Down the Wormhole

Our Digital Presence Part 6 (Screen Time in the Meantime)

Episode 43
We've all done it, right? Especially during the pandemic. Our children are bored or unruly so we reach for the tablet, the gaming system, or the phone to give them something to do in the meantime. We talk about screens the way we talk about sugary cereal, but what does the research actually say? Are screens destroying our children or can they help create more empathetic, creative, and curious people than ever before? How can we use modern technology to enhance their (and our) lives? This episode is 100% judgement free and chock full of stories, studies, and suggestions to help us all be better stewards of the time we have. 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Show Notes
Tetris comeback: world championship here
An example of USB microscope, but there are many examples, here’s just one from Amazon
What is a crane fly? Learn here; or watch a video here; 
What’s the geology of Central Park? Design influence; scholarly article here; short article with some pics;
What are the generations? Here’s a great article from 2014 showing that there is no definitive date for any generation except Baby Boomers (but it makes Rachael feel better that she really is Gen X).
How people consume “TV” broken down by age, article here;
AppsPeakfinder: Identify hills and mountains through AR: website
Rockd: Know what you’re looking at, like mountains: website
Star Chart Infinite, here is link to android and to apple
Sky Guide, website
Some articles on screen time (most address kid usage)
https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/parenting/manage-screen-time-coronavirus.html [this one has good links for changing perspectives during pandemic]
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2019/10/06/screen-time-kids-limit-how-much-tv-video-games-phone/3781282002/ [focusing on slightly older kids]
https://goop.com/wellness/parenthood/why-kids-dont-need-a-digital-detox/ [different view of kids need it]
https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/23/132487/screen-time-is-good-for-youmaybe/ [moderation is good]
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2751330 Meta analysis and review of Screen Media Use and Academic performance

Our Digital Presence Part 5 with Dr Scott "the Paleontologist" Sampson (Reenchanting the Natural World)

Episode 42
We are thrilled to welcome Dr Scott Sampson to the DtW podcast! Those of you with small children probably know him best as Dr Scott the Paleontologist from Dinosaur Train, but there is so much more to him than time traveling cartoon dinosaurs! In his book, "How to Raise a Wild Child", he explains how he left his dream job in academia and devoted his life to spreading the love of science and nature to the next generation, because unless we become a people who love and understand our world, we're doomed. We get into some of the teaching strategies that he has developed to help all of you parents who suddenly became home-school teachers, as well as practical ways to grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. He casts a vision in which humankind rediscovers their love of the natural world, develops technology in tandem with it, and becomes a force for good for the sake of all living things. All that to say, it's no accident that the answers to life, the universe, and everything are contained within episode 42. 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Show Notes
App: iNaturalist, use your phone to figure out the world around you and be in community with scientists and other people in nature. Download on your phone app store, or go to the website: https://www.inaturalist.org/
 
App: Seek, also put on by the iNaturalist group. https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app 
 
Books by Dr. Sampson:
Dinosaur Odyssey [2009]
How to raise a wild child [2015]
You can be a paleontologist [for kids, 2017]
Dinosaur Train on PBS: https://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/ and for parents: https://www.pbs.org/parents/shows/dinosaur-train 
 
Parasaurolophus, wiki page
 
Gaia hypothesis: Wiki page, who is James Lovelock; a plethora of articles on Gaia hypothesis
 
Thomas Berry, a geologian; his books here
 
Bron Taylor book, Dark Green Religion; his wiki page
 
Richard Louv,author “the more high tech our world becomes the more nature we need” found in The Nature Principle; his book list here
 

Our Digital Presence Part 4 (ASMR or The Touch of God?)

Episode 41
If you've been around YouTube long enough, you've probably bumped into the phenomenon that is ASMR. If you are unfamiliar with it, do yourself a favor and watch one of the videos in the description first. Trust us. It will help make sense of everything. 
OK, now that you're back. Let's talk about those weird brain tingles. What causes them? Have we been accidentally triggering this response in religious circles for millennia? Does getting a spiritual feeling from someone going tippity tap on their desk with acrylic nails, threaten the very foundation of our faith!? Since this is such a new subculture, it is not very well studied, but luckily for you, our very own Kendra Holt-Moore is on top of it! So buckle up and get ready for some brain tingles as we whisper our way to new expressions of ancient truths. 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Show Notes
Articles
ASMR, explained: https://www.vox.com/2015/7/15/8965393/asmr-video-youtube-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response
Comfort of ASRM in the coronavirus pandemic:  https://www.vox.com/2020/5/19/21258977/coronavirus-asmr-anxiety-tingting-trigger-tingles
ASMR University: https://asmruniversity.com/
Four types of intimacy: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/types-of-intimacy/
 
