Podcasts about animated movies

We're back! Joining us after our one week hiatus is returning champion, the one, the only... Griffin Newman! We have so much to talk about this week, including: raccoon dogs, Isao Takahata's hatred of modernity, the history of “serious” animation, Operation Goblin, Star Wars(?), Mr. Belvedere(??), Dave Matthews Band(????), and also How To “Ball Up” a Pipeline! Next week it's our first non-Miyazaki/Takahata Ghibli entry, WHISPER OF THE HEART (1995) directed by Yoshifumi Kondō. Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Blu-Ray Booklet Studio Ghibli: The Complete Works 2nd Edition Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Rayna Denison Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert TCM Pom Poko Production History Pom Poko Influences Hoppers Band Inspiration Toshio Suzuki Incorrectly Anticipates Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week's video is the sixth part in Nate's ongoing series, How to Think About the Future. Today, Nate turns from describing possible futures to exploring how we can make decisions when certainty is impossible. He introduces a framework for planning under uncertainty by distinguishing between two common mistakes – failing to respond to real risks, and taking decisive action based on incomplete understanding. Touching on examples like soil health, social trust, and children's developmental windows, Nate also advocates that the most important compass for navigating the future is learning to distinguish between what can be rebuilt and what cannot. Overall, this episode examines how thoughtful planning requires balancing action with humility, while avoiding solutions that unintentionally deepen the problems they seek to solve. Nate explores the value of "robust actions" that create benefits across many possible futures, while also reflecting on the role of personal calling alongside practical resilience. He ends with a call for listeners to act where their agency is most visible – rather than seeking certainty about what lies ahead, Nate offers a way of seeing the world that helps us remain grounded as the landscape around us continues to change. What deserves our greatest protection, if some losses can be recovered while others cannot? Why is it important to be aware of the cognitive errors we might be making when evaluating the bigger picture? And how can we make meaningful decisions when the future is uncertain and every choice involves tradeoffs? (Recorded July 5th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Marcus' What You Know 'Bout That trivia game for Friday July 17th, 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight's Episode Is My Podcast Series BrandonJaneauShow:Life And Times With Movies And On This Episode I'm Doing Another Top 10 List This Time My Top 10 Animated Movies

Roughly a fifth of the world's oil and more than a tenth of all global trade has been navigating a literal minefield, a wary insurance industry, and whipsawing geopolitics since late February of this year. But looking beyond the Strait of Hormuz closure itself, the same pattern threatens every critical chokepoint: passages open to all shipping for the past 80 years are becoming strategic assets within a geopolitical power struggle. If we continue this trend, what does a more fragmented, higher-cost, higher-risk maritime system mean for the norms and safety of the shipping industry, and what are the ripple effects for global trade?  In this episode, Nate is joined by maritime historian and former merchant mariner, Sal Mercogliano, to break down what the ongoing events in the Strait of Hormuz reveal about the state of global shipping and trade. Sal traces how the rise of unregistered "dark fleet" tankers and increasing risk – and subsequent cost – of maritime trade are reshaping the safety and stability of shipping across the globe. He also walks through who actually "owns" the Strait of Hormuz, the improvised insurance and security arrangements now propping up tanker traffic, and the human toll on the roughly 20,000 mariners who have been stranded, attacked, or killed since the crisis began. Ultimately, Sal examines how the 80-year-old norm of 'freedom of the seas' is being tested by this standoff, exposing the fragile foundation of our hyper-complex, just-in-time shipping system.  Why does the volume and velocity of modern trade make a conflict like the one in the Strait of Hormuz so much more consequential than at any other time in history? Is "might makes right" becoming the central pillar governing the world's oceans, and if so, what does that mean for the cost of everything that arrives by ship? And what does this conflict reveal about the stability of our highly interdependent system as global powers continue to fracture and isolate? (Conversation recorded on June 29th, 2026)    About Sal Mercogliano: Dr. Salvatore R. Mercogliano is an associate professor of history at Campbell University in North Carolina and adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He holds a bachelor of science in marine transportation from the State University of New York Maritime College, along with a merchant marine deck officer license (unlimited tonnage 2nd mate), a master's in maritime history and nautical archaeology from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in military and naval history from the University of Alabama. He is also the host of the popular podcast What's Going on With Shipping, which focuses on Maritime Industry Policy, current events in the Maritime Sector, and Maritime History.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Shawn Eastridge (Missing Frames) conclude their pitches for the Superman animated movies they most want to see! Adaptations of comic books and unmade screenplays, sequels to existing projects, and wholly original ideas are all on the table. Did YOUR most wanted projects made it onto their wishlists?Make sure you listen to Part 1 first!Support the show and receive exclusive podcast content at Patreon.com/AnthonyDesiato, including the spinoff podcasts BEYOND METROPOLIS and DIGGING FOR JUSTICE!Visit BCW Supplies and use promo code FSP to save 10% on your next order of comics supplies. Get your DFK merch at the podcast's TeePublic storefront!FACEBOOK GROUP: Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan GroupFACEBOOK PAGE: @diggingforkryptonitepodINSTAGRAM: @diggingforkryptonitepodTWITTER: @diggingforkrpodBLUESKY: @diggingforkrpod.bsky.socialEMAIL: flatsquirrelproductions@gmail.comWEBSITE: FlatSquirrelProductions.com Digging for Kryptonite is a Flat Squirrel Production. Theme music by Dan Pritchard. Key art by Isaiah Simmons. Mentioned in this episode:This Podcast Will Never DieSingle Bound PodcastFat Moose ComicsRick ReasonThe Pop BreakLong Live the LegionAw Yeah ComicsAlways Hold On To Smallville

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Shawn Eastridge (Missing Frames) pitch the Superman animated movies they most want to see! Adaptations of comic books and unmade screenplays, sequels to existing projects, and wholly original ideas are all on the table. Did YOUR most wanted projects made it onto their wishlists?Stay tuned for Part 2 TOMORROW (7/15/26)!Support the show and receive exclusive podcast content at Patreon.com/AnthonyDesiato, including the spinoff podcasts BEYOND METROPOLIS and DIGGING FOR JUSTICE!Visit BCW Supplies and use promo code FSP to save 10% on your next order of comics supplies. Get your DFK merch at the podcast's TeePublic storefront!FACEBOOK GROUP: Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan GroupFACEBOOK PAGE: @diggingforkryptonitepodINSTAGRAM: @diggingforkryptonitepodTWITTER: @diggingforkrpodBLUESKY: @diggingforkrpod.bsky.socialEMAIL: flatsquirrelproductions@gmail.comWEBSITE: FlatSquirrelProductions.com Digging for Kryptonite is a Flat Squirrel Production. Theme music by Dan Pritchard. Key art by Isaiah Simmons. Mentioned in this episode:Long Live the LegionRick ReasonAw Yeah ComicsSingle Bound PodcastFat Moose ComicsThe Pop BreakAlways Hold On To SmallvilleThis Podcast Will Never Die

They're taking fictional characters and making them real, like with Moana. They're also taking real actors and making them into fictional AI versions, like James Earl Jones. It's a madhouse. A madhouse! At least we can remain secure in our knowledge that they will never stop making Evil Dead movies, ever.Episode discussion: https://completedisaster.live/2026/07/10/july-10th-2026/

Another fun-filled episode of Nerds Talking is here, packed with laughs, movie reviews, entertainment news, and plenty of geeky conversations!Join Lafayette and Carlos as they bring you your weekly dose of entertainment news before taking an unexpected detour into the world of international soccer tournaments—not just the World Cup, but some of the biggest competitions from around the globe.One thing becomes very clear throughout the episode: Lafayette absolutely refuses to stop working on his Christopher Walken impression. Whether it's spot-on or hilariously off the rails... we'll let you decide!This week's movie reviews include Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, starring Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy, and David Cronenberg. Does the sequel live up to the original's twisted blend of horror and comedy? We break it all down. (Wikipedia)We also dive into the explosive martial arts action film The Furious, directed by Kenji Tanigaki, starring Mo Tse, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Jeeja Yanin, Brian Le, and Yayan Ruhian. After Wang Wei's daughter is kidnapped by a ruthless criminal network, his only ally is Navin, a journalist searching for his own missing wife. Together, they unleash a relentless campaign of vengeance against an army of deadly criminals. But the real question is... is it actually exciting, or is it as boring as The Raid? (Yeah... we said it.) You'll have to listen to hear our verdict! (Wikipedia)Looking for your next binge? We also discuss which television series we'd recommend to someone who has somehow gone their entire life without ever watching a TV show. If you could only recommend a handful of series to introduce someone to television, what would they be? We compare our lists and make our cases.Plus, we count down and discuss the Top 10 highest-grossing animated movies of all time, revisit some classics, debate the rankings, and celebrate the films that became worldwide box office sensations.It's another episode full of movie talk, nostalgia, laughs, impressions, random debates, and the kind of nerdy conversations you've come to expect from Nerds Talking.Tune in, laugh along with us, and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show with your fellow nerds!#NerdsTalking #Podcast #EntertainmentNews #MovieReview #ReadyOrNot2 #TheFurious #JoeTaslim #SamaraWeaving #ChristopherWalken #HorrorMovies #MartialArtsMovies #ActionMovies #AnimatedMovies #TVShows #PopCulture #GeekCulture #FilmPodcast #MoviePodcast #Movies #Streaming #ComedyPodcast #NerdCulture

