This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome Sam Kelly, author of Human History on Drugs.
About Human History on Drugs: Did you know that Alexander the Great was a sloppy drunk and William Shakespeare was a stoner? Or how about the fact that Steve Jobs believed taking LSD helped him create the Apple computer, or that Sigmund Freud loved cocaine so much he took it all the time and prescribed it to his patients?
In Human History on Drugs, Sam Kelly introduces us to the history our teachers never told us, offering up irreverent and insightful commentary as he sheds light on some truly bizarre aspects of the historical characters we only thought we knew. With chapters spanning from Ancient Greece (“The Oracle of Delphi Was Huffing Fumes”) to modern times (“Carl Sagan Got Astronomically High”), Kelly’s research covers all manner of eras, places, and, of course, drugs.
History is rife with drug use and drug users, and Human History on Drugs takes us through those highs (pun intended) and lows on a witty and entertaining ride that uncovers their mind-boggling impact on our past.
About Sam Kelly: Sam Kelly, a history grad from Stanford University, is on the autism spectrum and his interest and passion for history has become an almost physical compulsion. He loves to dig up forgotten and weird stories from the past and spends hours uncovering every last stubborn detail. As a deep believer that history can be as exciting as any Marvel movie, Sam aims to—whether on TikTok or through a book—make history both engaging and accessible to all. Human History on Drugs is his first book.
This week’s picks:

* Sam: Stardew Valley
* Sam: Superman
* Sam: Fantastic Four
* Tracy: Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen
* Patrick: The NFL Preseason

Links:

* Sam Kelly on Instagram
* Tracy Townsend on BluSky
* Patrick Hester on Instagram
* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2025 Patrick Hester

This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome Margaret Stohl, Jeanine Schaefer, and Judith Stephens to talk about their new book, Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics.
About Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics: Inspired by the hit podcast The Women of Marvel and cowritten by the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures, this eye-opening and engaging book celebrates the women who have helped make Marvel one of the most successful comics and entertainment companies in the world.
What does a hero’s journey look like when the hero in question happens to be a girl? #1 New York Times bestselling author and Marvel creator Margaret Stohl (The Life of Captain Marvel, Black Widow: Forever Red) along with Judith Stephens (producer and cocreator of the Women of Marvel podcast), and Jeanine Schaefer (critically acclaimed editor) interviewed more than a hundred women and nonbinary Marvel contributors in search of the answer to that question.
With one shared goal—to make the historically invisible work of women visible—and with unprecedented access to Marvel creators, writers, and more, Stohl, Stephens, and Schaefer set out to tell the story of the women of the “House of Ideas” from 1939 through today, and along the way, to find the meaning of their own Marvel stories. Packed with biographies and illustrations from creators, graphical reprints and excerpts of historic Marvel comics, and exclusive interviews from acclaimed directors like Anna Boden and Cate Shortland; lauded writers such as Kelly Sue DeConnick, Eve Ewing, Rainbow Rowell, Nic Stone, G. Willow Wilson, Tini Howard, and Maurene Goo; top artists like Jen Bartel; and influential producer Sana Amanat, Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel is an essential read for fans of all ages.
About Margaret Stohl: Margaret Stohl is a the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fifteen novels and graphic novels, including the Beautiful Creatures series, the Black Widow: Forever Red duology, the ongoing Mighty Captain Marvel comic, and the Life of Captain Marvel miniseries.
About Jeanine Schaefer: Jeanine Schaefer worked as an assistant editor for DC Comics, notably on the Superman books between 2004 and 2006 up until Infinite Crisis. In 2010, she moved to Marvel Comics. She returned to DC with her husband Mark Doyle when the main office was moved to Burbank in 2015. In 2018, she became Executive Editor at Boom! Studios, though she departed three years later.
About Judith Stephens: Judy Stephens is a producer, author, host and cosplayer. Her first book, “Cosplay the Marvel Way: A Guide to Costuming Culture and Crafting Basics” is available in June. Judy is also a co-creator of the Women Of Marvel podcast and co-author of the upcoming book “Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel”. With over 15 years at Marvel, Judy has worked in production of news and pop culture based content, including photos, video and multimedia. Judy’s work has been featured on major geek-culture outlets like Marvel, Kotaku, and Nerdist, and within several books,

This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome Paul Bradley Carr, author of THE CONFESSIONS.
About THE CONFESSIONS: LLIAM is the world’s most powerful supercomputer, built to make the toughest decisions for its users. Where to work, who to marry, and even who should live or die. But when LLIAM suddenly goes offline with no explanation, the world is thrust into chaos, paralyzed by indecision. Stocks plummet, stores are shuttered, planes sit grounded on runways as humanity scrambles to re-adapt to an uncertain, analog world.
Then the first letters arrive…on every continent, in every language, mysterious envelopes arrive in the mail, exposing people’s darkest secrets, and most shocking crimes. All beginning with the same chilling words: “We must confess.”
With millions of people suddenly made to confront their past transgressions, and society fast unraveling, CEO Kaitlan Goss must track down the only person who can help undo the resulting violent chaos: Maud Brookes, an ex-nun who taught LLIAM what it means to be human. But when Maud receives a letter herself, revealing Kaitlan’s own unforgivable sin, the two women are forced into a deadly game of deceit as the world teeters on the brink.
About Paul Bradley Carr: Paul Bradley Carr is a journalist and author. He has written three memoirs about his adventures in and around Silicon Valley. He was the Silicon Valley columnist for The Guardian, senior editor at TechCrunch, cofounder of PandoDaily, and founder and editor-in-chief of the infamous NSFWCORP in Las Vegas. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, National Geographic, and much more. He lives in Palm Springs with his family and is the co-owner of The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs.
This week’s picks:

* Paul: Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman’s Plot to Watch 201 Christie Adaptations Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband by Teresa Peschel
* Tracy: Muderbot (Apple TV+)
* Patrick: Macross Movies and TV Shows on Hulu (Start Here)

Links:

* Paul Bradley Carr on Instagram
* Tracy Townsend on BluSky
* Patrick Hester on Instagram
* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2025 Patrick Hester

This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome Joan Slonczewski, author of Minds in Transit.
About Minds in Transit: In the hundred-level city of Iridis, human lords recycle diamonds and emeralds down to the Underworld while sentient machines pilot lightcraft and perform surgeries. Microbial minds expand the brains of scientists and artists. The artist Chrys directs her microbes to paint startling installations, design smart buildings and fix quantum networks. A world-size virtual intelligence called Transit commissions Chrys to create a whole new city on another planet.
But unexpected flaws fracture her designs. Microbial criminal gangs invade Chrys’s brain to kill off her own micros and take control. In Iridis, the roots of buildings grow cancers that escape the Underworld and cause earthquakes. Outlawed machines shake down shops and kidnap human lords for ransom. The city’s rulers ignore the signs of collapse, then face a new threat that no mind foresaw.
About Joan Slonczewski: Joan Slonczewski publishes research with undergraduates on bacterial pH stress, funded by the National Science Foundation. They also study cold-adapted microbes from Antarctica. Slonczewski authors science fiction novels, including A Door into Ocean and The Highest Frontier, both of which earned the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. They teach courses on microbiology and on writing science fiction.
This week’s picks:

* Joan: Churchill and Pemberley Cozy Mystery (Teapot) Series by Emily Organ
* Tracy: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 1: Change is Constant by Kevin B. Eastman, Tom Waltz, and Dan Duncan
* Patrick: Galaxy Highways (Steam Game)

Links:

* Joan Slonczewski on Facebook
* Tracy Townsend on BluSky
* Patrick Hester on Instagram
* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2025 Patrick Hester