Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Interview.

Fumfer Physics 27: Intuition & the Universe
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner probe whether math is built-in or invented, and how intuition can automate physics. Rosner casts math as conceptual shorthand that scaffolds understanding—like words such as “schadenfreude”—with estimation and repetition training intuition. They argue the universe does not “calculate”; laws emerge from interacting fields, while math mirrors structure within finite information, not Platonic perfection. Subjectivity arises as a “statistically disambiguated” layer—distinct yet embedded—analogous to centrifuged strata. Skills span a continuum from embodied physics (a basketball arc) to formal tensors, converging as fluency. Information demands context; existence is a web of relations, and models refine correspondence.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
Fumfer Physics 26: Can We Understand the Universe Without Math?
Rick Rosner riffs on whether a civilization could grasp physics without mathematics, imagining whale societies that count heads but lack equations. He argues math is essential for precise theories, yet many core ideas—projectiles, orbits, relativity—begin as pictures and principles before formalization. Examples include Einstein’s thought experiments refined with tensor calculus, Big Bang nucleosynthesis by Alpher, Bethe, and Gamow, and Newton’s insight that orbits are continuous free-fall obeying an inverse-square law. Scott Douglas Jacobsen notes everyday intuition—throwing a ball, braking for a light—mirrors calculus. Rosner concludes: you can teach physics conceptually without equations, but doing physics ultimately requires mathematics. Precision demands symbolic tools.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
State, Church, and Silence: Cover-Ups within the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. Content Warning.
By Bojan Jovanović Bojan Jovanović, a former Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) priest and now Secretary General of the Christian Alliance of Croatia, alleges widespread sexual abuse and cover-ups within the SPC, including in Montenegro. He condemns Montenegro’s decision to honor Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović, accusing him of concealing pedophilia and exploitation in monasteries such as Cetinje and Dajbabe. Jovanović cites testimonies, police files, and media investigations. He asserts that the SPC and state institutions protect abusers and suppress justice, calling their silence criminal complicity. He is cooperating with Interpol and the EU to expose an organized network of clerical sexual abuse dating back to 1978.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
Fumfer Physics 25: Quantum Limits, Black Holes
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner explore informational cosmology at black-hole boundaries and beyond. Rosner notes supermassive black holes are densest from the outside, yet interior density is tempered by curved spacetime and quantum “fuzziness.” Quantum gravity candidates, exclusion principles, and phase transitions may halt true singularities, yielding ultra-dense, evolving quantum states. Stars act as leaky correlational engines; galaxies emit immense photon webs, but the most durable records likely reside in gravitational filaments. Rosner sketches “hedgehog” collapse vectors around t0, speculates galaxies can dim and relight via cosmic-web inflow, and doubts nucleation around neutron stars. Dark-matter halos endure. Conclusions remain provisional—and productively skeptical.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
High Notes Podcast Season Three Premieres Next Week
High Notes is a podcast featuring conversations on the art and business of voice, hosted by voice actor and BRAVA CEO, Melissa Thom. From Mongolian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming, and more, HIGH NOTES uncovers the craft behind the business.
By Frank Racioppi3 months ago in Interview
The Art Of Kindness Podcast Interviews Former Disney Child Star
I first reviewed The Art of Kindness (AOK) in May 2023. In that review, I recommended the show and called it “a kind of soul-cleansing experience.”
By Frank Racioppi3 months ago in Interview
An Exclusive Interview With Lisa Lachapelle, The Author of Ten Years Of Bliss
Lisa Lachappele from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, is an award-winning author. She has been a member of Vocal since July 2021. She has written over 224 stories.
By Mariann Carroll3 months ago in Interview
Fumfer Physics 24: Neutron Stars and the Non–Black-Hole Universe
Rick Rosner explains compact objects without hype: compressing matter triggers quantum degeneracy pressure (electrons in white dwarfs, neutrons in neutron stars). When gravity exceeds these pressures—around the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit (~2–3 solar masses)—collapse forms a black hole. Dimming is due to gravitational redshift, not ‘acceleration.’ Exterior fields encode only mass, spin, and charge (“no-hair”). The information paradox’s modern view favors unitarity; black holes preserve information, though mechanisms remain debated. Crucially, the universe is not a black hole: large-scale expansion fits FLRW cosmology, with horizons from cosmic expansion, not an event horizon. Scale matters—bigger systems have gentler curvature and tidal gravity overall.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
How Kathryn Ficarra and The C Group Studio Are Bringing Humanity Back to Leadership
Somewhere between board meetings, quarterly targets, and constant video calls, leadership lost its heartbeat. The modern workplace is efficient, fast, and digitally connected but emotionally detached. Executives are overloaded, teams feel unseen, and the human side of leadership has quietly slipped into the background.
By Lucy Evans3 months ago in Interview
Black Podcasting Award Winners Announced for 2025
There are numerous awards in the podcasting industry, and all are well-deserved. Yet, the most prestigious and deserving awards are for podcasters who are part of a group that has been overlooked, a victim of discrimination, and whose creators have not received the recognition they deserve for excellence.
By Frank Racioppi3 months ago in Interview
Rabbi Debra Bennet on Jewish Life, Learning, and Building Inclusive Community at the Mid Island Y JCC
Rabbi Debra Bennet is the Director of Jewish Life & Learning at the Mid Island Y JCC in Plainview, NY. She received her rabbinic ordination in May 2007 and has previously served as the Rabbi Educator at Temple Beth Torah in Melville and as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Chaverim in Plainview, where she developed teen programming and worked to strengthen connections to Judaism and the Jewish Community. In her current role, she continues to educate and inspire her community while addressing pressing social issues, fostering dialogue and collaboration across faith traditions, and cultivating an inclusive, connected community throughout the JCC.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen3 months ago in Interview
Noiz on Creating Music That Resonates and Industry Changes
Emerging music artist, Noiz has shared his perspective on music, its role in connecting with audiences, and how he perceives the evolution of the music industry. He explains how he approaches success, how he sees changes in the industry, and the way listeners engage with his music. “Success to me beyond the numbers and charts is when someone messages me saying my song helped them through something,” he shares. “Streams fade — connection lasts. I measure success by how real the impact feels. If people feel seen in my music, that means I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” According to Noiz, success is determined by the responses and experiences of listeners rather than rankings, sales, or streaming counts. In this view, the emotional and personal reactions of the audience hold more significance than commercial achievements. When asked about the future of the music industry, Noiz states, “I think it’s going to become way more artist-driven. The middleman’s fading. Artists are learning how to build their own worlds — visually, emotionally, sonically — without needing a label to validate it. The ones who’ll win are the ones who stay true to their sound but understand how to move smart in the digital space.” Here, he describes a shift in the industry where artists have more autonomy over the creative and promotional aspects of their work. The observation highlights the increasing importance of digital platforms and direct engagement with audiences, which he sees as influencing how music is produced and distributed.
By Cloutfly3 months ago in Interview