Wild Truth Chase: Recent Episodes
Fame and Power Productions
Chasing truth weekly in the service of incremental self-improvement. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
The Information
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
Publisher's link for The Theory That Would Not Die by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
Nick introduces a new episode type that may end up dominating the feed, at least for the near future.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We wrap the season with a recap of what we've covered and my thoughts about how these ideas are related to a very general way of analyzing data.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We discuss connections between betting and information theory and how this framework for thinking about how being able to accurately estimate probabilities might apply more generally to decisions that we make.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We discuss basic concepts of information theory as well as some examples of communication processes and compression techniques. The sources for this episode are the following books:
https://www.amazon.com/Information-Theory-Tutorial-Introduction-2nd-dp-1739672704/dp/1739672704/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1687105608&sr=1-1
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
I discuss the work of Judea Pearl and how it fits in with the other topics we've discussed this season. We get to vilify, yet again, our old friend Ronald Fisher.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We compare machine learning to traditional programming and talk about some of the core challenges associated with doing machine learning.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We talk more about data generating processes and how commonalities between the mathematical structure of diverse physical phenomena suggest the presence of a "second dimension" in how we might think about organizing physical phenomena. Can probabilistic programming come to the rescue and provide a quite general framework for analyzing data? Let's see what you think after listening to today's episode.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
A discussion of the meaning of probability and how it fits in with our other topics this season.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We meet our friends E.T. Jaynes, Aubrey Clayton, Jacob Bernoulli, and Ronald Fisher.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
Where we spend way too much (and too little) time talking about too many different things.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
What are theories and models and what are some examples? Why should I care?
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
This is where things really start to go off the rails.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
It’s time to leave Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in the rearview mirror. Today we’re wrapping up the season with a final look at SVB’s stock price, earnings and cash flow versus its peers. Reinforcing our earlier analyses, SVB again appears to be an outlier, with its recent strategy driving stock price growth but then coming unstuck as the macro-economic climate changed. Looking back at the season, Nick wonders if it was possibly the hardest to listen to with talk of graphs and trends, whilst Neeraj has continually found himself lost in financial jargon, struggling to unravel what exactly various financial terms mean.
There’s also changes afoot for the Wild Truth Chase podcast. This goose has rarely sat still and things might be about to get more unpredictable. Listen in to find out more.
References
This week’s Datalore report
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "Design a whimsical cartoon illustration of a dapper goose, dressed in a suit and tie, joyfully ringing a large golden bell to ceremoniously open the stock market for the day, surrounded by excited traders and a bright, bustling financial scene.”
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
We’re five episodes deep in our analysis of financial data around the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Over the last week, we’ve been analysing sentiment and cashflow data for banks to help us understand industry trends and the ways in which SVB was unique. The sentiment data, downloaded from the AlphaVantage API, shows some surprising industry trends against a backdrop of economic downturns. As expected, SVB does stand out but not as much as might have been expected. Nick’s analysis of cashflow data again shows SVB to have been an outlier, particularly during between 2021 and 2022.
References
This week’s Datalore report
This weeks’ notebook on Github
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose standing next to a river with flowing dollar bills instead of water, cartoon style”Please join us on our website and Discord:
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
What secrets lie in balance sheets? Today, we’re trying to find out. This season on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) we’ve bounced between a few different datasets, including macroeconomic data and headline assets and liabilities. This week’s episode takes a more detailed look at the bank’s balance sheet data over the last ten years and tries to place that in the context of the wider banking industry.
Neeraj has spent the week wrangling with balance sheet information to try and make it add up, eventually using data published by the bank itself to break down the contributors to its total assets and liabilities. The results support the accepted conclusion that Silicon Valley Bank held too much of its assets in illiquid long term investments. To try and contextualise these results, Nick has been throwing machine learning at the problem, using dimensionality reduction techniques to try and visualise banks with similar balance sheet breakdowns and how these have varied over time. On the face of it, there are the big banks and then everyone else. But look closer and you can see Silicon Valley Bank on a journey of its own!
