I'm No Expert

Have you ordered your Apple Vision Pro yet? In this episode Jason and Ben explore this recent entry into the "mixed reality" space, from the fit and features to the viral videos circulating of early adopters upending the normal. Maker Minute: Independent VR Goggle Makers (you know who you are).  

In this episode Jason & Ben examine a viral YT video about the alarming state of big brands in America, what it means to "Buy American", and some of the easy ways YOU can be supporting the economy...wherever you live. Video Referenced: "A Very Troubling Trend Within the Outdoor Community"  

The dreaded midlife crisis. Except, why is it dreaded? In this episode Ben & Jason explore society's (mis)perception of the middle ages, from the questionable "signs" one is having a midlife crisis to the overwhelmingly negative bent given to this strange phenomenon. Maker Minute: Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers AND the Mazda Miata

Part movie review, part paean to the original. Jason and Ben take on everyone's favorite 2022 summer blockbuster. Was it realistic, was it well-acted, does it matter? If you were (or weren't) a fan, you'll enjoy this hot take. Maker Minute: Tom Cruise (oh yes we did).

Jason and Ben breakdown the grilling utensil Jason swears by, which can replace your tongs, spatula, and fork AND elevate your status all at once. It might be end of summer, but a true pit boss cooks over fire 12 months of the year. Maker Minute: Jaccard Pigtail Food Flipper

Jason and Ben tackle the existential and touch on economics, morality, fairness, and Jeff Bezos' super yacht. We tried to get Bernie Sanders as a guest but the WiFi on his private jet was down. Maker Minute: Warren Buffett

Jason is no stranger to having his products ripped off. But this latest incident is extra. The brazenness, the gall, the cheek of the people behind the Kappa counterfeiting operation is next level. Maker Minute: All Makers (especially those who have had their sh*t ripped off).

Jason and Ben explore the burgeoning science of and exploration into immortality – how close are we and who are the figures/companies pursuing it? Also, should we? Also, favorite vampire movie? Maker Minute: David Sinclair

You have super powers, and this episode will teach you how to access them. Jason and Ben talk epigenetics, the placebo effect, the brain wave state you can access to unlock super powers, and more. Maker Minute: Bruce Lipton

He might not be an expert, but Jason is clearly accruing experience in this field. 

Robbed trains? 90-week lead times? A White House Task Force? What is happening with the supply chain – and what can we expect in 2022 and beyond? Your resident non-experts weigh in. Maker Minute: USPS Workers

It's that time of the year when Jason reviews his highly organized system of post it note ideas and picks which ones we can expect to see realized in the coming twelve months. It's a doozy of a list: Foursevens MX3, a new LED, more tritium products and a bunch of rad 3D-printed goodies.

There was only one way to go after the NFT episode. Jason and Ben swallow the blue pill and enter the Matr– I mean Metaverse and examine the promises of its virtual glory. The good, the bad, the unknown. It's not coming. It's here. Are you ready? Maker Minute: Ready Player One

In an I'm No Expert first Jason and Ben bring on a guest to bring the two hosts up to speed on the fast-moving world of NFTs. Alex may not be an expert, but his passion runs deep. We talk nuts and bolts, artists to keep an eye on, and we absolutely 100% do NOT give financial advice. Maker Minute: Dmitri Cherniak

Quitters never win? Think again. Sometimes they live to fight another day...and win THAT fight. Or something like that. Turns out there's some science behind the art of quitting. So stop banging your head against the wall. Walk away and find another one. Maker Minute: David Blaine

Did the M 16 lose the Vietnam War for the United States? That's a bold claim and obviously an inaccurate one. BUT, there is an interesting story about the M 16 as it pertains to its reliability (or notorious lack thereof) that we dive into. A little war history, a little product design, a lot of non-expert discussion of a topic brought to mind on the heels of our withdrawal from Afghanistan. Maker Minute: Mikhail Kalashnikov Honorable Mention: Kenmore Progressive Vacuum Cleaner

Inspired by a recent Jocko Willink video post, Jason and Ben discuss the qualities of a good leader, their own leadership experience, and how different leadership styles can impact results. Fun AND serious. Kind of. Maker Minute: Jocko Willink

A follow up to the "Don't Knock it Til You Try It" episode in which Jason and Ben happily list and explore the things they would NOT do, from hard drugs and hard climbs to fermented teas and pig's anus. Maker Minute: The Last Traverse by Ty Gagne

Oh no, they're coming for our burgers! What's with the attack on meat? Should we be eating crickets instead? Or that lab-grown stuff? Or should we stick to the diet that served us well for millions of years? So many questions. All the answers. Maker Minute: Paul Saladino (CarnivoreMD)

