Podcast
The Don Sullivan Show
Hosted by Don Sullivan · EN
The Don Sullivan Show is dedicated to expanding fundamental awareness and knowledge in Science, Technology, and Computing for all Americans. To achieve this lofty goal, we bring in expert guests from every corner of these fields to explore a wide range of topics. Our hosts and guests tackle today’s most intriguing subjects, with a blend of casual conversation, sharp wit, and just the right amount of glib sarcasm. We aim to break down complex ideas in a way that even your average sharp teenager can grasp, using sports metaphors where they fit to keep things lively. Our goal is to introduce difficult concepts to the broadest of audiences.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Best of The Don Sullivan Show: Resilience, Innovation & Exploration
Feb 2301:16:15Tap to summarizeThis special “Best of” episode brings together powerful conversations on overcoming adversity, personal health, and the rapidly evolving world of AI and technology. Along the way, we dive into the artistry of music, the fascinating mechanics behind luxury timepieces, and the design brilliance of architecture. The journey culminates in unforgettable travel stories from Alaska, including close encounters with bears and surviving the raw unpredictability of the wilderness. It’s a wide-ranging, inspiring ride through grit, curiosity, craftsmanship, and adventure.
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Becoming a Pinball Wizard: Inside Competitive Pinball with Joshua Francis
Feb 1600:50:47Tap to summarizePinball has entertained players for generations, rising to cultural prominence in the 1940s and again in the arcade boom of the 1970s. Today the game is experiencing a surprising resurgence. Joshua Francis, a competitive player and champion, joins the team to explain why pinball is popular again, how the modern competitive scene works, and where the hobby is headed next.
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When Brain Tumors Don’t Kill but Change Everything — with Stuart Klugler
Feb 900:41:59Tap to summarizeA brain tumor diagnosis is life altering even when it is not life threatening. In this episode the team speaks with Stuart Klugler who lives with multiple acoustic neuromas, benign tumors that grow on the auditory nerve but can profoundly affect hearing, balance, identity, and daily life. His story explores what survival really means when the danger is not death but permanent change.
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Where Art Meets Engineering: The Human Triumph of Architecture
Feb 201:03:31Tap to summarizeThe breadth of human accomplishment is astounding, and the ingenuity behind it is just as remarkable. At TheDonSullivanShow.com, we created the series Where Art Meets Engineering to explore how creativity and technical mastery come together to shape the world around us. While the series began with an exploration of fine timepieces, its scope reaches far beyond that foundation. In this episode, the team welcomes renowned interior architect Fredrick Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation on the extraordinary achievements of architecture and how design, engineering, and human vision combine to create spaces that endure.
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ERP Then and Now: The Past, Present, and Future with SAP
Jan 2600:46:55Tap to summarizeThirty years ago, few computer scientists would have imagined that a single software platform could run, integrate, and shape nearly every business process across an entire enterprise, yet that vision has become reality through the evolution of Enterprise Resource Planning; in this episode, the DSS team is joined by ERP veteran Vas Mitra, who has witnessed and helped shape this transformation from its earliest days to today’s intelligent, cloud-driven systems, as they explore how ERP has evolved, what defines its role in the modern enterprise, and where it is headed next.
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The Missing Half: Why Women Remain Underrepresented in Silicon Valley with Shinie Shaw
Jan 1900:54:36Tap to summarizeAlthough DSS intentionally steers clear of politics, we don’t shy away from examining real, observable imbalances. Even after the supposed “reset” of the early 2020s, Silicon Valley still shows a striking gender gap. Why, when women make up half the population and half the available talent, are they so underrepresented across the companies that define the Six Cities of Silicon Valley? And why does this same pattern persist across much of the technology industry? These are not questions with simple or convenient answers, nor can they be reduced to the kind of heated rhetoric that often dominates the conversation. To explore the issue with clarity and experience, we invited veteran Silicon Valley executive Shinie Shaw to join the DSS team. Together, we dig into the realities behind the numbers, the cultural and structural forces at play, and what meaningful progress could actually look like.
Transcribe →Is Creation Science Real Science?
Jan 1200:48:20Tap to summarizeScience is traditionally defined by adherence to the scientific method. An idea is proposed as a hypothesis, tested rigorously, and refined into a theory through experimentation and peer review. Over long periods of repeated confirmation, a theory may ultimately be regarded as a scientific law. In time, it is likely that concepts we now refer to as theories, such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, will be spoken of as laws of science. At times, alternative frameworks of thought, such as what is often called “Creation Science,” which is rooted primarily in religious belief and biblical interpretation, generate debate and discomfort within academic and scientific communities. Nevertheless, the DSS, guided by its fundamental commitment to open inquiry and respectful dialogue, welcomes a good friend of the show, Alaskan bush pilot Ben Bunn, for a thoughtful discussion of Creation Science.
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Don's Elbow Surgery: Under the Knife, Still on the Mic
Jan 500:41:09Tap to summarizeDon may climb mountains and hike deep into canyons, but sometimes life throws challenges off the trail. In this episode, the show takes an unusually candid turn as Don shares his real-time experience getting elbow surgery. Using his own journey as a real-world case study, Don speaks openly about health, recovery, and resilience. It’s raw, unfiltered, and deeply human.
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Inside the Caribbean: Wild Weather & Ancient Forces
Dec 2900:43:45Tap to summarizeFor centuries, the Caribbean Sea has been a place of wonder and danger. Fierce hurricanes, active volcanoes, and shifting geology have shaped the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the richly diverse waters that surround them. In this episode, Don sails and hikes across the islands, uncovering the natural forces that make the Caribbean one of the most dynamic and beautiful regions in the world.
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How Heavy Is Heavy Metal? with John Ducroiset
Dec 2201:00:22Tap to summarizeScience, Technology, and Computing is a broad umbrella, and this show explores everything beneath it. In past episodes, we’ve examined the evolution of music and its impact on the human experience. In this episode, we go deeper—and heavier. Join the team as they dive into the origins, construction, and cultural consequences of the strange, powerful, and often chaotic world of heavy metal, guided by professional musician John Ducroiset.
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