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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

John C. Adler, Ph.D., as told to Bill DeSmedt

What if the cataclysmic Tunguska explosion of 1908 was caused, not by a meteor or a comet, but by a microscopic black hole? ... Well, like as not, you already know that story — the one told by Bill DeSmedt in his award-winning novel/podcast Singularity. What you may not know, though, is the story behind the story: the science behind Singularity. Surprisingly (or maybe not), you can learn a lot about primordial black holes and the Tunguska Event and black hole radiation and the Big Bang on the pages of Singularity. And you don’t have to take our word for it: some world-class physicists think so too: “Bill got the vast majority of the physics right, which is highly unusual — especially in a book that is such a good read.” — Kip Thorne, Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology and author of Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy “Singularity is an uncommonly good science thriller, quite free of the poetic license some writers take with the laws of nature in order to put together the yarn.” — Jacob D. Bekenstein, Professor of Theoretical Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem and discoverer of black-hole entropy “As a specialist in black hole astrophysics, I would have to say that this is one of the most creative uses of primordial black-hole theory in science fiction.” — Scott A. Hughes, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Now, for the first time, the real-life counterpart of Singularity’s resident cosmologist, Doctor Jack Adler, steps up to explain what it is all these scientists are raving about, in his “Soapbox Seminars” — an informal look at the hard-core science behind the novel. PS: Doctor Jack’s got about fifteen or so of these seminars planned out so far, but that’s subject to change — and you could change it. If you’ve got a question about the science behind Singularity, send it to Jack at [email protected]. Jack will incorporate some of your questions into upcoming Seminars, and the all-time best question will win a hardcover copy of Singularity, signed by the author, Bill DeSmedt.
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 10 -- Before the Beginning

Seminar 10 -- Before the Beginning

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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09/30/08 • 17 min

What does it really take to make a universe, anyway?
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 04 -- The Lake Cheko "Crater" -- Hoax or Fraud?
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07/22/08 • 37 min

Swim along with Doctor Jack as he plumbs the murky depths of the latest "solution" to the Tunguska mystery.
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 17 -- What're the Odds of That?!?

Seminar 17 -- What're the Odds of That?!?

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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11/26/08 • 15 min

The Tunguska impactor as magnetically-charged primordial black hole -- million-to-one longshot, or ... even money?
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 14 -- From Russia With Love

Seminar 14 -- From Russia With Love

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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10/27/08 • 13 min

How a Mission to Moscow and a tip from Kip (Thorne, that is) finally turned Stephen Hawking's head around as regards black hole thermodynamics.
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 09 -- Just Say "No" to Naked Singularities
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09/22/08 • 16 min

Why one Global Causality Violation can ruin your whole day.
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 07 -- A Black Hole Primer

Seminar 07 -- A Black Hole Primer

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09/07/08 • 16 min

A star dies; a black hole is born.
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 18 -- The Vurdalak Conjecture

Seminar 18 -- The Vurdalak Conjecture

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12/14/08 • 25 min

The Tunguska Mystery -- it's a wrap!
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 03 -- Ockham's Razor vs. the Great Faerie Conspiracy
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07/13/08 • 19 min

A listener's casual remark shunts Doctor Jack onto a major meditation about the meaning of "not multiplying causes beyond necessity." (Want to derail Jack's carefully laid-out curriculum even more? Submit your own question to: doctorjacksoapboxseminars.com.)
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 15 -- Hot Enough for You?

Seminar 15 -- Hot Enough for You?

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11/10/08 • 17 min

Black holes exploding with the force of a thousand all-out nuclear wars??? Jack’s kidding, right?
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Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars - Seminar 13 -- Hot Potato

Seminar 13 -- Hot Potato

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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10/21/08 • 17 min

What Stephen Hawking didn't want you to know about black-hole entropy. (With special thanks to Jacob Bekenstein, for sharing his reminiscences.)
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FAQ

How many episodes does Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars have?

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars currently has 18 episodes available.

What topics does Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars cover?

The podcast is about Black, Natural Sciences, Podcasts and Science.

What is the most popular episode on Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars?

The episode title 'Seminar 18 -- The Vurdalak Conjecture' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars?

The average episode length on Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars is 19 minutes.

How often are episodes of Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars released?

Episodes of Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars are typically released every 7 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars?

The first episode of Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars was released on Jun 29, 2008.

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