Dr. Beth Goodwin is a Marine Biologist whose work was recently featured in the Apple TV+ series, Earthsounds. In fact, while shooting “Earthsounds,” Dr. Goodwin and team used a remotely operated vessel the size of a surfboard, with a built-in hydrophone, and discovered a new corridor for humpback whales moving between Hawaii and Mexico in waters thought to be unreachable to them, highlighting the importance of this remote area of the ocean. Further information on the waveglider’s discovery can be found HERE. And we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with Beth to discuss that discovery and her involvement with the show.
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John Betancourt: How did you come to be involved in this particular series?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: I'm not really remembering how we first connected about Europa's missions in search for humpbacks whales in remote deep ocean basins, but in short order, we were like "family" making plans to film Europa's mission and results.
 
John Betancourt: Let’s talk a little bit about the discovery your team made filming, first what was it like to see it play out?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: It was an amazing experience having never really been a part of a professional film. The attention the crew had to detail and accuracy while still getting stunning background footage, close up sounds and details, capturing the true essence of the waveglider was quite remarkable. It took a superb level of skill for the time and patience the crew had to have to capture the scenes they did. I learned a lot about the process to get just one scene!!
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to have that discovery documented in this series?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: It's a bit of legacy for Jupiter Research Foundation, Europa, and myself. It's a way for your results to be broadcast to a very large audience, both in the scientific community and as well as the general community interested in protecting our planet.
 
John Betancourt: What do you hope audiences take away from your discovery?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: That there is so much more we don't know about whales, our planet, and that we are all interconnected. That new technology will continue to open our eyes to the world we haven't seen.
 
John Betancourt: What do you hope this series does for science and environmental awareness?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: The series really did a fantastic job at recording, discovering, and presenting new discoveries to the public. I learned so much from the docuseries and have shared with fellow researchers who have said the same thing. It presented new material, showed how we are all connected and how creative scientists have to be to keep exploring and learning about our environment.
 
John Betancourt: What does it meant to you, to be part of this ambitious series?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: A real joy! Brilliant!
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this series?
 
Dr. Beth Goodwin: Being a part of Jupiter Research Foundation, which developed the waveglider, and enabled us to develop Europa with sensors that could explore deep ocean basins like never before and make a very unexpected discovery about humpback whales, their migration, behavior, and song, thereby having an impact on future management. That Offspring and Apple were able to see just how impressive this work truly is and wanted to include it in a most brilliant docuseries.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Sy Montgomery is an author that has spent a great deal of her time writing about and studying the Octopus. Adam Geiger is a director/writer/producer/director of photography and Dr. Alex Schnell is a National Geographic Explorer, and the host of a series that ties all three of these individuals together, Secrets of the Octopus. A powerful documentary that is out now and to celebrate its release, and Earth Day, we sat down this trio to talk about the show and all things octopus.
 
John Betancourt: What it is about the octopus that has captivated all of you so much, to bring a series like this to life.
 
Dr. Alex Schnell: I think they offer a very beautiful balance between something that is so different from us. They have eight arms, a beak, blue blood, three hearts. But then we're starting to find these glimmers of similarity in a way that allows us to connect with them.
 
Adam Geiger: I think that what's most surprising about octopus is that when you look in the eyes of an octopus, when you're underwater and close to them, there is a presence looking back at you, there's so much more to them than so many other animals. And it just reminds us that they are, we’re part of… of a bigger world. And they're a fascinating, fascinating part of it.
 
Sy Montgomery: Well, when I started writing about octopus in 2011, even the title of the first book I had in mind gave people pause, because it's titled The Soul of an Octopus. How could an octopus have a soul? And the subtitle was A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness. And consciousness is one of those questions that some philosophers think we don't have it. But I can tell you after having been friends with just a small handful of octopuses, but having spent years knowing them, that if I have a soul, they have a soul. And this series, Secrets of the Octopus goes one step further than I was able to back in 2011. And it's answering so many of the questions that came to me, when I first began to know these animals.
 
John Betancourt: What have each of you learned about our world, spending so much time with these amazing animals?
 
Sy Montgomery: Well, I'm gonna quote Thales of Miletus, the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, as one does. (Laughter from everyone) “The universe is alive, and has fire in it, and is full of gods, that the universe is far more alive, and adamant, and holy, then we can imagine, and that demands of us a reverence for all of life, and that we journey through this life on this gorgeous Earth with wonder, and love.”
 
Adam Geiger: What she said. (Laughter from everyone) Look, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I think that for me, personally, the revelation over, you know, I was fascinated with octopus, which is what got us into this, this whole mess really. But over the course of the filming, and reviewing the footage, and having Alex's input and Sy’s input, and even Jim Cameron's, just understanding how intelligent and how much personality and how much of a being exists out there in the natural world that we have for so long felt we were above, was really, really humbling to know that this animal that you know, that is… we're not anywhere nearly close to it, you know, we're separated by 500 million years of evolution. And yet here is this intelligent animal that gives you pause; makes you understand where your where your places in the natural world.
 
Dr. Alex Schnell:  I think that, as humans, we're always drawn to animals that are most closely related to us. We feel empathy and compassion for the animals that look and behave in similar ways and then as you move across the evolutionary tree of life, we feel indifferent and maybe disconnected from those other species. And what I hope this series really brings, is that you can connect to an animal that is so alien. And I really believe that octopus are the ambassadors that are really allowing us to have respect and compassion for diverse critters. They don't have to look like that they don't have to behave like us. But they still deserve our respect. And you know, we shouldn't overlook all the critters that inhabit our planet that we share our planet with. And so, what I'm really hoping for is just this shift in perspective so that we can connect more to nature and all the animals out there, not just the big, very charismatic ones.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most looking forward to audiences experiencing, when they settle in to watch this show?
 
