Nuns on AliExpress: Ancient Rules for Modern Tech

Does Getting Things Done Actually Work?

Daniel read *Getting Things Done* and felt seen—but is the science behind David Allen’s "open loops" real, or just intuitively appealing? We stress-test the core claims against the Zeigarnik Effect, Cognitive Load Theory, and working memory research. What holds up, what doesn’t, and why the capture step alone might be making things worse. Essential listening for anyone who’s ever felt guilt over an unpurchased birthday gift.

Nuns on AliExpress: Ancient Rules for Modern Tech

When a nun in full habit picks up an AliExpress package at a Jerusalem post office, it punctures our assumptions about monastic life. This episode explores how ancient religious communities — from Carmelites to Franciscans — manage their relationship with technology through centuries-old frameworks of selective withdrawal, attention management, and intentional design. What can the rest of us, drowning in dopamine-driven devices, learn from people who've been thinking about attention for 1,500 years?

How Screwdrivers Became a Museum of Bad Decisions

Ever wondered why your IKEA furniture requires three different screwdrivers? This episode traces the strange history of screw drives — from hand-filed iron screws in the 1760s to the battle between Robertson's brilliant square drive and Phillips's deliberately flawed cross design. Discover why Canada almost standardized the world's screws, how an assembly line problem created the Phillips head we all love to hate, and why the "better" screw lost to the one designed to fail at exactly the right moment. A story of patents, stubbornness, and physics that explains why your toolbox is full of incompatible bits.

Ghosts in the Talmud: Judaism's Hidden Paranormal Tradition

Most people think Judaism rejects ghosts and the paranormal. But the Talmud's very first tractate features Rabbi Yose hearing a disembodied voice in a ruin—and the sages debate it seriously. This episode unpacks the rich, often-hidden Jewish tradition of spirits, demons, and the afterlife. We explore the ibbur (a righteous soul that temporarily helps the living), the dybbuk (a trapped soul needing repair, not exorcism), and shedim (demons created as a separate order, not fallen angels). We also examine how 19th-century Jewish historians sanitized these traditions to fit European rationalist standards, and what gets lost when we forget that Judaism's map of the afterlife—Gehinnom, Gan Eden, and bodily resurrection—is radically different from Christian heaven and hell.

Soul Recycling: Jewish Reincarnation Uncovered

At a Shabbat dinner in Katamon, a rabbi mentioned "soul recycling" — and our host had never heard of it. That offhand comment opens a journey into Gilgul Nefeshot, the Jewish doctrine of reincarnation that's been deliberately kept esoteric for centuries. This episode explores three threads: the hidden Kabbalistic tradition of soul repair, Eastern traditions where rebirth is universal and driven by karma, and the peer-reviewed scientific cases of children remembering past lives with verifiable details. With 33% of Americans now believing in reincarnation — including 24% of Jews who've never heard of Gilgul — this isn't fringe theology. It's a conversation about consciousness, identity, and what happens when ancient mysticism and modern data converge.