Best Gotta Hack Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 603 - The Bureaucrats, Part 2 41:27

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30m ago41:27

41:27

This week: the Meiji Bureaucracy, in all its glory. How did the system actually work? What sorts of people did it attract? And what happened when the United States tried to reform the system after 1945? Show notes here.

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Episode 602 - The Bureaucrats, Part 1 36:05

7d ago36:05

36:05

In America, when we think of bureaucracy, it doesn't conjure the best associations. In Japan, meanwhile, the bureaucracy has a long history as one of the central organs of the state. So, how did that happen, and why has the bureaucracy--rather uniquely among Japanese institutions--survived as long as it has? Show notes here.…

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Episode 601 - On Grad School (w/Charlotte Lai!) 59:12

6d ago59:12

59:12

One of the questions I get asked a lot is about grad school: what's it like, who's it for, what applications are like, and so on. But I've been out of academia for almost 10 years, so it's hard to say what things are like today. Fortunately, a listener and friend was willing to hop on and share her far more recent experiences! Thanks again to Charl…

351
Episode 600 - The Six-Hundredth Episode 41:40

20d ago41:40

41:40

Here we are again, my friends! It's been two years since our last Q and A, and now it's time for a new one. Thank you all for your questions, and here's to another 100. Show notes here.

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Episode 599 - Ain't It Grand? 36:38

25d ago36:38

36:38

This week, we're talking about one of the oddest moments of the final years of feudalism: a spontaneous outbreak of dancing and religious worship collectively referred to as the "Ee Ja Nai Ka" movement. What was it, what motivated it, and how much can we even answer those questions to begin with? Show notes here.…

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Episode 598 - Koume's World, Part 5 38:29

1M ago38:29

38:29

This week, we're finishing our time with Kawai Koume by looking at how life in Wakayama had changed by the mid-1870s. Feudalism is no more, Confucianism is a historical relic, and the samurai class are in the midst of being consigned to the dustbin of history; so what is Koume thinking and doing as she's watching the world she grew up with vanish i…

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Episode 597 - Koume's World, Part 4 38:16

1M ago38:16

38:16

This week, the Kawai family has finally made good in the world of feudal Wakayama--just in time for that world to come down around their ears. How did the family finally make it to the top, and what was it like for them to watch the shogunate and the samurai class itself implode? Show notes here.

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Episode 596 - Koume's World, Part 3 35:16

2M ago35:16

35:16

After a long hiatus, the diary of Kawai Koume picks back up in 1853, a year of absolutely no world-shaking importance in Japanese history whatsoever-wait, I'm hearing from our producers that, in point of fact, some pretty crazy things are about to go down. And Kawai Koume, like many others, is frantically going to be trying to follow the latest new…

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Episode 595 - Koume's World, Part 2 38:37

2M ago38:37

38:37

This week, we'll look at the first chunk of Kawai Koume's diary, which deals with life in the 1830s--or as she knew it, the Tenpo Era. What can we learn about the lives of samurai and commoners in Wakayama during the final decades before the great crises that would end feudalism in Japan? Show notes here.…

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Episode 594 - Koume's World, Part 1 35:40

2M ago35:40

35:40

This week, we're starting a new miniseries focused on the life of Kawai Koume, a samurai woman living in Wakayama in the early 1800s. Today is going to be all about framing her life--what do we know about her upbringing, and about the city she grew up in during the twilight years of Japanese feudalism? Show notes here.…

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Episode 593 - The Artist of the Open Road, Part 3 36:18

2M ago36:18

36:18

This week, we wrap up our series on Hiroshige with a few lingering questions about his career. How much does his "artistic borrowing" really matter? What's his relationship to Hiroshiges II and III? What about his second marriage and daughter? And ultimately, what makes him so damn famous--and what can we learn from that? Show notes here.…

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Episode 592 - The Artist of the Open Road, Part 2 36:10

3M ago36:10

36:10

This week, we're covering Hiroshige's emergence as an artist, which took 20 years after he finished his apprenticeship in the Utagawa school. Why the long gap? And what changed to finally allow him to break out artistically? Show notes here.

