Podcasts about Big Bang

Nobel laureate Sir Roger Penrose dismantles standard cosmology, arguing the Big Bang wasn't the beginning and quantum mechanics is fundamentally wrong. He then connects a real, gravitational wave function collapse to the non-computational nature of consciousness and why today's AI can't truly understand. Sponsors: - Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code, at https://claude.ai/theoriesofeverything - As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: - 00:00 - The Big Bang Wasn't The Beginning - 02:14 - Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC) - 09:12 - The Collapse Problem - 14:31 - A Feeling of Elation - 24:32 - Gödel and Understanding - 37:32 - Gravitational Collapse - 50:05 - Critique of Modern AI - 57:12 - Black Hole Information "Paradox" - 1:04:15 - Wheeler, Wigner, & Witten - 1:15:04 - Richard Feynman in Poland - 1:20:25 - Libet's Timing of Consciousness - 1:32:49 - Three Worlds, Three Mysteries - 1:44:14 - Why Quantum Mechanics Is Wrong Links mentioned: - Stuart Hameroff [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0_bQwdJir1o - Classical Theory [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9409195 - Rebecca Goldstein [TOE]: https://youtu.be/VkL3BcKEB6Y - The Emperor's New Mind [Book]: https://www.amazon.ca/Emperors-New-Mind-Concerning-Computers/dp/0192861980 - Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe [Book]: https://www.amazon.ca/Fashion-Faith-Fantasy-Physics-Universe/dp/0691178534 - Perturbative Gauge Theory as a String Theory in Twistor Space [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0312171 - What Is Life? [Book]: https://www.amazon.ca/What-Life-Matter-Autobiographical-Sketches/dp/1107604664 - Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Exdz2HKP7u0 - Why I Don't Buy the Simulation Hypothesis (Nor Materialism) [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3_lBPMc6JRY - Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics [Book]: https://www.amazon.ca/Consciousness-Quantum-Mechanics-Shan-Gao/dp/0197501664 - Ivette Fuentes [TOE]: https://youtu.be/cUj2TcZSlZc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Q&A Edition: Spaghettification, Neutron Stars, and the Mysteries of WormholesIn this mind-bending episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Jonti Horner tackle fascinating questions from listeners that delve into the depths of cosmic phenomena. From the peculiar concept of spaghettification to the nature of black holes and the theoretical existence of wormholes, this episode is a treasure trove of astronomical insights and engaging dialogue.Episode Highlights:- Understanding Spaghettification: Buddy from Oregon asks if spaghettification is real or merely an illusion. Andrew and Jonti break down the science behind this phenomenon, explaining how the immense gravitational forces near a black hole stretch objects into long, thin shapes, much like spaghetti.- Neutron Stars vs. Black Holes: Istok from Slovenia inquires about the density of neutron stars and what happens to matter inside black holes. The hosts explore the fascinating properties of neutron stars and the limits of our understanding regarding black holes and the nature of singularities.- Theoretical Wormholes: Foster from Norway poses a question about the parameters needed for wormholes to exist, inspired by the film Interstellar. Andrew and Jonti discuss the theoretical framework of wormholes, their implications for space travel, and the challenges of proving their existence.- Pre-Big Bang Theories: Rob's thought-provoking question leads to a discussion about singularities and the potential existence of black holes before the Big Bang. The hosts explore the philosophical implications of what may have existed before time and space as we know them.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

¿Y si el Big Bang nunca fue realmente el principio? ¿Y si tú no eres solo uno, sino una infinita multitud de versiones viviendo en universos paralelos? Exploramos las teorías más alucinantes de la física moderna: desde la gravedad cuántica que sugiere un universo eterno sin comienzo, hasta la mecánica cuántica que nos dice que las cosas no existen hasta que las miramos (exactamente como en un videojuego). Pasamos por la teoría del multiverso de Sean Carroll, la hipótesis de la simulación de Nick Bostrom, y llegamos hasta la propuesta más perturbadora de todas: que el universo entero podría ser una autosimulación, un sueño en la mente de Dios. La ciencia de vanguardia se ha vuelto indistinguible de la metafísica, y los físicos teóricos suenan cada vez más como profetas. Bienvenidos al lado más extraño de la realidad. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Our episode discussion includes wondering how many weddings Amy is being invited too, Howard needing to grow up, where we fall on the chicken dance, and more!Download hereRunning time: 56:30, 40.8 MB

In August 1925, two years before the famed Bristol Sessions, Ralph Peer and Okeh Records set up a temporary studio on the rooftop of Asheville's brand-new Vanderbilt Hotel.Over ten sweltering days, local musicians cut sixty test records, capturing the raw sounds of traditional Appalachian ballads, banjo tunes, and old songs. Though often overlooked, these Asheville sessions lit the spark that would explode two years later in Bristol, igniting the Big Bang of country music.If you've not done so already, be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for watching.

# Exploring Cosmic Frontiers: Latest James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries - The Space Cowboy PodcastDiscover the universe's deepest mysteries in this captivating episode of The Space Cowboy podcast. Journey through groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope discoveries, from potentially the oldest galaxy ever detected to stunning nebula revelations and unexpected planetary changes in our solar system.## Key Topics Covered:* Capotauro: Possibly the universe's oldest galaxy, formed just 100 million years after the Big Bang—or perhaps an extraordinarily cold brown dwarf?* The Red Spider Nebula: Webb's infrared vision reveals stunning new details about this stellar graveyard spanning 3 light-years* Neptune's mysterious cooling: Surprising temperature drops and unexpected aurora patterns challenging our understanding of ice giants* Cutting-edge technology: How AI saved Webb's mission when its mirrors shifted during launchPerfect for astronomy enthusiasts, space exploration fans, and anyone fascinated by our cosmic neighborhood. Join The Space Cowboy for an accessible yet scientifically rich discussion of how Webb continues to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.#JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #Astronomy #Cosmology #GalaxyDiscovery #SpaceExploration #Astrophysics #SciencePodcastSome great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Uno de los mayores enigmas de la física es entender por qué existimos, por qué, tras el Big Bang, no se produjo una aniquilación completa de la materia y la antimateria dando lugar a un universo compuesto únicamente por luz. El experimento LHCb del CERN ha observado por primera vez una asimetría entre materia y antimateria en el decaimiento de bariones, unas partículas similares a los protones y neutrones. Aunque la diferencia es minúscula, apenas un 5 % de diferencia, ofrece una clara evidencia de que la naturaleza podría no ser tan simétrica como pensábamos. Nos lo cuenta Ángel Morcillo, investigador del Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (IGFAE).

Enlem ve Boylam'ın bu bölümünde, ağırlıklı olarak din, bilim, felsefe konularının yer aldığı "Tartışmalar" serimize devam ediyoruz. Bu bölümde şu başlıklara değinilmiştir: - Big Bang (Büyük Patlama) - Çoklu evrenler - Evrenin bir başlangıcının olması, Tanrı'nın varlığını gereksinir mi? - Kur'an'da 5 vakit namaz var mı?

Com Yorgos Lanthimos, Julia Ducournau, Cleo Diára, Fernanda Polacow

Peace Through Business: Building Peace by Empowering Women Entrepreneurs In a world often torn by conflict, peace through business may sound like a lofty goal. Yet for nearly two decades, that's exactly what Dr. Terry Neese , Monica Smiley, and the Peace Through Business Program have been accomplishing—helping women in Afghanistan, Rwanda, and now Uganda rise as entrepreneurs, leaders, and community changemakers. In the final episode of my three-part Peace Through Business podcast series, I was joined by Monica Smiley, president and founder of the Enterprising Women Foundation and publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women magazine. Monica, a long-time champion of women entrepreneurs worldwide, shared the remarkable journey of Dr. Neese, the founder of Peace Through Business, and how the Enterprising Women Foundation has joined forces to carry that mission forward. A Vision Born from a Call to Action The story began nearly twenty years ago when First Lady Laura Bush called Terry Neese with a bold request: travel with her to Afghanistan to help empower women through entrepreneurship. Despite her husband's warnings about the risks, Terry packed her bags and boarded a plane. What she witnessed changed her life. Soon after, she founded the Peace Through Business Program under the IEEW banner—a leadership and entrepreneurship training initiative designed to equip women in post-conflict nations with the tools to rebuild their lives and their communities through business ownership. Terry was no stranger to pioneering women's initiatives. She had co-founded Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), served as a president of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), and played a pivotal role in passing H.R. 5050, the landmark legislation often called the "Big Bang" of women's entrepreneurship by creating the National Women's Business Council, laying the groundwork for a network of Women's Business Centers across the nation, and changing archaic laws that kept women from getting credit in their own names. From her base in Oklahoma City, this native of Cookie Town, Oklahoma, went on to build a global movement rooted in one core belief: economic empowerment is the path to peace. From Afghanistan to Rwanda: Courage in Action What began as a training program for Afghan women quickly expanded. Within a year, Peace Through Business added Rwanda, a country rebuilding after the genocide that took more than 800,000 lives. "In Rwanda," Monica shared, "women literally held up the sky after the genocide." Many were left as heads of households and community leaders. With support from Peace Through Business, these women learned to create sustainable enterprises that fueled their country's recovery. Rwanda is now one of the few nations in the world where women hold a majority in Parliament, a testament to their determination and leadership. One unforgettable example is Chantal, a graduate of the program who turned a personal crisis into opportunity. After a car accident left her vehicle stranded abroad for repairs, she realized there were no local body shops. Determined to change that, she founded the first woman-owned auto repair business in Rwanda—and even created the National Garage Owners Association to help others follow her lead. When Monica presented Chantal with the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award, both women were moved to tears. "She had lost over 200 family members during the genocide," Monica recalled. "It was the only time I've ever broken down during a speech. The resilience of these women is indescribable." Adapting and Persevering Through Crisis The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021 brought enormous challenges. The program's Afghan director, Manizha, happened to be in the U.S. when the country collapsed. She immediately called her team, instructing them to destroy records to protect participants from reprisal. In the days that followed, Peace Through Business helped over 300 graduates escape the country while continuing to support those who remained. Today, the Afghan program operates entirely online. The women meet virtually several times a week in a ten-week course covering business planning, marketing, finance, taxation, and leadership. Because many participants lack internet access, the program covers their connectivity costs. As Monica noted, "It's like a mini-MBA. The women are committed attendance is strict, there are assignments, tests, and business plans are developed." Graduates then join the Peace Through Business Alumni Association, where they mentor other women and "pay it forward." The results have been extraordinary: alumnae have launched new ventures, expanded into export markets, and even entered politics as ministers and policymakers. Watch our video on YouTube Here: A Call to Action: Women Helping Women Monica's message is clear—these programs depend on us. With cutbacks to international aid, nonprofit funding is tighter than ever, even as demand grows. "We had 124 Afghan women apply for 35 openings this year," she said. "The need is overwhelming." Every dollar and every mentor counts. Mentors are matched virtually with entrepreneurs to share expertise and encouragement. Donations go directly toward training, internet access, and modest stipends for local program directors like Manizha and Chantal, who continue to risk so much for others. Monica's organization, Enterprising Women Foundation, now hosts the Peace Through Business program, helping amplify its reach and celebrating its graduates at the annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards. The partnership exemplifies how women lifting women can create ripple effects across continents—building stronger families, economies, and, ultimately, peace. Building Peace, One Business at a Time As I closed our conversation, I reflected on how deeply these women embody resilience and hope. Their stories remind us that peace is not simply the absence of conflict—it is the presence of opportunity. When women gain access to education, mentorship, and entrepreneurship, they transform not only their own lives but the futures of entire communities. Programs like Peace Through Business show that empowering women economically is one of the most powerful peace strategies in the world. The program is now operating in Canada and the United Kingdom. It is mostly serving immigrant women entrepreneurs from around the globe who have moved to those countries and need the Peace Through Business training. The Program is becoming truly global. If you would like to support or mentor women through the Peace Through Business program, visit Enterprising Women Foundation at www.enterprisingwomenfoundation. Together, we can build peace—one woman, one business, and one community at a time. Connect with me: Website: www.simonassociates.net Email: info@simonassociates.net Books: Learn more about our books here: Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business Women Mean Business: Over 500 Insights from Extraordinary Leaders to Spark Your Success On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights Listen + Subscribe: Available wherever you get your podcasts—Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, and more. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share with someone navigating their own leadership journey. Reach out and contact us if you want to see how a little anthropology can help your business grow. Let's Talk!

L'EPFL présente "Votegral", sécurité du scrutin renforcée et dépouillement accéléré Les brèves du jour L'oesophagite à éosinophiles, une nouvelle maladie de plus en plus répandue Un drôle de poisson, cuirassé, sans mâchoire et au grand cœur, bouleverse les paléontologues La science en chansons : aux origines de la théorie du Big Bang avec Björk

Un trou noir isolé, massif, découvert dans un coin presque vide de l'univers primitif : voilà la découverte surprenante faite par le télescope James Webb. L'objet, nommé Abell 2744-QSO1, est apparu seulement 700 millions d'années après le Big Bang, à une époque où les premières galaxies commençaient à peine à se former. Ce qui intrigue les scientifiques, c'est qu'il semble avoir émergé sans environnement structuré, sans étoiles autour, dans une région dépourvue de métaux. En clair, ce trou noir ne correspond à aucun scénario classique de formation.Pour comprendre comment un tel monstre a pu apparaître aussi tôt, les chercheurs explorent des pistes alternatives. L'hypothèse de l'effondrement direct d'un immense nuage de gaz est évoquée, mais elle nécessite des conditions extrêmement rares. Alors une autre idée refait surface : celle des trous noirs primordiaux. Ces objets hypothétiques seraient nés juste après le Big Bang, non pas à partir d'étoiles, mais directement depuis les fluctuations de densité dans un univers jeune, chaud et instable. Si cette hypothèse se confirme, cela bouleverserait notre compréhension de la naissance des structures cosmiques.Ce cas soulève une question vertigineuse : les trous noirs sont-ils uniquement des fins d'étoiles… ou ont-ils été là dès le départ, jouant un rôle central dans l'évolution de l'univers ? La découverte d'Abell 2744-QSO1 remet en cause les modèles établis et ouvre la porte à de nouvelles théories sur la formation des premières galaxies, voire sur la nature de la matière noire. À travers ce trou noir presque “nu”, on entrevoit peut-être les traces d'un passé cosmique encore largement inconnu.