Today, in Part 5 of the "How to Think About the Future" series, Nate scales his exploration of civilizational futures down to the future of a single human life and analyzes how the same patterns that shape economies, power, geopolitics, and Earth systems turn inward. Building on the framework developed throughout the series, he describes how the factors from material throughput to personal agency are underpinned by our own physical/mental health and our web of relationships. Nate emphasizes that we cannot build any stable future on top of cracking foundations, pointing toward the importance of cultivating a strong base of personal health and community to operate from. By outlining these scenarios – both on the personal and civilizational scales – Nate challenges the long-held assumptions that equate growth with success. He explores why the most regenerative paths available to us often look like decline from the outside and discusses the ways in which our civilizational foundations have been obscured by a societal trajectory of constant growth. Overall, this episode offers a mirror for reflecting on the landscapes we inhabit today and the quiet work required to navigate toward a better future for humanity and the biosphere. Are your daily choices strengthening your foundations, or are they slowly eroding the capacity you'll need for what's ahead? Which personal future scenario do you feel you're living in today, and what patterns are quietly shaping where you're headed? And how would your life change if you measured success by regeneration instead of productivity or growth? (Recorded July 5th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars flow through global philanthropy, yet only a small fraction reaches environmental, climate, and nature-related causes. Meanwhile, in small towns and rural communities around the world, a hidden throughline of regenerative work is already underway. This work rarely waits for large-scale funding to begin, but it does need resourcing to grow into replicable movements capable of propelling system-wide change. What would it take to build financial infrastructure that actually gets capital to the people already doing the work of healing land and community? In this episode, Nate is joined by Matthew Monahan, co-founder of the nonprofit Ma Earth, to explore the emerging field of regenerative finance. Matthew digs into why top-down, siloed, and low-trust funding systems keep capital from reaching frontline communities, and how tools like open protocols, decentralized data commons, and blockchains might (with healthy consideration) help coordinate trust and resourcing at scale. Matthew also discusses Ma Earth's collective crowdfunding platform that pairs philanthropic dollars with community fundraising for grassroots land and ecological projects – from mangrove restoration in the Pacific to a farmer's cooperative for war amputees in the Congo – and how anyone can become involved.  How might we approach the ambitious goal of attuning money with the health of the planet and the life that inhabits it? Is it possible to use tools like blockchain and crowdfunding to route capital toward life without building a bigger version of the same self-eating machine? And can bottom-up, community-defined funding scale to the size of the problem without losing the trust and specificity that make it work in the first place?  (Conversation recorded on June 29th, 2026)   About Matthew Monahan: Matthew Monahan is the co-founder of Ma Earth, a community-led movement aiming to align economic incentives with planetary health and regeneration. He also hosts The Regeneration Will Be Funded, a podcast under Ma Earth that explores intersections of regenerative finance, technology, and ecological health. He's involved in regenerative agriculture, specifically through Mangaroa Farms in Aotearoa, New Zealand, a regenerative farm and educational hub. This farm works on transforming dairy & pine plantations into more regenerative systems, reforesting, building local food infrastructure, and engaging communities.    Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Farewell to freedom in the Adriatic and days of wild abandon! We're soaring back over the sea this week to hang out with our close personal friend, Porco Rosso! This is… the best movie ever made, right? Topics discussed this week: whether or not Han Solo is just Porco in space, Italian antifascism, French antifascism, fascism in general, Looney Tunes, and of course, cool planes. Next week it's all about raccoons as we go long on Isao Takahata's POM POKO (1994)! Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Interview with Toshio Suzuki Behind the Microphone The Art of Porco Rosso Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Rayna Denison Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master by Gael Berton Miyazakiworld by Susan Napier Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As America marks its 250th birthday, Nate takes a moment to step outside of the celebrations to seek out a wider boundary perspective on this week's holiday. He poses the question of whether the United States has truly matured as a nation over two and a half centuries, particularly through the lenses of energy, ecology, history, and culture. Nate walks through the extraordinary inheritance of fossil fuels that simultaneously shaped the American story while masking the real foundations of prosperity. He points out that even the symbols of this holiday – from backyard barbecues to fireworks lighting the night sky – are products of complex supply chains that are created by drawing down the living biosphere.  Overall, this conversation reflects on what it means to become an "adult nation" in an age of limits. Alongside the costs of endless expansion, like declining wildlife and lower mental wellbeing, come reasons to hold hope for this nation – our traditions of reinvention, our conservation legacy, and our growing movement toward stronger local communities based in resilience and reciprocity. As the era of "more" begins to fade, perhaps the next chapter of this country will be measured not by what we consume, but by how well we learn to share the table with one another and the rest of life.  How did geography and fossil deposits shape both America's greatest successes and greatest blind spots? What would it mean for America to "grow up" as a nation after 250 years? And if the age of endless expansion is ending, what kind of future might we be capable of building in its place?  (Recorded June 29th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Get ready to reconnect with your 10-year-old self. Because we're about to face some of the most embarrassing (and transcendent) childhood memories in movie history! Topics discussed this week: dividing fractions, the questionable taste of unripe pineapples, Takahata and Miyakazi's legendary beef, uncanny animated facial muscles, the weather, and whether or not ALADDIN still holds up. Next week we take to the skies with PORCO ROSSO (1992). Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features The Making of Only Yesterday Princess Mononoke: The Art and Making of Japan's Most Popular Film of All Time Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Nate continues his "How to Think About the Future" series, where he invites listeners to imagine what it's like to live in different versions of the reality that lies ahead. In today's edition, Nate builds upon the frameworks outlined in part three to create four distinct future worlds – composites that emerge from various combinations of economic conditions, geopolitical scenarios, power structures, and Earth systems stability. The resulting worlds are not meant to serve as a prediction, but as a set of thought experiments designed to stretch our imagination and to sharpen our understanding of how societal shifts show up in our everyday lives.  Along the way, Nate also explores why some of these futures seem more stable than others, why economic contraction does not necessarily mean collapse, and why power distribution may matter more than the economic headlines. As Nate unpacks the logic of the four potential worlds, he emphasizes that we are not yet locked into any one outcome – the choices made by communities, regions, and institutions today still determine which valleys remain reachable tomorrow. This episode is an invitation to think beyond conventional narratives of progress and to consider what conditions make a future not just stable, but worth living in. What would daily life actually feel like in a world of managed contraction, ecological overshoot, authoritarian control, or systemic breakdown? Which institutions and practices are most important to preserve today, while the future remains unwritten? And why might the most desirable future also be the one that looks least like progress by today's economic measures? (Recorded June 9th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

This year's projected Super El Niño forming in the Pacific could become one of the strongest climate oscillations in over a century. As regions prepare for the effects, and continue to adapt to extreme heat waves, intensifying storms, accelerating ice loss, and increasingly erratic rainfall, scientists and citizens alike are questioning what our new normal will look like under accelerated global heating. From climate basics to unfolding atmospheric research, what do we know about the trajectory our climate is currently on, and what gaps of knowledge still need to be filled?  In this episode, Nate is joined by earth scientist and thermodynamicist Tad Patzek for an exploration of the mechanics and mathematics of global heating itself. Tad explains why CO₂ has such an outsized effect in contrast to its small concentration, how water vapor amplifies the greenhouse effect, and why climate models sometimes get things wrong. His new research, currently under peer review at Geophysical Research Letters, identifies a declining Earth albedo as an additional accelerant of warming over the past 26 years. Combined with accelerating ocean heat absorption, melting ice sheets, and the dynamics of an approaching Super El Niño, Tad argues the warming curve itself may be bending upward. Is the projected Super El Niño a signal of more extreme climatic swings to come? What sort of research is being done to explore and predict climate feedback dynamics that are only partly understood? And if the warming curve is indeed bending upward, what does it mean to plan, prepare, or adapt when the system itself may be moving faster than our models anticipated? (Conversation recorded on June 18th, 2026)    About Tad Patzek: Tad Patzek is Professor Emeritus of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering at the Earth Sciences Division and Director of the Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center in KAUST, Saudi Arabia. Formerly, he was the Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Professor and Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he was previously a Professor of Geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Berkeley, he was a researcher at Shell Development, a research company managed for 20 years by M. King Hubbert. He is also a full Presidential Professor in Poland, which is the highest honor, and also served as a member of the DOI Macondo Well Advisory Committee. Patzek's current research involves mathematical and numerical modeling of earth systems with emphasis on fluid flow in soils and rocks that can be hydrofractured. He is working on the thermodynamics and ecology of human survival, and food and energy supply for humanity. His current emphasis is the use of unconventional natural gas as a fuel bridge to the possible new energy supply schemes for the world. Patzek is a coauthor of over 400 papers and reports, and most recently, he has cumulated his research into his upcoming book Thermal Power and Climate Change: A Data-Driven Analysis of Cause and Effect, 1800-2100 (Preprint available now)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Finally, an animated film about how the gig economy is BAD but dirigibles are COOL! This week we hang out with the snarkiest cat around, Jiji, and his very cool familiar, a little witch who dreams of something better than eating pancakes for every meal. Even if you're not a freelancer, this film speaks volumes, because work/life balance is impossible and Kiki's about to find out why! Next week, it's another Takahata gem, ONLY YESTERDAY (1991). Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Creating Kiki's Delivery Service Scoring Miyazaki Kiki & Jiji Art of Kiki's Delivery Service Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Rayna Denison Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master by Gael Berton Miyazakiworld by Susan Napier Credits:  Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are wrapping up Paulsploitation Month with a familiar IP. Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie was clearly here to promote the game because there isn't even a a first one.....unless you count that BADASS live action movie with JCVD! Did we have a good time with this one? Did we defeat that son of a bitch Bison? Find out in this weeks episode!

