
The Armen Show
Science + Technology Podcast for the Lifelong Learner
Latest episodes

Apr 27, 2020 • 43min
259: Katherine Mangu-Ward | Editor-in-chief Of Reason Magazine On Pandemic Impacts And Internet Expansion
Welcome guest Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor-in-chief of Reason Magazine, to episode 259 of the show. I found Katherine from her article contribution about coronavirus impacts, where she discussed the changes barriers to moving our lives online.
Reason is a libertarian magazine running for nearly half a century, with over 50000 monthly readers, with the theme of “free minds and free markets”. Katherine is editor-in-chief of the magazine, has a degree in philosophy and political science from Yale, and currently resides in Washington, DC. We discussed her career, topics presented in her article about coronavirus impacts, and more.
Show notes:
how Katherine got to her current position at Reason Magazinewhat it means to be a libertarian, and how the magazine suits herthe way that the coronavirus is impacting readership of Reason Magazine and other online publicationsthe effort required to do successful investigative journalisma bit about a round-table that Katherine does with other co-hostsinformation about the subscribers of Reason, and how they are spread out around the countryhow the barriers to schooling and other industries moving online will fall or change due to this momentwhat parents see as important with regards to schoolhow liberty is currently being impacted, and how it will look after this pandemicthe element of polarization, as it relates to Reason and its feedbackwhere people find the ideas that are important to themhow science fiction brings up the concept of “what if” for life scenariosa message for all the people
You can check out Katherine on Twitter at @kmanguward, look at her author bio on Reason, or check out her latest articles.

Apr 20, 2020 • 53min
258: Shan Rizvi | Technology Startup Founder Of “Just Ads” And “Pencil News” On Mindset And The Current Moment
From founding Just Ads to Pencil News, technology startup founder Shan Rizvi has made his way through the entrepreneurial landscape. Like myself, he is inclined toward a variety of topics and fields, like philosophy, neuroscience, art, music, and technology. He joins on episode 258 of the show to discuss the current moment, and joins me on points related to mindset, society as a whole, his travels along his path, and more.
I originally met Shan and his wife Maryam, along with other great individuals, at a hosted gathering by Dr. Azra Raza in the great state of New York. That is where they reside, and discussion of the regional impacts due to the virus were include in this episode. There continues to be much value connected to group functions with curious and warm individuals from different backgrounds, habits, lifestyles, and perspectives.
Show notes:
Shan as a technology startup founder, and what he has worked on, including Pencil News and Just Adshow using and performing remote work for years can lead to a smoother transition to the current momenthow we met, and how he met his wife Maryam, who is a doctor currently responding to the epidemic directly, working with patientsa way to think about how parts of the brain are experts of their own domain, mentioning the key items from their partif meditation is connected to showcasing those elementsthe value that deep breathing can bring to youwhy group meetings can be very valuable for creative and curious individuals, and what Shan connects with in such meetingscountries that Shan has been to, what pulled him to them, and his progression through those various countriesthe value to studying abroad, and the total transformation that took place in his self-perspective due to ithow Shan could see himself from his original region of Pakistan in the perspective of people in the new places he went to (Finland, Sweden, etc.)noticing different customs that challenge your prior onesShan’s thoughts on the concept of “mental health”, and how it takes into account philosophy, self-awareness, and more, as compared with commonly related to some type of illnessthe way we will get to a clearer view of what our minds dogetting to a point of seeing 10X clearer scans of our mindsa message about the current moment in time, and how we as people can think about the impacts to countries that are in a developing stagebroader-scale thinking of people
Thanks goes to Shan for coming through on the show. You can check him out on his website at ShanRizvi.com or on Twitter at @ShanRizvi.