References
SVB balance sheet, CAR over time, and t-SNE balance sheet Datalore notebook
https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1641474423269081088?t=ZUMQNOlLIgZnkmUG2RjwMw&s=33
This week’s Jupyter notebook on Github
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "cartoon goose holding a long scroll of paper and painting a graph with a red line and black grid lines on a canvas that is sitting on an easel”
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
AI-generated summary and timestamps
In season five, episode four of a finance-focused podcast, the hosts analyze the balance sheets of Silicon Valley Bank using two approaches: one using AlphaVantage to compare the bank's data with other banks, and the other comparing the bank's capital adequacy ratios with other banks. The analysis reveals a shift in the bank's asset ratio and a low capital adequacy ratio, which could cause issues with converting assets into cash. The podcasters also discuss the industry-wide decrease in capital adequacy ratios for banks due to the pandemic, highlighting several regional banks that may be in trouble. The speakers use machine learning to visualize the balance sheets of different banks and discuss how Silicon Valley Bank stands out on the plot. The conversation concludes with a discussion of future analysis, including looking at macroeconomic indicators and other failed banks. The code used for the analysis is available on GitHub, and the AlphaVantage API can be used to obtain data.
financepodcast #bankinganalysis #AIforfinance
Timestamps
[00:00:00] "Silicon Valley Bank's Balance Sheets: A Recap"
[00:00:40] "LM Usage: Chat GPT Example and Episode Description Comparisons"
[00:02:21] Falling Number of US Banks: Opening vs. Closing
[00:04:35] Analyzing Silicon Valley Bank's balance sheet changes over the past decade
[00:08:11] "Capital Adequacy Ratio and Troubled Banks"
[00:12:48] "Visualizing High Dimensional Data with Dimensionality Reduction Animation"
[00:16:38] The Financial Dangers of Silicon Valley Bank in 2020
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
I’ve got competition. Nick wants to replace me with an AI. He says they are faster and better at writing episode descriptions. Well listen here ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard and whoever else, challenge accepted!
It’s a two faced episode, starting with large language models (LLMs) and returning to the nominal topic of Silicon Valley Bank. Nick is unsettled. He’s chest deep in an ocean of AI assistants and the water is ever rising. Convinced that things are going to change, he’s suddenly unsure about his place in the world. Neeraj is a luddite, but he’s suspicious of LLMs stealing all our intimate thoughts through conversational interfaces. He believes the mind is the last holdout and when they’re in, it’s over.
Despite their conflicting feelings, Nick and Neeraj have used ChatGPT and Bing Chat to learn more about finance. Analysis of Silicon Valley Banks’ balance sheets show nothing exceptional when compared to other banks but somewhere in the mix is the information that precipitated a bank run. The data shows that bank failures happen in clusters. Is this a one-off or the beginning of a more widespread economic event? Hit play to find out more.
LLM #GPT #ChatGPT #SVB #Bing #OpenAI
This week’s Datalore Report
This week’s Jupyter Notebook on Github
ChatGPT
Bing AI (click on Chat at the top)
Anime dating sim that can do your taxes
Thumbnail Bing AI prompt: "A cartoon goose digging through stacks of financial documents while sitting behind a desk and wearing an old timey banker's cap that has a transparent green visor"
References
This week’s Datalore Report
This week’s Jupyter Notebook on Github
ChatGPT
Bing AI (click on Chat at the top)
Anime dating sim that can do your taxes
AI-generated summary and timestamps
Summary
In episode three of their podcast, Nira Shah and Nick Schaefer analyze Silicon Valley Bank's financial data and discuss the potential impact of AI technology on their work. They also address a question from last week regarding whether depositors or customers should be saved in troubled banks. The hosts also express concerns about the increasing capabilities of large language models, such as Chat GPT, to access and analyze vast amounts of data, and the potential dangers of intimate conversations with these bots. Additionally, they examine the capital adequacy ratio of Silicon Valley Bank and past bank failures during major economic crises. The hosts also touch on the automation of tasks like tax returns and express interest in further exploring financial data in future episodes.
