Normal Men

Episode 45 - We Are All Made of Starmusk

Normal Astrophysicist Mike Boylan-Kolchin (@mbkplus.bsky.social) joins us to talk about the terrible secret of space and the Lone Star State.  Also:  black olives on tacos, Love Da Seahawks, and Jeff Bezos has some explaining to do.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Gooning Culture2:40 Elon's Space Data Centers5:00 Astronomy & Compute13:00 Challenges of Space Data Centers20:00 Economics of Orbital Compute38:00 Taco Discourse & Burrito Bonds54:00 Texas Democratic Primary1:10:00 Republican Primary & Senate Control1:24:00 Universe's End & Super Bowl1:31:00 Outro and Final Thoughts

Episode 44 - Coffee, Cigarette, Croissant ft. skelly

Normal Woman skelly (@iid.bsky.social) joins us from France to talk about- well, the plan was to talk about the American expat experience in Europe during Trump II but actually it wound up being mostly about comparative educational structure.  we hope you like it.also: Texas Toast (Republican State Senate edition), handicapping 2026, Fed Warsh, Epstein and the shallow bench of evil.ED NOTE: we are unbleeped compared to our usual because Ed is working very hard and is gassed this week.  please be nice to Ed if you see him.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Winter Woes7:06 Skelly: Life in France16:15 Academia: US vs. Europe26:30 College Admissions & Prestige45:46 Admissions: Success & Diversity1:08:40 American Expat Life & Culture1:33:57 Texas Special Election Analysis

Episode 43 - (Game) Mastering the Apocalypse ft. Theophite

Speculative fiction, moderation at scale, radicalization at scale, parenting at low-scale, and turophile priorities with Theophite.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Guest Theophyte4:17 Minneapolis ICE Shooting Fallout21:25 Theophyte's RPG & AI Art34:17 RPG World's Moral Dilemmas44:02 Scale of Civilization & Internet55:42 Parenting in Trump's Second Age1:06:25 Oreo Debate & Losing Control1:09:38 Cougar Gold Cheese & WSU

Episode 42 - A Bit Crap, Really

On dogs, football, Blorth Carolina, the spirit of the cities, Chipotle, why you should care about Claude Code, adventures in transatlanticism, and the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Poop Talk5:31 NFL & College Football Review16:53 Indiana Coach's Chipotle Habit26:53 North Carolina Political Landscape43:24 ICE Occupation in Minneapolis53:46 Adventures in AI: Claude Code1:09:36 Trump, Greenland, and NATO

Episode 41 - True Crime ft. Normal Wives

Ms. Malone and Ms. Speedrun-Enjoyer stop by to explain the appeal of murder.  Also, we talk about the Horrors foreign and domestic.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Guest Welcome10:06 Defining True Crime & Adnan Syed20:12 Personal Appeal & Favorite Podcasts35:21 Unsolved Cases & Killer Psychology50:30 True Crime's Gender Gap & Safety1:05:39 Guest Farewell & Renee Good Murder1:15:45 Authoritarianism & Public Backlash1:25:51 Greenland Invasion Rumors & Geopolitics

Episode 40 - Model Failstates

The Normal Men talk college football, Venezuelan stabs, and what genAI won't do for you.
Chapters:
0:00 Woodworking & Ice Bath Project4:38 Gaming Controversies: FF7 & Animal Crossing13:51 College Football & Ole Miss Racism27:46 Venezuela Regime Change Operation58:29 US-Mexico Cartel War Speculation1:17:09 AI & Grok's Pornography Problem1:31:09 Understanding and Using LLMs

Episode 39 - Malebag ft. golikehellmachine

Goodbye to 2025!  The Normal Men talk food, travel, optimism, and dating.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Holiday Recap9:32 Cookbook and Rice Cooker Recommendations28:38 Favorite Destination Foods47:43 Affordable Protein Alternatives1:04:54 Nonalcoholic Drinks and Mocktails1:22:05 Party Playlists and Social Confidence1:39:16 Dating and Parenting Advice

Episode 38 - ICE, Wind, Jail ft. Mark Fleming of National Immigrant Justice Center

The Normal Men dive into appellate immigration strategy and the Battle of Chicago with Mark Fleming of National Immigrant Justice Center.  Also, stroads and the modern authoritarian; primary ethics and efficiency.
 
National Immigrant Justice Center: https://immigrantjustice.org/
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights: https://www.icirr.org/
Organized Communities Against Deportation:  https://www.organizedcommunities.org/

Episode 37 - Rated NY-17 ft. Mike Sacks

We interview Mike Sacks, who is running for Congress in NY-17; people are doing more mass shootings; Propter sounds robotic; and what is truth, really?
 
Mike Sacks (https://bsky.app/profile/mikesacks.bsky.social) is running for Congress in the New York's Fightin' Seventeenth: (https://bsky.app/profile/mikesacks.bsky.social/post/3lmev4vf4hc2n)
Learn more here:  https://www.mikesacksforcongress.com/
Give his campaign money here:  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mike-sacks-donate
Early corvid scholarship by Mr Sacks:  https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/cb488d23-ab03-42be-994b-1fe5b2054038
 
An AI-generated video of a crow sledding on a frisbee:  https://www.facebook.com/reel/864322122972412
Chapters:
0:00 Podcast Intro and Guest Mike Sacks4:50 NY-17 District and Politics19:30 Universal Healthcare as Key Policy24:30 Supreme Court and Structural Reform30:30 Primary Race and Competitive Edge45:00 District Deli and Smoked Fish47:30 Mass Shootings and Gun Violence55:30 Proctor's Voice and Robotics1:02:30 AI, Crow Video, and Epistemology1:12:30 Duke Chronicle Letter & Outro

Episode 36 - Blue Devils and the Deep Red Sea

Infant diction, Noted Underdogs Duke, birthright citizenship, c-c-c-cocaine, coffee: black.Norwegian outreach:  https://bsky.app/profile/norwayinusa.norway.no/post/3m4bcalmg7s2u
 
Coffee, black:  https://bsky.app/profile/bmhughes.bsky.social/post/3m6wc33skm22z
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Linguistics Lesson4:39 Trump's Pardon & RGV Politics12:53 College Football Playoff Explained33:29 SCOTUS & Birthright Citizenship50:39 Navy SEALs & Cocaine Strikes1:00:21 FIFA Award & Global Bribery1:04:29 Normalcy Studies & Identity1:18:01 Outro