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Episode 591 - The Artist of the Open Road, Part 1 38:33

3M ago38:33

38:33

This week, we're starting a new miniseries on the life of one of the most famous artists in Japanese history: Utagawa Hiroshige. We'll start off this week with a general discussion of the world of ukiyo-e during the late 1700s before moving into Hiroshige's early life and his entry into the world of woodblock printing. Show notes here.…

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Episode 590 - An Interview with Dr. Mike Freiling 57:54

3M ago57:54

57:54

This week on the podcast, something completely different! I'm getting some help talking about poetry from Mike Freiling, whose new translation of Hyakunin Isshu, entitled One Hundred Poems of Old Japan, will be out just a little over a week from now. We'll talk tanka vs. haiku, how translation works, and share a few favorites from one of Japan's mo…

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Episode 589 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 6 41:48

3M ago41:48

41:48

Our final episode in this miniseries brings conspiracism in Japan to the present day, as we discuss a wave of antisemitic conspiracy theorists from the 80s and 90s and the impact of the internet on conspiracism in Japan and around the world. Finally, we'll look at how things stand today, and go over some final thoughts on conspiracism in general. S…

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Episode 588 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 5 36:28

3M ago36:28

36:28

This week, we're covering the postwar "Red Scare" in Japan, which has roots going back to the early 20th century but which was boosted during the postwar era by right-wing politicians and even members of the American occupation government. That conspiracy would, in turn, help shape both prewar and postwar politics on a profound level. Show notes he…

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Episode 587 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 4 38:58

4M ago38:58

38:58

This week, conspiracism takes a new twist in Japan, from paranoid worries about Christianity to paranoid beliefs in "Western encirclement". How did this new form of conspiracism help drive Japan's descent into fascism, empire, and eventually the self-destructive decisions of the Second World War? Show notes here.…

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Episode 586 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 3 38:07

4M ago38:07

38:07

This week, we explore the "Christian conspiracies" of Edo Period Japan. Working backwards from the Osaka Incident of 1827, when a group of supposed Christian spirit mediums were uncovered as a part of a fraud investigation, we'll look at how Christianity was transformed from an actual religion into an evil spiritual threat to the foundations of Jap…

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Episode 585 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 2 38:29

4M ago38:29

38:29

Japan's "Christian Century" is the source of many fascinating aspects of Japanese history, from modern firearms to tenpura. But there's one more way that the century from 1543-1639 shaped Japan--as the source of its first conspiracist moment! Show notes here.

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Episode 584 - The All-Seeing Eye, Part 1 37:06

5M ago37:06

37:06

This week, something a bit different: the start of a history of conspiracy theories in Japan. This first episode is mostly framing: what is conspiracism as a mindset, and how is it different from actual conspiracies? Show notes here.

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Episode 583 - The Men of Chivalry, Part 3 41:57

5M ago41:57

41:57

This week: we take a look at the genre of the yakuza movie, or ninkyo eiga, which started off as a branch of the samurai film genre before becoming very much its own thing--and, for a decade or so in the 1960s and 1970s, dominating the Japanese box office. Show notes here.

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Episode 582 - The Men of Chivalry, Part 2 42:51

5M ago42:51

42:51

This week: we take a look at postwar samurai film/jidaigeki in order to understand better the trajectory of the most influential genre in the history of Japanese film. Why did jidaigeki, a staple of pre-1945 film, storm back with a vengeance to the big screen after the end of World War II? What makes post-1945 samurai films distinctive or unique? A…

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Episode 581 - The Men of Chivalry, Part 1 35:24

5M ago35:24

35:24

This week, we're starting a history of the most famous genre in the history of Japanese film: the jidaigeki, and its related genre of the ninkyo eiga. This week: what do we know about early jidaigeki, and how do they fit into the wider history of early Japanese film? Show notes here.

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Episode 580 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 7 39:51

6M ago39:51

39:51

This week: we wrap up the miniseries with the end of Akebono's career, as the first gaijin yokozuna takes his post-dohyo trajectory in a very different direction from the other yokozuna before him (or at least, from most of the other yokozuna before him). Plus some final thoughts on sumo today. Show notes here.…

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Episode 579 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 6 37:40

6M ago37:40

37:40

This week: Akebono becomes a yokozuna, and finds himself burdened with new expectations on and off the dohyo. Plus, a brief foray into pay and compensation for rikishi, and a final section on one of the most infamous moments of the 64th yokozuna's career. Show notes here.