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes award-winning science author Melissa Stewart to discuss her latest picture book, From BAM to BURP: A Carbon Atom's Never-Ending Journey Through Space and Time and YOU. With over 200 science books for children under her belt, Melissa takes listeners on an extraordinary journey that begins with the Big Bang and ends with a third grader's breakfast burp—all while following a single carbon atom across billions of years.What started as a curious question from a third grader during a school visit became a cosmic adventure that connects kids to the larger natural processes of our universe. Melissa shares how she uses her background in biology and science journalism to spark wonder and curiosity in young readers, why she believes getting kids invested in nature is more important than ever, and how seeing ourselves as "just a speck in this gigantic universe" can actually inspire humility, gratitude, and environmental responsibility.Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review (coming soon).Highlights:From Shower to Page: How Melissa uses her morning routine and shower time as a creative problem-solving techniqueThe Question That Started It All: The third grader's persistent curiosity that inspired a billion-year carbon journeyCarbon Beyond Climate: Why this essential element deserves celebration, not just concernFinding Wonder Everywhere: Melissa's approach to staying curious, from tree holes to rail trailsConnecting Cosmic to Personal: Why it's important for children to see themselves as part of larger natural processesThe Publishing Timeline: How Melissa juggles writing new books while promoting ones that won't release for yearsNotable Quotes:"I always say that sort of the mission of my writing is to just make kids curious. And if one of my books can inspire a child to chase after a butterfly, to see where it's going, or look under a rock, then my job is done." —Melissa Stewart"We are just sort of like a speck in this gigantic universe... the more that they can kind of feel the sense of awe that we even exist. Like it's a coincidence... and to just really be humble and grateful about our existence." —Melissa Stewart"Carbon is sometimes a little bit maligned because of its role in climate change and global warming, but the carbon cycle is so critical to life on Earth. Life could not exist without it." —Melissa StewartBooks Mentioned:From BAM to BURP: A Carbon Atom's Never-Ending Journey Through Space and Time and YOU by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns: Amazon or Bookshop.orgWhale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey: Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠Meet the Mini Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum by Melissa Stewart: Amazon or Bookshop.orgMonarch and Morning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen: Amazon or Bookshop.orgAbout Melissa Stewart:Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than two hundred science books for children. She holds degrees in biology and science journalism. Recent books include Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate, Seashells: More Than a Home, Feathers: Not Just for Flying, and Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem.For more: melissa-stewart.comCredits:Host: Bianca SchulzeGuest: Melissa StewartProducer: Bianca Schulze

Production 6G: "Terminus" (February 15-23, 1983) - Classic Doctor Who Season 20 Review The TARDIS crew faces heartbreak as beloved companion Nyssa of Traken makes her emotional departure from the Doctor's travels. After narrowly escaping the Black Guardian's schemes in the previous adventure, the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, and newly-arrived Turlough find themselves trapped aboard Terminus - a massive deteriorating space station serving as a quarantine facility and leper colony for victims of the incurable and dreaded Lazar's disease (also known as Lazars' Syndrome). This plague causes horrific decay and degeneration, with sufferers banished to Terminus where the mysterious robotic Vanir administer inadequate treatment using controlled doses of radiation from the station's unstable engines. As the Doctor investigates Terminus's terrible secret - that the station sits at the exact center of the known universe and may have caused the Big Bang itself - compassionate Nyssa witnesses the suffering of countless Lazar victims denied proper care. In a stunning character-defining moment, Sarah Sutton's Nyssa chooses to leave the TARDIS forever, dedicating her scientific knowledge and Trakenite healing abilities to finding a genuine cure for Lazar's disease and providing humane treatment to the abandoned plague victims. Her selfless sacrifice represents one of Classic Doctor Who's most noble companion exits. Join podcaster John S. Drew and acclaimed writer/editor Jim Beard as they master time and space, delivering comprehensive reviews of every Classic Doctor Who serial. In this bittersweet Season 20 analysis, they discuss the poignant farewell to Nyssa after two and a half seasons of adventures, critique how writer Stephen Gallagher and script editor Eric Saward frustratingly sideline both Turlough and Tegan throughout the serial (reducing them to passive observers despite being featured cast), and highlight the desperate need for stronger script editing to tighten Steve Gallagher's ambitious but unfocused and meandering narrative that struggles to balance cosmic mythology with human drama. Jim candidly admits he will genuinely miss Nyssa's presence and Sarah Sutton's consistently excellent performances, but acknowledges her departure feels appropriately timed - her character role had been significantly diminished throughout Season 20 as the crowded TARDIS team left insufficient story material for her scientific expertise and compassionate nature to shine. The Black Guardian Trilogy continues with cosmic stakes and emotional consequences. Subscribe to The Doctor's Beard Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms. Connect with our passionate Whovian community by emailing us at thedoctorsbeardpodcast@gmail.com or joining our active Facebook and BlueSky discussions for exclusive Doctor Who content, character analysis, and fan theories. Check out Jim Beard's latest creative release - a beautiful blank journal book featuring an original sketch from Jim himself, perfect for Whovians and creative writers! Available now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Strums-Story-Thinkin-Journal/dp/B0FTVDVD45 Become a Patreon member today for early episode access, bonus behind-the-scenes content, exclusive deep-dive Doctor Who analysis, and special multimedia reviews covering comics, audio dramas, and music. Your support helps us continue our complete journey through Classic Doctor Who! Hashtags: #DoctorWho #ClassicDoctorWho #FifthDoctor #PeterDavison #Terminus #Season20 #Nyssa #SarahSutton #NyssaDeparture #CompanionExit #FarewellNyssa #Turlough #MarkStrickson #TeganJovanka #JanetFielding #BlackGuardianTrilogy #LazarsDisease #LazarsSyndrome #SpaceStation #BigBang #UniverseOrigin #StephenGallagher #EricSaward #ScriptEditor #DoctorWho1983 #CompanionFarewell #TrakenCompanion #DoctorWhoReview #DoctorWhoPodcast #TheDoctorsBeardPodcast #TARDIS #Whovian #EmotionalExit #SelflessSacrifice #DoctorWhoCompanions #ClassicWho #BBC #BritishSciFi #DoctorWhoFandom #DoctorWhoHistory #SciFiTV #JimBeard #CreativeJournal #OriginalArt #DoctorWhoMerchandise #20thAnniversary

