I'm looking for interesting podcasts and lectures that have inspired you, as I am running out of material to watch in my usual channels. What talks have changed your mind and made you think differently about the world? I'm going to list my favorite podcasts here (I'll leave out the physics stuff since that is probably not as palatable to the general public) - have you watched any of these before?

1. Joe Rogan #1109: Matthew Walker. A sleep scientist, Walker will tell you everything you need to know about the importance of sleep and how to get the best out of it. Very interesting points about modern medicine and I think the section about children is extremely important for parents to hear.

2. Dan Gilbert's TED Talk: The Surprising Science of Happiness. This lecture is simply a life-changer. Synthetic happiness, he argues, is more important than "real" happiness. If that sounds crazy, it is just as crazy as it is vitally important for you to know if you are to understand what is to achieve happiness.

3. Joe Rogan #501: Randall Carlson. Carlson challenges the mainstream view of ancient history, and his ideas are simply extraordinary. You won't be prepared for the ride he is going to take you on, as he explains the "catastrophist" version of history as opposed to the "gradualist" mainstream view. He also offers an enlightened view of global warming that dispenses with the political baggage. He has several later JR episodes, most of them with Graham Hancock.

4. Peter Russell: Primacy of Consciousness. While all of these works changed me forever after the experience, none changed me so much as Russell's lecture on consciousness. I'm sort of breaking my promise not to introduce physics here but this one is just too good to leave out (most of it does not revolve around physics). Russell proposes that the way we view consciousness is all wrong - and his paradigm will literally pull the entire universe out from under your feet like so much carpet. Youtube the graphic representation for a bit more entertaining version of the lecture.

5. Joe Rogan # 670: Michael Wood. Wood is a retired inner-city Baltimore police officer who specialized in drugs and gangs. His experiences of fighting drug crime offer a perspective that is severely lacking in our political discussions, and there may not be a more important talk for every voter to watch in order to understand the interactions between police and drug criminals. Wood exposes many truths most police do not want you to know.

6. "Don't Talk to the Police". If police don't want you to hear what Michael wood has to say, then they DEFINITELY don't want you to watch this fascinating presentation given by a defense attorney and a Virginia police officer. What you will probably get most out of this is that you don't know a damned thing about your rights when interacting with the police, and just because you are law-abiding doesn't mean you don't have to worry about understanding the Constitution!

7. Joe Rogan #469: Carl Hart. Take what you think you know about drugs and dump it in the trash, because neuroscientist Dr. Carl Hart is going to replace your misconceptions with good science - that's opposed to the bad science we have been using for the last half-century which include studies which are pitifully biased. Hart mixes brand new research with a background of growing up in the ghetto and understanding first-hand what the effects of the war on drugs are in the community. An excellent compliment to Wood's interview, you will never look at policing and drugs the same again.

8. The History of Rome. This podcast is excellent for those who don't know anything about history (like me!) and wish to change that. Surprisingly entertaining and informative, you will find that many of the cultural elements we are immersed in today have roots in Roman society. After learning about history, the whole Trump vs. Hillary stuff seems just... redundant. Do we look as stupid as the Romans did engaging in all our propaganda-based squabbling? Yeah, we do.

9. Joe Rogan #877: Jordan Peterson. Peterson is a Canadian psychology professor who gained notoriety after refusing to use "compelled pronouns" to address transexual and other alternative identity students on campus after the college made rules for the faculty to do so. This would include not calling them "he" and "she" but instead using other exotic terms like "ze" and whatever else they decided to name themselves. After students protested him, they catapulted him into fame and now he is arguably the foremost political-philosopher of our time. Peterson flawlessly navigates issues without ever faltering into left or right-wing ideology, although it is typically left-wingers who are most offended by him because of his attacks on political correctness. Peterson has half a dozen JR interviews and much more out there on youtube, including some great Bible studies from a humanities perspective that really are a must-see for anybody who is curious about the Bible but not necessarily religious.