Over the Counter Podcast

Mark and Andrew reunite in Colorado after months of separation and launch into a deep discussion of the stories we tell that make up our lives. In a nod back to Episode #2, they explore the narrativity of experience, the loss of story that can become a loss of identity, the problems with mobility and the lack of solid storytelling in contemporary family life. They talk about the value of journaling, letter-writing and keeping up on local news as well as the cultural import of local song-writing and story-making. Bedouins, autobiography and long-term frienships also make an appearance.

After a long hiatus, Mark and Andrew sit down to interview Billy Kangas, entrepreneur, master barista, liturgist and so much more. This episode was originally recorded as an "Over the Counter" takeover of Andrew's daily Counterposition show. The discussion covers Billy's community-based coffeehouse project called Cultivate, Billy's biography, his vision for re-engineering business for the sake of others, the cappucino as reflective of the Trinity, beer and Fr. Avery Dulles, emulsion, foam, and ancient Christian funerary practices. Billy's links: Cultivate: http://www.cultivateypsi.com/ Blog: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/billykangas/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/How-First-Christians-Changed-Dying-ebook/dp/B009ZNMGKU Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillyKangas?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Music credit: Josh Woodward, "Go" from The Simple Life, Creative Commons License http://freemusicarchive.org/music/josh_woodward/

Mark and Andrew fly blind, taking an astounding series of spontaneous turns through digital community, analog Lent, Peyton Manning, the mystique of Apple, the social engineering of big Internet companies, government spying on us, their first Internet experiences, a paper world, and the public square

Mark and Andrew talk over what role sports really play in the lives of spectators. Baseball, football, and other sports impact the lives of those who watch, not only those who play. Andrew tells about his encounter with sports greatness. Mark relates what it is like to attend a game at Michigan stadium. They get into the ceremony, pageantry, and dogma of sporting events.

Mark and Andrew look back on what has happened for the past few months. Thdy discuss Andrew's new daily show, the Counter Position, his apostolate, Calix,  Andrew's famous customers, Mark's new YouTube channel - "Bible Broccoli,"  local culture vs. mass culture,  newspapers, how Google affects elections, Facebook's trending topics, Internet advertising, attention span, Steve Jobs, aliens, clickbait, Andrew's coffee shop consulting projects, movie night, Mark's new book, and wine shopping.Andrew's Daily Show: http://thecounterposition.com/ Andrew's Apostolate: http://www.missionsofhope.org/calix/Mark's Book: http://www.amazon.com/Light-Dark-Passages-Scripture-Giszczak/dp/1612788033Mark's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB39Tmz3WiZbIkNK1QxvSRw

Mark and Andrew dialogue about the nature of nature. What is nature? How do we relate to it? How has our relationship to nature changed since the dawn of the Industrial Age? What are the moral implications of modifying nature through technology? What does mastery over self and mastery over nature really mean?photo credit: pen waggener

"If I was strapped to a bull, I'd be a Christian too." -Jeff CavinsMark and Andrew interview Jeff Cavins, who is well-known in the Catholic world for his Great Adventure Bible Timeline, his books, his pilgrimages and his work in  Catholic media. But, of course, in classic Over the Counter style, the interview focuses on Jeff's other interests: tea, bull-riding, Harley Davidsons, Macintosh geekdom, Jeff's early participation in the Internet, HyperCard, UFC, and the perfect cup of coffee. You can find Jeff's stuff at jeffcavins.com

Mark and Andrew talk about how violence has been ritualized by various cultures in many forms. They cover execution, human sacrifice, ISIS, bar fights, boxing, sacrifice, fight or flight response, Andrew's roasted Brussels sprouts with bourbon maple Sriracha sauce, samurai, seppuku, personal appearance, football, military uniforms, Mel Gibson, survival, robot armies, jetpacks, nuclear war, sports, CrossFit, hunting, and duelling.

Mark and Andrew talk about visualization, Andrew's narcissism, athletic visualization exercises, momentary vs. on-going performance, weight loss, process vs. outcome, muscle growth, rehabilitation, the Odd Couple, ADD, coaching, affirmation, negative and positive reinforcement, the reptilian brain, Rick Hanson's "Hardwiring Happiness",  light bulbs, sugar, and electromagnetic waves.

Mark and Andrew talk about MMJ, prescription meds, Andrew's health history, humanity's future needs, nuclear weapons, atomic stalemate, robot armies, George Gilder, the pony express, email, long distance calling, the Internet's destabilizing force, the NSA, archiving information for the future, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Russia's DNA archive, the commodification of computers, leap-frogging old tech, Third World Internet use, the Taj Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai, Google Earth, sugar, circadian rhythms, artificial adaptations to an artificial world, new forms of social engagement, Facebook, personal brand, Marshall McLuhan, being famous, new modes of governance, color-changing light, and earthing.

Mark and Andrew talk with Dr. Pia de Solenni, Associate Dean of the Augustine Institute in Orange County, CA. They talk about Dr. de Solenni's education and background, her time in Rome, her past policy work, Thomas Aquinas College, feral cats, the interrelation of science and philosophy, books and the Internet.

Mark and Andrew talk about augmented reality, Google Goggles, Amazon Firefly, Photoshopping photos, 3D scanning, plastic surgery, Spanx, the idealization of the human body in ancient art, propaganda, Vladimir Putin, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, our desire to be duped, altering videos, rewriting history, editing the Internet, the Bilderberg Group, NSA cell phone tracking, fact vs. fiction, typewriters, Amazon's Echo device, tricoders, jetpacks, hover boards, Barbie, icons, models, obesity, and media consumption.Photo credit: Zdenek Kratochvil

Mark and Andrew talk about sleep, biphasic sleep, polyphasic sleep, sleep experiments, napping, petroleum-flavored wine, light pollution, NyQuil, whether 8 hours of sleep is necessary, sleep cycles, the difference between Paleolithic and modern sleep, night lights, and Vitamin D intake.

Mark and Andrew talk about hylomorphism, skeletons, ghosts, cloning, organ donation, artificial intelligence, carillons, Frankenstein, bananas, 3D printing of food, automaticity and much more.

Mark and Andrew talk about the looming fear of lawsuits and how our overly-litigious culture affects all of us. They hope to emerge from the dark cloud of over-reach which finds litigation micro-managing the details of life.

Mark and Andrew discuss matters of taste, commodification, the value of beauty, and craftsmanship. What does it mean to have good taste? What is the difference between "McMansions" and domestic architecture built by artisans? Picture credit: Sensonet

Mark and Andrew argue over whether you should follow your passion or not, what "passion" really means and how the hard work of skill development fits in to the equation of success. The discussion is prompted in part by Cal Newport's book, So Good They Can't Ignore You.

Mark and Andrew talk about addictions and their effect on the brain. From drugs to video games, addictions modify the biochemistry of the human brain. But are some addictions helpful? What about "flow"?

Mark and Andrew talk about why we often want to get away from it all, go to the outdoors and chop some wood.

Mark and Andrew swap stories about their favorite new innovations, technologies, gadgets and ideas. Engineers produce some pretty cool stuff these days and it's worth taking a little time to just appreciate it all.