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 18 Even if you know who you crawl into bed with, be surprised. In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.   You will never see tomorrow's sunrise or yesterday's night. Caught In the Middle My clothing melted away as I slowly made my way to the bed. On the far side, Mercy reclined with some degree of expectation and happiness on her face. Her hands were cuffed over her head and her thighs showed some degree of vaginal stimulation by Rio. Last night Rio had taken it slow and gentle with her. Tonight, I imagined that Rio was going to tear a chunk off, so to speak. On the closer side of the bed rested Brandi (on the outside), Opal, Paige and Barbie Lynn. Barbie Lynn was pretending to be disinterested, throwing a yawn into the act; Paige's eyes were riveted on me; Opal acted as if she was smitten with me as well; and Brandi knew something was going on but wasn't sure what it was. Poor Paige was about to be ambushed. "Hey, my petit Принцесса," I simmered at Paige as I crawled up the bed toward her. It was clear she wanted to be center stage tonight, but she kept dragging along her body issues she'd felt thrust upon her years ago. A woman doesn't have to be busting out of a D-cup, have an hourglass shape, or the face of a Victoria's Secret model to pull a man's eye in for a feast. I got to Paige's ankles and the confidence of her smile shown through. She pulled her legs up and prepared to slip off her panties. "No you don't," I cautioned her as I grabbed her ankles and pulled her down toward me. "What did you call her?" Brandi chimed in. "I'm pretty sure that means 'Princess' in Russian," I replied in a husky voice, my eyes still soaking up Paige's beauty. "I once saw a Swedish art house film translated over to Russian in a Bangkok theater." "That's freaky-weird," Mercy remarked, running her fingers along her collar. "You can recall a word from a film in a language you don't even understand." "It had to do with a woman," Barbie Lynn grinned at Mercy before turning to me. "He's like that, and I love him for it." Paige looked from Mercy to Barbie Lynn to me, and that was her mistake. "Hey!" Paige squawked as Barbie Lynn and Opal grabbed her wrists and forearms, maneuvering them over her head. She struggled with Barbie Lynn and Opal but they were far more athletic than she was. I settled in between her legs and began kissing the insides of her upper thighs. "No," Paige began moaning as Barbie Lynn and Opal began sucking on her breasts through her sheer bra. Rio came striding into the room still stark naked but now carrying a large bowl of Neapolitan ice cream covered in chocolate syrup and a cherry. She rounded the bed and stutter-stepped. "Crap," she muttered. "Take this," Rio put the bowl on Mercy's quivering stomach, "I've got to get something for my Spank-o-matic." Spank-o-matic was her pet name for Barbie Lynn. Opal moved her lips up Paige's chest to her throat. Barbie Lynn, on the other side, jumped past Opal by going straight from the nipple to the ear. Since Opal was on her side, Brandi was able to straddle her and lean over to Paige's chest. She rolled up Paige's bra, temporarily pinching those pale pink nipples. "Iiieee!" Paige jolted. "Watch, her protests were buried by Opal's lips clamping down on Paige's and their tongues starting to play tag. Brandi continued her attack on Paige by popping her mouth over the breast closest to Barbie Lynn and swirling the nipple with her tongue, Opal had been doing a good job showing Brandi how to share pleasure. "Good God!" Brandi exalted. "This one tastes like cherries." Paige stifled a sob as Brandi went down for a second taste. I imagine Paige wanted me to discover this inventive little twist. I began rubbing her panties with my nose and kissing her panty covered cunt. I rolled my lips back and forth over her cunt. "Why are you doing this to me?" Paige whimpered once she broke her lips free from Opal's embrace. "Honey, do you think none of us noticed how much you make Zane smile?" Barbie Lynn drawled. "It isn't like he'd tell us what turned him on about you, Paige, so Barbie and I decided to find out for ourselves," Opal added. "Zane?" Paige begged for understanding. "I had no part of this, but once I saw Opal and Barbie Lynn closing in for the kill, I decided to play along because, quite frankly, you are so tasty," I confessed. "Brandi, please, I can't think straight with you nipping at my breasts like that," Paige pleaded. "Umm," Brandi mumbled before releasing her suction on Paige's breast. "Tell me what flavor the other one is. Is it cherry too?" Never more than an inch away, Brandi fell back to Paige's pale but painfully aroused nipple. "No," Paige wailed. "I want Zane to find out, ah, strawberry," she finally gasped out. "Let me sample it first, Brandi," I requested. Brandi shot me a peek down past her naked breast and gave me a wink. Barbie Lynn took advantage of Paige's distress, kissing her deeply and passionately. "Honey," Barbie panted to Paige, "is there anywhere else you want to be?" "I, no," Paige managed to get out. Opal tilted Paige's head toward her and took in a full kiss. "You are so eminently fuckable," Opal purred. Before Paige could respond, Barbie Lynn drew Paige back in. Within seconds, Paige was working in a three-way tug-of-passion with Opal and Barbie Lynn tongues. Brandi was letting her tongue wander from Paige's right nipple down to her belly and below until we kissed. Before and after that we worked down her panties until I finally cast them aside. I did a push up, Brandi wiggled underneath me, pressing her delicious tush against my raging rod, and I switched positions to where Brandi had been. Her left nipple really did taste like strawberries. I figured she'd used strawberry jam in a light enough glaze that its sugary redness was perfectly camouflaged by the pale pink of her areolas, freaking clever girl. Paige tilted her head away from her playmates long enough to see if I was the participant in question and if I enjoyed the experience. "Umm, damn clever," I murmured. "I've never thought of doing that before." Her eyes positively flared triumphantly at the news. "Well," Paige gasped, "you have only a, mediocre, intellect," she finished purring because Opal and Barbie Lynn's fingers and lips were driving her to distraction. "I still don't understand." Paige struggled for a breath between amorous attentions. "You pretty, pretty girl," Opal soothed seductively. "You are the most beautiful creature here tonight. Tomorrow morning the contest goes on, but tonight you are the Grand Prize winner, mainly, you've won us," she indicated herself, Barbie Lynn and Brandi. For other girls, they had often been called beautiful, pretty, and had reason to believe they were the hottest woman in the room. That had never been Paige; she had pride and pride to spare but that had always been based on her smarts. Her smarts were how she had ensnared me and while she knew I saw her as a beautiful creature, she largely believed I was alone in that assessment, until now. The borderline panic that had been residing inside Paige evaporated as all that energy turned into boiling sexual expression. It wasn't until Brandi was sucking deeply on her cunt that Paige realized I'd withdrawn to the foot of the bed. "Zane?" she panted as she raised her head once more and looked for me. "Paige, trust me; you are doing fantastic without me. Besides, we have most of the night. Once they have had all they can take from you, you are all mine," I grinned wickedly. She lowered her head back slowly and let Barbie Lynn and Opal hold her down and dominate her affections. "Mercy, wouldn't it be nice if some hottie wanted you as much as those bitches want Paige?" Rio teased her playmate. Mercy's immediate reaction was drowned out by her shudder as Rio dolloped a spoon full of ice cream onto her breast just above the nipple. The 'near miss' was torture enough for the girl. "Yes, one does," shivered Mercy. "Have you been letting someone else sample your goodies which are rightfully mine?" Rio quizzed her as she lapped up the ice cream as it melted toward Mercy's neck. "No," Mercy squeaked. "The only hottie in my life is you." "Wait; did I give you permission to speak?" Rio changed the direction of her attack. "Yes," Mercy gulped, "I mean, you asked me a question." Rio shimmied up until she was resting her crotch on Mercy's hips. She then took Mercy's nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, twisting them and pulling them up painfully. "That definitely sounded like you were being a smart-ass," Rio declared authoritatively. "Were you being a smart-ass, my cum-bunny?" "Eeep!" Mercy squealed from the pain. "Which answer do you want to hear?" Rio's eyes grew wide. She rolled her body forward until they were breast to breast and chin to chin. "Oh, yes, you are being a clever little wench. No matter what I say, you are going to say the opposite because you want me to take ownership of your lush, big-titties body, don't you?" Rio teased. "Yes?" Mercy hesitantly guessed. "Sorry, but you can't piss me off tonight, you annoying cunt," Rio taunted. Of course, 'annoy' was Rio and Mercy's key word for loving one another. "I've already got something horrible planned for this evening and you aren't going to distract me." Mercy noticeably perked up at that announcement. "I promise this is going to tear you up inside and out too," Rio gloated. Rio dismounted Mercy and scampered to her personal toy drawer. She gathered up several preselected goods and strode confidently back to Mercy's side. "Zane, I could use a hand," she called out as her goods spilled out of her hands. Mercy looked on attentively but didn't risk Rio's wrath by speaking. "Sure, what do you need?" I inquired as I crawled over carefully so as not to disturb the ladies on my side of the bed. Rio lubed up a slender steel vibrator. "Here, hold this (a vibrator) in place," Rio directed me to press the device's point against Mercy's clit with the trigger on her belly. I did it and was curious to figure out what Rio had planned. Rio presented her 'normal' strap-on, grinned at me, then started rubbing it on Mercy. I had to smile at her imagination but I had a feeling Mercy hadn't totally clued in yet to what the plan was. Rio began pouring lubricant over the artificial cock, the other vibrator, and then over a small series of anal beads, anal beads? When did I get anal beads? "AK!" Mercy gasped as the first bead was pushed in. "What was that?" "Shut up, Ass-angel," Rio smirked, "only a few more to go, so suck it up and be my bitch." As this new form of sexual expression was going on before me, a thought occurred. "Rio, you borrowed my credit card and car, didn't you?" I whispered. Rio's response was a maniacal grin. Mercy on the other hand, "Zane, I'm sorry," then Rio slapped Mercy's thigh, "Ow! She said she had your, Ouch!, permission." "I'm cool with it, Mercy, but Rio's license was suspended so next time you need to do the driving," I consoled the girl. Rio was too happy with herself to become overly upset with our little conversation. As if she was trying to prove how crazy/inventive she could be, Rio began putting the strap-on on, Mercy. Even as she fitted it snugly in place the realization was coming over Mercy. She desperately wanted to ask Rio something but was too torn up by Rio's glee to ruin the moment. Rio stroked Mercy's artificial cock a few times to make sure it was totally lubricated. "Okay," Rio cooed to Mercy as she mounted her stomach, "I'm going to make this easy on you because you are annoyingly child-like. When I rub your breasts," Rio let her hands settle and caress Mercy's tits, "it means I want you to pump me slow and easy." "When I pull your delicious nipples like this," Rio yanked and Mercy bucked up and grunted in pain, "I want you to hammer me as hard as you can. Does any part of my instructions confuse your little mind?" Mercy shook her head, indicating her understanding, but a definite sense of joy was coming over her countenance. She knew how good being penetrated felt and Rio trusted her to return the favor. Only when Rio's hip rotations rubbed the dildo into Rio's cunt did Mercy protest. "Rio, that's your, your cunt?" Mercy pleaded softly. Remaining incredibly unpredictable, Rio leaned down to Mercy's face and kissed her with tenderness. "Mercy-babe, I haven't been a virgin for some time. Stupid shit-long ago-let's not talk about it right now," Rio whispered. "Rio, I lo, I've never found anyone more annoying than you," Mercy breathed back. "I never thought I would." "That's your problem," Rio laughed quietly. "It is my job to do all the thinking while you look all hot, sweaty, and sexy. Am I going to have to hammer your tight asshole to make my point clear?" "Please?" Mercy perked up. Rio responded with some serious tongue-on-tongue play accompanied by intense mammary stimulation before speaking. "Maybe," Rio teased, "but someone has to get my rocks off before I contemplate anything else, so get to it." Rio began a series of rotations and presses to work the strap-on further into her cunt. After a few motions, Mercy fell into a sympathetic rhythm and was rocking up when Rio stopped, making Rio's ride one continuous penetration. Rio kept an intense eye-lock with Mercy as she took the plastic cock. She playfully tugged at her own lower lip as her breathing picked up a pace. "I think you've been fucking dozens of other sluts behind my back," Rio expressed deeply. "So have you been jumping some poor girl in the showers? Do you press them up against the wall and tear up those untouched cunts, or do you bend them over facing the wall and bugger those virgin assholes? " "No, no, I haven't," Mercy whimpered. "But you've wanted to," Rio teased her through increasingly hearty pants. "No, Mercy gulped. "So, you've never wanted to bend me over a sofa out there and make me squeal with pleasure?" Rio persisted in a mysterious tone. Mercy squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. "So if I ordered you to surprise me some night, jump me, bend me over and stir me up inside like only a wanton fuck-bunny could, you wouldn't do what I commanded, my Whore?" Rio taunted. "No," Mercy replied desperately as she looked upon Rio's face once more, "I would do that for you." "Do you know why?" Rio whispered. Mercy had no thoughts she could articulate. "You'll do it because you are Mine, I own you and you will do whatever is necessary to make me happy. You are going to tell me every dark little secret you hide in the horniest, sexiest part of your mind; every fantasy you have, every thought that makes you wet, and I'm going to make you live them out. You won't try to hide any from me because you know that if you lie, when I figure them out eventually, and I will figure them all out, I'm simply going to fulfill them with some other hottie I pick up instead of you. Is that what you want?" "No," Mercy whispered. "So every kinky, freaked-out, sexy over-the-top thing you want to do, you are going to tell me about, even though you know I'm going to force you to do it?" Rio scolded. "Yes," Mercy continued quietly. "If you don't tell me or you refuse to do what I say, I'm going to start selling you to motorcycle gangs and frat parties and find someone I can trust instead. All you can do is obey because I have total control over you, and if you don't you know how crazy I can be; clear enough for you, Butt-Slut?" Rio closed the trap. "I'll do whatever you want," Mercy responded; liberated by Rio from any guilt she might have. Now she could still be the Good Girl, only now she was one forced to do bad things against her will. Rio would soak up all the 'badness' in their relationship, be the one she could blame, and Mercy found that overwhelmingly, annoying. It was enough to make Mercy want to annoy Rio for years and years to come. "Good girl," Rio stroked her cheek. "Enough talking; shut the fuck up and start pounding this cunt until I squirt and scream." Mercy was a moment too slow so Rio began working over her nipples energetically and painfully. It got the desired effect; Mercy propelled her hips up so forcefully Rio rose over an inch off the dildo. "Wow, better than a whole year of horse-riding lessons," Rio giggled. "Oh, before I forget, I have one more treat for my personal prostitute." She reached down to the top of the vibrator and cut it on to the medium setting, shooting a jolt straight to Mercy's clit. "Oh, God!" Mercy gasped. "You are so annoying I had to think of something special just for you, Butter-cunt. I bet those vibrations feel great against that juicy clit of yours," Rio teased, and Mercy nodded vigorously in response. I had to consider that it wasn't two weeks ago that fundamentalist Mercy had been weeping on top of me, crying that her life was over because I had gently masturbated her once. Now she was working out 1,001 Nights of Pleasure with one of the greatest perverts I knew, who says you never see miracles anymore? As turned my attention back to Paige's prize, I noted a small black wooden paddle Rio must have tossed Barbie Lynn's way right behind her rump. Feeling inspired, I rolled back to Mercy and Rio, reached around to retrieve the lube, and began slinking up on Barbie from behind. Barbie Lynn was totally drawn into the play around Paige so ignored me. Opal and Barbie Lynn were orchestrating sensitive excitement from the top of Paige's pale haired head to the flat plain that flowed from her ribs down past her hips. Barbie Lynn had told me she was familiar with other female students before she met me. I would have bet that Opal had experimented a time or two. That the two of them could make such compassionate love to Paige was a surprising marvel to me. Paige's normally translucent flesh was blushed red with blood at every point her top two lovers had tantalized with all their kisses and licks. I was sure that if Paige could have found her voice, she would have been singing out to the Heavens with joy. The cause of her physical incapacity was Brandi, who was experimenting on her own style of cunt-licking. I studied Brandi for a minute before I knew what her technique was. She'd flit her tongue back and forth like a tiny motorboat for several seconds then switch to a slow probing action for twice as long before returning to the rapid-fire motion. The result was that Paige would amp up but before she could spike, Brandi would let her cool down before driving her to even greater heights closer to climax once more. I guess I can be a bit of a bastard. The girls were going along so wonderfully yet I still felt I had to indulge in my swelling need. I settled on my knees behind Barbie Lynn and brushed the paddle across that so-perfect ass. She taunted me with that ass, pushing back toward me, increasing its vulnerability, but kept her primary attention on Paige. I repeat: Barbie Lynn is beyond awesome. I reached back and paddled her once. Barbie Lynn took a deep breath but didn't relent. The second spank was harder and the third harder still. It was the fourth one that did the trick. "Oh, God, Yes," Barbie Lynn exclaimed. The great thing was that her body rocked forward and her ginormous breasts brushed over Paige's face. Paige was excited, not lost in orgasm. It took her maybe three milliseconds to latch onto one of Barbie Lynn's tits and engulf an areola in her mouth. Chewing on that nipple came a few seconds later. Barbie Lynn began moaning up a storm and stroking Paige's hair, Opal grinned and fell ravenously on Paige's left nipple, and Brandi went over to full-on clitoral assault mode. Paige gamely held on for almost a minute before she let Barbie Lynn go and proclaimed her immense pleasure. "Oh, all of you, oh, God, I, I can't take, Oh Fuck, Zane!" she ended up screaming. Huh? I had done nearly nothing this session and still there was my undeserved name on a woman's lips. If the girls had resented me I would have totally understood. Instead, Barbie Lynn looked over her shoulder, rubbed a hand along the paddle resting on her ass and smiled. Opal laughed musically. Brandi was beset by Paige's orgasm though. Paige's stocking clad thighs were wrapped tightly around Brandi's head as she thrashed and undulated over the sheets. Brandi kept lapping like a champ because Paige was a copious ejaculator, as I could attest. "Damn, Zane, you can pick 'em," Opal congratulated me. "What? This plan wasn't mine," I confessed. "No, I mean your luck in picking out bed partners is better than mine," Opal explained. "Oh, you were missing a few nights ago. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Who did you home in on?" I asked. "Cappadocia," Opal told me. Uh-oh. "I don't think Cappy is ready for a bi-sexual encounter. Besides, she's far too aggressive for you right now," I informed her. "Yeah, we figured that out. We both tried being on top all the time and things sort of fell apart," Opal related to me. "We both did agree you are one hell of a primer for virgins." "Thanks, that's very kind of you," I jibbed. "Oh, wow," Brandi gasped out, finally released by Paige. "That was wild." Brandi backed away from Paige's cunt on all fours before rolling over and resting the back of her head on Paige's thigh. "She's yummy," Brandi giggled. "We should get her over for shower time." Paige was now splayed out, limp, and looking up at the ceiling. "I, I, Paige rasped. "Yes, Sugah?" Barbie Lynn purred down at Paige. "I, I have to do this again," Paige worked out. She followed that up by wrapping a hand into the hair at the back of Barbie Lynn's head and pulling her in for a kiss. "Woot!" Opal shouted. "We got another one. Zane, who is next on the menu?" "How about Vivian?" Brandi suggested. "Okay, ladies, there is no menu. We are not stalking girls down for bi-sexual trysts, and if we were interested in anyone, we should ask Paige for her opinion first," I countered. Paige rapidly disentangled from Barbie Lynn and propped herself up excitedly on her elbows. "Cordelia," she declared defiantly. "Cordelia Dresden, I've always had this secret thing for her, which also involves a little bondage and having her tell me I'm smarter than she is as I torture her with an ostrich feather," Paige finished with a wicked smile. "Thought this out much?" Opal snickered. "Just because Zane was the first person to see me as the devastatingly beautiful woman I am doesn't mean I haven't made contingency plans for when the inevitable happened," Paige was smarmy right back. "Paige, you were sure Zane would take you to his bed?" Barbie Lynn said. "As I recall, those were some shaky few minutes you two had." "Inevitable?" Paige scoffed. "I never doubted for a moment. In fact, I already have him trained." Even Brandi looked askance at that declaration but Paige beamed victoriously. "Zane," Paige grinned sweetly. "Bouncy, bouncy." I sighed, reached over Barbie Lynn, hooked one arm under Paige's arm and around her back while the other was reaching between her legs. I hefted her up and pulled her over on top until she comfortably straddled me. Paige glowed like the Sun. "Holy crap," Opal giggled. "Bouncy, bouncy," Brandi perked up and spoke to me. I wasn't sure what I'd do or say but it turned out I didn't matter. "No, you don't," Paige scolded Brandi. "Get your own command phrase; this phrase is mine." "What happens now?" Brandi prodded. I had the feeling that actual intercourse fascinated her. Paige turned her head away from the woman and looked down on me. She crashed upon my frame in slow motion until she was resting her chin on the top of my sternum and we had to strain to keep eye contact. "Please, Zane, take your mighty cock and put it in my tight, wet cunt. Make me tingle from the tip of my toes up to the ends of my white hairs on the crown of my head," Paige playfully pleaded. "Be gentle because my new-found friends have left me tender and hyper-sensitive all-over." Mighty cock, it isn't like my buddy attracts amorous attention from sequoias or something. My cock is a highly valued member of the team, but come on now, it is a freaking piece of meat. I can certainly get the job done without, Paige looks up and licks her lips while she pants like a famished huntress. Suddenly the last three years of my maturity lose their blood supply as it rushes elsewhere. Oh, well. I'll recall what I was bitching about later. "Okay," I grinned. "Maneuver up and I'll work it in." "I'll help!" Brandi excitedly volunteered. Before I could politely decline, Brand landed on my left leg and was pushing Paige's ass up. Paige was far more amused with the situation than I was and reconciled Brandi's movements with her desires to rise up from straddling to kneeling with one leg up. Brandi took the opportunity to stroke my cock, raised it to the vertical, and dragged it over Paige's cunt. She rested my cock a little far back, or so I thought. Paige thought so too. "Not the ass!" she squeaked. "Not the Butt!" "You want it in your, Brandi hesitated. "Her cunt," Barbie Lynn filled her in. "Yes, it looks so delicate," Brandi wondered. "Well, yes," Paige snipped, "but Zane has taken my virginity. My anus is even smaller than my cunt, and it isn't like Zane isn't already going to pass Cleopatra's Needle through something the size of a dime as it stands." "Did you just call Zane a needle-cock?" snickered Opal. "No," I groaned. "Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk, like Washington's Monument, except only one-twentieth the size." "Yep," Rio panted from her side of the bed, "she definitely called him 'needle-cock'." "I don't care what you gals call it," Barbie Lynn chuckled. "He can stick me with that cock anytime." "Tell me you love me, Zane," Paige sighed. "I can't. You are absolutely wonderful to me but I can't lie to you even though I think it would make you happy to hear those words," I frowned sadly. "Why can't it be you and me?" she asked but her fatigued smile betrayed no anger. "Eh, the tired old romantic tale: boy loves girl but girl can't, or won't, show affection for him," I related. "How about this story instead," Paige's smile grew. "A post-Apocalyptic tale where you, me, and a select group of other genetically superior women retreat to a remote coastal island, fend off the end of the world, and set about repopulating the Earth over, and over, and over again." "Wait; if I agree does this mean you are going to plot out a way to bring about the end of civilization as we know it?" I questioned. What I didn't question was the reality that Paige would never have children of her own womb, but hell, this was her fantasy; right? "I know where your mind is, Zane Braxton," Paige said softly with tears brimming in her eyes but that smile still on her lips, "and that makes you a wonderful, wonderful man." "Now, please, bouncy, bouncy," that mischievous glint returned to her countenance. In some stories this would be the trigger for me to ram my thunderous love pylon deep into her womb. Or, I could hug her tight and let us express our emotions in some open, healing manner. In my reality, I was still somewhat of a tool to Paige, an object that brought her happiness and fulfillment. I was almost a human person of worth to her too. Paige had arrangements, not friendships, and controlled those relationships with mental domination. I know it would have surprised her and brought forth a torrent of denial if I showed she trusted me, as exhibited by her actions of the past few minutes. Rarely did one love their power drill or hammer and you certainly didn't get all teary-eyed when you read their mind correctly. Brandi steadied and reinforced my cock with a hand as Paige worked her way down. I held Paige by the hips to keep her from trying to move too fast. She was busy concentrating, undoubtedly committing the sensations to memory, I kind of like really smart women. "What does it feel like?" Brandi questioned Paige timidly. "If, you have never been, penetrated, you couldn't understand," Paige panted. "Don't worry about it," Opal cooed to her friend. "We are sophomores so we have nearly three years with Zane here at school. That is plenty of time to talk him into doing the deed." "That shouldn't be hard," Brandi giggled. "I've seen Zane scoping me out. He wants me." "Ha," laughed Barbie Lynn. "If it was that easy, there wouldn't be a virgin in this room. Zane could have woken up that part of me ten times over if his wanting my body was all it took." "Pop your cherry!" Rio shouted, close to climax. "Call it what it is, you dumb bimbo, oh, fuck!" She twisted Mercy's nipples with a violence that caused me pain by just looking. That cued Mercy to pound up into Rio unmercifully. Rio released Mercy's breasts and put her hands to torturing her own nipples. Her orgasm came in seconds. With sheer force of will, Rio fought off her physical spasms until she was body to body with Mercy, Rio's hands cupping Mercy's face and her lips planting fast kisses on Mercy's lips, nose, and eyes. "You are mine, mine, mine," Rio exulted with animalistic fury magically melded with heartwarming compassion. It was coaxed along by the vibrator to her clit, sending Mercy off to her own orgasm. "God mother-fucking damn, Rio," Mercy screamed, "Own, own me; make me yours." "I'm tattooing, your ass, this weekend," Rio whispered and groaned. On my side of the sexual diorama, Paige was still screwing herself down my cock, though Brandi had less to do but more to think about. "I can't decide when I want Zane to do the deed for me," Brandi wondered. "No," I breathed heavily, eyes still on Paige and her radiance, "Brandi, you and I will figure things out when the time is right." "Or you tie him down and ride him like Paige," Opal giggled. "Bouncy, bouncy," Paige panted through her chuckle, "It is not just a catchy jingle. It is the recipe for romantic success." "You talk too much, Princess," I emphasized with a thrust deep into her womb, "I think it is time to start your interrogation." She sizzled and I had a dark desire to feel her body heat burn me so we quickly figured out how we could get along. "Roll over, Pound cake," Rio ordered as she worked the strap-on off Mercy. "I've got all sorts of issues to work out and your priceless backside is my destination of choice. Buck up, Buttercup, stick out that ass and get ready for some furious pent-up teenage aggression." I was stunning that the friction Mercy generated as she spun over in the sheets didn't set the bed on fire. She wasn't on all fours but her ass was raised at a four-five degree angle and quivering in her desire. Rio affixed her tool of choice before allowing her gaze to bask in Mercy's splendor. It took her several seconds before she draped her body over Mercy's back. "I'm going to become so bored with this view," Rio teased, "in about fifty or sixty years." Mercy flexed and undulated her back, ass and thighs against Rio's body. Together the two lovers moaned sensually. "I lied to you," Rio panted into Mercy's ear. "I'm not going to get tired of your body in fifty or sixty years. I'm going to fuck you to death before you hit thirty." Mercy gave some sort of guttural reply which she accentuated by driving her posterior against Rio's artificial cock. It slid up between Mercy's cheeks as opposed to going into her anus but Mercy was certainly energetic enough to keep thrusting. Sometimes I wasn't sure which one was leading the other down the road to impassioned insanity. Afterglow The whispering in my ear had woken me up. I shifted my head toward the noise and saw Paige's elfin head cloaked by her fine white hair. In her slumber, Paige had brought one hand up to her chin and took slow nibbles out of the tip of her thumb. Her body was curled up in a near-fetal ball with her other arm vanishing beneath the sheets. Paige's lips parted and she moaned. "Oh, right there, Brandi, yum, yeah, right there." She rotated the shoulder of her downturned arm and her hips rocked gently beneath the covers, certainly driving those attached fingers against her cunt. She went back to nibbling her thumb and slowly quieted down. Paige was in the middle of the bed so I had to raise my head to peek past her sublime form to see Rio and Mercy who were both facing away, Rio was closer to me with her arms wrapped around and cradling Mercy. Fingers stroked my stomach bringing my head to the other side. Barbie Lynn was snuggled up against me and both her hands rested on my stomach, though only one was rubbing against my abs. The only problem was that Barbie Lynn regularly slept on her side with one hand on me and the other resting under the pillow, plus both hands on my stomach were lefties. I shifted slightly, looked over and tracked the moving hand back to the arm that led to a slumbering Vivian. I swear to God I did nothing to deserve this. I had to think about this for a few seconds. Finally I decided on a little clarity. "Vivian," I whispered as I tapped her hand. From experience I knew she woke slowly so I was patient. "Umm," she smiled dreamily at me. A three-count later her eyes focused enough to match my gaze. "You are in my bed and while I don't mind, I want to make sure you are doubly okay with this," I requested softly. "Opal and Brandi woke me up when they left," Vivian informed me, "and I felt, alone and left out. Are you okay with me being here? Are you going to be able to control yourself?" A few things made sense now. Vivian and her boyfriend had fallen into the habit of cuddling on one of their beds. Before long they were falling asleep comfortably in each other's arms. He woke up, high school boy's hormones racing, and she took a few moments too long to realize what was going on. I gave her bonus points for not hating the guy for taking her virginity and stealing away the bedtime comfort of lying with another person she yearned for. "Vivian, you have my permission to crash on my bed anytime," I smiled warmly. "Barbie Lynn will keep me in check. If you ever want to join me and no one else is around, I keep some restraints, left dresser, second drawer." "I don't want to tie you down, Zane," she whispered. "Restraints are not only about holding someone down but empowering the other partner. You get to feel comfortable close to me, I don't mind you being close to me one bit, and I don't have to worry about doing something I'll regret," I related. "You learned all of this in rural Thailand?" Vivian mused. "They are an ancient and scholarly people," I countered. "Are we okay?" "We are okay," she responded. "Great," muttered Barbie Lynn, "let's go to sleep because if I wake up, Vivian, I'm going to make you hold my head in your lap while Zane pleasures me from behind." Vivian grinned, rested her head, and closed her eyes. I laid back down and let my vision darken behind sleepy lids. I really felt like hammering Barbie's delicious ass but I knew she was tired and needed her sleep. Besides, she had only said that because she wanted Vivian to go to sleep. "Honey," Barbie Lynn whispered words sweeter than fresh cane sugar, "you had best give me all the long, hard strokes I can stand in the morning or I'm going to leave my own set of teeth and claw marks all over that wonderful body of yours." Normally I should accept the warning and fall asleep immediately but since it is a well proven fact that I have no sense where sex and sensuality are concerned, I was awake for quite a while. When I did wake up, it was brought about by Barbie Lynn rolling away from me. "Vivian," Barbie whispered kindly. Once Vivian was appropriately responsive, "Vivian, I'm about to wake Zane up and make him take that damn fine cock and use those powerful strokes I love to fill up my ass with cum until I scream." "You might want to go back to your sofa until he lifts me to climax," she advised. "On second thought, make that two screams, I'm feeling extra horny this morning." Isn't it wonderful that I get no say in where my cock is going or when I'm going there? I mean, it's not like I'm an adult or we are currently residing in my room. Wait, I am!! I'm sick and tired of this shit and I'm putting my foot down! Barbie Lynn rubs her scrumptious ass cheeks against my thigh and moans like my bitch in heat. I Man-Up; I'll set her straight as soon as I finish fucking her, damn it! Okay, I'll set her straight when I finish fucking her twice, but that's all she's getting from me. Barbie Lynn languidly gets onto her elbows and knees, favoring the sore one. She scoops the tube of lube from under the pillow and pushes it back to me as Vivian shakes her head, scoots off the bed, and makes her way to the exit. I pour some lube onto my palm then rub my hands together to warm it up because I don't want to cruelly use something cold on her vulnerable flesh. "Zane, I need this so bad," Barbie Lynn purrs. "Hammer me, hammer me twice and make me scream." "Oh," I growl, "I intend to." I'm going to nail her good then give her a piece of my mind. "Baby, I know you are taking Iona home this weekend so can you sneak away during lunch and sex me up one more time?" she pleads with a voice rich with need. "Of course I will, Babe," I reply. And then I'll give her a piece of my mind, damn it! "What's wrong, Zane?" Rio asked as she watched me strip my bed. She wasn't offering to help. "Man," I sighed, "sometimes I think I'm nothing more than a tool for sexual release on this campus." "That's surprisingly accurate," she chuckled. "I'm stunned you realized it so quickly." "Realized what?" Iona grinned as she glided into the room, unusually chipper. "Zane realized he's a sex toy, a pleasure slave to our whims," Rio pontificated. Mercy sighed slightly and came over to help me with the bed, as did Iona, and she hadn't even made the mess. "The willingness to give of yourself does not indicate a surrender of your will," Iona countered. "Zane gives and gives freely, without expectation of return." "He is your mirror image if you think about it," Iona continued. "With Zane it is pleasure and with you it is pain." Now you never know which way Rio will go with something like this; Iona was like a kid sister to her but I wasn't totally sure Rio hadn't experimented with patricide, matricide and infanticide along with cannibalism. "Damn, Iona," Rio came up and wrap her arms around Iona's waist from behind, "that's real cool." "Ah, you are welcome?" Iona smiled but with uncertainty. "How about I give you Mercy for a night? You know, a snuggle buddy for you to sleep with. We could dress her in an appropriate nightgown and she could be like a big warm teddy bear for you to cuddle with." "I would rather have Zane dressed up as a cuddly teddy bear," Iona glanced to me. "Oh, hell, no!" I declared. "I have my pride, ya know." "Get over it, Zane," Rio laughed. "You are the only guy I know whose home page is linked to both gay and lesbian porn sites." I am? How the fuck did that happen? "Would you do that for me, please?" Iona pleaded playfully. I had to avoid answering no matter what. "Iona, I've decided to designate you as my heir," I surprised her. "We'll do that Monday." "I already knew that," Iona stated evenly. "It was posted on your website yesterday." "What!" I squawked. "Am I bugged? Am I carrying a wire? How do people figure out these things?" "Cordelia," all the women in the room said simultaneously. Yep, I'm going to have to fix her little red wagon. I wonder if she has my home wired for surveillance as well. "Iona, what would you do with all that money? Zane's got a boatload of money; right?" Mercy broke in. "I don't know," Iona began; "Maybe make a trust for Christian World Charities or something like that." "Bitch," Rio recoiled, "do you know what Zane's family does? He's a freaking gazillionaire." "Rio," Iona swiveled so that she was facing Rio, "there is no such number and Zane's family mines copper, cobalt, chromium and manganese, primarily." "Dummy, that's the parent company," Rio scoffed, heady with her one-time mental superiority over Iona. "They build spaceships." "That's silly," Iona countered. "No one builds spaceships anymore. Do you mean rockets?" "Yeah," Rio groaned with impatience, "they build rockets that put satellites in orbit, spacecraft components, space-age ceramics, non-integrated circuit computers, and crap like that." Iona looked to me for some clarity. "I don't know," I shrugged. "I had a collage of the solar system in my room when I was five; I went to the NASA facility in Florida once a year; I've been to that space facility in Russia once; and I've seen a rocket launched from this site in South America. I figured all kids did stuff like that." Then something occurred to me. "Rio, how do you know all this about me?" I inquired. "Eh," Rio grunted. "In that first week I considered kidnapping you so I wanted to figure out what you were worth so I would know how much to ask for." "How much is he worth?" Mercy asked. "Enough so that his people wouldn't call in the FBI, they would call in some former Spetznaz and simply kill me instead of paying the ransom," Rio chuckled. "Yeah," I laughed too, "I recall Dad saying that he'd 'met up' with some South African Commandos when he was not much older than I am now. He sent them Christmas presents every year until he died." "Zane, I'm not sure I want that much money," Iona worried. "Well, you've met Aunt Jill and we both know she couldn't handle it," I countered. "What, what, what about Rio, Oh, My God, what am I saying? That would be nuts," Iona fretted. Rio gasped. "Hey!" Rio shouted. "What's wrong with me?" "You are totally insane with an annoying lack of impulse control," Mercy stated clinically. Rio's mouth dropped open and she gawked at her 'toy'. "Pound cake!" she barked at Mercy. Mercy perked up and looked ready to throw herself on the bed and at Rio's mercy. "No," I intervened. "We have to get to breakfast and I can hear Vivian pacing like mad just beyond the screens. She deserves better from us. Now let's get going." Everyone was remarkably behaved until we got into the elevator and the door shut. "Are you sure you are the right person for this job?" Vivian asked Mercy as the doors shut. "What?" Mercy gulped. "What do you mean?" "Yeah, what the fuck do you mean by that, ya Cunt?" Rio interjected both her words and her body into the conversation. "Mercy and I are doing just fine." "You shower together, sleep together, stick all kinds of things in one another; I'm neither blind nor stupid," Vivian growled out. "I'm sorry," Mercy mumbled. "Oh, I don't blame you. They got to you before this 'guardian' thing happened. It is simply unfortunate that you ended up as Rio's minder and now we will have to deal with it," Vivian responded without heat or condemnation (toward Mercy). "Are you going to turn her in?" I had to ask. "Forcing Mercy to face the condemnation and ridicule of those who have no clue to her situation would not be the Christian thing to do," Vivian sincerely related. "I will not let Mercy fall into depravity. She and I will work together to save her soul." Rio didn't trust her and looked ready to pounce. On the other hand, I was truly impressed and believed her. "What is your plan?" Iona joined in. "Vivian, you wouldn't bring this up if you didn't have a plan." "I am creating a list of Christian works, not the Bible, Rio, that the two of them could read together for half an hour before bedtime," Vivian enlightened us. In the short-term it sounded naive but if you took into account the almost three years Mercy and Rio could be here together it was rather clever. "Blow it out your ass!" Rio growled back. "No, Rio, you will do it," I demanded. I had never demanded anything of her before. I'd asked, begged and suggested but I had never told her 'do this or else'. I was now. Rio and I locked gazes. She felt betrayed and pissed. "Fuck you," Rio snapped at me. "You don't tell me what to do." "You'll do what I tell you to do now," I insisted. "Or what?" she sneered. I could feel Iona cringing beside me. Mercy was afraid and looked trapped. Vivian was taking the exchange with interest. "Or nothing. I am not going to hold anything over your head but I'm also going to fight to keep you from fucking up your life," I kept at it. "It is what friends do." There was a pause. "Glenda, you suck," Rio declared quietly. That quavering in Rio's resolve was Mercy's cue. "I'll do the readings," Mercy said. "Rio, if you want to wait in the bedroom for me, well I'm fine with that, if that is what you want to do." "Gurr," Rio mumbled. "Fine, I'll do it, but if I hear even one chorus of Kumbaya, I'm skewering someone with a pool stick." "Thank you, Vivian got out. "Not a word," Rio warned. "Not another damn word, from any of you." Mercy shot me a look and I could see she finally got it. You let Rio run amok for 90% of the time so that you could coax Rio toward stability the other 10% without her rebelling. I didn't want to make Rio sane; I was sure she was happy being fucking nuts. I only wanted her to be a 'fucking nuts' that didn't make her destroy her life and drive away the people that really cared for her. What can I say? I'm selfish. Rio fills a void in my life and I didn't want to see her fall away into the darkness the way my Mom did. Aliens, Vampires and Werewolves, maybe not. To make the right decision requires a combination of confidence, knowledge, and luck. A little nonsequitur: I once asked my close associates why they believed in God. Rio said: "Well, I can't very well be a convincing Satanist if I don't give lip service to the Other Guy." Iona put it this way: "The Universe makes sense. It is our roadmap for Ascension and a fuller understanding of God's Love." Christina reasoned: "I've seen Evil so there must be Good." Heaven s take was: "Because I prayed for death but Christina came; and I prayed for you (Zane) to go but you stayed." Hope expounded: "Because I live in a country that allows me to own a K11 assault rifle for home defense." No one wants to ask Hope if she has the official rifle of the R O K Army with her at school, or if she actually has the grenades that go with it. What good would it do; it isn't like we would try to take it away from her. Most of us like living too much. Chastity observed: "Firefighters, organ donors, Christian converts in Iran, with so many people giving for no material gain, that indicates to me a higher purpose for mankind, a struggle between right and wrong." Faith rebutted: "Belief in Christ cannot be given a definition. If you define it, it ceases being faith." Barbie Lynn: sweetly gave me a peppermint and smiled. She had to look no farther than the fate that had brought us together and the joy we shared; she didn't need words. Paige resolved: "Only something with infinite precision and power could bring about the Big Bang. The day they can give a name to that force, I will gladly surrender my faith." Cordelia said: "Let me think about my reply. Why do you believe in God?" (Like I'd ever tell her.) Cappadocia lamented: "What an empty and lonely thing life must be, if these few years are all we have?" Opal s mind was made up: "I always have and never heard an argument that would make me think differently." Brandi chided: "It was how I was raised. But the first time you kissed my stomach, I had my own personal religious experience (giggle)." And Now, Back to the Story! Breakfast unfolded pretty much like it had a week ago, with the added bonus of poisonous glares between clumps of students, bandages, bruises, and the sense of unease that comes from unresolved conflict. After all, neither Christina nor Rhaine had won. This was acceptable to most of the sane crowd as the alternative would have been to make the school unbearable to the other half of the student body so that they left. Instead, we got to bask in the chilly civility that Christian politeness dictated. At least I wasn't (too) worried about a pack of girls ambushing me. As was becoming her habit, Gabrielle Black had devoured her food in less than four minutes and paced the perimeter of the Dining Room floor, her eyes dodging about with no discernible pattern. I kept an eye on her because she worried me in a way that went far beyond hormones. "Zane?" Iona repeated. I had barely registered her first request for a moment of my time. "Yes, Hon?" I smiled down at her. She looked happy for the eye contact but worried about what she had to say. "Zane, there are two other candidates for Freshman Class President, Mhain Reynard and Millicent Pierce," Iona informed me. "Millicent?" grumbled Rio. "Zane saved her ass and now she's kicking sand in his face? The bitch." "Millicent is free to do what she wants. She may have wanted to be nominated before all this chaos came about. I'm not going to begrudge her having political ambitions," I told them. "Zane, I don't think you understand what this means," Iona worried. "Sure I do; Millicent and I are going to split the Pro-Christina vote. There will be a run-off. If it is Millicent and I, Mhain's votes will go to her and I lose. If it is Mhain and Millicent, my votes will go to Millicent and she wins. If it is Mhain and I, it will be a toss-up. Essentially, Millicent can definitely defeat Mhain but I can't." "This sounds like a job for the NSA," Rio glared off to where Millicent was sitting. I don't think Rio knew what Mhain looked like. NSA referred to Rio's title as my in-house assassin, Ninja Stripper Angel. "Don't worry," I patted Rio on the shoulder, "I got this, Bro." When I got up, Rio followed me nonetheless. Chancellor Bazz was absent for the second day in a row so the highest authority seemed to be Doctor Scarlett, the Vice Chancellor. Gabrielle noted my movement but didn't deviate from her path. Mrs. Cunningham was closest but seeing neither authority figure appeared nervous, she too went about her rounds. Mind you, girls are moving around the Dining Hall all the time but I'm special, being a troublemaking, devious male. I rounded a table and walked over to Millicent, who was warned of my approach by an associate. She twisted in her chair and waited for the flavor of my greeting. "Hey, Millicent, I want to congratulate you on your nomination and I hope you get the votes to be on the ballot," I said as I extended my hand. She shook it and smiled. "Thank you, Zane. Good luck to you too," she replied. "How about we have a debate a few nights before the election? Interested?" I pondered. "That would be great," Millicent agreed. "We can request the Assembly Hall but we'll need to figure out who should be moderator." "We'll figure it out," I nodded. "I'm going to say 'hi' to Mhain as well." "I will come along," Millicent informed me as she stood up and stepped to my side. "Hi, Rio." "Eat shit and die, you ungrateful whore," Rio snarled back at Millicent, who backed off. "Zane should have left you for Bazz to fuck over." Millicent's crowd was shocked, then outraged. "Cool it, Rio." I stroked her arm. "You and I do what we do for our own ends and not for the accolades of others." I turned to her, "Right?" Rio took a deep breath. "You are such a dumb blonde," she smirked at me. "I get my thirty pieces of silver up front." "Thanks, Babe," I grinned at Rio. I looked back to Millicent. "I'm still going to see Mhain if you want to tag along with me and Rio." "I'm feeling fearless with a positive outlook on life so I'll risk it," Millicent smiled. Yeah, beating Millicent in this election was going to be fun, right up there with waking up on the