SVBfinancialanalysis #AIimpactonbanking #ChatGPTdangers
Timestamps
[00:00:01] "The Wild Truth Chase talks Silicon Valley Bank"
[00:00:34] Where to Draw the Line Between Misbehaving Banks and Depositors
00:05:44] The Rapid Advancement of Chat Gbt Technology: A Conversation with Nick Gillespie
[00:11:55] Clues of Trouble at Silicon Valley Bank
[00:18:05] "Bank Failures in Clusters with Macro Events"
[00:18:57] "The History of Bank Failures: A Timeline from the 1930s to Today"
[00:21:06] Learning About Financial Data and the Future of Tax Returns
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wild-truth-chase/support
Continuing our season on Silicon Valley Bank, this week Neeraj and Nick are taking a closer look at the history of the second biggest bank to ever fail in the USA, from its founding by two Bank of America managers through to its untimely demise. The events at SVB remain a hot topic, with medium sized banks encouraging the government to shore up depositor confidence and popular commentators such as Balaji predicting wider contagion.
Our hosts expand on the data they plan on using and the questions it might answer. At the recommendation of ChatGPT (GPT-4!), Nick has started to dig into macro-economic data available in the Federal Reserve Economic Data database (FRED). Neeraj has been focussing on SVB balance sheets over the years. More is on the way, but check out our datalore links for initial analysis.
References
Balaji Tweet
FRED website
FDIC: Industry Analysis - Bank Data & Statistics
Datalore report with macroeconomic indicator plots
Github copy of Jupyter Notebook with macroeconomic indicators
Bank Term Funding Program (pdf)
Annual reports from SVB
The Cloudcast special episode on SVB
List of largest bank failures in the United States - Wikipedia
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "A flock of geese trying to get their money back from a bank, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
One week ago, Silicon Valley Bank was the place for “proactive guidance for the long run”. It was recognised by Forbes as the 20th best bank in the US and one of Forbes’s Financial All-Stars. Fast forward a week and everything has changed. Closed by California State and its funds now in the hands of the Federal Government, the Silicon Valley Bank story appears to have concluded.
How did one of the most respected banks in America meet with this unexpected demise? This season, Nick and Neeraj are going to dig into the details of this surprising financial disaster to understand what happened and learn more about the banking industry.
ReferencesFirst published Datalore notebook
Same notebook on our Github page
FDIC API
Bundyville
MH370 (Netflix)
SVB website (now)
SVB website (one week ago)
America's Best Banks 2023 (forbes.com)
Forbes Financial All-Stars 2023
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose standing behind a bank teller window"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Our audience is dwindling but this goose is not cooked just yet. In today’s short update, Nick and Neeraj describe the changes they’re making to play to their strengths and improve the podcast. Hint, there’s going to be more data and some code too!
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose wearing headphones charting a new course on an old sail ship, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Check out Uncle Ned’s new podcast, No Stakes! https://open.spotify.com/show/4HojVPJXlXxcfpVSy1gFIP
Let’s cut to the chase, our season on scams has not been a barnstormer, so our hosts are calling in reinforcements. Uncle Ned is making a return to the Wild Truth Chase podcast to help us close out the season and hopefully get our numbers back on track. In this last scamisode, our hosts summarise the earlier installments and go on a journey from the business of sales to the liver king and end with scamming in politics. Nick tells a story about the power of big cereal and monopolistic business practises whilst Neeraj and Ned have an unexpected role reversal.
If you see Nick monetizing his family on Instagram in the near future, listen to this episode to understand why.
Referenceshttps://twitter.com/affinancee/status/1618560222628573184?s=20
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/07/349052/the-manosphere-is-getting-more-toxic-as-angry-men-join-the-incels/
https://fortune.com/2023/01/31/liver-king-youtube-sued-by-followers-regulating-influencers/
https://qz.com/1010684/all-the-wellness-products-american-love-to-buy-are-sold-on-both-infowars-and-goop
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose with big muscles and tribal tattoos yelling into a microphone, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Ever had a tradesman turn up out of the blue just in your moment of need? That sounds convenient! Suspiciously convenient. Today Neeraj and Nick are learning from the experiences of others by going through a few scamming case studies. We learn about crooked “mechanics”, shifty psychics, international clairvoyants, mendacious “blackmailers” and a couple of occasions where the victims got away. Our hosts finish up by discussing precautions and policies that may make people more resilient to scams, especially repeat victims.
