All Episodes

Trash Talk! Why Do People Do It? Is there a Science & Evolutionary Purpose For It? Should We Be Coaching & Teaching Kids How to Deal with Trash Talk? Don & Zac Share Their Best Trash Talk Moment!

Rule Makers! Are There Too Many or Not Enough Rules, Regulations, Laws, and Policies? Is Life Worse or Better Off With More Rules? Is Making a Rule to Protect A Few Good For the Many?

The All Mascot Bracket! Need NCAA Tournament Help? We Share Historical Mascot Data for EVERY Game! College Basketball Junkie Kevin Kopec Shares REAL BASKETBALL Analysis too! Who Has A Better Bracket?

Shameless Self Promotion!!! Crypto School the Book! What Happens If Schools Use Cryptocurrency? Don & Zac Reflect on Teaching, Schools, & Students While Discussing Zac's New Book - Now Available!!

Mascots? Color? Caitlin Clark!!! Statistics Suggest Picking Your NCAA Bracket By Mascot or Color. Good Idea? What's It Like to Be the Men Who Guard Caitlin Clark? March Madness Is Here!

Cold Water Plunges & Ice Baths! Why Is this America's Hottest New Trend? Does Ice Water Actually Help with Mental & Physical Health? Should Schools & Everyone Else Be Doing This? Zac Does Research.

Don Ponders Retirement! Should Relevancy Be His Biggest Factor to Consider? What About Hobbies & 2nd Career? Do People Discount How Much they Matter to Others? Will Don Opt In or Out for Next Year?

The Midwest!!! Why Does Everyone Believe they Live There? Are Montana, Idaho, & Colorado Midwest? What's So Special About Identifying As Midwest? Which States Should Not Be Considered Midwest?

Is Fun Dead? Did Americans Forget How to Have Fun? Do We Need Fun Coaches? Are We Too Busy Acting Our Fun on Social Media? Why Does Fun Feel Like An UnFun Slog When It's Over? Are There Any Solutions?

What Happened to Sports Illustrated!? Why the Decline? Is Sports Journalism Dying? Is this Just An Issue for People Over Age 40? Former Free Press Reporter & Author Mark Snyder Shares His Insights!

The President Election Begins! What Statistics Are Most Interesting: Enthusiasm Gap? Approval Ratings? Economy? Age? Ad Spending in FL & OH? 3rd Party Candidates? Government Teacher Kevin Kopec Joins!

Are Boys Struggling in Middle School? Is It An Engagement, Organization, Academic, or Maturity Issue? Should Schools Rethink Their Instructional Programming & Philosophy? Principal Dave McKay Joins!

Bank Shot or Underhand Free Throws? South Korea vs Rick Barry vs Steph Curry! Why Is USA Obsessed with Statistically Inferior Perfect Swish? Are Social Consequences for Different Technique that Bad?

New Cybertruck vs Improved Big Mac! Which Will Have a Bigger Impact? Is America Ready For Bold Truck Design Or Fresher Veggies, Toasted Bun & More Secret Sauce? Does USA Prefer Mediocre Food & Trucks?

Difficult & Absurd Legal Questions: Ban Leaf Blowing for Being Too Loud? Can Public Officials Block their Voters on Social Media? Should Mayors Be Allows to Serve As the Lone Judge & Jury?

Free Will Doesn't Exist? Can Microbiology & External Stimulus Explain ALL Human Behaviors? Could Lawyers Use "No Free Will" As a Legal Defense? How Important Is This Debate?

Grocery Store Self-Checkout Misery! Why is Checkout Technology Still Terrible? Do the Stores Even Care? The Retail Doom Loop! Zac & Don Propose Solutions - Do they Have Merit?

Affluenza! Is A Kindergartener Rated "Helpful" & Having Self Control the Only True Indicator of Life Success? Are 'High Achieving' School Students At Risk for Psychiatric Disorders & Substance Abuse?

13% of 8th Graders Are Proficient in US History! 20% in Civics! Is the USA Citizenry & Democracy in Jeopardy? Were the Tests too Hard? Random? Too Much Reading? Can You Answer the Sample Questions?

