MK39 - Claude Cruz - The constant pursuit of trying to understand human beings

Claude Cruz is a retired electrical and biomedical engineer, with diverse interests and experience that span neural systems, human cognition, community-building and human sexuality. His current focus is on simulating large neural systems, and on developing a coaching practice to help people create meaningful “deep connections” with others.

In this episode, Claude and Maxwell discuss natural philosophy, IBM, Intel, electrical and biomedical engineering, neural sciences, understanding human behavior, human cognition, growing up with a direction in life, artificial intelligence (AI), “soul” is a squishy word, Elon Musk, autonomous vehicles, the “Singularity”, feedback loops, Neuralink, synapses, the Human Connectome Project, silicon transistors, the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Meetup, Moore’s Law, heat is always an issue with computer chips, building notebook computers, working at IBM near Stanford, creating software tools, Steve Jobs, Apple, Xerox Park - invention of the computer mouse, survival of the fittest, community is the reason we have survived, dinosaurs lives were simple, human world is more complex and difficult, focus on the good stuff - don’t keep staring in the rearview mirror, bad experiences changing your future for better or worse, why is marriage a thing, marriage is socially useful, stable family structure, the diamond industry, romantic love, monogamy, infidelity, and “Sex at Dawn” - by Christopher Ryan.

MK37 - Cody Pando - Crack cocaine mixed with Red Bull head-banging the bass and smashing drums

Cody Pando is an ex-luche Libre performance artist with an impressive 2-10 record, he is retired and resides downtown Portland in a burning dumpster. He survives on leftover Antifa scraps from 7-11 and repeated 4th grade multiple times. Bass player for Howard Hams, and currently seeking money compensation from the Hedgehog Ron Jeremy, as a past victim of his sexual predatoriness.

https://soundcloud.com/the-mist-beets

https://www.facebook.com/Hiredhounds/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClMfEGhBosXCr3VcyNXxQSw

In this episode, Pando and Maxwell discuss making drums with buckets, recording on a karaoke machine, meeting friends in high school, talent shows, being a DJ, Green Day, Bob Dylan, figuring out where you fit in, using someone else’s drum set, Burgerville, band names, getting nervous before going on stage, reunion shows, being in a band is hard, lots of opinions, lots of egos, schedules, booking gigs, going all-in on your dreams, window of opportunity, “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell, timing, getting held back in 8th grade, Billy Idol, childhood dreams have changed, YouTube stars, Fortnite, watching people play video games, influencers, Ken Griffey, Jr., getting famous, Trent Reznor, David Fincher, DMX, heart attacks, being a minister, MC Hammer, being generous, losing all of your money, Suge Knight, Vanilla Ice, Kid Rock, Trump rallies, simulation theory, rabbit holes, the Mandela effect, JIF peanut butter, huffing gas, getting poems published, what age do artists produce their best work, high school teachers, what job do you wish you had, monotony of daily life, having stuff you don’t need, buying couches, “Old School”, Will Ferrell, Home Depot, Frank The Tank, defining moments in your life, choose-your-own-adventure, and having kids.

MK36 - Schyler Reece & Cody Fargher - Stories from youth in a small town named Boring, Oregon

Skylar Reece is a musician, artist, recovering prankster, and PhD candidate in Environmental Science at the University of Oregon.

theschylerband.bandcamp.com

Cody Fargher is a musician, fisherman, mixed media artist, and a badass in the kitchen.

In this episode, Skylar, Fargher, and Maxwell talk about mustaches, Flyboy and Flyman, kids games, Wayne’s World, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bloodsport, Dirt Bike Kid, Gleaming the Cube, Boring, OR, getting hives in a corn field, chicken eggs, eating a pigeon in France, the French are the original hipsters, nude beaches, butt plugs, Acropolis, strobe lights, strip clubs, Turkey, Istanbul, holding hands, old ladies fighting over a blanket, street animals, New Orleans, Mardi Gras, National Underpants Parade, lube wrestling, ticks, deer are stinky, putting dead animals in your trunk, frozen jellyfish on your windshield, tsunamis, earthquakes, Juan de Fuca, Portland is a shithole, homeless people, mental instability, Eugene, OR, stolen bicycles, Alton Baker Park, dogs getting high, catnip, rolling joints one-handed, John Callahan, “Don’t worry he won’t get far on foot”, Jonah Hill, Jack Black, going to a movie premiere, paraplegics, cartoons, Chris Farley, losing weight and still getting roles in Hollywood, The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese, horseback riding, roommates, ripping your shirt off like Hulk Hogan, writing a comic book, painting, ceramics, sleeping in a garage, rats in the mattress, DOGECOIN, pouring concrete, drawing weiners, and proctologist jokes.