Were you tempted to help our lost Nigerian astronaut, Major Abacha Tunde, last week just like Nick? Then this episode is probably worth a listen!
ReferencesThe Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion and Scam Techniques by Martina Dove
The psychology of scams: Provoking and committing errors of judgement - oft1070 (exeter.ac.uk)
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose in a parking lot standing in front of a car with smoke coming out from under the hood holding grocery bags, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
For any scam to work there needs to be a perpetrator and a victim. This week, Nick and Neeraj discuss the psychology of these two roles in a scam as well as the psychological techniques scammers use to part victims from their money. On the face of it, many scams are marketed just like legitimate products and often with an air of authority. But dig a bit deeper and their oversized promises and easy solutions are there to see. But as our hosts learn, this does not stop many people from engaging, even if they know the likely result. Many of the victim’s motivations are intuitive, but in their reading materials, Neeraj and Nick find some surprising factors behind falling for scams.ReferencesThe Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion and Scam Techniques by Martina DoveThe psychology of scams: Provoking and committing errors of judgement - oft1070 (exeter.ac.uk)Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "an goose dressed as an astronaut in space writing an email on a laptop, cartoon style"Please join us on our website and Discord:https://www.wildtruthchase.comhttps://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
There’s few nice things in the Wild Truth Chase garage. A couple of Ferraris, a jetski and a yacht. But ignore all those things and notice our latest episode on the shelf. This latest episode is worth more than all of those things. It’s full of knowledge and insight delivered by two extraordinarily successful people. In this episode, Neeraj and Nick talk about fake gurus duping their followers with promises and expensive courses. Has Nick been scammed with a recent book purchase? After reading about the author, Neeraj is not sure. But our hosts are sure about one thing and to find out what it is, please sign up to our latest course 🙂.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a muscle-bound goose standing in front of a bookshelf full of books and a very expensive car holding a wad of cash, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
History is full of innovative and creative scammers who have adopted new technology to make a quick buck. To learn more about how technology has enabled scams and frauds, Nick and Neeraj take a gentle stroll through a shared history of technology and scamming. Along the way, unexpected admissions are made by our hosts about their past flirtations with scamming. Increasingly, Nick is being sucked into the topic of scams, having stumbled upon Hindenburg Research who disclose potential scams to support their financial investments. In contrast, Neeraj is lamenting the damage done to pyramids by Charles Ponzi.
You may also notice odd delays in this episode. Neeraj gave up his router in exchange for some magic beans and is now running the internet through a potato.
Resources
Perkin Warbeck - Wikipedia
How Scams Worked In The
1800s : NPR History Dept. : NPR
How the first ever telecoms scam worked - YouTube
Ads You’ll Never See Again:
19th Century Snake Oil | The Saturday Evening Post
5 Cases of Historical Fraud that Transformed the World (neuralt.com)
The Evolution of Fraud |
TransUnion UK
Hindenburg Research – Investigative Research & Reporting
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose dressed as a priest ogling a handful of diamonds, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
New season incoming and this week we’re kicking off a series about scams, hoaxes and frauds. Scams appear to be part of the fabric nowadays, with Citizens Advice UK reporting that over 40 million people in the country were targeted between January and May 2022. Neeraj and Nick discuss scams that are common, those they’ve experienced and a couple of newsworthy examples. Nick begins to realise that he may have been exposed to more scams than he previously knew. Meanwhile, Neeraj entertains a more romantic notion of scamming, imagining playful tricksters trying to get one over their fellow man through a combination of charm, wit, theatrics and bird poo. That last one catch you by surprise? Then have a listen to find out more.
