Crazy Town Classics - Maximum Power and Scarcity, or... the Story of the Birdbrained Backhoe on the Beach
The “maximum power principle” may sound like the doctrine of an evil supervillain, but it actually applies to all living creatures. The principle states that biological systems organize to increase po...
24 Syys 202559min
Et Tu, Bhutan? Cryptocurrency and Late-Stage Capitalism
Maximize profits, exploit nature, hoard money, and, like Buzz Lightyear, grow the economy to infinity and beyond! That’s the modern economic playbook. But for decades, one renegade country has taken a...
10 Syys 202536min
Artifacts of Collapse: Touring the Crazy Town Museum
In this episode we travel in time to the year 2125, to visit the Crazy Town museum, which showcases today’s world of wanton consumption and profligate waste. How will humans in 2125 – if there are any...
27 Elo 20251h 2min
Crazy Town Classics - Net Energy and Sustainability, or… the Story of the Overstuffed Strongman
All of humanity’s feats, whether a record-setting deadlift by the world’s strongest man or the construction of a gleaming city by a technologically advanced economy, originate from a single hidden sou...
13 Elo 20251h 26min
Just One Word: Microplastics, with Matt Simon
Put on your best polyester pants, grab a bunch of gleaming mylar balloons, and crack open a case of bottled water. In today's episode, we're entering the plastic world of plastic pollution in all its ...
30 Heinä 202553min
Crazy Town Classics - Lord of the Swans: The Tragedy of the Enclosure of the Commons
The “tragedy of the commons” is an idea that has so thoroughly seeped into culture and law that it seems normal for people and corporations to own land, water, and even whole ecosystems. But there’s a...
16 Heinä 202557min
Will Trump's Tariffs Fuel or Foil the Degrowth Movement?
As Trump’s tariffs kick in, the Republican party is suddenly spouting anti-consumerist rhetoric that would make the Lorax smile. Should we cheer on this accidental experiment in economic shrinkage, or...
2 Heinä 202547min
Blinded by the Light - Facing Reality with Renewable Energy
Solar panels and other modern energy technologies can be really useful, but the belief that we can technologize our way to a bigger and better society powered by clean energy is tragically flawed. Ash...
18 Kesä 202556min