In this week's Frankly, Nate explores a pattern of thinking that permeates so many of our conversations: we often decide what we think before we've fully heard what's being said. Using the metaphor of a chessboard, he invites listeners to examine how we process information through a series of expanding perspectives. At the closest range, we instinctively assess people and ideas through lenses of threat, familiarity, and belonging. Soon after, conversations become filtered through ideologies, tribes, and cultural labels. That makes it harder to separate the argument itself from the person or source presenting it. From renewable energy to geopolitical conflicts, Nate presents real-world examples of how these deeply human shortcuts can limit our ability to learn from one another and shape the trajectory of our civilization itself. As the camera continues to pull back, a larger picture emerges. Beyond personalities and factions lie the structural forces shaping our world: energy, economics, and the biophysical realities that underpin civilization. The view widens again to include the living Earth itself, along with the possibility of a different future beyond the trajectory of our current social and economic game. Nate argues that the work of our time is learning to hold those instinctive ways of thinking alongside broader systems perspectives, so we can see the whole board without feeling pushed across it. Are our strongest convictions helping us understand the world, or narrowing what we're able to see? How does the scale of our perspective shape the futures we believe are reachable? And if a more resilient future is possible, what kinds of thinking will help us find a path toward it? (Recorded June 16th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Donna & Steve open the show talking about the musical acts performing at the Minnesota State Fair, how Woody from Toy Story apparently has a last name and why soccer fans are being paid $50K to watch the FIFA World Cup in Times Square.In hour 2, the "2026 Billboard #1s" edition the College of Pop Culture Knowledge, Jon Bon Jovi says he's fully healed after four years of health troubles and America's cheapest pizza chain.Finally, Donna finished Widow's Bay on Apple TV, Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live! is going to be on Dancing with the Stars and we find out the Soup of the Day!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Self-fulfilling prophecies; manifestations; the Oedipus Effect: Humanity has long had an intuition that the stories we tell ourselves the most are often the stories we make come true. Science has found more and more evidence to back this up, through both historical cultural analysis as well as unexpected neurological connections in our brains. If we fully accept this, then what sort of future are we telling with our current cultural narratives, and is there still time to write a new one?  In this episode, Nate welcomes Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network and author of "How to Fall in Love with the Future,"  for an exploration of what tips people over the edge and into action to build more livable futures, and what role imagination plays in cultural motivation and agency. Rob explains the neuroscience behind envisioning the future, explaining the link between memory and imagination, and how chronic stress and cortisol can shrink our capacity to picture the future. Drawing on research showing that creativity and imagination scores have been declining for decades, he argues that our collective inability to vividly picture a better future may be the deepest barrier to building one. Throughout the conversation, Rob and Nate wrestle with a central tension: how to be honest about the scale of the predicament while still cultivating the kind of longing that moves people to act, and what role grief, limits, and slowing down might play in that process.  In a culture that puts many of us in constant states of anxiety and stress, what happens to our ability to imagine and dream of the future? What would it take for more of us to feel, not just intellectually understand, that a lower-energy, more localized future could also be a more beautiful one, if only we plant the seeds for it to grow? And if the tools for building more local, resilient futures already exist, but the first step is to create a sense of longing for them, then what gap does that open up in each of our communities, today, to start putting these ideas into action? (Conversation recorded on April 21st, 2026)    About Rob Hopkins: Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including "The Transition Handbook" and most recently, "How to Fall in Love with the Future: A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World." He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appeared in the 2015 French film phenomenon "Demain."  He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as 2 Honoris Causas, and hosted 100 episodes of his podcast "From What If to What Next." In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium. His collaborative music project with artist Mr Kit, "Field Recordings from the Future" is now available, and is being developed as a live show which will tour in 2026. His website is robhopkins.net.    Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

THINK YOU KNOW POP CULTURE? Take The Spill's Pop Culture Quiz here. Today we are diving into the ultimate vault of 90s and 00s nostalgia to talk about the comfort films that left us with way too many unanswered questions. We reckon its time to give them the Devil Wears Prada treatment and make them a sequel. We unpack why a chaotic wedding classic starring one of our favourite leading ladies deserves a second chapter, and why a cosy Christmas staple features a love story we need an immediate update on - plus lots more.Remember The Spill drops the tea twice a day in this feed so follow us for all the latest entertainment news OR you can WATCH our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and enjoy the watch! Link here. THE END BITS Find and follow us on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespillpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thespillpod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thespillpodcast/ Read all the latest entertainment news on Mamamia: https://mamamia.com.au/entertainment/ Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. Your subscription helps us continue to tell the stories that matter to women. Want to join the conversation? Have feedback or a topic you want us to discuss? Send us a voice message or email us at thespill@mamamia.com.au and we’ll get back to you ASAP! Executive Producer: Monisha Iswaran Audio & Video Producer: Michael Kean Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday 5/20/26 — The MCU'S Bleeding Edge is back, stepping into the DC Animated Universe to review Justice League Dark. Special guest co-host Andres The Pop Culture Guy takes over moderating duties, joined by co-hosts Jeff S ($TrueKnowledge) and Cyberneticshark on the guest panel. We'll be breaking down the film with live reactions, analysis, and discussion. If you caught our DC animated film review, please consider rating and following the podcast, subscribing to the channel, and leaving a comment to join the conversation.#JusticeLeagueDark #DCAnimated #DCUniverse #Constantine #Batman #Zatanna #LiveStream #MovieReview #Podcast

This week's Frankly is another in Nate's recurring series Uncomfortable Questions for Unsettled Times, in which he poses questions about our shared future. Today, he uses headlines regarding a potential ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran to confront a subject that has re-entered public discourse with a quiet but startling force: nuclear warfare. Through a wide-boundary lens, Nate outlines how the renewed discussion of nuclear force raises questions that extend far beyond the current conflict, including important (and uncomfortable) questions about nuclear proliferation, human psychology, and the erosion of long-standing taboos. He considers the possibility that many of today's geopolitical tensions are symptoms of deeper shifts underway in the global balance of power, and asks what happens when societies begin revisiting assumptions that once seemed settled. While renewed public discussion around nuclear weapons provides the immediate context, this episode is ultimately less about any single weapon or conflict, and more about the forces shaping human decision-making during periods of uncertainty and transition. Why do societies tend to realize the importance of a norm only when it is being broken? Are today's conflicts fundamentally about ideology and security, or are they about power, resources, and influence in a changing world? And what happens when established assumptions about global leadership, cooperation, and stability are put to the test? (Recorded June 15th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

This is our spoiler-free review of Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5. Join us as we discuss the film's stunning visuals, heartfelt story, memorable new characters, and why Bonnie and Jessie's journey brings a fresh perspective to the beloved franchise. We explore the film's themes of imagination, play, and technology, share our thoughts on the performances, and explain why Toy Story 5 feels like a meaningful evolution of the series while staying true to everything that has made Toy Story special for nearly 30 years. Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5 arrives exclusively in theatres on June 19, 2026. Check out Geekcentric onYouTube | Instagram | Twitter | TikTokJoin the Geekcentric Discord HEREFollow Eatcentric - Same geeks. New Eats

The catbus is here and we're off to explore the (friendly) haunted forest! This week we're worshipping the ancient woodland spirit and face of Studio Ghibli — our good, personal friend, Totoro! But heads up, Adam and Dom have completely different takes on this one, so if you're looking for a real Siskel & Ebert type disagreement, this is the episode for you. Next week, we take to the skies with KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989). Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Behind the Microphone Creating My Neighbor Totoro Creating the Characters The “Totoro” Experience Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Grave of the Fireflies (BFI Film Classics) by Alex Dudok de Wit The Art of My Neighbor Totoro: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Rayna Denison Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master by Gael Berton Miyazakiworld by Susan Napier Totoro's Limited Animation Team Guillermo Del Toro - 2013 Studio Ghibli Masterclass - TIFF Credits:  Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode was recorded Tuesday, June 9th, before the current 'deal' was floated. Given world events, we decided to post this episode immediately as a special release, and deal or not, this conversation is an excellent overview of the issues and stakes of this evolving situation. In a media environment constantly contradicting itself, with every side proclaiming the advantage for themselves, the reality of what's happening in the Middle East gets lost amidst the day-to-day headlines. But for analysts who have been monitoring the underlying trends of the geopolitical gameboard for years, the direction is clear: the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz will likely not fully resolve within the next few months. If we truly accept the consequences of this, how will our global economy – built on interconnected supply chains and cheap energy – adapt to a geopolitical order fracturing before our eyes?  In this episode, Nate is joined by Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank, for an unflinching analysis of the Hormuz crisis and the fundamental principles pointing toward the Strait's closure for several more months. Michael walks through multiple scenarios – a TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out), NATO military action, Chinese intervention behind the scenes – and explains why none of them offer an easy exit. The conversation expands to explore what this crisis means for the future of global energy trade, the emergence of rival production blocs, the collapse of demand-side macroeconomics, and the surprising potential for a more equitable world to emerge from the chaos. If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed or mostly closed into September, which countries hit their breaking point first, and will the order in which they break fundamentally change the balance of geopolitical power? How does everyday life change when price signals stop working and access is defined by availability rather than cost? And if this crisis truly accelerates the fracturing of our hyper-connected, globalized world into polarized blocs of energy and production, how might the disruption, for better or worse, shake up nearly a century of the macroeconomic theory that has shaped every part of our lives?  (Conversation recorded on June 9th, 2026)   About Michael Every: Michael Every is a Global Strategist at Rabobank with over two decades of experience. He analyzes major financial developments and contributes to the bank's various economic research publications. Before Rabobank, he was a Director at Silk Road Associates in Bangkok, Senior Economist and Fixed Income Strategist at the Royal Bank of Canada in both London and Sydney, and an Economist for Dun & Bradstreet in London.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

On this episode of Behind The Geeks, we go behind the scenes of Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5 with the filmmakers helping bring Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang back to the big screen. We sit down with Director Andrew Stanton, Co-Director Kenna Harris, Producer Lindsey Collins, Production Designer Bob Pauley, and VFX Supervisor Thomas Jordan to discuss the film's themes, visual evolution, technological innovations, and the creative process behind one of animation's most beloved franchises. We also explore the toys that inspired their imaginations growing up, the role technology plays in children's lives today, and the invaluable lessons they've taken away from their time at Pixar. Disney & Pixar's Toy Story 5 opens exclusively in theatres June 19, 2026. Watch the full interview on YouTube Here Check out Geekcentric onYouTube | Instagram | Twitter | TikTokJoin the Geekcentric Discord HEREFollow Eatcentric - Same geeks. New Eats