In the spirit of Green Eggs & Ham, Jason & Ben extol the value of first hand experience, using that lens through which to view gun legislation (among other things). Come with an open mind. Maker Minute: Mike Rowe (again)

Grab your wands and spellbooks. Jason and Ben are channeling their inner Gandalf and banishing the demons of the ancient world. For reals though. Magick exists. It's wildly accessible, and can change your life. Ready to learn more? Maker Minute: Damien Echols Bonus: The Midnight Gospel Episode 3

Inspired by a recent crash of a SpaceX rocket, Jason and Ben throw on their Last Starfighter T-shirts and exit the atmosphere. Mars colony, (fake) moon landings, the challenges of a generation ship. It's final frontier time for your favorite non-experts. Maker Minute: Everyday Astronaut The Last Starfighter

Crystal ball time. What does the future hold for fans of Prometheus Lights and Foursevens? What new products does Jason have in store for us in 2021? It's a tell-all episode. Or whatever-Jason-feels-like-telling-us episode. Not the same thing, but close.

David v Goliath. This is not Occupy Wall Street 2.0. This is something different...and the industries/establishment/platforms are reacting in a way that suggests something big is happening. Your resident experts weigh in to solve all the problems. Disclaimer: We are not financial advisors. None of what you hear in this show should be construed as financial advice. We are not experts. Maker Minute: Wallstreetbets

Jason stayed up too late playing VR games so we talked about that, which beats RL (real life), ie the storming of the Capitol, which we also touched on. A fun ramble and great kick off to 2021. Maker Minute: Brandon Laatsch

Not a glorification. More like an acknowledgement that more of us are doing more drinking, both of us have some funny drinking-related stories to share, and one of the most memorable lines from the film masterpiece that is "Friday" was delivered by a man who sadly has recently departed. You don't have to drink while listening, but it'd be a lot cooler if you did. Maker Minute: Tommy Lister Jr. aka Deebo

Twas the night after COVID / and all through the town / not a human was stirring / because of lockdown. Find joy during a pandemic? You bet your butts we will (try). Pour some eggnog, plug in the lights, set the Netflix fireplace channel to "no music." Maker Minute: Gavin Newsom

Time for a routine check up. Pulse reading. State of the state. Jason and Ben talk politics, ignorance and fear, COVID, and Jason's upcoming trip to a supervolcano a few hundred (or thousand) years overdue for an eruption. 2020 seems the year to take such a trip, no? Maker Minute: Pompeii by Robert Harris

This is you, standing in front of one. The play button is the key. Will you use it and find out what's beyond? Maker Minute: Southord The Story of Jose

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them." - Bruce Lee. Being a small business owner ain't easy. Add a pandemic, a disrupted global supply chain, and a social upheaval and you'd forgive a person if they overlooked a detail here or there. But one that costs over $100K? This one has to be heard to be believed.

Jason and Ben return to the microphones to discuss the state of the state, re-opening after COVID closures, how the world has and will changed, silver linings, and what happens when a NASA engineer tackles a squirrel problem. Maker Minute: Mark Rober

What does Jason have cooking out west in his mad lab? It's pull-back-the-curtain time as he gives us a sneak peek at a few new products he hopes to launch in 2020, like the Beta Magnetic, a Titanium Preon, the MX3 and what's this? A Foursevens ALPHA? Coronavirus be damned. The show goes on.

You didn't think it could get any weirder? Jason and Ben go deep down the rabbit holes of the Coronavirus (spoiler alert: it's intentional), 5G (spoiler alert: it's tied to the Coronavirus), Jeffrey Epstein (spoiler alert: he didn't kill himself) and the Reptilian Elite. (Won't spoil that one). Enjoy the ride.

Tinfoil hat time! Jason and Ben dive into some of their all-time favorite conspiracy theories, from directed energy weapons and weather control to alien technology and military bio weapons tests gone horribly wrong. Isn't the internet amazing? Maker Minute: Bitten (We called an audible on the Maker Minute after recording. You'll understand when you listen to the podcast.)

Or is it? Are the victors always the good guys? Why is Disney pushing a genocide agenda? Jason and Ben take a walk on the dark side as they dissect this famous phrase in the context of the latest Star Wars installment plus other notable conflicts and conquests of both distant and recent past. Hold onto your light savers. Maker minute: George Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic. Notes: How Star Wars Was Saved in the Edit

Mental health check in time. For you, for us, for all of society. Jason and Ben explore the merits of happy lights, Vitamin D, sun gazing (it's real, look into it) and having a tribe. Also, we love you and we're here for you. Maker Minute: Mr. Sun

Modders gonna mod. Ton of fun in this episode as Jason and Ben dive into some of Jason's philosophy on flashlight modifications, his favorites, his no-gos, radioactive mods, and the boys give a shout out to an old-skool modder lurking in the CPF.  Maker Minute: Saabluster

You can't avoid it, so you might as well embrace it. Jason and Ben talk traditions, tree cutting, Starbucks cup controversy and more. Get yourself into the spirit and don't forget that 15% off Holiday sale Jason's running over at www.darksucks.com. Discount code HOLIDAYME15 gets you savings on a bunch of great gift options. Maker Minute: All of Amazon's seasonal workers.

