Episode notes
Alex Schmidt is joined by comedy writers/podcasters Conor Lastowka and Michael J. Nelson (Rifftrax, ‘372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back’ podcast) for a look at why bricks are secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
LINKS FOR THE GUESTS:
- ‘372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back’ podcast
- Rifftrax — over 450 movies riffed!
- The Pole Vault Championship Of The Entire Universe by Conor Lastowka (Audible Original)
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- Mapping Manahatta: 10 Lenape sites in New York City (6sqft)
- Oceti Sakowin: People Of The Seven Council Fires (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- Direct Formation of Structural Components Using a Martian Soil Simulant (journal article in ‘Scientific Reports’)
- The joy of the humble brick (Tim Harford)
- Vikings’ Metrodome roof collapses for the fifth time (The Christian Science Monitor)
- Vernacular Economics: How Building Codes & Taxes Shape Regional Architecture (article for 99% Invisible’s website by Kurt Kohlstedt)
- How the Memory of Stonewall Lives On in a Meme (The Atlantic)
- The wild, mysterious history of sports’ most enduring gesture: the high five (ESPN)
- What Are Elon Musk’s Dirt Bricks Actually Good For? (Popular Mechanics) — featuring Cody Johnston’s tweets with Elon Musk.
- Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Revealing the ancient Chinese secret of sticky rice mortar (American Chemical Society)
- Resource Library: The Great Wall of China (National Geographic)
- China’s Great Wall Is Crumbling In Many Places; Can It Be Saved? (NPR Morning Edition)
- Two Men Trying to Steal Bricks From Great Wall of China Get Trapped On Freezing 165ft-high Cliff Edge (Newsweek)
- China to crack down on brick-by-brick theft of Great Wall (The Guardian)
- Brick from the Great Wall of China (Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences Australia)
- 1 Kitty, 2 Empires, 2,000 Years: World History Told Through a Brick (The Atlantic)
- ‘New old bricks’ for the construction industry (Phys.org)
- At South Africa’s Constitutional Court, a Democracy Brick by Brick (JStor Daily)
In this episode...
Guests
- Conor Lastowka
- Michael J. Nelson
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
Get in touch with the show
@sifpod
@sifpod
SIF on Discord!People
How to listen
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