Best Connect2 By Mark Hughes Podcasts (2024)

Fun in one's life helps people live longer but what makes things fun? Mark and Jeff discuss the components of fun and how you can differentiate between True Fun and Fake FunBy Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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US Politics from a Canadian Perspective 55:43

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7d ago55:43

55:43

Mark and Jeff discuss the current state of US politics in the wake of the recent change in the Democrats' presumptive nominee and how the Republicans are managing it. At least what we see from outside the US. Canada is affected by US politics but has no ability to influence the elections.By Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Conspiracies! Why we want to believe 1:03:16

21d ago1:03:16

1:03:16

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss why people are so easy to fall to the lure of conspiracies rather than believe the obvious. They discuss a wide variety of conspiracy theories and why people want to believe them.By Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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How many senses do we actually have? 59:55

1M ago59:55

59:55

If you learned as a kid that there are only 5 senses and that the 6th sense is precognition, you have missed the boat. There are many more senses than 5 but not all are agreed upon. Despite this there are many additional senses that are agreed upon. In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the additional senses…

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What is the Society for Creative Anachronism? 53:51

1M ago53:51

53:51

Today we have a special guest with Kadie Isaac who is interviewed by Mark (Jeff is away). Kadie is a long time member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and tells us all about this great organization, what she loves about it and her plans to travel to PennsicBy Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Alcohol: How much is safe? 1:06:35

2M ago1:06:35

1:06:35

Alcohol is a significant part of our culture and society at large, but is it good for you? If it is bad for you, how much is too much? What are the risks? Mark and Jeff discuss the swing from people thinking alcohol was good for your in the mid 1980's to people thinking no quantity is safe to a more measured understanding of that actual risks invol…

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Psychedelics 101 57:21

2M ago57:21

57:21

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss some fundamental aspects of psychedelic drugs (hallucinogens) and what sets them apart from other illegal drugs such as OpiodsBy Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Koalas are dying: What's going on? 57:32

2M ago57:32

57:32

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss what is happening to Koalas in Australia, they are dying off at a high rate from a variety of causes... In this episode, we discuss some of the details of what threatens Koalas.By Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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The Doomsday clock now as close as it was in the 80's 1:02:28

3M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

In this episode, we discuss the deteriorating state of global nuclear balance. China and Russia are now each other's biggest trade partners and things are not getting better globally. This is as bad as it was in the 1980's but it seemed even worse back then and people seem to be oblivious to the state of global precariousness as it relates to nucle…

1
Great Stories: The strength of Iconic Movie and TV Franchises 59:16

3M ago59:16

59:16

In this episode, Mark and Jeff talk about things that have made for great movie and TV franchises, where they have stumbled and what has made them work so well. We focused on Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, James Bond and Aliens (but there are many more). Lots of long lived franchises have definitely had down times and then reboots.…

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Who is Sleep Token? (it's a band!) 53:46

3M ago53:46

53:46

We're back! Mark and Jeff discuss Sleep Token the Band as well as the controversy related to Ticketmaster's monopoly. This was a result of a recent trip by Mark to NYC to see the band Sleep Token at Radio City Music Hall as part of their Teeth of God tour. Spoiler alert! It was a great concert. There was some drama leading up to the concert but eve…

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Mindful Media: Navigating Mental Health in the Digital Age 1:02:06

4M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

Well, in a not to everyone being replaced by AI, this week's topic (and title) were generated from ChatGPT's new 4 Omni. The suggested topic was more specifically addressing people's mental health when dealing with social media. ChatGPT even provided some talking points. Mark and Jeff took it from that starting point. We also discussed things we le…

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The Class of '84 - Jeff trying to Go Home 44:19

4M ago44:19

44:19

Jeff discusses his 40 year high school reunion and what he experienced trying to go back. Things have changed a lot, so have the people. Some are recognizable, others are not. Very interesting discussion and experience. We also discuss what we learned in the past week, sample some coffee and discuss what media we are consuming.…

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The Importance of Sports(ing) 1:02:42

4M ago1:02:42

1:02:42

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the importance of sports, both as a participant and as an observer to mental health. They also discuss the difference on a team between talent and teamwork, lessons that can be applied to the workplace. As usual, there are a few dad jokes, coffee sampling, talk about alien life and media being consumed.…