El aprendizaje, la memoria, nuestro sentido del yo, residen en la compleja red de conexiones de las neuronas y el diálogo continuo que mantienen con otras células cerebrales. Entender esos mecanismos no solo es fundamental para conocer el software cerebral… También para comprender que es lo que falla en enfermedades neurológicas como el Alzheimer. Ese el objetivo de Manuel Valero, director del Laboratorio de Computación Neuronal en el Instituto de Investigación Hospital del Mar, a quien hemos entrevistado en el programa. Las aguas termales transportan y depositan minerales, interactúan con las rocas a través de procesos químicos y sirven como indicadores de la actividad geológica subyacente. Ese hidrotermalismo no es exclusivo de la Tierra. También se produce en otros cuerpos celestes y, como nos ha contado Jesús Martínez Frías, también se ha detectado en las muestras del asteroide Bennu traídas a la Tierra por la misión de la NASA Osiris-Rex. Con Jesús Puerta hemos analizado una de las cuestiones que intrigan a los científicos: Por qué en el universo domina la materia si el Big Bang se formó una cantidad similar de antimateria. Y la respuesta está en la simetría de algunas partículas elementales. José Manuel Torralba nos ha hablado del sistema robótico de Inteligencia Artificial A-Lab que produce y analiza materiales sin intervención humana. Este sistema está en comunicación con otro que es capaz de predecir la existencia de cientos de miles de materiales estables, lo que dará al A-Lab un montón de candidatos a los que aspirar en el futuro. María González Dionis nos ha contado el hallazgo de nuevos fósiles de pies y manos del “Hombre cascanueces” (Paranthropus boisei) que revelan que sus manos podían agarrar objetos y manejar herramientas como los humanos primitivos y trepar a los árboles como los gorilas.Escuchar audio

