Batteries Are Woke, Mining is Based with Peter Brannen

The Distraction: A Defector Podcast

Defector Media

Sports, Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Drew and Roth are joined by Peter Brannen, author of The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World to talk about CO2’s role in our lives, past and present. Should CO2’s image be rehabbed? Then, they talk about the NBA–with the OKC Thunder at 21-1, how screwed is the rest of the league? Finally, they open up the funbag to answer real questions from listeners, like are string cheese and mozzarella sticks the same?

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

Deep sea alkaline hydrothermal vents
Earth’s previous science fiction worlds
The Monster energy drink geological layer
The Celtics Abu Dhabi connection
Just passin’ through guys
Best celebrity + sandwich experience

Sponsors

- Mint Mobile, where you can get 50% off all Unlimited plans

- Raycon, where you can get 20% off

Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Brandon Grugle

- Editor: Mischa Stanton

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The weight is over. Dive into Audubles' most anticipated collection, the best of 2025, featuring top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals across all genres. Our editors have carefully curated this year's must-listens, from brilliant hidden gems to the busiest new releases.
0:23.7	Every title in this collection has earned its spot.
0:28.3	This is your go-to for the absolute best in 2025 audio entertainment.
0:31.6	Whether you love thrillers, romance, or non-fiction,
0:33.6	your next favorite listen awaits.
0:38.8	Discover why there's more to imagine when you listen at audible.com slash best of the year.
0:46.2	We're back. We're back. It's a distraction. I'm Drew. That's Rob. I'm doing, Roth.
0:49.9	Oh, good, man. How are you? Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I had a good Thanksgiving.
0:55.9	We were talking about this before we started recording. I wouldn't last a fucking day in food service.
0:57.3	I did like a normal.
1:01.7	I was just like on my feet for six or eight hours doing stuff the entire time.
1:02.7	Felt great.
1:03.6	Food came out good.
1:05.7	I slept for 10 hours afterwards.
1:08.0	Like just a solid 10.
1:10.2	Like I had fucking mononucleosis.
1:13.9	If I had to do that more than once a year I would not I would not make it I was yours you were just the eating role this year right yeah I just yeah I just showed showed
1:20.2	up and I ate and then we got back and of course I wanted to go to bed right but my daughter she was
1:26.6	visiting from college and she's like can we watch change of things and I wanted to go to bed, right? But my daughter, she was visiting from college, and she's like, can we watch Change of Things? And I was like, I was like, I'm kind of tired to absorb that much. She's like, oh, I got watch her. And so we put it on. And it's like, it's strange things good, but like, there's a lie exposition. There's a lot of explaining, you know, because no one can remember what happened.
1:45.7	Is it like they're in, they're in their lore period now? They're trying to like explain why every monster exists? No, no. They're usually pretty deft. They have a pretty deft touch with that stuff. But it's almost like you're watching sort of an ad for like the coming episodes because like every other like bit of dialogue is like,
2:01.5	this is our chance to end this once and for all. sort of an ad for like the coming episodes because like every other like bit of dialogue is like
2:01.5	this is our chance to end this once and for all. So it's like I'm like yeah I know it's I'm I'm watching
	...

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