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Managing Weight by Managing what you Eat 42:56

5M ago42:56

42:56

You are what you eat and weight control is entirely tied to diet. In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss things that worked for them in the past as well as some misconceptions about how you can lose weight. We also discuss what we learned in the past week and media we are currenty consumingBy Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Coffee 101 - Basics of Fancy Coffee 55:13

5M ago55:13

55:13

Mark and Jeff talk today about a variety of issues but the main topic is understanding coffee and different types of ways of preparing coffee. This episode will help you when you are considering getting a coffee from your local coffee specialty store (as long as it is not Starbucks because they misuse certain coffee naming conventions). As usual we…

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The Unsettled State of Transgender Research 1:00:01

5M ago1:00:01

1:00:01

Transgender is currently a hot button issue at this time and lots of people have strong opinions on the topic. Unfortunately most of those opinions, on both sides of the topic are not strongly founded on science. The research, for the most part, appears to be quite limited and often flawed. Many of the studies approach the topic from a political ap…

1
What forms your identity? What makes you you? 52:26

5M ago52:26

52:26

Mark and Jeff discuss how people thing of themselves and how they form the identity that makes them who they are. We also discuss the politics of identity and the confusion regarding gender pronouns, where it started and where it has ended up as a political thing. As usual we sample coffee, tell some dad jokes, discuss what we learned this week and…

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U2 at the Sphere and How to attend a WPPI conference 1:01:32

6M ago1:01:32

1:01:32

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss Mark's recent trip to Las Vegas where he went to see U2's last show at the Sphere (spoiler alert.... it was amazing) and then attended the Wedding and Portrait Photographer's conference (WPPI) one of the biggest photography events in the world. As usual, the guys discuss what they learned this past week as wel…

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Apple killed their Car Project... What happened? 54:07

6M ago54:07

54:07

Mark and Jeff discuss the major decision from Apple to kill its autonomous EV project. Over 10 years of development and $10 Billion and a staff of 2000. Staff will be reassigned and scattered amongst Apple projects. As usual, we sample coffee, tell a couple of dad jokes, discuss what we learned this week and review media we consumed.…

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Positive Thinking and it's Effect on Your Life 1:00:39

6M ago1:00:39

1:00:39

Positive thinking has long been thought of as important to your health and wellness. Mark and Jeff do a deep dive into how that works and what positive thinking means to them. As usual we discuss things we learned in the past week (often space related), a few corny dad jokes and media we are consuming. Check out our facebook group for links to the …

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Modern Corporatism and where it leads 1:00:29

7M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

Mark and Jeff discuss the concepts of Corporatism vs Capitalism vs the need to regulation in modern western societies. In particular discussing where capitalism and be made accountable for decisions that affect society and the environment. As usual there are a few dad jokes, things we learned in the last week and media we a currently consuming.…

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Synchronicity.... more than a coincidence? 58:33

7M ago58:33

58:33

Back after a week's hiatus, Mark and Jeff discuss the significance of synchronicity and it's impact on your life. When are things coincidences and when are they more than that? We also discuss things we learned this week including tales of time travel and what media we have been consuming.By Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Is a Virtual Band Real? Gorillaz! 55:13

7M ago55:13

55:13

In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss fake bands and in particular the virtual band Gorillaz. A band that has had a fair bit of success and was created as a bit of a thumb towards the music industry. The band has a complicated and detailed back story for the animated band members. Gorillaz is the brainchild of Damon Albarn (from Blur) and Jamie Hew…

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What is ASMR and is it what you think it is? 37:02

8M ago37:02

37:02

There are a lot of misconceptions about what ASMR is and why people might like it. Mark and Jeff discovered that ASMR is not really what they thought it was and its a little odd/unusual, bordering on fetishness. Today's episode is a little shorter than usual but in this episode Jeff/Mark used an additional microphone to capture some ASMR trigger so…

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The Johnny Depp movie that Nobody Saw (almost nobody) 1:01:00

8M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

Mark and Jeff explore the famous photo essayist W. Eugene Smith and his life, particularly when he went to Japan to cover something called Minamata disease. One of his most famous images was taken there and there was a feature film based upon his life and travels to Minamata starring Johnny Depp. The movie is excellent but did not do well at the bo…

