S2E8 - Aliens: Where is everybody???

Hey--is anyone out there? In our last official episode of Season 2, we talk about whether humans are actually alone in the universe with the help of theories from physicists, philosophers, and Champagne Papi. JK. Kind of. From the Fermi Paradox to the Great Filter Theory to the Drake Equation (see what we did there?) we discuss whether it's crazy to believe in UFOs and little green men…or crazy NOT to! Along the way Maria reveals her awkward mixup of foreign vs. intergalactic policy expectations, Noorain sings the praises of the feminist movie Contact, and together we muse on what our collective obsession with life on other planets says about humanity today. Get ready everyone, the government can’t cover up this conversation! The truth is out there...

Links to Stuff We Talk About

Theory

Rene Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy." transl. D. A. Cress (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing; originally published in 1641) http://selfpace.uconn.edu/class/percep/DescartesMeditations.pdf

"The Drake Equation." SETI Institute. http://www.seti.org/drakeequation  

"The Fermi Paradox." SETI Institute. http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/details/fermi-paradox

Max Weber, "Science as Vocation." From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, ed. and transl. H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (New York: Oxford University Press, 1946; originally published in 1919),  129-156. http://anthropos-lab.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Weber-Science-as-a-Vocation.pdf

Context

David Chalmers, "The Philosophy of Virtual Reality" (on Descartes, perception, and the Matrix - thanks to Nabiha Syed for the link!) https://aeon.co/videos/new-realities-are-imminent-how-vr-reframes-big-questions-in-philosophy

Articles

Will Dahlgreen, "You are not alone: most people believe that aliens exist," YouGov. September 28, 2015. https://today.yougov.com/news/2015/09/28/you-are-not-alone-most-people-believe-aliens-exist/

George Dvorsky, "11 of the Weirdest Solutions to the Fermi Paradox," io9. March 20, 2013. http://io9.com/11-of-the-weirdest-solutions-to-the-fermi-paradox-456850746

George Dvorsky, "The Great Filter theory suggests humans have already conquered the threat of extinction," io9. December 21, 2012. http://io9.com/5970501/the-great-filter-theory-suggests-humans-have-already-conquered-the-threat-of-extinction

Douglas Main, "Most People Believe Intelligent Aliens Exist, Poll Says," Newsweek. September 29, 2015. http://www.newsweek.com/most-people-believe-intelligent-aliens-exist-377965  

Tim Urban, " The Fermi Paradox: Where the Hell Are the Other Earths?," Gizmodo. May 23, 2014. http://gizmodo.com/the-fermi-paradox-where-the-hell-are-the-other-earths-1580345495

Bonus

Noorain's elementary school reading: My Teacher is an Alien (1989) https://lexile.com/book/details/9780671737290/  and beloved film Contact (1997):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRoj3jK37Vc

Music this time by Katy Perry, St. Vincent, and the magnificent Ella Fitzgerald. With shoutouts to Drake (naturally) and the X-Files theme song (DOUBLE naturally).

S2E6 - Season 2 Gab: Bold Transformations & Cozy Routines

Here in our mid-season grab-bag of chilled out convo, we take a break from theory to gab: we reflect on some of the amazing experiences we had as teenagers that made us into the people we are today. From socially conscious scouting to international underwear adventures, we take it back to '90s and let you in on some dorky-but-excellent truths about our formative years. PLUS we each describe our perfect Saturday and get enthusiastic about go-to takeout and gas station jalapeño poppers. Don't judge!! Come relax your brain with us (you need troughs to have peaks!) as we gear up for the last few episodes of Season 2.

Links to Stuff We Talk About

Formative Experiences (Transformations)

OK, we didn't talk about this explicitly, but doesn't Noorain's amazing rad Girl Scout program sound like the Pawnee Goddesses from S4 E4 of Parks and Rec, in the best way possible?! We played a little audio from that in our episode - Feministing agrees that they are the best! http://feministing.com/2011/10/21/parks-and-recreation-thank-you-for-the-pawnee-goddesses/ (Noorain dreams of being the Leslie Knope of West Michigan IRL!)

Maria's life-changing semester in Norway went down at Bergen Katedralskole (est. 1153 because Europe) in the city of Bergen. Thinking about a trip to Scandinavia? You should totally go to Bergen, it's the jam: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/norway/bergen-and-the-western-fjords/bergen

Lazy Saturday (Routines)

Lichee Nut, your new go-to Chinese takeout/delivery in Brooklyn. Pairs perfectly with 8 hours of TV binging. http://licheenut.com/

The (possible?) origins of mozzarella sticks, even though we've never met anyone who actually makes them at home. Frying cheese does not a mozzarella stick make, Thrillist. But also pics and (possible) backstories for other great deep fried icons of lazy Saturdays across our great nation: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/where-fried-foods-came-from-corn-dogs-mozzarella-sticks-fried-candy-bars

Music this week by Madonna, Marc Anthony (salsa version), Arcade Fire, the Kinks, and just a tad of Queen Bey.

S2E4 - Destination: VACATION

Ever tried to cram a year's worth of relaxation, adventure, and bonding into your precious few vacation days? Had a meltdown while lost down the TripAdvisor rabbit hole? Got down on yourself for feeling unproductive and wanting to ditch? This time Noorain and Maria talk about vacations: who gets to take them and who doesn't, the benefits of leaving your job both physically and mentally behind, "authentic" trips and the upsides of kicking back in a world of total artifice. Maria spills about her epic Disney Cruise experience, Noorain admits her addiction to online travel planning, and Max Weber and Jean Baudrillard toss their most vacation-relevant theories into our luggage for the trip. Whether you need some holy days of holiday reflection or just want to vacate on your vacation...all aboard!