It's Thursday, June 11th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Nigerian court sentences Muslims to death for executing Catholics Last week, a court in the African nation of Nigeria sentenced four Muslim men to death for killing dozens of Catholics. Four years ago, the gunmen attacked a Pentecost Sunday service at a Catholic Church in southwest Nigeria. They killed 41 people, including children. Authorities determined that the armed men belonged to Al-Shabaab, an Islamic terrorist group. The massacre was the first terrorist attack on a church in southern Nigeria.   According to Open Doors, Nigeria is the seventh most dangerous country worldwide for Christians. Proverbs 7:14 and 16 says, “Behold, the wicked man conceives evil . . . His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.” Sudanese man arrested in Ireland for attempted beheading Authorities in Northern Ireland arrested a migrant from the African nation of Sudan on Tuesday. Police in Belfast accused him of carrying out a severe knife attack on a man in his 40s. People across the United Kingdom responded to the attempted beheading with protests. The victim was hospitalized with significant injuries to his face, neck, and back. Many U.K. citizens question their government's immigration policies, including Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe. In February, the lawmaker launched a national political party called Restore Britain. The party is devoted to ending mass immigration and also openly recognizes Britain's Christian heritage.  Congress funds $70 billion for ICE and Border Patrol In the United States, President Donald Trump signed the Secure America Act yesterday. The $70 billion package fully funds the Department of Homeland Security. The bill specifically covers U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the rest of President Trump's second term.  Listen to comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson after Congress passed the bill. JOHNSON: “The historic mandate that put President Trump in the White House and Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate is evidence of the fact that Democrats' ‘Defund the Police' agenda is wildly out of step with hardworking American families. After four long years of Democrat policies that opened the door to dangerous criminals and deadly drugs, Republicans are delivering on our promise to restore safe streets and secure our borders.” Inflation rose 4.3% Inflation reached a three-year high last month for American consumers.  The cost of goods and services rose 4.2 percent in May compared to a year ago. Rising energy costs drove the inflation. Gasoline prices were up 40 percent from a year earlier.    iPhone launch connected to lower U.S. fertility rate A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that the launch of the iPhone contributed to declining fertility rates in the U.S. Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007. The U.S. general fertility rate has fallen by 22 percent since then. People have been spending more time on their smartphones and less time with each other.  The study noted, “Overall, the diffusion of the iPhone explains 33–52% of the decline in the general fertility rate among women aged 15–44.” Southern Baptists: Only men can serve as pastors The Southern Baptist Convention affirmed its position yesterday that only men can serve as pastors. Over 70 percent of the denomination's representatives voted in favor of the “Truth and Unity Amendment.” The measure was sponsored by Albert Mohler Jr., the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The amendment would require churches in the denomination to not appoint women as pastors, elders, or overseers.  Listen to comments from Dr. Mohler. MOHLER: “This motion makes very clear that we affirm the historic Baptist understanding of the pastor, elder, overseer. The structure of the language I have brought goes all the way back to the 1689 Baptist Confession, where the office and function of the pastor are clearly delineated. “This amendment makes very clear that a church, in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention, doesn't have anyone other than a man as pastor in the office of pastor and specifies on the functions of the pastor that the key central function of preaching the Word of God to the gathered assembly is limited to men by Scripture.” 1 Timothy 3:1-2 says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”  Animated movie “David” claims #1 spot on Netflix And finally, the animated film David reached the number one spot on Netflix for movies in the United States over the weekend.  The Bible movie from Angel Studios officially premiered on the streaming service just last Wednesday. (audio from David movie trailer) DAVID: “I'm just a shepherd, but deep down I know I can take on the world.” NARRATOR: “There is a darkness over the land.” SAMUEL:  “Our enemies will strike once more.” MAN: “Imagine the biggest warrior you have ever seen!” DAVID: “Okay.” MAN: “Now imagine somebody ate him.” GIRL: “Remember when I told you God had big plans for you?” GOLIATH: “You will serve us!” GIRL: “They may have been bigger than even I thought.” Christian music artist Phil Wickham voiced the adult David in the movie. Wickham told Crosswalk Headlines the film is “full of the story of God and full of Psalms and full of hallelujah and faith and hope.  … I think this movie will last decades. I think it will be something our grandkids watch.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, June 11th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Many of us lack meaningful community in our lives, either from a complete absence of relationships or simply the sense of disconnection from those around us. In response, a growing number of people attempt to cultivate community based on shared values and interests, which inadvertently reproduces the very labeling that keeps real connection forming. The systemic forces that created this separation are real, but what if the deeper problem is that most of us have never actually learned how to commune with each other in the first place? In this episode, Nate is joined by Nora Bateson, creator of Warm Data Labs, alongside her colleagues Jonathan Goldsmith and Lucas Jackson, for a rich conversation about what it actually takes to build community and why so many of our attempts fail. Drawing on Nora's concept of "communing" as the necessary precursor to community, the group explores how genuine human connection is being undermined by algorithmic fragmentation, scripted discourse, and cultures rooted in transaction and individualism. Rather than offering a formula for community-building, they make the case for something older: practices of mutual learning, radical hospitality, and a way of relating to others that breaks us out of the confines of our perceived roles. Together, they argue that the first step to being part of community is letting go of preconceived notions of what you are owed from the people around you, instead taking the first leap of giving more of oneself, and subsequently setting in motion the cycles of trust and generosity that keep a system alive.   What fundamental pieces get lost when communities skip directly to organizing, logistics, and shared objectives? Why do the dark triad traits find less hold in spaces built around curiosity and mutual learning? And how does the act of generosity shift when it comes from a sense of shared aliveness and the knowledge that tending to the broader whole is how we must also tend to ourselves?    About Nora Bateson Nora Bateson is a filmmaker, writer, researcher, and educator, and the founder and president of the International Bateson Institute. Her work focuses on the study of complex living systems and the development of "Warm Data" – a methodology for understanding the relational and contextual dimensions of systemic health. She is the author of Small Arcs of Larger Circles, and the creator of the acclaimed documentary An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father, systems thinker Gregory Bateson. Nora's work spans education, ecology, health, organizational change, and community, with the unifying thread of asking how we perceive and tend to the complexity of life together.   About Jonathan Goldsmith Jonathan Goldsmith is a therapist, facilitator, and educator working at the intersection of systems thinking, relational practice, and community wellbeing. As a core member of the International Bateson Institute team, Jonathan brings the lens of mutual learning and ecological awareness to his work with individuals, groups, and organizations. He is a trained Warm Data host and has facilitated labs internationally.   About Lucas Jackson Lucas Jackson is an educator, facilitator, and Warm Data host based in Vermont. He found his way to the International Bateson Institute through the Warm Data host training in 2020, and has since woven the practice of Warm Data into his teaching, community work, and relational life. His work centers on learning, perception, and the conditions that allow people to genuinely encounter one another.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Hello friends, the boys are ready for another week of awesomeness. This week they talk about Madden, Hellboy the Animated Movies, Highlander, Spider-Noir, and after long last the sweet, sweet goodness that is Vox Machina has returned. The boys discuss and drool over the first three episodes of season 4. Sit back and enjoy

This week, we pay tribute to one of the most devastating (and life-affirming) movies ever made. It's our very first Takahata film, and… it's a doozy. We simply couldn't do a Studio Ghibli series without honoring this masterpiece. **Please be aware that this episode includes some distressing themes around children and violence. We tried our best to celebrate the brilliance of the film but inevitably the conversation turned dark at times. Next week, we get a (much-needed) big, fuzzy hug from MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988). Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Grave of the Fireflies (BFI Film Classics) by Alex Dudok de Wit Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Reyna Denison Animerica Isao Takahata & Akiyuki Nosaka Interview Studio Ghibli Movies Isao Takahata Interview Anime New Network Hirokatsu Kihara Interview Credits:  Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts 772: Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie! To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, access to our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