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Dr. Temple Grandin, the Austistic Savanat 58:28

8M ago58:28

58:28

Dr. Temple Grandin is know for two things, her autism and how she has used it to help inform her professional career in Animal Science. She has singlehandedly changed the food processing industry by making it significantly more humane. She is a fascinating individual and the main topic of this podcast. As usual we discuss what we learned in the pas…

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What’s to come? Predictions for 2024 1:03:06

8M ago1:03:06

1:03:06

Mark and Jeff take stab at predictions for 2024. Recorded during the Christmas break, Mark and Jeff discuss what they were most surprised about from last year as well as predictions (with differing confidence levels) for 2024. This episode covers a lot of territory and is pretty free ranging. Enjoy and have a happy new year!!!…

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Retiring at 65 was originally political smoke and mirrors 1:05:14

8M ago1:05:14

1:05:14

Mark and Jeff discuss how a retirement age of 65 was originally arrived at. Hint, it's not what you expect and its not scientifically arrived at. The original reason for a social security program was to support people whose physical jobs were something they could no longer do to support themselves, but few were expected to take advantage of the pro…

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Bryan Johnson’s Anti-Aging Quest... is it real? 56:20

9M ago56:20

56:20

Bryan Johnson is a Silicon valley millionaire (almost billionaire) who sold his company at the age of 34 and now focuses on his anti-aging quest through the Blueprint protocol. This protocol is an open source method of trying to extend your life based upon empirical data and evidence based science. He sounds a little crazy (and he may be) but there…

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Real Estate as a Pension for Small Businesses? 1:06:34

9M ago1:06:34

1:06:34

Most small businesses do not have pension plans or easy ways to extract their business' value. To that end sometimes small businesses think they should buy their building to reduce their costs or at least having their payments to back to them. There are pitfalls to this approach and anyone considering doing it should really think it hard and carefu…

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Understanding Stanley Kubrick 55:54

9M ago55:54

55:54

As part of our series on Neurodivergent (or suspected) celebrities, this episode dives into the enigma that was Stanley Kubrick the auteur film maker known for feature films such as the Shining, 2001: A Space Odessey, Eyes Wide Shut to name a few. A man obsessed with detail, his meticulous attention to all aspects of a film would often mean they wo…

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Who is Sam Altman? 1:04:29

9M ago1:04:29

1:04:29

In the past week and a half there has been much turmoil at OpenAI, the company that has developed and launched ChatGTP (as well as Dall-E). Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI was fired on Friday Nov 17, 2023, subsequently tried to come back only to have the board decide not to hire him, hired by Microsoft and then rehired back on the following Tuesday. …

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The Mystery that is Banksy 1:09:26

10M ago1:09:26

1:09:26

Mark and Jeff do a deep dive into the Artist known as Banksy. Where he came from what he did and what seems to drive him. Banksy is a complicated artist whose identity is not known (although it was recently revealed!). His work is all political with lots of pranks. He did a documentary in 2011 that was nominated for an academy award. He has also do…

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A Deeper Dive Into the Complex World of Elon Musk 1:04:15

10M ago1:04:15

1:04:15

Elon Musk is a complicated person. Some people idolize him, others think he is a villain. He has attributes of both and although he gets some visionary things accomplished because he is relentless, he would be a very difficult person to work for. It is easy to understand how some of the things he had done can be interpreted more than one way. Mark …

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Understanding Elon Musk is Neurodiverse 1:02:54

10M ago1:02:54

1:02:54

Mark was interested in a biography of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson as a result of a podcast from Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher (Pivot). He has been reading the book and feels the criticism by Kara Swisher on the writer is poorly founded (actually it feels like she was reading some other book). Her critique is that Walter Isaacson never states if …

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Dealing with the End of Your Life 1:04:58

10M ago1:04:58

1:04:58

As people age, at some point in time you need to deal with either an aging relative or your own inevitable demise. Many people try to avoid thinking about it until too late. In this episode, after we talk about some space stuff, we discuss common issues as people age as well as how to plan for the future. It is a difficult issue that sometimes only…

