Smart Cookies

Feb 24 2025 52 ep. 69 mins 25
Smart Cookies Podcast artwork

Eastern European host Zaza talks to some of the SMARTEST PEOPLE on the planet, exploring as many different topics as he can get his greedy hands on.

  History  Society & Culture
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Why are the YAKUZA going extinct? With Jake Adelstein, author of TOKYO VICE

Feb 24 2025 50 mins  
Jake Adelstein was a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper, from 1993 to 2005. He has also written for The Daily Beast/Newsweek, The Independent, and The Guardian, and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic Wire. However, most of us will probably be familiar with the name from the hit TV series Tokyo Vice, which is based on his memoir.In this conversation

How the FAR-RIGHT is destroying the West from within, with dr. Nafeez Ahmed

Feb 02 2025 66 mins  
Dr. Nafeez Ahmed is a trans-disciplinary academic, investigative journalist and systems theorist, who's also the author of the best-selling book, “The Alt Reich: The Network War to Destroy the West from Within”. In this conversation we're talking about the long historical reach of the far-right, it's shadowy resurgence after WWII, as well as it's current, frightening grip on We

Are we on the verge of LIVING FOREVER? With dr. Ariel Zeleznikow - Johnston

Jan 23 2025 61 mins  
Dr. Ariel Zeleznikow - Johnston is a neuroscientist, and a Research Fellow at Monash University. He's also the author of the acclaimed book, The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death.In this conversation we talk about the current prospects of brain preservation, the possibilities of mind revival in the future, and also about the implications of living unimaginably l

If we come from different cultures, do we FEEL the same? With prof. Batja Mesquita

Jan 08 2025 50 mins  
Batja Mesquita is a social psychologist, an affective scientist, and a pioneer of cultural psychology. She is a professor of psychology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and director of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Leuven. She's also the author of the groundbreaking book, “Between Us - How Cultures Create Emotions,” In this conversation

What is a HANGOVER... and how do you treat one? With Dr. Sally Adams

Dec 23 2024 38 mins  
The holiday season is here, which means we need to have a conversation about... ALCOHOL. And that's why I invited dr. Sally Adams, an alcohol researcher from the University of Birmingham, to the pod to discuss the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol consumption, the risks associated with drinking, and the cultural expectations surrounding alcohol use. We also talked

Does the Universe Have a Purpose? With prof. Philip Goff

Dec 03 2024 63 mins  
Phillip Goff is a professor of philosophy at Durham University and the author of extremely thought-provoking books, such as Consciousness and Fundamental Reality, Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness and his last one Why? The Purpose of the Universe.We talk about the utterly improbable conditions for life in the universe, the stubborn problem of human con

How HITLER took power... and what's it got to do with DONALD TRUMP? With dr. Timothy Ryback

Nov 01 2024 90 mins  
Timothy Ryback is the co-founder of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in the Hague. Some of His previous books include the highly acclaimed Hitler's Private Library: The Books that Shaped his Life, The Last Survivor: Legacies of Dachau, and Hitler's first Victims: The Quest for Justice.His latest book, Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power just came out and h

The history of the OCCULT with dr. Justin Sledge from Esoterica

Oct 08 2024 88 mins  
Dr. Justin Sledge is a professor of philosophy and religion whose work focuses on the Western Esoteric Tradition, particularly in religious and philosophical thought. He's also the host and creator of the extremely popular Youtube channel, Esoterica.In this exhilarating conversation we talk about the fascinating tradition of summoning demonic entities, mystical experiences and magi

GLADIATORS with Alexander Mariotti

Sep 15 2024 95 mins  
As an undying fan of Ridley Scott's Gladiator, I've always wanted to learn the real history of these celebrated, yet mysterious figures - and now I finally have the chance...Alexander Mariotti is a Roman historical consultant and a leading speaker on gladiatorial life, combat, and weaponry.Following academic work, his main focus has been working as an advisor to the media, featurin

Is AI mostly hype? With dr. Emmanuel Maggiori

Aug 16 2024 93 mins  
Dr. Emmanuel Maggiori is a software engineer, writer, and speaker, who's on a mission to help develop a more balanced view about the tech and AI industries in the midst of the relentless hype. He's also the author of the books Smart Until It's Dumb and Siliconned: How the tech industry solves fake problems, hoards idle workers, and makes doomed bets with other people's money.We tal