This week I get meta, check my mic, and tell you how the sausage is made: why I started this podcast, how I structure them, how I publish and promote it, and hopefully rekindle something to keep going. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/podcasting-how-to-start-market-and-challenges/ Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZlQnD7nY0 https://w…

I dive into the world of witches and witchcraft, which has seen a resurgence in the last decade. What does it mean to be a witch? What does practicing witchcraft look like? Is it harmful? Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/witchcraft-history-modern-witches-and-crafting/ Videos: https://youtu.be/3nIAIc2q3xg https://youtu.be/tRckGlNQesk https://…

I try to figure out what really happened and what's really going on by learning about conspiracy theories, why they're so prevalent right now, and the type of people who rarely believe what they're told, and how often they end up being true. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/conspiracy-theories-psychology-types-and-real-conspiracy-theories/ V…

I pin up pictures and articles on my wall, attach strings to pins to connect the dots, and try to solve some unsolved mysteries. People can't get enough of true crime and with the Internet and the speed of social media, it's not a surprise that people are taking it upon themselves to crack open cold cases and find clues that detectives have missed.…

It's October so this month Im going to focus on more morbid hobbies. I light some candles, turn on a fog machine, and try to channel the other side. I learn all about ghosts across time and cultures, study common ghost hunting techniques, and try to detect paranormal activity in my house. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/ghost-hunting-histor…

I squeeze every mile out of gallon of gas in my cars to save some money and just because I can. I try some safe and somewhat unsafe ways of making my gas guzzling cars more efficient while trying not to be a victim of road rage. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/hypermiling-techniques-for-efficient-driving/ Videos https://www.youtube.com/watc…

I get the best seat on the sofa, a bowl of salty snacks, and dive in the world of super powers and cliff hangers with a stack of comic books. I explore the different eras of comic books, talk about discovering graphic novels, and how digital comic books changed everything. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/comic-books-eras-graphic-novels-and-…

I grab some milkbone treats, tell my dog he's a good boy, and give him a makeover. Through necessity, I learn how to groom my cockapoo, Waffle, and learn to respect groomers. I learn about the controversial world of creative dog grooming and its competitions. And finally, I try to figure out what dogs think about all of this. Show notes: https://ww…

I scroll endlessly through Reddit, the so called "front-page of the Internet", and go down rabbit hole after rabbit hole in an effort to learn something useful to justify the time I spend on the largest community-based site on the Internet. I talk about how I curb bad habits, including focusing and system thinking. Show notes: https://www.thatsahob…

This week I grind medium roast beans fine but not too fine, I get the water the exact right temperature, and I use one of the many coffee brewing techniques to try to make the perfect cup of coffee. I talk about learning to love coffee in Cuba and my experiences with the classic drip coffee machine, a French Press, and Chemex pour over coffee maker…

This week I learn all about hitchhiking. I'm curious about people who throw caution to the wind, stick out a thumb, and roll the dice on getting where they're going without getting murdered. Do people hitch out of necessity or is there a thrill to it that we're all missing? What about people who pick up hitchhikers? What goes through their minds? S…

This episode is a bit different. When I learn about a hobby, I set out to actually try it. Obviously, it's not going to happen with climbing Everest, but after reading Into Thin Air, probably the most popular account of climbing it, I had to learn more about it and the people who do it. Think of this as a book report. Show notes: https://www.thatsa…

This week, I learn about the hobby of collecting, why we collect from a psychological and neurological perspective, and get sucked into collecting the 118 known elements in our universe. How do you even collect radioactive elements or elements that are so volatile, they breakdown almost instantly? Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/element-col…

This episode I give my senses a break to have a mental and spiritual breakthrough, or at least I try to, by giving isolation tanks a try. I'm not a spiritual person but I don't like the feeling of missing out so I try to take a shortcut to a meditate state by getting in an isolation tank. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/isolation-tanks-medi…

This episode I get behind the wheel, go to a park lot and floor it through cones trying to not spin out. I talk about my history with used, German cars, learning to repair them on a shoestring budget. Then I take you along around the track where I spin, I forget to breathe, and I get a shot of adrenaline. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/aut…

I try stand-up comedy, a hobby that unique in its impact on society and culture, and one where a lot people experience and think "I could probably do that". How hard could it be to make people laugh? As a huge comedy fan, I stumble on the dark art of comedy writing and write my first set. Then, I experience my first open mic. Links: First open mic …

There are maybe a handful of hobbies more physical than obstacle races and the Spartan Race is the most popular. I underestimate the race, confirm what I know about myself, and learn about heat stroke the hard way. Learn about what makes the Spartan Race infamous for some and a community for others. Maybe you'll register for the next race. Show Not…