Alternate title: Dogs vs Cats. Alternate alternate title: Dog People vs Cat People. It's all of that and more. Hear tales of dogs throwing owners under the bus, magic cats who form uncanny psychic links with their owners, a dog that can detect blood sugar levels. Love em, hate em, can't live without em? Doesn't matter: they are hear to stay. Maker Minute: Elle & Coach

We're baaaaack. Kicking off Season 2 with product recommendation on a pair of wiper blades that Jason swears by. Change your life. Maybe save your life. Bonus feature: they'll wipe away all those tears you've been crying since INE went on break. Winter is coming. With it comes rain and snow. Maker Minute: PIAA

Jason rocked the LED flashlight world a year and a half ago when he announced the acquisition of the Foursevens brand. Since then he's released updated versions of the Preon and Mini flashlights, and now he's finally launched the newest version of the Foursevens flagship flashlight: the Quark MKIII. We get into all the details about the new light and the process of iterating a legendary product. See the new Quark MKIII  Maker Minute: Kickstarter

Death and taxes, right? Jason and Ben talk strategies to increase life expectancy AND improve the quality of those extra years, the biggest killers you can avoid, and immortal jellyfish. Ready to face the unknown? Maker Minute: Cixin Liu

Jason grew up in Montana where lifetime hunting licenses are issued at birth (jk) and Ben lives in Vermont where half the bars are Hunters Only (also jk). They go full choke at first kills, breaking down hunting types, and why everyone should know their way around a firearm. Maker Minute: Adam Greentree

More than 50% of Americans (including Jason & Ben) either work for or own a small business. So everybody: how's it going for you? The future of our country's economy depends on you listening to this episode. Don't let us down. Maker Minute: (just you wait and see).

Where would we be without it? There'd be no podcast, for starters. No Prometheus Lights? Is there any great achievement in life that wasn't powered by coffee? No surprise here: Jason took a scientific approach to determine the perfect brew, which he shares in this episode. It's an exploration in grind fineness, time in contact, filter properties, and, of course, personal taste. We also briefly investigate a Department of Defense initiative aimed at discovering the optimal amount of coffee to drink – and when to drink it. K-cups and dead turtles? Oh yeah, we go there. Maker Minute: Mokhtar Alkhanshali

With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world. – Dalai Lama And yet who among us hasn't suffered a crisis of confidence at some point in their lives? In this episode Jason & Ben explore self esteem & self confidence – how to define them, ways to manufacture the latter, and real-world examples that can inspire you to find yours. Maker Minute: The Dawn Wall

Jason took a few driving courses so that basically makes him an expert. Both Ben and Jason recount their brushes with death behind the wheel, and Jason issues a sobering PSA to all you listeners who think "I can probably get another season out of these tires." Maker Minute: Corey Hosford

Jason knows too well the negative impact knock offs can have on a small business. Unfortunately the small guy has little recourse when up against a big company or a manufacturer in China. We dive into one of the more famous examples of a knock off – the Emeco Navy Chair, explore some of Jason's experience with Prometheus Lights and Beta knock offs, and offer a few ways (both practical and impractical) to fight back. Maker Minute: The Emeco Navy Chair

From the good ole days of smoking sections and free meals to the modern day cattle cars with wings – this one's got it all. But we'll have to charge extra for most of it. Tips to minimize travel stress, must-have travel carries, plus a billion dollar flight-related app idea that one lucky listener will surely rush off to develop.

If you are, are going to be, never will be, or might be (you know who you are) a parent, this is the Last Parenting Podcast Episode You'll Ever Need. An optimist and a pessimist distill their combined decade+ experiences as parents into a de facto guidebook for the modern mom & dad. Also, Nature Wins. Also, stop judging other parents.  Also, cut yourself some slack. Maker Minute: [You'll have to listen to this one to find out.]

Also called stress tests, torture tests have provided EDC enthusiasts (and makers) thousands of hours of fun (and just as many tears) dropping, smashing, and submerging all in the name of science. And cred. And YouTube views. In this episode Jason and Ben explore the many ways a person can torture test a product, and Jason recounts some of the creative ways he has stress tested Prometheus products, including the infamous 2011 CandlePower Forums Alpha Drop Test gathering. Maker Minute: Elzetta Tactical Flashlights