This week's Frankly is part three of the series How to Think About the Future. Today, Nate builds a framework for understanding the pathways that connect today's choices to tomorrow's realities. Drawing from biology, ecology, history, and systems thinking, he introduces a civilizational terrain of ridges and valleys that is constantly shifting as we are moving through it. Nate also uses the concepts of switchbacks and erosion to explain why some futures emerge by default from existing incentives and momentum, while others require deliberate effort, coordination, and sustained commitment. Through examples that range from cell development to lake ecosystems to political systems, Nate examines how complex systems settle into stable states, and why some transitions are far easier to make than to reverse. As economic, geopolitical, and ecological pressures reshape the landscape we traverse, knowing which futures are downhill and which require climbing becomes increasingly important. The episode offers a conceptual tool for interpreting the composite worlds Nate will outline in the next part of the series, and invites listeners to consider both where they stand in the terrain and whether their daily actions are building pathways toward a more desirable future, or letting those paths erode. How do societies become trapped in self-reinforcing systems, and what does that look like in our current reality? Which futures seem most likely if present incentives and momentum hold? And which social, cultural, or ecological switchbacks are being built today that could open new possibilities tomorrow (Recorded May 22nd, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s is one of the worst ecological disasters in American history. Across the great plains, roughly 2.5 million people left the region over the decade, amid severe crop failures, livestock losses and widespread hunger. Caused by drought and extreme land degradation, this regional collapse is also an example of what is now happening in ecosystems across the globe. The glimmer of hope in this story lies in the equally remarkable recovery of the Dust Bowl region, which has continued on as one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. What if we could name and replicate the techniques used to rehabilitate this once inhospitable landscape and use them to restore and regenerate local ecosystems across the planet?  In this episode, Nate is joined by regenerative change practitioner Brett KenCairn for a conversation that reframes the dominant narrative about climate change, emphasizing that it was never just a carbon problem but also one centered on living systems degradation. Brett explains that the desolation of foundational, life-supporting ecosystems has resulted in our planet now operating at roughly half its biological productive capacity. Remarkably, this reframing also clears the way for a path forward: because most degradation is due to how humans have used the land, it means – if we act soon – altering our use of the land can also help regenerate lost capacity. Brett describes how his team and other regenerative experts are attempting to do just that by restoring biodiversity, water cycles, photosynthetic capacity, and (most importantly) opening the door to broad community participation through training, compensation, and meaningful work.  What sorts of regenerative techniques might help bolster our local ecosystems' capacities to buffer, absorb, and cycle energy in order to support life during the extremes ahead? How could we alter our economic and social incentives to better support those doing the critical work to stabilize local ecology? And lastly, could the principles of living systems regeneration also act as an opportunity to reconnect with our place among the web of life, paving the way toward a humanity rooted in stewardship and reciprocity?  (Conversation recorded on May 13th, 2026)   About Brett KenCairn: Brett KenCairn is the Founding Director of Center for Regenerative Solutions and Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Resilience in the City of Boulder's Climate Initiatives Team. He coordinates the city's nature-based solutions work. Brett has worked across the western US in community-based initiatives in rural, Native American, and other marginalized communities. He is the co-founder of multiple organizations including the Rogue River Institute for Ecology and Economy, Veterans Green Jobs, and Community Energy Systems.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Get in, losers, we're going to Laputa! This week we take flight with Pazu, Sheeta, and a gang of pirates with some seriously questionable motives to find the mythical land in the clouds where cool robots take care of birds (and shoot lasers). It's the first true Ghibli film, and, man, does it set the bar pretty high. Also... what the hell is going on with the English dub of this film? Next week, it's our very first Takahata film, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Creating Castle in the Sky Scoring Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History by Rayna Denison Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master by Gael Berton Miyazakiworld by Susan Napier Credits:  Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's Frankly, Nate discusses his long-running attempt to understand non-duality, and why this concept has remained just out of his grasp despite years of conversations with teachers, thinkers, and podcast guests. He begins with a personal reflection on the possibility that his difficulty understanding non-duality does not stem from lack of intelligence or a short attention span, but from the particular cultural operating system that Westerners seem to inherit from birth. This operating system – which appears everywhere from language to economics to institutions – reinforces separation between the subject and the object, the observer and the observed, the self and the world. It trains us to experience ourselves as isolated individuals standing apart from the living systems that sustain us.  The latter part of this episode turns toward identifying moments where this separation starts to soften: experiences with music, grief, nature, and deep presence, to name a few. Nate connects these insights to the metacrisis as a whole, suggesting that humanity's treatment of the biosphere might be rooted in the same underlying assumption of separateness. Rather than arriving at an outright definition of non-duality, Nate closes with the possibility that loosening our grip on certainty may itself be a large part of the work.  Have there been moments in your own life when the boundary between yourself and the world briefly dissolved? Why does non-duality seem so difficult to define within modern Western culture? And what does it mean to consider separation from nature to be the foundation beneath many of today's global crises? (Recorded May 28th, 2026) Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Most responses to civilizational crises focus outward – policy levers, energy systems, geopolitical actors, and material flows – with little focus on how the humans inside these systems might change and grow in parallel. At the same time, the minds that built this complex and fragile world are also the instruments we must use to navigate its unraveling, making them a critical factor in defining humanity's future. With that said, who will we be as simplification unfolds, and how do we prepare our inner terrains for what's coming? In this episode, Nate is joined by meditation practitioner, Andrew Holecek, for an exploration of the concept of dark retreats, periods of extended time in complete absence of light, as a practical path toward reflection and reconnection with ourselves and others. Andrew draws on decades of study in Tibetan Buddhism and non-dual wisdom traditions to explore how the external complexity of modern life is mirrored in the internal complexity of the modern mind. Central to his work is the concept of non-duality: a return from the fragmented display of self-versus-world toward a more unified, less suffering-prone relationship with reality. Andrew and Nate also explore the misleading entanglement of happiness and consumption, arguing that satisfaction arises not from acquiring what we want, but from the cessation of wanting itself.  What would it mean to practice darkness as a needed reprieve from constant light and stimulation, rather than deprivation? If the coming decades hold a forced reduction in external, material complexity, how could a deepening of our internal worlds make us more resilient, compassionate, and grounded? And could confronting fear – by learning to move through it rather than avoid it – be one of the most practical preparations for navigating future uncertainty and social fracture? (Conversation recorded on April 28th, 2026)    About Dr. Andrew Holecek: Andrew Holecek is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and other nondual wisdom traditions who has spent over thirty years helping people transform life's greatest challenges into opportunities for awakening. A dedicated meditation practitioner who completed the traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat, Andrew is known for making profound contemplative practices accessible and practical. He is actively involved in scientific research on dark retreat with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies where he serves as Resident Contemplative Scholar. Andrew is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the author of several scientific papers on lucid dreaming, and was also the host of the now-concluded Edge of Mind podcast, where he interviewed guests to explore ancient teachings and modern topics about the nature of mind and reality. Andrew's newest area of focus is dark retreat, the ancient Buddhist practice of extended meditation in complete darkness. His most recent book, Total Eclipse of the Mind: Unleashing the Power of Darkness for Creativity, Healing, and Transformation, draws on more than thirty years of personal dark retreat experience. True to his approach, Andrew teaches dark retreat – and the more accessible gray retreat practice of weaving in and out of darkness – as a genuine path to healing, creativity, and self-understanding.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Calling all Tolmekians: it's a series premiere!!!! Today we take flight with the Princess of the Valley of the Wind for our new Studio Ghibli series. What a dream (of madness)! For the next few months we'll be fully devoted to the works of Miyazaki, Takahata, and the entire Ghibli collective. We hope you'll join us in the Sea of Decay! The water is fine (it's only mildly acidic and poisonous). Next week, it's the first true Studio Ghibli film, CASTLE IN THE SKY (1986). Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features Nausicaä Continues On Behind the Microphone The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master by Gael Berton Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man by Steve Alpert Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Hideaki Anno Wants to Remake Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind The Sydney Morning Herald Mai Fujisawa Interview A Real Glider A Real Glider Part 2 Credits:  Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's Frankly, Nate offers the third episode in his series on staying human, this time focused on presence. Nate shares a personal reflection on presence, and its importance in a reality where we are constantly living in anticipation of the future. What begins as a missed moment of coffee and a birdsong unfolds into an examination of the brain's "default mode network" – one of the most studied structures in neuroscience, which supports functions like memory, future simulation, self-narrative, and wandering thought. Drawing from neuroscience, contemplative traditions, and his own decades spent modeling civilizational risk, Nate examines how the modern world – especially for those immersed in the metacrisis – pulls attention away from lived experience and into endless internal simulations about collapse, uncertainty, and what comes next. He also reflects on the emotional burden carried by people who are deeply aware of ecological decline, social instability, and systemic fragility, while questioning the widely held assumption that constant preoccupation is equivalent to care. Through stories, research, and practical reflections, Nate offers five pathways back to embodied awareness through using sensory attention, taking pause, single-tasking, remaining open to beauty, and embracing the finitude of life itself. Ultimately, this episode asks whether protecting the future requires us to stop abandoning the present – and whether presence itself may be one of the most necessary forms of resilience in the years ahead. How does the brain's default mode network shape our experience of dread, distraction, and time? What do we lose when awareness of the metacrisis becomes a form of absence from our own lives? And how can people engaged in difficult, world-facing work use strategies to remain emotionally present for the relationships and moments directly in front of them? (Recorded May 18th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Over the past century, standardized testing evolved from a wartime sorting tool into the defining feature of how we measure children's worth and potential, fundamentally altering the mental health and learning outcomes of an entire generation. Now, as global crises mount and our leaders struggle to navigate staggering complexity, a growing number of researchers are asking: what if the root cause of civilizational dysfunction is something as upstream and innately human as the way we educate our children? In this episode, Nate is joined by developmental psychologist Dr. Theo Dawson alongside returning guest and philosopher of education Dr. Zak Stein to explore the history of educational testing and show how we've progressively narrowed our definition of learning while stunting the very mental capacities we most need. Together, they make the case that without restoring the developmental health of the next generation, no amount of policy reform or technological innovation will be sufficient to change humanity's current trajectory. At the core of this argument, they discuss the need to pivot our testing and developmental measurements toward those that foster mental complexity, individual growth, and fundamental human skills, ultimately leveraging change through the entire educational system. Both guests emphasize the central importance of cultivating an "earned sense of competence" – the deep, embodied confidence that comes from learning through genuine engagement with the world – which they believe is the most powerful resource a civilization can regenerate. What are the effects on critical thinking and development as a result of years of memorization and high stakes testing? How might reframing the goals of our educational systems toward cultivating human flourishing help both average citizens and those in power make better decisions for the whole of society? And if education truly shapes everything from geopolitics to economic behavior, what would it require of us to treat the next generation as civilization's most precious resource as we continue to face more societal and ecological turbulence? (Conversation recorded on March 25th, 2026)   About Theo Dawson: Dr. Theo Dawson is the founder and executive director of Lectica, a nonprofit organization that develops evidence-based developmental assessments and builds knowledge about learning and its role in the future of society. She received her master's and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley and is widely published in the field of cognitive developmental psychology.   About Zak Stein: Dr. Zak Stein is a philosopher of education and co-founder of Lectica. He is also co-founder of the Center for World Philosophy and Religion, the Civilization Research Institute, and the Consilience Project. He is the author of dozens of published papers and two books, including Education in a Time Between Worlds. Zak received his Doctor of Education from Harvard University.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

In this week's Frankly, Nate offers the second episode in his series on staying human, this time focused on dread. Opening with a personal reflection on his own relationship to dread, Nate describes how the chronic anticipation of collapse affects the human nervous system long before any single crisis fully arrives. He walks through how the neuroscience behind the body's threat response was wired for more immediate risk, rather than the slow-moving and abstract risks of the more-than-human predicament. The latter part of the episode turns toward response. Nate outlines five practical pathways for metabolizing dread, drawing on insights from a wide variety of thinkers across neuroscience, trauma research, and contemplative traditions. These pathways include tools like mental reframing, somatic practice, reclaiming agency, community and co-regulation, and what Nate calls "befriending the darkness." He closes the episode with five concrete steps individuals can take when dread arises in daily life in order to move from dread into presence amidst widespread transformation.  Where in your body do you actually feel the weight of what you know about the future? What is one action within your reach today that is small but real? And who in your life can sit with what you carry, without trying to fix it? (Recorded May 14th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

