the Legend Of Polybius. The mythical mind controlling video game of the early 80’s that never existed. We talk about the strange real life truths around the legend and how it evolved. Check out Project Archvist Podcast

This week we draft the worst people in North American sports. The list includes some awful Detroit Lions, French Canadien jerks, 1980's NFL scabs, and the worst state in the union, cough cough O-H-I-O.

This week, Dennis and Patrick debate what an Alternate version of America would look like with six to eight different political parties.   There is a Brexit quiz to kick things off.   Patrick does not understand why the founders were scared of political factions.  Dennis explains why the had reservations, kinda. Both hosts discuss what eight different political factions would look like in 1930s America and in 2020 America.   This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Patrick is joined this week by guest host Cassidy of the film review podcast The McGuffin, to take a deep cultural dive into the guts of the 1999 David Fincher film Fight Club. Along the way we explore the homosexual and asexual subtext in the film. We debate if Tyler Durden is spouting general toxic MRA talking points? Is he a representative for that strain of American death cult nihilism? Or is he a warning sign of proto fascism wrapped in the cloak of anti-consumerism and rebellion? Heavy Stuff right? Well Cassidy also informs Patrick of Doomer Culture and corrects his misunderstandings of David Fincher as an artist and filmmaker.

This week Patrick is joined by guest host Kehaar, of the now concluded podcast Dissecting Worlds, to discuss the history of Capes and Tights by crafting a Mad Men style television series that spans four, maybe five seasons of comic book history.

Patrick has guest host “Professor”, Winston Conrad this week to discuss Zines. We discuss the Fan-zine and how during the 1970’s it transformed into a zine thanks to the photocopy machine becoming widely available. We also discuss how American culture is zine culture. But what the hell is a zine?

This week we discuss a version of America that gives into the “free markets” and always all public schools to become privatized. What we do is explore an alternate history of America without public schools post 1983. All our takes are good.

This week Roejen, from the Project Archivist podcast, joins Patrick to discuss the history and magic of brewing, distilling, and fermenting alcohol. Roe explains the difference in types of beer, wines, whiskeys, and bourbon. What makes a porter a porter and a stout a stout, or what the heck is mead really?

This week we play around with abolishing the senate, adding 5-25 new states to the union, and debate if the senate majority leader is the most powerful person in America. Patrick claims that the US senate is undemocratic. Dennis counters with the historical defense of the senate and how the progressive era gave us the 17th amendment. Patrick wants to just abolish the senate or at least that end the filibuster and cloture. Maybe he would solve all our legislative issues by creating a dozen new states

This week we examine five counterfactual 1980’s scenarios generated from various events branching loosely from the Reagan Administration or Era.  We are “shocked” by how much 1980’s America mirror 2010’s America.

This week Patrick is joined by guest host Michael Grasso, who is a senior editor for the online magazine We Are the Mutants to discuss his series Days of the Dolphin: Cetaceans in Cold War Science and Science Fiction

Draft format returns, with a shotgun blast of popular culture. The proposal is confused and frankly so is the execution. Bill Cosby lingers without being named heavily on this show. Patrick claims the film Taken is an Alt Right fantasy and Dennis defend’s Beverly D'Angelo's honor. Draft Rules: Must pick draft a from American popular culture from TV and film in the past five decades.

Patrick invites Cassidy, of the Jabber and Drone podcast, to co host this week and discuss the 1957 film A Face in The Crowd. We explore the films Red Scare production origins, American populism movements, and the power of the media as political and social influencer from mid century to today.

This week a deep dive into the ins and the outs of the 2000 Presidential Recount. A short history of ratfucking, hanging chads, the world of info-poltio-tainment. We then discuss alternative universes in which the 2000 election with a Gore win, no Iraq War, No ACA, a McCain 2008 win or could we see Romneycare?

This week Patrick is joined by dear friend of the show Professor Winston Conrad of from the 5 in 5 law podcast.  We delve into the mythos that surrounds World War 2 and the occult. We discuss the how fringe science super weapons, magical secret agents, and secret society super warriors have wormed their way into our collective conscience.

Patrick is alone and sick on Thanksgiving eve.  What follows is a rambling social, economic, and personal history of America's most complex federal holidays.  Enjoy some history of the Thanksgiving and the NFL, the Native occupation of Alcatraz, and FDR's political use of the calendar system.

We return after a six-month hiatus.   We have some light discussion about the three ballot measures that passed in Michigan.  Dennis takes a quiz about money conspiracies for the warm-up. For the main topic, we blather about the legacy of the 7th president Andrew Jackson.  We postulate if he even had much of an impact?  So little of an impact that if he were to die and never take office would another man fill the role of being "outsider?"