Links to Stuff We Talk About

Theory

Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, transl. Sheila Faria Glaser (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1994). http://www.amazon.com/Simulacra-Simulation-The-Body-Theory/dp/0472065211, especially hyperreality.

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905). http://www.amazon.com/Protestant-Ethic-Spirit-Capitalism-Twentieth-Century/dp/0140439218

Context

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights' "right to rest" (Article 24): http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

Rebecca Ray, Milla Sanes, and John Schmitt, "No-Vacation Nation Revisited." Center for Economic Policy and Research. May 2013. http://cepr.net/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation-2013

Juliet Schor, The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline Of Leisure (Basic Books, 1993). http://www.amazon.com/The-Overworked-American-Unexpected-Decline/dp/046505434X

George Tripp, "The Christian's Work Ethic" (excerpt from New Journey Fellowship Ministries sermon). Archive.org. July 11, 2012. https://archive.org/details/TheChristiansWorkEthic  NOTE: we excerpt from this in our discussion of the Protestant Ethic & the Spirit of Capitalism. Fittingly, George Tripp also has a ministry consulting company (Grace & Truth Consulting) that you can check out here.

Articles

Anne Fisher, "Why don't Americans take more time off?" Fortune Magazine. July 28, 2015. http://fortune.com/2015/07/28/americans-vacation-use/

Douglas LaBier, "So Much Work, No Time For Vacation? Here's Why!" Psychology Today Online. August 11, 2014. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-new-resilience/201408/so-much-work-no-time-vacation-heres-why

Andrea Sachs, "How TripAdvisor altered your vacation planning universe." The Washington Post. August 29, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/how-tripadvisor-altered-your-vacation-planning-universe/2015/08/27/43fdec1e-4064-11e5-bfe3-ff1d8549bfd2_story.html

Brigid Schulte, "Leisure is the new productivity." CNN.com. February 4, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/opinions/schulte-leisure-productivity/

Bonus

Plan your own Disney cruise...we are in no way sponsored by Disney, but are open to offers. ;) Or get philosophical with Robert Rowland Smith's Breakfast with Socrates: An Extraordinary (Philosophical) Journey Through Your Ordinary Day (Free Press, 2011). Or both! That great Emerson quote from the end of the episode is, for the record: “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”

Music this time around by the legendary Britney Spears (work bitch!), Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, your grandma's (and Gabriel's) favorite old-time crooner Bing Crosby, and the fabulous Lana Del Rey.

Season 1 Gab: SHORTS! on Celebrities, Noorain's Wedding, News, & Vacations

Listen to segments separately:

It's summer, and In Theory brings you shorts we've recorded over the past few months that are just a little bit shorter and little bit sweeter. Perfect for between quick dips in the water at the beach! This week’s shorts are on celeb culture, Noorain's wedding, how we get the news, and our summer vacations. Come on in, the water's fine!

Links to Stuff We Talk About:

CELEBRITIES (and why they matter)

This one is on celebrity culture: why we love to talk about celebrities and how celeb gossip can be meaningful in our lives (even if we never meet Snooki or the Hemsworths ourselves).

On moral dilemmas in reality TV:  

Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture, Ch. 2: “Buying into American Idol: How We are Being Sold on Reality TV.” New York University Press, 2006. Print.

 Hollywood scandals and why celebrity gossip matters:

Anne Helen Peterson, Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema. Plume, 2014.

Allie Merriam. Let an Academic Explain Why Your Celebrity Obsession Is Perfectly Normal. Buzzfeed. 27 Oct. 2014. 

MOAR Anne Helen Peterson:

Anne Helen Peterson. “Jennifer Lawrence and the History of Cool Girls.” Buzzfeed. 28 Feb. 2014. 

Gossip, or “Rumor” (“compared with whom no other is as swift”!) in Classical literature:  

Virgil, The Aeneid, Book IV:  http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilAeneidIV.htm#anchor_Toc342021

 

NOORAIN’S WEDDING (reflections 2 years on)

Following up on Episode 5’s discussion of the Wedding Industrial Complex, Noorain talks us through some of the pressures she felt and decisions she made when planning her own South Asian-American wedding.

Abha Bhattarai. Lavish Indian weddings help D.C.-area hotels turn handsome profit. The Washington Post. 13 Feb. 15. 

Shalene Gupta. Big fat Indian weddings get bigger and fatter. Fortune. 8 Aug. 2014. 

And if you're curious about commentary on the class issues associated with weddings in Pakistan, check out this and this. 

 

NEWS (how N&M get theirs)

Maria and Noorain share how they keep up on the news every day: their favorite sources, apps, and thoughts on social media’s role in informing us today.

Noorain’s sources of choice:

NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/

NY Magazine: http://nymag.com/

Maria’s morning news routine:

Hourly News App: http://hourlynewsapp.com/

The Skimm: http://www.theskimm.com/

NPR App: http://www.npr.org/services/mobile/iphone.php

Getting news from social media: 

Pew Study, “How Social Media is Rehaping News” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-reshaping-news/

 

VACATION CATCH-UP

Noorain and Maria bring each other up to speed on their summer travels, with detours to talk about amusement parks old and new, the importance of taking (and planning!) vacations, and unlimited soda.

“Happiness is ... looking forward to your vacation.“ Science Daily. 19 Feb 2010.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218125204.htm

Tanya Mohn. “U.S. The Only Advanced Economy That Does Not Require Employers To Provide Paid Vacation Time, Report Says.” Forbes.com. 13 August 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2013/08/13/paid-time-off-forget-about-it-a-report-looks-at-how-the-u-s-compares-to-other-countries/

On the West's imagination of the East as an exotic destination:

 Edward Said, Orientalism. Vintage, 1978.

Tivoli Gardens! Disneyland! Lake Compounce! Be a pro like Noorain and get through Disneyland lines faster with MouseWait.