ABOUT CHRISTIAN DAVIES:Christian's LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/christian-davies-fcsd-3728a513Websites: https://www.bergmeyer.comemail: cdavies@bergmeyer.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianthdavies/ Christian Davies Bio: Davies brings 30+ years' experience as a creative leader, working with brands across the globe, from disruptive startups to the very top Fortune 500 contenders in retail, experiential, beauty, fashion, hospitality, technology, luxury, and more. His veteran status includes over 100 national and international design awards (15 of which earned top honors for Store of the Year Awards), including a five-time winner of design:retail's Retail Design Influencer as well as a coveted Retail Design Luminary award.  As a Chief Strategy Officer for Bergmeyer, strategic innovation and design leadership define Davies role, stemming from a robust background in creative direction and design thinking. His approach harnesses the power of diverse, interdisciplinary teams, developed through hands-on experience in various roles across a wide variety of companies throughout his career. As Chief Strategy Officer, steering the business strategy and our passion for innovation encapsulates my daily mission.Prior to Bergmeyer, Davies served as Managing Director of the Creative Marketing Group at Verizon, Creative Vice President of Global Design and Innovation for Starbucks, Executive Creative Director of the Americas at Fitch, and Vice President/Managing Creative Director at FRCH Design Worldwide.Also See: https://www.bergmeyer.com/people/christian-davies SHOW INTRODUCTION:Welcome to Episode 81! of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast…What started at a pivotal moment during the COVID pandemic in early 2020 has continued for seven seasons and now 81 episodes. This season we continue to follow our catch phrase of having “Dynamic Dialogues About DATA: Design, Architecture, Technology and the Arts. In the coming weeks we have some terrific conversations that are both fun and inspiring. They are going to include thought provoking futurists, AI technology mavens, retailers, international hotel design executives as well as designers and architects of brand experience places.We talk with authors and people focused on wellness and sustainable design practices as well as neuroscientists who will continue to help us look at the built environment and the connections between our mind-body and the built world around us.We'll also have guests who are creative marketing masters from international brands and people who have started and grown some of the companies that are striking a new path for us follow.The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is grateful for the support of VMSD magazine.VMSD brings us, in the brand experience world, the International Retail Design Conference. The IRDC is one of the best retail design conferences that there is bringing together the world of retailers, brands and experience place makers every year for two days of engaging conversations and pushing us to keep on talking about what makes retailing relevant. You will find the archive of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast on VMSD.com.Thanks also goes to Shop Association the only global retail trade association dedicated to elevating the in-store experience.SHOP Association represents companies and affiliates from 25 countries and brings value to their members through research, networking, education, events and awards. Check then out on SHOPAssociation.org Today, EPISODE 81… I talk with Christian Davies. We actually recorded this discussion months ago and Christian wondered if publishing it now was still relevant.I assured him it was, since Christian tends to unearth issues that are future forward - things to be mindful about should we want to address the issues we all face as individuals or societies or as architects and designers making places and things as we serve as our clients creative sherpa guides bringing ideas into the built world. Now… Christian has been sitting atop the heap of 80 conversations as the most listened to episode since we recorded our first talk a couple years ago. So, I thought, well why not do Christian Davies 2.0?Christian does not disappoint - never has – over a couple of decades, Christian has consistently drawn audiences and colleagues into conversation, sometimes challenging, and always brilliant and things that drive design thinking. His matter-of-fact English attitude to the world of design is sometimes a ‘no holds barred' reality check that makes you think twice about the truths you have held dear. His drive towards excellence is irrepressible. That makes him, some may say, demanding because I think he expects that we all give a damn about what we are brining into the world. And why not? We all share space on this little blue dot and, we had better get it, and soon, that we are part of a vast ecosystem of interdependencies.We cover a lot of ground in this open-ended conversation – I'd not expect less from Christian - And here is a few thoughts on subject areas we touch on…1. Entropy:Entropy is a scientific measure of disorder, randomness.Astrophysicist and other cosmologists have postulated that our universe is continuing to expand to a maximum state of entropy from a moment in time, the beginning of the Universe that they have called The Big Bang.There's lots of great content that you can certainly dig up on what happens when the universe finally expands to maximum entropy and all particles are spread out evenly within the unimaginably large space of the universe. It's suggested that of course this maximun expansion will take something like 10 to the 36 or 37 power years in other words trillions and trillions of years. A very very long time….But for now, the way I try to think of it is things will expand and eventually slow down as they all spread out to be evenly distributed throughout the universe… seems reasonable…It's kind of like imagining the initial moments after a massive explosion. Things spread out pretty quickly from the epicenter of the explosion and as they're flung far and wide, particles eventually slow and if you think of it in terms of entropy they all reach maximum randomness.I kind of think that right now, today, considering that the scientists think that the universe has only been around for 14 1/2 billion years or so, that we're kind of right at that very beginning stage of the explosion and things are moving faster and faster away from the epicenter of The Big Bang. This is interesting if you think that the universe will continue to be expanding for a few trillion years so right now yeah, we're kind of sort of in the one second after the explosion time frame. Anyway I am not an astrophysicist and some of these enormous ideas still leave me scratching my head…If we look at today, and everything around us, it certainly seems that things are speeding up and becoming more distributed, more random.I know I've talked about the whole idea of the pace of change in a number of episodes but I find this really interesting because, as I discussed with Christian, it's really hard to design into a future state when you consider that the sands beneath your feet are always shifting.How do we know which step is the right one? How do you know when we step on solid ground or drop forever into a bottomless void…I think the challenge here for designers is that, at least for a time, we need to have a sense of stability and order. The challenge is, I think, is that we're moving to an increasing rate of change where stability and order might be elusive to say the least.2. Moments of human connection make experiences great:I think as we speed along and never ending sea of change perhaps one of the things that we can hang on to, a stake in the ground if you will, will continue to be our ability to maintain our relationships.Change has a funny way of, well… changing people. And, one of our jobs will be to keep up with changing expectations of brands and their customers. One thing is sure, as we scream along this ever changing path, relationships will remain as one of the fundamental qualities of great experiences. Both brand experience architecture and the means with which we engage with brands will change to meet evolving expecations but, my expectation, (or maybe it's just my hope) is that humans still stay at the center of it all - Since at least for this short little time that humans have been in existence, we have relied on the empathic connection between individuals to help create meaning and connection to the world around us as well as the things well as the things we simply buy.And I, like Christian, believe that in the end, when you look at successful projects in our long design careers, the good ones, I mean the really good ones, we're not just because we received a great brief with an inspired client who had a vision of changing up the world,but that the teams we were connected to both on the consultant and client sides were also great. There was something that clicked. There was a gel in communication, respect and collaboration that drove these projects forward.Some may have heard me say before projects will come and go but the relationships are really what make the work great. I'd rather lose a project than trash the relationships…3. Three things that facilitate success stories in the world of retail place-making:So, if you're going to look at success stories over a career full of projects, when you look back at what really made them great was, of course that they were successful from a financial point of view, that they drove increase customers and deeper brand relationships and better revenues all those things are important indicators of success but that there are things that are required to make all of that happen. One would be that there's a big idea someone at the helm of a brand or business that has a thought about doing something different breaking out of a traditional way of bringing goods or services to market, of serving a customer in a different way and technology is often being a facilitator of that.There was coffee long before Starbucks. There was getting from A to B lby horse, camel, richshaw, long before Uber. There were places to stay along the Silk Road before Airbnb. And if you had a shaman in your village you could likely find out where you ame from and where your future was going to be long before there were anything like 23&Me or ancestry.com. In some ways the goods or services have not really changed. How we get them in the hands of customers has changed and that has often been facilitated with new technologies.4. AI – as a new tool for ideation and the ‘why' behind design:One of those technological advances of course that everybody is talking about these days is artificial intelligence.AI it's both causing a lot of excitement about what it sees has to offer in the short term, becoming a new tool in the architect and designers toolbox for ideation as well as causing a lot of concern about what happens to humankind when we finally get to general AI or super artificial intelligence.I am both excited and increasingly aware of influences that it will have on the job market, delivery of goods and services and other parts of the ecosystem like education and manufacturing etcetera etcetera.But if we just for a moment set some of the anxieties aside and simply look at as a tool for imagination and engagement with clients fostering the collaborative process of ideation, it has extraordinary potential to change the game of how we designers and architects work with our clients and create ideas about bringing their goods and services to market.There's a lot of opportunity and uncertainty about what happens when you turbocharge the creative process with AI tools.In the end though, at least for now, the question remains - is that there is a human at the helm of prompt curation?The output is only as good as the input that I'm able to suggest as a prompt. If not… garbage in – garbage out.This of course is interesting because it puts the initial burden still on people to be able to articulate their vision in language and use AI tools to refine the visualizations and other content that emerges from using them.As we use these tools they make things faster but I also sometimes wonder about whether they simply make us lazy and remove our thinking from the process.So Christian does talk about the idea of the drawings or images being very compelling but also needing to ask, and answer, the question of ‘why this particular approach or output is relevant and connected to the brand or customer that we're trying to serve?In the end it's not about the ‘what' of things that make solutions to design challenges great but more and more about the ‘why' you're doing certain things.It's about the process by which you got to the solution rather than simply the solution itself.Don't get me wrong the solutions to the challenges are sometimes very satisfying but what I'm ultimately interested in is the thinking process that led you to along this pathway… it's the journey not just the destination that's important in the creative process….And I think it's ever more important to our clients in the design world that they're looking for people who are not just production oriented but who are also focused on guiding them through an uncertain future5. B-Corporations:And this in a way leads us to the part of our my discussion with Christian about how his company Bergmeyer has recently become a B-Corp.A B-Corporation is a for profit company, but it is certified by the non-profit  B Lab Global and the whole idea is that it seeks to meet high standards for social and environmental performance and accountability and even more so transparency in the ways that they are doing business in support of being good stewards of our environment.In the changing sands that we're all standing on, as entropy increases and uncertainty continues to unfold in front of us, there is certainty that our planet is also in peril as climate change continues to wreak havoc on environmental systems. These B-corporations are seen as a force for good who work to balance profit with a commitment to both people and our planet. What differentiates them from other traditional companies is that they prioritize the social and environmental impacts of their business while at the same time not discounting the fact that they still are in business - that they are accountable to stakeholders as well as shareholders.The stakeholders can be considered as all of us because as companies continue to pull resources out of the ground and push the byproducts of industrialization into landfills and oceans all of our lives are at stake.All right then that's a not so brief summary of some of the ideas that Christian and I riff on in our conversation…Let's dig into some of the details…ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com    (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently shares his experience and insight on various industry boards including: VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, the Interactive Customer Experience Association, Sign Research Foundation's Program Committee as well as the Center For Retail Transformation at George Mason University.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. David also writes a popular blog called “Brain Food” which is published monthly on vmsd.com.  The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production is by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

