Austan Goolsbee is one of Tyler Cowen’s favorite economists—not because they always agree, but because Goolsbee embodies what it means to think like an economist. Whether he’s analyzing productivity slowdowns in the construction sector, exploring the impact of taxes on digital commerce, or poking holes in overconfident macro narratives, Goolsbee is…

Most people who leave Wall Street after twenty years either retire or find another way to make a lot of money. Chris Arnade chose to walk through cities most travelers never truly see. What emerged from this approach is a unique form of street-level sociology that has attracted a devoted following on Substack. Arnade's work suggests that our most s…

Any Austin has carved a unique niche for himself on YouTube: analyzing seemingly mundane or otherwise overlooked details in video games with the seriousness of an art critic examining Renaissance sculptures. With millions of viewers hanging on his every word about fluvial flows in Breath of the Wild or unemployment rates in the towns of Skyrim, Aus…

I want to take a look at a another large ranch and rancher that no one knows and another quick look at an interesting fellow I ran across.By Michael Mitchell

John Arnold built his fortune in energy trading by surrounding himself with smart people, maintaining emotional detachment, sensing market imbalances through first-principles analysis, and focusing with laser intensity on a single niche until he dominated it completely. Now he's applying that same analytical rigor to philanthropy, where he's discov…

I want to take a look at a couple of Texas “wanderers”. One wondered with a purpose and the other, not so much.By Michael Mitchell

We are back on some place names this week that I found interesting and another location in Texas that was the biggest of its kind at the time.By Michael Mitchell

Listen in as we spend some time with the 2025 Boston Crusaders Student Leadership team hearing their perspective on the Drum Corps activity, how it impacts their lives, and their anticipation of the 2025 season.By Howard Weinstein

Get tickets to the CWT live show at 92NY with David Brooks! Theodore Schwartz stands at the pinnacle of neurosurgical expertise. With over 500 published articles, 200 pieces of commentary, and 5 patents to his name—effectively producing a scholarly work every two weeks for three decades—Schwartz spent most of his career at Weill Cornell Medicine, w…

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do/ Do not wait to shed your light afar/ To the many duties ever near you now be true/ Brighten the corner where you are." --Lyrics to "Brighten the Corner Where you Are"" by Charles Gabriel, Paul Mickelson, and Ina Duley Ogden Memorial Day. In this special episode, Down Trails of Victory podcast pay…

I will be sitting down with the entire 2025 Boston Crusaders Student Leadership team to discuss with them their thoughts, feelings and emotions going into this highly competitive season. Episode comes out next week, 5.26.25!By Howard Weinstein

Few understand both the promise and limitations of artificial general intelligence better than Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic. With a background in journalism and the humanities that sets him apart in Silicon Valley, Clark offers a refreshingly sober assessment of AI's economic impact—predicting growth of 3-5% rather than the 20-30% touted by …

Ever hear about bank robberies and think “what possessed these guys to do that”? Well, I found two right here in Texas that sounded….well….interesting!By Michael Mitchell

I have spoken many times about place names and wondering where they got those names. I am going to explore two that I got to experience this last weekend.By Michael Mitchell

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff approaches global finance with the same strategic foresight that made him a chess grandmaster. Author of the new book Our Dollar, Your Problem, Rogoff doesn't sugarcoat America's future: he foresees a significant inflation shock within a decade, far more severe than the post-COVID bout. When this second wave hits, h…

Chris Dixon believes we're at a pivotal inflection point in the internet's evolution. As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and author of Read Write Own, Chris believes the current internet, dominated by large platforms like YouTube and Spotify, has strayed far from its decentralized roots. He argues that the next era—powered by blockchain te…

Every state has animals they highlight as the state this or state that. We will explore some of the Texas State animals and some of their uses.By Michael Mitchell

It’s Beatles day! In this deep dive into one of music's most legendary partnerships, Ian Leslie and Tyler unpack the complex relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Leslie, whose book John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs examines this creative pairing, reveals how their contrasting personalities—John's intuitive, sometimes chaotic approa…

We hear place names and wonder where they come from but often overlook the people these place names honor. I found three that were important to Texas that I believe are often overlooked. Seguin, Navarro and Zavala are on our list this week.By Michael Mitchell

Jennifer Pahlka believes America's bureaucratic dysfunction is deeply rooted in outdated processes and misaligned incentives. As the founder of Code for America and co-founder of the United States Digital Service, she has witnessed firsthand how government struggles to adapt to the digital age, often trapped in rigid procedures and disconnected fro…

Who doesn’t love stories about outlaws in the Wild West. Guys like Billy the Kid, Black Jack Ketchum and others are almost idolized but what about some lesser known outlaws that were equally as bad? And what about the lawmen that caught them. They weren’t all white horse and honor. Some of them were almost as bad as the outlaws!…

Sheilagh Ogilvie has spent decades examining the institutional structures that shaped European economic history, challenging conventional wisdom about everything from guilds to marriage patterns. In her conversation with Tyler, she reveals how studying pandemic responses from the Black Death to COVID-19 provides a unique lens for understanding deep…