MK35 - Chrissie Zaerpoor - Humanely raised animals and organic farming done the sustainable way

Chrissie Manion Zaerpoor is a former Intel Corp engineering manager who founded Kookoolan Farms with her husband in 2005. The farm specializes in 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef and lamb, pasture-raised organic-fed chickens for meat and eggs, and sustainably-wild-caught seafood in quantities for the home freezer. She is also an award-winning mead maker and the self-published author of "The Art of Mead Tasting and Food Pairing."

www.kookoolanfarms.com

www.facebook.com/kookoolanfarms

IG - @kookoolanfarms

In this episode, Chrissie and Maxwell discuss creating new last names, owning an organic farm, natural food products, Kookoolan Farms - 2005, grass-fed beef and lamb, wild-caught salmon, pasture raised chicken, everything sold at the farm - not in stores, organic certification is expensive, engineering at Intel Corporation, 5 degrees between Koorosh and Chrissie in physics, engineering, and math, switching careers, following your dream, falling in love at your job, high risk takers, trying to find land for the farm, horse breeding facilities, opportunity is what you make it, “If you ain’t got water, you ain’t got nothin”, moving chickens in a Toyota sedan, moving a cow in a pickup truck, network of “handshake” agreements, organic vs. commodity, raising healthy animals that enjoy their life, climate change, carbon effects, deforestation, methane gas, monoculture crops, subsidies to corporations, antibiotics in factory farm meat, water retention due to antibiotic use, the book “Big Chicken”, labels on egg cartons, cage free, vegetarian fed, birds are not vegetarian, better quality food costs more to grow, bodies need nutrients - not just calories, Kookoolan animals only have one bad day, knowing where your food comes from, having a relationship with your food, best beef cuts and ossobuco.

MK34 - Cassie Cohn - YouTube censorship and the elusive quest for free speech in America

Cassie Cohn is an art experimentalist who believes the creation of art is greater than the creation of laws. She is often complimented on her lips…until people hear what she has to say.


In this episode, Cassie and Maxwell discuss iPhone maps, Oregon coast, digging for clams, cooking shrimp in the shell, censorship, freedom of speech, getting banned from platforms, wrongthink, trackable devices, BLM protests, deviating from the approved narrative, technocratic censorship, Jordan Peterson, Patreon, The Last American Vagabond, requiring someone to remove content, crocheted bumblebees, profit drives corporate decision to join movements, technocracy, purposeful villains, twitter banning Trump, 1984, Animal Farm, George Orwell, moon landing hoax, flat earth, people will always say crazy things, silencing people looks suspicious, sharing ideas is central to being a human, unsafe vs. immoral, CNN, Fox News, keeping the populace controlled, asking questions gets you attacked, being part of the club without realizing why, feminism, FDA, anti-GMO, Jeffrey Smith, Monsanto, plant-based meat, antibiotics given to animals, impossible burger, beyond burger, fake blood, experimental vaccines, 97% of COVID deaths have co-morbidities, humans need bacteria, hand sanitizer, triclosan, the idea of health, isolation and medication vs. exercise and nutrition, get a shot - get a donut from Krispy Kreme, posting negative comments publicly, sending positive comments privately, Galileo discovering that the sun was the center of the universe, having ideas that are different from the norm, silencing people for thinking differently, vaccine passports, forcing people to get vaccinated for something that doesn’t affect healthy individuals, losing your YouTube channel and podcast for discussing ideas, Cardi B, is gravity real, news media, Hollywood, and stimulus checks.

MK32 - Rod Walker - Portland's Drummer on a life full of excitement and risks that paid off

Rod Walker is a professional musician, runner, surfer, and AV guy who spent a few years in the Seattle music scene during the onset of what became the grunge era. He spent 9 years as the Lead Technician/Production Coordinator at the Oregon Convention Center. He's currently an AV Tech in the healthcare industry and the band leader of "Portland Standard Time"; a jazz group that performs locally. He can usually be found on sunny weekends hanging out at the coast in his motorhome with his girlfriend Cat, and their 85 pound yellow Labrador, Larry.

Rod and Maxwell discuss being an A&R (artists and repertoire) guy for Capitol Records in the late 80's and early 90's, going from intern to college rep, Art Institute of Seattle, Guitarist Roger Fisher of "Heart", Barracuda, Stan "The Man" Foreman at Capitol Records, getting backstage passes, Duran Duran, Def Leppard, Poison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Rolling Stones, Alternative Music, Richard Marx, Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Willie Nelson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, picking up Michael Balzary (Flea) from the airport in a Ford Escort, Chad Smith, Mother's Milk - 1989, taking the band golfing, Jimi Hendrix tombstone, opening for Alice and Chains, Flaming Lips and Nirvana at the Vogue, Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam, Jerry Cantrell, moving to Kauai (Hawaii), going from grunge to jazz, doing sound in a Hawaiian Hotel, hula, bartending, working in the service industry, playing in bars at 14 years old, Slim's bar in North Portland, feeling music as a physical element, virtual stand-up sucks, moving out as a 16-year-old, getting hired at the Oregon Convention Center, boss abandons job, kids take over the ship, working for AT&T, the event world, inconsistent schedules, growing up and changing careers, starting at a low rate and getting a significant raise, trying to find talented workers, being a manager, late night work, sleeping at your job because your next shift is in a few hours, nobody can get fired at OCC, everyone knows what everyone's pay is at a tax-payer funded institution, part time work = multiple jobs, being technically proficient and a people person, working with a man accused of murder, running marathons, ultra marathons, and the Ironman competition.

MK31 - Dean Olson - The pros and cons of life in the Navy and becoming an aerial map maker

Dean Olson is a Navy veteran, map maker, political enthusiast, and self-proclaimed Marxist.

In this episode, Dean and Maxwell discuss the Navy, moving from Bellingham to Los Angeles, choosing a profession when you're only 19, electrical engineering, San Francisco State, going back to college at 29, San Fernando Valley, Cal State Northridge, wanting to live in the city, coffee shops, claim jumper shoestring fries, having no direction, secondary education is very expensive, joining the Navy, getting brainwashed, disconnecting from a previous life, not being allowed to read, group mentality, Great Lakes, IL, September by Earth, Wind, and Fire, always waiting in line for something, no salt, no caffeine, feeling like you got kidnapped, Virginia Beach November 2007, bullshit watches that don't mean anything, having to wear a uniform all the time, drinking beer is a reward, liberty phases, satellite imagery interpreting, naval intelligence, 860 foot long ships, tanks that float in water and drive on land, trying to find purpose, Catch 22 - Joseph Heller, Friday - Rebecca Black, getting older, breaking rhythms and patterns, feeling like you are missing out on something, life is easy = makes us search for conflict, hunter gatherers, retiring, being appreciated, Karl Marx, socialism is a dirty word, trying to tank GameStop, jobs that don't matter, welfare state, the American Dream, helping someone is wrong because they aren't trying hard enough, wording is important for polling, and re-imagining conversations so that things are not tied to political parties.

MK30 - Randy Jones - Making incredible art and living life to the fullest in every moment

Randy Jones is owner of JonezyArtwork, an artist and designer living in Oregon.

