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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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Top 10 Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars Episodes

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Seminar 18 -- The Vurdalak Conjecture

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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12/14/08 • 25 min

The Tunguska Mystery -- it's a wrap!
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12/14/08 • 25 min

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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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11/26/08 • 15 min

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Seminar 16 -- Black Monopoles?!?

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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11/17/08 • 16 min

Magnetically-charged black holes as the final missing piece of the Tunguska mystery?
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11/17/08 • 16 min

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Seminar 15 -- Hot Enough for You?

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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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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11/10/08 • 17 min

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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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10/27/08 • 13 min

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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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10/21/08 • 17 min

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Seminar 12 -- Can't Win, Can't Break Even ...

Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars

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10/13/08 • 17 min

Can't Get Out of the Game. Black holes meet the Heat Death of the Universe!
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10/13/08 • 17 min

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10/06/08 • 18 min

Not from under a cabbage leaf, that's for sure!
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10/06/08 • 18 min

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Seminar 10 -- Before the Beginning

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09/30/08 • 17 min

What does it really take to make a universe, anyway?
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09/30/08 • 17 min

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09/22/08 • 16 min

Why one Global Causality Violation can ruin your whole day.
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09/22/08 • 16 min

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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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