Resources:
https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/
Over 40 million targeted by scammers as the cost-of-living crisis bites - Citizens Advice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affair
Tourists being warned of clever ‘bird poo scam’ when on holiday - (canarianweekly.com)
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose dressed as a russian police officer, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Nick and Neeraj are back and still exploring topics for the first season of 2023. A trending topics season, while superficially appealing, appears hard to pull of in practice. We go over some great suggestions from audience members as well as some topics that Nick and Neeraj have in mind. A season on quantitative reasoning may have to wait until we’ve learned more about scams…
Resources:
All the D-Branes of Resurgence
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose passing through a d-brane in space, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
In yet another interruption to our normal seasonal style programming, Neeraj is going solo to briefly look back on 2022 and then discuss expectations for 2023. The episode is based on a recent report by Ipsos, which sought to gather viewpoints on the new year by polling 24,000 people from 36 countries. There's not too much optimism to be found, with widespread concerns around the economy, security and the environment. But there are some interesting and unexpected results which highlight the varying challenges being faced from one country to another.
References:
Global predictions for 2023 | Ipsos
Predictions for 2023 | future timeline | Quantumrun
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a wise goose in robes looking into a crystal ball and seeing visions of the future, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Ned and Nick reminisce about Christmas and make recommendations for books and podcasts. Mostly, though, the sad state of American politics is on display. Happy New Year!
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
It's nearly Christmas and Nick is on the road, so what's a lonesome Neeraj to do? He calls on the one person who can step in to save the day, his biggest fan, his harshest critic, his brother. Much mentioned and so far little heard, Tejas makes his debut on this week's Christmas themed episode. There's talk of presents, the industry of Christmas and the tropes of television specials. But in a blink and you might miss it moment, Neeraj and Tejas perform an almost imperceptible bait and switch and what started out as a festive installment transforms into a discussion about science fiction, speculative fiction, aliens and higher dimensional beings. But all it boils down to is this: imagine it's Christmas day, you wake up, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, you turn on the news and discover that aliens have landed. How would you feel?
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose pulling Santa in a sled on a starry night with UFOs in the sky"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
The time has come for our hosts to move away from their basic dad jokes and into more expansive territory. In today’s episode, Neeraj and Nick discuss humour and storytelling, beginning with a performance of a short, maybe humorous, story written by Neeraj. From there, our hosts touch on Tropic Thunder and Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22” as examples of humour and storytelling. This leads Nick to explore the distinction between adding story to humour and the alternative of sprinkling humour on story.
This is our closing episode on the subject of humour, at least for the time being. It’s been a fascinating ride delving into a subject that is often taken for granted. Lessons have been learnt, co-hosts have been humbled and tears have been shed (in private, mostly by Neeraj). We hope you’ve enjoyed the season. Get in touch on discord if you have any suggestions for the next season.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose in army fatigues reading a humorous story book, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
We take a look at laughter and its connection with humor. Nick is interested in laughter because it is one of those phenomena, like aging, that is “hiding in plain sight”. Not traditionally considered a fit subject for scientific investigation, we run through some ideas that have arisen from relatively recent studies of laughter. Laughter is found to serve many purposes and to come in several forms. Contagion becomes an unexpected theme: from laugh tracks and social laughter to Kuru and laughing epidemics (really!).
Nick’s sources for this episode:
Laughology
Ha!
Inside Jokes
Laughter
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "Generate a picture of a happy goose with a big smile on its face and tears of laughter streaming down its cheeks, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Please join us in welcoming a new guest on the podcast, ChatGPT, the recently released AI chat bot. Our new guest has been causing quite a stir for their strong conversational skills and in today’s episode on artificial intelligence and comedy, we check out ChatGPT’s comedic chops.
Neeraj and Nick discover that ChatGPT is definitely no slouch and can match their comedic capabilities. In fact, in a brazen moment, ChatGPT accuses our hosts of humour failure. Nick piles in with ChatGPT, taking shots at Neeraj’s prior quips. But ultimately, our AI friend shows its weakness in two rambling jokes about farmers and geese that Nick struggles to follow. In an unusual twist for this season, Neeraj walks away from this episode with his comedic confidence boosted.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "goose robot holding a microphone and telling a joke, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
In this episode, Neeraj and Nicholas exit their comfort zones to talk about comedy and controversy. There has been no shortage of controversy in the comedic world over the past few years. In 2018, Kevin Hart quit as host of the 2019 Oscars due to decade old tweets. More recently, Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” was accused of transphobia. Television shows have also come under the spotlight with five episodes of Always Sunny in Philadelphia being removed from streaming services.