Elon Musk Part 2: Idiot Index? The Algorithm? Production Hell? Does He Have Too Much Power Over Free Speech & War? Does He Get to Control Mars? Could Teachers/Schools Benefit From His Ideas?

"I Don't Like Dogs." Are People Allowed to Say This? Has America Gone Too Far With Dog Freedoms? Is There A Double Standard With Cats? Is There Any Difference Between Dog & Political Echo Chambers?

At What Age Do You Peak Mentally & Physically? Are Middle Age People On the Backside of Life? Or Can they Get Better At Something? Do Horse Riding & Sailing Count?

Thinking about Ancient Rome! Is America Spending Too Much or Not Enough Private Time Thinking About Rome? If Not Rome, What Should We Be Thinking About?

Elon Musk Part 1: Is He the Greatest Winner of Capitalism Ever? Does It Matter If He's Not Nice? What Should We Make of His Risk Tolerance, First Principles Thinking, Tormented Childhood?

Taco Bell Innovations! Crunchwrap! Doritos Locos Taco! How Do They Keep Inventing Such Products? Is Taco Bell Cool? What's Its Role In Society?

Ignoring Conventional Wisdom! Should We Rethink: Donating Used Clothes, Replanting Trees from Wildfire, Drinking Water? Which Idea Needs to be Rethought First?

Michigan Football's 1997 Championship Team! Co-author Mark Snyder Discusses His New Book, Lloyd Carr, Charles Woodson, Into Thin Air, & Other Stories from Michigan's Last Championship Season.

Shopping Returns! Do Americans Return too Many Things? Where Does the Stuff Go? Are Stores too Generous With Return Policies? Should We Feel Bad About the Carbon Footprint?

Should Schools Sue Facebook, Google, Snap, & TikTok? How Does Social Media Impact the School Day? Burner Phones & Invisible Messages! Can Even the "Good" Parents Win? Solutions? Sara Wendland Joins!

Weddings & the Planners Who Make them Happen! Why Do Weddings Seem Stressful? Why Are they So Expensive? Is It Ok If You're Sad When It's Over?

The Case Against Travel! Is Being A Tourist Bad? Should People Stop Traveling? Does Traveling Change A Person or the Place More?

The Water Crisis Out West! Who's at Fault? Alfalfa? Cheese? Almonds? 1st Pioneers? People Continuing to Move West? Is there Actually a Crisis? Why Aren't Water Prices Higher? Is Desalination the Key?

Happy 4th of July! What Makes America Great? Our ADA Act? Big Retail? Year Round Fruit? Our Enormous Amount of Space? Free Bathrooms? Central Air? Our Highways & Public Libraries? & More Ideas!

Is Ninja Warrior A Sport or A Reality Show? Should It Be In the Olympics? How Should Parents Feel If Their Kid Is Into Ninja and Not A Traditional Team Sport? Has America Reached Peak Ninja Interest?

We Read the Vince McMahon Biography! Is this a Book For Everyone? Did Trump Learn from Pro Wrestling? Why Do People Like Pro Wrestling? Is Vince's Story Just Like Other American Business Tycoons?

School Librarian Exit Interview! Melissa Middleton Reflects on Book Bans, Teenage Reading Habits, the Shortage of Librarians, Ineffective Technology, Accomplishments, & Concerns for Public Education!

Debt Ceiling Drama! Will America Default or Will Our Leaders Cut A Deal? Should Biden Mint A One Trillion Dollar Coin? Will People Start Investing in Another Currency? Oil? Copper? Cobalt? Or Bitcoin?

Is A College's Name the Only Thing that Matters? Should Young People Choose By Perception? Will Quality, Offerings, Location, Cost, and Return on Investment Ever Matter More than A University's Brand?

Failure! Did Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks Fail? Or Was their Playoff Loss Just Steps to Success? Should We Hold Pro Athletes to A Different Standard When It Comes to Failure?

AI Update! Should AI Do Our Schoolwork, Housework, & Letters of Rec? Will AI Take Our Jobs & Train Robot Soldiers? How Should We Tax & Regulate AI? Is Google Losing? Are We Living in a Simulation?