Apr 13, 2020 • 56min
257: Peter T. Coleman | Social Psychologist Navigating Conflict Resolution Dynamics Toward Sustainable Peace
Social psychologist and Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University Dr. Peter T. Coleman joins on episode 257 of the show, bringing forth his expertise on conflicts and their peaceful and productive resolution. He has been the director of Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution for over 20 years, and is author of the 2004 book Making Conflict Work: Harnessing the Power of Disagreement, as well as upcoming 2021 book The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.
Similar to Dr. Raza of episode 249, Professor Coleman works at Columbia University in New York, and we spoke about the impacts of the pandemic in the region, as well as potential outcomes that manage future conflict related to it. He had written a message about the situation in this Politico article, and we explored that and more. Through his experience with many levels of conflict management and understanding, whether of the base form, or of a governmental size, Dr. Coleman is able to get to the meaning behind what people could be opposing each other for.
Show notes:
Dr. Coleman and his experience with conflict management and resolutionhow he got into his current position, and what he does as director of the Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolutionhow conflicts are different at different levels of society and agewhat it takes to resolve issues for people of a younger age group, such as in their 20s, and how that differs from managing the interests of older folksan example of tensions or conflict from a time period at Columbia Universityhow it is relevant to allow all parties to voice their concerns in a conflict, so as to resolve it in some form for allmany examples of where Dr. Coleman has been brought in to assisthow value differences can be the source of much conflicta relation between conflict management, and neurological frameworks of decision-making and energy conservationhow the long-term conflicts we have seen in the world are much more detailed and nuanced than Team 1 versus Team 2a small example of conflict I bring up from the basketball courtsinstrumental violence versus expressive violencehow the pandemic has led to some types of conflict in terms of how it is perceived, due to polarizationthe way that times of global struggle can bring groups together which would not have prior, due to the previous battle not making sense in the time of heightened danger/riskthe quote “never let a good crisis go to waste”, which I heavily identify withDr. Coleman’s progression through his writing and booksthe way that certain conflicts have elements which keep them in place, and what it takes to look at removing the holds on their clearancea message about how to view conflicts
I was glad to have Professor Coleman on the show. He represents well for Columbia Unviersity, and has messages and experience to help people manage their differences better. You can check out his faculty page, Wikipedia, and his listing of books on Amazon.

Apr 6, 2020 • 53min
256: Daniel James Smith & Krystall Schott | Music And Creativity With The Band “Untitled Social Experiment”, Known As “USE”
Welcome to April of 2020 and episode 256 of the show, with the guest duo of Daniel James Smith and Krystall Schott, who make up the band “Untitled Social Experiment”, also known as “USE”. With songs like “Sugar Rush” and “Psycho“, this pairing has brought solid production quality into the content they put out, with messages to understand underneath.
Daniel has been making music for some years under the moniker of T.O.L.D, and brings his experience and skills to Untitled Social Experiment. Krystall has done painting, sang in choir early on, and after modeling in recent years, she made her return to music when teaming up with Daniel to form creative art. Synths and melodies and singing tones abound in the music made by USE.
Show notes:
how the group and duo originated, and who they are inspired bythe production of art in a light nature, but keeping a focus on content creationhow introductions and key moments in life can seem blurrywhat it takes to get along with someone, based on similaritiessome bands the group would work with or like to emulate in some formthe pandemic and quarantine, and where it leaves each person to self-process, and looking toward how it leaves societywhat age the members started doing music at, and what types of instruments or singing they have donehow support at the right time in life can lead to quicker resultsswitching from one goal to another once it seems too readily available, versus sticking to one thing at a timethe way that the members complement one another for productiona book called “The Dao of Capital” being read at the current time, and what it represents for temporal understandingthe qualities that each band members looks for in othersthe song Adam & Eve Meet Snake, Say No to apple, Stay in Paradise Forever mentioned in the episodeother types of content being put out, whether on Tik Tok or elsewhereperiods of flow and lack of flow, and how to think about thema couple of questions back to me about me and my showmessages from each member about life
Glad to have Daniel and Krystall on the show~. You can check out their content on Spotify and other audio platforms online, along with some of their content featured on T.O.L.D. You can also check them out on Instagram at @untitledsocialexperiment.