Adam Geiger: I think when the audience watches this, I'm hoping that Secrets of the Octopus makes them find a surprising connection to an animal that is so different to us. I think that's really one of the biggest goals is to create that empathy in that connection. And to demonstrate that this, this odd creature actually has a personality, it has a soul.
 
Dr. Alex Schnell: I think that what we offer in this series is we reveal a lot of secrets. Even all of us were really blown away by the new behaviors that we were seeing, even though I've worked with them for over a decade. You've (Sy) been watching them for years and years. And you've also been studying them since, you know, looking into them since 2011. And I think in terms of even though they're so different, the way that we can remove the barrier of otherness is to help the audience understand them more. And that'll help them connect with them more. And then the more we understand about nature, and all its critters, the more we want to love and protect it. And that's really the take home that I hope happens with the series.
 
Sy Montgomery: Oh, absolutely, what they said, and particularly right now, when there's so many divisions that are separating human beings, it's good to exercise those muscles of connection. And interestingly, in cultures around the world, the octopus, unsurprisingly, able to stretch those elastic arms out in all directions, is often used as a symbol of uniting diverse peoples. And this, this series, who knows may be able to help us do that really sacred important… thing.
 
John Betancourt: I’m noticing more and more, we are seeing nature documentaries focus on specific species of animals, and I’m curious why you all think now is the right time to make the Octopus a focus.
 
Dr. Alex Schnell: Well, I think we can say this is the golden age of octopus. And you know, maybe 10-15 years ago, people wouldn't have been as interested but there's been certain books like Sy’s book, the Netflix series My Octopus Teacher, that I think can pique the interest of our viewers, and we just want to learn more. And I think that when I first started working on an octopus 15 years ago, the reaction that I would often get is, “Ew, why!? They're so grotesque, and they're slimy, and you know, they're delicious. I love octopus, you know, what have they got to offer?” Whereas now, I think with the series and the intimate interactions and the behaviors and the storytelling, we are really offering a window into the octopus mind and also a different perspective. So, people are going to walk away seeing a completely different side of octopus and people are ready for that.
 
Adam Geiger: You know, only about 5% of octopus species have even been studied, and that's mostly in the laboratory, because they are notoriously difficult to study in the wild. What Secrets of the Octopus did was groundbreaking in putting scientists, authors, filmmakers in the field for extended periods of time to create that intimate portrait of, of these rather enigmatic animals. And I think that's going to really create a connection for the audience. And they're ready for it.
 
Sy Montgomery: Oh, I’d also like to call attention to all the different species that are featured in Secrets of the Octopus. From little, little, tiny coconut octopuses that actually walk into your hand when you extend it, to Scarlett who stretches out her arm, up to octopuses, like the Mimic, who can change in the blink of an eye from looking exactly like a lionfish to no, a poisonous flounder to wait, you know, I'm not completely, um, a bunch of sea snakes. They have so many amazing -- we are seeing octopuses trundling around on the sea floor like a weary commuter, dragging their suitcase. We are seeing a little tiny octopuses looking like algae just flowing along. We're seeing octopuses mate, we're seeing octopuses fight, we're seeing octopuses, working with other species to find their food. So that breadth of different species and different talents that octopus has, to which you went to literally the four corners of the Earth to get is something that has never been seen before.
 
John Betancourt; The last question I have for you is a bit more technical, but I think it's important .What can viewers do to get more involved in conservation efforts, since we are at a point where that is always a concern?
 
Sy Montgomery: Well, one thing, you can join Octonation, which is big octopus fan club, and they will you keep abreast of all things octopus, anything we can do to help our seas, such as use less plastic, use your vote, to vote for candidates in our political system who are going to protect our Earth and our seas. And there's a proposal right now to factory farm octopuses in the Canary Islands in Spain. And as I'm sure folks have heard about factory farming of land animals, it's wasteful, it causes a great deal of pollution. And it's extremely cruel to the animals that are being farmed. So, I would say, let's add our voices to folks that are trying to stop this project in the Canary Islands.
 
Adam Geiger: I just, I just think that as, as a citizen of, you know, of Earth as somebody on the spaceship, we have to do everything we can to try to keep the natural world alive, because ultimately, that's what will keep us alive. So, reducing the use of plastic, understanding that the ocean, when you look at it as an opaque surface, you can't see what's down there. But you have to understand it is not a garbage can. We have to do everything we can to let the species that are there thrive. And same on Earth or, you know, terrestrially but the ocean is the heart of the lungs of the planet.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. To learn more about Octonation, click here.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Apple TV+ series, ‘Manhunt’.
 
After seven incredible weeks of storytelling, we finally have a complete understanding of what followed the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and what led to it, courtesy of the Apple TV+ series, Manhunt. And to properly send this series off the airwaves we here at NTG were able to speak with Actor Damian O’Hare, who played Detective Thomas Eckert on the series to discuss all things, Manhunt.
 
John Betancourt: I like to start by getting to know what was it that called to you about this particular project?
 
Damian O’Hare: Well, obviously, being a historical project, you know, that's a jumping off point. And as an actor, you get the material and you look around, you look at who's involved with it, and obviously, it was Apple, and there were some wonderful people involved and then I started reading about a bit around the time and the project and, the fact that it can't it came from Jim Swanson's amazing book, which I hadn’t read at the time. But I actually found out from a lot of friends that they had read it. And that had been, I think it was about maybe eight or nine years before our project sort of given to come into being. And I devoured it, you know, it read like a thriller, even though it's all historically accurate. And I'm a fan of history and historical pieces as well. So yeah, but I mean, you, you immediately just go off the source material. And it was fascinating. I thought, you know, ostensibly, to start off, and especially the first couple of episodes, it's a sort of linear thriller, you know, a cat and mouse chase, but what was wonderful to me was that Monica Beletsky, you know, the creator, married in the whole picture of the world around and what was actually going on at the time. So, it feels like a sort of a very rich sort of tapestry. And the fact that it was an ensemble piece, was just wonderful as well, you know, I got I got to work alongside such other great actors as well. And it was wonderful, and I got to ride a horse, and wear a big mustache and the top hat, you know, so what's not what's not like, you know?  I must have a very period face because I seem to do quite a lot of historical pieces. This, this one was a joy.
 
