If Books Could Kill

In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk.
Special thanks to Marcus Credé! 
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Sources:
Much Ado About Grit
What Shall We Do About Grit?
Grit under attack
Teaching “Grit”
The Problem With Grit
The Limits of “Grit”
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem?
Measurement Matters
Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive
Self-Control and Academic Achievement
Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success
Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems?
Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling
Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept
Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage.
"Grit" Revisited
Character Education: A Cautionary Note
What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?
The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement
Academic Performance And Food Stamps
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys.
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The 4-Hour Body
Does Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence 
New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! 
The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called Yourself
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Peter and Michael discuss "Bullshit Jobs" by anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. The result: two professional podcasters debating which jobs are real and which jobs are fake.
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On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant
37% of British workers think their jobs are meaningless
Average Annual Hours Worked by Persons Engaged for United States
The times they are not changin’: Days and hours of work in Old and New Worlds, 1870–2000
‘Bullshit’ After All? Why People Consider Their Jobs Socially Useless
Alienation Is Not ‘Bullshit’: An Empirical Critique of Graeber’s Theory of BS Jobs
Many people feel they work in pointless ‘bullshit’ jobs, research confirms
The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure 
Study: Leisure Time Declines
USA Consumption as percent of GDP
The Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions
Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study
Americans’ job satisfaction in 2024
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

It turns out that the key to wealth is buying the right kind of watch, marrying the right kind of wife and being the right kind of white.
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Sources:
Uneasy Street
A Century of Wealth In America
Family, Education, and Sources of Wealth among the Richest Americans, 1982–2012
Wealth Elite Moralities
The insane growth of America’s millionaire class
The Extraordinary Rise In The Wealth Of Older American Households
Planning & Progress Study 2025
Striking Out on Their Own: The Self-Employed in Bankruptcy
How Many Households Meet The Net Worth Guidelines Of The Millionaire Next Door?
Paying Tribute to Thomas Stanley and His ‘Millionaire Next Door’
Pity the Billionaires
What Rich Women Want
The deserving or undeserving rich?
The Evolution of Top Incomes
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

The boys catalog the definitive worst takes of the year, from the pundits who misunderstood our political moment to a guy who wants to have sex with a computer.
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