The last pre-war shipments of oil products from the Strait of Hormuz have arrived at their destinations as of early May, meaning the promise of an energy crisis as a result of the Iran war is fast approaching. Leading experts are now forecasting energy disruptions ranging from rationing to severe shortages in import-dependent economies, with roughly 11% of global oil supply already offline. This leaves us with the question: even if this war were to end today, what sort of system-wide effects are locked in given the current loss in production, and what will be required of us to cope with the fallout?  In this episode, Nate welcomes back petroleum geologist Art Berman to break down the timeline of the looming oil shortages stemming from the Strait of Hormuz crisis and just how severe they could become within a tightly coupled, complex global system. Art explains why, even if the war were to end today, the inherent lags in our industrial supply chains mean shortfalls are already baked into the coming months. The resulting rise in energy prices will reach far beyond the pump, rippling out into the cost of virtually everything and confronting much of the world with conditions not seen in over five decades. Ultimately, Art sees this as a forcing mechanism that could compress decades of needed adjustment into months. The outcome will rely less on policy than on whether societies can absorb the shock without breaking. Amid all the speculation about oil prices in the wake of the Iranian conflict, what do these numbers actually mean in physical terms? If this conflict signals the beginning of a long-term decline in energy availability, are we already past the peak of the global material economy, with the financial layer not yet caught up to the physics? And if this conflict signals the beginning of a long-term decline in energy availability, what lessons from our deep past might help us find our way forward? (Conversation recorded on May 6th, 2026)   About Art Berman:  Art Berman is a petroleum geologist with over 40 years of oil and gas industry experience. He is an expert on U.S. shale plays and is currently consulting for several E&P companies and capital groups in the energy sector.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Oscar and Carl continue “VS Month” and set their sights on the Pixar classic A Bug's Life.A Bug's Life follows Flik as he tries to recruit a bug PMC to help defeat the invaders. We follow along as they attempt to weaponize fear against the enemy. Not only are we trying to figure out who would watch this, but also whether this or Antz is better.It's A Bug's Life… but why! That's the hour.If you have any questions or requests, send them to askwwwtpodcast@gmail.comFind us through:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whowouldwatchthisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whowouldwatchthis/TikTok: @podcastwhowouldwatchthisLetterboxd:Carl: https://letterboxd.com/carlllllllllll1/Oscar: https://letterboxd.com/oscarfart/More links: https://linktr.ee/whowouldwatchthis  

Hello and welcome to this week's show.  We are joining our LIVE show this week and take part in the Disney Animation Movie Countdown that's been going on over there for the last couple of shows.  We are at a crucial part of the Tourney as most of so-so movies are gone.  It's only the best from here on out.  https://www.thedisneynerds.com/ is the place to go to cast your votes for the next round!

This week's Frankly is another edition of Wide Boundary News, where Nate invites listeners to view the constant churn of headlines through a wider-boundary lens. He begins with the misleading framing of recent oil production statistics by the United States, which blurs distinctions between crude oil and broader petroleum products. Nate uses this as a case study in how data can be technically correct, yet structurally misleading – particularly when used for political storytelling. The lens widens as he considers whether the peak of the carbon pulse could pass without clear public understanding, especially as access to the underlying data becomes more restricted and fragmented. Nate then moves into the geopolitical and physical consequences of energy strain, focusing on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz as a critical chokepoint in global oil flows. He connects ongoing disruptions not only to price spikes, but also to how energy functions as a security commodity. These disruptions also extend into cascading effects on food systems, as things like fertilizer supply and cooking fuel reverse in access and affordability. Moving closer to home, Nate discusses the opening of Minnesota's Boundary Waters for copper-nickel mining, highlighting the tension between ecosystem protection and demand for mineral inputs to power any magnitude of energy transition. He also touches on the rapid expansion of AI data centers and the large share of electricity they use, framing this trend as the economic Superorganism diverting massive energy flows toward its cognitive layer, rather than only its muscular layer. Finally, Nate closes with a reflection on industrial livestock productivity as another expression of a system optimized for high output, but operating under energy conditions that may no longer hold.  Why do we need to think about energy as a security commodity? How much of our future depends on being told the truth? And what have we bred for – in cows, seed varieties, supply chains, cities, and financial systems – that we will not be able to feed, medicate, or transport on the backside of the carbon pulse? (Recorded May 5th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