Instagram - @jonezyartwork

Website - shopjonezyartwork.com

In this episode, Randy and Maxwell discuss strip clubs, Las Vegas, Excalibur, roulette, trespassing, going to jail, professional poker player Gavin Smith, DUI, throwin gang signs, NORCOR, crashing 1987 Honda Accords, running from cops, blue jumpsuits, coffee shops, hookers at Motel 6, Cirque du Soleil, Michael Jackson, Beatles "LOVE", being a full-time artist, growing up in The Dalles, State Trooper bringing home donuts on Sunday morning, Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, being a cop is a hardcore job, Snob Hill, smashing pumpkins on Halloween, drinking alcohol for the first time, Jim Beam and Watermelon Pucker, sneaking out, riding a bike to your girlfriends house, starting to draw at an early age, Ms. Orr - art teacher, Robots Will Kill, Velvet Lounge in Bend, OR, Dutch Bros, going on tour for COACHA, painting live in front of 3,000 Dutch Bros employees, throwing huge parties, shotgunning rebel energy drinks, Sacramento Kings stadium, bowling alleys, using music as inspiration, creating album covers, Jack Black, working for MTV, Matt and Kim, Mumford and Sons, Lauren Ambrose - Six Feet Under, being a PA for the movie "About Sunny", Muscle Milk for Wiz Khalifa, Guiness Book of World Records for longest rap - 24 hours long, being an extra in a movie, and Danny Carey - the drummer from TOOL.

MK29 - Tim Beeker - What is it like to be the first person on the scene to remove a dead body

Tim Beeker is a lifelong learner, mild provocateur, deep, dark humored, mild-mannered (most of the time), and always up for deeper conversation regarding psychology, philosophy, and religion. He's a public speaker, writer, photographer, and a voice-over wannabe.

*This episode has graphic content.*

In this episode, Maxwell and Tim discuss his role as a decedent remover, transporting dead bodies, MDD (major depressive disorder), hoarders, errors on decedent forms, picking up deceased individuals from the penitentiary, bringing people "home", homeless deaths, identifying personalities, shotgun suicides, having a morbid sense of humor, being an INTP, leaving suicide notes in the room, cleaning up brain matter, going through divorce, having the honor to help victims' grieve in the worst moment of their lives, having a fulfilling job, how this occupation cannot train anyone, on-the-job training, looking for blessings in life, finding hope, making sense of your life, spending all of your time being afraid, wasting precious time, not taking risks, drawing parallels between the rich and poor after a death, pursuing purpose in your life, power and status and wealth don't matter, religion, near death experiences, the afterlife, Jehovah's Witnesses, disowning your own children, focusing on now because now is real, logotherapy, Viktor Frankl, cleaning an individual for viewing, equating a suicide scene to a haunted house, selling life insurance, walking into an episode of CSI, suffocating in a bathtub, bodily fluids that come out after death, water blisters - edema, purging, skin discoloration, rigor mortis, death as an effect on the psyche, and Caitlin Doughty - "Ask a Mortician".

MK28 - Timothy Blackton - Challenges and rewards from writing and directing stories about your life

Timothy Blackton is a writer, producer, director, actor, event producer, and whiskey connoisseur.

TECHS (short)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut24UgZlHdY&feature=youtu.be

In this session, Timothy and Maxwell discuss storytelling, Weiden + Kennedy, his film "TECHS", long term projects, writing process, service jobs, adjusting your personality to help someone, fake it till you make it, software company "Coupa", acting in commercials, Christopher Nolan, Judd Apatow, Quentin Tarantino, Helter Skelter, Inglorious Basterds, Lethal Weapon 5, making movies for money, movie theaters after COVID, leaving Nike to develop film career, being a stage manager in Ashland, OR, moving to Los Angeles in 1995, chasing dreams, differences between theater and film, failing is good, always being remembered for your last gig, G. Love and Special Sauce, Zoom calls, Bill Gates, taking drugs for AIDS, Magic Johnson, tying stimulus money to COVID vaccine, Olympia beer, film festivals in The Dalles, OR, Sunshine Mill, owning land in Goldendale, WA, composting toilets, metal detectors, Porsche 911, mid-engine cars, Tesla, kids don't want to get drivers licenses, Disneyland, Florida is open, California is closed, Magic Mountain, Disney Dollars, growing up in San Francisco, being backstage at Peter Frampton and Led Zeppelin concerts, growing up in concert venues, doing stand-up, and feeding off the response from an audience.

