Best Heisenberg Podcasts (2024)

1
#491 - Next Month, Trauma! 56:37

11h ago56:37

56:37

It's awards season and we cover them all, including a Martha Wells sweep! We wrap up our thoughts on Sword of Kaigen and get excited (read: trigger warnings) for Cursed Bunny, our July pick.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#490 - Cosy Adjacent 48:14

28d ago48:14

48:14

Are we living in a Maas society? Veronica has recommendations in joining on the Sarah J. Maas train. Independent bookstores are on the rise. We kick off The Sword of Kaigen and give our spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Mercury 53:49

1M ago53:49

53:49

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet which is closest to our Sun. We see it as an evening or a morning star, close to where the Sun has just set or is about to rise, and observations of Mercury helped Copernicus understand that Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun, so displacing Earth from the centre of our system. In the 20th century, f…

1
#489 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Veronicas 33:37

1M ago33:37

33:37

We have Locus Award and Arthur C. Clarke award nominees. We share our non-spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. And Tom discovers Birria Ramen!By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#488 - Barrayar Your Sword 47:19

2M ago47:19

47:19

Some great books in the Seiun Awards in Japan, why Sword and Laser is good for your heart, we kick off the May pick, and finally wrap up our thoughts on the surprising complexity and depth of the awesome Cordelia's Honor.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Nikola Tesla 52:50

2M ago52:50

52:50

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) and his role in the development of electrical systems towards the end of the nineteenth century. He made his name in New York in the contest over which current should flow into homes and factories in America. Some such as Edison backed direct current or DC while …

1
#487 - Have We Reached Critical Maas? 35:16

2M ago35:16

35:16

OMG all of the top bestsellers are romantasy! What order should you read series in? Does it matter? Also why is Veronica telling Tom to suck it? Or did we misunderstand. Tune in and find out!By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#486 - Pre-re-read 34:20

3M ago34:20

34:20

Will Veronica and Tom make it to Glasgow? Not after that embarrassing German pronunciation. And after talking some baseball, they dig into non-spoilery discussion of Cordelia's Honor.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle 58:02

3M ago58:02

58:02

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the German physicist who, at the age of 23 and while still a student, effectively created quantum mechanics for which he later won the Nobel Prize. Werner Heisenberg made this breakthrough in a paper in 1925 when, rather than starting with an idea of where atomic particles were at any one time, he worked backwards fr…

1
#485 - Triangles Are Stronger 48:35

3M ago48:35

48:35

The Nebula Award nominees are out! Should we re-read Neuromancer? Veronica explains Type I, II, and III fun. The truth behind Cordelia's Honor. And our final thoughts on Iron Widow.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#78 The Blowout 39:40

3M ago39:40

39:40

The story of one of the worst numerical beatdowns in the history of professional sports. Music: - Reckless by Brocker Way - Green Groves of Erin by Yo Yo Ma - Concerto No. 2 in G minor by Vivaldi - Classic Battle by Sam Spence - Denmark by Portland Cello Project - Independant by Brocker Way - Tilting at Windmills by Brocker Way - Ride of the Valkyr…

1
#484 - It's Giving "Mad" 48:34

4M ago48:34

48:34

We check in on who's winning the tournament. A vikings kids book! Where it's stabbing time! We talk a little bit about Iron Widow, and wrap up Shadow of the Gods.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Hormones 50:13

4M ago50:13

50:13

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the chemical signals coursing through our bodies throughout our lives, produced in separate areas and spreading via the bloodstream. We call these 'hormones' and we produce more than 80 of them of which the best known are arguably oestrogen, testosterone, adrenalin, insulin and cortisol. On the whole hormones…

1
Don't Be a Slave: Nietzsche on Philosophy and Slavery 8:44

4M ago8:44

8:44

For references, see Nietzsche on the Pride of the Philosopher in Contrast to the Slave ✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co ✦ If you're working on independent creative work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.orgBy Justin Murphy

1
#483 - C is for Chestburster 44:14

4M ago44:14

44:14

A few more thoughts on the Hugos, who would win in a fight between Maas and Yarros, and we preview our March Madness brackets!By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
We're Back: On how I fixed the company (a big lesson for independent scholars) 20:01

4M ago20:01

20:01

A personal reflection and update on my 5-year journey to design a new kind of scholarly life for the internet era. In a previous podcast, I shared how the Other Life company hit some hard times. Here I explain what I learned from that, and how I've turned it around. I share some meditations on the pursuit of weird goals, finding one's own path, and…

1
#482 - Let's Talk About Seax, Baby 54:47

5M ago54:47

54:47

We've opened nominations for Mad Marchness!, our March tournament of book picks. Plus, the failure of the Hugos and the rise of Romantasy. And we begin our first impressions of Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#481 - Big Trouble in Little Worldcon 54:27

5M ago54:27

54:27

Surprise, there's a problem with hosting the Hugos in China. Plus: Keanu Reeves is co-writing with China Mieville, we kick off our February read, The Shadow of the Gods. And our spoilery thoughts on The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#480 - What You Can Do With Mickey Mouse 49:14

6M ago49:14

49:14

Alternatives to Goodreads, and one of them is Amazon. Which owns Goodreads. What you can and can't do with Mickey Mouse. The "Who should play Murderbot" discussion continues. Typical human and augmented human stuff! Plus why Veronica should read this month's book pick.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#479 - Where Have All The Beef Suits Gone? 48:57

6M ago48:57

48:57

Are there too many Nat 20s in Kings of the Wyld, our stance on Skarsgard as Murderbot, and we introduce the January pick (which has a lot of triggers).By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#478 - Without A Lick of Condensation 35:14

7M ago35:14

35:14

All the end of year book picks are out with lots of great titles to add to your own list! Did Vonnegut think he was a genre writer? And our non-spoilery thoughts about Kings of the Wyld.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
we almost just died (and it was great, I think?) 17:36

7M ago17:36

17:36

On muddling through, faith, and the absurdity of pursuing a singular creative vision on the open market... A story about the past few months of Other Life (and the next few). ✦ If you’re in the Los Angeles area, come to our meetup tomorrow Friday Dec. 1 at 3pm in Santa Monica. RSVP here. Other Life ✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world…

1
#477 - I Said What I Said, She Said 44:49

7M ago44:49

44:49

Veronica now knows how to catch up on Old Man's War. Should good books not be SciFi? Is "they said" saying too much? He “sucked his teeth” is not enough! We kick off Kings of the Wyld and wrap up Mimicking of Known Successes.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#476 - Don't Get Your Atmoscarf In A Bunch 34:36

8M ago34:36

34:36

We're huge fans of mushrooms! Fourth Wing is EVERYWHERE. And remember, the very aspects of a novel you might not fancy could be the same ones that captivate someone else.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#475 - Father Knows Best 48:07

8M ago48:07

48:07

Awards season is here! We're celebrating deserving winners and discussing potential TV and movie adaptations of our favorite books. This November, we're diving into a novel about trains on Jupiter and concluding our October discussion on Father’s “5D chess.”By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Plankton 48:41

8M ago48:41

48:41

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the tiny drifting organisms in the oceans that sustain the food chain for all the lifeforms in the water and so for the billions of people who, in turn, depend on the seas for their diet. In Earth's development, the plant-like ones among them, the phytoplankton, produced so much oxygen through photosynthesis that aro…

1
#474 - The Vibe-rary at Mt. Char 35:26

8M ago35:26

35:26

Best books of the year? Already? How Veronica got her k-wires out. And our non-spoilery thoughts on Library at Mount Char.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Albert Einstein 49:29

9M ago49:29

49:29

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the man who, in 1905, produced several papers that were to change the world of physics and whose name went on to become a byword for genius. This was Albert Einstein, then still a technical expert at a Swiss patent office, and that year of 1905 became known as his annus mirabilis ('miraculous year'). While Einstein c…

1
#473 - Dewey Decimated 44:40

9M ago44:40

44:40

Veronica's state of K-wires, the most highly-rated books in the world, we kick off our read of The Library of Mount Char, and wrap up China Mountain Zhang.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#472 - Felicia Day Opens Her Third Eye 48:13

9M ago48:13

48:13

We talk to Felicia Day about her new Audible Original Third Eye, and how her own struggles led to her story about a chosen one who fails. Plus, we talk about the importance of doing what you love and learning to leave your past behind (and why she's eating ground turkey a lot).By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#471 - PSL: Pumpkin Sword and Laser 56:58

9M ago56:58

56:58

Guess what? The new Bobiverse is coming, and we would love to have your emails! Plus, we've got some super cool thoughts (no spoilers, promise) on China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh. But you don't have to take my blurb for it!By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
The Rigor of Angels: Kant, Borges, & Heisenberg with William Egginton 51:32

10M ago51:32

51:32

I'm joined by author William Egginton to discuss his new book The Rigor of Angels. We talk Borges, Kant, and Heisenberg—and the big idea(s) they had in common. We discuss the antimonies of knowledge and the possibility that art is their solution. We discuss Coltrane, intelligence, creativity, biography, academia, and specialization vs. generalism. …

1
#470 - Hammfisted 40:44

10M ago40:44

40:44

The last new Terry Pratchett stories, the rise of nonsense literature, a brief intro to our September pick China Mountain Zhang, and final thoughts on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#469 - Venomous Breaded Hairtail Sucker 37:29

10M ago37:29

37:29

Veronica has been in Canada for a year, and the best book in Canada is about Marie Antoinette. Tom ate some breaded hairtail and is excited about Gail Carriger's K-pop post. Plus, we announce the September book and give a few non-spoilery thoughts about Ninth House.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#468 - Go Tweed Lions! 44:30

11M ago44:30

44:30

Veronica curses the Lions and eats SO many blackberries. Also, our non-spoilery thoughts on Ninth House and Ivy League schools.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
#467 - It Was Good Filk 39:37

11M ago39:37

39:37

We get to the bottom of why it's called Fahrenheit 4-5-1 and which songs get stuck in our heads when we hear “Aes Sedai.” We finish up our thoughts on Planetfall by Emma Newman and kick off Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.By Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont

1
Ezra Pound: The Solitary Volcano 1:23:46

11M ago1:23:46

1:23:46

We dissect the complex life of Ezra Pound, one of the most interesting and controversial poetic geniuses of the 20th century. You'll gain insight into: Why Pound was so influential, his extraordinary talent-spotting skills, and his knack for turning vibrant social scenes into artistic movements. However, be prepared for a rollercoaster ride, as we …

1
Jupiter 53:10

11M ago53:10

53:10

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and it’s hard to imagine a world more alien and different from Earth. It’s known as a Gas Giant, and its diameter is eleven times the size of Earth’s: our planet would fit inside it one thousand three hundred times. But its mass is only three hundred and twenty times greater, suggesting that althou…

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