If your idea of a perfect weekend involves a high-energy 3D concert experience where the audience is literally moshing in the cinema aisles, we have the ultimate recco from a global pop icon.We’re also talking about the heartwarming adaptation of a best-selling novel featuring a very sassy, very smart sea creature and a retired cleaner with a mystery to solve.Finally, we unpack a quirky new film about a flock of woolly detectives that features one of our favourite leading men, and has been crowned Em's favourite movie of the year (so far).Love binge-watching TV? The Spill has launched a new podcast called Watch Party where we deep dive into the shows everyone’s talking about. Follow the feed on Apple or Spotify now. Plus remember The Spill drops the tea twice a day in this feed so follow us for all the latest entertainment news… OR you can WATCH our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and enjoy the watch! Link here. Read more weekly watch recommendations from the Mamamia entertainment team here. THE END BITS Find and follow us on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespillpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thespillpod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thespillpodcast/ Read all the latest entertainment news on Mamamia: https://mamamia.com.au/entertainment/ Support Independent Women’s Media: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ Your subscription helps us continue to tell the stories that matter to women. Want to join the conversation? Have feedback or a topic you want us to discuss? Send us a voice message or email us at thespill@mamamia.com.au and we’ll get back to you ASAP! Executive Producer: Monisha Iswaran Audio & Video Producer: Michael Kean Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. You're listening to a Mom with mea podcast. 00:11Speaker 2 From Mom and May. I welcome to this bill, your daily pop culture fixed. I'm em Vernon and I'm Anihaiswarren, and we are doing we can Everything with my voice gone as well. It does not sound as nice as my previous weeks, because previous weeks does sound quite nice. 00:29Speaker 1 You've got a nice little husk going though. I feel like it's quite sexy. 00:32Speaker 2 I kind of hope it stays like this. 00:35Speaker 3 You're doing a bit of scar jokes and make my throat very dry though, so not good for you, but good for the people. 00:43Speaker 2 Yeah, good for everyone else. Anyway. It's our weekend Watch episode where we give you our favorite movies and TV shows to watch this weekend. On the show today, we have a movie that you can dance to in your living room or on the cinema stage. And we also have a movie that you can vibe with, laugh with, investigate. 01:05Speaker 1 With, talk with. You went on a real journey with that movie. 01:08Speaker 2 Oh my god, I have so much to say, spillers, But first, mon, you have a movie that's been on your radar recently. 01:14Speaker 3 Yes, so there's a movie that's coming out today and I haven't seen it yet because it only drops later tonight. 01:20Speaker 1 But I'm really excited about it because I've read the book. 01:22Speaker 3 Oh so I think a lot of people would have heard of this, because I think a lot of people are reading it right now. Literally went to the park the other day and I saw a woman get out of a book and it was this book. It's everywhere. You might recognize it as the bright yellow book with the octopus on it, yes, but it's called Remarkably Bright Creatures. 01:38Speaker 2 I've heard very, very good things about this book. 01:40Speaker 3 Yeah, it's spent more than sixty four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It's written by this lady called Shelby van Pelt. 01:48Speaker 1 I don't know any of her other work, but she wrote this book. 01:51Speaker 3 And I actually read it from my book club and I aced the quiz, so it did really well, And I want to free your. 01:56Speaker 2 Book club has quizzes? 01:58Speaker 1 Shall we do a quiz? We take it very serious, not one of. 02:00Speaker 2 Those meant to be fun and enjoyed. 02:03Speaker 1 It's fun and you learn things. Emily. 02:06Speaker 3 So the plot is basically the main character is called Tova Sullivan. She's this woman in her seventies she's retired, but she doesn't fully want to retire, so she still has this part time job cleaning the aquarium and the aquarium the town aquarium. Yeah, it's the aquarium of the town. And she forms a bond. Nothing weird, but she forms a bond with this octopus called Marcellus. 02:29Speaker 2 Is it like a sexual book. 02:30Speaker 3 It's not a sexual pod. It's more of a deeper emotional connection. 02:34Speaker 1 He just gets her. 02:35Speaker 2 Octopuses are meant to be very smart creatures. Isn't it octopi not octopuses. 02:39Speaker 1 I don't think it's octopi. Well, there's no plural in this because it's only one o. 02:43Speaker 2 Well, this octopus seems like he is he or she he muscles, is very smart. So this we have an octopus that would guess who would win the fief for World Cup. 02:52Speaker 3 Yes, so there's all these videos of octopus octopi that. 02:56Speaker 2 Go viral and she doesn't take it seriously. 02:59Speaker 1 But okay, well I'm pretty sure that's what it is. But the woman who wrote. 03:03Speaker 3 This book got inspired by one of those viral videos of the octopus doing something smart. She was like, oh, they're so smart, and then she like wrote this book and there's. 03:10Speaker 1 Parts that are from the octopus perspective. 03:12Speaker 2 They love crazy imaginations. I know, I watched that video and I was like, cool, that made like a massive career out of writing this, Like she's a. 03:21Speaker 3 Seller book, actually great character inspoke, So there's little parts of book that are from the octopus perspective. And he's quite like, I'm sure it's a good book. He said that he's quite disdainful of humans. He's always like, I don't know, he's always kind of like looking down on them. 03:36Speaker 1 It's kind of comic relief in the book club. 03:38Speaker 3 People were divided over whether he's very annoying or very lovable. 03:42Speaker 1 Ah, but anyway. 03:44Speaker 3 It premiered at Sundance earlier this year and was very well received, very warm reception, so I'm very excited to see it. Sally's Field is playing Toba, and Lewis Pullman is in it. He's playing Cameron, who's this other character, Who's this. 03:56Speaker 1 Guy who's like thirty. Honestly, he really annoyed me in it. 03:58Speaker 2 He's just kind of like thirty. 04:00Speaker 1 He's just trying to like, he just has nothing figured out. He just has he's always like. 04:05Speaker 2 Him a break, he's down thirty everything's always breaking. 04:08Speaker 1 His camper van's always breaking. I think it's it is. 04:12Speaker 3 If you read it, you do mean everything goes wrong and it's sort of his fault and you just get it together cameraon. 04:18Speaker 1 But anyway, he's also a lead character. So very excited to see it. I think it'll be quite a heartwarming watch. It's quite emotion I. 04:24Speaker 2 Think, do you think I should read the book before I watch it? 04:27Speaker 3 Yeah? Maybe if you can be bothered. But it's going to come out tonight, so I don't know if you want to be part of the cultural movement, and yeah, maybe I'll just watch the movie. 04:34Speaker 1 Maybe just watch it. 04:35Speaker 3 So it's out on Netflix, I believe around five pm tonight, remarkably Brian creatures. 04:40Speaker 2 I'm excited. 04:42Speaker 3 Okay, So I went to see a movie this week where I have to say, I haven't been to a movie where the atmosphere in the audience was like this crazy for a while. It was the Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, like the live concert experience in three D. 04:58Speaker 1 The day of a show, it just feels like any day at all. 05:02Speaker 4 I just feel like I'm like going to hang out with my friends. 05:05Speaker 2 Here I go. 05:08Speaker 4 To see the scrapes on my hands that is from the fans. I want to feel like it's me and them. You love that. 05:20Speaker 1 I love that. It was really good. 05:24Speaker 3 And I've never gone to a stadium tour of hers, like I didn't go to this tour. I've seen her at festivals when she was on the way up, like it grew in the moon and stuff, but. 05:31Speaker 1 I have never cared. 05:32Speaker 3 I've never seen her well after this, I really want to because she's amazing. I feel like I went to the concert because the crowd were like super fans, so everyone was there dressed in their like caps and kind of like dressed like her and were full like singing along. It was kind of like with the Ears tour with Taylor Swift, how people would go down to the front and like marsh in. 05:51Speaker 2 The like was there a marsh in your cinema? 05:53Speaker 1 There was a mosh in my cinema. 05:55Speaker 3 And the guy next to me was honestly, he brought a lot of the vibes like I wish I could recommend this movie. Sitting next to this particular man, he was like every time she did like a vocal run, he'd be like, yeah, he's kind of like do it along, and then he'd follow along every now and then be like, WHOA, I killed that anyway, So he was very invested. Would you consider yourself a Billie Eilish fan? 06:16Speaker 2 I would consider myself like, yeah, I would say I'm a fan of her music, but I don't know much about her as a person, and I don't think I would like when she came to Sydney. I think it was like a year ago she came to Sydney. I wasn't a big fan enough then to be like, Okay, I'm going to fork out for a concert ticket because concert tickets are expensive. 06:36Speaker 1 They are really expensive. 06:37Speaker 2 As you guys mentioned on the spill, this is. 06:40Speaker 1 A prime example of it. So I would say the same. 06:43Speaker 3 I really like a music, definitely not like a hardcore fan. So I went into it being like, oh am I going to be like a big enough fan to really enjoy this movie. But I really did. And I will say there were probably only like two songs I didn't recognize, like she has so many bangers. 06:56Speaker 2 Yeah, just keep going, and she's an excellent performer and live singer. 07:00Speaker 3 Because she obviously has so many deep emotional, moody songs. Me and my friend who went, We were like, whoa kind of like, you know, feels right now, but then it will suddenly be like bad guy and the whole cinema goes crazy. And it's obviously such a good way to get to experience that if you didn't go to the concert as well. I was thinking before the only concert films I can remember seeing other than this are the Eras Tour and then like never say never, the justin Peoble. 07:21Speaker 2 One, Oh yeah, oh did you ever you know which one I went to which when I was like quite young, like I was in primary school. The Hannah Montana concert me Miley Cyrus. 07:33Speaker 1 I did actually watch that too, and that was crazy. 07:36Speaker 2 Every time one of the Jonas brothers came on screen, every young girl in the cinema would just scream ahead off And I was like, because I was quite a mature young person, so I was like, they're not really there, They're not there. 07:48Speaker 3 I'm so glad you were there to clarify that I was such a looser. 07:51Speaker 2 I was like scolding these kids my age. 07:53Speaker 1 Yeah, like, thank thanks everyone. 07:56Speaker 3 So I feel like this one was different to sort of like the Ears to where it's just the concert films because they had these little behind the scenes interview bits with her as well on the day of the concert, and she it was done in collaboration with James Cameron, like he was one of the directors. 08:10Speaker 2 Oh wow, kind of friend. 08:11Speaker 1 I'm like in between avatars. 08:12Speaker 2 Yes, he's I need to show people the length of my work, not like blue people. 08:17Speaker 1 I'm more than that. 08:18Speaker 2 I'm more than avatar. 08:19Speaker 3 And the way it's shot is great, like the way she has such hypnotic eyes and the way she sort of stares down the camera. 08:25Speaker 2 And the way she does her makeup. I remember one of her I think it was Vogue where they do like the celebrities and how they do their makeup, and like her video went completely viral because of the way she does the eyeliner is so intense. 08:36Speaker 3 They show that in this too, where she sort of tweaks it on the end. She does all her hair and makeup for the tour herself. 08:42Speaker 2 That's crazy. And she's so good at makeup because her face always looks beat. 08:47Speaker 3 Yeah, she looked really great, and she talked about some really interesting things in the interview bits that he did with her, so she sort of explained her reasoning for why she dresses in the kind of basketball jersey and like baggy shorts for the concert, and she sort of spoke about how there's not that many female pop stars who don't do the whole like dress up and look really sexy kind of thing. Obviously we see that more with like Taylor Swift, Sabrina carp and to take and prey all those people, and she was like, I just didn't really want to have to do that because when I was growing up watching rap artists and they would just run around the stage being so comfortable and free, I just wanted to be like that, and she didn't see other women doing that, so she really wanted to be that for like the next generation of girls. 09:24Speaker 2 That's so cute. 09:25Speaker 1 Yeah, So I thought. 09:26Speaker 3 They showed really interesting things like that, a lot of interviews with the fans, and then also sort of showed how she is as a creative, like she's really involved in the lighting, she's really involved in everything to do with the stadium more than just like getting up there and singing. And then one thing I thought was really cute is that every town that they go to, they kind of connect with a rescue dog center and they bring in dogs for the crew and the other band members to like. 09:49Speaker 1 Have us like little therapy dogs and they play with them. 09:51Speaker 2 Shut up, why do we do that here? 09:53Speaker 1 And we should bring that. 09:55Speaker 2 We just had a dog in our studio just sleeping over there. 09:57Speaker 1 I think the podcast would be better. 09:58Speaker 2 Yeah, let's put that in our next like quarterly review. I want to do this, improvements to me for yourself, And I was like, improvements for everyone else bringing dogs. 10:10Speaker 3 So yeah, Billy Eilish hit me hard and soft. The tour live, it's out in cinema's now. Probably a good one if you have kids as well. I feel like all the like there were a lot of children there and they were really getting into it too, so. 10:20Speaker 2 Yeah, good family experience. Okay, I need to talk about a movie that I saw over the weekend. I was very lucky. I got to go to the Sydney screening of this movie. And when you know it's a weekend screening, it means there's going to be a lot of kids there. Because kids can come out in the weekend. 10:39Speaker 1 They're like vampires at night on the weekend. 10:41Speaker 2 We never see them throughout the week. We only see them on the weekend. So I went to the screening much similar to you, chaotic crowd, vibe vibes, a lot of children. And I was sitting next to Tina Burke and a few of us, and someone was like, Oh my god, look at all those kids over there. Look how many there are. And I was like, Oh my god, that's crazy. And then I realized those kids, all of them belonged to exact producer Georgie Page, all eight all millions of kids. There's like a million kids in that theater. Whoever went to Sheep Detectives in the weekend? All those kids you saw, all Georgie Pages kids, every single one of them. It was such a fun movie. Oh sorry, it's called Sheep Detectives. I should have lived with that. 11:22Speaker 1 The movie you've been talking about, a wee movie. 11:25Speaker 3 Of the year. 11:26Speaker 2 I reckon. I think Tina Burke agrees with me. Georgie, do you agree with me? She says, best movie ever. 11:33Speaker 5 If there's one secret to happiness in. 11:35Speaker 3 My life, it's taking care of the kindest creatures on earth, sheep. 11:42Speaker 4 I'm keeping them well fed, well groomed, and. 11:45Speaker 2 Each day read out loud to them mysteries who've done it? I know who the killer was. 11:51Speaker 1 Our shepherd was murdered and we shall solve the crime. I am George Hardy's lawyer. 11:57Speaker 5 He wrote and will in the night Time stories that people and the will are always the suspects. 12:01Speaker 2 That man had nothing. 12:03Speaker 1 Well, actually there is thirty million dollars and we have our motive. 12:09Speaker 2 It is so good. I regret not bringing more people because I want everyone to watch this. 12:15Speaker 3 You're like, why didn't they shut down the street at the State Theater like for dettlewors Prada. 12:19Speaker 2 I actually reckon, Hugh Jackman should have done like a big premiere here, Like, the reception for this movie is huge? 12:25Speaker 1 So is he in it quite a lot? 12:27Speaker 2 He's yes, he's in trailer. 12:29Speaker 1 Didn't make it seem that way. 12:30Speaker 2 Because his character dies very early on in the movie, which is also shown in the trailer, but he comes back during like flashbacks and stuff like that. So he's in like the whole length of the movie as an actor. Okay, but it's the highest rated movie he's ever done. 12:43Speaker 1 That's so unfortunate for him. What about the Greatest Showman? I thought that the guy's literally Wolverine. 12:52Speaker 2 Sorry, Hugh, but it is what it is anyway, sheep detective what it's about? So yes, Hugh Jackman is I would say the main character. He plays a shepherd who owns like this flock of sheep, and they're not like you know how when you see a flock of sheep, how they all look the same. 13:08Speaker 4 Not. 13:10Speaker 2 I think he like collects him throughout his life, so they're all like kind of like sheep who have just all come together. Anyways, he loves his sheep so much. She lives in just like a little caravan on his like field. And every night he reads detective stories to his sheep, and they say and he thinks he's just having a good time reading stories to his sheep, and then when he goes inside, it's shown to the audience that the sheep actually understand everything he's been saying, and they get really into the detective stories. His I was gonna say, the main sheep, his main sheep, the top sheep. His name is Lily. 13:46Speaker 1 Oh, it's a woman. It's a woman. 13:48Speaker 2 And she is played by Julia Louis Dreyfuss. Oh, very very good. She is like so well done. The other main character sheep is Sebastian and he's played by Brian Cranson, also really well done. 14:00Speaker 3 They played by just the voice, the voice voice. They're not there the voice. The sheep are very much Cgi sheep, and they're very very cute anyway, So what happens. Hugh Jackman murdered. I forgot his real name in the movie. We're calling him Hugh Jackman. 14:17Speaker 2 But you're not spoiling because he's in the trailer. It's in the trailer. He gets murdered, and then the sheep decide to investigate his murder because they know so much about murder because he's been reading them all these detective stories. 14:28Speaker 1 It's almost like he knew it was gonna happen. 14:30Speaker 2 Ah nice, And it's really hard for the sheep because they've never left their flock and they've never left the field, so even just crossing a road, they've never seen a road before. The Steaks couldn't be high of the sheep leaving their field to get into the town because the stupid humans don't know what they're doing. Nicholas Braun is the main police guy and the only police guy of the town. He has no idea what he's doing. He's busy taking orders from Emma Thompson and she's just the lawyer. She has no idea what she's doing, so the have to keep giving the humans clues so they can help investigate Hugh Jackman's death. 15:05Speaker 3 Do you know there's actually a lot of parallels to this in the Octopus book, because the octopus. 15:08Speaker 1 Helped solve a mystery. I forgot to say that. 15:10Speaker 3 So there's a running commentary that humans need to listen to animals more. 15:14Speaker 2 Okay, whatever, No, it's true. I think humans need to listen to animals more. And in the end, they do listen to them. I mean not physically. They still can't understand what they're saying, but they do listen to them. But there was a lot of good analogies in this, So, like the sheep do this thing where they all come down to three to forget what they just experience. So it's all about like kind of like living in your trauma, not always like pushing things aside and trying to forget it. 15:41Speaker 1 So what but count down to three to forget what they're just seeing because they were. 15:44Speaker 2 Like, Hugh Jackman just died. Everyone, let's forget this. This was so terrible. One, two, three, And then they forget it. But then they were like, no, we deserve to remember Hugh Jackman. He did so much for our life and for our flock. But then, but then I looked into this, this is not a thing that sheep do. Sheep have actually very good memories and remember everything. 16:02Speaker 3 Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't expect so that was kind of a PLoP hole in the movie. 16:06Speaker 1 I thought this was steeped. 16:07Speaker 2 In real sheep yess. Yes, what is a real sheep? Fact though, is that there's a cute little lamb in the movie that's like really like muddy and dirty, and the other sheep want nothing to do with it because it's the winter lamb and usually when lambs are born in the winter gets rejected by. 16:24Speaker 1 The flock so they die. 16:26Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, this one didn't die spoilers, but like Hugh Jackman's the only one that really loves it, and he died. He dies, And now who's gonna love the lamb? 16:36Speaker 1 I'm gonna want you to forget that? 16:38Speaker 4 What? 16:39Speaker 2 Two? 16:39Speaker 4 Three? 16:40Speaker 1 What lamb? 16:41Speaker 2 What is this place? Where am I? But anyway, okay, I do want to say that this movie, although it's like marketed towards kids and family, it is such a good movie and it's also has really deep themes that I didn't expect from a kid's movie, kind of like int like where like you know how adults like draw so many like parallels to it. It's one of those really good movies. It's also much sader than what I expected. And because the whole thing's in a mystery, it's kind of like a Sherlock's Home vibe where you're like trying to guess who the killer is A body kid next to me guessed it in two seconds. 17:19Speaker 1 We like, don't spoil it. 17:21Speaker 2 Well, the person came on screen and the kid next to me was like, that person did it, And I was like, kids are so stupid. And then as I was watching, I was like, oh, maybe they're just I think that might be And then yeah, that eight year old kid next to me just spoiled the whole movie. But you know what, kids are smart. I guess. 17:38Speaker 3 Well, it's really good though, when they do those movies that parents can also genuinely enjoy, not just like you know some like Duck. 17:44Speaker 4 Well. 17:45Speaker 2 Everyone from our team were just like full adults. We didn't besides Georgie, we all bought other adult people. 17:50Speaker 3 You guys decided Saturday, this is what I'm doing and watching some sheeps of. 17:54Speaker 2 The Murder and I'm so glad I did. I really want to watch it again. 17:57Speaker 1 Now you have really sold it. I want to see it now. 17:59Speaker 2 Oh my god, it's so good. Anyway, that's sheep detectives in cinemas. Yes, you can take your family, but I promise you you will enjoy it more than your kids. 18:07Speaker 1 Thank you so much for listening to this spill. 18:09Speaker 3 We have another super exciting episode dropping this afternoon, a brutally honest review of a film that you absolutely don't. 18:16Speaker 1 Want to miss. Emma and Laura are unpacking all of it. 18:19Speaker 3 This fill is produced by me Minishiuslawn with a video production by Michael Keene and we'll see you this afternoon. 18:25Speaker 5 Bye see ya, Mamma. Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land. We have recorded this podcast on the Gatigol people of the eorination. 18:42Speaker 1 We pay our respects to their elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us were taught that humans have been the dominant force shaping the modern world through sheer grit, ingenuity, and innovation. While true to an extent, there are also deep, embedded laws of energy that have both constrained and enabled human cleverness and our influence over our surroundings. What exactly are these laws, and what happened in the past few centuries that allowed for an explosion of technology and consumption? Perhaps more importantly, how can that knowledge help us understand how the decades and centuries ahead might be different? In this episode, Nate is joined by earth scientist and thermodynamicist Tad Patzek for a deep dive into the mathematics and physics driving humanity's energetic and material predicament. Tad walks us through the six great flows of power and materials that keep civilization running, and explains why our public conversation about all of them is dangerously detached from physical reality. He argues that planetary breakdown is not merely a side effect of an economic system built on growing these flows – it is a direct mathematical consequence of overshoot. He rounds out this picture by pointing out that every energy transition in history has been additive, not subtractive – increasing total power in the system – and the current push toward renewables is no exception. What if we were to truly see ourselves through the lens of all the energy we consume – for Americans, the equivalent of a 40-ton whale – would that change how we live? How do technology, population, and per capita energy consumption amplify each other, creating an exponential demand for power? And if we were to acknowledge the inseparability of our ecological crises and our energy blindness, would it help us change our behavior in accordance with the kind of world we'd want our grandchildren to inherit? (Conversation recorded on March 11th, 2026)   About Tad Patzek: Tad Patzek is Professor Emeritus of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering at the Earth Sciences Division and Director of the Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Center in KAUST, Saudi Arabia. Formerly, he was the Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Professor and Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he was previously a Professor of Geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Berkeley, he was a researcher at Shell Development, a research company managed for 20 years by M. King Hubbert. He is also a full Presidential Professor in Poland, which is the highest honor, and also served as a member of the DOI Macondo Well Advisory Committee. Patzek's current research involves mathematical and numerical modeling of earth systems with emphasis on fluid flow in soils and rocks that can be hydrofractured. He is working on the thermodynamics and ecology of human survival, and food and energy supply for humanity. His current emphasis is the use of unconventional natural gas as a fuel bridge to the possible new energy supply schemes for the world. Patzek is a coauthor of over 400 papers and reports, and most recently, he has cumulated his research into his upcoming book Thermal Power and Climate Change: A Data-Driven Analysis of Cause and Effect, 1800-2100 (Preprint available now)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