Mar 30, 2020 • 1h 28min
255: Michael Wilt | Discussing Education And Society With A Mathematician And Professor
When it comes to applied mathematics, guest Michael Wilt is both a teacher and interested in its usage. He professes math to the youth, and joins us on episode 255 of the show, discussing his career, people-based elements of society, and more.
Michael got his Masters in Applied Math at California State University of Los Angeles, and has taught various levels of math to high school students, high-risk students, middle school students, and community college students. He also has his own product line of merchandise called “Unicorns and Stuff”.
Show notes:
how Michael progressed through the development of his careerthe kind of teaching that Michael does, and what he hopes to impart on his studentsdevelopment of a curriculum, and how that is the key element of education, with a blueprint for the studentsthe feel around the pandemic before it was a situated item here in Los Angeles, and discussion about the numbers behind itwhy it is good to understand exponential growth and other graph-based conceptsthe difference between small and big picture viewhow Los Angeles and San Francisco differ in status-related mindsetenergy transfer between people to others who they interact withhow people view people in terms of pretty or smarta great singing rendition from Michael, along with an attempt on my end, as well as rapping on both of our partswhere Michael is working now, and how it is going with students who are labeled as Twice Exceptionalworking with students who have ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disordercomments on rolled-up sleeves and sense of fashiona bit of reverse interview from Michael to mea mug-plug by Michael about his mug and merchandise brand
This episode was recorded earlier in the month, prior to mass spreading of COVID-19. You can check out Michael’s merchandise at Unicorns and Stuff. Glad to have him on~.

Mar 23, 2020 • 38min
254: John Marzluff | Birds, Farms, And Food Detailed “In Search Of Meadowlarks”
Welcome Dr. John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Sciences at the College of the Environment at the University of Washington in Seattle, to episode 254 of The Armen Show. Dr. Marzluff “studies how humans affect birds through habitat fragmentation and increased urbanization, as well as the challenges of conserving birds on islands.
Most of his focus is on ravens, crows, and jays, which are in the bird grouping known as “corvids”, and he looks at how birds affect people, such as with our art or language. Many of his books have focused on birds, including his latest book In Search of Meadowlarks: Birds, Farms, and Food in Harmony with the Land.
“In recognition of his work, he has been awarded the H.R. Painton Awards from the Cooper Ornithological Society, as well as the Washington State Book Award for general non-fiction.” In this episode, we discuss his latest non-fiction piece.
Show notes:
the current moment, with the world slowing down due to the pandemicthe career trajectory that Dr. Marzluff took to getting into decades of ornithological workhow we can take a look around our world with a relaxed pace, so as to maintain our Earth in good conditionthe kind of research that Dr. Marzluff does, and places he has performed bird analysis atwhat birds can represent about the impact that humans have hadthe impact of corn and soybean subsidies, and what the farmland in the US would look like without those subsidieswhy meadowlarks were chosen for the title of the bookfarming as related to water consumption and planninga closing message
Thanks to Dr. Marzluff for joining on this episode. You can check out In Search of Meadowlarks on Amazon, or take a look at his faculty page.

Mar 19, 2020 • 36min
253: A Response To The Current Moment Of Global Alteration
With the world in a state of rapid adaptation due to health concerns, I discuss some of the elements connected to the scenario in episode 253.
There are the straightforward health concerns, along with financial impacts, social impacts, relationship-based impacts, and impacts between countries. Though it has been a bit disturbing to see the current moment arising from a couple of months ago, based on much I had read from scientists I follow, it is worth knowing how it will go.
Show notes:
the current viral scenario, and what it means for the globehow rapidly it is changing, and what adaptation to the moment really meanssome of the global impacts of a virus that has no current cure, and transfers readily, silently, and with a lagging period of symptomsthe social impacts of such a virus, and how it can affect creation of new relationshipsthe direction of our global society over the next couple monthsthe power of resilience and character in these key months, separating people by power-of-willhow the good and bad of preparation before such an event are both amplified once the event arisesand more
Glad to have you check out this episode. The virus has thrown off a lot of the routine of the world, but we as people are resilient and respond to whatever comes our way. To more.

