dunc tank

Norman Finkelstein - Rogue Academic

Norman Finkelstein is an American political scientist and author, whose work focuses primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He was denied tenure at DePaul and banned from Israel for a decade, but continues to publish and speak out.  Send feedback to: dunctankpodcast@gmail.com

Gerard Milburn - Quantum Computing

Gerard Milburn is a professor of quantum physics at the University of Queensland in Australia.  We talked about the future of quantum computing, how it will affect research into artificial intelligence, and why they will be able to solve problems that no computer has been able to solve before. 

John McAfee - Presidential Candidate

John McAfee is the inventor of McAfee antivirus software, a major proponent of crypto currency, and a Libertarian candidate for President.  He is running from abroad, as he is currently on the run from the United States government.  We talked about his wild life, including his time in Belize, as well as why he is recruiting an army of McAfee clones to help his candidacy.

Ed Viesturs - American Mountaineer

Ed Viesturs is the only American mountaineer to climb all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks, and he is the fifth person in world history to do so without supplemental oxygen.  We talked about what inspired him to climb, how he evaluates risk, and what comes after achieving your goals.

Norman Ohler - Nazis on Meth

Norman Ohler is a German novelist and historian, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, “Blitzed”, about drug use in Nazi Germany. We talked about how he uncovered it, why previous historians failed to see the signs, and why giving your kids speed chocolate was as acceptable as a cup of coffee.

Pete Penseyres - World Record Cyclist

Pete Penseyres is a cyclist who in 1986 set the world record for the fastest time across America on a bike.  We talked about what level of preparation it took to win the race, how he was able to train in between his full-time job, and why a taunt from a professional Tour de France cyclist pushed him into the race.

Jed Perl - The Art of Alexander Calder

Jed Perl is an art critic for The New York Review of Books and The New Republic.  He's the author of the biography, "Alexander Calder: The Conquest of Time", and we talked about the artist's work and his impact on sculpture.

Bethany McLean - Enron, Fraud, and Fracking

Bethany McLean is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has written books about Enron, the 2008 financial crisis, and the fracking industry.  We talked about her role in the collapse of Enron, why fraud continues to fool the best minds on Wall Street, and whether businesses like the fracking industry (and even Tesla!) might be due to bust.

Sam Vaknin - Narcissism in the Age of Social Media

Sam Vaknin is a professor of psychology and the author of "Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited".  We talked about what narcissism is, how it has become an epidemic, and why Donald Trump will never see a therapist.

Dean Baker - Common Sense Economist

Dean Baker is the co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and is one of the few economists who predicted the collapse of the housing bubble.  You can read his blog at http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/