Ready to untie the red thread holding the New Age, Gnostic Christianity, and the antichrist together? Join me in an episode explaining and exposing the fabrics of Kabbalah, also known as Jewish mysticism.  Learn how it's woven itself into the biggest psychological operation to exist, Lucifer's lie sewn into the Garden of Eden.In this episode I discuss what tempted Eve, Lucifer's fall, how everything stems from Kabbalah, the meaning of 6,000,000, Saturn worship and the hexagram, the New Age and Kabbalah, how all paths do not lead to God, how Gnostic Christianity grew from the roots of Kabballah, the keys to understanding Kabballah, the Protestant Reformation, quantum physics, the Big Bang and Catholicism, ecumenism, Seraphim Rose and his book "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future," the Noahide Laws, the Royal Academy, cabals, and so much more!Want more? Let's be friends. Join the Friendship Membership.Want to read my memoir, Here Comes Trouble? It's available now. Order your copy.

fWotD Episode 3093: Redshift Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 23 October 2025, is Redshift.In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, or equivalently, a decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and increase in frequency and energy, is known as a blueshift. The terms derive from the colours red and blue which form the extremes of the visible light spectrum.Three forms of redshift occur in astronomy and cosmology: Doppler redshifts due to the relative motions of radiation sources, gravitational redshift as radiation escapes from gravitational potentials, and cosmological redshifts caused by the universe expanding. In astronomy, the value of a redshift is often denoted by the letter z, corresponding to the fractional change in wavelength (positive for redshifts, negative for blueshifts), and by the wavelength ratio 1 + z (which is greater than 1 for redshifts and less than 1 for blueshifts). Automated astronomical redshift surveys are an important tool for learning about the large scale structure of the universe.Examples of strong redshifting are a gamma ray perceived as an X-ray, or initially visible light perceived as radio waves. The initial 3000K radiation from the Big Bang has redshifted far down to become the 3K cosmic microwave background. Subtler redshifts are seen in the spectroscopic observations of astronomical objects, and are used in terrestrial technologies such as Doppler radar and radar guns. Gravitational waves, which also travel at the speed of light, are subject to the same redshift phenomena.Other physical processes exist that can lead to a shift in the frequency of electromagnetic radiation, including scattering and optical effects; however, the resulting changes are distinguishable from (astronomical) redshift and are not generally referred to as such.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:13 UTC on Thursday, 23 October 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Redshift on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Danielle.

For most of the last few centuries, advances in scientific understanding have seemed to undermine arguments for the existence of God. Physical phenomena ascribed to a deity have been discovered to have natural explanations. But some think that recent scientific discoveries have actually strengthened the case for the existence of at least some supernatural original creator. A new book, by Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies, two French authors, argues for a science-based belief in God. On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker speaks with Bolloré, one of the authors of “God, the Science, the Evidence”. They discuss how the Big Bang and the creation of the universe could be the first sign of a creator, how a belief in God is different from having faith, and whether reason can make the case that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host | Matthew S WilliamsOn ITSPmagazine  

Ta-da! Man nipples!Our episode discussion includes reminiscing about Skype, twine ball facts, Leonard and Priya's long-term plans, and more!Download hereRunning time: 50:14, 36.3 MB

Join us this episode as we ask the big question: How does the Big Bang happen because of something that happens after the Big Bang? See if we ever find out as we discuss the second story of the Black Guardian trilogy, Terminus.   It should come as no surprise that this story garnered some strong feelings from our crew. Did Anthony really want to rewrite almost all interactions and plot regarding the Doctor and his companions? Absolutely. And did Reilly have lots of thoughts regarding redheads in this story? Seems so. But nothing beats Diana and Julie's horror in the treatment of Hansen's disease. Honestly, we really did not need a leper spaceship. Oh, and Reilly might have annoyed Anthony in his sleeping through his behind-the-scenes section.   If you would like to watch along with us, you can find this story available for streaming on Britbox in the USA (http://www.britbox.com) and BBC iPlayer in the UK (https://bbc.in/48GSaCB). If you're a little old fashioned and prefer physical media (like our very own Anthony), you can also find it on the Doctor Who Season 20 Blu Ray box set from Amazon US (https://amzn.to/3VyxIPe) and Amazon UK (https://amzn.to/3V2IL34)   Other media mentioned in this episode*: Community – The Complete Series (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3hPClB0 | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39hGzwz) Barbarella (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4nabKxq | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4qiZz4g) Futurama – Seasons 1-8 (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3jfbkaQ | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3aQeMUL) Alien (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3nbhOZt | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3BX7I4X) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Complete Series (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3JX2A4F | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/35wGdnA) Bram Stoker's Dracula (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3n7Fn5I | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3pk4iFM) Blake's 7 – The Complete Collection (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Zh7045 | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39luyGI) Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3yWEhzi | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3HoBlyr) Don Quixote, by Cervantes (Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3vKVfPl | Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3B8wxcI)   Finally, you can also follow us and interact with us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also e-mail us at watchers4d@gmail.com, and you can join us on our Discord server. If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating or review.   *Support Watchers in the Fourth Dimension! We are an Amazon affiliate and earn a small commission from purchases through Amazon links. This goes towards the running costs of the podcast.

How does a star form? How does the universe form? And how can we use every bit of astronomical data to answer those questions? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome astrostatistician Sabrina Berger, all the way from Melbourne, Australia, where she's currently pursuing her PhD. As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing, the new radioastronomy photographs of Callisto, one of the moons of Jupiter, taken by ALMA. Sabrina talks about her own low-frequency radio astronomy research looking for hydrogen in the very early reionization period of the universe when the first galaxies were forming. (Be warned: we dive into the difficulties ionization poses for trying to discern these early processes, including a side trip into quantum mechanics, the hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen at 21cm depicted on the plaque attached to the Pioneer spacecraft, and even the Cosmic Background Radiation.) You'll also hear how Sabrina is innovatively using GPS satellites to help calibrate large radioastronomy telescope arrays. For our first student question, Derek asks, “I heard that black holes can form right after the Big Bang, before stars do. How is that possible?” Sabrina describes these primordial black holes, and, although none have been confirmed yet, that there have been a number of papers published recently on the subject. In fact, one paper suggesting that the as-yet-undiscovered “Planet 9” could even be one of these primordial black holes. And then, finally, we get to the subject of astrostatistics, Sabrina's area of expertise. She explains that it allows you to harness every piece of information that you're observing in astronomy and to answer questions like “How does a star form?” or “How does the universe form?” You'll hear about huge data sets, the use of artificial intelligence, field level inferences… and the MCMC, or the Markov chain Monte Carlo used in statistics. (If you don't know what that is, you're not alone, and our own resident mathematician Allen helps Sabrina untangle the complexity with a cotton ball analogy that blew Chuck and Sabrina's collective minds!) For our next student question, Wally asks, “Why is redshift one like nine billion years ago, bur redshift two only two billion years before that, and redshift three only one billion years before that?” As Chuck says, “that's a little complicated,” just before he, Allen and Sabrina proceed to explain how we measure universal expansion, the passage of time, and the “stretching” of light. Our next conversation is one of the most controversial we've ever had and revolves around who Sabrina thinks makes the best espresso, Australia, Italy or a “Third Wave Coffee Shop” like we have here in the US. You'll hear about why there's an ISSpresso machine on the ISS – and how the Italian Space Agency invented a way to make an espresso in zero-g! Plus, you'll hear a little about the work-life balance in Australia and how wonderful astronomy down under is. (Check out our Patreon for the story behind the Australian Aboriginal "Emu-in-the-sky" constellation.) If you'd like to know more about Sabrina, you can find her on Twitter and Blue Sky @sabrinastronomy or check out her research on her website. We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: An image of Jupiter's icy moon Callisto, photographed by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 2001. – Credit: NASA/Galileo Photograph of Jupiter taken in 2019. The four fainter objects are four of its moons (left to right): Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa. – Credit: Creative Commons / Rehman Abubakr ALMA images of Callisto – Credit: Maria Camarca et al 2025 Planet. Sci. J. 6 183. See the ALMA/Callisto paper: “A Multifrequency Global View of Callisto's Thermal Properties from ALMA”: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ade7ee Timeline of the universe. – Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The Pioneer plaques, attached to the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft. – Credit: NASA Sedna orbit with solar system (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto visible) and positions on Jan 1, 2017 – Credit: Creative Commons / Tom Ruen Redshift and universe expansion. As light travels from great distances to Hubble's mirrors, it is stretched to longer and longer red wavelengths, or cosmologically redshifted, as the universe expands. – Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI) The ISSpresso machine on the International Space Station.– Credit: NASA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti drinking espresso out of the cup on ISS, 2015 – Credit: NASA #liuniverse #charlesliu #allenliu #sciencepodcast #astronomypodcast #sabrinaberger #astrostatistician #astrostatistics #redshift #blackholes #primordialblackholes #callisto #alma #planet9 #sedna #universeexpansion #isspresso

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comCharles is a writer, social scientist, and longtime friend. He currently holds the F.A. Hayek Chair Emeritus in Cultural Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His many books include Losing Ground, The Bell Curve (co-authored with Richard Herrnstein), Coming Apart, Facing Reality, and Human Diversity (which we discussed on the Dishcast in 2021). His new book is Taking Religion Seriously. If you think you know who Charles is from the way the MSM has described him for years, this conversation may surprise.For two clips of our convo — on how science has revived old ideas of God over the past several decades, and the connection between psychedelics and agape — head to our YouTube page. (Charles is the second guest we've had who has come out as an LSD experimenter on the show; Rod Dreher was the other one.)Other topics: how Charles lived for decades without a “God-sized hole”; the security and comfort of modern life; when death and suffering was far more common; the 24/7 distractions of today; meditation retreats; Charles learning TM in Thailand; Quakerism and his wife Catherine's discovery that she loved her child “more than evolution requires”; how religiosity falls on a bell curve; my Irish grandmother's faith; “why is there something rather than nothing?”; the Big Bang and fine-tuning; logos; multiverses; the materialism of Dawkins et al; the evolutionary role of religion; CS Lewis; the Golden Rule; pure altruism; the transcendence in nature; near-death experiences; dementia and terminal lucidity; consciousness outside the brain; the soul; the collective consciousness in Buddhism; the strange details of the Gospels; the feminism of Jesus; the adulteress he saved; how grace is contagious; the Nativity; crucifixion and the Resurrection; the Jefferson Bible; the sacraments; the doubt in faith; Oakeshott; “Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs”; my HIV diagnosis; theodicy; Camus; TS Eliot; transhumanism, and the boredom of too much life.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Karen Hao on artificial intelligence, Michel Paradis on Eisenhower, David Ignatius on the Trump effect globally, Mark Halperin on the domestic front, and Arthur Brooks on the science of happiness. As always, please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Send us a textWhy being mysterious is so attractive to women, and the body language and texting that keeps women interested. ____________________________________________________Episode 40 — What Makes a Man Mysterious — And Why Women Melt in His Presence____________________________________________________80% of communication between men and women is nonverbal. “It's not what you say, but how you say it”.  Most of the time, you're just ‘another guy' to her. And you have opportunities to show her that you aren't, but what do you do… say… in those situations? Being mysterious is a fine art that's far too daunting for most men to practice, and those who do attempt it often end up in some extreme caricature of themselves, out of alignment and frustrated. In today's episode, Jordan and Zan explore what a truly mysterious presence looks like in a man. With live demonstrations on ways to stand and gesture to women in person, to how to text them later on, watch and see how you, too, can start moving through the world with more mystique and intrigue. What thoughts come up for you after watching? Let us know in the comments below.____________________________________________________Come join us! Sign up today and enjoy all the perks of the Amorati Membership, including live calls with Zan and his team. Go here: https://www.Amorati.net/____________________________________Need a gunslinger? Someone who rides into town, completely solves your problem, then rides off into the sunset. Contact Zan Perrion personally to inquire about his incredibly effective one-on-one Laser Coaching. Find him here: https://arsamorata.com/gunslinger/____________________________________Get a gifted copy of The Alabaster Girl, personally signed by Zan Perrion. Go to https://alabastergirl.com____________________________________Get instant access to our 4 part mini-course with Zan Perrion

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In this episode, we explore the the biggest question of all: How did we get here? Joining me is Professor Tim Coulson, biologist and zoologist at the University of Oxford and author of A Little History of Everything: From the Big Bang to You.Tim traces our story from the birth of the universe to the emergence of life and consciousness — touching on physics, chemistry, biology, and the scientific method that ties it all together.It's an enlightening, accessible, and awe-inspiring conversation that connects the dots between science and existence itself.Links:Book:  A Little History of Everything: From the Big Bang to You.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