In this week's Frankly, Nate steps away from analysis and reflects on a call that reframed his thinking. He shares a recent conversation with a close friend living in Lebanon, who amid ongoing daily violence and loss has been hosting displaced families and leading meditation practices in her community. Nate notes that her grounded presence, alongside the trust she carries from a centuries-old lineage in her village, reveals the ways in which social capital and contemplative practice can hold someone steady as the world around them changes. From that conversation, Nate distills the wider work of this platform into three questions he believes may matter more than the macro-analysis he usually offers. Who are we going to be when comfort and convenience start thinning out? How are we going to live with a biophysical haircut on the horizon? And what are we willing to protect, even at a cost? He notices how many people watching from the relative safety of the Global North live in a constant low-grade state of stress, even without immediate cause, while his friend remains grounded despite being surrounded by actual danger. Nate suggests that separating our internal responses from the external world is the primary work ahead of us, and closes by naming the recent shift in his own curiosity toward the question of who we might become as humans sitting at the precipice of a species-level transition. When comfort and convenience start thinning out, who are you going to be? How do you separate your internal fight or flight response from what is actually happening around you? And what are you willing to give some of your life's energy to protect? (Recorded April 30th, 2026)   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

Over three-quarters of the global population has never lived through a major global energy crisis, such as those of the 1970s. In early 2026, that is about to change as the world faces the largest energy disruption in history, measured by the daily loss of oil output. This crisis won't be evenly distributed but will be felt everywhere – and is guaranteed to have ripple effects we won't see coming. How much oil remains in circulation, and what level of damage has already been inflicted on our global energy infrastructure? In this episode, Nate is joined by oil market analyst Rory Johnston to discuss how the Strait of Hormuz closure has led to the largest oil supply shock in history, and what the exact numbers and cascading effects are. He also breaks down the primary strategies countries will have to use to adapt to energy losses, including resorting to demand destruction, and what the disastrous risks are if shortages are allowed to persist. Rory also explains the lag between the closure, the real world impact of oil not being able to enter global circulation, and the market's response. Ultimately, Rory and Nate explore the impact of this situation on international trust and cooperation, and what that might mean for a global market system predicated on interdependence and free trade.  Who are the energy winners and losers in this war so far, and how are our global leaders accounting for the exponential risks of continued warfare? In what way can average people prepare for the energy shocks soon to ripple out across the globe? And lastly, if we do recover from this scenario, how might we treat these disruptions as a dress rehearsal for a future of lower material throughput by building greater resilience and interconnection at the local level? (Conversation recorded on April 23rd, 2026)     About Rory Johnston: Rory Johnston is a Toronto-based oil market researcher, the founder of Commodity Context, a lecturer at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, host of the Oil Ground Up podcast, as well as a Fellow with both the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. He is a leading voice on oil market analysis, advising institutional investors, global policy makers, and corporate decision makers.  Prior to founding Commodity Context, Rory led commodity economics research at Scotiabank where he set the bank's energy and metals price forecasts, advised the bank's executives and clients, and sat on the bank's senior credit committee for commodity-exposed sectors.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners