Life's Stories Episodes
207
Aug. 20, 2025
2084: The Year of Earth’s Peak Population
The world’s population is expected to grow by more than 2 billion people in the next decades and peak in the 2080s at around 10.3 billion, a major shift from a decade ago, a new report by the United Nations said Thursday. The report—released on World Population Day—says the global population is then expected to decline to around 10.2 billion by the end of the century. Supporting links 1. World's population projected to nearly stop growing by end of the century [Pew Research Center] 2. T...
206
Aug. 13, 2025
Cass Elliot and the Ham Sandwich Myth
Cass Elliot's life was a testament to the power of talent, perseverance, and authenticity. From her early days in the folk scene to her meteoric rise with The Mamas & The Papas and her solo career, she left an indelible mark on the music industry. 1. Cass Elliot [Wikipedia] 2. The Mamas & The Papas [Official site] 3. The Mamas and the Papas - Top Hits [YouTube] 4. The Truth About 'Mama' Cass Elliot's Death [Al...
205
Aug. 12, 2025
Typing a Note to Say Good-bye
Learn how one man sought to keep typewriters alive. Not as museum pieces, but as living, breathing conduits of human creativity. Supporting links 1. Typewriter [Wikipedia] 2. Who Invented the Typewriter? [History Cooperative] 3. Ultimate Typewriter Repair Guide: Restore Your Vintage Machine [Classic Typewriter] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Twitter at @RedPhantom Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social Email us at https://www.thatslifeisw...
204
Aug. 6, 2025
Mindset Matters in Aging and Longevity
A growing body of evidence suggests our mental outlook on aging plays a far more significant role in our longevity than previously recognized. 1. Becca Levy, PhD [Yale School of Medicine] 2. How positive age beliefs can support positive health [AMA] 3. Why do the Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world? [Observatoire Prevention] 4. Life Expectancy in Japan: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study [Oxford Academic] 5. Why Are Americans So Bad at Getting Old? [Oprah Daily]...
203
July 30, 2025
Life After Apple: Jony Ive’s Vision – Part 2
Jony Ive left Apple for a new journey beyond consumer electronics. That journey was to revitalize the historic Jackson Square district in San Francisco. 1. Apple's Jony Ive on the Lessons He Learned From Steve Jobs [Vanity Fair] 2. Jony Ive & Anna Wintour in Conversation - RE:WIRED 2021 [YouTube] 3. Why Jony Ive Is Apple's Design Genius [Smithsonian] 4. From Chingford to Cupertino, the quiet ascent of Jony Ive [Financial Times] 5. Jony Ive's 10 most revolutionary designs for Ap...
202
July 29, 2025
Life After Apple: Jony Ive’s Vision – Part 1
Six years ago, Jony Ive stepped away from Apple, leaving behind the iconic products that reshaped our world. But did he leave his design dreams behind? Not even close. 1. Apple's Jony Ive on the Lessons He Learned From Steve Jobs [Vanity Fair] 2. Jony Ive & Anna Wintour in Conversation - RE:WIRED 2021 [YouTube] 3. Why Jony Ive Is Apple’s Design Genius [Smithsonian] 4. From Chingford to Cupertino, the quiet ascent of Jony Ive [Financial Times] 5. Jony Ive's 10 most revolutionary de...
199
July 15, 2025
America’s Economic Storm: Are We Ready?
The U.S. economy may be sleepwalking into a disaster—and the warning signs are being ignored. Are we prepared for what’s coming next? 1. Workers want AI training from their companies [World Economic Forum] 2. AI Automation And The Future Of The Workforce [YouTube] 3. The growth of the older workforce [Pew Research Center] 4. Understanding America’s Labor Shortage: The Most Impacted Industries [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] 5. Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade [McKinsey] ...
198
July 9, 2025
The Season of Hurricanes: Unprepared and Blindfolded!
Learn how weather forecasting, via NOAA, isn’t just about satellites or radars; it’s about the dedicated staff, research, and infrastructure behind the scenes. Private apps and companies rely on this federal backbone. Supporting links 1. Hurricane Season [Wikipedia] 2. NOAA [Website] 3. DOGE [Website] 4. National Weather Service [Website] 5. Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research [Wikipedia] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Tw...
