Epic Meta Podcast

In this episode, Thang and George agree to end the Epic Meta Podcast. Creative tensions have been brewing under the surface regarding questions explored in previous episodes. Indeed, the very first episode asked the question, "What is this show?" A Later episode asked the question, "Who is our target audience?" It seems that these questions were never adequately answered and this drove a creative wedge between Thang and George explored in this final episode.

Thang and George release a filler episode where they discuss "The Expanse" season 2, episodes 1-4. Thang doesn't seem all that prepared for this episode and George seems somewhat disinterested in the subject matter. If you are looking for an episode of the Epic Meta Podcast to skip this should be among your top choices. Or perhaps there are some hidden gems in the mix. #thanghasnosoul

Merry Christmas to the listeners of the Epic Meta Podcast. In this episode Thang and George discuss Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol". Listen for that moment when George tells Thang to stop saying "yeah."

In this episode we interview fellow podcaster and Toastmaster, Scott Markowitz who has had an extensive career in the film and television industry. Scott encouraged us to manifest our ideas about creating a podcast into reality. In this episode Scott shares his philosophy of podcasting as a vehicle of self-exploration and his thoughts on the Epic Meta Podcast itself.Thank you Scott!!You can find more about Scott here: https://highperformanceplay.com/https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-video-crush-with-scott-markowitz

The tension is rising, both in the final 4 episodes of "The Expanse" season 1 and between Thang and George. In this episode of EMP, hear Thang talk to George about the concept of binge watching as if he believes this to be a foreign concept to George. Thang and George also explore how the loose ends of season 1 of "The Expanse" become somewhat tied up in the final four episodes, how Thang feels George is overlooking important plot points while George feels he must clean up the mess Thang has made rhetorically, in describing these plot points.

If you are a fan of that feeling I imagine a teacher gets when trying to impart knowledge to a class of kids who don't give a damn, then you've come to the right place. In this episode hear Thang explain why he does not trust Tolstoy to spin his yarn because "it's like Game of Thrones with out dragons or blood or magic." If that's insufficient reference to Game of Thrones for your tastes, fear not gentle listener. Also, as an added bonus you will hear George struggle with the name Anna Mikhailovna several times.P.S. Catch 22 sucks.Audible Book Referenced: https://adbl.co/328YQsYPlaylist Link: https://bit.ly/3fll688

Thang and George discuss episodes 4-6 of season 1 of Sci Fi television show "The Expanse". Hear them talk past each other on topics such as, (1) why the people of the Belt would destroy a Martian ship in order to receive independence from Earth, (2) why the flash back scenes are hard to identify as flash backs and (3) generally what is going on in the story. Enjoy!

Thang and George begin their journey through Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace." This episode covers chapters 1-20 in the audiobook version referenced below in which the setting of the novel and the main characters are introduced. Thang is very resistant, claiming the material is boring, inaccessible and reminds him (for some reason) of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". But George encourages him to have faith that the master novelist will ultimately provide a meaningful and satisfying experience.Audible Book Referenced: https://adbl.co/328YQsY

Thang and George discussed Season 1. Episodes 1 - 3 of the TV show "The Expanse" as well as other related topics like #BattlestarGalatica, #MacGyver, #theAteam, #stargateSG1, and #MythBusters. Thang laughs inappropriately throughout.

Thang interviews George to the delight of EpicMetaPodcast fans, humanity and all of creation.Loyola University, New Orleans - College of Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyola_University_New_Orleans_College_of_Law

George interviews Thang to the delight of EpicMetaPodcast fans, humanity and all of creation.Correction - 33:54 - Thang joined the army after college

Thang and George try to answer the question, "Who is their target audience?" The answer seems to be George and hopefully people similar to George.YouTube video regarding "Target Audience": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obRIcC3hVE0&feature=youtu.be

In this heated episode, we discuss the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn". George liked it. Thang inexplicably did not and thought the remake "Star Trek: Into Darkness" was better. You decide.Referenced in Podcast:Star Trek II: The Wrath of KahnStar Trek Into DarknessSpace SeedFantasy Island

Thang and George discuss the Matrix trilogy.

We discuss "Man's Search for Meaning" by Nazi prison camp survivor Dr. Viktor Frankl and explore what gives life meaning and what is the meaning of meaning itself.Referenced in the Podcast:Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor FranklLogotherapySchindler's List Universal Basic IncomeThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Mark MansonWho Moved My Cheese?, Dr. Spencer Johnson

We discuss the movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg 1977) and Arrival (Denis Villenevue 2016). Specifically explored are the repeating themes of dysfunctional / non-intact families, longing for the transcendent and government intervention as they relate to contact with extra-terrestrial aliens.Referenced in Podcast:Close Encounters of the Third KindArrival, Contact, Pinocchio,Abbot and Costello: Not Referenced in Podcast but Relevant:Artificial Intelligence Podcast - Conversation between Lex Fridman and Sara Seager about exo-planets and the search for extra-terrestrial life

We continue the discussion of George Orwell's masterpiece, 1984 focusing more on the narrative itself, the concept of Doublethink, the Mutability of the Past and how the story fits (or doesn't fit) the Hero's Journey model.Referenced in the Podcast:Equilibrium (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equilibrium_(film)Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning

Thang and George talk about George Orwell's perfect dystopian novel, 1984. In this first part we focus mostly on the world in which Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story lives.Referenced in Podcast:1984, George Orwell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-FourV for Vendetta: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta_(film)Minority Report: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Report_(film)Animal Farm, George Orwell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm

Thang and George take a look back on the experience thus far. We ask what worked and what did not in the areas of tech and content. We discuss our favorite (and least favorite) moments. And we revisit the question, "what is this show about?" with limited success.Referenced in Podcast:Lex Fridman, Artificial Intelligence Podcast: https://lexfridman.com/ai/Joe Rogan Experience: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQUP1qoWDoEbmsQxvdjxgQOutline:00:00 - Introduction04:15 - Improvements & Mistakes26:40 - Podcast Platforms33:00 - What we learn about each other48:00 - Episode Reviews1:05:26 - What is this show about?1:13:38 - Future Plans/Ideas

Thang and George talk about the Terry Zwigoff documentary "Crumb" about the life and times of underground comic artist Robert Crumb. Unfortunately, Thang watched some other documentary about Crumb (also by Terry Zwigoff) about Robert Crumb he found on YouTube. Despite this issue, they were able to cobble together an interesting podcast. Referenced on the Podcast: Crumb (George watched): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumb_(film) Confessions of Robert Crumb (Thang watched): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5ctDOXeEM&t=148s The Book of Genesis Illustrated by Robert Crumb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Genesis_(comics) Jordan Peterson on Crumb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5l_fcZwQ4 Movies: Fight Club: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club WALL - E: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WALL-E Akira: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(1988_film) The Machinist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinist Requiem for a Dream: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_for_a_Dream Schindler's List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schindler%27s_List American Movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Movie Slacker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacker_(film)

Thang and George discuss the book "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner and the subjects of incentives, drug gangs, crime, abortion and the Ku Klux Klan. Referenced in Podcast: Freakonomics (book) by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freakonomics

Thang and George discuss the concept of Free Will specifically as it relates to the book "Free Will" written by Sam Harris. Referenced in the Podcast: "Free Will" by Sam Harris: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Will_(book)Jordan Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV-fpofN6LY "A History of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Western_Philosophy Ultra Right Wing Blog "Orthosphere": https://orthosphere.wordpress.com/

Thang and George discuss self-help / personal development books they have read, what they found to be meaningful and points of similarity. Referenced in Podcast: Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People How to Win Friends & Influence People Think & Grow Rich Ronda Byrne | The Secret Jordan Peterson | 12 Rules of LifeMark Manson | The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck Carol Dweck | MindsetAngela Duckworth | Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Daniel Kahneman | Thinking Fast & Slow = Psychology John Bradshaw | Healing_the_Shame_that_Binds_You Pete Walker | Complex PTSD Shawn Achor | The Happiness Advantage= Business Michael Gerber | The E-Myth Chriss Voss | Never Split the Difference Robert Kiyosaki | Rich Dad Poor Dad

Thang and George discuss the podcasts they listen to, the conditions under which they listen and why they listen to them in particular. Referenced in the podcast: Thang's Podcasts: Freakanomics: https://freakonomics.com/archive/ Hidden Brain: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain Farnarm Street: https://fs.blog/ George's Podcasts: History: History of Rome: https://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/the_history_of_rome/ History of Byzantium: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ The Civil War: https://civilwarpodcast.org/ Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: https://www.dancarlin.com/ News: NPR Politics: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510310/npr-politics-podcast FiveThirtyEight: https://fivethirtyeight.com/tag/politics-podcast/ This Week with George Stephanopoulos: https://abcaudio.com/podcasts/this-week/ Other: Joe Rogan: http://podcasts.joerogan.net/ Artificial Intelligence Podcast: https://lexfridman.com/ai/ The Portal: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-portal/id1469999563 Jordan Peterson: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/ Actualized.Org: http://actualized.org/ Podcasts George No Longer Listens To: Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast: https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/ Making Sense Podcast: https://samharris.org/podcast/

In this episode Thang and George discuss their respective experiences in Toastmasters. They describe facing their fear of public speaking and taking on leadership positions and how these were positive self-development experiences.

(After a segment on the George Floyd protests) Thang and George discuss the elements of the Hero's Journey, specifically as they relate to the movies The Matrix, Star Wars and Rocky. Joseph Campbell - The Hero With a Thousand Faces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces Christopher Vogler - The Writer's Journey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Writer%27s_Journey:_Mythic_Structure_for_Writers

Thang and George discuss the nine Star Wars movies. What made the originals great? What made the prequel and sequel trilogies disappointing? How does a fan and a non-fan view this universe of stories and characters? Referenced in podcast: Redlettermedia Review of The Phantom Menace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI&list=PL5919C8DE6F720A2D

Thang and George explore what this podcast will be about. In particular we discuss the definition and correct pronunciation of the word "meta" and touch on other subjects including political correctness, science fiction, time travel, free will, the self, consciousness, Roman Catholicism, healthcare, COVID-19, the national debt, UBI, capitalism and socialism. Thang makes first mention of the fact that he saw The Lion King when he first arrived in the USA from Vietnam cira 1993. Referenced in the podcast: Red Mars Trilogy - https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilo... The Expanse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exp...) Arrival - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival...) The Man Who Folded Himself -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... Predestination - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predest...) The idea that consciousness as the basis of reality comes from Actualized.org Starship Troopers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starshi...)