It’s an awkward episode and conversation as Neeraj wonders how he should react to episodes of a show he enjoys being removed and Nicholas offers up Dave Barry as a comedian unlikely to cause any strife. Listen to our hosts flail about trying to discuss this challenging topic whilst steering clear of any controversy themselves.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a person throwing a tomato at a goose who is holding a microphone, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Enough theory, it’s time to learn by example! In today’s episode, Nicholas and Neeraj share a variety of jokes they’ve found online and in books. Nicholas enthusiastically delivers his Wild Truth Chase themed selection with the skill of a budding voice actor. Neeraj is still trying to make long jokes land, but either his delivery, the audience or the joke is not quite working. However, in a major victory given the previous episodes, Neeraj does manage to sneak in a joke of his own without Nicholas recognising it.
Sources
101 Short Jokes Anyone Can Remember | Reader's Digest (rd.com)
175 Bad Jokes That You Can’t Help But Laugh At | Reader’s Digest (rd.com)
26 Perfect Jokes From Stand-Up Comedians You Don’t Know, But Should (tastefullyoffensive.com)
74 Long Jokes That Tell Some Pretty Hilarious Stories | Bored Panda
The Mammoth Book of Jokes
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose dressed up as james bond stirring in bed and drinking a martini, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
We’re going back to basics in this episode and taking lessons from Greg Dean’s Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy. In this book, Greg Dean describes the core elements of a joke, taking us from the setup to the punchline. The construction of humour presented resonates with Nick, who sees close parallels to an explanation for the existence of humour provided in the previously mentioned Inside Jokes. Neeraj tries to keep up, hoping that whatever he lacks in natural talent, he can make up for in grit, graft, and perseverance.
Experts be warned, this is a groundfloor introduction to crafting jokes for the uninitiated.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a bandit goose breaking the lock on a grocery store door at night, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
After last week’s disastrous attempt by Neeraj to tell a joke, Nick decided that an intervention was necessary. He’s spent the week reading and watching comedic experts explain the mechanics of good comedy and today he shares that with us. In this episode we go through the mindset and behaviours required to be a successful comedian. We speak about the value of broadening your experiences and a need to put in the time to hone your craft. Nicholas tries to sprinkle in a joke or two during the course of the episode. And Neeraj, showing a total disdain for failure, has another go at telling a joke.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a crab stealing money from a goose, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
It’s time for a new season and Nick has chosen the topic of Humour. The plan is to spend the season learning about the theory and practise of humour. In this first episode, we chat about our existing relationships with humour, the types of humour we seek out, and a bit about how we use humour in our daily lives. Nick shares a theory about the existence of humour that goes a little over Neeraj’s head. In return, Neeraj shares a spectacu-lair homemade joke that lands like a lead balloon. There’s clearly plenty of learning to do and there might be some laughs along the way.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose doing standup comedy in front of a microphone in a dive bar, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Nick and Neeraj wrap the season on the news. Reflecting on what they’ve learned, a few themes emerge. Limiting news consumption and being aware of the incentives at play are top of mind, as is giving yourself appropriate context by studying some relevant history. Our season on the news nearly perfectly coincided with the ‘reign’ of Liz Truss, the UK’s ill-fated prime minister. A head of lettuce now presides in the UK (or not).
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "two geese learning about the news, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
This week Nicholas takes us on a behind the scenes look at how scientific literature is made and shared. We talk about how ideas permeate within research groups, the process of publication, and how to filter and search academic articles. Neeraj shares his experience with the famous reviewer three syndrome and how he enjoys making the cheese more than writing about it. They discuss the intersection between mainstream media and academic research and how such interactions can bear both positive and negative fruits. If you're looking for ways to include more research in your diet, this is the episode for you.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "the cover of a magazine about science with a picture of an intelligent and well-dressed goose looking triumphant and holding a test tube, in the style of a cartoon"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
It’s an experiment week and in a freewheeling episode, Neeraj and Nicholas quiz each other about stories from the past. Nicholas comes armed with articles covering important dates in modern history and pokes holes in Neeraj’s knowledge. Taking a more haphazard approach, Neeraj does Nicholas no favours and brings what appears to be a random selection of articles peaking with the 1934 newspaper piece, “Local Couple See Famous Old Ship”.
By the end, Neeraj reflects on the power of pictures and Nicholas sees how the news yesterday can help contextualize the news today.
Correction from Neeraj: The article about the car accidents in Manchester did mention no serious injuries in the subtitle and then later in the article. Apologies, missed those.
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "an old timey goose with an investigator's cap reading blog articles on his laptop, cartoon style"
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Nick and Neeraj explore the wild world of fake news (and real news) on social media. Chomsky's propaganda model makes another appearance, and we learn about a new aspect of the propaganda model: flak! While there's seemingly a lot of nonsense on social media, we find some light at the end of the tunnel when it turns out that popularity can actually correlate with quality, at least in some corners of the internet.
Sources:
(PDF) Gatekeeping Fake News Discourses on Mainstream Media Versus Social Media (researchgate.net)
News Use Across Social Media Platforms in 2020 | Pew Research Center
Popularity and Quality in Social News Aggregators: A Study of Reddit and Hacker News
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose pulling its hair out while looking at a computer screen, cartoon style"
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Ned Schafer makes a welcome return to the podcast and leads us through a fascinating and wide ranging conversation about news as propaganda. The initial premise is set by Noam Chomsky’s Propaganda Model which claims that journalists are indoctrinated to think in a certain way. From there we discuss how different news sources present their biases, a strange phenomenon in the perception of local crime rates, national cable news as entertainment and how media furthers international agendas and spreads propaganda. It’s a winding journey that leaves Neeraj dizzy by the end and questioning whether consumers are a part of the problem. Meanwhile, Nicholas begins to wonder whether his low news diet was the right choice all along.
Notable mentions during the episode
Cops Say They’re Overdosing on Fentanyl Just by Touching It. | The New Republic
A Tradition of Violence: The History of Deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department - Knock LA (knock-la.com)
https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/National-Endowment-for-Destabilization-CIA-Funds-for-Latin-America-in-2018-20190403-0042.html
Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://www.wildtruthchase.com
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Today Nicholas and Neeraj do a tour of news outlets to better understand what’s happening in the world. They find several common themes across the sources they review but stumble upon some surprises. Neeraj discovers that there is much more to migrants arriving in Martha’s Vineyard than he initially believed and bemoans the state of the Great British Pound. Meanwhile, Nicholas finds his hometown paper dominated by sports and learns about recent events in Argentina.
And the biggest news of the day? Neeraj retains his best co-host title!
Useful resources
Overwhelmed by your news feed? Strategies from a Princeton course can help.
Please join us on Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
That’s news to me! Neeraj and Nick introduce the new season on the news. We discuss our personal news habits and motivations for studying the news. We touch on a major news story from this week, the death of the British Queen, and talk about what aspects of the news we expect to touch on this season.
New(s) intro and outro music by none other than Neeraj Shah; enjoy!
Please join us on Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:
https://twitter.com/WildTCPodcast
https://www.reddit.com/r/WildTruthChase/
https://discord.gg/gqM54csKSB
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Welcome one and all to the Wild Truth Chase podcast! After two seasons and ten episodes we take a short break from our normal programming to learn a little more about our hosts and why they’ve elected to go on this wild truth chase. If those first ten episodes have reeled you in or if you’re new around these parts, find out more about the type content you can expect and what you might gain from it.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
A special guest saves Nicholas and Neeraj from their enthusiastic but bumbling journey through the topic of aging. Jane Potter, MD | College of Medicine | University of Nebraska Medical Center (unmc.edu) is a Professor of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and she’s kindly helped us wrap up this Season on aging like a boss with a much appreciated dose of expertise.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
On today’s episode, we talk about sleep and aging, but only after Nicholas makes a startling admission about his diet and we explain the origin of our new logo. Each of us has prepared for the topic by reading a different paper. Neeraj read Sleep and Human Aging - PubMed (nih.gov), which details changes in sleep as people age and the relationship with cognition and memory. Nicholas read How are age-related differences in sleep quality associated with health outcomes? An epidemiological investigation in a UK cohort of 2406 adults | BMJ Open which explains the outcomes of a cross-sectional study looking at age-related sleep quality and health outcomes.