Patrick invites Cassidy Robinson of the podcast, Jabber and the Drone, to discuss how YouTube helped reignite the culture wars that lay dormant for a decade.  We run through how electoral politics have become social politics and how regulation and gate keeping can help clean up the algorithmic mess of social media and streaming services.

Dennis and Patrick delve into their Economic text books and attempt to explain the American tax system, Modern Monetary Theory, The Two Santa System, school district funding, the student loan crisis and why deficits never mattered.

Patrick invites guest hosts podcaster, Roejen, from the Project Archivist podcast and author Eric Wojciehowski to discuss UFO subcultures, intelligence agency disinformation campaigns and black budget tomfoolery.   We discuss the possibility of the United States government using UFO sightings as cover for black budget projects.  We also touch on the history of the UFO subculture and the seeding of agents within the subculture to monitor larger groups and political movements.

Dennis returns from his “deathbed” and Patrick fixed the stream to allow the podcast back onto iTunes.  We discuss Henry Ford, Detroit and Dearborn of the 1930’s, and the manner in which America could have or do fall into authoritarian rule. We look at how the Black Legion subverted democracy.  We wrap things up with musing about liberal democracy and American national identity.

Patrick is joined by guest host and fellow teacher, Jesse Kiefer from @jessekiefer the Grawlix Podcast to discuss the concepts in Ernest Cline’s book Ready Player One. We discuss the themes of pop culture overdosing, the future of education, and the inherent dangers of big tech.

Patrick is joined by guest host Hinton to have a wide-ranging conversation about the areas in which internet subculture bleed into American political culture. Gamergate Timeline of Gamergate What the Alt-Right Learned from the Left Worst of Reddit Reddit Bans ‘Incel’ Group for Inciting Violence Against Women

Alternate takes on Richard M Nixon mania takes hold when we dig down into different scenarios in which "Tricky Dick" is triumphant or king mutant of the radioactive slag pile. Could he win in 1960? What if he had been convicted on national televsion? Started a major international conflict in the Middle East?

This week we delve into three athletes that were the greatest that never became the greatest. We bring three different athletes from three different sports and wonder aloud on what their impact would be on the American landscape Len Bias How the athletes death led to shoddy drug laws and stunted a Celtics Dynasty Steve Dalkowski The baseball player that was the inspiration for Bull Durham and the Scout films Joe Don Looney The prototype for the modern NFL running back that was an uncoachable yogi guru

Patrick is joined by guest host Mike “Red Wizard” Fallek to discuss bunk, hoaxes, junk science and general groupthink in American society.  We start with PT Barnum and end with TED Talks. This one is hard to pin down we go in all over the place, there is a thesis in there someplace.   You can find Mike here Let's Start A Cult Podcast

This week alternate North Americas are discussed.  What would an America look like with a Norse Nova Scotian Empire?  How would a cold war between New France, England, and their American colonies play out in 1820?  What would America look like without a Puritan colony?

This week Patrick is joined by guest host Keith Foster from Tonight in San Diego and the podcast Jabber and the Drone to have a Twilight Zone draft. We discuss Keith’s effort to create a live improv version of the Twilight Zone, what makes Zone endure, and provide some cultural and historical context around the themes of the show. Plus we draft our favorite ten episodes and spoil them all. Links Tonight in San Diego Jabber and the Drone Simpson’s and Twilight Zone Rod Serling’s Vast Promised Land: Battling Sponsors, Debating the FCC and Fighting for Mature Television, 1959–1966

Dennis and Patrick play alternate historians with Walt Disney.   Would Walt have us all living in some retro-futuristic utopia by 2018?  Would we be living in scaled-up Singapore?  If Disney went under would we have Bugs Bunny fever for 80 years?  Would we all just be living under the fear of Mouseketeer death squads?  Four different alternate timelines are devised and debated.

Patrick goes solo to ponder a more uplifting Alternate History topic.  On Dec 25th, 1914 after seven horrific months of fighting during the first World War German and British Soldiers played soccer and exchanged gifts during a brief truce.  What if things went differently? What if Jean Jaures had not been assassinated and could have stayed a voice of dissent in France? What if the New York Times ran the story the day after the revolt?  Instead over a week later? What if leadership was slow to respond to protests at home and Op-Ed columns ran? What if Wilson took advantage of the situation and have pressured matters from America? What would happen to Alsace Lorraine? Would things change on the Eastern Front?

Enjoy some American political historical profiles along with some high-level dorkish drafting as Patrick and Dennis pick their six of the "toughest" American political figures. What follows is a strange trip through a civics textbook paired with a Dragon Ball Z meets WWE Royal Rumble end

Patrick goes solo to explain the history of The FCC,  How Tim Wu explains Net Neutrality, and why Ajit Pai is like a comic book henchmen.  There is also some Venture Brothers love heaped on at the end of the show.