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Episode 578 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 5 36:17

6M ago36:17

36:17

This week: in the span of just a few years, Akebono goes from a rookie in sumo to one of its most prominent names, and alongside Konishiki one of the Americans dominating in the top division. But unlike Konishiki, he has the potential to go one step further. So, how does a guy from Waimanalo become the first non-Japanese citizen ever to claim the t…

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Episode 577 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 4 36:01

6M ago36:01

36:01

This week: Chad Rowan, who will be the first non-Japanese yokozuna in history, is the subject for the rest of our episodes. How did he come to sumo? What was his early career like? And how did he come to be known by the name Akebono-the rising sun? Show notes here.

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The implications of phone theft 18:00

6M ago18:00

18:00

In this episode, Felix and Alex discuss the alarming rise of phone thefts in London, sharing personal anecdotes and insights into the implications of losing a device. They explore security measures, user behaviors, and the broader impact of identity theft in today's digital age. The conversation emphasizes the importance of enhancing phone security…

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Episode 576 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 3 39:35

7M ago39:35

39:35

This week: after Taiho, the floodgates open as more non-Japanese rikishi begin to enter the sport. One of them, Takamiyama, has a good but not great career. But two of the rikishi he recruits to train under him after retirement--Konishiki Yasokichi and Akebono Taro--will change sumo forever. Show notes here.…

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Episode 575 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 2 38:28

7M ago38:28

38:28

This week: Taiho begins his grand sumo career, and quickly proves to be one of the best ever to do it. We'll use his career to discuss: what does greatness look like in a sport like sumo? What were the highlights of one of the greatest careers in sumo history? And what were the small number of cases where Taiho didn't prove able to come out on top?…

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Episode 574 - The Kings of the Ring, Part 1 38:55

7M ago38:55

38:55

This week, we're beginning a new miniseries on the legends of Japan's most ancient sport: sumo. What can we learn about Japan and Japanese identity by looking at the lives of some of the most famous competitors in the national sport? We'll begin investigating that question with a look at the life of one of the greatest ever to enter the ring: Taiho…

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Autonomous ships, cyber security and the workboat code 19:06

7M ago19:06

19:06

In this conversation, Felix and Oli discuss the development of a hydrogen-powered uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and the associated cybersecurity challenges. They explore the importance of integrating cybersecurity measures from the outset, navigating regulatory frameworks like Workboat Code 3, and the ongoing challenges of ensuring compliance and s…

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Episode 573 - The Revolutionary, Part 8 37:56

7M ago37:56

37:56

For our final episode of this miniseries: Miyazaki Manabu faces down with the National Police Agency as he finds himself the prime suspect in Japan's highest profile criminal case of the 1980s. After he comes out on top, where does he go next? Why, the natural place for any high profile criminal suspect: into media, and then politics! Show notes he…

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Episode 572 - The Revolutionary, Part 7 33:14

7M ago33:14

33:14

In our penultimate episode for this miniseries: Miyazaki Manabu narrowly escapes doing prison time, only to end up back in the underworld first of Osaka, and then Tokyo. And from there, he ends up square in the crosshairs of the police once again--this time as a suspect in one of the most infamous criminal cases in postwar history. Show notes here.…

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Episode 571 - The Revolutionary, Part 6 32:42

8M ago32:42

32:42

This week: Miyazaki's time as a politics reporter, the end of his reporting career, and his return to the family business. How did he go, in the span of five years, from a successful reporter to a wanted criminal facing police prosecution? Show notes here.

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Episode 570 - The Revolutionary, Part 5 32:45

8M ago32:45

32:45

This week: Miyazaki Manabu's dramatic departure from the Communist Party, as his faith in the revolution wanes. What does a wannabe college revolutionary with no prospects turn to when the revolution fails to materialize? Show notes here.

