This video is titled "Cults and Witchcraft with Melissa Fortner" from the channel Conversations with Strangers. It is a two-hour interview discussing Melissa Fortner's journey from being a licensed therapist and academic to joining a witchcraft cult, leaving it, and becoming an entrepreneur.
Here is a summary of the key discussion points from the interview:
🔮 From Witchcraft to Cult Member
✨ Witchcraft and Magic Systems
✈️ Travel and Business
The video can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QiYsNmEkVA
And here’s a link to her company’s website: https://www.sifsniffs.com
This video is a conversation titled "The History of Sound with James M Errington" from the channel Conversations with Strangers.
James M. Errington is the creator of the project Centuries of Sound, which compiles a mixtape for every year of recorded sound [00:39]. The interview covers his personal background, musical tastes, and a detailed history of recorded sound technology.
Key Topics Discussed
The History of Recorded Sound
The discussion provides a timeline of recording technology:
• 1853 (Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville): The very earliest known recording, which used a device to mark sound vibrations onto soot-covered paper. This device could not play back the sound, only capture a visual record of it [15:44].
• Late 1870s (Thomas Edison): The invention of the phonograph, which was the first machine to both record and play back sound, initially using tin foil and later metallic soap cylinders. Edison originally intended it as a dictation device for businessmen [17:52].
• Early 1900s: The shift from cylinders to discs (gramophones). This era saw the rise of Ragtime as a major musical genre [24:16].
• Acoustic Recording (Pre-1926): Sound was physically captured using a gigantic brass horn that focused vibrations down to a needle, cutting groves into a wax disc [25:24].
• Electrical Recording (Post-1926): The introduction of microphones and electrical recording systems led to a dramatic improvement in sound quality (capturing more bass and treble). The year 1927 is highlighted as an "amazing year" for recorded music, capturing diverse regional genres like folk, jazz, and blues for the first time [28:59].
• Magnetic Tape: Technology found in Germany after WWII and popularized in the US by people like Bing Crosby [34:18]. Les Paul is noted as a pioneer in using magnetic tape for multitracking [36:33].
• Modern Production: The conversation touches on influential producers like George Martin (The Beatles) [40:02] and Phil Spector (Wall of Sound) [41:06], leading to the current era of digital technology where almost anyone can create music [49:18].
James M. Errington's Work
• Centuries of Sound: The core project involves compiling a mixtape for every year of recorded sound, including music, news, and other audio from that year [00:54]. The mixes are now hosted on Mixcloud to ensure proper licensing and artist payment [50:55].
• Musical Taste: James shares his eclectic musical tastes, which include:
• Early 70s Fusion Jazz (his "ultimate sweet spot") [07:29].
• His all-time favorite band, Soft Machine [07:45].
• A preference for "weird pop music," citing Charlie XCX as a current favorite [13:51].
• Other Projects: He also creates ambient experimental music under the name Buff Cuts [53:34].
You can find his website here: https://centuriesofsound.com and you can watch the full video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6sndFKb6jA
🃏 Nick Jain: CEO of Sacred Grounds, Innovation Expert, and Poker Player
Nick Jain is a distinguished entrepreneur, multi-time CEO, and investor, known for his ability to transform businesses across various sectors.
Key Highlights:
* Current Role: He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sacred Grounds, an efficient software platform specializing in case management, payments, and cemetery plots.
* Previous Role (IdeaScale): He was the CEO of IdeaScale, a leading innovation software company whose clients include global organizations like NASA, Comcast, and NASCAR. He took on this role in 2022.
* Business Transformation: Nick has a proven track record as a CEO, having successfully led business turnarounds in diverse industries, including B2B software, trucking, and men's apparel.
* Finance Background: Prior to his CEO roles, he gained extensive financial and investment experience working on Wall Street at premier investment firms, notably Bain Capital and Greenlight Capital.
* Education: His academic background is highly impressive:
* Harvard Business School (MBA), where he graduated at the top of his class (Baker Scholar).
* Dartmouth College, where he earned a triple degree in mathematics, physics, and economics.
* Personal Interests: Nick is an avid poker player, a runner, and enjoys traveling with his wife. His personal story often references a "rags-to-riches" journey, having been raised by a single grandmother in a small city in India.