BLACK HOLES, THE BIG BANG & ALIEN LIFE: Astrophysicist Janna Levin Breaks Down the UniverseEver wondered what existed before the Big Bang? Or why all planets are different, and why Earth is so perfectly suited for life?In this mind-expanding episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, renowned astrophysicist and author of Black Hole Survival Guide, Janna Levin (Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University), takes us on a cosmic journey through the deepest mysteries of the universe, and how they reflect back on what it means to be human.From the terrifying truth about black holes to the surprising science behind moons, planets, and even nuclear weapons, we're answering space questions you didn't even know you had.Janna Levin breaks down:- Everything You've Ever Wondered About the Big Bang: What came before it, myths, how it created space and time- What is Time and how do black holes bend it?- Why planets are round- What moons really are (and the wild origin of our Moon)- How stars give birth to planets- What black holes are, what happens inside, and their role in the fundamentals of physics- Why some stars become black holes and others don't- How Einstein and Oppenheimer cracked the code on black holes and how we observe them today- What would happen if our Sun became a black hole and could we actually fall into one?- Spooky effects of black holes on time & space (Could they teach us to age slower?)- Why there's likely a black hole at the center of every galaxy- Why Janna Levin believes we'll discover alien life within 50 years & what it could look like (it will likely be on moons, not planets!)- Will our tragic reliance on tech destroy us, or save us?- Can we make tech more compatible with nature?- Why advancing tech increases the generational gap- Why Janna doesn't believe AI will ever become truly conscious- Why the universe is considered left-handed- What would happen if the Sun were knocked out of our system- Nuclear weapons & how they were invented through studying the Sun- Parallels between nature and cosmic phenomena across the universeThis episode of MBB is really all about the growing hunger in society to understand the cosmos, and therefore, ourselves. Don't miss this mind-blowing journey into the heart of space, time, existence, and our place in it all! Janna Levin's Substack, Janna Levin's Extra Dimensions: ⁠https://jannalevin.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yarattığı etkiyle başkalarına ilham olan girişimlerin hikayesi seni de cesaretlendiriyor mu? Evet diyorsan, Big Bang Startup Challenge'a bir göz atmalısın! ⚡Big Bang; İTÜ ARI Teknokent'in vizyoner yaklaşımıyla 2011 yılında kurulan İTÜ Çekirdek Kuluçka Merkezi'nin düzenlediği Türkiye'nin ve bölgenin en büyük girişimcilik etkinliği! Geçen sene 2,85 milyar TL ödül, nakit ve yatırıma şahitlik eden Big Bang sahnesi, bu sene ImpactVerse temasıyla etkiyi odağına alıyor.Bu etki evreninde sen de yerini almak istiyorsan hemen katılımcı kaydını oluşturabilirsin.Kayıt olmak için tıklayınız!* Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ortamlardasatilacakbilgi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OrtamlardaB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ * Reklam ve İş birlikleri için: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ortamlardasatilacakbilgi@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*Yeni çıkan kitabım “Kendimi Nasıl İyileştiririm?”i almak için: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/0wFlqHl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*Bu bölüm "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠İTÜ Çekirdek Kuluçka Merkezi'' hakkında reklam içerir

What is nothing? Could a dying back hole cause the Big Bang? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice answer fan questions about a black hole's dying gasp, lunar eclipses, and the meaning of nothing. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/cosmic-queries-death-of-a-black-hole/Thanks to our Patrons Josh Gibson, John Radford, Jacob Carlile, Amelyah, Rebecca, Jalien, Logan woods, Justin Stauffer, Boaters Edge, Elizabeth Martinez, Kate Kessner, Kathy Cook, Mohamed Gamal, Sebastian Goeller, Scott Keller, Pravin Kadel, Jake M, David, Lehnert, Chris Fauerbach, Mic Phillips, Sandra Pink, João Samuel Lopes, Darnell Pisco, Santiago, Chewee, Dave, Jeditanker, Mayssam Sayyadian, Thomas Weisbjerg, Max, Harry Wells, Jonathan Lara, Brooks Long, Viktor Damjanovski, ion, David Cowles, Brian Swinteck, Opid Son, Ed, Robert Davis, aaron benedetti, George Daeem, Guillaume Franc, Zach Derbecker, Randle, andrew, j, Patrick Shoemake, Методи Кирилов, Robert Forbes Morrison, Denisse Campo, Scott Knapp, Anthony Suarez, Judy houck, Deyonn Froio, Marquis, Donald Johnson, Mandi G, Kathy Harris-Langham, Gerardo Diaz, Eric Fournier, Sylvia C., clionadh martin, Ari Timonen, Greg Morris, Micheal H., thomas hennigan, Alexandra Bugge, Chris Tenney, Taters, Precious, and Jason Perks for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BLACK HOLES, THE BIG BANG & ALIEN LIFE: Astrophysicist Janna Levin Breaks Down the Universe Ever wondered what existed before the Big Bang? Or why all planets are different, and why Earth is so perfectly suited for life? In this mind-expanding episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, renowned astrophysicist and author of Black Hole Survival Guide, Janna Levin (Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University), takes us on a cosmic journey through the deepest mysteries of the universe, and how they reflect back on what it means to be human. From the terrifying truth about black holes to the surprising science behind moons, planets, and even nuclear weapons, we're answering space questions you didn't even know you had. Janna Levin breaks down: - Everything You've Ever Wondered About the Big Bang: What came before it, myths, how it created space and time - What is Time and how do black holes bend it? - Why planets are round - What moons really are (and the wild origin of our Moon) - How stars give birth to planets - What black holes are, what happens inside, and their role in the fundamentals of physics - Why some stars become black holes and others don't - How Einstein and Oppenheimer cracked the code on black holes and how we observe them today - What would happen if our Sun became a black hole and could we actually fall into one? - Spooky effects of black holes on time & space (Could they teach us to age slower?) - Why there's likely a black hole at the center of every galaxy - Why Janna Levin believes we'll discover alien life within 50 years & what it could look like (it will likely be on moons, not planets!) - Will our tragic reliance on tech destroy us, or save us? - Can we make tech more compatible with nature? - Why advancing tech increases the generational gap - Why Janna doesn't believe AI will ever become truly conscious - Why the universe is considered left-handed - What would happen if the Sun were knocked out of our system - Nuclear weapons & how they were invented through studying the Sun - Parallels between nature and cosmic phenomena across the universe This episode of MBB is really all about the growing hunger in society to understand the cosmos, and therefore, ourselves. Don't miss this mind-blowing journey into the heart of space, time, existence, and our place in it all! Janna Levin's Substack, Janna Levin's Extra Dimensions: https://jannalevin.substack.com/ Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of SpaceTime, we delve into the intriguing world of near-Earth asteroids, the evolution of our universe, and the remarkable discovery of a rogue planet experiencing unprecedented growth.Invisible Asteroids Near Venus: A Hidden ThreatRecent computer simulations published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics have raised alarms about a population of near-Earth asteroids that remain undetectable due to their proximity to Venus. These Venusian co-orbital asteroids, which share an orbital resonance with Venus, could pose a collision risk to Earth within a few thousand years. The study's lead author, Valerio Carumba, explains the challenges of observing these asteroids, as they are obscured by the Sun's glare. With a size of around 300 metres, these asteroids could create impact craters several kilometres wide, highlighting the need for dedicated space missions to monitor this potential threat.The Universe's Evolution: New Insights from the Epoch of ReionizationAstronomers have made significant strides in understanding the universe's early days, revealing that it was warmer than previously thought before the first stars ignited. Research based on observations from the Murchison Wide Field Array in Western Australia indicates that the gas between galaxies was heated around 800 million years after the Big Bang, contradicting earlier theories of a cold universe. This heating, likely driven by early X-ray sources, set the stage for the epoch of reionization, which transformed the cosmos from opaque to transparent, allowing light to travel freely.A Richie Planet's Remarkable Growth SpurtIn a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have identified a rogue planet, catalogued as char 11 oh 7 minus 7626, that is not bound to any star and is growing at an astonishing rate of 6 billion tonnes of gas and dust per second. Located approximately 600 light years away in the constellation Chameleon, this planet challenges conventional notions of planetary stability. Observations reveal that its accretion rate fluctuates dramatically, highlighting the dynamic processes at play in the formation of rogue planets and blurring the lines between planets and stars.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesAstronomy and Astrophysicshttps://www.aanda.org/Astrophysical Journal Lettershttps://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.Invisible Asteroids Near Venus: A Hidden ThreatThe Universe's Evolution: New Insights from the Epoch of ReionizationA Richie Planet's Remarkable Growth Spurt(00:00) The threat posed by invisible asteroids near Venus(10:30) New findings on the universe's warm early phase(19:00) Discovery of a rogue planet growing at record rates(27:15) Science Robert: 2025 Nobel Prize announcements

Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson, world-renowned astrophysicist, breaks down the universe, space, black holes, and the Big Bang, uncovering how Elon Musk, AI, SpaceX, and NASA are defining the future of humanity.  As a science communicator, Neil is the host of StarTalk podcast, which covers science, pop culture and comedy. He is also the bestselling author of several books, such as ‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry' and the newly revised ‘Just Visiting this Planet: More Cosmic Quandaries from Dr. Tyson's inbox'.  In this explosive conversation, he explains:  ◼️80% of Gen Z believe the stars control their life ◼️The dangerous lie we believe about life's purpose, and what to do instead ◼️Why you have 20% of the same DNA as a banana ◼️Why AI's real danger isn't what Hollywood warned you about ◼️Why simulation theory might explain every disaster on Earth (00:00) Intro (02:43) The Big Questions About the Universe and Our Existence (10:55) Why We're Not Good at Feeling Oneness With Others (15:48) Has Science Shaped Your Beliefs About Religion? (20:15) Did Humans Evolve to Believe in Something? (25:00) Changing the Way We See the Universe (30:32) Did the Loss of Your Parents Change Your Views? (35:05) Do We Live in a Simulation? (40:05) Do We Have Free Will in Our Society? (43:44) Will We Be Able to Extend Our Lives Soon? (45:57) What Happens When We Extend Everyone's Lives? (48:57) Neil deGrasse Tyson on AI (53:28) Will We Travel to Mars in Our Lifetime? (1:00:01) How Long and How Far Is It to Mars? (1:02:43) Ads (1:04:13) What Would Happen If the Earth Got Swallowed by a Black Hole? (1:07:51) Could the Sun Become a Black Hole? (1:09:06) What Happens If the Sun Freezes? (1:10:37) Every Breath You Take Contains the History of the Universe (1:15:25) Is the Universe Infinite? (1:16:34) Do Aliens Exist? (1:19:37) Why Do You Think Aliens Exist? (1:25:38) The Physics Error in *The Matrix* (1:28:22) Ads (1:30:26) The Questions We Dream Of (1:33:26) Should We Argue About Meaning? (1:37:18) Are Horoscopes Really a Thing? (1:42:15) Are You Happier If You Believe in God? (1:46:54) What's the Biggest Advice You Have for Me? (1:51:32) What Do You Think of America Right Now? (1:57:25) Do You Have Any Regrets? Follow Neil: X - https://bit.ly/47m0sAz Instagram - https://bit.ly/48E3kuT  Facebook - https://bit.ly/48VGmiL TikTok - https://bit.ly/46Y1na6 UK - You can pre-order Neil's revised book, ‘Just Visiting This Planet: Merlin Answers More Questions about Everything under the Sun, Moon and Stars', here: https://amzn.to/43cbEhB  US - You can pre-order Neil's revised book, ‘Just Visiting This Planet: Merlin Answers More Questions about Everything under the Sun, Moon and Stars', here: https://amzn.to/3Wxvsbq  The Diary Of A CEO: ◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/  ◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook  ◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt  ◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb  ◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt  ◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb  Sponsors: Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett                                                      KetoneIQ - Visit https://ketone.com/STEVEN for 30% off your subscription order

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 13th of October, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Gospel of John 1:1-4: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (that's Jesus), and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Wow, I just love that scripture folks! You have no idea how much I love that Scripture! That's why I love the Bible so much, because Jesus Christ is the Word and when somebody says to you, ”Show me this Jesus you're always talking about, I can't see Him,” give him a Bible because Jesus is the Word. I want to say to the younger people, this Big Bang theory, it doesn't hold anything at all. It's a lie, I'm telling you, a lie from the pit of hell! They'll tell you that this whole beautiful universe of ours started by some chemical explosion. I want you to ask them a question, ”Who made the chemical explosion?” And they'll say to you, ”And how can you prove that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” You can say, ”Because the Bible tells me, “In the beginning…” He was there in the beginning with His Father.” So that holds a lot more water than talking about some big explosion. In the beginning, “I Am” was there. He's always been there and He always will be there.Now, I'm not a scientist, no, no, I'm a farmer, but I want to tell you, I defy any scientist to prove to me. We'll go for a walk into the field and I'll show him spring. It's spring here on the farm at Shalom and the leaves are coming out on the trees that have been dormant right through the winter. I see a newborn calf, I see the wild animals are breeding at the moment, it's a wonderful time of the year, but every season is a wonderful time of the year. You know why? Because Jesus made it all. He made it all, from the beginning.So, Jesus bless you today as you celebrate the wonderful truth that in the beginning was the Word and His name is Jesus Christ.God bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

Dr. Qureshi-Hurst is a Philosopher of Religion and Science at the University of Cambridge. Her work focuses on the relationship between physics—and time in particular—and theology. Her forthcoming book, Decoding the Cosmos: God, Physics, and the Search for Deeper Explanation, explores this relationship in depth.Improve your focus with Brain FM with 30 days free: https://www.brain.fm/withinreason.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Does the Bible Predict the Big Bang?2:37 - Scientists and Theologians10:18 - Where Did Biblical Literalism Come From?17:31 - How Does Science Conflict with Theology?23:47 - Does God Experience Time?29:27 - The A, B and C Series of Time38:38 - Timeless God, Timed Universe42:52 - Christianity and the End of the Universe48:35 - Intelligent Design and Modern Science55:58 - Is Biblical Literalism a Plausible Reading?58:32 - Why Emily is an Atheist

"If we accept the principle of non-contradiction as the foundation of logic how do you resolve the apparent contradiction of an uncaused cause?"Stefan Molyneux examines the philosophical principle of non-contradiction and the idea of an uncaused cause through Aristotelian and Augustinian lenses. It questions whether the universe can exist without a starting point, introducing the "unmoved mover" concept. The discussion transitions to scientific theories like the Big Bang, while contrasting humanity's finite view with the eternal nature of matter. He critiques the welfare state from a Christian ethical perspective, emphasizing that true morality stems from voluntary choice. Ultimately, the lecture advocates for a philosophical approach to ethics, suggesting it may better serve societal well-being than traditional religious frameworks.SUBSCRIBE TO ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneuxFollow me on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomain1GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

Atoms are the building blocks of our world. Many have been around since right after the Big Bang created the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. And if life on Earth is made of atoms that are from all the way back then... will those atoms keep existing forever? That's what CrowdScience Listener Rob in Australia would like to know. Caroline Steel investigates the immortality of atoms by travelling to CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory located along the border of France and Switzerland. There, theoretical physicist Matthew McCullough explains whether the smallest atoms can decay or survive the test of time. Physicist Marco van Leeuwen from Nikhef, the National Particle Physics Laboratory in the Netherlands, gives Caroline a behind-the-scenes tour of the ALICE experiment and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. She learns how atoms are smashed at incredibly high speeds, and whether that might spell the end of an atom. And all life on earth is made up of atoms, but how does a collection of tiny particles become a living being? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, breaks down how life works from an atomic point of view. Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Imaan Moin Editor: Ben Motley (Photo: Hands cupping a glowing atom in the studio - stock photo. Credit: Paper Boat Creative via Getty Images)

What if the Big Bang was a… big bite?!

