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.

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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.

In the seventh episode, Robert and guest Michael "Mikey" Duffy discuss Abel’s Summation, a mathematical concept suggesting that truth is found in the "running total" rather than the "jagged edges" of isolated mistakes, while sharing candid stories of addiction and redemption. Topics range from Robert’s upbringing in Hollywood by heroin-addicted parents to Mikey’s paradoxical life as a 40-year-old resident of The Villages, a Florida retirement community. They examine the devastating "vortex" of the methamphetamine crisis in San Diego and Florida, the shift from free-market economics to the politics of empathy, and the art of hip-hop production, referencing artists from Nipsy Hussle to Kanye West, and concepts like statistical significance versus anecdotal evidence through the lens of sobriety and the influence of fathers who rose from poverty.

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

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In this sixth episode, Robert and guest Justin "JD" Combs, a professor of religious studies and musician, discuss Abegg’s Rule of Eight. Though rooted in the chemistry of valency, they translate this mathematical need for stability into a philosophical meditation on tension, arguing that a perfectly stable person, like a perfectly stable atom, stops reacting and essentially disappears from a dynamic world. They examine the "deep and dark" realities of generational trauma and addiction recovery, sharing raw stories of growing up with fathers who struggled with heroin, alcohol, and methamphetamines, JD’s research into Paganism, Druidism, and nature-based spirituality as a response to a scientific Western mindset. They navigate the shifting resonance of music, from the technical mastery of Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan to the visceral energy of a Rage Against the Machine pit, and explores concepts like Zen Buddhism, quantum entanglement, and the liberation theology of the Black and Latino church through the lens of personal grit and the struggle to remain "spiritually mature" in a world of uncertainty.

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

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In this special fifth episode, Robert and guest Kevan Nichols (who also goes by the names Ken Savage and KDOH The Dope Rapper) discuss Abegg’s rule, a chemistry theory regarding the fixed economy of personality, while sharing raw stories of identity, survival, and sobriety, Kevan’s life as a comedian, rapper, and father navigating the complexities of co-parenting. They examine the indoctrination of systemic poverty, the "deep and dark pit" of addiction recovery, and the shifting resonance of personal responsibility.

Kevan's podcast Let's Gettem Talkin' can be found on YOUTUBE, his music can be found on SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, and AMAZON.

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 this fourth episode, Robert and guest Max (Maximilian de Rozieres Gentilhomme de Laveline) discuss the ABC Model of Psychology, a theory of behavior based on operant conditioning, while sharing insights on individuation and the internal "map" of human behavior, and Max’s life as a chemical engineer, material scientist, and next-generation lithium-ion battery builder. They examine the Jungian archetypes and the "veil" of schizophrenia, the stigmatized potential of nuclear energy, and the shifting resonance of energy from electromagnetic waves to the "energy vampirism" of narcissism.

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 third episode, Robert and guest Theo (Theodore Niekras) discuss the abc conjecture, a mathematical theory of entanglement, while sharing raw stories of identity and survival. They examine the indoctrination machine of the military, the "deep and dark pit" of addiction recovery, and the shifting resonance of music from punk and yacht rock to jungle and gospel. They explore concepts like Zen Buddhism and the mathematical archetypes of nature through the lens of personal grit and the struggle to find mentors in a "crazy world."

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.