Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

We Are Legion: Exorcism and Demonic Possession

BEGONE, FOUL DEMON!! NO LONGER SHALL YOU BEDEVIL THE INSOMNIACS OF THE MIDNIGHT MASSES
(Apologies for the caps lock, but Satan doesn't respect lowercase.)
What's the difference between a demonic vexation, an infestation, and an oppression? How many demons do you have to host to become Legion? And is the Pope really on Twitter? Join the boys for a deep-dive into hellfire and brimstone in this examination of the disturbing history of exorcism and demonic possession.  
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In this episode: 
Ancient exorcisms in Babylon
Demonic possession in the Bible
Relevant Biblical passages
Jesus, demons, and exorcisms
Judas
Mark 5: My name is Legion
The Pope on Twitter
Official Exorcist of Indiana, Father Vincent Lambert
Demonic entry points and doorways
Sexual abuse and demonic possession
The International Association of Exorcists
Infestations, Vexations, Obssessions, and Subjections
The Exorcist, the movie
Peter Blatty, Linda Blair, Roland Doe/Robbie Mannheim
Cultural impact of the film
Discernment
Qualifications to receive an exorcism
The ritual itself
Notable cases of possession
Jason Dalton and the Uber Demon
The Tanacu exorcism
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Join the Midnight Masses!
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Midnight Merch
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Dangerous Toys: Notorious Product Recalls

Despite what the American Supreme Court would have you believe, corporations aren't actually people, but it turns out that companies can be just as stupid and irrational as any individual human. And when large corporations make mistakes, the consequences can range from hilarious to horrifying. 
From colorful beads that roofied kids to airbags that went boomsplode, these are the most notorious product recalls in history.
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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In this episode: 
Bindeez (Aqua Dots)
Tylenol
Takata Airbags
Easy-Bake Oven
Anti-Drug Pencils
Vitamin Water
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Bizarre Laws: International Edition

From Australia's anti-bunny legislation to Caribbean profanity bans, from lonely Swiss Guinea Pigs to the protected Royal Fish of Britain, Shane and Duncan explore some of the world's strangest laws.
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In this episode:
Australia: Rabbits of Queensland
The United Kingdom: Royal Fish
Tasmania: "No Questions Asked"
Singapore: Chewing-Gum Ban
Germany: Gas on the Autobahn 
Canada: Protectionist Media
The Caribbean: Saint Kitts Public Profanity Ban
Switzerland: Solo Guinea Pigs
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Robots go Rogue: When Artificial-Intelligence Malfunctions

Are robots dangerous? Is Artificial Intelligence destined to take over the world? 
The short answers: yes, and eventually. The robot apocalypse is inevitable. But there's no need to stress, because at least for now, machines are complete idiots. Anything that we currently refer to as "AI"--from Siri to Alexa to advanced machine-learning algorithms--are definitely artificial, but they aren't remotely intelligent. Listen to this episode to find out just how intelligent AIs aren't.
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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In this episode:
The Sad State of Artificial Intelligence
Alan Turing
The Turing Test (the Imitation Game)
Google Duplex
CPUs VS GPUs
Parallel Computing
Narrow AI VS General AI
Microsoft's "TAY" Chatbot
Watson and Urban Dictionary
Watson for Oncology
Solid Gold Bomb
Amazon "Rekognition" Facial Recognition
This (blank) Does Not Exist
NVIDIA's StyleGAN
Amazon's Recruiting Tool
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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Leave an Audio Message!
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Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

Dry America: The Prohibition Debacle

It makes perfect sense that a comedy podcast would cover this week’s topic, because prohibition was a joke.
If you’re not familiar with the story behind the bootlegging, moon shining, home-brewing chaos of 1920s America, you’ll want to listen to this week’s episode and learn all about the giant clusterf*** that was the 18th Amendment.   
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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In this episode:
Prohibition Through the Ages
The Code of Hammurabi
Beer Bartering
The Puritans, Pilgrims, and Alcohol
The American Temperance Society
Women's Christian Temperance Union
Drys vs Wets
Visitation Bands
Carrie Nation
The Anti-Saloon League
Wayne Wheeler
Wheelerism and Pressure Politics
Prohibition and the Ku Klux Klan
Blue Mondays
World War 1 and the War Against German Brewers
The Food and Fuel Control Act
The Alcoholic Blues 
The Volstead Act and an Epic Mustache
The 18th Amendment 
Connecticut and Rhode Island, Heroes
Woodrow Wilson's Veto Attempt
The Conundrum of Enforcement
Section 29
Vine-Glo
Warren G. Harding Flouts the Law
Congress Flouts the Law
Congress and the Man in the Green Hat Flout the Law
Everyone Flouts the Law
Smuggling, Brewing, Bootlegging, Bathtub Gin, Moonshine
NASCAR
Denatured Alcohol
Al Capone
The Stock Market Crash
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Repeal
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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Leave an Audio Message!
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Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

How it Ends: The Most Likely Extinction Events

Like it or not, the earth has an expiration date. Billions of years from now the sun will expand and swallow the planets of our solar system...but there’s no guarantee humanity will even make it that far.  
 
So what are the most likely end-time scenarios? Will the end of civilization  come at our own hands via nuclear conflict or rogue Artificial Intelligence? Or will nature take us out via plagues or asteroids or super-volcanoes?
 
