Dispatches from the Armchair

John and Mike
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Philosophy
  • Bimonthly

Deeper than the headlines.

  1. 06/08/2021

    Edition XI - The Crypto Boom

    Bitcoin, altcoins, shitcoins, whatcoins? Cryptocurrency has had a very strong 2021 and is back on everyone's mind. John and Mike have had the distinct fortune of cornering an expert on the matter and picking his brain for two hours. This episode features Simon Lee, founder of Crypto101Notes, a group that has the mission of teaching as many people as possible about the upcoming Bitcoin and crypto economy. Are you looking for a basic primer on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency? Right here. Curious about why there are other cryptos? Listen and find out. Trying to figure out WTF is dogecoin? You have come to the right place. Check out our guest's project at https://www.crypto101notes.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/crypto101notes?lang=en

  2. 09/25/2020

    Russia

    John and Mike dug into the archives for a classic - the legendary "Russia episode," originally recorded August 2019 but never released until now. Your favorite podcast hosts plumb the depths of history to give their loyal readers a tour of Russian civilization the likes of which has never seen before. If you have any curiosity at all about our mysterious neighbors to the East, you'll want to listen to this one the whole way through.   Musical Accompaniment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooUX8_jDHxc   A few corrections: first, Proto-Indo European originated around 2,500 BCE, not 2,500 years ago. Second, Voltaire was a deist, not an atheist (practically the same thing!). Third, the population of Russia that were serfs in the early 19th century was roughly 30-40%, not "more than half". Remember, we are amateurs and encourage you to trust but verify everything we say.   Excellent encyclopedia article on Stalin. Reads better than Wikipedia: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Stalin

  3. 06/28/2020

    The Rona

    The Armchair is back!  John and Mike are coming at you today with some thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it winding down, or is the worst yet to come? Will our society come out of this crisis stronger than ever, or fatally weakened? The Armchair has absolutely no clue, but face it, neither do you, so why not join our hosts for some good old fashioned thought-provoking discussion? Good sources of coronavirus stats (to the extent that anyone can still trust anything anymore) : https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/ http://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualization/ Overview of the 3 Cs: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/000615287.pdf

  4. 09/12/2019

    Hong Kong Protests

    Extra! Extra! The Armchair hits the ground running in this special Dispatch surveying the ongoing Hong Kong protests! In a first for the history of this podcast, we bring in a special guest to help flesh out the issue: impromptu Hong Kong correspondent Yannick Kwan. If you're looking for the lowdown on this rapidly evolving world event, look no further - John, Mike, and Yannick have got you covered.

    Hong Kong Protests

  5. 02/01/2019

    Edition VIII - England

    John and Mike dug into their archives, and are positively chuffed to bring you an exclusive recording of a conversation they had one day last spring. The topic? That most peculiar of nationalities, the English. Few peoples have had a greater influence upon history than our friends from across the pond. But who are the English? Where did they come from? And how did they become masters of the largest empire the world has ever seen? Tune in to find out. Cheers!

    Edition VIII - England

  6. 11/01/2018

    Fear

    Fear not, dear readers! John and Mike are back with a very special Halloween episode. Fright, terror, horror, anxiety, dread...there's no better day than today to spend some time with our two hosts as they get to the bottom of the deepest, most primordial of human emotions...fear.

    Fear

  7. 09/28/2018

    Burning Man

    Dispatches from the Armchair is back! In this inaugural episode of Season 2, Mike and John talk about Burning Man, the cultural event/art expo/music festival/counter-cultural community that forms each year deep in the Nevada desert. John gives us a basic primer on life on the ground. As usual, our conversation goes all over the place, and this time we spend the second half digging a bit deeper into Buddhism, something that has captured Mike's interest in recent months. For more info on Burning Man: burningman.org For the translation of the Dhammapada that Mike was talking about: https://www.amazon.com/Dhammapada-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380206 For some killer young adult literature, check out the Animorphs series. We really can't do it enough justice.

    Burning Man

  8. 04/21/2018

    Meditation

    John and Mike get right to the point in this short, punchy episode about their experiences with meditation. If you have ever been curious about basic meditation and its effects on novice practitioners, look no further. And if you are a more advanced practitioner, we would love to hear from you! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dispatches.from.the.armchair The two main types of meditation we discussed are described in more detail here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassana The organization that sponsored John's recent adventure: https://www.dhamma.org/ Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z49bfaXGX78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bss4sDltSuo

    Meditation
See All (13)

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Deeper than the headlines.

Information