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Episode 569 - The Revolutionary, Part 4 38:27

8M ago38:27

38:27

This week: Miyazaki Manabu goes from the Sodai struggle at Waseda to an active participant in the violent clashes of the late 1960s student movement, as a part of the "action corps" of the Communist Party. We'll take an up close and personal look to see: what was it like to be a radical student in the 1960s? Show notes here.…

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Episode 568 - The Revolutionary, Part 3 35:20

8M ago35:20

35:20

This week on the podcast: Miyazaki Manabu faces his first battle as a college activist with the administration of his own school at Waseda University. It...does not go well.

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Episode 567 - The Revolutionary, Part 2 35:58

9M ago35:58

35:58

This week: Miyazaki Manabu completes his transformation from son of a yakuza boss to a committed member of the Communist party. After all, it turns out those two groups have a surprising amount in common... Show notes here.

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Episode 566 - The Revolutionary, Part 1 33:16

9M ago33:16

33:16

This week: the start of a multi-part "modernized biography" intended to help us explore postwar Japan through the lens of a single, fascinating life. This episode is mostly focused on introducing our subject--Miyazaki Manabu--and his unique and fascinating circumstances as the scion of a small yakuza family. Show notes here.…

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Episode 565 - Riot Girls 38:13

9M ago38:13

38:13

This week: what do we know about women and the wrong end of the law during the Tokugawa Period? Given the male-dominated nature of the feudal social order and the historical written record, what can we figure out? And what are the limits of that knowledge? Show notes here.

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Episode 564 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 3 37:10

9M ago37:10

37:10

This week: outside of big urban riots, how did violence figure into the daily life of the Edo period? To answer this question, we'll take a look at one particularly well-documented example: youth gangs in the area surrounding Sensoji in the shogun's capital of Edo. Show notes here.

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Episode 563 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 2 36:25

10M ago36:25

36:25

This week, we cover the second and third of Edo's three great riots in 1787 and 1866. How did samurai and commoners talk about these acts of mass violence? How was all this a manifestation of a sense of "street justice" among the masses? And what's with the handsome young guy everyone keeps swearing was secretly behind the whole thing? Show notes h…

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Episode 562 - You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party, Part 1 39:11

10M ago39:11

39:11

This week: the first of three episodes on urban rioting in Tokugawa period Japan. This week, we're covering the first two urban riots in the history of the shogun's capital city. What drove the people of Edo to riot, and how did the shogunate respond to those challenges to its authority? Show notes here.…

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Episode 561 - The Otaku, Part 3 36:47

10M ago36:47

36:47

In the final episode of this series: how did "otaku culture" spread overseas when it was so stigmatized at home, and what can all this tell us about Japan in the post-bubble era? Show notes here.

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Episode 560 - The Otaku, Part 2 35:50

10M ago35:50

35:50

For our first episode of 2025: "otaku culture" as a phenomenon began to emerge, in part, as a reaction against the crass commercialism of postwar Japan. Yet now, it is entirely a part of the fabric of that commercialism. How did that happen? We'll explore it by looking at two fascinating phenomena: the dojin market known as Comiket and the transfor…

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Episode 559 - The Otaku, Part 1 36:30

11M ago36:30

36:30

Our last episode of 2024 is also the first episode in a series on one of Japan's most distinctive cultural phenomenons: otaku culture. This week: is the idea of being an "otaku" older than we think? Show notes here.

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Episode 558 - The Hack 35:08

11M ago35:08

35:08

This week, the story of an Edo period writer whose primary claim to fame was producing decent ripoffs of people far more famous and talented than him. What does a career like that tell us about the book market in premodern Japan--and more importantly about what we as people tend to look for in the things we read? Show notes here.…

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Attacking Santa's Christmas deliveries 19:47

11M ago19:47

19:47

Felix and Alex discuss the attack surface and disruption opportunities for a Cyber attack against Santa's Christmas delivery schedule.By You Gotta Hack That

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Episode 557 - The Gods March Overseas, Part 3 38:14

11M ago38:14

38:14

This week: Taiwan was the first overseas territory annexed by Japan with a large existing population. So how did the government's policies on religion--and especially Shinto--help shape the nature of Japanese colonial rule there? And how did those policies evolve as Taiwan's own place in the empire changed? Show notes here.…