I go hands on with Hikaru Dorodango, the Japanese art of making shiny mud balls. I learn where it came from, about its resurgence, and how to make them. I grab a handful of dirt from my backyard and give it a try, and uncover a myth I never considered along the way. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/hikaru-dorodango-meditation-japanese-mud-ba…

One of the more unusual hobbies, mooing. Making animal noises is strange enough but competitive mooing in the 80s laid the ground work for reality TV competitions. Find out how and see if you can tell the difference between cow and human - I moo twice, see if you can spot it. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/mooing-competitions-reality-tv/…

Taking surveys online to make money. How does it work? How much money can you really make? Is it a scam? I fill out surveys for a day to see how much I can make. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/taking-surveys-for-money-how-much/

THE REAL ESTATE LAB. EVERY FRIDAY. WITH JONATHAN & ARI ZADEGAN! Your source for buying, selling, or investing in the Toronto Real Estate Market. This is the podcast to listen to for you to grow your knowledge about Real Estate!

THE REAL ESTATE LAB. EVERY FRIDAY. WITH JONATHAN & ARI ZADEGAN! Your source for buying, selling, or investing in the Toronto Real Estate Market. This is the podcast to listen to for you to grow your knowledge about Real Estate!

EVERY FRIDAY. THE REAL ESTATE LAB. Bringing you data about the Toronto Real Estate Market aimed towards buyers, sellers and investors. Tune in to educate yourself about how our market is doing! Follow Us!Instagram: www.instagram.com/jonathanzadegan/Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonathanzadegann/

EVERY FRIDAY. THE REAL ESTATE LAB. Bringing you data about the Toronto Real Estate Market aimed towards buyers, sellers and investors. Tune in to educate yourself about how our market is doing! Follow Us! Instagram: www.instagram.com/jonathanzadegan/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonathanzadegann/

Most people tune out when academics speak in terms of regression analysis and “agent-based modeling.” Nonetheless, we want to understand the long-term economic trends that these methods seek to illuminate in order to plan for the future. Don Boudreaux is a master of making complex economic ideas comprehensible to the layperson. He provides this ser…

Bob does a regular show with a very special guest – a walking embodiment of the libertarian ethos: David Boaz. Since joining the Cato Institute in 1981, Boaz has been pivotal in transforming the once-obscure think tank into a powerhouse – setting the gold standard for libertarian public policy analysis. More than 15 years ago, at a time when far fe…

This week, instead of the usual encore show, we will be airing a remix of the best segments from previous shows on the topic of illegal immigration. This subject is so dear to Bob's heart (and mind) that he has been compelled to revisit it half a dozen times, and he will continue to do so for as long as it remains an issue. Bob's stance on immigrat…

“Be nice” may be excellent advice for children on the playground, customer service workers, and indeed, for most people in most situations. Being nice, however, does not always advance what Jonathan Rauch calls "the liberal science" – the ongoing process of public criticism that gradually brings us closer to the truth. Thanks to robust rights to fr…

As a class, “capitalists” tend to get stereotyped in the starkest of terms. They are heroes to some and villains to others; the captains of industry or the robber barons of old. Rarely do we actually get to hear a successful capitalist explain what his work is about. As former Chairman and CEO of BB&T and current CEO and President of the Cato Insti…

The Citizens United case, in which the Supreme Court affirmed speech rights for corporate “persons,” was alleged by some to herald the end of democracy “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” But are corporate interests really able to purchase politicians and their votes? Perhaps more importantly, is there any evidence that “bought” pol…

Sixteen years ago, Virginia Postrel published The Future and Its Enemies, a manifesto for her personal philosophy of "dynamism." Dynamists like Postrel favor the spontaneous, evolving forces of free markets over the "stasist" philosophy common to reactionary conservatives and government technocrats. Even more than left versus right, Postrel argues,…

Lenore Skenazy first made waves after writing a column about how she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway home alone. This was followed by a public outcry, including the accusation of "World's Worst Mom," which led Lenore to defend her position on TV programs like The View, The Today Show, and Anderson Cooper 360. Skenazy eventua…

Since the initial waves of political correctness and subsequent censorship swept across college campuses in the 1990s, many cases have been fought and won in favor of free speech. The overturning of unconstitutional speech codes, for example, seemed to herald a new era for individual rights in higher education. These victories resulted in no small …

