Episodes
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Episode #40 - Narrativity
Mark and Andrew reunite in Colorado after months of separation and launch into a deep discussion of the stories we tell that make up our lives. In a nod back to Episode #2, they explore the narrativity of experience, the loss of story that can become a loss of identity, the problems with mobility...
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Episode #39 - Billy Kangas
After a long hiatus, Mark and Andrew sit down to interview Billy Kangas, entrepreneur, master barista, liturgist and so much more. This episode was originally recorded as an "Over the Counter" takeover of Andrew's daily Counterposition show. The discussion covers Billy's community-based…
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Episode #38 - Flying Blind
Mark and Andrew fly blind, taking an astounding series of spontaneous turns through digital community, analog Lent, Peyton Manning, the mystique of Apple, the social engineering of big Internet companies, government spying on us, their first Internet experiences, a paper world, and the public square
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Episode #37 - Watching Sports
Mark and Andrew talk over what role sports really play in the lives of spectators. Baseball, football, and other sports impact the lives of those who watch, not only those who play. Andrew tells about his encounter with sports greatness. Mark relates what it is like to attend a game at Michigan...
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Episode #36 - Counter Updates
Mark and Andrew look back on what has happened for the past few months. Thdy discuss Andrew's new daily show, the Counter Position, his apostolate, Calix, Andrew's famous customers, Mark's new YouTube channel - "Bible Broccoli," local culture vs. mass culture, newspapers, how Google affects...
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Episode #35 - What is Nature?
Mark and Andrew dialogue about the nature of nature. What is nature? How do we relate to it? How has our relationship to nature changed since the dawn of the Industrial Age? What are the moral implications of modifying nature through technology? What does mastery over self and mastery over nature...
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Episode #34 - Jeff Cavins
"If I was strapped to a bull, I'd be a Christian too." -Jeff Cavins Mark and Andrew interview Jeff Cavins, who is well-known in the Catholic world for his Great Adventure Bible Timeline, his books, his pilgrimages and his work in Catholic media. But, of course, in classic Over the Counter style,...
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Episode #33 - The Ritualization of Violence
Mark and Andrew talk about how violence has been ritualized by various cultures in many forms. They cover execution, human sacrifice, ISIS, bar fights, boxing, sacrifice, fight or flight response, Andrew's roasted Brussels sprouts with bourbon maple Sriracha sauce, samurai, seppuku, personal...
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Episode #32 - Visualization
Mark and Andrew talk about visualization, Andrew's narcissism, athletic visualization exercises, momentary vs. on-going performance, weight loss, process vs. outcome, muscle growth, rehabilitation, the Odd Couple, ADD, coaching, affirmation, negative and positive reinforcement, the reptilian…
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Episode #31 - Thinking Big
Mark and Andrew talk about MMJ, prescription meds, Andrew's health history, humanity's future needs, nuclear weapons, atomic stalemate, robot armies, George Gilder, the pony express, email, long distance calling, the Internet's destabilizing force, the NSA, archiving information for the future…
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Episode #30 - Pia de Solenni
Mark and Andrew talk with Dr. Pia de Solenni, Associate Dean of the Augustine Institute in Orange County, CA. They talk about Dr. de Solenni's education and background, her time in Rome, her past policy work, Thomas Aquinas College, feral cats, the interrelation of science and philosophy, books…
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Episode #29 - Idealization of Reality
Mark and Andrew talk about augmented reality, Google Goggles, Amazon Firefly, Photoshopping photos, 3D scanning, plastic surgery, Spanx, the idealization of the human body in ancient art, propaganda, Vladimir Putin, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, our desire to be duped, altering videos,...
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Episode #28 - Sleep
Mark and Andrew talk about sleep, biphasic sleep, polyphasic sleep, sleep experiments, napping, petroleum-flavored wine, light pollution, NyQuil, whether 8 hours of sleep is necessary, sleep cycles, the difference between Paleolithic and modern sleep, night lights, and Vitamin D intake.
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Episode #27 - Halloween Edition
Mark and Andrew talk about hylomorphism, skeletons, ghosts, cloning, organ donation, artificial intelligence, carillons, Frankenstein, bananas, 3D printing of food, automaticity and much more.
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Episode #26 - Lawsuits and Fear of Risk
Mark and Andrew talk about the looming fear of lawsuits and how our overly-litigious culture affects all of us. They hope to emerge from the dark cloud of over-reach which finds litigation micro-managing the details of life.
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Episode #25 - Good Taste, Bad Taste
Mark and Andrew discuss matters of taste, commodification, the value of beauty, and craftsmanship. What does it mean to have good taste? What is the difference between "McMansions" and domestic architecture built by artisans? Picture credit: Sensonet
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Episode #24 - Don't Follow Your Passion
Mark and Andrew argue over whether you should follow your passion or not, what "passion" really means and how the hard work of skill development fits in to the equation of success. The discussion is prompted in part by Cal Newport's book, So Good They Can't Ignore You.
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Episode #23 - Addiction and Our Ancient Brain
Mark and Andrew talk about addictions and their effect on the brain. From drugs to video games, addictions modify the biochemistry of the human brain. But are some addictions helpful? What about "flow"?
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Episode #22 - Getting Away From It All
Mark and Andrew talk about why we often want to get away from it all, go to the outdoors and chop some wood.
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Episode #21 - Cool Stuff We Like
Mark and Andrew swap stories about their favorite new innovations, technologies, gadgets and ideas. Engineers produce some pretty cool stuff these days and it's worth taking a little time to just appreciate it all.