John Betancourt:  What was it about Detective Eckert that called to you as an actor as well.
 
Damian O’Hare: Yeah, well, it's great to be a darkly bit player, historical character, you know, so you've actually got something to go off, you know, so the it's not a completely clean slate, but actually saying that, in Swanson's book, he's only mentioned two or three times I think, maybe, you know, obviously, he was around a lot and a close confidant of (Edwin) Stanton. And (President Abraham) Lincoln as well, I’m actually thinking maybe, perhaps he was supposed to go to Ford's Theater with him that night. And he turned him down, maybe, I think, on the advice of Stanton, because he didn't want him to go. So, I think he told Eckert not entertain them thinking that maybe he wouldn't go if he didn't find a companion. But yeah, then there's, I mean, there's quite a lot of stuff around in Wikipedia about him. And actually, I live in Los Angeles. And so, the Huntington Museum actually has all his papers. His original, a lot of his letters and his, you know, correspondences from the Civil War, and afterwards as well, because he was actually quite a very, so he ended up being one of the first presidents of Western Union after he retired. Yeah, so he was quite a big historical figure, you know, so there was there was great stuff going on around that. And he was a family man, and he just seemed, what I got from, mostly it came from the script, and you know, and what Monica Beletsky did, which was wonderful, was actually give him a life as well, it would have been very easy for him just to be Stanton’s sort of right hand, man, you know, but there was a few points where he actually goes off and does his own sort of bit of investigation and as a character he has a wonderful arc and his own right, you know, so that was great.
 
John Betancourt: Was there any pressure that came about from playing an important historical figure?
 
Damian O’Hare: No, I don't think so. Because it's such a long time in history. I remember one time I was in a stage play in London and I played an artist called John Everett Millais, and he was a very famous painter in the Victorian time probably and his great, great grandson or grandson or something came to see me. And it was like, “oh,” but you know, if someone's so removed, it's not like playing someone who's, who's still living or maybe that everyone has an idea of how they look or how they should sound or something. So, it gives you a lot of sort of free reign, and I didn't think I was going to be offending any family members. But I got the moustache, right, that was a given. But no, there's no pressure. But I think the pressure just comes from, because it's such an incredibly definitive point of American history. The pressure came as jointly as a, you know, just to tell my part of the story as best I could and just to be an important part of that cog. And certainly, from what I've seen, I just caught up on the series last night, I watched the last three episodes and the most recent one last night. And I think it's… I think it's wonderful and telling that story so well, and not just the pursuit of Stanton against Booth, but what was going on at the time as well, you know, and under the fact that the Civil War just finished five days beforehand.
 
I mean, it was incredible, and what they were playing with and, and what was at stake, you know, it was just amazing. And the sort of the Lovie Simone storyline, the Mary Simms storyline, as well as what was happening with the slaves and the freed slaves. And the fact that I was just reading, you know, the population at the time of the US was 31 million. And when Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, that ostensibly freed four million slaves, so, you know, one in under ten people, were enslaved, you know, the whole crash of reconstruction and everything. So, yeah, no, no pressure by playing accurate, per se, but just sort of it was just, it was wonderful to be a part of that, part of the whole group and tell him that story in the history of the time, you know.
 
John Betancourt: Well, the history is what makes this series so fascinating to me. I know in my coursework in school, we breezed through this and its relevance. In fact, I noticed there are some hard parallels in this story that relate to now, and with those in mind, I’m curious what you hope audiences take away from this series.
 
Damian O’Hare: Well, I mean, like, coming from Ireland, as well, you know, you might have noticed (Laughs) there's a lot of similarities you know, and the Civil War aspect, the thing literally pitted brother against brother and family against family, you know, and as a country, we think – I’m now speaking as an American, I live here. I've been here for 12-13 years, my daughter's American, I’m about to get American citizenship this year. But we think, you know, I've heard people say we're so divided as a country, and if you look at these times, it was incredibly divided, you know, and the fact that the Civil War had just happened like five days before Lincoln actually gets shot. And how intermingled these things were, I mean, Jefferson Davis himself was the Secretary of War, you know, the same position that Stanton held himself. So, there was so much cross pollination there. And, and the fact that it was a broken country, literally, these states has had seceded and everything after the election. And so, we haven't seen that yet here happen, and I hope to God we won't. But you know, we have been closer to the brink, let me say, that than we are at the present. But yeah, it's all about, it'll be interesting to see how the last episode goes over, you know, because, ya know, we have told this story of the cat and mouse chase, and it is sort of over in episode six, which is a fantastically brave thing I think Monica has done, as well, and it just said, you know, we weren't just going for this linear thriller type thing.
 
No, we have to see how… not quite resolved but the fallout of that, you know, because, you know, nothing's black and white, you know, and so nothing is resolved completely, you know, or to everyone's liking, but I guess how things settled down and what you actually have to forgive maybe, in order to, to keep things moving and to not to completely isolate people for the rest of history or generations and also because it's so intertwined and you know, and especially that episode when, you know, Stanton is trying to get a link to, to George Sanders and the money that, you know, that funneled this thing and Jefferson Davis and everything behind, and you know, who knows? And at what point you have to pull back and say, “Okay, well, you are,” as my father always says, “We are where we are.” But yeah, we're certainly not as, as divided as we were in these times, like, you know, but I don't know, maybe there are lessons. And certainly, there's a lot of echoes in our story, which bring themselves to the fore, you know, and what's the old adage about history? You know, if you don't learn to from it, you're doomed to repeat it, you know, so?
 
John Betancourt: I think you just hit it on the head about the marginalization. I think that's been a lot of what causes some of the polarization we have right now is that there's a chunk of Americans that feel that feels so misrepresented or feel that they're not heard. And that probably is a very good point that, you know, we should be listening a little bit more than we are with the screaming show we’re putting on now.
 
Damian O’Hare: Well, exactly, exactly. And it's very easy, I mean, as just as human beings, as opposed to try and scream louder than the other person. Whereas, you know, maybe, maybe, you know, listening and sort of like getting together, and again, in Ireland talking about that, you know, these things only happen when people get around the table with each other. And because at the end of the day, everyone wants to just live and be happy and bring their kids up you know, so. Yeah, I mean, all we could do was tell the story, and then let people take their own, what their own sort of stuff from it, you know,
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, I hear the passion you've voiced about the project and the importance of it. What did you enjoy the most about taking part in this?
 
Damian O’Hare: Well, I love… I’ve done a lot of period pieces before. And so, I love the sort of reading around it, and the and watching different things and reading different books, but also the people that were involved in, I mean, Carl Franklin directed the first two episodes. You know, he was just a joy to work with, like, you know, and he's got such a rich pedigree, and there's a lot of stories about him working with Denzel Washington. But just the care and the and the passion, like, you know, Carl’s in his 70s now, you know, but his passion for the project for telling the story was just amazing, you know, and then you know… we filmed in Savannah in Georgia, which had never been to before, which was just gorgeous. I loved it. And there's a hell of a lot. I mean, right opposite the hotel, I was sequestered. And for about six months, there was a Confederate statue still up in the park there, you know, so that history is quite sort of tangible.
 
So, you know, I remember one night actually, we were filming in a beautiful old town house, and there was a couple of us having dinner, but I think it was smoking a cigarette outside or something, there was a black couple sitting outside, we started talking about that history. And their daughter was an opera singer or something. And they followed her round the world, and she’d just been in the Royal Opera House in London or something like that. But she anyway, she was a tour guide. And because there was a lot of talk and about, you know, you're conflicted when you're not part of the world, about the different plantations and everything you wanted to go to. And I was thinking, you know, because you knew the glory and the splendor of these places, but you knew what they were built on the back of and stuff like that. And I remember her saying to me, like, you got to approach history, and there's no point trying to pretend this stuff didn't happen. You know, we got to talk about it. And we got to, we got to address it. And I just thought that was great.
 
So, everything literally down there was wonderful and fantastic. I got to ride horse, I'm working with Tobias (Menzies) whose brilliant as well. I mean, most of my scenes were with Tobias and I'd seen him... we met socially a couple of times years ago when I've seen him on stage. Back in the UK. I lived in London for 16 years. I saw him in a few great productions. I remember seeing him in King Lear, actually Pete Postlethwaite as King Lear. He did a great Edgar. So just to hang around with him for like, five, six months. And then Anthony Boyle is like a fellow city man of mine. He's a Belfast boy as well from Northern Ireland. So just brilliant. You know, just to hang around with those guys and meet Patton Oswalt as well. And Matt Walsh, who was wonderful and I’m fan of, and Lovie Simone was incredible. And I think the work she's doing is amazing. And you know, Betty Gabriel as well, I mean, it was just fantastic. So, the whole, the whole thing was great for yeah, for like six months. That was wonderful, you know?
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, now that the show is out, what does it mean to you for audiences to able to enjoy this in its entirety?
 
John Betancourt: It’s wonderful. Obviously, there's a slight delay because the SAG strike and everything last year, so I think it was initially meant to come out at some point last year, but I'm glad Apple had the faith in the project to sort of hold it back a bit. And I think that showed a lot of the faith they had, they didn't just want to drop it out, they wanted us to be able to publicize it and talk about it. And it's great that it's out there. And obviously, when you do something as an actor, a lot of your face has to has to be in the in the creative team, you know, and our DP was absolutely phenomenal. You know, the show looks so great. I think Monica has done an incredible job of painting that whole world, and it's such a massive sort of skate, you know, I'm really excited, and what I've seen, Apple sent me the first two episodes, it must be last year, so maybe a bit longer, and I couldn't wait to see the rest of it and how it went, you know, and I knew that it was going to be different. Because it shoots out sort of like a gun.
 
And you know, immediately, you think it's going to be this sort of thriller-chase type thing, but then it’s very, it's not afraid to embrace the sort of the cerebral and the sort of like the… what was going on with reconstruction at the time and it asks you as an audience member to actually pay attention, you know, there's not -- you can't be on your phone and sort of ignoring things, you have to actually engage a bit. And I love that. I love seeing that. And I'm glad there's still a space for sort of challenging television or, or like Oppenheimer coming out last year, you know, I'm glad that you know, people are still treating the audience with a modicum of intelligence as well, you know, because it's such a fascinating part of our history. And it needs to be explored and it needs to be explored in such a microscopic way I would say, as well, you know, as well as it being incredibly entertaining, which I think they've done a wonderful job of marrying both things together.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Ray Ellin is an accomplished comedian that also happens to be a huge fan of Little House on the Prairie. In fact, the show means so much to Ray and he’s found so much value within its structure that he recently started a podcast entitled, Wild Nights on the Prairie with Ray Ellin, to break down the central themes present in the show, with a guest no less. And we had the distinct honor of sitting down with Ray to discuss his new show and all things Little House on the Prairie.
 
John Betancourt: I’d like to know… how you came to fall in love with Little House on the Prairie.
 