We try our best to go through this complex topic. Neeraj feels somewhat lost amongst all the technical terminology but gets excited about the sleeping behaviour of dolphins. Nicholas is his usual calm and collected self (Neeraj wrote this description -Nick). Enjoy everyone!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
If you’ve made it this far into Season 1, you’ve heard us discuss our travails with exercise and battles with diet. In this episode, we widen the scope by diving into a paper studying factors behind successful aging. The paper Successful Aging | American Journal of Psychiatry (psychiatryonline.org) follows two groups of people throughout their lives to characterise key behaviours or traits that impact how we age.
Can Nicholas and Neeraj have their cake and eat it too? They try to find out in this episode...
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Today we learn that Neeraj has a weakness for biscuits (cookies for our American listeners) and that the only time Nicholas thinks about diet is when he’s halfway through some artery clogging treats. We discuss our experience of trying to eat healthier, the challenge of untangling all the information, and recent dietary recommendations. Most shockingly, we discover that the potato is essentially a grain in a vegetable’s clothing.
Resources we reviewed for this episode include:
Nutrition for the ageing brain: Towards evidence for an optimal diet - PubMed (nih.gov)
Nutrition Misinformation: How to Identify Fraud and Misleading Claims - 9.350 - Extension (colostate.edu)
The rising cost of a healthy diet: changing relative prices of foods in high-income and emerging economies | ODI: Think change
Diets for Health: Goals and Guidelines - PubMed (nih.gov)
Other useful resources:
The Eatwell Guide - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Neeraj returns for this final (for now) episode on techno-optimism. We share our thoughts on the previous episodes and maybe for the first time this season, hear some kind words about Elon Musk. Neeraj puts forward Amazon as an example of the techno-utopian dream with their next day deliveries and ever expanding reach into our homes, but Nicholas, taking a leaf out of Ned’s book, wonders if Amazon is really a tecno-serfdom nightmare in the making.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
We discuss transit planning, electric vehicles, and a little about how those topics relate to our previous discussions on techno-optimism.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Ned calls in to give his thoughts on our previous conversation on techno-optimism.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Neeraj is on holiday, so here’s one from the vault. Nicholas and Neeraj have a conversation about techno-optimism, the idea that technology will be a net positive for humanity and will help us solve serious challenges in the future.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
Neeraj and Nicholas discuss the many long-term positive outcomes associated with regular physical activity. It’s a timely episode with Neeraj still coming to terms with his current physical status and Nicholas reflecting on his teenage attitudes towards public health guidance.
Despite the clear benefits, Nicholas is unsure whether he can begin and importantly maintain an exercise routine, which spurs a conversation about motivation and exercise, informed by the paper (PDF) Learning to Like Exercising: Evaluative Conditioning Changes Automatic Evaluations of Exercising and Influences Subsequent Exercising Behavior (researchgate.net).
Other resources
How much physical activity do adults need? | Physical Activity | CDC
Facing Up to the Global Challenges of Ageing
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (health.gov)
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support
After a particularly chastening badminton match (actually two in short succession), Neeraj is concerned that he may be aging less than elegantly. He asks Nicholas a simple question, how can he age like a boss? This kicks off a new season on the Wild Truth Chase podcast covering the topic of successful aging. The first episode takes stock of how our aging is going, aspects of aging as we understand them and last resort options which leads to a learning moment for Neeraj on cryogenic freezing.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wild-truth-chase/support