WanderLearn Podcast

• Podcast

WanderLearn promises to explore travel and technology. So let's travel through our solar system with two NASA astrophysicists! 

About six months ago, Underknown's What If channel hired me to interview two prominent NASA astrophysicists. They wanted to find out what would happen if Earth became one of Jupiter's moons.

I'm unsure why they wanted to know that since Underknown had already produced a video that answered that topic, but I adore astronomy, so I was happy to visit my old stomping ground: the NASA Ames Research Center.

Underknown said that this was urgent, so I did everything I could to interview two top astrophysicists with almost no warning. 

Unfortunately, six months later, they still haven't released the video I shot. I knew they would only use a snippet of what I filmed, but still. Nada. 

And it's not because I shot a crappy video. Underknown hired me a couple of months later for another project, so I couldn't have screwed things up too badly the first time.

I feel terrible that these two astrophysicists complied with my last second request and I haven't had anything to show them. 

Six months ago, I shared the audio and video podcast with my Patrons. It's an exclusive group, so I figured that Underknown wouldn't notice or care.

I never planned to share it on the WanderLearn podcast. 

However, now that Underknown has done nothing with the content for 6 months, I think it's time that the general public enjoys this conversation.

I'm doing this as a public service. I'm not taking any ads for this episode. 

My voice wasn't supposed to appear in the final cut, so that's why my voice rarely appears, and, when it does, it's distant. 

You should watch this video by Underknown:

In the next episode, you'll hear from Jack Lissauer. 

In this episode, you'll hear from Ruslan Belikov. He is the head of the Ames Coronagraph Experiment (ACE) research group at NASA Ames. He has an EE degree from Princeton and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Since Dr. Belikov is a NASA astrophysicist, I asked him to describe what would happen if our planet orbited Jupiter.

Specifically:

• Can you explain what extreme tidal forces in space are?
• How would extreme tidal forces affect Earth? Can they cause earthquakes and tsunamis?
• What is the weather like on Jupiter’s moon Io?
• How long are days on Io?
• If Earth were hypothetically a moon of Jupiter, how would it be affected?

Questions about Venus

• What is the surface and atmosphere of Venus-like?
• How are Earth and Venus similar?
• Would it be possible to terraform a planet in our solar system?
• Which planet (or moon) would be the most viable?
• What would it take to terraform Venus?

You can watch the unedited video where you will hear my faint voice in the background.

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

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• Podcast

To celebrate the 100th WanderLearn episode, I'm thrilled to announce that we are close to passing 100,000 cumulative downloads! 

This 100th episode is dedicated to my Patrons! 

Ask Me Anything!

I answer your questions, such as:

Tamy, who wrote: "I had no idea Swaziland had changed its name to eSwatini. Do you have a point of reference as to why or were you aware of it?"

Ryan: "Do you have book recommendations?"

I start by recommending The Body by Bill Bryson.

If you've read, "A History of Nearly Everything" (another good book), then you'll like his "Body" book. It'll keep you busy for a while - it's big.

I've heard great things about "The Gates of Fire" - it's on my list.

Lastly, I'm a huge space fan - yeah, I like to travel.
I'm nearly done reading this fun book by Zubrin.
amzn.to/3eKIQ4c

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• Advice
• News
• Podcast

Today, we passed a grim milestone: 650,000 COVID-19 deaths worldwide.

I predicted 1.5 million. You can get the latest Coronavirus data at John Hopkins.

I compare the 650,000 coronavirus deaths with annual worldwide influenza (flu) deaths.

I also compare it with a virus that slapped humanity 100 years ago.

Lastly, I compare it with the Black Death (the Bubonic Plague) that ravaged the planet in the 14th century.

What do you think about the Coronapocolypse?

Watch

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• Podcast

Last year, I interviewed Brittany Hosmer Longoria about the leopard she shot in Nambia.

In 2020, I met her again to discuss:

• Does she still get heat for her leopard photo?
• What impact does banning trophy hunting have?
• What are the biggest myths people have about hunters that she would like to dispel?
• What was she doing in Pakistan?

You can follow her on Instagram.

At the end of this podcast, I mentioned my wife and I debating Brittany and hunting.

Share your thoughts about Brittany and this podcast in the comments below.

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• Podcast
• Cryptocurrency

Want more money to travel or hike?

Although being a frugal traveler is half the battle, the other half is making money.  

There are three ways to make money:

1. Getting paid to do a job
2. Investing it
3. Stealing it

Since we're all boy scouts, we'll skip the third option. 

Most people focus on option #1 (e.g., your salary).

We often ignore the second option: investing it wisely.

After traveling for 3 years in Eastern Europe, I returned to the United States with more money than I left with! And no, I didn't work for those three years. 

How did I pull that off? 

Smart investments.

I'm not a financial adviser, but after learning about Constant and peer-to-peer lending, I believe it's something everyone ought to be aware of. Now be careful because it's risky, but if you tread lightly and do well, you might want to up your investment. Start with $100 and then go up from there.

I talked with the Communications Manager at Constant, Chris Roper.

Chris Roper and I discuss:

• What is peer-to-peer lending?
• What kind of interest rates can you earn?
• What is a loan that has a 150% collateral? 
• Why is cryptocurrency good collateral?
• What does "top-up" mean?
• What are the risks?
• How big of a loan can you get (or offer)?

In the unlikely event that your loan defaults, Constant liquidates the collateral and repays you in USD, not in cryptocurrency. Therefore, if you're doing this with the hope of getting some bitcoin, this is not the way to do it.

Learn more about Constant by watching this video

Have you tried Constant? Share your experience with me.

Have you tried peer-to-peer lending elsewhere? How did it go?

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