Ray Ellin: I grew up with all older sisters. So, whatever my sisters were into, came into my field of view. And Little House on the Prairie was one of them. I was so young, that I watched a little bit of it when I was a little boy. But I really then revisited the show and got more into it when it was on reruns. And eventually, I own every episode that you could possibly have. They're stored in this little replica of the iconic Little House. But it's just such a great show. And I, you know, I can still talk about it with my… my sister and I laugh about the show now. And you can never stop learning from Little House for sure.
 
John Betancourt: Now what I find fascinating about your show, is that… well some folks could say that this classic series is bit more on the fluffier side. But you and your guests go deep, which I genuinely appreciate, so… how did you uncover such depth?
 
Ray Ellin: Oh, thank you, you know, it just sort of it's -- I think everybody has gone through some hard stuff in their lives, right. And when you watch the show, if you really think about it, it's like, they have a wonderful family, they have wonderful sense of community. I mean, it's things that I sometimes have in my life, I certainly wish I had all the time, the way they do. It's such a warm feeling on that show. But the level of persistence and perseverance, I mean, they really had a tough life. I mean, you think about it, like you're spending the day, preparing whatever you're gonna eat at night, or you're spending much of the day, washing your clothes, never mind going out and plowing your field or tending to your animals, to your cattle. I mean, it's just a lot. It was a hard life. But everyone pulled together and they were able to do it together.
 
And then you look at the things like for example, that episode “Injun Kid”, where that young boy who's half Native American, and how the terrible experiences he had with his own family, and other school children, you know, who made his life very difficult. So, you know, I saw a parallel between that, and my guest, who's my friend and fellow comedian, Jaye McBride. And, you know, we were able to use that episode as a launching pad to get into her experiences transitioning and, and what her experiences were like, as a comedian, and her childhood as well. Because that was, you know, that's a lot to deal with. So, I just think that constantly, every episode of Little House, there's something you can draw from that into your own life. I mean, you know, there's an episode, where there's a horrible tornado, and the crops are destroyed, and the barn is damaged, and the house is damaged. And when Charles Ingalls says to his friend, Isaiah, you know, “I'm leaving,” and Isaiah says to him, he goes, “No, you know, don't leave you know, I know how you feel.” And Charles quickly says, through tears, he says, “You know, you don't know how I feel. You're my friend, but you don't know how I feel.” And immediately just clicked to me.
 
I'm like, sure how many times have we had an experience where someone is giving you sympathy or empathy. But they don't actually, they're trying, they're your friend. They're trying, but they don't really know how you feel. So, I just think that you can find a lot of the deeper meaning in the show. And particularly with the relationships I mean, look, you didn't have a lot of options on the prairie back then. And you know, Harriet and Neals Olson, they're together and could I ever imagine being with somebody like Harriet Olson? Impossible, no way. That will be a four-minute date, and I'm out the door, never mind getting married and having a business with them and having kids with them. (Laughter) It's insane. But this is what happened back then. You know, you got who you got. And you're sort of stuck with them. So, if you can look at those relationships and how did they overcome their obstacles and in some of those, it's like, you got no choice, that's the way it's gonna be… so.
 
John Betanocut: So, let’s talk a little bit about what inspired the creation of this podcast.
 
Ray Ellin: Well, I always found myself just getting caught up in conversations about the show. Often I would initiate them with some of my friends. It's one of the three shows that I would ever DVR. And the other one was a sports program. The other one is Family Guy. So, it's a pretty big mix -- and also Scared Straight, the show. So, I have a pretty wide range of stuff I watch. But my sister Abby had said to me a long time ago, “You should totally do this as a podcast.” And then other friends of mine also were like, “How are you not doing this? How are you not talking about this show?” Because it does seem like it's an odd pairing. Me with Little House. So, I just thought it could work. And I've always wanted to do a podcast. But I wanted to find something that I thought was an interesting or unique angle. And I am passionate about the show.
 
John Betancourt: I’m curious as to why you think the show has been able to endure for as long as it has.
 
Ray Ellin: I think it is a great escape. I think that life is hard. I think it is a beautiful place to sort of disappear to. It's just… the setting is calm and peaceful. And beautiful. I do think that sense of community and family. And also look, some of them, they had serious stuff. They had plague and they had, you know, tornadoes and that sort of thing. But they also have, you know, the county fair, and some of the squabbles that townspeople have, make your own worries, very insignificant, and I think it's a nice escape to get lost into, you know, some people like to watch reality TV shows and look at other people who are sort of like a train wreck. And that is their distraction. I would prefer just to watch these people in Walnut Grove as my distraction.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, you know, this is a show, that means a lot to you. Something that you really love talking about, love diving into, what does it mean to you not to have this podcast out there and people, you know, sharing your passion?
 
Ray Ellin: Well, I'm excited about it, I really waited a while to get it going. And it feels good. You know, kind of going over episodes, in both a serious and funny way. I mean, you know, every once in a while I hear myself calling somebody a “Rube.” (Laughter) You know, because like they're, you know, they they're afraid to get on an elevator. You know, it's like they're big, tough strapping guys, and they're afraid to get on an elevator. Yeah, I find that, you know, I get a kick out of that. But so, it's good to look at the show from both a fun standpoint and a serious standpoint. And it's and all my guests -- they're having a better time than I think they thought they would. So, I feel really good about that. They get a kick out of out of talking about the show with me, even if they don't know anything about the show, which is good. So, I'm very pleased with the episodes so far.
 
John Betancourt: Now you’ve already had some amazing guests on the show, and more amazing ones are on the horizon. But I’d be foolish to not ask, are there any plans to get some of the original cast members onto the show?
 