His leadership is characterized by a unique blend of mathematical rigor and entrepreneurial innovation, which he applies to create data-driven and forward-thinking cultures in the companies he leads.
You can find his company’s website here: https://sacredgrounds.nickjain.com/
Michael and I talk about movies and his movie Clocking the T. You can find the website to his movie here: https://clockingthet.com
Charlie and I talk about composing music and AI
Seth and and I talk about consciousness
Jason Stein and I talk about horror movies. You can find his podcast here: https://dadsfromthecrypt.com/
Deepti and I talk about climate change. Here’s all of her links:
Citations
The graphs I mentioned for possible temperatures in year 2100:
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/36990/EGR21.pdf - pages 24-25 of 112
Emissions Gap Report: https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2024
(What actions are needed?) IEA Net Zero Roadmap: https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2022/an-updated-roadmap-to-net-zero-emissions-by-2050
AI power use and water use: https://andthewest.stanford.edu/2025/thirsty-for-power-and-water-ai-crunching-data-centers-sprout-across-the-west/
Source for the “over 80% of people want climate action” statistic I stated: https://89percent.org
Tipping points and “about 3.5% of people need to take climate action” - https://medium.com/@dkannapan/about-social-tipping-points-and-climate-action-c5e6a2ab278?sk=34012d729ec88a4dd29d46ded2bd145c
My TEDx talk with an annotated transcript: https://medium.com/@dkannapan/the-climate-movement-needs-your-creativity-not-your-guilt-e847adb8e91e?sk=8a00209482ab283eb504b51d6b016590
About my book, Fire’s Ally
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1250461128/fires-ally
Fire's Ally is a story about Eleg, a girl obsessed with the eerie, persistent, wildfire claiming parts of her home. No amount of rain seems to be able to put it out.
She belongs to a gentle, bookish society and her people have been fighting the fire back for decades. But they are not ready for the turmoil it is about to unleash.
Eleg understands the fire better than most. She has already once failed to protect the innocent in its path.
Though she would rather be alone with her charts and graphs, Eleg must become the unlikely hero her people need, and bring the continent together in an ambitious technological endeavor to save their home.
Me:
https://www.deeptikannapan.com
https://bsky.app/profile/dmkannapan.bsky.social
https://medium.com/@dkannapan
Thomas David Kehoe and I talk about How Lying (and Catching Lies) Drove Human Evolution, Sparked Language, and Kindled Civilization and 13 reasons why Trump is like Hitler. Here’s a link to his medium blog post: https://tdkehoe.medium.com/golden-lies-how-lying-and-catching-lies-drove-human-evolution-sparked-language-and-kindled-b0adca94950b
Gallo and I talk about sex addiction
Matthew Adams and I talk about comedy and politics. He is running for state assembly in district 9 Central Valley, California. You can find his website here: https://sites.google.com/view/adams4assembly/home
David and I talk about AI and his company Groas AI. You can find his company website here: https://groas.ai
Jakeb and I talk about his theory on consciousness called the new consciousness. You can find his website here: https://www.ournewconsciousness.com/
Shane and I talk about being an air traffic controller. Here’s a link to his website: https://www.airtrafficcoaching.com/
Milo and I talk about his book, Gray Skies, Concrete Dreams, living the corporate life, and his podcast. Here’s the links to his book, podcast and Instagram: Links
Web: milodenison.com/books/gray-skies-concrete-dreams
Podcast: the80sand90s.com/podcast
Instagram: @milodenison
Isis, Angel and I talk about their upcoming short film: The New Years Break Up. Here’s a link to their indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-new-years-break-up#/ and here’s a link to their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewyearsbreakupshortfilm?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Pramod and I talk about artificial intelligence
Max and I talk about movies and TV Shows. You can find his podcast here:
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-quiz-podcast/id1733962357
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3qkpQUmZVTPXh8WMK7nP6Z
Website for other links:
www.thepopquizpodcast.com
Hank and I talk about him being an expat in Germany and a digital nomad in the US.
Karen Boyd and I talk about how to use AI ethically and effectively. Here’s a link to her websites:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkarenboyd/
https://drkarenboyd.com/blog
https://drkarenboyd.com/missionfirst
Thinkpic.org