197
July 2, 2025
The Nerve-Wracking Art of Brain Surgery
As a neurosurgeon, their expertise rests on precise skills and advancing neurological insights, but true mastery goes beyond technique to shape their impact and empathy. 1. The Making of a Neurosurgeon [American University of Antigua] 2. So, You Want to Be a Surgeon [American College of Surgeons] 3. Neurosurgeon [Cleveland Clinic] 4. History of Neurology and Neurosurgery [Wikipedia] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Twitter at @RedPha...
196
July 1, 2025
Women Who Shattered Wall Street's Glass Ceiling
The propulsive story of the women who sought, and gained, a piece of the action on Wall Street. 1. The Paulina Bren [Blog site] 2. Bernadette Bartels Murphy, Pioneering Wall Street Trader, Dies at 86 [New York Times] 3. Tracing the Roots of the Women on Wall Street [National Women’s History Museum] 4. How the macho NYSE trader became an endangered species [New York Post] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Twitter at @RedPhantom Bluesky...
195
June 25, 2025
Robots Redefine Affordable Grocery Delivery
By taking advantage of robotics as the new digital clerk, grocery brands can solve the most pressing issues they face today: tight margins, labor shortages and shifting customer expectations. 1. How robots are taking over warehouse work [BBC] 2. Thrive Market [website] 3. How Robotics is Transforming Grocery Operations [Food Logistics] 4. 7 Online Grocery Delivery Challenges (and How To Overcome Them) [MarktPOS] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thats...
194
June 18, 2025
Melting North: Arctic Climate Emergency Countdown
Arctic ice is melting even more rapidly than scientists previously believed. supporting links 1. Felicity Aston: Explorer-Author-Speaker [website] 2. What It's Like to Cross Antarctica Alone [Conde Nast Traveler] 3. Pole Of Cold: Felicity Aston - Extreme Challenge [YouTube] 4. Chasing Winter, A Journey to the Pole of Cold [Book] 5. B.I.G. North Pole [website] Arctic sea ice decline [Wikipedia] ...
193
June 17, 2025
Greenpeace: A Movement at a Crossroads
Greenpeace, the legendary environmental group that fought to save the whales, now finds itself fighting for survival. Supporting links 1. Greenpeace [Wikipedia] 2. Greenpeace [USA website] 3. Greenpeace International [YouTube] 4. The bombing of the Rainbow Warrior [Greenpeace website] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Twitter at @RedPhantom Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/ Episod...
192
June 11, 2025
Losing the Race, Winning the Lesson
Show notes What if crossing that finish line, no matter how far behind, wasn’t about winning at all? 1. Newcomb ball [Wikipedia] 2. New to Triathlon? Here’s Your Beginner Training Plan [Triathlete] 3. Triathlon [Wikipedia] Contact That's Life, I Swear Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com Twitter at @RedPhantom Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/ Episode Review Su...
188
May 21, 2025
AI Tutors: Can Chatbots Revolutionize Education?
Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, thinks artificial intelligence could spark the greatest positive transformation education has ever seen 1. How AI could save (not destroy) education [TED] 2. The A.I. Chatbots Have Arrived. Time to Talk to Your Kids. [New York Times] 3. Most Americans haven’t used ChatGPT; few think it will impact their job [Pew Research Center] 4. Khan Academy [website] 5. Behind the Tech with Kevin Scott [YouTube] 6. Sal Khan: How AI Will Revolut...
186
May 14, 2025
Revolutionizing Medicine: A.I. in Drug Development
Text us your thoughts on the podcast The effects of AI in drug development are expected to dramatically reshape the entire healthcare industry. supporting links 1. Terray [company website] 2. Recursion Pharmaceuticals [company website] 3. Schrödinger [company website] 4. Isomorphic Labs[company website] 5. Revolutionizing Drug Discovery with Generative AI [YouTube] 6. What AI-Desi...
183
April 30, 2025
Europe’s Nuclear Future: Rely on U.S. or Not?
