The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Gamers First co-founder/CEO and former NFL pro Kenny Vaccaro chats with Trey Elling about his panel discussion at SXSW 2022, titled "Gamers: The New Icons of Pop Culture & Fashion". Gamers First, or G1, is Austin's first professional eSports team. Kenny talks about his entry into professional gaming, the unique challenges and joys of providing leadership in the industry, and some Texas Longhorns and NFL football talk. 

Financial journalist and bestselling author Christopher Leonard chats with Trey Elling about THE LORDS OF EASY MONEY: HOW THE FEDERAL RESERVE BROKE THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. The conversation examines how the Federal Reserve's actions over the past 12 years have set the US and world up for an unthinkable financial catastrophe.

Neuroscientists and sleep/dream experts Antonio Zadra (University of Montreal) and Robert Stickgold (Harvard University) join Trey Elling for a second time to discuss WHEN BRAINS DREAM: UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE AND MYSTERY OF OUR DREAMING MINDS. The book is now available in paperback. To hear Tony and Bob's first conversation with Books on Pod, click HERE.

Independent investigative journalist Alexander Zaitchik chats with Trey Elling about OWNING THE SUN: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF MONOPOLY MEDICINE FROM ASPRIN TO COVID-19 VACCINES.

Parenting and childhood education expert Julie Bogart chats with Trey Elling about RAISING CRITICAL THINKERS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING WISE KIDS IN THE DIGITAL AGE.

US intelligence expert Amy B. Zegart chats with Trey Elling about SPIES, LIES, AND ALGORITHMS: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE. Topics include: The US intel perspective on Russia's war on Ukraine (1:37) The use of cyber warfare in this conflict (3:29) An element of cyber warfare that US intel was slow to understand (4:42) DC and Silicon Valley improving their relationships for the good of cyber warfare (5:43) George Washington actually proving to be an adept liar, especially on the battlefield (7:33) Improvements to intel gathering by the American Civil War (9:02) How the attack on Pearl Harbor shaped intelligence (10:28) The CIA's original intent upon its founding in 1947 and how quickly it became something else (11:34) How George Church and his 1970s Church Commission further shaped US intel agencies (12:41) What it looks like when an Congressional oversight committee does well with the intelligence agencies (14:28) Why the long-running disfunction between agencies got worse between the end of the Cold War and 9/11 (16:22) How 'unknown unknowns' shape decision-making (17:33) Whether intelligence is inherently secretive (19:17) The most common characteristic among intelligence officers (20:42) Finding Bin Laden as an example of forgetting everything you known to learn the truth (22:56) Asymmetrical information as a tool in making accurate predictions (24:35) The point where the amount of information goes from helpful to overwhelming when making predictions (26:12) Groupthink (one of Amy's 'seven deadly biases') negatively affecting the US intel community's read on Iraq and WMDs earlier this century (27:30) How to frame a problem in a manner that helps to avoid those biases (28:44) The secret of 'superforecasters' (30:06) Whether artificial intelligence is better at analyzing data than humans (31:18) The definition of 'counterintelligence' (32:46) The benefits of counterintelligence done well (33:04) Why intelligence agencies still use polygraphs when the technology has been proven as unreliable (33:47) How technology caused a counterintelligence crisis for the US in China a decade ago (36:43) Why 'covert action' is such a hotly debated topic within the intel community (38:02) How it's both good and bad that intelligence and war fighting are much more connected (41:34) What the public gets wrong about US intel agencies and officers dues to the liberties Hollywood takes with their depictions in movies and tv shows (43:22) ZERO DARK THIRTY as an example of Hollywood taking major liberties with 'truth' (46:04) How it's decided which information gets classified and who makes those decisions (47:25) Why chapter nine, titled "Intelligence Isn't Just For Governments Anymore", focused on nuclear threats (48:40) What Amy thinks will happen with our response to Russia in the coming days, weeks, and months (51:06) Whether China will take this opportunity to gain more of a stranglehold on Taiwan (52:31)

Military vet, writer, naturalist, and filmmaker Doug Peacock chats with Trey Elling about WAS IT WORTH IT? A WILDERNESS WARRIOR'S LONG TRAIL HOME.

Wildlife & science filmmaker Jackie Higgins chats with Trey Elling about SENTIENT: HOW ANIMALS ILLUMINATE THE WONDER OF OUR HUMAN SENSES.

Doctor of internal medicine and pediatrics Jonathan Reisman, M.D., chats with Trey Elling about THE UNSEEN BODY: A DOCTOR'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE HIDDEN WONDERS OF HUMAN ANATOMY. Questions include: How did an early love of exploring the outdoors benefit his eventual medical career? (1:21) How did an elderly patient help him better appreciate the throat? (3:31) Why is the cardiovascular system analogous to the Earth's waterways? (7:14) What exactly is the Indian-style way of wiping one's butt? (13:11) How are fecal transplants administered, and how do they work? (15:28) Why do bodily rhythms come up in the chapter dedicated to genitals? (18:25) What exactly is the pineal gland? (23:19) Why do our brains swell the further we get from sea level? (26:49) Where does the brain end and the mind begin? (30:29) Why is the skin 'intelligent'? (33:52) What does he love about urine more than any other bodily fluid? (36:29) How much of obesity is a medical disease versus a person making continually poor lifestyle choices? (43:44) Do medical schools provide adequate training on nutrition? (47:39) Why are the lungs a forbidden food in the US? (50:16) Why is eye contact an important component of his patient care? (54:04) Why is it important to assess the temperature of a finger or toe when treating an injury to the digit? (56:26) Why do plastic surgeons use leaches? (58:22) Why is empathy crucial for patient care? (1:01:15)

The Wall Street Journal's Hollywood reporter Erich Schwartzel chats with Trey Elling about RED CARPET: HOLLYWOOD, CHINA, AND THE GLOBAL BATTLE FOR CULTURAL SUPREMACY. The book breaks down the complex history of the CCP and American film studios, which has evolved since the 1990s to put China in control over a US industry whose financial successes have become hugely dependent on Chinese money.