Ray Ellin: Yes, I actually, I would certainly like to get Alison Arngrim on the show who played Nellie Oleson. And Matthew Labyorteaux who played Albert. About 10 years ago, I was at a voiceover audition. And I happen to look at the sign in sheet, everyone writes their name on the sign in sheet. And I saw it said Matthew Labyorteaux. And it's really funny. I started really, I was kind of start shaking, like oh my god, like you would think, you know, Paul McCartney was in the room, and I see him sitting there. And he played Albert. And I sat next to him. And we ended up talking a little bit and he was very nice. And I would like to have him as a guest so I can get into it more. But the one takeaway from him was that I said, “How was it being a child actor on this huge show at the time?” It was really big. And he said, “You know what? Some people say being a child actor is terrible. It's amazing. You’re making a lot of money. You're treated really well. You have lots of friends, you have a fun time.” He said, “My only regret is that I had that experience when I was a child. I wish I had that experience now,” because it was such a big, massive, wonderful thing to happen. And I think that's maybe where child actors go in a bad direction -- he did not --- but they go in a bad direction. Because they peaked at 11. You know?
 
John Betancourt:  Last question that I have for you today. What do you ultimately hope this podcast accomplishes?
 
Ray Ellin: Well, I hope that… people find my conversations to be interesting and informative. Maybe it'll improve their life in some way, if they hear my guests and I talking about our own relationships, or something that maybe we that we overcame, that my guest overcame, that I overcame in our own life. And certainly, if they ended up getting turned on to the show, Little House in the Prairie that would also that's also a bonus as well, for sure. That'd be fun. If the show got some more fans.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Dr. Ved Chirayath is a highly decorated scientist, that has made incredible contributions to the world scientific technologies. He currently serves as director of the Aircraft Center for Earth Studies (ACES) and Vetlesen Professor of Earth Sciences, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Miami. He will be participating in tomorrow’s Eclipse Across America programming event on ABC News and National Geographic TV and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with Ved to discuss the eclipse and so much more.
 
John Betancourt: Let’s like a little bit about what got you into science.
 
Ved Chirayath: Yeah, so I grew up in Los Angeles, and I had sort of an amazing opportunity to go to the NASA JPL open house when I was a kid. And I watched the Mars Sojourner rover landing live and got to meet Buzz Aldrin (Laughs) and that kind of hooked me on science and being able to explore our universe and see what impacts one could have. And I knew when I was about maybe four or five, I wanted to work at NASA and have a career in studying the universe. And in high school, I had come up with an idea to try to detect planets using a transit method. So, we can't directly see planets outside of our solar system, but we can, if they're fortunately aligned, we can try to see if the stars dip in the amount of light that they output, indicating that it's kind of eclipsing it just like the moon is about to. And so that led me down this long path that took about four years of building my own telescopes and camera systems. And finally, being able to detect a new extrasolar planet, outside of our solar system about 150 light years away, and that took me to the international science fair, and I just kind of got hooked on science, because a lot of people were telling me “No, you can't do this, you know, if you're a kid,” but I had some really amazing teachers and mentors at universities and the first taste you get of being able to actually make some contribution or see discovery for the first time. It is a one of the most remarkable things you can experience on Earth. And so that kind of got me full bore into science and looking for life elsewhere in the universe, developing technologies and trying to better understand the natural world.
 
John Betancourt: Wow, talk about truly landing your dreams. That’s just incredible.
 
Ved Chirayath: I think that's the amazing thing about our country, right? It truly is a land of possibility. Both my parents were immigrants, from France, and from India, and from their perspective, having the kind of opportunities that we have here, even though you know, things are very difficult sometimes, and we grew up in a very kind of poor background. But education, and the ability to succeed was kind of uniquely enabled by the United States and being able to pursue your dream and find people that want to support you along that path, including, in my case, you know, essentially NASA, I went to school to study theoretical physics, in actually Russia for four and a half years.  And then came back to Stanford and finished my bachelor's, master's and PhD in astrophysics and physics, and then in aeronautics and astronautics. And then I got hired at NASA, kind of while I was doing my PhD, and then now kind of still inventing technologies for NASA and working on a number of NASA projects, while also being a professor and National Geographic Explorer at the University of Miami. So, I just want to offer that… as advice for kids. I didn't want to meander too much.
 
John Betancourt: So, obviously science is your passion, what is it about science that continues to excite you after all these years?
 
Ved Chirayath: I think science, I mean, in the most basic terms, it is one of our few chances at surviving as a species, we are still dependent on knowledge, right? Knowledge that goes beyond our genetic ability to incorporate knowledge, a lot of organisms that have evolved on Earth have done so for billions of years. But many times, have been completely wiped out because their genome could not adapt fast enough to a changing environment. And we are one of kind of the final generation of species, and we're not the only one, there's multiple other, I think highly intelligent species on our planet, that have figured out a way to harness and save information outside of our genome. So, we teach people, we have schools, we write books, we save information, and the internet that allows us to combat things like the COVID-19 epidemic. It allows us to deflect asteroids that might hit Earth, there was a recent demonstration of that exact technology by NASA and those are paradigm shifting things for a species, right? But dinosaurs did not have that, and that… did not end well for them. So, for me, I mean science is still fundamentally about, I think it's embedded in every person, we have an innate curiosity about what is around the corner, how things work. And science is just one method of understanding and making sense of the natural world using some method to not go completely mad. So, you can document the observations, you can have a theory, try to test it, sometimes — or most often it's wrong. Sometimes it's somewhat right, and you keep iterating. But in the process, you gain this knowledge about how the universe works, which I think is what everyone is really asking on this planet.
 
John Betancourt: Now shifting gears, a little bit to obviously, Monday's big event, and it really has become such an event. I mean, I cannot remember a time in my lifetime, where we've seen this kind of just everybody getting behind making sure everyone gets to experience the eclipse in some form or fashion, like this live event. Why do you think there's suddenly captivated us in this manner?
 