Text us your thoughts on the podcast The discussion of European nuclear autonomy represents a troubling inflection point in the post-Cold War order. It signals the potential unraveling of established security arrangements that, despite their imperfections, have prevented significant power conflict in Europe for decades. Supporting links 1. Can Europe defend itself against a nuclear-armed Russia? [The Harvard Gazette]] 2. France Conducts Poker-2025 Nuclear Exercise [Defense Express] 3. U...
182
April 23, 2025
Social Security’s Future: The Tax Change No One Wants to Discuss
Text us your thoughts on the podcast There’s a critical two-word issue that impacts millions of Americans. Social Security. The retirement program we all rely on is running out of time, and there’s a fix no one seems to want to talk about. Supporting links 1. Is the Retirement Picture for Millennials Looking Better? [Center for Retirement Research] 2. How to fix Social Security? It’s political but it can be done [Princeton University] 3. Good Options for ‘Saving’ Social Security Are Dis...
181
April 22, 2025
Lessons on Life from a Dying Doctor
Text us your thoughts on the podcast Learn how a doctor, facing the end of his life, chose to teach the most important subject of all: That the heart of medicine is about people, connection, and honoring every patient's humanity. Supporting links 1. Dr. Bryant Lin [Stanford Medicine] 2. A doctor, his cancer journey and a uniquely teachable moment [Stanford Medicine] 3. Stage 4 lung cancer [Medical News Today] 4. Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education [Website] Co...
180
April 16, 2025
Dementia Prevention Starts Now: Midlife Matters
Text us your thoughts on the podcast To help prevent elderly Dementia, adopting healthy habits, regardless of age, could yield significant dividends as individuals grow older. supporting links 1. Healthy habits help preserve brain health, despite genetics [University of Mississippi Medical Center] 2. What is Dementia? [World Health Organization] 3. Types of Dementia [Alzheimer's Association] 4. Sleep Apnea [Mayo Clinic] 5. Fit Women 90% Less Likely to Develop Dementia [America Aca...
179
April 9, 2025
Jamestown: DNA Solves Mystery of First English Settlement in America
Text us your thoughts on the podcast DNA analysis of human remains found at the site of a church built in 1608 in the colonial settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, suggest the men are kinsmen of the colony’s first governor, Thomas West. supporting links 1. Jamestown, Virgina [Wikipedia] 2. aDNA [Wikipedia] 3. DNA [Wikipedia] 4. Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr [Wikipedia] 5. Jamestown skeletons identified as colony leaders [Smithsonian] 6. Historic Jamestowne [Jamestown Rediscov...
177
April 2, 2025
Kyla Scanlon: Gen Z’s Economic Guru Adviser
Text us your thoughts on the podcast Kyla Scanlon is demystifying the most complicated things about economics, one TikTok video at a time. 1. Kyla Scanlon on Gen Z's Money Worries and Approach to Investing [YouTube] 2. Kyla Scanlon — State of the Economy Really that Bad? With Scott Galloway [YoutTube] 3. Are We Still In A 'Vibecession'? with Kyla Scanlon [YouTube] 4. Mary C. Daly, President and Chief Executive Officer [Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco] 5. On Deck [LinkedIn] ...
174
March 19, 2025
Needle Fear or Misinformation? The Vaccine Divide
Text us your thoughts on the podcast Vaccine debates are as much about ideology as they are about science. The challenge moving forward is finding ways to balance public health imperatives with respect for personal freedom. This negotiation has shaped—and will continue to shape—American public health policy. Supporting links 1. Measles Makes a Comeback: What Parents Need to Know [Cedars Sinai] 2. Anti-vaccination in America [Smithsonian] 3. The Long, Strange History of Anti-Vaccination ...
173
March 12, 2025
Real Estate Revolution: Gen Z Takeover Coming
Text us your thoughts on the podcast Very soon a housing revolution will begin as baby boomers unlock the doors to their homes, passing the keys to a new era. supporting links 1. Characteristics of generations X, Y and Z [Iberdrola] 2. Gen Z’s Homeownership Rate Stagnated in 2023, But Millennials and Gen Xers Saw Gains [Redfin|News] 3. How Generation Z Will Change The Housing Market (Forever) [Hommati] 4. Gen Z is snatching up houses in regional cities [AXIOS] 5. How the Demograph...