Listen along for a final countdown...
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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In this episode: 
The Doomsday Clock
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Anthropogenic Risks vs Non-Anthropogenic Risks
The Global Catastrophic Risk Conference
Close Calls (NORAD fails)
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
Gold Bullion
International Rivalries
Nuclear War
Asteroids (Boomsplode Cataclysm)
Artificial Intelligence
Super-volcanoes
Yellowstone Caldera
Long Vally Super-Volcano
Climate Change, briefly
Pandemic, briefly
The Great Deoxygenation
Red Giant/White Dwarf
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

Weird Science: Psychology Edition

Humans like to believe that we're the pinnacle of evolution, but are we truly logical, rational creatures? If so, why do we self-sabotage? Why do we cling to irrational beliefs even when they make our lives difficult? Do we control our own motivations and behaviors, or are we under the influence of psychological phenomena that most of us barely understand? 
 
Brains are weird. Here's proof.  
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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In this episode:
Cognitive Dissonance
The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
The Scarcity Principle
Mere-Exposure Effect
False Consensus Effect
Belief Perseverance
Attribution Errors
The Spotlight Effect
Illusion of Transparency
Recency Bias
The Madonna-Whore Complex
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
Midnight Merch
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Leave an Audio Message!
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Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info
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Episode Transcript
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

Host Swap: Scottish Facts and Fictions

By popular demand via the MFFI Discord, Shane and Duncan swap roles for a special episode recorded on April Fools Day!
Follow along in this Scottish-themed extravaganza as Duncan demolishes the beloved historical farce that was Braveheart, and answers questions that no one ever cared to ask, like, "Have there been any tandem Scottish serial killers?" and "Where is the world's largest hedge?" (Hint: it's in Scotland.)
Will this host-swapping Freaky Friday craziness ever happen again? Maybe! Probably not! But who knows? Give the episode a listen and then drop your opinion in the discord:
Meet the Midnight Masses! Join Shane and Duncan and the rest of the Insomniacs on Discord.
https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN
 
In this episode:
Braveheart dissected and debunked
Robert the Bruce speaks in platitudes 
Mac Vs Mc
Scottish slavery
Grave-robbing serial killer duo Hare and Burke
Scotland sucks at currency
Mòrag of Loch Morar
Chicken Tikka Masala
The largest hedge
Bonnybridge UFOs
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Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
https://midnightbonus.weebly.com/midnight-merch.html
 ~
CONTACT:
Leave an audio message:
https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/voicemail/popup/?from=https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/
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Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text with comments, suggestions, or feedback:
+1 (408) 596-4603
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Email:
mailto:midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com
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Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/midnightfactsforinsomniacs/
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Discord:
https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN
~
Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info:
www.shanerogers.net
 ~
Episode Transcript:
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/y9mbtb/Scotland.pdf
~
Website: 
www.midnightfactsforinsomniacs.com
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Diets Debunked: The Sketchy Science of Health and Weight Loss

Meet the Midnight Masses! Join Shane and Duncan and the rest of the Insomniacs on Discord:
https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN
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What's the most effective weight loss plan? Do any of the trending "diet tips" on the Internet actually work? Why does the keto diet make your breath smell like death? 
Join the guys for an exploration of the wild history of nutrition science through the ages, and learn which (if any) fad-diets are legit. 
 
In this episode:
The shifting, shifty food pyramid
Fletcherism
The cigarette diet
The Hay diet
Atkins
The paleo diet
The raw food diet
Food replacement (SlimFast etc)
 
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
https://midnightbonus.weebly.com/midnight-merch.html
 ~
CONTACT:
Leave an audio message:
https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/voicemail/popup/?from=https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/
~
Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text with comments, suggestions, or feedback:
+1 (408) 596-4603
~
Email:
mailto:midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com
~ 
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/midnightfactsforinsomniacs/
~
Discord:
https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN
~
Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info:
www.shanerogers.net
 ~
Website: 
www.midnightfactsforinsomniacs.com
~
Episode Transcript:
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ngp55z/Diets.pdf
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Uncool: Failed Fads and Terrible Trends

We humans are suckers for the latest crazes and fads, but it's easy to forget that today's TikTok dance will be tomorrow's Macarena. Today's iPhone will be tomorrow's Blackberry. Today's skinny jeans will be tomorrow's skinny jeans. You get the idea. 
 
Join the guys for a rollicking trip through the fad-tastic misfires of yesteryear, from carob to merkins. 
 
In this episode:
Water Beds
Carob
Merkins
Dance Marathons
Mailbox Baseball
Pogs
Magic Eye (Autostereograms)
Sea Monkeys
 
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 
https://midnightbonus.weebly.com/midnight-merch.html
 ~
CONTACT:
Leave an audio message:
https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/voicemail/popup/?from=https://www.podpage.com/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs/
~
Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text with comments, suggestions, or feedback:
+1 (408) 596-4603
~
Email:
mailto:midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com
~ 
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/midnightfactsforinsomniacs/
~
Discord:
https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN
~
Shane's Comedy Schedule and Info:
www.shanerogers.net
 ~
Website: 
www.midnightfactsforinsomniacs.com
~
Episode Transcript:
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zmgay6/Fads.pdf
 
~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~