Ved Chirayath: I think it's… perhaps the world was sort of looking for another global phenomena to celebrate, there's a lots of eclipses that occur, but we're really lucky to get the opportunity to have the moon be exactly the angular size that it is in the sky relative to the sun, it need not be, it could be slightly further away, and it is moving away from us around four centimeters per year. But there will be a point where you will not have total eclipses anymore on Earth, right? It will just be annular eclipse, where most of the sun is still shining through. And it doesn't -- you don't see the solar corona. And so, I think there's a there's a timeliness of it, it's really special to get this opportunity. And not many solar systems do, some might get more eclipses, but you know, some just don't get much at all. And then the other is, I think the sky is something that is accessible to everybody, right? There's no limit really, on what you can imagine and see. And that accessibility, I think is really exciting that no matter where you are on Earth, you will eventually get some eclipse. You know, it may not be this eclipse that, you know, you might not have necessarily totality, I'm looking at the weather forecast, and also just tempering my expectations. But like, you know, its getting people excited about something bigger, right, and something that has an impact, globally. And I think that that kind of mindset, really helps us as a species survive things like, climate change, survive big, global universal phenomena and have an appreciation for them. And sort of an awe of how they work.

John Betancourt: What does it meant to you, to be involved in this ambitious broadcast?
 
Ved Chirayath: So, I had, I had a great opportunity, for me, like the transit of one body in front of the other was how I started my scientific career. So, for me, it's really special to get to be a part of it and document some of the science that's going on, I'm bringing a number of my telescopes out to Texas, I’m hopping on a plane pretty soon, trying to take my telescopes as carry on and hope that they don't question me too much. (Laughs) But you get to see things you know, during the eclipse, specifically, the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, which is actually hotter than the surface of the sun, by a factor of like a thousand, it's quite remarkable. That completely dictates space weather in our neighborhood. So, there have been multiple solar events, solar flares, and provinces that have knocked out our communication systems. They've downed the power grid; they can electrify wires that cause intense aurora. And basically, we’re at the whim of that solar atmosphere. So, studying it, being able to capture it, using events like this really helps us understand how to predict solar events when they occur, create some sort of contingency plans when they to occur, shutting down satellites, putting them into sleep mode, making sure power grids are shielded or prevented from overload. Those are really, I think, cool observations that can be made uniquely by eclipses like this.
 
John Betancourt: Since the eclipse and commentary and lessons are reaching the masses tomorrow via this event, what do you hope this broadcast does for science in general?
 
Ved Chirayath: I hope it gets an entire new generation hooked on science and the ability to make predictions about the natural world, right? Go out and measure them, be a part of it, realize that you can make an impact and you can make a contribution to the world. That really would be one of the best takeaways for me. And it's kind of… I wish there was an eclipse almost every year across the United States because I feel like there would be a lot more… space explorers, ocean explorers, people that are motivated to go out and try to study and protect the natural world. Because it's these kinds of events that make you realize how much you're at the whim of chance, you know? So many things are lining up just right. But they could be just wrong and then you don't have a planet or a habitable atmosphere. So, I think that would be my best outcome. Last eclipse, we got to see all these little kids, you know, just look up in awe and see this giant magnet in the sky, which is the sun and see the magnetic field lines, just like they see, when they take a fridge magnet and put some iron filings on it in their kitchen. That connection of like, “Whoa, there is like a giant magnet in space” is something that I think changes your life forever, you forever start looking at things in the natural world with that mindset of “Is there a lot more to this than I'm seeing? Most people don't spend a day looking at the sun (Laughter) But here, they do. And you get to see something very unique.
 
John Betancourt: Now you of course, are well versed in this kind of event, an expert, really. And since you get to kind of watch it from afar, what are you most excited for people to experience during the eclipse?
 
Ved Chirayath: I think first… there's a physical sensation, right? When an eclipse occurs, it's moving across the country at around 1300 miles an hour. It’s Fast. There's actually two NASA aircraft that we'll be following and trying to make measurements but they can't keep up with that shadow. And as a result, there's like a physical whoosh of air because there's this temperature dip right, wherever you find the shadow, so you physically feel something. So even if you're visually impaired, you can experience the eclipse, it suddenly gets cold like nighttime cold. And the animals go a bit berserk. So, we're going to this batcave, one of the reasons why we're going there is to observe kind of the behavior of these animals and other creatures during that event. I kind of… I'm curious if the cicadas will also decide to emerge early. But I don't know, I think that physical sensation is very exciting. Getting to see science in action, like a giant – like you can actually predict when you're looking with eclipse glasses at the sun, you'll see some sunspots, it's an active period of activity right now. And you can watch the sunspots kind of rotate around the sun, and then you know which direction the sun is spinning.
 
So, when the eclipse occurs, you actually know where the poles will be on this big magnet. And you'll see the solar corona and this big magnet. So, I get a lot of people to kind of look out for that and say, “Okay, can I make some prediction and then see it validated in real time.” That's a fun phenomenon. And then, you know, I also remind people that even the top scientific minds, you know, there's a ton that is still unknown. And some of these events are quite frustrating because you will make an observation and you'll realize, “Oh, I don't quite have the full picture,” right, there's a phenomenon called Magnetic Reconnection, which is one of the most powerful events on the sun that spits out solar flares that cause these big disruptions on Earth. And it's still quite difficult to predict. You know, it's very humbling every time, and science is a lesson in humility, you make some advance, maybe one step two steps forward, and then you're pulled one step back, because you realize your, your theory or model doesn't really account for everything, you have to kind of delve deeper, but it's, it's a nice process.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, are there any simple tips you want to pass along to folks when it comes to their experience to make sure that it's as safe and as fun as can be?
 