Following the Great Recession of 2007-2008, regulators jumped at the opportunity to "remedy" (i.e., regulate) perceived market failures in credit markets. Although government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae were responsible for many of the bad loans that created the crisis, politicians alleged it was the free market and payday lending that ne…

Every year, Americans rightly honor civil rights icons who stood up for the principle of equality enshrined in our founding documents. Few are aware, though, of the ties between the civil rights tradition and the principles of classical liberalism. In Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader, Jonathan Bean has compiled an anthology of prim…

Back in April, Bob interviewed Ed Hudgins about The Republican Party’s Civil War, in which Hudgins urged Republicans to emphasize the value of “modernist achievers”—those who disrupt status quo industries and demonstrate what free individuals can accomplish. Derek Khanna is one of the youngest yet most influential thinkers leading the charge on the…

Double-entry bookkeeping doesn't exactly have a reputation for excitement. Indeed, who among us spends weekends and evenings painstakingly tallying our assets against our liabilities when there are so many delightful distractions around? Jacob Soll, a historian and accounting professor at the University of Southern California, thinks accounting nee…

For decades, the North Korean regime has kept its oppressive rule hidden from the rest of the world. But slowly, the truth has been emerging. Defectors like Yeonmi Park—who left the country in 2007 at the age of 15—have lived to tell the stories about their escape, and of the changing political landscape they left behind. Yet in spite of the contin…

Alice Goffman is no Ivory Tower academic. The author of a harrowing new field study, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, Goffman spent the better part of a decade immersing herself in a crime-ridden neighborhood in Philadelphia. Once established, she began to study people’s lives in light of certain trends in law enforcement that are sha…

Though some use it disparagingly, the label of “Bleeding Heart” is worn by others as a badge of honor. This apparent contradiction only starts to make sense when you contrast the frequently damaging results of government policy motivated by the undeniably noble sentiment behind caring for the poor. Matt Zwolinski, Professor of Philosophy at Univers…

In most sectors of the economy, regulation is an inevitable hurdle to doing business. Certain Internet-based businesses, however, have been left alone for long enough to flourish in the hands of enterprising individuals. Jim Epstein is a producer at Reason TV who has been tracking the emergence of the so-called “sharing economy." Epstein joins Bob …

Bob is joined by former San Francisco mayor Art Agnos. Mayor Agnos is a progressive to the core, and a sincere advocate for the middle class. He makes a passionate case for rent control, and subsidized, affordable housing for lower and middle-class residents of urban areas (especially, of course, San Francisco). Mayor Agnos truly speaks from the he…

During the Constitution’s ratification process from September 1787 through mid-1788, each and every federalist (the supporters of ratification) promised America a federal government of limited (i.e. “enumerated”) powers. For about 120 years we were provided with maximum freedom to pursue our lives as we see fit. Promise kept. Then what happened? Th…

Marc Levinson’s book “The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America” has it all: rugged capitalism, crony capitalism, big time rent seekers using political power to kill competition, and the defense of the “little guy” against the feared chain stores. It also outlines the destruction of the free market by the New Deal, gives details …

In America we seem unable to resolve the proper Constitutional relationship between religion and our political life. We think we know what the founders intended: “separation of church and state,” “a wall of separation,” the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. But this issue is far from resolved. Reagan did not attend church enough fo…

Welcome to America, where federal law enforcement rewards local police departments for ignoring the issues such as assault, robbery, murder and public safety in general. The government’s efforts would be better spent on the causes Washington considers important, such as drug enforcement, illegal immigration and “terrorism.” By taking advantage of c…

The Constitution provides a framework for the American presidency. When the founders wrote it, the concept of an elected chief executive did not exist anywhere on earth. That position was created in 1787. When George Washington was elected as our first President, he had to build the office from the ground up. What he created and how he did it is a …

In 1878 the Posse Comitatus Act ended the use of the US Military to enforce state laws. Our founders uniformly abhorred any concept of a federal police force since “police power” was vested in the states. However, since the 1980s, the tactics of the local police have come to resemble those of the military. Armored personnel carriers, heavy duty att…

Everyone loves rights and no one loves duties. Our founders gave us complete control over our government, yet it was Franklin who famously defined it as “A republic. If you can keep it.” The freedom given by the Constitution is fragile and requires vigilant a watch against encroachment by government. Yet vigilance is hard work. We must always watch…

Attention all voters! Which party embodies crony capitalism, interventionist foreign policy and the regulation of the most private aspects of our lives? Most importantly, which party ignores each of us as an individual; only to replace personal responsibility with government dictated behavior? The answer of course is, the Republicans AND the Democr…