Radio Curious

How many of us are lonely? What is loneliness and how does it affect us? Approximately 25 years ago, when asked the number of friends in whom we could confide, most people in the United States said “three.” When that question was asked recently most people said “none.” Inquires reveal that twenty per-cent of people, — 60 million in the Untied States alone — are feeling lonely at any given moment. And, it appears that chronic loneliness may well compete with smoking, obesity and lack of exercise as a significant health risk.

In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with William Patrick, the founding editor of The Journal of Life Sciences and co-author of “Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection,” along with University of Chicago psychology professor John Cacioppo.  My conversation with William Patrick, recorded on October 13, 2008, began when I asked him to define loneliness as used in their book.

The book William Patrick recommends is “The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian Origins,” by Burton Mack.

Click here to begin listening.

Non-lethal chemical warfare may be an oxymoron to some, but it was actually the goal of a U.S. Army research program in the 1960s and 70s at Edgewood Arsenal, an army arsenal in Maryland. The research goal was to find incapacitating non-lethal chemical weapons that would cause the enemy to lie down, smile and laugh. The research team was lead by a then colonel in the U.S. Army, psychiatrist Dr. James S. Ketchum. The team attempted to determine if LSD, cannabis, or belladonna could achieve the goal. Dr. Ketchum, the author of “Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten,” visited the studios of Radio Curious on August 1, 2008.  We began our interview when I asked what originally drew him to participate in the project at Edgewood Arsenal.

The books he recommends are “Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story” and “Tihkal: The Continuation,” by Alexander and Ann Shulgin.

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

Digital, analog, long playing records, cassettes… How do they bring sound to our ears? In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with audio engineer and producer Gregg McVicar, one of the first independent radio producers to convert to digital audio technology. He produces a daily five hour eclectic music mix that may be found at www.undercurrentsradio.net and his personal website is www.radiocamp.com.  Gregg McVicar holds an MA degree from the Annenberg School for Communication, is an Adjunct Professor at California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. On his visit to the studios of Radio Curious on August 11th, 2008 we began our conversation when I asked him to explain the difference between analog and digital.

The book Gregg McVicar recommends is, “The Earth Is Flat: A Brief History Of The 21st Century,” by Thomas L. Friedman.

Click here to begin listening

To Kill or Not To Kill: That is the question still presented to juries in capital cases in the United States, one of the few countries remaining in the world to employ the death penalty. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served as chaplain for the Texas Department of Corrections from 1982 to 1995 and counseled 95 inmates on their way to death by lethal injection. “At the Death House Door: No Man Should Die Alone,” is a independent film documentary, directed and produced by Steve James and Peter Gilbert, that presents a personal and intimate look at the death penalty in Texas through the eyes of Pastor Pickett, a Presbyterian minister. Over the years, after each of the 95 executions, Pickett would record his experiences with that person on the tape he used to practice his sermons. Although he never listened to those tapes, they became the thread and primary source for the movie. I spoke with Pastor Carroll Pickett on May 23, 2008 from his home in Texas, after hearing him speak at a special hearing on capital punishment in San Francisco, CA, while he was on a break from a national publicity tour. We began when I asked him to explain what brought him to work with condemned men and be with them in their last hours. This program was originally broadcast on June 25, 2009.

The book Carroll Pickett recommends is “Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist,” by Mike Farrell and Martin Sheen.

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

Reinforcement of desired behavior is the key to animal training. As humans, we are subject to the same way of learning. Amy Sutherland, author of, “What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers,” shares many ideas about how to achieve more desirable relationships with friends and loved ones. This Program was recorded on March 19, 2008.

The book Amy Sutherland recommends is, “Demonic Males: Apes and the Origin of Human Violence,” by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson.

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

Sex, something that all creatures seek to achieve in one form or another, is often more than discreet among humans. In this discussion with science journalist, Mary Roach, author of, “Bonk, The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex,” we have a direct and frank conversation about human sexuality, including orgasms, what they are, how you know if you have one, and the difference between the male and female human sexual response. This program was recorded on April 14, 2008.

The book Mary Roach recommends is, “The Atlas of Human Sex Anatomy.”

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

The chance to interview another interviewer is an opportunity I like to take. A chance came on September 4, 2007, when I was able to visit with Ira Flatow, the host of “Science Friday,” a part of Talk of the Nation, on NPR. We talked about some ideas and concepts he raises in his new book, “Present at the Future: From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science and Nature.”  I think that after thirty-five years as a science journalist, Ira Flatow has seen enough to know unexpected changes are in order. He refers to that at the close of the introduction to his book and writes,

“After watching science do its thing for a while, you realize knowledge is really a moving target. What we know today will probably be wrong tomorrow. And science is that tool for discovery. When science tells us something, chances are that it will tell us something different a few years from now.”

And that’s where Ira Flatow and I began our conversation, which was originally broadcast September 5, 2007.

His website is www.iraflatow.com and the book he recommends is “The World Without Us,” by Alan Weisman.

Click here to begin listening.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

Those of us who use the internet are subject to the words and wisdom, or lack thereof, provided by the people and or machines that upload ideas and content. The democratization of the internet, allowing anyone to post anything is, in the mind of Andrew Keen, our guest of this edition of Radio Curious, creating a “cut-and-paste” on-line culture which threatens copyright protection and intellectual property rights at the expense of those who create original work. Andrew Keen is the author of “The Cult Of The Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture.” When I spoke with him from his home in Berkeley, in early June 2007 we began with his explanation of the democratization of the internet.

The song, film and book recommended by Andrew Keen are the U2 song “Vertigo,” the movie “Vertigo,” by Alfred Hitchcock, and the book “Vertigo,” by W.G. Sebald.

Click here to begin listening

I Can Read You Like a Book

Have you ever wondered what some body movements mean when people hear certain words or see certain images? Many of these body movements are involuntary reactions inherent to the individual or culturally based. “I Can Read You Like A Book: How to Spot the Messages and Emotions People are Really Sending with their Body Language,” by Gregory Hartley and Maryann Karinch, describes methods of understanding what people really mean and how to gain insight to their background by watching their physical behavior. Hartley, a former Army interrogator details how to review with an open mind what you see, evaluate to know what is relevant, analyze to identify voluntary versus involuntary movements and then decide or draw a conclusion based on what you observe.

Gregory Hartley recommends “Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us,” by Dr. Robert D. Hare..

Originally Broadcast: April 4, 2007

Click here to begin listening.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)