Hoy nos sentamos con Isaac Gómez (profesor de física, UPR/Albizu y creador de Notas Astronómicas) para hablar de cómo Puerto Rico —desde el Observatorio de Arecibo— cambió la historia de la astrofísica: descubrimos exoplanetas, enviamos un mensaje al espacio y abrimos una ventana a un universo que no podíamos ver.En este episodio:La era dorada de Arecibo y por qué fue clave en la radioastronomíaExoplanetas: el primer paso serio en la búsqueda de vida fuera del Sistema SolarEl mensaje de Arecibo: una “botella” con información de la Tierra lanzada al cosmos¿Existe una “foto” del Big Bang? La radiación de fondo cósmica explicada fácilVer el pasado cuando miramos las estrellas (años luz, luz y tiempo)Agujeros negros: por qué vemos la ausencia de luzSci-fi que sí podría pasar: Contact, Interstellar¿Vida ET, conspiraciones y evidencia?El futuro del Sol y qué significa para nuestra especiePlutón, Júpiter “sin piso” y océanos bajo hielo en lunas lejanasSi te gustó, suscríbete, deja tu pregunta en los comentarios y comparte este episodio con ese pana que ama la ciencia (o que aún no cree en ella

Sponsor Details:This episode is brought to you with the support of NordVPN....enhance your online privacy with the best in the game. Tiy get our special Space Nuts price and bonus deal, visit www.nordvpn.com/spacenuts or use the code SPACENUTS at checkout.Cosmic Questions: Black Holes, Antimatter Stars, and Meteor PhotographyIn this enlightening Q&A episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle a series of fascinating listener queries. From the enigmatic nature of black holes to the potential existence of antimatter stars, and practical tips for capturing meteors on camera, this episode is a treasure trove of cosmic insights and practical advice.Episode Highlights:- Collapse of the Universe: Listener Nate raises an intriguing question about the future of the universe and the concept of the Gnab Gib, or the reverse Big Bang. Andrew and Fred Watson discuss how gravity might pull everything back together and what happens to light during this cosmic collapse.- The Nature of Black Holes: Tad's thought-provoking question leads to a discussion on gravitational time dilation and the observer's perspective of black holes. The hosts explore how black holes form and why it appears as if nothing ever falls into them from our vantage point.- Antimatter Stars: Mark from London and Canada revisits the idea of antimatter stars, prompting a conversation about their potential existence and how we might detect them through unique gamma ray emissions.- Astrophotography Tips: Dave from Inverel shares his passion for nighttime photography and seeks advice on capturing meteors. Andrew and Fred Watson provide practical tips on the best times and techniques for successful meteor photography, including the benefits of using specific apps.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favourite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Webb Telescope Challenges Cosmology Theories with 'Little Red Dots' Guest Name: Bob Zimmerman Summary:The Webb Space Telescope is finding mysterious "little red dots" in the very early universe, observed via infrared due to redshift. Astronomers speculate these might be supermassive black holes, which shouldn't exist so early, challenging the Big Bang theory itself. About 30% of these dots do not appear compact when viewed in ultraviolet light, resembling galaxies instead. 1958

CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE AMERICAN ECONOMY AND THE CONSUMER 1940 LONDON   10-3-25 FIRST HOUR 9-915 Slow Rebuilding and Political Manipulation in LA Fire Areas Guest Name: Jeff Bliss Summary: Rebuilding fire-damaged areas like Pacific Palisades is agonizingly slow, potentially taking 9 to 20 years, causing residents to abandon their homes. Red tape delays permit issuance, possibly benefiting real estate speculators, including foreign buyers. There is concern that political leaders are pushing to reshape these communities by moving in tall, low-cost housing. 915-930 Economic Slowdown Evident in Local Consumer Spending and Housing Guest Name: Jim McTague Summary:Despite lower gas prices in Lancaster County, a ripple effect from declining Asian imports is expected. Consumer caution remains high, with "English" shoppers buying essentials and avoiding expensive electronics. Local diners show less vibrancy, suggesting the economy has lost "some spring in its step." High-end real estate sales have also notably "dried up." 930-945 HEADLINE: Trump's War on Cartels and Venezuela Intervention; Supreme Court Takes Up Federal Reserve Governor Firing Case GUEST NAME: Richard Epstein SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Richard Epstein about President Trump's "war" against drug cartels and potential Venezuela intervention, which Epstein deems unlawful executive overreach due to congressional inertia. He suggests overthrowing Maduro would be more strategic. The Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments regarding presidential power to fire Federal Reserve governors, specifically Lisa Cook, addressing the future of independent agencieS. 945-1000 HEADLINE: Trump's War on Cartels and Venezuela Intervention; Supreme Court Takes Up Federal Reserve Governor Firing Case GUEST NAME: Richard Epstein SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Richard Epstein about President Trump's "war" against drug cartels and potential Venezuela intervention, which Epstein deems unlawful executive overreach due to congressional inertia. He suggests overthrowing Maduro would be more strategic. The Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments regarding presidential power to fire Federal Reserve governors, specifically Lisa Cook, addressing the future of independent agencieS. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Need for Pentagon Leadership in Fortifying US Infrastructure Against Adversaries Guest Name: Henry SokolskiSummary: Russia is allegedly already waging hybrid war against the EU via cable cutting and cyber assaults, which is expected to reach the US. The US is unprepared organizationally. The Pentagon (Secretary of Defense) should lead hardening and proliferation efforts for targets like the electric grid and nuclear plants, but they are currently resistant to doing so publicly. 1015-1030 Need for Pentagon Leadership in Fortifying US Infrastructure Against Adversaries Guest Name: Henry SokolskiSummary: Russia is allegedly already waging hybrid war against the EU via cable cutting and cyber assaults, which is expected to reach the US. The US is unprepared organizationally. The Pentagon (Secretary of Defense) should lead hardening and proliferation efforts for targets like the electric grid and nuclear plants, but they are currently resistant to doing so publicly. 1030-1045 Interstellar Comet 3I Atlas and Martian/Jupiter Missions Guest Name: Bob Zimmerman Summary: Comet 3I Atlas is the third identified interstellar object and the second interstellar comet, much larger than previous ones. Its path brings it within about 20 million miles of Mars, but it is currently blocked by the sun. NASA and European teams are attempting to get data using Mars orbiters and rovers, though the resolution may not match Webb's spectroscopy. Europe is also considering re-aiming the Juice mission. 1045-1100 Webb Telescope Challenges Cosmology Theories with 'Little Red Dots' Guest Name: Bob Zimmerman Summary:The Webb Space Telescope is finding mysterious "little red dots" in the very early universe, observed via infrared due to redshift. Astronomers speculate these might be supermassive black holes, which shouldn't exist so early, challenging the Big Bang theory itself. About 30% of these dots do not appear compact when viewed in ultraviolet light, resembling galaxies instead. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 HEADLINE: Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna's Chamber: An Early Mesopotamian Museum GUEST NAME: Moudhy Al-Rashid SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Moudhy Al-Rashid about Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, high priestess to moon god Sin in Ur, who maintained ancient artifact collections in her palace. Items 1,500 years older than her time, alongside cylindrical clay labels, suggest the chamber functioned as the world's earliest known museum, establishing links to ancient history. 1115-1130 HEADLINE: Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna's Chamber: An Early Mesopotamian Museum GUEST NAME: Moudhy Al-Rashid SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Moudhy Al-Rashid about Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, high priestess to moon god Sin in Ur, who maintained ancient artifact collections in her palace. Items 1,500 years older than her time, alongside cylindrical clay labels, suggest the chamber functioned as the world's earliest known museum, establishing links to ancient history. 1130-1145 HEADLINE: Ancient Mesopotamian Literacy, Math, and the Epic of Gilgamesh GUEST NAME: Moudhy Al-RashidSUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Moudhy Al-Rashid about Mesopotamian education teaching advanced mathematics and writing in Sumerian and Akkadian, preserved on homework tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating to a likely real king around 2800 BCE, tells of a tyrant's transformation into a wise king after learning that life concerns community survival 1145-1200 HEADLINE: Ancient Mesopotamian Literacy, Math, and the Epic of Gilgamesh GUEST NAME: Moudhy Al-RashidSUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Moudhy Al-Rashid about Mesopotamian education teaching advanced mathematics and writing in Sumerian and Akkadian, preserved on homework tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating to a likely real king around 2800 BCE, tells of a tyrant's transformation into a wise king after learning that life concerns community survival FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Positive Outlook for US-Canada Trade and Middle East Peace Guest Name: Conrad Black Summary: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with President Trump to discuss economic and security issues, aiming to remove US tariffs. Trade discussions look positive following the Canadian election. Carney also specifically endorsed President Trump's proposed Middle East peace deal, which has major Arab and non-Arab Muslim powers supporting it, deeming it one of the greatest diplomatic achievements since World War II. 1215-1230 8. Italian Political Scandals and the Reinstatement of St. Francis Holiday Guest Name: Lorenzo Fiori Summary:Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and two ministers face ICC investigation for failing to detain a Libyan warlord, citing risks to Italian workers in Libya. Separately, Italy's Senate unanimously approved reinstating a national holiday honoring St. Francis of Assisi, Italy's patron saint, 800 years after his passing. 1230-1245 Distinguishing Humane Nationalism from Pathological Ideologies Guest Name: Daniel Mahoney Summary:Nationalism must be distinguished from pathological forms like "blood and soil" ideology, which champions ethnic rooting and the subordination of others. Moderate, humane national loyalty is tied to self-government and common humanity, rejecting the path that leads to "zoological wars." Critics often unfairly conflate nationalism with isolationism or imperialism. 1245-100 AM Distinguishing Humane Nationalism from Pathological Ideologies Guest Name: Daniel Mahoney Summary:Nationalism must be distinguished from pathological forms like "blood and soil" ideology, which champions ethnic rooting and the subordination of others. Moderate, humane national loyalty is tied to self-government and common humanity, rejecting the path that leads to "zoological wars." Critics often unfairly conflate nationalism with isolationism or imperialism.

HEADLINE: Solving the Mystery of Bright Red Dots in the Early Universe GUEST NAME: Dr. Joel LejaSUMMARY: John Batchelor interviews Dr. Joel Leja about "little red dots"—extremely bright, mysteriously common objects discovered in the early universe by the James Webb Space Telescope. These enigmatic red dots appear to be early supermassive black holes, possibly tens of millions of solar masses, revealed by intensely hot gas swirling at tremendous velocities around them. Their unexpected abundance and size so close to the universe's beginning poses a fundamental challenge to current theories of cosmic evolution and black hole formation. The discovery suggests that supermassive black holes formed much earlier and more rapidly than previously thought possible, requiring astronomers to reconsider models of how the first galaxies and their central black holes emerged from the primordial darkness. Dr. Leja explains that while the JWST data strongly indicates these are black holes based on spectroscopic signatures, the mechanism that allowed such massive objects to form so quickly after the Big Bang remains one of astronomy's most perplexing new mysteries. The research highlights how advanced telescopes continue to overturn established assumptions about the early universe's structure and evolution.

HEADLINE: Solving the Mystery of Bright Red Dots in the Early Universe GUEST NAME: Dr. Joel LejaSUMMARY: John Batchelor interviews Dr. Joel Leja about "little red dots"—extremely bright, mysteriously common objects discovered in the early universe by the James Webb Space Telescope. These enigmatic red dots appear to be early supermassive black holes, possibly tens of millions of solar masses, revealed by intensely hot gas swirling at tremendous velocities around them. Their unexpected abundance and size so close to the universe's beginning poses a fundamental challenge to current theories of cosmic evolution and black hole formation. The discovery suggests that supermassive black holes formed much earlier and more rapidly than previously thought possible, requiring astronomers to reconsider models of how the first galaxies and their central black holes emerged from the primordial darkness. Dr. Leja explains that while the JWST data strongly indicates these are black holes based on spectroscopic signatures, the mechanism that allowed such massive objects to form so quickly after the Big Bang remains one of astronomy's most perplexing new mysteries. The research highlights how advanced telescopes continue to overturn established assumptions about the early universe's structure and evolution. HUBBLE

This week on Sibling Rivalry, Bob shares his new bouldering hobby while Monét explains how she keeps her hands soft and callus-free. They compare their experiences bouldering, debate names that would be nice if they didn't already mean something else, and role play what they'd do if a friend tragically couldn't make it to a concert. They get into K-pop demon hunters, the Céline Dion-inspired movie, and the most played songs on YouTube. They ask if telekinesis is real and whether people can really move things with their minds, share their thoughts on reincarnation, explain stardust and the Big Bang. Bob puts it to the test by showing off his fork-bending “magic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3/4: This file details Steady State theory creation, Hoyle's element theory, coining "Big Bang," and CMB discovery. Fred Hoyle, Bondi, and Gold conceived Steady State theory after watching The Dead of Night (1946/47). Their model proposed continuous creation via quantum uncertainty. Hoyle solved carbon formation: two helium atoms form unstable Beryllium-8, briefly uniting with third helium to forge Carbon-12. Hoyle predicted carbon's specific energy level, which Willie Fowler at Caltech verified. Hoyle coined "Big Bang" derisively on BBC radio, mocking single-blast creation. Gamow and Ralph Alpher called initial substance "ylem." Hoyle and Gamow met in 1956 La Jolla, discussing universe temperature; Hoyle believed near 0 Kelvin, Gamow preferred 10 Kelvin. In 1964, Penzias and Wilson at Bell Labs accidentally discovered persistent background radiation—the Cosmic Microwave Background—proving the Big Bang that Gamow sought. Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate, by Paul Halpern

2/4: This file covers Fred Hoyle's academic career and the emergence of major cosmological debate. Hoyle earned his Cambridge PhD in 1939, originally wanting to be a chemist. During WWII, he worked on secret radar projects. Meeting astronomer Walter Baade proved pivotal; Baade proposed that Population 2 stars exploded as supernovae, distributing elements to newer stars. This inspired Hoyle's 1946 seminal paper on stellar nucleosynthesis, explaining how elements from hydrogen to uranium form in stars. Cosmological theories crystallized into competing camps: the Big Bang (from Friedmann and Lemaître's "primeval atom") versus Steady State theory. Einstein had written early steady state concepts but discarded them. Gamow supported the Big Bang, proposing all elements were created in the hot early universe. Early universe age estimates varied wildly between 2-10 billion years, far short of the accepted 13.8 billion years. Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate, by Paul Halpern

4/4: This file covers CMB aftermath, Gamow's vindication, and Hoyle's controversial final years. CMB proved Big Bang theory, establishing cosmos temperature at 2.73 Kelvin and age at 13.8 billion years. Gamow (died 1968) wrote Princeton researchers, seeking recognition for his and Ralph Alpher's 1940s CMBcalculations. Hoyle's work with Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and William Fowler on heavy elements was genius, but only Fowler received the Nobel Prize. Hoyle never forgave Willie Fowler. Speculation includes the committee distancing from Hoyle's fringe theories or Hans Bethe misunderstanding Hoyle's role. Hoyle moved to Lake District, pursuing panspermia theory—life spreading via cosmic travelers. He rejected Darwinian evolution, claiming Earth too young, ironically gaining young-earth creationist support despite atheism. He proposed diseases like AIDS arrived via comets, viewed as eccentric. Both were "seat-of-the-pants thinkers," though Hoyle more stubbornly clung to strange concepts. Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate, by Paul Halpern