Mar 9, 2020 • 47min
252: Allan Ropper | Mental Illness, Syphilis, And Hysteria In “How The Brain Lost Its Mind”
As Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Allan Ropper is able to relayed his decades of neurology experience to students, and as deputy editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, he is able to help edit, guide, and shape the selection of articles that meet the criteria for one of the top science journals of our time. He is also lead editor for one of the top neurology textbooks of current time, Principles of Neurology, now in its 11th edition.
Dr. Ropper joins on episode 252 to discuss his recent book How the Brain Lost Its Mind: Sex, Hysteria, and the Riddle of Mental Illness. It covers a history of hysteria, syphilis, and conditions that represent the deviation between the brain and the mind. Our discussion includes topics in the book, Dr. Ropper’s career, neurology as a whole, and how past responses to mental illness have functioned.
Show notes:
how Dr. Ropper got to be in the field of neurologyhow the mind and brain are connected, and why the book relates the twothe way that Dr. Ropper influenced the field of neurological intensive carewhat it is like being an editor for the New England Journal of Medicine, including some details about the editing processthe field of research that is in its current moment, with an increase in research and published papershow individuals would like to get control of their aging or life conditions, but how we have only come so farthe difference between neurology and neurosurgery, including some of the disorders of eachwhat separates a brain disorder from a mind disorderthe potential over-medicalization of every-day lifethe issues of syphilis and hysteria as detailed in the bookhow people come into the doctor with a broad description, and a neurologist has to reverse engineer the nervous system issuewhat Moya Moya is, and the details of this specific conditionwhy many conditions of neurology do not have a known sourcehow so much is described as though A or B is wrong with a persona message regarding the theme of the book and Dr. Ropper’s link of that to brain conditions
It was great to have Dr. Ropper on the show. He is an educating individual who is receptive and perceptive. You can check out How the Brain Lost Its Mind on Amazon.

Mar 2, 2020 • 43min
251: Sir Peter Gluckman | Former Chief Science Advisor Details Unintended Consequences Of Innovation In “Ingenious”
From his start as a pediatrician, to serving as Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand for nearly a decade, Sir Peter Gluckman has represented category of science and society. He joins on this episode to discuss his career, along with his recently released book Ingenious: The Unintended Consequences of Human Innovation.
As President-elect of the International Science Council, Sir Gluckman will continue to provide value in the fields of science, health, global impacts, and more. His book Ingenious focuses on how our innovation has led to impacts we did not plan for, and how we can work with these consequences, and help to prevent unwanted future consequences.
Show notes:
how Sir Gluckman’s career has panned out over time, and how he started out as a pediatricianhis experience as Chief Science Advisor for the Prime Minister of New Zealandwhat it means to be a “knowledge broker”, and how connecting people to the right people is an important skillthe ways that Sir Gluckman has written about or focused on reduction of obesity, as well as being co-chair of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesitypartnering writing books with his co-author Mark Hanson, and what each brought to the table across the decadeshow the early experience between parent and child affects so much of a person’s lifethe important of psychological resilience, and how it separates segments of individualshow evolutionary thinking is a unifying element of biologythe global impacts we are facing now, which we did not have in place 200 years agothe belief or non-belief by citizens that their governments can help to take care of basic societal needsdealing with misinformation that is released, and how governments or public companies can adaptthe level of research put out by smaller countries, versus the percentage put out by some of the larger countries, along with some specific exampleswhether a centrally-situated response wins out against solutions around the world, to global issuesa message about how to cope with rapid environmental, social, and technological changes which are taking place
You can check out Sir Peter Gluckman’s Wikipedia page, University of Auckland page, or Ingenious on Amazon. Glad to have him on~.

Feb 25, 2020 • 25min
250: As We Make Our Way Forward
Welcome to episode 250 of the show~. This returns to the style of me speaking by myself, doing some impressions, telling some story, and updating on recent content.
There is great material to cover in March, and we look towards continued growth and improvement.
Show notes:
the interconnection between guests and episodesusing Zoom for recordings, and how it has beenthe Kobe memorial, and what he represents as related to what I dothe fun of getting books in the mailmade up storiesimpressions of various podcast types