Goose on the Loose: Catch it!

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Doug Dangler

Members of Goose on the Loose, happening October 10-13 in Columbus Ohio, stop by to tell me about the festival that you need to attend.

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How a Super Scientist Helps a Superhero: Nadya Mason Rescues Paul Rudd (someday)

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Doug Dangler

Nadya MasonWhile Ant-Man floats in the endless expanse of the Marvel Universe Quantum Realm, scientists like Professor Nadya Mason at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign work diligently to discover what the rules of quantum mechanics really are.

Professor Mason’s January 13 Science Sundays talk at Ohio State is titled “Going Through the Quantum Tunnel” and she “was inspired by several things in this talk.”

“One is that my own research is on quantum mechanical properties of materials and devices: how do electronics change when you consider quantum mechanics?” Mason explained. “The other proximate inspiration from my talk is that I saw the most recent Ant Man movie. In the movie, quantum mechanics plays a huge part. There’s a quantum tunnel, and they go into the quantum realm, and they can’t get back out. I thought it was really interesting.”

Join us for a discussion of what quantum mechanics is, how it can be used, and the mind-blowing relationships between atoms separated by large distances.

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A message to Dino Tripodis’s mother: He’s working!

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Dino TripodisDino Tripodis started gracing Columbus radio nearly 25 years ago as part of the Dino and Stacy duo, and he’s transitioned to podcasting with Whiskey Business, more writing, and a return to stand up comedy. He dropped by WCBE recently to update me on his latest adventures.

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Paul M. Sutter Puts You in Your Place in the Universe

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Paul M. SutterThe universe is endlessly vast and can seem incomprehensible. However, it’s not as incomprehensible as you might think. In his book Your Place in the Universe: Understanding Our Big, Messy Existence, astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter explains a lot about what we know of the universe. In my interview with him, we discuss the Big Bang, the Singularity, the Cosmic Web, dark matter and dark energy, and what the end of the universe might be like. So take a listen, and I hope your mind will be as blown as mine was.

-David Perfect

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Margaret Peterson Haddix and the Children of Exile

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Doug Dangler

I find dystopian novels one of the most interesting forms of science fiction. From 1984 to Fahrenheit 451, authors have created futures that we fear may come to pass (if they haven’t already). Margaret Peterson Haddix is known for her juvenile and young adult series. In the Children of Exile series, she envisions a dystopian future that is still suitable for children. Join us for a discussion of Children of Jubilee, the final book in the series; her inspirations and writing process in making believable child characters; and why even children are interested in dystopian fiction. Just make sure that Big Brother isn’t listening as well.

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Spamalot comes to Columbus’s Palace Theater

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Spamalot logo

Almost everyone has seen the hilarious comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. From the Black Knight, the Taunting Frenchman, and the importance of knowing the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow, the film’s many funny moments have a place in the hearts of multiple generations. Eric Idle’s musical comedy Spamalot adapts the movie for the stage and plays Columbus this month.

Troy Bruchwalski plays The Black Knight and Sir Dennis Galahad, The Dashingly Handsome among others. We discuss some of differences between the play and film, how he prepared for his role, and what it is like to be in a traveling production of a Broadway musical.

Spamalot will be playing at the Palace Theatre from November 23 to 25.

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Think you know mitochondria? Think again says Michael W Gray

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Michael W Gray

“I never learned to do taxes at school but I know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.” The phrase “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” has become a common punchline in a lot of jokes online, but how much do people really know about mitochondria? Michael W. Gray gives Craft the chance to learn about some of the theories surrounding this organelle, particularly the fact that the mitochondria very likely started off as a separate bacteria that was absorbed by cells a long time ago. He will be giving a talk at Science Sundays on November 18th on the different theories surrounding mitochondria from 3-5 at the Ohio Union Bank Conference Theatre.

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Happy Halloween 2018

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Doug Dangler

It’s here again: Halloween, that time of year when Craft goes a little crazy and gives the world a variety of questionable stories and interviews. We cover all the greatest Halloween hits: cannibalism, zombies, serial killers, where to buy super science supplies, and the scariest of all – politics.

My thanks to great help from Sam Bloch, J. Randall Hicks, David Lindstedt, Bryce Meade, Cody McNulty, and Craft intern David Perfect.

Donate to brain cancer research at the Wexner Medical Center!

Buy the songs and books from this episode by clicking on the icon below and a portion of your purchase will go to brain cancer research. It’s the best way to get music for your Halloween party!

  • Aerosmith, Eat the Rich
  • Hall and Oates, Maneater
  • Loudon Wainwright, III, Graveyard (my YouTube tribute to this song)
  • John F Llewelyn, Birth of a Cemetery
  • Jonathan Coulton, Re: Your Brains
  • Warren Zevon, Werewolves of London
  • Bobbie Darren, Mack the Knife

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Celeste Ng receives 2018 Ohioana award for fiction

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Celeste Ng Little Fires EverywhereOhio author Celeste Ng is the 2018 Ohioana Fiction Award winner for her book Little Fires Everywhere. Listen in as we discuss what it’s like to win an Ohioana award; how she ensured that she got the details right about the setting for her novel, Shaker Heights, Ohio; and how she deals with seeing her own books or those of her friends in a bookstore.

You can attend the presentation of the Ohioana Awards on October 18 

And here’s the picture we discuss during our talk of a display in an Ireland bookstore.

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Henry Alford: So you think you can contact improv?

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Doug Dangler

Henry Alford's book

Did your school have mandatory square dancing lesson? Mine did, which may be why I’ll never wear western plaid again.

Humorist and participatory journalist Henry Alford has not only written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Vanity Fair, and the Paris Review but also survived elementary school square dancing lessons. His most recent book, And Then We Danced, details his recent experiences to recover from enjoy dancing lessons. Listen in while he describes the process, including his now-signature move while doing contact improv.

Alford won a Thurber Prize for his book Big Kiss, which detailed his acting career. Other books include How To Live: A Search For Wisdom From Old People (While They Are Still On This Earth) and Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That?: A Modern Guide To Manners.

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