The Postmodern Condition. What it means to be a philosopher, or an artist, in the postmodern world. A basic, relatively short, introduction to postmodernism for high school debaters.

Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
A lecture to help you get your mind around a quintessential French postmodernist. This is recorded in three parts; there is an unfortunate section in part two that gets a little thick, but for the most part, it's clear. I recommend reading the book, especially the essay Precession of Simulacra, before listening to the lecture. I also recommend a visit to Disneyland or Disney World; feel free to take me along with you.

From Caveman to Frenchman
Menick explains art, from the earliest days to the latest at Dia. (Or read the illustrated pdf, if that's your preference.)
2/28/08 There is now a small pamphlet of Caveman art now available, separate from the illustrated lecture.

• Part 1 Introduction and Part One, Narrative
• Part 2, The Ancients to the Renaissance
  start,
  middle,
  conclusion
• Part 3 The Birth of the Individual (from the Renaissance to the Romantics)
• Part 4 Modernism: The Narrative Becomes Narration
• Part 5, Postmodernism
  Start Some general ideas, and some Frenchies
  Middle Postmodern art, literature and architecture
  Conclusion A few things that didn't fit earlier, and an adieu.

Judging LD for parents. A general guide to what happens at a tournament, and what is expected of a parent judge. There are also some printed materials accompanying this lecture at the MHL judging site.

Research. A general guide to research, aimed primarily at newer LD and PF debaters. There is also a pdf for those who prefer to read these things.

Lexington tab revisited in 2008. Although I ran out of time and didn't talk about the Black Cloud Over Monticello or the Miracle of the Burrito, most of what happened is recorded here.

The tabbing of Yale, 2007.
Part 1. We've done Lexington. Let's look at a college, this time out.
Part 2.
Part 3. (Sorry about the quality of this: too late to do anything about it now.)
If you only want to listen to the best part, on-site, go straight to #3.
As mentioned in the recordings, here's a copy of the Excel spreadsheet that concatenates team names.

Backstage at Lexington. What goes on in tab? Here's the answer.

Jon Cruz interview. An interview that took place in November of 2006. Audio quality is slightly off (it's a copy of a copy), but in the main it's O'C, his life, times and opinions.

Arguing the Resolution. A general lecture on why it makes sense to argue the resolution at hand.
A pdf is also available.

Geopolitics. This incorporates the sovereignty material (below) but redirects the enterprise toward understanding the interplay of nations in the world today, with an eye on acquisition of nuclear weapons. A pdf is also available.

Sovereignty. An introduction to the concept of national sovereignty, based on an old blog entry (which is here in a pdf if you're curious). It's simply a long explanation of the general idea, and not a dig into things like Hobbes or Rousseau and the philosophical construct of sovereign.

Business. A general lecture on how business works, to help get your mind around business resolutions. (This was my first attempt at recording, so it's a little warbly at tiimes.)

Take me home, country road...