In the tenth episode, Robert and guest Yusef Boulanouar (ZAYD) discuss Abney’s Law, a physics concept describing how adding white light to a spectral color shifts its perceived hue. The conversation moves fluidly from the "dangerous" informality of their past student-teacher dynamic to the modern cat-and-mouse game of detecting AI plagiarism in essays. They examine the "snaky" economics of the music industry, contrasting Yusef’s optimistic "synthy jazz fusion" ambitions with Robert’s gritty memory of a death metal bandmate’s wife fleeing to Las Vegas with their earnings. Topics range from the aesthetic influence of directors like Wes Anderson and Akira Kurosawa to the racial performativity of Robert’s grandfather playing the "bad guy of the week" in classic westerns, and they explore the existential threat of the "infinite slop machine" of generative AI and the cyclical theory that society is drifting into a new "Middle Ages".

You can find Yusef's music on SPOTIFY.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON CROSS THEORY, EMAIL crosstheorypod@gmail.com.

ALL ARE WELCOME. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU’RE SELLING.

In the ninth episode, Robert and guest Ryan Hartley (Kenneth Ryan Hartley) discuss Abney’s effect, a phenomenon regarding the perceived expansion of light from the center of an illuminated area. The conversation moves fluidly from the technical abstractions of ray tracing and holograms to the gritty reality of the "starving artist" lifestyle. They examine the volatile origins of the online /lit/ community, from 4chan boards to the "incel angst" of young writers, and the necessity of transmuting that rage into mature art. Topics range from the "pissing in the wind" perseverance of writing mentors like Harold Jaffe to Ryan’s harrowing past dealing drugs to pipeline roughnecks in the "no man's land" of rural British Columbia, and they explore concepts like the "slow boiling frog" of societal collapse and the performative nature of political extremism through the lens of personal trauma and survival.

Ryan's writing endevours can be found ⁠HERE⁠.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON CROSS THEORY, EMAIL crosstheorypod@gmail.com.

ALL ARE WELCOME. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU’RE SELLING.

In the eighth episode, Robert and his uncle, three-time Super Bowl champion and broadcaster Randy Cross, discuss the Ability to Pay Principle, an economic theory asserting that taxation should be levied according to an individual's means. The conversation bridges academic definitions with the "crazy" realities of modern economics, moving from the theory of tax burdens to the practical shifts of the film industry from Hollywood to Atlanta. Topics range from Randy’s storied tenure with the San Francisco 49ers and his background as a UCLA political science major to the family's deep roots in acting, recalling a father who was frequently typecast as villains in the golden age of television. They examine the surreal contrast between athletic glory and the gritty intensity of a war zone, featuring Randy’s harrowing experience running a 10K at Bagram Air Force Base on the "most mined real estate in the world". And explore concepts like Robert's "weird obsession" with Alexander the Great and the Iliad alongside the visceral terror of the Northridge earthquake and the existential threat of the Yellowstone volcano.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON CROSS THEORY, EMAIL crosstheorypod@gmail.com.

ALL ARE WELCOME. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU’RE SELLING.