Do you ever hear about interesting people and wonder about their history? What about Texans named Jack Earle or Monroe Edwards? Two vastly different and interesting Texans.By Michael Mitchell

Who were the Texas Old Three Hundred and how is it related to Stephen F. Austin? I think we know who Austin was but do we really know him?By Michael Mitchell

What happens when a liberal thinker shifts his attention from polarization to economic abundance? Ezra Klein’s new book with Derek Thompson, Abundance, argues for an agenda of increased housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and innovation. But does abundance clash with polarization—or offer a way through it? In this conversation, Ezra and Tyler di…

Did you know there was a Texas Navy? Well, technically three I guess. There was the Texian Navy, the Second Texas Navy and the Third Texas Navy….well, sort of. Also, did you know there was a Texas Navy Ship that was lost at sea and no one has ever found it or know what happened to it?By Michael Mitchell

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, explores something even more fundamental—how the very air around us is teeming with life, from pollen to pathogens to microbes floa…

Have you ever seen the GIANT brick smoke stack west of Fort Worth on I-20? Ever wonder what it’s there for? What about a famous Texas restaurant’s origins?By Michael Mitchell

"Running on empty (running on)/ Running blind (running on)/ Running into the sun/ But I'm running behind." --Lyrics to "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne Dr. William Fermo and his brother Dr. Jeremy Fermo are "all in" on delivering incredible running experiences to runners and communities in Southeast Texas. Since launching their "3 Bros Running …

How much of your life’s trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained la…

So, most folks know the story about Cabeza de Vaca and his exploration of Texas but what about Francois? He had a totally different experience. And, why is there a Texas named London Whiskey?By Michael Mitchell

Have you ever been to a museum and thought "that name sounds familiar"? Well, my buddy Michael and his wife Tosha did that and it turns out the Medal of Honor they were looking at was her Great Grandfathers. Pretty cool stuff.By Michael Mitchell

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape religious questions entirely. His new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious makes the case for religious faith in an age of apparent disenchant…

Weird Texas laws. Some or myth and some are legit. Lets explore a few of these to make sure we stay out of trouble!By Michael Mitchell

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another music industry insider, Boyd has spent decades exploring how the world's musical traditions connect and transform each other. His new book And the Roots of…

How did Texas get it’s shape and what was the Texan Santa Fe Expedition and the following compromise of 1850 and how did it effect Texas?By Michael Mitchell

Listen as Adrian Caswell shares with us how to bring the very best from his students while teaching them to look inward. Adrian's ability as an educator, coupled with his grounded approach creates a magical environment for success both inside the band room and outside in the "real world".By Howard Weinstein

Davy Crocket is a historical hero. I’ve read a few books on him and he was an interesting character to say the least. How did he get to Texas though?By Michael Mitchell

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience through blogging in his 50s and 60s, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Yet this unconventional journey led him to become one of the most influe…

Texas is iconic and most icons that stand out are cowboys, boots, hats and pickup trucks. But what about horses and of course, cattle. Lets take a look at the Texas Longhorn history and maybe a few other breeds famous here in TexasBy Michael Mitchell

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give On this special year-in-review episode, Tyler and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the past year in the show and more, including covering the most popular and underrated episodes, fielding listener questions, reviewing Tyler’s pop culture picks from 2014, mulling over ideas for what…

Often we see westerns on fully understand the importance of traildrivers on cattle drives. Lets take a look at one of the most famous black Frontiersman and Traildrivers and his impact on one of the most famous Westerns around.. I also want to take a look at another guy who lived a really interesting life but was well known to me for very different…

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give What can Thomas Hardy’s tortured marriages teach us about love, obsession, and second chances? In this episode, biographer, novelist, and therapist Paula Byrne examines the intimate connections between life and literature, revealing how Hardy’s relationships with women shaped his por…

Did you know that Wichita Falls used to have it’s own line of trucks? Also, what about a town with a hexagon shaped hotel. Lastly, have you heard the legend of the Texas Candy Lady?By Michael Mitchell

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give In his landmark multi-volume biography of Stalin, Stephen Kotkin shows how totalitarian power worked not just through terror from above, but through millions of everyday decisions from below. Currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution after 33 years at Princeton, Kotkin brin…

Lets take a look at two interesting fellows that merely passed through Texas but left a lasting impression in their own way.By Michael Mitchell

Did you know the first Thanksgiving in North America was actually held in Texas? But wait, there were actually TWO Thanksgivings held in Texas before the one we all know and love!By Michael Mitchell

In this crossover episode with EconTalk, Tyler joins Russ Roberts for an in-depth exploration of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, a monumental novel often described as the 20th-century answer to Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russ and Tyler cover Grossman’s life and the historical context of Life and Fate, its themes of war, totalitarianism, freedom, and…

Did you know there was a woman hanged in Texas, only one? What about twin sisters and the Texas Holy Grail?By Michael Mitchell

Neal Stephenson’s ability to illuminate complex, future-focused ideas in ways that both provoke thought and spark wonder has established him as one of the most innovative thinkers in literature today. Yet his new novel, Polostan, revisits the Soviet era with a twist, shifting his focus from the speculative technologies of tomorrow to the historical…