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Is Rock and Roll Dead? 1:00:10

11M ago1:00:10

1:00:10

This is a correction on the podcast file that was uploaded on Oct 24, 2023 which seems to have had the previous episode incorrectly uploaded. Thanks to a listener for noting the error. Enjoy Streaming has fundamentally changed how we experience music as well as the economic landscape. A music genre that was once dominant in the 70's and 80's now is…

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The Hamas/Israel Troubles 57:11

11M ago57:11

57:11

Just over a week ago, there was a vicious attack by Hamas on Israel that has horrified the world. This terrorist act has led to a significant conflict re-igniting again in the middle East (it has basically been there for a long time but it flared up again). Mark and Jeff discuss some of the issues and why both sides are in untenable positions and h…

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Where Do You Find New Music? 1:05:00

11M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss what music they listen to, how to discover new music as well as old formats and what they used to do. They also sample some coffee, tell some dad jokes, discuss what they learned this week and what media they are consuming. Check out the podcast's facebook page for links to referenced topics at https://www.fac…

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Staying Current with Rapidly Changing Technology 1:16:36

11M ago1:16:36

1:16:36

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss how they manage dealing with the incredibly fast pace of technology change. They also discuss what they learned with past week, Jeff recites a poem, a few dad jokes and they also discuss what media they have been recently consuming.By Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Mark Had a Marathon Adventure to the US and is Back! 57:53

12M ago57:53

57:53

After a long trip to the Southern USA, Mark has returned. He drove for 108 hours, 8135KM over 3 weeks. He visited 7 National Parks, State Parks and Monuments. This was after he went to see Dave Matthews at the Gorge in Washington State and then attended a conference in Las Vegas on Dog Photography (Shutterhound). Mark debriefs Jeff on where he went…

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How much is too much Screentime? How much do you watch your screens 1:04:44

12M ago1:04:44

1:04:44

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss screen time and how much we as a society watch our phones, tablets and computers (spoiler... its a lot!). They also discuss what they learned in the past week and what media they are consuming. Mark is going to be travelling for the early part of September so there will be a gap until the next episode.…

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Special Guest Lori Kiel (Wedding Anniversary Special) 50:17

1y ago50:17

50:17

In this episode, Mark interviews his wife as part of the celebration of 35 years of marriage. As part of this podcast, Mark digs into Lori's career, skills and interests. As she is a renaissance woman, she has many diverse skill and interests. We discuss things we learned in the past week, current interests as well as media being consumed.…

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Top 5 Places to Visit in Alberta and BC 57:08

1y ago57:08

57:08

Mark and Jeff discuss their favourite destinations to visit in Alberta and BC. They also discuss what they learned in the past week, what media they are consuming and tell a few dad jokes while enjoying good coffee.By Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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In The Field: An Interview With Les Wold 45:27

1y ago45:27

45:27

Well, Jeff was away this week with family commitments so today's episode was recorded while camping in BC. Mark interviewed Les Wold, a partner with Effect Home Builders and a really great guy. In this episode, Mark and Les discuss his work, his interests and what he likes to do. As usual we sample some coffee, tell dad jokes, discuss what we learn…

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Staying Relevant, the Career Lifespan of Social Media Influencers 1:08:55

1y ago1:08:55

1:08:55

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the lifespan of social media influencers. Those that are successful and those that are just one trick ponies. We also discuss the source of the most comments on our Facebook page (hint... the comments are from scammers), we discuss things we learned in the last week, tell a few dad jokes and discuss media we a…

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Oh No! Jeff’s Facebook Account Got Hacked 1:05:07

1y ago1:05:07

1:05:07

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the trials and tribulations of Jeff as his Facebook account has been hacked. The hacker changed the email address and phone number for verification. As a consequence he cannot recover the account. One step further, Facebook has no customer support. If you can't solve it with an automated assistant you can't so…

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The State of Social Media 1:03:31

1y ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Well hello! For the first Episode of Season 3 Mark and Jeff discuss the state of social media including statistics and general usage metrics. Mark and Jeff sample some coffee, tell a few dad jokes, discuss what they learned in the past week and media they have been consuming. Come Join us as you do other things!!!!…

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Connect2 By Mark Hughes Podcasts

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