The Lakota Sioux are one of the most interesting cultures I've come across. Their indigenous way of life is and was beautiful. Likewise, Brendon Grimshaw was quite an interesting and lovely person to learn about. This episode is packed with information about the most dominant indigenous culture in the upper great plains and a peculiar man who made an island into paradise.

Meridians is a podcast created by Charlie Noble. It is about making connections across cultures by learning about history, science, and the people and world around us. Come along with me as I try to understand what makes our world the way it is today.

My goal is to entertain and inform, grounding our explorations in the real world around us. There’s so much to discover, and I promise you—every conversation will leave you with new insights and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of our shared human experience. So, whether you’re commuting, cooking, or simply relaxing at home, I hope you’ll tune in and embark on this adventure with me. Let’s uncover the connections that unite us on Meridians.

This episode sent me all over the place. I had no idea where this one was heading. I didn't really think the emerging theme would be how ideas spread (or don't) but that's what came out!

Learning about how culture spreads kind of surprised me. (gambling seems to spread like wildfire) There's war, industry and a good quite an examination of early Chinese history in this episode. I had a lot of fun learning in this one.

Meridians is a podcast created by Charlie Noble. It is about making connections across cultures by learning about history, science, and the people and world around us. Come along with me as I try to understand what makes our world the way it is today.

My goal is to entertain and inform, grounding our explorations in the real world around us. There’s so much to discover, and I promise you—every conversation will leave you with new insights and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of our shared human experience. So, whether you’re commuting, cooking, or simply relaxing at home, I hope you’ll tune in and embark on this adventure with me. Let’s uncover the connections that unite us on Meridians.

This episode starts with the topic of humans' relationship with time and timekeeping and finishes with a narrative about the race to be the first people to reach the South Pole in Antarctica. There's a good deal in the middle connecting these ideas, and that part was a lot of fun for me to learn. You'll have to listen to understand how they're connected.

What did I learn from writing this episode?

Well, without spoiling anything, I learned about how hindsight frames our world and what we know about it to a large degree. When something works out great, the risks taken seem worth it. But when they don't pan out, it becomes easy to be more critical. A lot of times, the difference between victory and defeat comes down to luck. When doing future research, I will try to hold back on any harsh judgments for failure until I have a complete picture of what actually happened.

I also question the need for us all to move so fast. It's like we're all in a race and don't know what the race is for, where we're going, or what we win. At least, if we're going to go fast, we should be doing something worthwhile.

Meridians is a podcast created by Charlie Noble. It is about making connections across cultures by learning about history, science, and the people and world around us. Come along with me as I try to understand what makes our world the way it is today.

My goal is to entertain and inform, grounding our explorations in the real world around us. There’s so much to discover, and I promise you—every conversation will leave you with new insights and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of our shared human experience. So, whether you’re commuting, cooking, or simply relaxing at home, I hope you’ll tune in and embark on this adventure with me. Let’s uncover the connections that unite us on Meridians.