Mar 22, 2016
We talk to research scientist Matt Giorgianni (specializes in
genomics, which is interesting enough that we could have just
talked about that but restrained ourselves) to discuss his
obsession with President William Howard Taft. After a chance
viewing of a portrait of Taft in New Orleans, Matt got obsessed
with him. Most people only know that Taft was "the fat president?"
but there is a lot more to taft: He was a protege and later
rival of Teddy Roosevelt, an incredibly popular student of law and
reform and getting things donate governor-general of the
Philippines on behalf of the US and then later the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, which means he's the only person to
be at the had of TWO of the three branches of US government. Man
look at all we're writing: this is a great episode! Also, Will
talks about the close-up magic of Helder Guimaraes, and Anthony
discusses some advice on rewriting from author George Saunders.