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Professor G. Truck

Podcaster
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About Professor G. Truck

  • Birthday 03/02/1970
  1. Earworms: Categorized, Analyzed, Deconstructed, and Dispelled What an excellent day for an earworm exorcism. An obsessive, comprehensive, and digressive deep dive into how these insidious auditory creatures worm their way into our brains, wrap around our cerebral cortex, and make us susceptible to suggestions of the catchiest kind. A montage-- a veritable shitload-- of the sounds that capture our consciousness (and the theory and philosophy of how and why they do this). But be warned: your brain might not survive unscathed . . . this many earworms have NEVER been assembled in one place before. Special Guests: Too many to count. Three fantastic podcast episodes inspired this project. "The Case of the Missing Hit" (Reply All) "Whomst Amongst Us Let the Dogs out" (99% Invisible) "Louie Louie: The Strange Journey of the Dirtiest Song Never Written" (Lost Notes)
  2. Of Murderbots and Menopause Thoughts (loosely) based on Kate Christensen's novel Welcome Home, Stranger, the first two installments of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and Hamlet. Special Guests: Billy Joel, Ween, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Greta Thunberg, Marvin the Paranoid Android, Brother Maynard, William Shatner, Woody Allen, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Queen, and The Prodigy.
  3. The Last Whodunnit You'll Ever Read? Thoughts (loosely) based on Tony Horowitz's meta-mystery novel Magpie Murders. Special Guests: The Smile, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Tom Hanks, and Meg Ryan.
  4. Good Writing, Intentionality, and a Plethora of Other Shit Thoughts (loosely) based on William Zinsser's classic primer On Writing Well (and the current AI writing revolution). Special Guests: George Carlin, Spirograph, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Simple Minds, El Guapo, Hefe, and Donald Trump.
  5. Is AI Cheating Our Students Out of an Education? Thoughts (loosely) based on Professor Truck's experiences teaching high school English in the age of artificial intelligence-- and his attempts at defining ethical AI usage in academic and creative settings . . . with bonus thoughts (loosely) based on three classic science-fiction novels: Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human and The Dreaming Jewels and They Walked Like Men by Clifford D. Simak. Special Guests: Gary Gasparov, Jimmy Kimmel, The Beach Boys, Alan Turing, The Matrix, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, ChatGPT, Bard AI, and Mark "Imprint" Zuckerberg.
  6. An Annoying Book Enhances a Good Book Thoughts (loosely) based on James P. Carse's rather annoying book Finite and Infinite Games and Nathan Hill's excellent novel Wellness. Special Guests: Gandalf, Morpheus, George Costanza, Jerry Seinfeld, Simon Sinek, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
  7. Reflections on Keeping it "Real" in the Classroom Thoughts (loosely, very loosely) based on the William Stafford poem "Traveling Through the Dark." Special guests: 38 Special, Ox, and a random middle school student from Boyhood. This episode now includes a special bonus update at the end.
  8. Merricat and Constance Will ALWAYS Live in the Castle Thoughts (loosely) based on Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Special Guests: The Allman Brothers, The Eagles, Uncle Henry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Andre Heyworth.
  9. Capitalism Sucks (But It Sucks Less Than the Alternative) Thoughts on capitalism (loosely) based on three novels published in the 1980s: Carl Hiasen's Tourist Season, Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities, and Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park. Special Guests: Oingo Boingo, Lloyd Dobbler, Conan O'Brien, and Anthony Bourdain.
  10. Does Your Musical Taste Stand on Solid Ground? Thoughts (loosely) based on Carl Wilson's music criticism masterpiece Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste. Special Guests: Celine Dion, Huey Lewis and the News, New Found Glory, Robert Johnson, Greensky Bluegrass, The Easy Star All Stars, Bas Gaakeer & Mireille Bittar, Joey Satriani, David Berman, Pavement, Beavis and Butthead, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, greasetruck, and Pythagoras.
  11. Homework Was Never Quite Like This Thoughts (loosely) based on Catherine Chidgey's psychological thriller Pet. Special Guests: The Police, Van Halen, and The Plastics.
  12. America + Conspiracy Theories = Forever Thoughts (loosely) based on Colin Dickey's book Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy." Special Guests: Oedipa Maas, The Beastie Boys, Richard Nixon, Geraldo Rivera, The Who, and The Simpsons.
  13. When You Come to a Fork in the Road . . . Take It Thoughts (loosely) based on Robert B. Parker's novel Mortal Stakes. Special Guests: Miss Education, Coach D'Amato, Coach Taylor, Falstaff, God, Walter, Donny, and the Dude.
  14. What's Going on Inside YOUR Head? Thoughts (loosely) based on the novels of Colleen Hoover. Special Guests: Miss Education, God.
  15. Karl Polyani vs. Friedrich Hayek: Steel Cage Match or Shotgun Marriage? Thoughts (loosely) based on J. Bradford DeLong's Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century. Special Guests: Milton Friedman, Gordon Gekko, and Bill Cosby.
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