Don's Student Teacher Sam Posey Speaks! Why Are Fewer College Students Becoming Teachers? What Are the Requirements to Become a Teacher? What Are the Challenges of Being a Student Teacher?

Does America Require Too Many Job Licenses & Credentials? Who Benefits from Professional Licenses -the worker or consumer? Should Anyone that Wants to Teach or Cut Hair Be Allowed Without A License?

Should We Blame Parent Pressure for the Rise In Teen Anxiety? Is Parent Desire For Academic and Sports Accolades the Real Reason Teens Are Struggling? Has Social Media Been Used As A Scapegoat?

In 1605 Sir Francis Bacon's Had Concerns About the Printing Press Invention! Are His Concerns Still Relevant in 2023 When It Comes to Internet, Book, and Social Media Publishing?

The New Rules for Polite Social Behavior! Don't Respond to Compliments With a Compliment? Stop Repeated Stories In 2 Seconds? Place Food Orders Immediately? Don't Stare At Crying Babies? & Many More!

Should America Ban TikTok? Will Our Teenagers Be Better Off? Will Americans Be Safe From China? Or Is this A Loser Mentality? Does A Ban Go Against Everything Americans and Capitalists Believe In?

The Bed Bath & Beyond Obituary: Reflections From Two Men Who Feel Like the Store Shaped them As Young Adults. What Box Stores Will Die Next? Over 2000 CEO's Say their Business future is in trouble???

Success vs Luck!!! Is One Person Solely Responsible for their Own Success? Should Factors Such As Luck and Public Infrastructure Be Considered? Is this A Uniquely American Question? Why So Emotional?

Should Schools Be More Like Disney? Should Teachers Be Seen As Creative Talent? Should Principals Be Like Disney CEO Bob Iger When Giving Feedback & Making Decisions? Dr. Daniel Haas Discusses!

Do Medieval Monks Have the Answers When It Comes to Concentrating and Ignoring Distraction? Have Distractions Always Been a Problem For Humanity? Are Distractions & Lack of Focus Bad?

Will 3-D Printers take the Jobs of Builders? What's Wrong With Drywall? Do Schools Provide Enough Encouragement for Learning Skilled Trades? Expert Builders/Educators: Chad, AJ, & Bud Swett Discuss!

The Doomsday Clock vs Bill Gates!!! Who Is Right? Which Source Is the Most Accurate? Can Humanity Be On the Brink of Collapse Today, While Offering A Great Future to Those Still Unborn?

Institutions vs Individuals! What's Better for Us When It Comes To Solving Problems & Connecting People? Are American's Getting Tired of Individuals While Leaning Towards Their Institutions?

What's The Most Human Response? Not Following Your Doctor's Advice? Or Cheering for Runaway Cows to Gain Freedom?

Should Professors Be Fired If Their Courses Are Too Hard? Should College Courses Ever Be Considered Too Difficult? Should Student Opinion Matter On Course Difficulty? What About Rocks for Jocks?

Is Mariah Carey's Christmas Song Remarkable or Annoying? Is the Death of Sears a Sad Ending or A 130 Year Celebration? Is It Ok to Sue Velveeta If the Label Only Includes Cook But Not Prep Time?

ChatGPT!!! What Does It Mean For Schools? Should Writing Be Taught Anymore? Is Using AI Generated Writing Plagiarism? Is This Technology Just Another Calculator? What's the Future of Education?

Cursive Writing! Is It Bad If Schools Don't Teach It Anymore? Is Cursive Like Latin? Does Our Society Lose Anything If Our Kids Can't Read the Actual Original Founding Documents?

Statistics Suggest Boys & Men Are Falling Behind Academically, Socially, & Economically. Why? What If No One Knows? Can People Have A Rational Discussion About This? Do Schools Have a Role to Play?

Government Teacher Roundtable! What Did the Recent Elections Say About America? What Happened in Michigan? What about the 2024 Presidential Election? Are Florida & Ohio Still Battleground States?

Big Tech Stock Picks! Is It Ok If they Earn Billions in Profits, But Growth Is Slowing? What About their Wasted Billions & Failed Promises of Autonomous Cars, Internet Glasses, Crypto, and Metaverse?