MK27 - Schyler Reis - A life of music and art told in hilarious stories from a PhD candidate

Schyler Reis is a musician, artist, recovering prankster, and PhD candidate in Environmental Science at the University of Oregon.

theschylerband.bandcamp.com

In this episode, Schyler and Maxwell discuss bad jobs, newspaper delivery, camp brownies, shower deuces, Oxbox Park in Gresham, OR, upper deckers, tightey whiteys, boxers, ax fights, deputy sheriffs, Lamborghinis, drowning in the Sandy river, quicksand, Lewis & Clark, non-Newtonian liquids, Rockfest, quitting jobs, research foresting, chemists at Christian universities, "Merchants of Doubt", climate change denial, flat-earthers, anti-science, Young Republicans, tribalism, becoming a billionaire from COVID, giving credit where credit is due, Super Bowl loser t-shirts sent to Africa, Ducks vs. Beavers, pretending booze is a pig urine sample, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sustainable ecosystems, Oregon sun stones, gem stone mines, forest fires, invasive species, Douglas Fir tree bark, ladder fuels, Western Hemlock, clear cutting, normative language, environmental scientists, redwoods, drilling into trees to study and uncover their age, dendrochronology, being in a band, "Reptilian Civilian", pressing 7" vinyl records, and Bandcamp.

MK25 - Brandon Hoover - Inside the cannabis industry and what it takes to make your life healthier

Brandon Hoover is a husband, father, and cannabis aficionado.

This episode takes us through weight loss, deciding to change your life, high fructose corn syrup, the fast food generation, heart disease, bulimia, hydroponics, growing cannabis, victory gardens, store bought tomatoes vs. home garden tomatoes, pesticides, russet mites, money laundering, used car salesmen, hiding weed in a diesel tank, FBI raids, the cannabis industry having to operate on cash only, cigarettes on airplanes, the 90's, BB guns, cults, Frost/Nixon, and the Trump children.

MK24 - Antonio Bevacqua - Working with a convicted murderer and learning survival skills

Antonio D. Bevacqua (Tony) is a dude dad, musician, skateboarder, and grill master.

Tony and Maxwell get into an old story of a friend that committed a murder, the Oregon Convention Center, COVID, false positives on tests, wearing a mask on a treadmill, skepticism, humans evolving around viruses, ant colonies, super species, humans fusing with Artificial Intelligence (AI), colonizing mars, robots having humans as dogs, learning to exist in the woods, TRACKERS, digging holes for shelter, Bear Grylls, Naked and Afraid, Dazed and Confused, social media, social justice warriors, Jackass, Bryce Dallas Howard in Black Mirror, Alternative rock becoming mainstream, and cam girls.

MK23 - Greg Gustine - What is it like to travel the world many times while working for the Navy

Greg Gustine is a dad to two wonderful daughters, grandpa to three grandkids, world traveler, businessman, and mentor to many in 38 years of civil service to the Navy and their families, he resided in Hawaii for 33 years, 5 years in Sicily, and 12 years in Charleston, SC.

In this episode, Greg and Maxwell discuss playing golf left-handed, the Vietnam war, getting drafted by the government to serve in the war, living in Hawaii, windsurfing, buying a house on the North Shore of Oahu, Lars Ulrich, Kelly Slater, road-trippin through Europe in the 70's in a Volkswagen bus, hostels in Zurich, having to cut your hair to get into Morocco, Italian culture, the Mafia, Egypt, Pearl Harbor, and Cinque Terre.

MK22 - Leaf Treeson - What is the 27 Club and why did America think slavery was acceptable

Leaf Treeson is an audio engineer, musician, and beverage aficionado.

In this episode, Leaf and Maxwell discuss the 27 Club (Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse), as well as Shannon Hoon, Bradley Nowell, Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and the Beatles. There is a discussion about slavery in the South, how Southern slaveowners used the Electoral College, That Thing You Do, Justin Beiber, and how to end a podcast.