Ved Chirayath: Yeah, don't look at the sun without eclipse glasses, or a pinhole camera, or a camera obscura. That's where you can just put a hole in a cardboard box and project an image of the sun onto the ground or a piece of paper, you definitely -- the human eye is not evolved to look expressly at the sun. However, if you're in the path of totality, then you can look up at the sun during the moment of complete totality. And you'll know that it's the top of it because the sky will go quite completely dark as if it were nighttime, you'll actually see some stars. And that's the time you can look up at the sun and see the corona, which is that outer atmosphere. If you look closely at the rim of where the moon is occulting the sun you'll actually see some of these prominent flares on the edge, they'll show up in red. And you can see them with the naked eye, and then at that point, I highly encourage you to take off your glasses look at it. And then the minute you see the sun peeking out again, you know, put your glasses back on or look away from the sun and you'll have an amazing experience.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Caution: This interview contains spoilers for Season Two of ‘American Rust: Broken Justice’.
 
It’s only a been a few days since season two of American Rust: Broken Justice hit Prime Video for all of us to enjoy, but it is safe to say that a vast majority of fans spent last weekend, binging this incredible second season, and were stunned by the many surprises it had to offer. Which is why, it was only right for us at NTG to sit down with Kyle Beltran, who plays Detective Ramon Fisher on the show, to discuss the many twists Fisher is involved in, and so much more.  
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you, for audiences now to see Fisher’s wild season two journey in its entirety?
 
Kyle Beltran: I'm so excited to share what we've shot. When I watched the episodes, I was completely on the edge of my seat, even having read it all and knowing what was coming. So, I'm excited for people to binge. And I'm really excited for people to see all the twists and turns and secrets and reveals. I think it's really thrilling TV.
 
John Betancourt: Now it’s not every day I have the honor of speaking to the heavy of a show, and this seems like the perfect time to ask what it is like to step into those shoes as an actor?
 
Kyle Beltran: I mean, it's an amazing challenge. I also… one of the funny things about television is you're getting surprised sometimes by the writing that's coming your way, which is really, really exciting. But, of course, it's a challenge to play someone like Fisher, who does some pretty intense, violent things. I don't want to say too much, you know, spoilers for people, but it's a challenge. I was just saying to empathize with the character, even when they're maybe not demonstrating the most empathy towards other people is still the job. And it's a really exciting job when you're playing someone that's far from yourself in that way.
 
John Betancourt: Let's actually talk about that for a second. Because I'm always curious to know the process of how actors find the things they find. So, how then did you find that empathy and build the character to be so convincing and terrifying?
 
Kyle Beltran: Hmm. Well, I know that one of the things they said to me after the first season that they responded to is they thought, they felt that Fisher had a kind of inscrutable quality that they really liked. So, I thought, you know, this is a guy that really holds his cards very close to his chest. He's really calculated. He's very good at keeping his cool. He's sort of like a shark. And we learned over the season, sort of, he's pretty Type-A, he’s a little bit OCD, there's a kind of control thing with him. That's a really fun way in. But yeah, thinking about slowly peeling back layers is kind of how I approached the season so that not too much is tipped at the beginning. And you sort of see him slide more and more or… more and more of his true nature is exposed, I would say over the course of the season.
 
John Betancourt: Now one common theme I’ve noticed in talking to your costars, is that there is a real joy present from everyone that’s worked on this show, the kind that tells me they loved working on this project. What did you enjoy the most about working on season two?
 
Kyle Beltran: I loved everything about it. I went to college in Pittsburgh, I went to drama school at Carnegie Mellon. So, to be back in my college town was so incredible. I loved that. So much nostalgia. I loved all the people. I loved the part. I learned so, so much, especially from Jeff (Daniels), like being around Jeff, who is such a master of the craft and getting to learn from him and pick his brain and hear his stories that was like… yeah, I'll really cherish that forever.
 
John Betancourt: What do you hope audiences’ kind of take away from this season as an overall kind of message, since there's so much searching, and wanting in this season of storytelling?
 
Kyle Beltran: You know, I think it's a show about good, complicated people, good people making bad decisions. Simple people with really complex lives, you know, in this world, I think there's a lot to relate to that way. I think that also, it's just really smart, sophisticated, patient writing. And there are all kinds of little beautiful details going on inside of relationships. And then of course, the bigger questions, examinations, about justice, and what that means kind of in the personal level, and in the bigger systems.
 
John Betancourt: What did you as an actor take away from Fisher's journey this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: That's a really great question. I think that… you always grow from pushing yourself as an actor to the outer reaches of the human experience. And what we know is that people have huge capacity to do good and terrible things. So, I feel like you know, there's a lot to be learned about human nature from like, reaching to those darker places, I would say. Also, it's… it's fun. (Laughter) It's really just a fun exercise, you know, to play a bad guy.
 
John Betancourt: Of course, I also have to ask, what you enjoyed the most about playing the bad guy?
 
Kyle Beltran: Oh, so much, getting to have secrets and keep secrets and choose when to reveal certain things. And to -- just the longer you're working on a character on a show like this, the more you get to deepen it, it just gets more specific and more alive and more real. And everybody on set was so collaborative. So, you know, Jim McKay, the director, had this great idea about a ball. Like, he just had this image of sort of like a stress -- me bouncing a stress ball or something. And so, then I just kind of built that into the whole season. And it's like, probably a person with a lot of like, tension, you know, and, and rage, you know? Stuff like that. It's just, it's just a great exploration.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: I really love episode six, especially the end, there's a scene that closes the sixth episode, where the tension is just ratcheted up so high, and it was so much fun to shoot that scene, it felt kind of like doing a play. It was so tense in the room. And I was really exciting to see that, that translated. It's kind of like a little bit of a face-off between Fisher and Harris. And yeah, I was excited when I watched that scene.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today. What are you most excited to see, response wise, when it comes to Fisher’s journey this season?
 
Kyle Beltran: I'm just excited to see people's reactions to the reveals, you know, I just think, like, it's fun when there are secrets on the show. And even being at the premiere and watching people kind of gasp at the end of the first episode was so exciting. So yeah, I like to think I'm a pretty good guy in real life. So, it'll be fun for all the people in my life to see me be kind of ruthless.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.