Teacher Exit Interview: Chad Swett Reflects On 25 Years In the Classroom! Has Education Changed? Have Students Changed? His Advice for Other Educators? Is His Retirement Part of the Educator Exodus?

Door to Door Sales People!! How Should We Think About the Profession? Con Artist Or Offering A Valuable Service? What's their Best Technique? Should Schools Be Promoting the Profession to Students?

Numbers in the News: $300,000 to Raise a Child? $75 Dog Tasting Menu? 13% Chance of Nuclear Launch? 6PM Dinner Time? 2:01:09 Marathon Record? 20 Quadrillion Ants on Earth? 1 Plastic Bag=20,000 Cotton?

Utopian or Dystopian? By 2030 We Don't Own Anything, AI Decides What We Eat, Our Jobs Are Just Creative Activities. Everything's Delivered On Demand. All Communication & Energy Is Free of Cost.

Climate Change News! Do Media Headlines Reflect the Actual Science? How Should the Average Person Think About Climate Change Data, Predictions and Possible Solutions? Dr. Elizabeth Herndon Discusses.

Should We Be Concerned that No One Drives Stick Shifts Anymore? Is It Progress If Cars Are Only Automatics? Have Humans and their Machines Have Become "Out of Synch?" Would Henry Ford Care?

Online Learning!!! Has the Promise Been Met? Does It Meet the Market Test? Where Does It Fit After Covid? What Does Online Instruction Get Right & Wrong? Dr. Shannon Smith of Michigan Virtual Joins

Effective Altruism! Is Working in Finance the Best Way to Help the World? Is It Best to Spend $40,000 on Bed Nets Instead of Leader Dogs? Is Colonizing Space & Fighting A.I. Our Best Use of Resource?

What is a Quintessential "American" Experience? Going to Prom? Eating Sloppy Joes? Visiting Yellowstone? Riding a School Bus or Mechanical Bull? Or Are These Experiences Untrue Romantic Notions?

The Liver King! Do People Want to Live Like Him or Just be Entertained? Are American Men Becoming "Soft?" Does Liver King Have the Solution? Should Charter Schools Develop A Liver King Curriculum?

Should We Be Allowed To Sell & Trade Shares Of Ourselves? Would The Individual & Economy Actually Benefit? Any Downsides? Is This A Good Way To Transfer Wealth From the Rich To the Poor?

Yachts! Are they the Last True Way To Show Wealth? Do they Give the Wealthy and Powerful Too Much Privacy? Should One Retrieve the Basketballs that Bounce Off Their Yacht? IMAX & Skiing on Yachts?

Milk! Why Does America Continue to Consume Less and Less of It? Should Athletes & Children Consume It For Health Benefits? Can Milk Make a Comeback? Or Is Soy, Almond, Rice, and Oat Milk the Future?

What Should Schools and Educators Think? No College Degree Required to Teach in Arizona! A Wall Street Trader Is Responsible For A School's National Success in Math! Are these good ideas and examples?

Train Wrecks! Literally!!! Are they America's REAL Pastime? How Should History Classes Teach About this Era of Popular Culture? Why Do People Enjoy Watching Real and Metaphorical Train Wrecks?

Prices!!! Uber, DoorDash and the Gig Economy Are Increasing Prices. Can Millennials Afford to Lose Their Subsidy? Will AriZona Iced Tea Win the War Against Inflation? Venice Is Charging Admission!

Regulations! Are there Too Many? Why Are They So Hard to Repeal? Do they Benefit Society or the Status Quo? Should All Laws & Regulations Have Sunset Provisions? What Current Regulations Need to Go?

Private Youth Sports! Why Are Parents Spending So Much Time and Money on It? Are Kids Sports Careers Over If They're Not Playing? Is the Income Inequality Any Different than Other Youth Activities?

What Is Camping? Is It Different than Being Homeless? Is It A Protest Protected By the 1st Amendment? Are You Camping If You Need Electricity and Running Water? Should More or Less People Be Camping?

