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PODCAST

Short and interesting

Each week, we bring you short readings about interesting things you haven"t thought about before. From philosophy and literature, to recipes and advice, occult and paranormal, theory and poetry, or just straight-up rumors and anecdotes. We read old, weird books so you don"t have to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

arts books

All Episodes

22:17

[16] Democracy is Self-Government: the Money-God

Short and interesting ·

2025/08/14

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. We’ve sure got an old weird one for you today! This is a selection from “Democracy is Self-Government” by the esoteric philosopher Harold W. Percival. We’re reading the chapter ‘Money, Or the Idolatry of the Dollar,’ a good old-fashioned rant about how we shouldn’t be slaves to money.This work purports to be copyrighted 1952 by Harold W. Percival, and copyrighted 1980 by The

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26:41

[15] Be Your Own Bodyguard

Short and interesting ·

2025/08/07

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re learning how to “Be Your Own Bodyguard” with this 1999 safety manual published by Peaceful Paths LLC. The best way to keep yourself from being a victim is to identify and avoid dangerous situations. And the best way to do that is to be aware.This company may be defunct and the following contact information might no longer be effective. But this document states:

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32:25

[14] Porkopolis pt 1

Short and interesting ·

2025/07/31

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is our first look at “Porkopolis” by Alex Blanchette. This book is definitely not an easy read, but it is really fascinating and we strongly recommend it as a first-hand look at an incredibly normal, ordinary, unremarkable part of modern American capitalist life. Today we’re reading an edited-down set of excerpts from the section on artificial insemination of pigs on

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23:16

[13] Food in War Time

Short and interesting ·

2025/07/24

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re checking out “Food in War Time” by Graham Lusk, written in 1918, right at the tail end of World War One. Eat your greens, drink your milk, and try to lose some weight.This book is in the public domain. You can download it for free from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32472.Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at

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27:40

[12] The Book of Swindles pt 2

Short and interesting ·

2025/07/17

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re dipping back into “The Book of Swindles” by Zhang Yingyu (夔衷). Another grab-bag of sneaky schemes and dirty tricks. Beware of eunuchs! This time we’re reading: “Handing Over Silver Before Running Off With It”; “Using Broom Handles to Play a Joke on Sedan Bearers”; “Three Women Ride Off on Three Horses”; “A Eunuch Cooks Boys to Make a Tonic of Male Essence.”This

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27:22

[11] Moby Dick (chapter 9)

Short and interesting ·

2025/07/10

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re checking out a stone-cold classic: “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. But don’t worry, we’re only reading Chapter 9 this time; the show is called ‘Short and Interesting,’ not ‘Famously Long and Boring.’This book is in the public domain. You can download it for free from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701.Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy

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24:49

[10] 60 Years in Space pt 1 (Types of Governments)

Short and interesting ·

2025/07/03

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re checking out a tabletop role-playing game about colonizing space – and so much more. It’s called ‘60 Years In Space,’ and it’s as big a repository of brilliant ideas as you’re ever likely to find. Today we’re reading its list of all the different types of governments you might have in your space colonies. Can you think of any other types of government not on

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28:47

[9] Make Your Own Hats

Short and interesting ·

2025/06/26

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re covering fashion – specifically millinery. It’s the 1921 book “Make Your Own Hats” by Gene Allen Martin. Find instructions on how to make a little velvet sailor hat decorated with ribbons and pom-poms, or maybe a classic, Napoleon-style bicorne.This book is in the public domain. You can downoad it for free from Project Gutenberg:

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34:04

[8] Famine, Affluence, and Morality

Short and interesting ·

2025/06/19

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is a famous essay – one of the most famous essays in modern ethical philosophy – called “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” written by the Australian philosopher Peter Singer in 1971. When’s the last time you donated to charity?This is technically subject to copyright law, as Peter Singer is still alive. But this is a very famous academic essay and is widely

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40:48

[7] The Alchemists pt 2

Short and interesting ·

2025/06/12

Welcome to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week we’re going back to Charles MacKay’s 19th century classic, “Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,” for more stories about alchemists. Specifically: Albertus Magnus & Thomas Aquinas; George Ripley; Bernard of Treves; and Nicholas Flamel.Download this public domain book for free from Project Gutenberg:

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31:44

[6] The UFO Coverup: the Lear Report

Short and interesting ·

2025/06/05

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is a “working hypothesis” about the U.S. government’s coverup of UFO activity since the 1950s, by John Lear. Are aliens real? Are they here on Earth? Are they calling the shots? Much to think about.This is technically subject to U.S. copyright law, but it was “published” by a whistleblower and presumably no rightsholder is in a position to object to its distribution

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34:08

[5] The Consumer Society

Short and interesting ·

2025/05/29

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is the great French postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard, with excerpts from his 1970 work “The Consumer Society.”This English translation is copyright of Sage Publications in 1988. Despite its copyright, this is a culturally significant work published with the financial support of the French government. We assume the rights holders do not object to its use in this

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22:13

[4] The Book of Swindles pt 1

Short and interesting ·

2025/05/22

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is our first look at “The Book of Swindles” by Zhang Yingyu (夔衷). This is from sometime around 1617 in Fujian province, China, and catalogs all the various scams, schemes, swindles, and switcheroos one might encounter in Ming dynasty China (or, indeed, anywhere in the world at any time in history.) This time we’re reading: “Pilfering Green Cloth by Pretending to

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31:07

[3] The Bacillus of Long Life

Short and interesting ·

2025/05/15

You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is “The Bacillus of Long Life” by Charles M. Douglas. This is a 1911 work on the health benefits of soured milk and the importance of cleanliness in the dairy industry.Download this public domain book for free from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31691Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at https://danmason.bandcamp.com. For this

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25:05

[2] Dr. Bronner's Soap

Short and interesting ·

2025/05/08

This is Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts of interesting writing. This week we’re reading the entirety of a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Soap. Cleanliness is next to godliness, don’t you know.Being the text on the packaging of an item in U.S. commerce, this content is in the public domain. Nonetheless, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps owns the copyright on this text, with all rights reserved. We are reciting the text in the spirit of fair use. Check out Dr. Bronner’s soap at

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22:17

[1] The Alchemists pt 1

Short and interesting ·

2025/05/01

Welcome to the first episode of Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is the first taste of Charles MacKay’s 19th century classic, “Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.” We’re reading a selection of stories from the section on alchemists. Specifically: Geber; Alfarabi; Artephius; and Pietro d’Apone.Download this public domain book for free from Project Gutenberg:

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0:40

[0] Promo - Short and Interesting

Short and interesting ·

2025/04/29

Do you like short podcasts about interesting things? Check out this one -- it's called Short and Interesting. We find the best and most interesting bits of old, weird books about all sorts of stuff, and we read them to you. Simple, fun, thought-provoking.Upcoming episodes include: stories about alchemists; classic scams and swindles; 19th century health crazes; the UFO cover-up exposed; indictments of consumerism; how to make hats; what to eat during wartime; etc. etc. etc.Follow us on Bluesky,

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