Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated is at once a tale as old as time - a true believer learns the hard way that the costs of lofty ambition and hubris just might outweigh even the most optimistic upside - and a thoroughly modern story of technology overtaking the very people it is meant to serve. In this case: the ubiquitous electric gun carried by cops everywhere and inspiring comedic shenanigans in movies like The Hangover.
Host and documentarian Nick Berardini has been obsessed with this story for his entire adult life. With Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated , he left no stone unturned.
Taser, Inc., now known as Axon, the 800-pound gorilla in the paramilitary police equipment industry, is led by its charismatic CEO and co-founder, Rick Smith. Fueled by a self-described religious dedication, Smith’s Star Trek obsession, and an ambitious vision of a world without gun violence, Rick leads Taser, Inc. to be the key tech supplier to virtually every police force in America. But as stories of alleged misuse, deaths, and serious injuries from Tasers begin to emerge, Taser, Inc. and Rick arrive at a crossroads between Rick’s vision and reality, with cops and the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect paying the price.
Absolute, Season 1: Taser Incorporated is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1
Investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff hosts an interview previewing the disappearance of teenager Robin Murphy in "The Devil's Quarry II."
23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing - The Devil's Quarry II
Investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff and reporter Kathleen Horan investigate the decades-old disappearance of Robin Murphy, uncovering new leads in this chilling cold case interview.
10 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing - Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry: Preview
Investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff previews Bone Valley Season 5, exploring a chilling case of a missing girl and a potentially flawed justice system.
3 Jun 2026
Introducing - Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry
In the woods outside Carmel, New York, a hunter finds the bones of a twelve-year-old girl. She had been missing. The people meant to protect her had looked the other way. Police set their sights on two teenage drug dealers, who are convicted of her murder and sent to prison.
But this is just the beginning of the story. Now, buried records, ignored warnings, and a justice system that may have gotten it dangerously wrong are forced into the open, while the real killer bides his time, counting the days until he can hunt again.
Award-winning investigative journalist and longtime Rolling Stone Magazine contributor Paul Solotaroff hosts the next entry in the acclaimed Bone Valley anthology: Bone Valley Season 5 | The Devil's Quarry starting June 10.
Listeners can binge the entire season by subscribing to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Bone Valley Season 5: The Devil’s Quarry is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts (https://lavaforgood.com/) in association with Rolling Stone Films and Signal Co. No1. (https://www.signalco1.com/)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
13 Nov 2025
Introducing - Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco | Season 2
Six new, inspiring episodes of Wrongful Conviction, hosted by Lauren Bright Pacheco, that celebrate the potential of human connection to empower ordinary people to overcome extraordinary odds and injustices. Real individuals who unexpectedly became one another’s personal heroes by turning tragedy into triumph.
Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco will be available every Thursday beginning November 13 wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
17 Sept 2025
Introducing - Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County: Preview
In Bone Valley Season 3 | GRAVES COUNTY, Maggie Freleng takes us to a small town in Graves County, Kentucky, where a terrible discovery on the front lawn of a middle school invites a string of amateur and professional investigators to try to solve a murder. Maggie is the latest investigator to get pulled in. And she’ll take all of us along as she teases out this complicated web of rumors and lies, and perhaps even the truth.
In this special preview of Episode 1, we hear from Victoria Caldwell. Her account of the killing of Jessica Currin would become the driving force in the conviction of Quincy Cross and others for the murder of Jessica Currin.
To hear this chapter in its entirety, visit Lava for Good/Graves County (https://lavaforgood.com/graves-county/)
Graves County is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction, and is executive produced by Gilbert King.
New episodes of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Graves County is a production of Lava for Good (https://lavaforgood.com/)™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1 (https://www.signalco1.com/).
We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
23 Jul 2025
Introducing - Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County
In Season 1 of Bone Valley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King tells a story of a man, Leo Schofield, fighting to prove his innocence in the case of his wife Michelle’s murder.
In Season 2, “JEREMY” Gilbert King brings us a story about her actual killer, Jeremy Scott, fighting to prove his guilt. The State of Florida does not believe either man.
Bone Valley Season 3 | GRAVES COUNTY is a new story about a new case. A story that shares many familiar themes with the first two seasons of Bone Valley - an unspeakable crime, a dubious investigation, half-truths that ensnare innocent people, and heartbroken families caught in the middle.
GRAVES COUNTY is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction.
Maggie is going to take us to a small town in Graves County, Kentucky, where a terrible discovery on the front lawn of a middle school invites a string of amateur and professional investigators to try to solve a murder. Maggie is the latest investigator to get pulled in. And she’ll take all of us along as she teases out this complicated web of rumors and lies, and perhaps even the truth.
Bone Valley Season 3 | GRAVES COUNTY will be available every Wednesday beginning July 30 wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, starting July 30, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.
Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
18 Jun 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 6 - Live Long and Prosper
CEO Rick Smith's early mission with Taser Incorporated shapes the company's future, revealing how past lessons influence its ambitious growth in this interview.
11 Jun 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 5 - NFW
Lawyers investigate Taser CEO Rick Smith's alleged concealment of information from law enforcement, revealing the potential consequences for the company and its customers in this interview.
4 Jun 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 4 - That's Capture
Matt Masters investigates his son's incident, uncovering a complex web of responsibility that promises profound revelations in this narrative episode.
28 May 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 3 - Defective Pigs
Matt Masters seeks answers about his son's coma while Officer Mike Leonisio uncovers surprising truths about Taser's pig testing, revealing critical information for law enforcement.
21 May 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 2 - Living in the Red
Matt Masters joins Kansas City's elite SWAT team and discovers the life-altering impact of the taser, changing his perspective on policing.
21 May 2025
Taser Incorporated | Episode 1 - Whips, Poles, and Chains
Rick Smith envisions a world without violence and develops the Taser X26, a non-lethal weapon that Greg Meyer of the LAPD hopes will subdue dangerous attackers.
14 May 2025
Introducing - Absolute: Taser Incorporated
Host Nick Berardini introduces Absolute: Taser Incorporated, which explores Taser, Inc.'s rise under CEO Rick Smith and the controversies surrounding the use of their electric gun by police forces.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
166,502
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
52 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
41
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
51
Contact Absolute
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Absolute
Who hosts Absolute?
Paul Solotaroff host the show. Published by Lava for Good Podcasts.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Absolute take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
3 of 14 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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