Is Tom Cruise Good at Running? Can We Use His Movies To Determine If He's Fast? How Can We Tell If Someone's Good at Running? Could Tom Beat Don In A Race? What If They Had to Carry A Briefcase?

Is Deciding Where You Live the ONLY Important Parenting Decision? How Should Parents Feel If They Have Little Influence On How Their Children Turn Out? Is there Anyway Nurture Can Defeat Nature?

Top Gun!!! Is the Movie A Giant Commercial to Sell America? Is Maverick the Perfect Piece of American Symbolism? Does the Movie Still Hold Up Today? Is It A "War" Movie? What Will the Sequel Be Like?

What If Parents Never Allow Their Child To Have A Smartphone? Is It Ok If Your Child Feels Excluded & Isolated Because They Don't have a Smartphone? What Should Parents Of Current/Future Teens Do?

Remote Learning was a Failure!!! How Should We Think About the Latest Research? Are there Lessons to be Learned for Future Pandemics? What Other Education Data Should be Collected?

More 90s! Do We Accurately Remember the Rise of the Internet and TVs Coverage of the OJ Simpson Trial? Boris Yeltsin! Were Conspiracy Theorists Lonely? Did the Phantom Menace Force Us to Grow Up?

We React to The Nineties! Was Everyone A Sell Out? Remember: Grunge Rock & Garth Brooks? American Beauty? Bad TV? Video Stores? Those Crystal Clear Drinks? When College Football Didn't Have A Playoff?

The Carpet Cleaner Who Speaks 37 Languages! Is This Story A Tragedy or a Triumph? Do Our Schools & Society Do A Good Job Identifying and Nurturing Talent? How Should Language Fluency Be Determined?

What is Hollywood's Bigger Problem? Increasing Self-censorship When It Comes to Making Movies for International Markets Like China? Or The Treatment and Lack of Union Recognition for Puppet Wranglers?

Retirement! Should We All Move to Margaritaville? Can Everyday Just Be A Party? Should Social Connections Be Considered When Making Retirement Decisions? Could Margaritaville Exist In Michigan?

Do Your Annoying Household Habits Reflect Your Personality? Are you a Jerk For Leaving A Sip of Orange Juice In the Container? Are You A Visionary If You Mop the Floor With Your Sock?

The Supreme Court! Is Lady Justice Removing the Blind Fold? Or Has the Institution Always Been Political? What's the Path to Become a Justice? Is It Time For Roberts To Step Down? Theresa Serra joins!

100th Episode!!! Did America Build Anything Over the Past Two Years? How Will We Remember the Pandemic? What Didn't Get Built? Where Does Ukraine War Fit? What Gets Built In The Next Two Years?

Culturally Responsive Teaching!!! How Should An Educator Reflect On It? What About Dependent Vs Independent Learners? Individualism Vs Collectivism? DEI Coordinator Michelle Cureton Elaborates!

Should Human Pilots Trust Artificial Intelligence to Win Aerial Dog Fights? Is this An Alternative Plot for the Movie Top Gun? Should A.I. Ever Be Allowed to Make "Kill" or "No Kill" Decisions?

Which Proposed Legislation Can Improve Education: Require Cameras Inside Classrooms? Give Teachers A Yearly $2000 Retention Bonus? Require A Personal Finance Course for High School Students?

Big Electric Trucks or Big Hot Sauce? Is Ford or McCormick Making the Best Investment? Which Company Can Last Another Hundred Years? Do People Actually Want Electric Cars? Can Hot Sauce Beat Ketchup?

12 More Concepts to Enrich Your Knowledge! Would Society Improve If We: Found Null Results Interesting, Debate As Scouts Not Soldiers, Make Fewer Daily Decisions, And See Progress When Scientist Die?

Your Stuff's Stuff! Do Our Phone Cases, Pet Halloween Costumes, and Metal Straws Represent Human Achievement or Flaw? Does Buying Stuff's Stuff Explain Why We're Often Posers Instead of Masters?

Are These Good Uses of Crypto Currency: Crowdfunded Lawsuits? Earning a Minimum Wage Playing Video Games? Rewarding Students at School? Or Are These Ideas Just A Way For Scams & Dishonest Behavior?