Youtube videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/GentleWhispering/featured
2019 Michelob Ultra Super Bowl Commercial with Zoe Kravitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqU8ar4gSyI
Christian ASMR example: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1FOGqbXL9Uy2y6tjMzqNyA
Binaural beats example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDX8QrcDI_o
ASMR and binaural beats!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghS43VE64wE
Books
When God Talks Back by Tanya Luhrmann 

Our Digital Presence Part 3 with Ruth Shaver (The Online-ification of Education)

Episode 40
In part 3 of our miniseries, we are taking a look at the past, present, and future of education. Teachers are being forced online due to the pandemic, but will this fundamentally change how we educate children and adults? Are we educators too focused on our cherished memories of school that we are missing the new possibilities that technology offers us? Why are Zoom meetings so creepy and exhausting? Peeping Toms, prison structures, mispronouncing Descartes, and so much more with our special guest the Rev Dr Ruth Shaver!
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Show Notes
PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc - https://www.pathwaystheological.org/
Wiki page for "panopticon" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon
A comic to help explain Jean Paul Sartre on "The Look" - https://existentialcomics.com/comic/235
 

Our Digital Presence Part 2 (Important Made Up Stuff)

Episode 39
In part 2 of our miniseries on our digital presence, we take a deeper dive into the wonderful world of ritual and how we are working that out from our own digital hermitages. What is the point of a ritual? Is it really a religious experience if you don't "feel it"? What does a religious experience look like in a brain scan? What's the big deal with eating cheeseburgers? Can you ever truly practice religious rituals alone? Even on top of a 50ft column? Let's find out! 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Show Notes
Chattel or person: women in mishnaic times link
 
Emotion of disgust
https://www.paulekman.com/universal-emotions/what-is-disgust/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3189359/ [scholarly article]
 
The Passion of the Christ movie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335345/ 
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/passion-of-the-christ-15-years-mel-gibson-jim-cavieziel-movie-reaction-christianity-a8788381.html [this article points to some of the film’s and the director’s problems, esp as it relates to the Jews]
 
“Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief”  [link]
 
Collective effervescence 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_effervescence
A bit about Durkheim : https://www.iep.utm.edu/durkheim/ 
 
What does the hippocampus do
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Hippocampus-Functions.aspx
 
Saint Simeon Stylites
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/10/22/pole-sitters/ [with pictures]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Stylites

Our Digital Presence Part 1 (Oreo Communion)

Episode 38
In part 1 of our new miniseries exploring our digital presence in these "corona-days", we are looking at our religious rituals. Why do some of our rituals seem to transition easily to the internet while others feel flat and uninspiring? Can we create new digital rituals? How do we find hope and spiritual connection when our internet connection keeps cutting out? Can we replace the body and blood of Christ with Oreos and coffee without ruining the whole thing? Can you replace the shankbone of a Seder Plate with a family hug in an attempt to preserve the meaning behind it? What is sacred, what is profane, and who is deciding this stuff? 
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
 
Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/
 
Snow Notes 
::coming soon::

DtW Goes to the Movies Part 6 (Jurassic Park)

Episode 37
In the final episode of our miniseries on science and religion in film, we're taking you to a remote island off the coast of Costa Rica that is teeming with dinosaurs and valuable moral lessons. It's Jurassic Park! Let's talk about dinosaurs, the morality of genetics, what makes humans special, and why you should definitely be scared of chickens. 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis (though much of it was originally composed by John Williams )
Snow Notes 
::coming soon::

DtW Goes to the Movies Part 5 (Interstellar)

Episode 36
In part 5 of our miniseries on film, we are literally taking you down the wormhole to visit the 2014 scifi masterpiece, Interstellar. Zack leads the discussion on ancient apocalyptic literature, and why he thinks that the modern end-of-the-world movies are not all that different from the ancient religious texts, and can bring a similar spirit of hope in uncertain times. At least that's the idea. We'll have to wait for the live action version of The Book of Revelation to compare apples to apples. 
That's a joke by the way. Dear lord, I hope that's a joke in the future too....
 
Revised Miniseries schedule:
3/25 - Contact4/1 - 2001: A Space Odyssey 4/15 - Pan's Labyrinth 4/22 - Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi4/29 - Star Trek: Generations5/6 - Interstellar 5/13 - Jurassic Park 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 
Show Notes:
::coming soon::