This week we use the Al Franken speech at the Open Markets Institute sponsored the event as a screed against Big Tech, Bots, and monopolies.  Some debate ensues about the Fairness Doctrine and "citizen journalists".    There is more debate about how to regulate Algrurytms from Google, Facebook,  We end as always on a pessimistic note about a toothless FEC and the lust for antitrust in America.

Patrick invites guest host Cassidy Robinson from Jabber and the Drone, on the podcast to discuss the John Carpenter cult classic They Live.  We look at the film from its' original Reaganomics and consumerist critique to its evolution as a Shepard Fairey skateboarding meme.  We also take a look at the battle to save the iconography and thesis of the film from being co-opted by Neo-Nazi groups online.  And wrap things up with discussing John Carpenter the Auteur Links mentioned in this episode: https://jabberandthedrone.podbean.com/ https://almosteducational.com/

This week we discuss how the president can is able to launch nuclear weapons, codes, bombers, footballs included.  How the heck did we get the 25th amendment and more importantly how does it really work?  Should we really trust the “generals” and what the hell happens when Trump tries to fire Robert Mueller?  

Patrick invites oldest and best friend of the show Professor Winston Conrad of the Red Lodge podcast to discuss all things lycanthropy. What do werewolves have in connection with the witch trials? Why no chick werewolves? How awesome is the Howling? Winston Conrad's Website

We play L. Ron Hubbard and take anchor text of literature from our classroom and turn it into a doctrine for a new religion. Patrick uses John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men melds Pre Vatican II Catholicism and Marxism to create a small animal worshipping and atonement cult. Dennis takes his favorite work The Great Gatsby and constructs a Neo Midwestern Protestantism that rejects avarice and values confessional secret keeping?.

Patrick invites author, history professor, and podcaster, Aaron Gulyas on the show to discuss his book Conspiracy Theories: The Roots, Themes, and Propagation of Paranoid Political and Cultural Narratives Conspiracy Theories: The Roots, Themes, and Propagation of Paranoid Political and Cultural Narratives The Saucer Life Podcast

Dennis and Patrick ponder how modern American succession of states and cities work?How would it work in a federal republic?  Would Vermont become a free state?  Would we three Californias?  An Independent Texas?  A northern and southern New York State?  The Upper Peninsula freehold of "Superior" or even the mighty city-state of  Las Vegas?

Dennis and Patrick look at three different points of divergence and look at the political, social, and economic fallout if things changed very slightly on the hardwood, boxing ring, and baseball diamond. Scenarios 1:  Joe Louis Loses Rematch Bad Boys Redeemed  No MLB baseball strike in 1994

Patrick sneaks out a special show with long time friend of the show and guest Mike Fallek from the Let's Start a Cult Podcast.  Mike is on the show to promote Sound Byte an app designed for podcasters and to throw down a challenge to Dennis for a future show topic that will fundamentally change the rules of baseball.   Links mentioned in this episode: DOWNLOAD SOUNDBYTE! https://www.soundbyteapp.com/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Return engagement to 1914 and create some wilder, wackier, and more improbable World War One scenarios.  Britain never enters the war, Germany takes Middle East Oil, and the Second Mexican American War.   The Alternate Historian Jabber and the Drone

Dennis and Patrick read emails from listeners.  Topics range from Kid Rock 2020, complaining about Bernie and Hillary, Alternative History of Huey Long and Knife Fights.  O and we even talk NCAA realignment.   Here's leaked audio of Warren Mayor Jim Fouts allegedly saying n-word, c-word Long before Trump: The Unsettling Popularity of Huey Long Who Would Win An American Presidential Knife Fight? (HBO)

This week Dennis and Patrick explore how they teach 1984. Is it a true literary work of fiction or is it a science fiction masking a philosophical treatise? How well does French existentialism marry with Orwellian thought? How does one teach 1984 under the era of Trumpism? Links mentioned in this episode: almosteducational.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Patrick goes solo for a deep dive into the ultra rich, ultra creepy and kinda Bond Villainesque....Robert Mercer.  The guy that owns Breitbart, pushed Brexit and funded the Trump presidency.

This week, Patrick and Dennis cover a radical change the NCAA football conferences, create a workable playoff system, and eliminate amateur college football saving higher education tens of billions, all in under 90 minutes. Topics discussed: Emails 0:00 Quiz 7:30 Shouting about football 11:45 Shouting about baseball 51:00 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week, Patrick and Dennis play a tabletop game all about America’s whacky and wild current constitutional crisis. Links mentioned in this episode: http://www.trumptwitterarchive.com/ https://projectarchivist.podbean.com/ https://the4thlinepodcast.com/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm