Critical Nonsense: Recent Episodes
SYLVAIN
High-low brow conversations about culture, science, and tech. With hosts Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and executive producer/nerd herder Jess Vander.
When is there too much branding?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about Arctic Glacier, private equity, Bala Cynwyd, apps, Sonic pellets, and water ice. They don’t talk about Redd Foxx.
references
- Zootropolis 2
- Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
- How to Make Clear Ice at Home
- What Exactly Is Philadelphia's Beloved Water Ice?
When is a review worthwhile?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about IGN, reviews as entertainment, trust and authority, tribunals, and RuPaul's Drag Race. They don’t talk NHL '98.
references
- Grape Lady
- Crimson Desert
- MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
- saros roguelike
- Wikipedia: IGN
- IGN Reviews
- American's Test Kitchen The Best Non-Stick Skillets (Subscription Req'd)
- NPR Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Step Brothers
What is the best way for you to use the hours of the day?
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about sleepiness, international travel, school start times, physical harmony, empathy, and small talk. They don’t talk about kākāpōs.
references
- The New York Times: What’s Your Sleep Type?
- Morningness-Eveningness Questionaire [PDF]
- BBC: The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'
- Timeshifter jet lag app
- American Psychological Association: Schools shift as evidence mounts that later start times improve teens’ learning and well-being
- Bobby Day - Rockin' Robbin
- Seal - Fly Like An Eagle
How are you using your relationships to discover yourself?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Johari Window, observation, employee reviews, dudes not knowing about dudes, blind spots, and centipedes. They don’t talk about Professor Joseph Harrington at Wharton.
references
- Johari Window
- Human Relations Training News: 1961 published article on Johari Window
What is the best use of writing?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about organizing mental chaos, description, recall, process vs. idea, songwriters, and formal logic.
references
- Billie Eilish on Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
- Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
- Explosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
- Go With Elmo Lovano: Why Linda Perry Gave ‘Beautiful’ to Christina Aguilera
- The New York Times Magazine 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters
- Song Exploder: Episode 61: Courtney Barnett “Depreston”
How do you identify with your instincts?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about storking, gut instincts, the Ship of Theseus, entity, background signal processing, and birds. They don’t talk about Uptown Girls.
references
- The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
- Six Thinking Hats
- Ship of Theseus
- Haggis
What are you looking forward to during the new summer of Silliness?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Scary Movie 6, Street Fighter, existential dread, edge lords, Dave Chappelle, and 702. They don’t talk about NASCAR.
references
- Hey Dude
- Scary Movie 6
- Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
- Charo
- Street Fighter
- Norm Macdonald in Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison
- The Best of Sam Kinison Live Stand Up Comedy
- Dave Chappelle vs Josh Johnson
- Scary Movie 6 is making that one joke
- Stop! That! Train!
- Coyote vs. ACME
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Can you repeat that?
What happens when something you liked becomes Important?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about "Mr. Brightside", Nirvana, Adam Duritz, Owl City, and ennui. They don’t talk about Keisha Cole.
references
- Glorious Indie Rock and Roll
- "God Only Knows"
- "Mr. Brightside"
- Grantland: "The Loneliness of the Alt-Rock Anniversary"
- Apple Insider: Apple's iOS 7 sounds crafted by Owl City creator Adam Young
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
- "Fireflies"
What happens if the Internet dies?
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about One Internet, Poob, attribution, destinations, AI Porn, and knowlege creation. They don’t talk about Fela Kuti.
references
- Dead Internet theory
- "You can watch it on Poob."
- The New York Times: Anthropic’s Restraint Is a Terrifying Warning Sign
- District 9
- Great Firewall
- What Is a Splinternet? And Why You Should Be Paying Attention
- Quiet Media
When was the last time you felt destabilized in a safe environment?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about dad jokes, child entertainment strategies, comedy, silliness support, two-legged stools, and butt pats. They don’t talk about Sô Yamamura.
references
- Sure looks strange to me.
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology: How fathers and mothers make their children laugh: Associations with the security of parent-child attachment relationships by Sabrina Schmiedel, Jean-François Bureau, Jessica Turgeon, Audrey-Ann Deneault, and Ariane J. Gauthier
- Benign violation theory
- NPR: Bowen Yang invited Tina Fey onto his podcast. He's still dwelling on what she said
- The Giggles Are Coming by Christopher Eliopoulos
- Tactile Communication, Cooperation, and Performance: An Ethological Study of the NBA by Michael W. Kraus, Cassy Huang, and Dacher Keltner
- Steve Nash – high fives, fist bumps, and pats on the backside
When is it okay to hate the player, not the game?
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about The Traitors, Chevy Chase, Kobe Bryant, villainy, Timothée Chalamet, and Omarosa vs. New York. They don’t talk about the late, the great, The Diabolical Biz Markie.
references
- Wagon Wheel Watusi
- The Traitors
- I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not
- Kobe Bryant
- Omarosa vs. New York
- The Original HBIMFC
- Mary Lou Retton
- Battlestar Galactica Board Game
- Flavor Flav
How should we learn beyond school?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about framing work as learning, human observation, vocational training, osmotic learning, pen and paper, and the wheel. They don’t talk about Simple Machines Records.
references
- You're only 16, Joey, you don't have a rep yet.
- Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath on How Screen Time Hurts Kids' Cognitive Development
- Osmosis Jones
- Deutsche Welle: Back to basics: Sweden aims to de-digitalize youth
- Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf
- Did a turkish man invent a steam engine 200 years before the industrial revolution and only made it to spin doner kebab?
What fictional characters should we be shipping today?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about soap, fan fiction, Back to the Future, ensemble shows, reading the book vs. seeing the movie, and reimagined universes. They don’t talk about Such Great Heights.
references
- Spirk
- The Traitors
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Kate McKinnon Gets Weird While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones
- The New York Times: Why an A.I. Video of Tom Cruise Battling Brad Pitt Spooked Hollywood
- Kenny G
- God of War: Sons of Sparta
Who can I say "I love you" to?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about expressions of love, social and gender dynamics, rejection, promiscuous love giving, monoliths, and Bad Bunny. They don’t talk about the Pixies or Deee-Lite.
references
- Eight Types of Love in Greek Philosophy
- Taj Mahal
What's to come in 2026?
This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing privacy as luxury [3:28], the romance resurgence [4:28], Avengers Doomsday flopping [13:29], paper as a smart signal [16:35], bird pets [18:31], medical research breakthroughs [24:51], and an existential AI employment crisis [27:42]. They don't put respect on Birdman's name.
references
- California Privacy Protection Agency
- Remarkable Tablet
What you doing and what you sharing?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about battle rap, knitting, crochet, LitRPG, world building, and not finishing. They don’t talk about Fraggle Rock.
references
- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
- Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo
- Pretty Pretty Boys from The Hazard and Somerset Mysteries by Gregory Ashe
- The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
- Critical Nonsense Bookclub
- LitRPG
- R. A. Salvatore
- ACOTAR aka A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
When is the right time to actually?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about corrections, status, intent, virtue, asymmetric information, and confidence intervals. They don’t talk about Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
references
- Bear Grylls
- Patroclus
How far would you be willing to go to experiment with your health?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about peptides, biohacking, Silicon Valley libertarian culture, Bryan Johnson, exercise, and salt. They don’t talk about The Gelflings.
references
- Confirmations Department: Yes, Tears for Fears
- Vectorculture: Not For Human Consumption
- Peptide
- Mounjaro
- Wired: Bryan Johnson Is Going to Die
- Food & Wine: Morton vs. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: What’s the Difference?
- Solid Wiggles
Why do we keep using short-form video?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about dopamine culture, friction, flow state, floating, smoking, and green juice. They don’t talk about cannolis.
references
- American Psychological Association: Feeds, Feelings, and Focus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examining the Cognitive and Mental Health Correlates of Short-Form Video Use
- Designing Friction
- Bad UX World Cup
- The Perfect Date Picker
- Soy Boy Face / Soyjak
- Canelé
How do you dress for success?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about fashion plates, professionalism, drag, archetyping, navigating differences, and respect. They don’t talk about Rufio.
references
- Fashion plate
- Professionalism as a Racial Construct
- Economic Policy Institute: The CROWN Act
- Paris is Burning
- Underground ball culture
- Everyday Feminism: You Call It Professionalism; I Call It Oppression in a Three-Piece Suit
This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey revisit their 2025 prognogs from Episode 296. They talk about the micro social media surge, cynicism, platform madness, informed styling, blockbusters, weaponized compliance, non-apocalyptic runaway AI moments, and our AI overlords. They don’t talk about eggprogs.
references
- If I ruled the world ...
- People: Bob Mackie Says 'People Were Horrified' by Cher's 'Naked' 1974 Met Gala Dress, Even Ripping Her Photo off Magazine Covers
- Tasting ultra-aged eggnog
- America's Test Kitchen: How to Make the Absolute Best Eggnog
- Louis Pasteur
- Memphis Group
- Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend Podcast: Conan Blames Jason Bateman For His Dad's Death
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Split Fiction
- AAA (video game industry)
- quod erat demonstrandum
- The New York Times: Gonzo Fans Have Made ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Into a Global Blockbuster
- Michiko Kakutani's 1995 The New York Times book review of Wicked: Let's Get This Straight: Glinda Was the Bad One? (paywall)
- Bloomberg: OpenAI's Nvidia, AMD Deals Boost $1 Trillion AI Boom With Circular Deals (paywall)
- The Food Lab: How to Roast the Best Potatoes of Your Life
What does your Zero Farts Land future look like?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about fucks. And farts.
references
- Empire: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Done Compromising – And She’s Not Slowing Down
- George Wallace (not George Wallace)
- Kenan Thompson on We Might Be Drunk with Normand and Morril
- Janelle James on Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
How do you strategy?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Elliott Kalan, the School of Let's Figure It Out, emotional distance from work, working in teams, meandering, and strategy that bleeds. They don’t talk about Jamesy P.
references
- Pure Moods
- Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense by Elliott Kalan
- 99% Invisible Podcast Episode 646: Interview with Elliott Kalan
- Corrections Department: Les has never ever ever heard, touched, or even seen a copy of Pure Moods and now fears his colleagues do not understand him at all.
Why do we expect the worst?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about simple solutions, Karen moments, assuming malice, Thanos, Falkland's Law, and lemmings. They don’t talk about the famous former power forward for the Boston Celtics or the Hamburger Peddler's rhyming buddy.
references
- Corrections Department: Camila Cabello "I'll Be Home for [Quizmois]"
- Glee's Kevin McHale
- Kevin McHale on the Loss of Naya Rivera
- Hanlon’s Razor
- Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
- Cringe Blvd.
- Slow Horses
- Falkland's Law
How has technology made us less sure of ourselves?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about technological change, Christmas cards, scraping, phone numbers, friendships, and FaceTime. They don’t talk about beepers.
references
- Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop
- Rolodex
- propinquity
- Don't lose that number, Jenny
- Sternberg’s Triangular Theory and The 8 Types of Love
- Mr. Postman
- Desiigner "LOD Freestyle"
Is it better to generalize or to specialize?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about polymaths, running, functional fitness, idea people, curiosity, and Starship Troopers. They don’t talk about dilettantes.
references
- Specialization is for insects.
- Stardew Valley
- Forbes: Going Pi-Shaped: How To Prepare For The Work Of The Future
- 129 Ways to Get a Life
- Robert A. Heinlein
Are there actually interesting life innovations that are coming out of the content creation boom?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about homemade pop tarts, learning letters, the power of song, TikTok, mastering movements, and apple dumplings. They don’t talk about Action Bronson.
references
- The recipe is the sooonnggg.
- cool.missp: ABCs Turn Up
- EBITDA
- What Are Popovers And What Do They Taste Like?
- Pepperidge Farm Bakery Frozen Spiced Apple Dumplings Pastry
How many other things do we have that we think of as imprecise but are actually pretty precise and agreed upon?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about box plots, New York neighborhood names, Australian colloquialisms, measurement language, baking, and square roots. They don’t talk about The Smiths.
references
- Box plot
- Reading a Box and Whisker Plot
- Perceptions of Probability
- The New York Times: An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods
- The Journal of Neuroscience: Distinct Contributions of the Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia to Arithmetic Procedures
- Goldilocks Zone
- Square root
- Spiral of Theodorus
- Klein bottle
What if we've become less willing to sacrifice our pawns to take the queen?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Obama, game theory, defaulting to passion, and nuclear weapons. They don’t talk about David Lightman.
references
- The Ezra Klein Show: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines
- Nash equilibrium
- Mutual assured destruction
- A Beautiful Mind
- Pareto principle
What's in your notes?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about internet chalk, bottle lining, the Pantry Challenge, gold bars, word clothes, and golden milk. They don’t talk about Gold Bond powder.
references
- Heinz Breakfast Ketchup
- Paris is Burning trailer
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- Chinotto
- Astral Chain
- Bossa Bros and Nara
- Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
How much do you think you can change your personality?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about life satisfaction, sad auras, nominative determinism, nature versus nurture, Martin Seligman, magical meat sacks. They don’t talk about marinade bags.
references
- Forbes: How Singer-Songwriter EJAE Found Rumi’s Voice In ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
- @thetalesoftayls' sad aura tweet
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Most people's life satisfaction matches their personality traits: True correlations in multitrait, multirater, multisample data. [PDF]
- Nominative determinism
- Eeyore
- Martin Seligman
- Dungeon Crawler Carl
What are places where wisdom exists where it shouldn't?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Benner Cycle, feng shui, jelly shoes, BMW dashboards, the bullshit asymmetry principle, and Hitchens's razor. They don’t talk about Christopher Robin.
references
- Human League
- Benner Cycle
- Bagua
- Black–Scholes model
- Joseph Henrich
- Enneagram of Personality
- Strauss–Howe generational theory
- Brandolini's law
- Hitchens's razor
Why do we wave from trains and boats?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about kids, duck boats, kerchiefs, air travel, cruise ships, and roller coasters. They don’t talk about chucking the deuce.
references
- Knott's Berry Farm
- Medieval Times
- New York Transit Museum
- L.A. Train Festival 2025
- Some Kind of Quest
How are you personally preparing mentally, psychologically for the increased engagement with AI?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about AI psychosis, Blake Lemoine, the Turing Test, cognative security, red teaming, and hats. They don’t (yet) talk about NonsenseLLM.
references
- Psycho Killer and the big suit
- X: Keith Sakata, MD
- The New York Times: They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling.
- The New York Times: Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.
- Washington Post The Google engineer who thinks the company’s AI has come to life
- Bloomberg Technology: Google Engineer on His Sentient AI Claim
- Turing Test
- Johns Hopkins Magazine: The science behind why we see faces in nature
- Study: Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Human Perception of Dog Emotions Is Influenced by Extraneous Factors
- Pareidolia
- Red team
- Planning red teaming for large language models (LLMs) and their applications
- Ig Nobel Prize
- Six Thinking Hats
When is old good and when is old bad?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about The Bible, first editions, berries, Final Destination, whiskey, and Rick Astley. They don’t talk about Flavor Flav.
references
- Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira
- sarcophagus
How do you make sense?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about intention, trust, assumption, context windows, synchronicity, and drinking. They don’t talk about Pal Joey.
references
- Click, Clack, Moo in book form
- Click, Clack, Moo Read Aloud
- Palworld
Why do we do hard things?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Baddie Performance Index, Barkley Marathons, fun types, self flagellation, dessert stomachs, and natural childbirth. They don’t talk about Saquon.
references
- Barkley Marathons
- Running so far away
Why is it so important to be cool?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about Black culture, 21 Jump Street, social approval, bandwaggoning, alternative hierarchies, and Lauryn Hill. They don’t talk about Digable Planets.
references
- Dru Hill's "5 Steps"
- Old Man, look at my life.
- Journal of Experimental Psychology: "Cool is cool wherever you are"
- Miles Davis' The Birth of the Cool
- Uncola: Seven-Up, Counterculture and the Making of an American Brand
- Wired Video: Linguists Explain the History of "Cool"
- BET Video: The Origin Of "Cool": How Black Culture Embodies "Cool" & Influences Trends For Mainstream
- 21 Jump Street (2012) first day of school scene
- Corrections Department: To clarify, the study does not specifically question the Black origins of our collective use of the word "cool," rather it questions whether the emotional restraint in Black culture that came to define the early idea of "cool" is still the current concept of "cool."
- Bow Chicka Wow Wow
How is it we've convinced ourselves sometimes that we like things that we don't really like?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about the big light, the beach, group vacations, going to the movies, nature bathing, and bad drinks. They don’t talk about Mr. Nice Guy.
references
- Rest easy, Brian Wilson
- Lord have mercy
What new rules should we have?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Irish Goodbye, music at the beach, phones on the train, zipper merging, gift obligations, and desire paths. They don’t talk about Dua Lipa or New Rochelle.
references
- Zipper Merging
How do y'all protect your sense of possibility?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about optimism, imagination, resilience, cultural technology, escape rooms, and rules. They don’t talk about the endless persistence of existential dread.
references
- A Thousand Miles to the Pink Pony Club
- Traitors
- Dinosaur Island
- Parkitect
- Monument Valley
- Royal Kingdom
- Hollow Night
- Thank Goodness You're Here
- Age of Empires II
What are the important analog activities in an increasingly digital world?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about luddites, handwriting, typewriting, mashing tomatoes, kinetic learning, and carbon dioxide. They don’t talk about Folkways Records.
references
- Taki Taki
- Luddites
- Study: Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom
- Rick Barry
In April, SYLVAIN released an open letter of resistance in response to the chaos of the moment we're in. This is a live reading of that letter, and a reminder that resistance is ongoing.
Too many in our industry have been quiet in the face of injustice and uncertainty. Too many important conversations have been relegated to back channels. So we put pen to paper, naming simple truths that have guided our company and actions for 15 years—and will continue to guide us.
Have a listen or read the open letter at impact.sylvain.co
What universal truths do you believe in?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about database shapes, LLMs, collective human intelligence, apple eating, folk wisdom, and Pi. They don’t talk about apple pie, though.
references
- West End Girls
- Ethan Mollic on the "universal geometry" of meaning
- The Platonic Representation Hypothesis
- Doctor Dillamond’s Classroom
- Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language
- Study: Association Between Apple Consumption and Physician Visits
- Honeycrisp apples
How do you feel about no-phone zones?
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about AI, parenting, over-responsibility, constant access, bluetooth speakers, and biking while texting. They don’t talk about Nowadays.
references
- Rabbit r1 AI agent
- The Humane AI Pin
- The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
- The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards
- The Bobiverse
- The Traitors
- Quad Press Release: "81% of Gen Z report wishing it was easier to disconnect from digital devices"
Do we need to create more with friends?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about consuming, the value cycle, parallel play, time horizons, water-based cooking, and Ciabatta. They don’t talk about Real Genius.
references
- Superstar
- "My grand theory of life is to just hammer the shit out of quadrant 4"
How do we muster the courage?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about fear, Inside Out 2, Andor, The Mandalorian, stoking action, and antidotes. They don’t talk about booze.
references
- I can run the world from my mama's house.
- The New York Times: A.G. Sulzberger: A Free People Need a Free Press
How do we stress professionally?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about Cowboy Carter, self-regulation, Frozen, tears, being "professional," and anger. They don’t talk about Organized Konfusion.
references
- Self-regulation for adults: Strategies for getting a handle on emotions and behavior
- Emmanuel Acho on the myth of the 'Angry Black Man'
- Sister Wives
How is this world optimized for dating?
This week, special guest Chloe returns to chat with Joey about high yield investment strategies, influencers, gender polarization, crushes, the butterfly effect, and Russian hackers. They don’t talk about the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14.
references
- Nonsense 259! The Trend-Mill
- Marie Claire: Who is Becca Bloom?
- Looking for an Explanation in Finance
- Rumble Boxing
How do you approach reclaiming or disavowing your creative outputs that you don't love?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Smithee-ing, TV edits, résumé writing, Spike Jonze, sportsball, and the DC Universe. They don’t talk about Cordwainer Bird.
references
- "God of Wine"
- Alan Smithee on IMDB
- Spike Jonze
- Charles Barkley
- The Room
- Spread your wings
How good is hi-res for our imagination?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about smoothing, the boundless powers of creativity, Smell-O-Phone/Vision, imagination reconstruction, gaming, and nurturing our sense of play. They don’t talk about NHL 98 on Sega Genesis.
references
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
- Why It's SO Hard to Find a Game You ACTUALLY Like
- Harvard Business Review: How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity
- Everything Everywhere All At Once - Hot Dog Fingers Scene
- The Simpsons - 1950's Super Panavision 70
- A Minecraft Movie
How do we make people feel seen?
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about the burden of eyes, privacy, showing, acknowledging, surprise parties, and social anxieties. They don’t talk about the Talking Heads.
references
- Dreaming about Cranberries, sans muffin.
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 302! Thought Bottling
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: Helpful, Harmful, or Neither?
- Observer Principle
- Hidden Brain Podcast: Relationships 2.0: The Price of Disconnection
How are we processing uncertainty differently?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Punxsutawney Phil, tariffs, the meme recession, Jason Bourne, Edmonton, and Sam Cooke. They don’t talk about the bleak and endless hopelessness of it all.
references
- Corrections Department: There's air in between you and I (even if we're not seventeen)
- Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
- "A Change Is Gonna Come"
- Corrections Department: The eleven studio albums Sam Cooke recorded and released before his death in 1964
When do we tool or not tool?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about rules aversion, AI, devil hamsters, banana slicers, tool expertise, and simplicity. They don’t talk about gaffer tape.
references
- Inc.: After a Tragedy, a Year of Magical Thinking for Sylvain
- Arc welding
What do you think makes us spoiled?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about The Lululemon Index, air travel, gender-based differences, hard work, Warren Buffett, and shrooms. They don’t offer any spoiler alerts.
references
- The Mycelium Network
Bonus episode: A takeover! Aaron shares his latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: To Follow or Not to Follow.
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
How should we start bottling things up?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about undesired thoughts, Nietzsche, folk wisdom, Marie Kondo, baggage, and forgetting. They don’t talk about the Young "Black" Teenagers.
references
- perseverate
- Improving mental health by training the suppression of unwanted thoughts
When did we start calling it hibernation and when did hibernating start being a thing?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about lux, vitamin D, dopamine, socialization, Groundhog's Day, and disgust thresholds. They don’t talk about the late, great Roy Ayers.
references
- You need more lux.
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey celebrate 300(!) episodes of Critical Nonsense by revisiting random episodes. They talked about 121! The Coming-Out Gauntlet and Thick Conversations, 75! Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine, with Clarissa Pharr, 170! Weirder Inspiration, and 158! Buttresses, Tethers, and Grunts. They don’t talk about the Rota Fortunae.
references
- Step Brothers
- Wheelz of Steel
- Till the Wheels Fall Off
- Wood Wheel
- Wheels of Confusion
- Keep On Movin'
- Here's Where the Story Ends
What are the things that we should be treating like corn that's better than corn?
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about potatoes, clothing overabundance, plastics recycling, concrete, eating fruits and veggies, and pomegranates. They don’t talk about the International Adult Conspiracy's creamed corn agenda.
references
- Theme Songs with Candy
- CBS Sunday Morning: Critics call out recycling "fraud" by plastics industry
- Why modern sandwich bread is different from 'real' bread
- Shucked: The Original Broadway Cast Recording
Bonus episode: A takeover! Claire Choi shares her latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: The State of Wellbeing: Are We Unwell?
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
Where are other places where desire paths would be relevant when not talking about sidewalks?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about friction, grocery store layouts, Norman doors, incentives, breaking templates, and shopping districts. They don’t talk about sneckdowns.
references
- The Bushwhackers
- Norman Door
- Do you celebrate sneckdown season?
What's the best way to get sick as an adult?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about historically un-sick parents, hyper-individualistic cultures, COVID, community health, personal comfort vs. social responsibility, and rest. They don’t talk about Mudhoney.
references
- Los Angeles Disaster Support Masterlist
- Mother Jones: Wildfire Smog Is Deadly—But LA’s Covid Mask Organizers Have It Covered
- Reddit: How Sick Day Culture Differs Around the World
- Parenting in an Individualistic Culture with a Collectivistic Cultural Background: The Case of Turkish Immigrant Families with Toddlers in the Netherlands
- Eisenhower Matrix
- If I send you this, it means I'm not going.
What's to come in 2025?
This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing micro-social media [3:30], platform madness [6:52], nihilistic design [13:10], weaponized compliance [18:32], graphic realism pivoting to novel gameplay [24:05], dressing up [30:38], blockbuster novels [33:15], and a runaway AI crisis [36:56]. They don’t talk about supervillain Daniel Dumile.
references
- The Atlantic: We’re All in ‘Dark Mode’ Now
- Unreal Engine
- Hazelight Studios
- Techradar: Nintendo Switch 2: what we know about the next-generation system so far
- The New York Times: Rebecca Yarros’s ‘Onyx Storm’ Is the Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in 20 Years
- A Good Day To Die Hard
- The Mitchells vs. The Machines
- The 2024 CrowdStruke outages
- Vulture: The Brutalist Is Half of a Great Movie
- "Missing" by Everything But the Girl
How do we respond to the competing incentives of hybrid work?
This week, we revisit our conversation from Critical Nonsense 290! Hybrid Work, this time with special guest and workplace design leader Amanda Stanaway of ERA-co. She joins Joey and Jess to talk about belonging, productivity, the corporate Kool-Aid, burnout, human connection, and hammocks. They don’t talk about hard-boiled eggs.
references
- Amanda Stanaway
- ERA-co
- WORKTECH Academy: Flight to character: a fightback begins against homogenous global offices by Amanda Stanaway
- The Atlantic: The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson
- Chicago Booth Review: Humanity Is Carried on the Voice by Nick Epley
- The Egg Pod
Why would you break up with your best friend?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about para-romance, frenemies, communication styles, emotional proximity, work relationships, and boy and girl bands. They don’t talk about Whodini.
references
- Oprah: Should You Really Break Up with That Friend?
- Black Love: How to Grieve Women Friendships That No Longer Serve You
- Elle: We Need to Talk About Our Ex-Best Friends
- Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships by Robin Dunbar
- Connectome
- The Atlantic: The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson
Why do people love rituals so much?
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about medicine, Lunar New Year, habits, disease, leg washing, and flossing. They don’t talk about Jane's Addiction.
references
- twitterpated
- Yale School of Medicine: Phenylephrine, a Common Decongestant, Is Ineffective, Say FDA Advisors. It’s Not Alone
- Gregorian calendar
- Ritual, Play and Belief, in Evolution and Early Human Societies by Colin Renfrew
- National Geographic: "Why do humans embrace rituals? Disease and danger may be at the root of the behaviors."
- cephalocaudal
- Gonggong
- Not-so-late-breaking: OSU microbiologists propose updates to the Linnaean System
- Recapitulation theory
When is it okay to correct someone?
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma.
references
- Otaku
- Corrections Department (because of course): Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland
- easter eggs
- propinquity
- Merriam-Webster on X
- Seth Meyers' Corrections on Late Night
How did our predictions play out in 2024?
This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey look back at their prognogs from Episode 247, discussing AI hardware, energy optimism, Scarlett Johansson, AI slop, EV, algae-based biofuels, the gelatin market, and wide shoes. They don’t talk about Jamie Foxx.
references
- Wired: "Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Copilot+ PCs"
- Micosoft Blog: Introducing Copilot+ PCs
- Marques Brownlee Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable
- Reuters: Amazon to pilot AI-designed material for carbon removal
- Milli Vanilli
- Ashlee Simpson on SNL
- Energy 101 | Algae-to-Fuels
- Viridos
- Retro-Chic Coffee Jelly
- Kizik
- The Plucky Squire
What kernels of truth are there in sci-fi content today that can maybe predict what our smart technological futures will look like?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about retrofuturism, the Otis elevator, all things Dymaxian, AI, post-scarcity society and ship names. They don’t talk about our dystopian present.
references
- Christmas in Connecticut
- Otis Elevator
- Dymaxion
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
- Corrections Department: Neuromancer by William Gibson
- Iain M. Banks' Culture series
- Post-scarcity
- Neural Lace
- Neuralink
- The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
- Humans
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
What do we do with Cultural Beige?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about cultural homogenization, algorithms, local commerce, international culture, outliers and Charli XCX. They don’t talk about Christian Bale or J. G. Ballard.
references
- Empire Of The Sun "Walking On A Dream"
- Empire Of The Sun "Alive" @ The Hollywood Bowl 11/23/24
- Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso"
- terroir
- Sammy McCormack: "How Janet Jackson Made 'If'"
- Sammy McCormack: "How Britney Spears Made 'Break The Ice'"
- Froggy Fresh
- Timbaland feat. OneRepublic "Apologize"
- Cam'ron and Mase: It Is What It Is
Why haven't we figured out hybrid yet?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about remote working, cost structures, collaborative tools, individual flexibility, speaker microphones, and body language. They don’t talk about sensory processing issues and how they impact in-person productivity.
references
- Yegor Denisov-Blanch on software engineering productivity
- Reddit response to Yegor Denisov-Blanch
- Entenmann's Donuts
- Torus
What varietal of mind wine are your grapes lately?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pattern breaking, the restorative power of boredom, bird brains, pajama day, the productivity mindset, and seizing rest. They don’t talk about when Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
references
- Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan
- Boggle
- Five Senses Exercise
- How to use 4-7-8 breathing for anxiety
- Yahtzee
Why are we so obsessed with trying to live forever?
This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Jess and Joey to talk about adult superlatives, aging, the soul, compounding experience, afterlife FOMO, and aging reversal. They don’t talk about Irene Cara.
references
- Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development Explained
- Ray Kurzweil
- Ship of Theseus
- Fermi paradox
- Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
- Kardashev scale
- Telomere
- Dr. David Sinclair
What is it about certain settings that just piss us off?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Maggie Rogers, live concerts, the unflustered mom, road rage, cycling, and liminality. They don’t talk about mosh pits.
references
- Maggie Rogers
- The Unflustered Mom: How Understanding the Five Anxiety Styles Transforms the Way We Parent, Partner, Live, and Love by Amber Trueblood
- This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
- liminality
- Boom
Bonus episode: A takeover! Kristy shares a recent edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: The State of Youth: A New Paradigm for Growing Up, written by Chief Strategy Officer Chris Konya.
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
What's the best way to unlock a sense of financial security in all of us?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about voting, the economy, financial insecurity, the post-scarcity world, unequal distribution, and intergenerational trauma. They don’t talk about A$AP Rocky.
references
- Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
- The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Agatha Through Time Version)
- Pascal's wager
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE): How It Works
- r/Fire
- Run's House
What happens when your mind changes?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about nuclear power, Three Mile Island, solar power, the Overton window, abortion, and tokamaks. They don’t talk about Eddie Kendricks.
references
- Hemingway on bankruptcy
- The Three Mile Island accident
- Overton window
- Tokamaks
What do we do about power distance?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about organizational hierarchy, Geert Hofstede, authoratative leadership, omakase, decision-making, and Mr. Oizo. They don’t talk about Flat Stanley.
references
- IF
- This is 40
- Mark Menjívar's "Refrigerators"
- Geert Hofstede's 6-D model of national culture
- Mr. Oizo's "Flat Beat"
- Mr. Oizo aka Quentin Dupieux
How many things are we surrounded by that have use cases that we're not thinking about?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Ozempic, Cialis, blockchain, invention, solar panels, and pessimism vs. optimism. They don’t talk about chainsaws.
references
- Semaglutide (Ozempic)
- Tadalafil (Cialis)
How do you do spontaneous brilliance?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pressure, boredom and safety, theatre, peopling, jewelry making, and Quiplash. They don’t talk about combustion.
references
- "Orinoco Flow" by Enya
- Quiplash
- Athena
- Podcast: Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum: PATTON OSWALT: Refusing to Settle, The Issue for Comedians Today & Emotions Reconciling Loss
- "Streest of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen
Can we learn about coming up with creative ideas from bikes today?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about bike infrastructure, dad wagons, folding bikes, stacked bikes, e-bikes, and mobility mixes. Oddly, they don’t talk about Bike Kill.
references
- The Science of Cycology: can you draw a bicycle?
- Penny-farthing
- Tall bike
- Brompton
- Velocipede
- The Asahi Shimbun: High school kids build Edo Period tricycle out of home center buys
- Rack City, bitch
- The New York Times: The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes
- Red Panda
- Rascal Rides: 10 Best Family Cargo Bikes For Hauling Your Kids
How do we know if we're doing the right thing for potentially the wrong reasons?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about The Anxious Generation, social media, polio, experimentation, modes, rodents, and sesame paste. They don’t talk about Yusei Kikuchi.
references
- The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
- Hank Green on X
- How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by Eugenia Cheng
- The Ezra Klein Show podcast: On Children, Meaning, Media and Psychedelics
- The New Yorker How CoComelon Captures Our Children’s Attention
- Corrections Department: Colloid
What is your comfort level with abstraction?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about math, the transitive property, cookbooks, slang, strange attractors and chameleons. They don’t talk about cake math.
references
- How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by Eugenia Cheng
- Transitive Property
- The Langlands Program: The Biggest Project in Modern Mathematics
- Look Around You
What can jazz teach us about making stuff together?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about mistakes, improvisation, leadership, asking questions, saltine crackers, and Tori Amos. They don’t talk about girls that eat pizza but never gain weight.
references
- Amelia Bedelia
- Marc Mommaas and the New York Jazz Workshop
- Corrections Department: Miles Davis, not John Coltrane, was the one who didn't fear mistakes.. (Trane was a perfectionist).
- Corrections Department: Count Basie, not Cab Calloway
- Hidden Brain Podcast: You 2.0: Taking Control of Your Time
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 211!: Question Asking
- Tori Amos "Silent All These Years"
- Deathloop
How do we do math learning better?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about numeracy, literacy, discrete math, Carl Sagan, Cleopatra, and sushi. They don’t talk about Frank Ocean.
references
- math rock
- Jay-Z "4:44"
What does fridgescaping tell us about ourselves?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about weirdly shaped foods, bookshelves, trad wives, gelatin molds, cluttercore, and gallery walls. They don’t talk about Jello Biafra's fridge.
references
- Rusted Root
- Polyphonic Spree
- The New York Times: Not Even the Inside of Your Fridge Is Safe From Decorating
- @weirdoldfood
- MTV Cribs
- The Independent (UK): Marie Kondo says she’s ‘kind of given up’ on cleaning
- HGTV Secret Revealed! Why Books Are Always Backwards
- The New Yorker: The Rise and Fall of the Trad Wife
- Southern Living: Cluttercore Is The Design Trend That Embraces More
- The Easiest Way to Hang a Gallery Wall
- IKEA Kreativ
What turns your ears on?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Detroit, groove, algorithms, Clyde Stubblefield, sampling, and flow states. They don’t talk about the late, great Biz Markie.
references
- Hair/Glam Metal
- Chamois vs. chamois leather
- Major 7th chord
- Curtis Mayfield's Little Child Running Wild"
- Clyde Stubblefield, the Funky Drummer
- Puff Daddy + Biggie + Mase "Been Around the World"
- David Bowie "Let's Dance"
- Brian Eno’s “The Big Ship” and Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
- Klaus Badelt "Pirates Of The Caribbean"
- Sufjan Stevens "Mystery of Love"
- Scrotal Recall aka Lovesick
How do we make more science tourism happen?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about scientific pilgrimage, CERN, the Large Hadron Collider, inspiring awe, Dolly the sheep, and particles. They don’t talk about the six flavors of quarks.
references
- CERN
- Higgs boson
- Large Hadron Collider
- The ITER Tokamak
- The Life of Dolly
- Baikonur Cosmodrome
- Micropia
- Amplituhedron
What can we learn about the state of entertainment when we look through the Olympics Stroboscope?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about the The Rottening, Summer Olympics, streaming platforms, culture wars, sports bodies, and shared viewership experiences. They don’t talk about artistic swimming.
references
- Stroboscopes
- Metric Fucktonne
- Adriana Ruano
- Stephen Nedoroscik
- What are Phryges? Everything to know about the Paris 2024 mascot
How does one engage in a generational war?
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Millenials, marketing demographics, being an afterthought, the policing of cool, Sambas, and othering to in yourself. They don’t talk about Billy Idol. Or Les Gilbert.
references
- Sambas
- Control
- System Shock
How do we decide what feelings matter?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Inside Out 2, compound emotions, cognitive development, sonder, motivations, and sandwiches. They don’t talk about Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.
references
- Subscribe to our Progress Report newsletter
- progressbysylvain.co
- Inside Out 2
- The 6 Types of Basic Emotions and Their Effect on Human Behavior
- Compound facial expressions of emotion: from basic research to clinical applications
- Time: The Real Science Behind the Animated Emotions of Inside Out 2
- Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
- The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: sonder
How should we be arguing?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about argument realms, Theranos, Steve Jobs, facts vs. feelings, and band names. They don’t talk about Monarch of a Great Kingdom.
references
- Tea etymology
- Why Are We Yelling? by Buster Benson
- PEMDAS
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokić, celebrity, debates, and Caitlin Clark. They don’t talk about Simone Biles' 10,0000 crystals.
references
- Celtic Football Club (pronounced with a soft 'C')
- Boston Celtics name origin
- Jab Like Jayson Tatum
- Hollywood Reporter: What Tina Fey Told Bowen Yang About Expressing Opinions Publicly
- What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith (summarized nicely here)
- mesophyte
- Red Panda
- Andscape: They Call Her Big Ellie: Meet the New York Liberty's viral mascot
- Ladies Love Cool James
- Coaster Studios' Dollywood Review
- Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
How do we predict the future?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about polling, phone phobia, targeted advertising, e-mail compartmentalization, stacking ambiguity, and Airheads. They don’t talk about nomophobia.
references
- Adam Duritz
- Irish Times: Why younger people don’t make phone calls
This week, a takeover! Aaron shares his latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: Automating Our Instincts.
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
How do y'all deal with your digital poltergeists?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about search results, the endless repository of stuff, digital cleanup, emails, collateral distraction, and friendly ghosts. They don’t talk about warlocks.
references
- Dinosaurs eating Joey
- Toe beans and the art of reading them
- poltergeist
- They're here!
- Woah, my love, my darling ...
- Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville "Don't Know Much"
- Teenybopper
- Manwich
How do we age right?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about aching, supplements, cognitive decline, Tom Brady, LeBron James, and the future. They don’t talk about Alphaville.
references
- L.A. Times: Talking 'Men of a Certain Age' with Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher
- Radiolab Podcast: The Secret to a Long Life
- John Meyer's "Why Georgia?"
- The 5 Regrets Of The Dying: Life Lessons Everybody Learns Too Late...
- System Shock
What types of folk knowledge or rules of thumb do you live by?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about cheating at science fairs, sleep, the rule of threes, tenets, the How I Met Your Mother pause, and concavity. They don’t talk about what Werner Herzog's thumb tastes like.
references
- Chris Brunet's X thread on the ISEF cheating scandal
- Jean Yang's life lessons
- Pause
- The Idea of You (and Maybe Not Harry Styles)
Why don't we have more public art?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about toy poodles, graffiti, sidewalk chalk, murals, face painting, and sandals. They don’t talk about ESPO.
references
- Tom Otterness' Life Underground sculptures
- The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
- Street art by David Zinn
- Mural Arts Philadelphia
- 5Pointz
How does one deal with being an acquired taste?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about stinky fish, mole vs. mayonanaise, blue cheese, safe spaces, leadership, and sandwich lubricants. They don’t talk about surströmming.
references
- Holiday in Spain
- Did they ruin it for you? (Yeah | No)
- Thelma and Louise
- Stinky Fish activity
- rumspringa
- Aaron: We need antiheroes in the boardroom to spark progress in the workplace
- Spread your wings and fly, Butterfly
- Call Your Girlfriend
How are we using bowls?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about diversification of delivery methods, quick-serve restaurants, slushies, mush, ratios, and salads. They don’t talk about Prince.
references
- Fascinator
- "Frozen in the Face of Tech": Joey @ Web Summit Rio 2024
- Ramekin
How has neighborliness changed in the past five years?
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about lost dogs, trash pandas, the pandemic, masking, isolation, and marble runs. They don’t talk about the McFeelys or Cousin Mary Owl.
references
- Aaron keeps your head ringing while The Sequence funks you up.
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- "Frozen in the Face of Tech": Joey @ Web Summit Rio 2024
- Petco's Love Lost pet finder
- 7 Signs of Undiagnosed Autism in Adults
- Jelle's Marble Runs
- The Lemonade Machine
Why should we be concerned wth generationally slow timebombs?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about trees, the Bradford pear, city planning, Barcelona, pilot programs, and the candy bowl theory. They don’t talk about Cameo.
references
- @jjvincent on the tree timebomb in the UK.
- The Guardian: Hidden giants: how the UK’s 500,000 redwoods put California in the shade
- The New York Times from 1964: BRADFORD PEAR HAS MANY ASSETS; New Ornamental Fruit Offers Sturdy Form And Early Bloom
- The New York Times from 2021: A Tree That Was Once the Suburban Ideal Has Morphed Into an Unstoppable Villain
- Superilla
- Biological Control
- The Psychology of the Candy Bowl
- Dunbar's number
- Street activity sensors in NY
- Definitely Maybe
What does this "trend-mill" mean, what does it say about us as people, and how bad is it, really?
This week, special guests Claire and Chloe join Jess and Joey to talk about the mob-wife aesthetic, accessibility, TikTok, blueberry milk nails, social networks vs. social media, and Trader Joe's totes. They don’t talk about why the combination of peanut butter and jelly is a gotdamn abomination.
references
- Vogue: Blueberry Milk Nails Are Summer’s Most-Wanted Manicure
- Zaria Parvez: How the Comment Section became Duolingo's new Push Notification
- The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
- onika burgers
What happens if we're all deathly affraid of the cringe?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about pain, yips, shame, fremdschämen, the Apple Vision Pro, and Michael Jordan. They don’t talk about Gracious K.
references
- Skanking
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 253! Teaching Agency and the Scandinavian Swimmers
- Fremdschämen
- The actual King of Belgium
Why is cheating in some places treated differently than cheating in other places?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about fairness, tribalism, insider trading, meritocracy, winning, and wallpaper. They don’t talk about Pete Shelley.
references
- Veridis Quo
- USA Today: Who is Shohei Ohtani and what is his connection to the gambling scandal that's rocked baseball?
- ESPN: NBA eyes Raptors' Jontay Porter for betting issues
- The Meritocracy Myth by Stephen J. McNamee
- Jayson Tatum
- Aaron's Interior Decorating Corner: Anthropologie, Spoonflower, Hovia, Janovic, and Lamps Plus
This week, a takeover! Joey shares his latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: Awaiting the Eruption: Innovation Strategies for a Post-ZIRP Era.
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
Why are we always searching for the right answer?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about gray spaces, equifinality, value judgments, hiring, multifinality, and quantum physics. They don’t talk about the Alignment Theory.
references
- Joey's nerd piece: Progress Report: The State Of...Awaiting the Eruption
- equifinality
- multifinality
- the secretary problem
- The New York Times: ‘I’m Sick of Seeing My Face,’ Says the Internet’s Kombucha Connoisseur
What are the rules about crying in public?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about benchmarking emotions, psychic tears, showing your belly, laughter yoga, pickled sadness, and ... farts. They don’t talk about Mary.
references
- When Joeys cry
- Lacrymatory
- Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown
- National Library of Medicine: "The social impact of emotional tears"
- The Swaddle: Psychic Tears and the Science of Crying
- Laughter yoga
How do we survive dopamine culture?
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about neurotransmitters, The Good Place, Sheryl Crowe, Wall-E, Type 2 fun, and the mortal sins. They don't talk about the important nuance of the many antihistamines for all you allergic people out there.
references
- Cleveland Clinic: On Neurotransmitters
- Inc: "Why Your Brain Prioritizes Instant Gratification Over Long-Term Goals, According to Science"
- The Honest Broker Substack: "The State of the Culture 2024" where you'll find that dopamine culture chart
- Corrections Department: it was NOLS Rocky Mountain Outdoor Educators Semester
- WaPo: "What is Type 2 Fun?"
- WaPo on the joy, and if you can believe it—newfound mess—of Marie Kondo
What's our responsibility to teach agency for the next generation of workers?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Scandinavian Swimmers, in-flight wifi, lawnmower parenting, consent, waffles and ice cream, and pipe cleaners. They don’t talk about ABBA.
references
- Scandinavian Swimmers
Is it better to be a nerd with your analogies and attempt to be right, or is it better just to be relatable?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Mister Rogers and his (boring) neighborhood, The Big Bang Theory, nerds, the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, linking things, and the Ig Noble Awards. They don’t talk about Lewis Skolnick or Gilbert Lowe.
references
- "Stop trying to make 'fetch' happen!"
- Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
- concatenate
- Also, CONCAT(ENATE)
- The Ig Nobel Prize: Celebrating Science with Humour
Why do people love rituals so much?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about medicine, Lunar New Year, habits, disease, leg washing, and flossing. They don’t talk about Jane's Addiction.
references
- twitterpated
- Yale School of Medicine: Phenylephrine, a Common Decongestant, Is Ineffective, Say FDA Advisors. It’s Not Alone
- Gregorian calendar
- Ritual, Play and Belief, in Evolution and Early Human Societies by Colin Renfrew
- National Geographic: "Why do humans embrace rituals? Disease and danger may be at the root of the behaviors."
- cephalocaudal
- Gonggong
- Not-so-late-breaking: OSU microbiologists propose updates to the Linnaean System
- Recapitulation theory
What can we learn about reality from aquariums?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about Barbie, virtual reality, augmented reality, Sphere, interactivity, and raccoons. They don’t talk about Phish.
references
- BBC: Aquariums 'deliver significant health benefits'
- Sphere
- This Is Water by David Foster Wallace
- Disney Imagineer Makes History
When should we change the target?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about SATs, grade inflation, games, goals, dating, and wine. They don’t talk about French Kiss.
references
- Joey missed you.
- The New York Times' The Daily Podcast: The Messy Fight Over the SAT
- @AnthonyLeeZhang on former-Twitter discussing the Goodhart Overhang
- vintner
- Concord grapes
- How Save Scumming Makes Baldur's Gate 3 Better
When is it okay to correct someone?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma.
references
- Otaku
- Corrections Department (because of course): Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland
- easter eggs
- propinquity
- Merriam-Webster on X
- Seth Meyers' Corrections on Late Night
How did our predictions play out in 2023, and what's to come in 2024?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess serve a combo platter of Wild Prognostications, reviewing nogs past from Episode 206 and progging forward into the new year. They talk about influencers, chickens, stuffies, egg nogs, algae, and AI hardware. They don’t talk about quail eggs.
references
- Happy New Year for Cutie
- Puffer Onesie
- Omlet
- solidwiggles
- The New York Times: The Secret Weapon of Celebrity Stylists? Comfortable Shoes.
Thank you for the love and support you've shown us in light of Alain's passing. If you want to make a donation in Alain's memory, his family suggested they be made to the following organizations:
- Family Defense Practicum at Main Street Legal Services (write "Family Defense Practicum" in the Additional Comments section)
- Anseye Pou Haiti
- Haitian Education Leadership Program
Typically, we close the year with our Wild Prognostications year in review, instead, we just wanted to leave you with a light-hearted episode to counter the heaviness with a bit of whimsy.
When did we stop inventing sports?
This episode, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Cher, sports, spectators, Esports, cyberwarfare, and The Ocho. They don’t talk about the Techno Parrot.
references
- I Hope You Dance with the Scatman
- Echolalia
- Channeling Emerson
- Future Tense Fiction: Stories of Tomorrow
- Battlestar Galactica's Pyramid
- Pickleball
- Quidditch (real-life sport)
- Mayan Ball Game
- Calvinball
- Jai alai
- Armada by Ernest Cline
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
- ESPN8 The Ocho
- блядь
- North Figueroa Bookshop
- This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
- The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
- Thank U
How do we loosen the reins?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about latchkey kids, parenting, protectiveness, perfectionism, social narrative, and lawnmowers. They don’t talk about driveways vs. parkways.
references
- Latchkey kids
- "Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Wellbeing: Summary of the Evidence" (PDF)
- Science Daily: 'All work, no independent play' cause of children's declining mental health
- Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant
- Parental rights movement
How much is too much, and how far do you take it for your pets?
This week, special guest Amanda Medina joins Joey and Jess to talk about chicken tenders/tendies (again), dogs in baby-carrying apparatuses, therapy, working dogs, diets, and parenting. They don’t talk about pet chickens.
references
- Eater: A New Hampshire Restaurant Says it Invented Chicken Tenders in 1974
- Belgian Malinois
- anthropomorphize
Where are you sourcing your criticism?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about critics, movie reviews, Dan Gilbert, unintentionally laxative candy, mind bleachers, and overcorrecting. They don’t talk about criticizing nonsense.
references
- The Aaron and Joey of Wine
- Norio Ohga
- Plain English podcast: Disney’s Downfall: The Rise and Fall of an Entertainment Giant
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
- Daniel Gilbert Ted Talk: The surprising science of happiness
- Vox: Stop watching movie trailers
- BuzzFeed: Sugarless Haribo Gummy Bear Reviews On Amazon Are The Most Insane Thing You'll Read Today
- Call Me Al(ain)
Where haven't we unlocked the fifth gait?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Icelandic horses, Stardew Valley, Japanese craftsmanship, molecular gastronomy v. farm to table, biohacking, and "the source code." They don’t talk about how galloping is an elongated canter, because we only just found this out.
references
- The fateful non-conversation about bracts.
- American Museum of Natural History: Horse Gaits
- "The Five Gaits of the Icelandic Horse" and this generously paced video version to see for yourself
- Lil' Sebastian in the tribute song "5000 Candles"
- Jess's favorite, Plato's Allegory of the Cave
- The fifth gait of puzzles: Magic Puzzles
- Achieving Perfection in Stardew Valley
- CBS: Is licorice (ammonium chloride) the sixth taste?
- DOC, AOC, and many other foods aiming for protected status
- Time: Bryan Johnson's Quest for Immortality
- Sorry, Github.
This week Aaron and Joey talk about the importance of making space for weird. They don't talk about being normal and forgotten or weird and remembered.
references
- CVS Bangers
- The X Files Techno Remix
- Pure Moods CD Commercial
Where does your justice threshold rest?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Lana Del Rey, LEGO, the arenas of justice, the TSA, Aaron's personal space, and taking umbrage. They don’t talk about the Molecular Lego of Knots.
references
- Lana Del Rey's "Video Games"
- Father John Misty
- LEGO Great Pyramid of Giza
- Corrections Department: Jan (pronounced Yon) Vormann discusses his Dispatch Work
- Donatello vs Sub Zero | Mortal Kombat 11 vs Injustice
- LEGO Masters Season 1, Episode 6: Aaron and Christian's Bridge
- Veritasium on Knot Theory
What is the role of truth and how should we think about how it's changing?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about misinformation, wallets, the replication crisis, journalism, radical candor, and trust. They don’t talk about the word "cap."
references
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 227! Tendies
- Nick Lavallee Wants to Crown Manchester “The Chicken Tender Capital of the World”
- Replication crisis
- The Explorer and the Journalist: The Extraordinary Story of Frederick Cook and Philip Gibbs by Richard Evans
- Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust"
In what ways is procrastitivity useful ... or not?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about procrastination styles, Maya Angelou, procrastavoidance, urgency, anxiety, and Éric Ripert. They don’t talk about The Soul of an Octopus.
references
- Joey is a baboon
- "Maya Angelou: How I Write"
- The Eisenhower Matrix
- Urge incontinence
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Éric Ripert
What's in a name?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Cher, dysmorphia, name commonality, De'Coldest Crawford, permutations, and nick names. They don’t talk about Major Danger.
references
- Cher and Aqua turn back time.
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 139! Teenage Girl Power and Sharing Names
- De'Coldest Crawford
- Ryans Meetup
- How Many of Me? (a variation)
- Danger Charles
- Come On Be My Baby Tonight
- Torres Potato Chips
- Neutral Milk Hotel
- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
What things should we be leaving up to chance?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the expectation of rightness, hiring, outsourcing decisions, smart coins, Level 5 Engineers, and proposing. They don’t talk about DJ Screw.
references
- Take a look at me now ...
- because we've been waiting for this moment for all our lives.
- Big Think: ‘Freakonomics’ study offers simple strategy for making tough decisions
- "Not good enough!"
How do we wrestle with history?
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about rote learning, putty, history as study vs. history as culture, stories, empathy, and erasure. They don’t talk about the history of Play-Doh.
references
- Six
- The Very Serious History of Silly Putty
- Red, White & Royal Blue
- Giving credit where it's due: "Molly Ivins, lively columnist who dubbed Bush 'Shrub'"
- See also: Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush by Molly Ivins
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Chuck Klosterman, Bluey (again), the Mona Lisa, High Fidelity, Kafka, and Shakespeare. They don’t talk about Slick Rick.
references
- Whut?
- How to find Kentucky on a map
- Anathem by Neal Stephenson
- How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- High Fidelity
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
What things that we need should we be gamifying?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about not getting enough sleep, Pokémon, mixed expertise, incentivized behavior change, Duolingo, and eating. They don’t talk about superconductors, no matter how badly Joey wanted to.
references
- Like no one ever was ...
- Pokémon Sleep
- The Atlantic: Did Francesca Gino and Dan Ariely Fabricate Data for the Same Study?
- The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson
- The New York Times: Sleep Better at Every Age
- The New York Times: 500 Days of Duolingo: What You Can (and Can’t) Learn From a Language App
- Common metre
- 감사합니다
How do we deal with contradiction?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about Björk, Barbie, G-strings, Elf on a Shelf, multiverses, and compartmentalization. They don’t talk about Green Day.
references
- The Perfectly Emo Clone High Intro
- Björk "All Is Full of Love"
- Björk + SNL
- 'Barbie' invites you into a Dream House stuffed with existential angst
- The New York Times: Who Gets to Wear G-Strings Now?
- Occam's razor
- Reader's Digest: 26 of the Funniest Oxymoron Examples
- The Elf on a Shelf
- The Verge: The LK-99 ‘superconductor’ went viral — here’s what the experts think
- Unearthly Materials
- LEGO Eggo Waffles
Where might we find more empathy for each other?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about etiquette, niceties, deplaning, consideration, the inverse crush, and villains. They don’t talk about Brother Bear.
references
- Take a look at something that's not The Lion King now
- Whatever you're feeling in the air tonight, it's not The Lion King
- It might just be love though
- Bumble released its female users height preferences
- Pulmonary embolism
- Paramore's "crushcrushcrush"
How should we think about things that are created that wind up being more beloved by audiences that weren't the original target?
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Bluey, Pixar, Adult Swim, Married With Children, Patricia Richardson, and drag queens. They don’t talk about Left Eye.
references
- In case you Don't Know Much about Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt
- Lisa Stansfeild aka Definitely-Not-Linda-Ronstadt
- Bluey
- Bandit
- Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
- The Most Subversive Kid’s Television Shows Ever Made
- Married... With Children
- Mom Power: ‘Home Improvement’s’ Jill Taylor Is The Best Sitcom Mom Of All Time
- Shrinking
- Dungeons and Drag Queens
- Australians
How important is attractiveness?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about self-rating, the butt phase, dating apps, dating profiles as brand strategy, TMI, and hotties. They don’t talk about teratophilia.
references
- Debutante Ball's are real
- ... as are narwhals
- "Physical and Psychosocial Correlates of Facial Attractiveness" by Marco Costa and Dario Maestripieri (PDF)
- "80% Of Women Choose Only The Top 20% of Attractive Men" Is A Big Fat Incel Lie
- Pew Research: The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating
- Institute for Family Studies: On Internet Dating Sites, Women Prefer Men With Higher Incomes and More Education
- Fast Company: I Found Out My Secret Internal Tinder Rating And Now I Wish I Hadn’t
What is patriotic?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about American Democracy, fusion foods, the spirit of the thing, beer holding, the cronut, and empanadas. They don’t talk about pastechi.
references
- Dance Moms
- BuzzFeed: "Maddie Ziegler On Being Sia's 'Muse' From Age 11"
- "Majorities in most countries have a positive opinion of the U.S."
- "Will Democracy Win? Barack Obama in Conversation with Christiane Amanpour"
- Revisiting: Critical Nonsense 233! The Familiar Unexpected
- Empanada Mama
- TasteAtlas: "100 Most Popular Dumplings in the World"
- USA! USA?: A patriotic playlist for people who aren't sure how they feel about America
Why are we all suddenly calling these chicken "tendies"?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about children's food, compression, self-deprecation, cutification, Big Chicken, and expressivity. They don’t talk about brekky.
references
- Chicken Fried
- philology
- ScienceDirect: Compression and communication in the cultural evolution of linguistic structure
Do you believe in the idea that collective vibes could exist, and are we fully entering into a new vibe?
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the debt ceiling battle, the Writers Guild of America strike, AI, not sitting idle, Lucy Lawless, and pasta. They don’t talk about cowboy pasta.
references
- A long "May-tember"
- ARTnews: Hannah Gadsby’s Disastrous ‘Pablo-matic’ Show at the Brooklyn Museum Has Some ‘Pablo-ms’ of Its Own
- The Writers Guild of America strike
- Cascatelli pasta
- The New York Times: "The Best Canned Tomatoes"
What have you learned in one year of playing DnD together?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Dungeons & Dragons, body doubling, Type 1 and Type 2 Fun, hobbies, forks, and the Metaverse. They don’t talk about the D&D All-Stars.
references
- Dungeons and Dragons
- DM = Dungeon Mster
- OBS
How should we feel about optimism?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about genetics, pessimism, risk aversion, oxytocin, hugs, and butt pats. They don’t talk about why cats like butt pats, though.
references
- chanteuse
- Is Optimism Genetic?
- oxytocin
- Do you believe in life after love?
- Chimp Empire
When was the last time that you experienced something familar unexpected?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about mochi, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, chord progressions, rollercoasters, Warrior Cats, and Doppler radar. They don’t talk about The Lloyd Dobler Effect.
references
- Corrections Department: The original The Parent Trap film came out in 1961
- Kramer vs. Kramer
- Mochi
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Carolina Chocolate Drops "Hit Em Up Style"
- "7 Common Chord Progressions You’ll Instantly Recognize"
- Boomerang Coaster
- Suspended Looping Coaster
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Warriors
- Blindness by José Saramago
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Critical Nonsense Bookclub
What are you watching right now and why?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about SpongeBob, YouTube shorts rabbit holes, RuPaul's Drag Race, the NBA Playoffs, Alan Wake, and bikinis. To the Sunbathing Angel's dismay, they don’t talk about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
references
- Calm Down
- Revsiting Critical Nonsense 217! AI Centaurs
- Progress Report Edition 092: Consider the Centaur
- Only Murders In the Building
- "A potato flew around my room until you came"
- The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Stephen Hillenburg
- John K.
- BuzzFeed News: The Disturbing Secret Behind An Iconic Cartoon: Underage Sexual Abuse
- "... babyyyyyyy"
- How The Design Of Spongebob Has Changed Over The Years
- RuPaul's Masterclass
- RuPaul on How to Live Your Best Life
- Jungian Therapy
- Daisy Jones & the Six
- Riley Keough
- The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
- Alan Wake
- How It's Actually Made - Bread
How do you summon The Genuine Maybe?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about the Confidence Interval, curiosity, viewquakes, the gender norms of being assertive, rightness, and openness. They don’t talk about Björk.
references
- Confidence Interval
- The New Yorker: Emojis That Parents Are Still Waiting For
What do I know?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about not having all the answers, amoebic sponges, career archs and karma, graciousness in success, recognizing your value, and being dumb. They don’t talk about low-performing assholes.
references
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 215! Success
- Randy Johnson
- Men at Work
What does cake tell us about now?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about Cake Boss, Duff Goldman, Instagram cakes, Julia Child, wedding cakes, and enlightenment. They don’t talk about Daniel Craig.
references
- Claire Saffitz on Instagram about the Cake Renaissance
- Saveur: How to Make Those Fabulously Unhinged Cakes You Saw on Instagram
- Corrections Department: "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro's Carlo's Bakery in ... Hoboken
- "The Other Dude" Duff Goldman's Charm City Cakes in Baltimore
- Netflix: Is It Cake?
- Japanese game show Candy or Not Candy
- The New York Times: Let Them Eat Wacky, Whimsical Cake
- The New York Times Style Magazine: The Latest Trend in Baking? Making a Mess
- The 7 charatceristics of the Renaissance
- Molecular gastronomy
What do you think is going to be the next musical instrument solo in pop music?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about sax solos, the digitization of music, musicianship, sonic genre markers, Ice Spice, and background music. They don’t talk about Raphael Ravenscroft.
references
- Running to your circles of flame
- Plain English podcast with Derek Thompson: Why the Cult of Achievement in Schools Is Making People Miserable
- A phenomenon like Uncle L and Melle Mel
- Who will always love you? Dolly. And Whitney. That's who.
- Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed
- Switched on Pop podcast: The L.A. guitar shop that reinvented indie folk
- Quartz: The economics of streaming is making songs shorter
- Ice Spice
How do you feel about centaurs and what centaurs do you want to be?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about ChatGPT, Garry Kasparov, workplace production, individualistic augmentation, the Chinese zodiac, and mitochondria. They don’t talk about manticores.
references
- Falkor the Luck Dragon
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 191! AI Art and Hamsterstanistan
- How To Become A Centaur
- "Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence" by Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang
- "When and How Artificial Intelligence Augments Employee Creativity" by Nan Jia, Xueming Luo, Zheng Fang, and Chengcheng Liao
- Lump of labour fallacy
- Chinese Zodiac
- Factor analysis
- Mitochondria
- The sporkife
How do we reflect?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about rumination, perseveration, internal monologues, employee reviews, radical candor, and feedback. They don’t talk about "2000 Seasons."
references
- Joey makes money moves.
- "MotorSport"
- LLM (Large Language Model)
- Corrections Department: RLHF (Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback)
How should we approach success?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about whales, personal comparison, persistence hunting, gender dynamics, emotional labor, and lunch prep. They don’t talk about fairyfly hearts.
references
- Foxy Brown's "Candy"
- Corrections Department: A blue whale's heart isn't actually the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
- Kajornwan Chueng's twitter thread about her kid "doing the bare minimum."
- Emotional labor
- The New York Times: ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ and the Angst of the Striving Upper Class
- Boston.com: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck reveal they shared a bank account in their teens and 20s to fund their showbiz dreams
Why are we so bad at packing?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about reducing travel expectations, The Uniform Project, embodying different personas, punting decisions, efficiency, and shoes. They don’t talk about Kevin.
references
- The Uniform Project
When or how or where are the places that we should be deploying pettiness and feel okay about it?
This week, Joey, Oliver ... er ... Aaron, and Jess talk about petty/offense pairings, berms, feedback loops, Karens, The Pettisphere, and FAFO. They don’t talk about Jemelle Hill.
references
- You don't know how it feels ... to set fire to the rain.
- Arena Is Free on Mortal Kombat
- Savannah James claps back
- Nancy Pelosi claps back
- The Atlantic: The Mythology of Karen
- The petticoat
- The not-very-petty mountain bluebird
- The very FAFO magpie
- A goose!
- So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
How do we navigate the tricky feelings?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about whistling, the Circumplex Model of Affect, anger in the workplace, navigating of negative spaces, being a squeaky wheel, and heightened emotional points. They don’t talk about [insert missed opportunity, related subject, or correction that genuinely was not talked about].
references
- "The circumplex model of affect: An integrative approach to affective neuroscience, cognitive development, and psychopathology" by Jonathan Posner, James A. Russell, and Bradley S. Peterson
- The 16-box version of the Circumplex Model
How do you ask a good question?
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about 5-cent vs. 25-cent questions, tempo, performance question-asking, prioritizing curiosity over confidence, checking for clarification, and signposting. They don’t talk about Gang Starr.
references
- Aaron's Lullaby
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 174! Askers vs. Guessers and Working Hours
- Harvard Business Review: The Surprising Power of Questions
- The New York Times: The 36 Questions That Lead to Love
- Ryan Hall, Y'all
- America's Test Kitchen
What's the best way to encourage people to own their confidence and speak their minds?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about flatness, self consciousness, modeling vs. metering, explicit conversations, confidence intervals, and pants-pants. They don’t talk about Julie Andrews.
references
- Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management by Edward de Bono
- The New York Times: A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled
- Stratechery
What is "cool"?
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about kinetic energy, Obama, privilege and power, nerds, Blackness, and fish sauce. They don’t talk about Freestyle Fellowship.
references
- The Joey Sleeps Alone Tonight while Aaron Learns
- Damien Rice covering Sia's "Chandelier"
- How do you do, fellow kids? (the not-black version)
- Wondrium Daily: Why The Word ‘Cool’ Has Stayed Hot For So Long
- "I Like to Watch": Drag Queens Trixie Mattel and Katya React to Mean Girls
- Hank and John Green
- Quartz: How Black Americans have shaped cool globally
- Black Cool: One Thousand Streams of Blackness
- Corrections Department: Big Boi, not 3 Stacks, said "cooler than a polar bear's toenails".
What do you think are the right places to deploy euphemisms, or should we abandon them altogether? How harmful is it to use euphemisms, and why not err on their side just in case? And, if we took all the euphemisms off the table, what do we do with language next?
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron try out a new Exquisite Corpse segment where they pass along a conversation to each other one thought at a time. They talk about tech layoffs, pooping and peeing, the Space Shuttle Challenger, unreceptive audiences, buying used cars, the joy of playing with language, and protective speech. They don’t talk about exquisite jorps.
references
- Explaining Exquisite Corpse, the Surrealist Drawing Game That Just Won’t Die
- The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 174! Askers vs. Guessers and Working Hours
- "Terminological inexactitude"
What are the things you are competent and interested in but constitutionally not disposed to engage with? And how do we deal with not ever being in control? [21:40]
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about jazz piano, The Trifecta of Making Things Happen, The Overachiever's Dilemma, facilitators of fastidiousness, expectations, and purpose. They don’t talk about The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Joy Division.
references
- Mr. Joey's Lullaby
- Apropos of nada: "You DO doodle on the paper!"
- "Be water, my friend."
What's to come in 2023?
This week, Wild Prognostications (finally) returns! Joey, Aaron, and Jess reunite in person to make their annual predictions for the new year. They talk about the impending demise of influencers [4:31], a rise in video game super-franchises [19:18], extreme-weather clothing [35:00], chickens as the new unicorns [51:05], checkers [59:11], and a seismic shift in dating [1:03:17]. They don’t talk about the Chicken Unicorn.
references
- Rob Freund on Mikayla Noguiera
- The Dots: Deconstructing Influence by Joey "Sylvain Labs" Camire.
- Path
- The New York Times: We Should All Know Less About Each Other
- The New Yorker: How Harmful Is Social Media?
- Variety: Marvel’s Kevin Feige Doesn’t Think Audiences Will Ever Get Tired of Superhero Movies
- The Last of Us Podcast
- Paramount+: Halo
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Hulu: Kindred
- Hulu: The 1619 Project
- Long Wharf Supply Co.'s SeaWell Collection
- Heihei
- Sophie La Girafe
- Everything You Need To Know About Chicken Combs
- Ultimate Tic Tac Toe
- Tea Dance
- Vice: The Tea Dance Is Part of NYC's LGBTQ Living History
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- Invincible
What makes video-game-to-film adaptations so damn hard to get right? And how do men make friends? [24:57]
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about world building, gaming IP, media properties, masculinity, love, and social infrastructure. They don’t talk about Whodini.
references
- How Levain Bakery’s co-founders came up with their iconic super thick cookie
- The Last of Us video game
- HBO's The Last of Us series
- The Last of Us Podcast
- The New York Times: In ‘The Last of Us,’ Bella Ramsey Might Save the World
- DLC
- The Witcher on Netflix
- Final Fantasy VII cut scenes
- Video Games: What Does IP Mean?
- The Super Mario Brothers Movie - What Happened?
- Vox: Men have fewer friends than ever, and it’s harming their health
- Man Park - SNL
How did our predictions play out in 2022?
This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey make a belated review of their prognogs from Episode 156, discussing the low-rise jeans revival, the stabilizing housing market, rollerskating and black culture, crashing crypto, the gap-year micro-trend, and dreaming pants. They don’t talk about nightmare snuggies.
references
- Rest in Paradise, Coolio.
- Who did it better? Joey or Alan Whicker?
- Also, hi, Tom Browne.
- Vox: "Low-rise jeans are back. Don’t panic."
- Refinery29: "My Week In Whale Tails: What It’s Really Like Wearing A Visible Thong"
- Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIII 2009
- United Skates
- Usher's NYE performance
- Lola Star
- The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, Laconia (N.H.) Daily Sun, and Higher Ed Dive on students taking a gap year
How do we identify phase shifts, and how do we deal with big changes that are happening much more quickly and in a punctuated fashion?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about going into work, social media, college, Web3, loose flaps, and vanilla. They don’t talk about math.
references
- G.I. Bill
- CPU vs. GPU: What’s the Difference?
- Moore's Law
- Ars Technica: Is Moore’s law actually dead this time? Nvidia seems to think so
- What is a neural network? A computer scientist explains
- Grab some terryfold flaps
Why should a good idea die? And how do you use concepts that you discover to make things better for yourself? [25:35]
This week, Jess and Joey talk about speed dating, engineers, iterative creativity, body doubling, ADHD, and Santa's narc. They don’t talk about James Hinton.
references
- Revisiting last week's Nonsense: 201! The Paradox of Milk Math
- Gary Gygax
- @kelseydarragh on body doubling
- Taste of Home: What Is Elf on the Shelf, and How Does It Work?
Why is milk math so silly?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about milk fat, music modes, the King's foot, scientific discoveries, wormholes, and polynomial equations. They don’t talk about Wyatt and Gary.
references
- Music modes
- Pentatonic scale
- How Physicists Created a Holographic Wormhole in a Quantum Computer
- The Biggest Project in Modern Mathematics
This week, our 200th episode!
To celebrate, Jess, Joey, Aaron, and Alex dish out a bunch of big thanks—on behalf of themselves and some of the SYLVAIN team—and show their appreciation to all of you, dear listeners, for riding with us over the years. They talk about plastic, grandpa strips, popcorn, warm legs, perspective that sticks, and aging. They don’t talk about herding pandas.
references
- Magical 7-Spice Umami Popcorn with Carla Lalli Music
How do you choose what moment in time represents somebody?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about death, recency bias, in memoriams, James Dean, one-hit wonders, and headstones. They don’t talk about Beenie Man.
references
- Corrections Department: 525,600 ... not 125,600.
- Recompose
- The Dots: Deconstructing Influence by Sylvain Labs
- James Dean
- "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
- "Closing Time" by Semisonic
- "Heroes" by David Bowie
- Mel Blanc's headstone
- Reader's Digest:19 Funniest Tombstones That Really Exist
- RBG In Memoriam stamp
- Scientific American: Explorers of Quantum Entanglement Win 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
This week, Preponderance of Ponderances is back, this time with Jess in the driver's seat. She talks with Joey and Aaron about Sax-a-booms, mushrooms, preserving the dead, aquamation, Fruit Loop hair, objectivity, and averages. They don’t talk about Harry Sultenfuss.
references
- Jack Black performing his legendary Sax-A-Boom with The Roots
- NYT Cooking: Honey-Glazed Mushrooms With Udon
- Boil your mushrooms
- The French Chef episode on Boeuf Bourguignon
- The New York Times: The Fading Art of Preserving the Dead
- CBS News: Want to go green after death? Aquamation, composting offer eco-friendly burial options
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
- Snatch
- Jake Baldino
- Toronto Star: When U.S. air force discovered the flaw of averages
- Isaiah Mustafa is the man your man could smell like.
- Albanese Candy
- NPR: Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains?
- Behavioral scientist and professor Aradhna Krishna on the power of mental imagery
What is a better way for us to deal with our stuff in this new world we're living in?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about Takanakuy, intimacy, erruption of conflict, Love Island, hiding, and conflict languages. They don’t talk about cream corn or the International Adult Conspiracy.
references
- Because we love you, here's our theme song
- Gushers
- Hey smiling strange
- Takanakuy
- Love Island
- Little Fury
Will competitive reality TV go back to what it used to be?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pandemic "normalcy," earnestness, parasocial relationships, referees, social media, and taxons. They don’t talk about our Ernest Borgnine or his amazing eyebrows.
references
- Been around the world and we've been player-hated.
- Parasocial Relationships: The Nature of Celebrity Fascinations
- Richard Hatch (Survivor contestant)
- Forged in Fire
- The New York Times: The Fall of ‘Terrace House’
- The Mole: then and now
- Philodendron
- The Importance of Being Earnest
Where should we draw boundaries around pranking "for the likes"?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the latest updates on the "fights", meme culture, when something stops being funny, the consent paradox of pranking, entertaining each other, and the oversaturated market of bad jokes. They don't talk about if sugar belongs in stew.
references
- The Chocolate Bunny feud: Lindt v. Lidl
- Is this a prank? A cruel lesson to not take things from strangers.
- Radiolab: "Smile My Ass" the episode about candid camera
- Jackass
- That Jimmy Kimmel "prank" telling kids "I ate your Halloween candy"
- There's salt in my stew!
- Not a prank: back when a McDonalds customer sued them for their hot coffee
- Seth McFarlane's "You're the Cream in my Coffee"
What can we learn to love about fear?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about tiny clothes, reading horror, delight, Friends, subtle fear, and gourds. They don’t talk about Colonel Kurtz.
references
- You are home, Demi Adejuyigbe.
- Stephen King's Night Shift
- Esquire: All 75 Stephen King Books, Ranked
- You're Next
- What is Horror?
- Bros
- Legion
- Utopia
- Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot
- The Last of Us
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
This week, another special episode!
System of a Down Evangelist Joey and Queen of the Bagelry Jess, in (kind of) lightning round fashion, ponder a (kind of) preponderance of ... er ... "ponderances" about bagels, English adjective order, Trevor Noah, performance mode, pickleball, and chess cheating. They don’t talk about the possibility of ice cream being healthier than bagels.
references
- Disorder!
- Green great dragons can't exist!
- The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by Mark Forsyth
- The girls are fighting
- The New York Times: A Funny Name, a Serious Sport. Pickleball, Anyone?
- @katologic on pickleball
- Serena Williams loves pickleball
- The New York Times: Cheating Allegation Looms Over Elite Chess
- Magnus Carlsen' statement on chess cheating
What is consciousness and are we alone in our consciousness on Earth?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about orca fashion, climate change, forest network interconnectivity, divergence, AI consciousness, and Trevor's beard. They don’t talk about blueberry bagels.
references
- Dinosaurs eating people
- Pterosaurs
- Trendy killer whales
- Science: ‘Wood wide web'—the underground network of microbes that connects trees—mapped for first time
- Reader's Digest: Why humpback whales protect other species from killer whales
- Panpsychism
Is AI Art art, and should we be scared of it?
This week, Joey, Jess, and Alex talk about AI art generators, DALL·E 2, Midjourney, creativity and craft, the proliferation of beautiful things, and homogeneity. They don’t talk about Allen Iverson ... or practice. (Not a game! Practice!).
references
- DALL·E 2
- Progress Report: Jess on the difference "hand taste" makes
- How to Create Synthetic AI Art With Midjourney
- Revisiting Episode 134! The Story of Us and Fringe Theory
- Twitter: @talyarkoni on AI art's evolution beyond "promising novelty"
- Twitter: @SocDoneLeft on AI art winning an art competition
- BBC: Go master quits because AI 'cannot be defeated'
- Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov
- Twitter: (WARNING: creepy photos!) @supercomposite on Loab and horror AI art
- Twitter: @fabianstelzer on AI applied to film
- Twitter: @Anodesu on AI "artists"
- American Scientist: Enter the Axion
How do you renew your vows with your hobbies?
This week, our Cutie Corner special continues with guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper joining Jess to talk about knitting, boredom, thumb wars, bird watching, snackable goals, and giving yourself room to fail. They don’t talk about the Australian Lyrebird.
references
- Sourdough Teddy Bears
- A Bird Calling Champion Visits The Daily Show
Why did hobbies become hobbies again?
This week, Cutie Corner returns with special guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper joining Jess to talk about reading, BookTok, Colleen Hoover, productive leisure, the affects of the pandemic, and quiet quitting. They don’t talk about Henry Bemis.
references
- The New York Times: How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine
- Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)'s IG: @bklynlibrary
- The Atlantic: How Hobbies Infiltrated American Life
- The New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Best Seller List
- NPR: What is 'quiet quitting,' and how it may be a misnomer for setting boundaries at work
- Pottery Wheel Throwing
- BPL's Books Unbanned
Would you join a country that started online first?
This week, special guest Eric Ferrer-Vaughn joins Joey and Jess to talk about Web3, blockchain, Balaji Srinivasa, network states, Neom, and zero-knowledge proofs. They don’t talk about *NSYNC.
references
- As always, Neal: Snow Crash | The Diamond Age
- Free State Project
- Balaji Srinivasan's The Network State
- Jerusalem Post: How Satmar Hasidim used liberal values to create an American theocracy
- Neom
- Computer Scientist Explains Zero-Knowledge Proofs in 5 Levels of Difficulty
- The Consilience Project
- Daniel Schmachtenberger on exponential technology
- Mike Cannon-Brookes and Australian Power
Why does it feel so right to say something so wrong?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about category mistakes, synesthesia, projective questioning, names, berries, and, apperantly, not-berries. They don’t talk about De La Soul.
references
- Jimmy and Dash blowin' through the jasmine in their minds
- Category Mistakes
- The Power Of Categories and Entanglement episodes of NPR's Invisibilia podcast
- Synesthesia
- Projective Techniques In Qualitative Research
- One is the loneliest number ... and Two can be as [sad] as One ...
- but, Three will always be a Magic Number.
- Jefferson Airplane to Starship: An Evolution
- Jessie's Girl
What's so wrong with using pictures in menus? And how do you feel about exploring new ideas that break your concept of reality? [22:48]
This week, Jess and Joey talk about the fabric of the universe, cookbooks and menus, painting a sensory picture, quantum consciousness, Spacetime, and butt donuts. They don’t talk about A$AP Rocky.
references
- This is your brain on '80s anti-drug commercials
- Revisiting our epic potato growing conversation from way back in Critical Nonsense 183!
- Devil Wears Prada "stuff" scene
- Bouillabaisse
- Contra
- Netflix: How to Change Your Mind
- Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman on the problems with spacetime
- Spacetime
- Nick Bostrom and the simulation hypothesis
What is a better way to explain methods of writing your point of view?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Mrs. Henry's Ping Pong Method vs. Mrs. Henry's Oreo Cookie Method, the Shit Sandwich Method of delivering feedback, music theory, the Straw Man Argument vs. the Steel Man Argument, Schrödinger's cat, and memetics (again). They don’t talk about Diddy Riese Ice Cream Sandwiches.
references
- George Mason University professor and alien proponent Robin Hanson responds to Critical Nonsense 182! Grabby Aliens and Leftovers
- Critical Nonsense Merch
- The Shit Sandwich
- Straw Man vs. Steel Man
- Schrödinger's cat
- Memetics
Should we be using language like "optimism" or "pessimism," or is there a different way we could look at these challenges that allows for better outcomes?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about nihilism, venting, the time horizons of change, young converts, kidnapping, and genetic influences on optimism and pessimism. They don’t talk about Meursault, but he doesn't care at all.
references
- progressbysylvain.co
- Progress Report 067: Power In the Face of Nihilism
- Albert Camus: an absurdist.
- r/nihilism/
- Huck Magazine: Why more young people are turning to nihilism
- The New York Times: Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?
- The Journal of Positive Psychology: The Glass is Half Full and Half Empty: A population-representative twin study testing if Optimism and Pessimism are distinct systems by Timothy C. Bates
- Übermensch
Why shouldn't I grow my own potatoes?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about fast food french fries, hybrid potatoes, tubers and roots, apple cider, ube, and taro. They don’t talk about Freestyle Fellowship.
references
- Eater's exposé on Blue Hill's Dan Barber
- Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire
- Eric Kim's Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home
- Umamicart
- Oishii: The Omakase Berry
Do you prefer living in a universe where humanity is a one-snowflake civilization—life exists here on a mote of dust in the outer reaches of the Milky Way—or do you prefer living in a universe that is loud and noisy and populated? And how do you handle leftovers? [34:31]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about loud and quiet aliens, LaMDA, Santa, unfortunate dinners, waste aversion, and dumplings. They don’t talk about Isaac, Tayler, or Zac.
references
- Revisiting bathroom ventures in episode 155! Introducing: Nonsense VC!
- Lex Fridman Podcast #292: Robin Hanson: Alien Civilizations, UFOs, and the Future of Humanity
- Future of Humanity Institute
- The Astrophysical Journal: "If Loud Aliens Explain Human Earliness, Quiet Aliens Are Also Rare"
- Drake Equation
- "... on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam ..."
- Scientific American: "Google Engineer Claims AI Chatbot Is Sentient: Why That Matters"
- USS Nimitz ‘Tic Tac’ UFO: Declassified Video
- CNBC: Watch the Pentagon's three declassified UFO videos taken by U.S. Navy pilots
- grabbyaliens.com
What else can happen when we find new uses for lost arts?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about falconry, Top Gun, sword fighting, peatlands, owls, and mushrooms. They don’t talk about the Black Falcon School of Arms.
references
- Zoobilee Zoo and The Wuzzles
- The New York Times Magazine: The Ancient Art of Falconry at the Jersey Shore
- Neal Stephenson's Termination Shock
- Dutch police using eagles to hunt illegal drones
- Stone Masonry
- COBOL
- Also, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (again)
- Sumerian language
- The New York Times: Meet Peat, the Unsung Heroes of Carbon Capture
- Owls of LBL: Super predators and marvels of evolution
- Meati
What do we make of the existence of song twins and movie twins today?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the zeitgeist, movie marketing, Timbaland, Beyoncé vs. Azealia Banks, Western musical notes, and Baroque Pop (again). They don’t talk about Laurent and Larry Bourgeois.
references
- Joey and Aaron are reunited and it feels like sweet love.
- "Sissy That Walk"
- RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
- Armageddon and Deep Impact
- Big Hero 6 and Next Gen
- Ron’s Gone Wrong and The Mitchells vs. The Machines
- Volcano and Dante's Peak
- No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits
- Finding Nemo and The Reef
- Cheddar: Why Are Identical Movies Released at the Same Time?
- Corrections Department: Rich Harrison, not Rodney Jerkins
- Corrections Department Again: Amerie's "1 Thing" (not Ashanti ... or Mýa) and Toni Braxton's "Take This Ring"
- Timbaland's Shock Value and Shock Value 2
- Justin Timberlake and Timbaland's "Cry Me a River"
- Corrections Department Yet Again: Neither Azealia Banks nor Beyoncé "brought house back." House NEVER left. Not even in pop music.
- Don't Look Up
- Legend Adam Neely on Paramore, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and other song twins
- Why the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" is Such A Powerful Song
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense 167 and Baroque Pop
- Did Aaron ever know that he's our hero?
- Hocus Pocus 2
- Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (audio book | regular book)
- Carrie Underwood's Denim & Rhinestones
How has our childhood media affected our adulthoods?
This week, special guest Dylan Fowler joins Aaron and Jess to talk about Sesame Street, Ren & Stimpy, Disney, Don Bluth, The Lion King, and The Muppets. They don’t talk about vulgar Snoopy.
references
- HuffPost: 11 Moments On 'Sesame Street' That Championed Diversity And Inclusion
- On the famous Mister Rogers pool scene
- How Divine inspired Ursula The Sea Witch
- John Kricfalusi: An Open Secret
- Ren, Stimpy, & John K: The Art vs. the Artist
- The Disney/Don Bluth Animation War
- All Dogs Go to Heaven
- The Land Before Time
- Vanity Fair: Inside the Tragedy and Triumph of Disney Genius Howard Ashman
- "dress in drag and do the hula"
- Why Animators HATE The Lion King (2019)
- Eureeka's Castle
Why it gotta be bagels vs. donuts? And how should we celebrate our birthdays? [25:17]
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Sega vs. Nintendo, the L.A. donut scene, the coastal bagel war, birthday themes, the responsibility phases, and cake-flavored foods. Thankfully, they don’t talk about birthday cake bagels.
references
- Strangers With Candy Theme Song
- Cleaning pr0n
- Sega vs. Nintendo
- The sweet and savory Mecca
- Atari: Game Over
- America's obsession with sweet breakfast? The Dutch say, "Houd mijn bier vast."
- New York vs. Cali bagels
- In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack: Who wins?
- Trejo's Coffee & Donuts
- Bob's Coffee & Doughnuts
- Randy's Donuts
- Winchell's
- But really, the best of the best: Shipley. Don't believe it? Ask Lizzo ... or some robbers.
- Belle's Bagels
- The fragel
- Taste of Home: The Best Birthday Cake-Flavored Foods
- Hacks
What do you do about the missing Lego piece? And how does this become dumpling? [25:32]
This week, Aaron and Jess talk about customer service, bike sharing overages, significance imbalance, invisible wisdom, dumpling teamwork, and apprenticeship. They don’t talk about My Squishy Little Dumplings.
references
- Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night
- criticalnonsense@sylvain.co
- rubber baby buggy bumpers
- Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop
- Mark Rober: Pranks Destroy Scam Callers
How can we better leverage awards in our everyday life?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Boston Celtics, recognition, distinguishing, benchmarks, The Infatuation, and Hitch. They don’t talk about Ali Shaheed Muhammad, my man.
references
- Because maybe ...
- Michelin Guide
- The cure for the common man
- The Hitch Tomatometer®
- The Annual Dundies!
How can we take advantage of Assembly Theory in our lives? And where are the six elemental marshmallows best applied in life? [31:46]
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about corn dogs, Kafka, Homer, brown sugar, extrusion, and Peeps. They don’t talk about that famous DJ fella.
references
- Lex Fridman Podcast: Alien Debate: Sara Walker and Lee Cronin
- Assembly Theory
- The best ketchup (ahem)
- A Critical Nonsense favorite: But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking about the Present as If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman
- Core samples
- Wacky Physics: Why Do Particles Have Flavors?
- Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
- Kraft 1958 “New Jet-Puffed Marshmallows” print ad
- The New York Times: Who Made That Marshmallow?
- Reader's Digest: What Are Marshmallows, Exactly?
- Jet-Puffed Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense #165, when Ilana schooled us on Goblin Mode
- Also, mallows (sans "marsh-") are plants.
How does one navigate the journey from Ask Culture to Guess Culture, and vice versa? And what are your ideal working hours? [27:50]
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about privacy settings, politeness vs. safety, the Midwest, philosopher hours, exercise, and zoos. They don’t talk about Tears For Fears.
references
- Have we told you that we believe in a thing called The Darkness?
- Adam Neely: The most elegant key change in all of pop music
- Céline Dion's Emotional Breakdown While Performing "All By Myself"
- The legendary Space Cowboy Jay Kay
- In case you need some canned beans …
- Are You Ask Culture or Guess Culture?
- The Atlantic: 'Askers' vs. 'Guessers'
- Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
- The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
- Phineas Gage
- Legal Sciuridae
Why choose casual chaos? And what is the standard way to frame a vacation photo? [31:50]
This week, special guest Cara Lohman joins Jess to talk about Super Mario Bros., chickens, selfie bombs, order and structure, people vs. vistas, and chaos theory. They don’t talk about the Cocoa Brovaz.
references
- Everything Everywhere All At Once trailer
- Bierki (and Bierki, and Bierki, and Bierki)
- Ennio Morricone
- Benoit Mandelbrot
- BBC: How Mandelbrot's fractals changed the world
- Fractal Foundation: What is Chaos Theory?
- Melittology
- Adobe: How to use, and break, the rule of thirds.
Is it healthier to be a little bit more ignorant online? And how do we all build a discomfort diet? [28:26]
This week, special guest Nora Mestrich joins Joey to talk about TikTok, Twitter, admitting ignorance, dopamine hijacking, ice plunges, and the benefits of pain. They don’t talk about DIIV.
references
- MMT
- Armchair Expert interview with Anna Lembke
- Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke
- Seek Discomfort on YouTube
- Yes Theory on YouTube
Why is failure the best way to learn a lesson?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about New York laundry, errant emails, the instant amplitude of the feeling of failure, "Fail fast!," biffing and flop sweat, and overlearning. They don’t talk about Sonic Youth's Washing Machine LP.
references
- Critical Nonsense Merch!
- Fortune: How an NFT creator lost $34 million due to a smart contract error
- The Atlantic: Pandemonium and Rage in Hawaii
- Rube Goldberg machine
How can we better tap into inspiration from weirder, wilder places?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about The Office, diverse sourcing, walking away, "do it now," and ... thots. They don’t talk about Chicago.
references
- HAIM "Right Now"
- Corrections Department: Pronunciation Guide: HAIM Teach You How to Say Their Name
- Just FYI: How Caribbean People Eat Mango
- Corrections Department: Who vs. Whom
- Neuroscience News: Unique Connectivity Lets Highly Creative People’s Brains Take ‘Road Less Traveled’ to Their Destination
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc
- Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
- Simplenote
Which CCU team should get our backing?
In the latest installment of Nonsense VC!, Jess pitches Cereal Cinematic Universes to Joey. They talk about Kellogg's vs. General Mills, character strength, biome corners, villains, tummy troubles, and the rampant commingling of ice cream and cereal. They don’t talk about cereal commas.
references
- The lineup card: Kellogg's vs. General Mills
- Yesterworld: The History & Downfall of McDonaldland and the Disney-McDonalds Happy Meal
- The Wacky Adventures Of Ronald McDonald: THE COMPLETE SERIES!
- The A.V. Club: A thorough history of Honeycomb’s bygone mascot monster
- "currently on leave" and "previously a dog"
- Teen Vogue: Ben & Jerry's Now Makes Cereal-Flavored Ice Cream
- See also: Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice creams
- The limited edition Cocoa Puffs Neopolitan colorway: a review
- Peeps cereal: a review
- Ice Cream Pebbles cereal: a review
- Look away, Joey: Cereal ice cream sandwiches
How far can we take malicious compliance? And what happens when a nothing turns into a need? [26:12]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, rules, Originalism, lip balm, deodorant, and skin care routines. They don’t talk about Judas Priest.
references
- A look back at Teen Beat
- Selena + Chef on HBO Max
- Selena Gomez & The Scene "Un Año Sin Lluvia"
- Critical Nonsense on YouTube
- The teacher template letter in response to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law
- Baader–Meinhof phenomenon/Frequency illusion
- Diana Taurasi couldn’t stop making dick jokes on ESPN during the Final Four
- What Is Originalism? Definition and Examples
- Corrections Department: The questionably worded common law marriage bill in Tennessee (not Kentucky)
- Real, wrath of God type stuff
- Again, Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen"
- Reuters: You may be eating a credit card's worth of plastic each week: study
- Wikipedia's list of generic and genericized trademarks
How dead is Rock and Roll? And how are we tied to our genetic identity? [28:31]
This week, special guest Harmand Ponder joins Joey and Jess to talk about Tame Impala, Rock subgenres, Baroque Pop, genetics vs. culture, epigenetics, and beaches. They don’t talk about Bette Midler.
references
- Hey, Dude
- kumquats
- List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- Baroque pop
- Brian Falduto, gay life coach, and his identity struggles after School of Rock
- What Is Epigenetics, and Why Is [Joey] Talking about It?
- Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- We remember, Joey. We remember.
How do you think different? And what office supplies do you miss? [45:20]
This week, a rerun from Nonsense past!
Again, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about aphantasia, internal monologues, learning styles, pilfering printer paper, binder clips, and ugly cups. They don’t talk about The Mind Palace.
references
- Junkee on aphantasia and visualizing apples
- NPR on how Jess's favorite apple, the Honeycrisp, changed the world
- Jess's dreams as the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster
- Aaron's dreams as The Beast roller coaster
- Joey's mind as a Fast & Furious theme park ride
- Joey's horror: Not everyone has an internal monologue
- What is the corpus callosum?
- And, for only the sexy people: Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It"
Is Goblin Mode a privilege? And how should we feel about pathologizing our behaviors? [27:24]
This week, special guest Ilana Bondell joins Joey and Jess to talk about the versions of Goblin Mode, pandemic nihilism, identity politics, repressing trauma, the western medical industrial complex, and "The Man." They don’t talk about Jareth.
references
- "Iris" and the City of Angels
- The doobily-doo ... er ... link to reach our Corrections Department
- Revisiting Vibe Shifts in Episode 161!
- The Guardian: "Slobbing out and giving up: why are so many people going ‘goblin mode’?"
- The original meaning of goblin-ing?
- Sex and the City: Season 4 Ep 13: The Good Fight
- Corrections Department: Zen-DAY-uh
- "Going to the Bathroom" Is Not Normal
- Here Comes Old Gregg
- Gollum and Sméagol
Why do we keep doing things that don't make any sense at all? And is youth culture always the same? [24:34]
This week, Jess and Joey talk about Pi Day, songlines, dead reckoning, Billy Joel, the Flynn effect, and the global mean hat size. They don’t talk about the Tau of Pooh.
references
- Give Me ... the Beach Boys?
- NPR: Ways to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
- "We'll do it live!"
- Vihart: Pi is (still) wrong.
- Smart by Design: Base 12 - Why Counting In Twelves Would Make Life Easier
- Songlines: the Indigenous memory code
- Dead reckoning
- "TikTok is just ..."
- Remembering GeoCities, the 1990s Precursor to Social Media
- Billy Joel's "Piano Man"
- James Flynn's Ted Talk: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'
- The Flynn effect
What do we do about disposability culture?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about fast furniture, Shein, quality-assurance signaling, direct-to-consumer mattresses, darning, and nubby sherpa chairs. They don’t talk about Dres and Mista Lawnge.
references
- Salt-N-Pepa's here, and "here" appears to be a veterinary office
- NPR: Ways to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
- Helen Rosner's Twitter question about fast furniture
- Brightly on the environmental waste of fast furniture
- Vox: Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?
- CNBC: There are now 175 online mattress companies—and you can’t tell them apart
- Corrections Department: The (possible) 18th-century New England origins of "Darn it!"
- ShINO vs. Sherpa
When did Instagram get so boring?
This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about Facebook/Meta business strategy, The Viola Davis Orbit, positive affirmation, and creators vs. lurkers. They don’t talk about Smell-O-Vision.
references
- THX
- NPR's Planet Money on sound branding (excerpted from Twenty Thousand Hertz's original two-part series on HBO and sound branding: Part One | Part Two)
- Eureeka's Castle
- Viola Davis on Instagram
- Path
If we think of fraudsters as the hackers of social psychology, what can it teach us about the weaknesses of our society so we can strengthen them and make them better? And how should we feel about being left behind by a vibe? [28:57]
This week, special guest Trevor Larry joins Joey and Jess to talk about catfishing, Inventing Anna, desperation and risk analysis, vibe shifts, "youth culture" as a construct, and Williamsburg. They don’t talk about why Nobody Beats the Biz (R.I.P).
references
- NPR: Ways to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
- Joey's on the radio.
- The Tinder Swindler
- Inventing Anna
- Catfish: The TV Show
- Business Insider: The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder
- How to Recognize Publishers Clearing House Scams
- New York's Vulture: Everything to Know About McMillions and the McDonald’s Monopoly Game Scam
- CNBC: Nigerian prince’ email scams still rake in over $700,000 a year
- The Conversation: West Elm Caleb and the rise of the TikTok tabloid
- Time keeps on slipping #noSpaceJam
- New York's The Cut: A vibe shift is coming, will any of us survive it?
- 8Ball Substack
- Dazed: WTF is Indie Sleaze and is it actually making a comeback?
- Grandmacore Aesthetic: Everything You Need to Know
- "Beefy and handsome" Nick Wooster
- Beef and cheese behavior (maybe with lettuce and tomato, if you like lettuce and tomato).
- Or, you know, in pre-vibe-shift-terms: Do you. (R.I.P., D).
Where is the line between the honor of minding your own business and the honor of speaking up? And why do we buy things we know are trash? [28:49]
This week, Joey, Aaron and Jess talk about bowling within your bumpers, preference vs. morality, misplaced concern, the persistence of old candy, utility vs. nostalgia, and fidget spinners. They don’t talk about why black licorice is actually insanely good if you don't have a ridiculous bias against it and/or are Dutch (or from a former Dutch colony).
references
- Even if you don't speak Spanish, have a look at this graph!
- Maybe don't drink the milk, though.
- Revisit our wild rollerskating prognostication from Critical Nonsense 156!
- Ryan Ken on minding your own business
- Showtime's Yellowjackets
- Also, a look back at thick conversations from Critical Nonsense 121!
- Podcast: You're Wrong About: The Chicks vs. The Iraq War
- "Say It (Don't Spray It)"
- The Männkitchen Pepper Cannon: The greatest (but certainly not cheapest) pepper grinder of all time.
- Ancient(ly disgusting) necco wafers and the dusty, industrial hell from whence they come
- The Lindy Effect
- Um, FYI, professional fingerboarding is a thing.
- Tellicherry: the ultimate peppercorn
- Legend Adam Neely breaks down the most elegant key change in all of pop music.
- More magic music theory nerdery from Mr. Neely: Olivia Rodrigo vs. Paramour.
- The cone of transcendentally delicious black licorice ice cream that Les and his obviously superior taste receptors will absolutely fight Joey over.
How do you think we as individuals can help a country like India decolonize their values and move in a direction of sexual liberation?
This week, special guest Payal Pereira joins Jess and Joey to talk about British colonization, transgenerational cultural drama, kink subcultures, coded branding, sex education through dance, and the F-word. They don’t talk about the American Beekeeping Federation (or the Adult Bible Fellowship).
references
- Wiki: Kama Sutra
- Kama Sutra by Vātsyāyana
- Vice: Inside the Secret World of India’s Adult Breastfeeding Community
- "The Psychology Behind Kinks and Seeking Pain In the Bedroom"
- Leeza Mangaldas
- Corrections Department: The gospel according to Snopes: Etymology of the the ‘F-Word’
- The Sex Lives of College Girls
- Skins
- Sex Education
When should you keep going when all you see ahead of you are troubles? And why do tennis players grunt? [23:52]
This week, Jess, Aaron and Joey talk about the ever-elusive vanilla cookie, nuance and complexity, imagining beyond your means, kinetic linking, mirroring, and tennis culture. They don’t talk about Monica Seles. Or Maria Seles. Or even Martina Seles. (They don't talk about Jimmy Connors either).
references
- Not to disparage Joey's karaoke version, but Billy is the best.
- Critical Nonsense merch
- Returnal
- Roguelike role-playing games
- Kinetic linking
- Martina Navratilova is a (grunt-)hater
- More power (and more grunting)
- A reminder: If You Can Huh! You Can Hear
- Heilala Vanilla
Are we actually passive victims to social media or do you see a future where we have some modicum of control?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the metaverse, Web3, public ledgers of information, entropy, "baroque speculative fiction," and nerds. They don’t talk about NFTs, weirdly enough.
references
- Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, in print or as an audiobook
- NYT's The Daily Podcast: Microsoft and the Metaverse
- Memetics
- New Scientist: What is Web3 and how will it change the way we use the internet?
What's to come in 2022?
This week, it's Wild Prognostications time again! Joey, Jess, and Aaron chime in with their annual predictions for the new year. They talk about crypto crashing [5:59], the return of rollerskating [19:59], the low-rise revival [28:53], gap-year popularity [43:15], Home-Ec classes for adults [52:19], and psychedelics [1:01:28]. They don’t talk about Vince Chase, poor guy.
references
- We can't make you love us.
- The New York Times: The Rise of the Climatarian
- Why Will Smith turned down The Matrix, but didn't turn down this.
- Oh, Disco Ball Rite Aid, you will be missed
- Whip It
- Fashion: Miu Miu Runway Show Marks the Return of the Low-Rise, Ultra-Mini Skirt
- JNCO Jeans
- What exactly is Vaporwave AESTHETICS!?
- A look back at Mandy Moore
- Black-ish and the gap year
- Asher Roth "I Love College"
- The New York Times (again): I Do Things Differently From My Wife. And That’s OK.
- Dad, How Do I?
- Vice: The Battle Over Psychedelic Therapy's Future
How to make Sh*t Happens?
We're back! (Kind of). We're kicking off 2022 with a quick intro to our new Shark Tank-like segment: Nonsense Venture Capital. This week, special guest Nora Mestrich joins Joey and Jess to talk about public restrooms, toilet paper, and two-dollar bills. They don’t talk about the impressively maintained public bathroom in Bryant Park.
references
- Shark Tank
- Not quite a TikTok public restroom access account, but here are some sink reviews
- We want our two dollars!
What debt do we owe to '90s action movies? And how can we clean digital house in the new year? [22:08]
This week, one more from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Aaron and Joey talk about the most progressive movie genres, Atomic Blonde, Sigourney Weaver, ideas on Twitter, deep cleaning our feeds, and "the holey sock problem." They don't talk about how Joey is definitely 1000% wrong about Hitch.
references
- The 2014 MIT study on Twitter feeds and quality ideas and the full report
- Whatever you feel about Malcolm Gladwell: thoughts on what guides our feelings on the law
How does purpose lead us astray? And when is it okay to talk about aliens? [24:52]
This week, another rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about Disney Pixar's Soul, fridge magnets, the Princess Diaries Series of novels, the Drake Equation and other UFO/UAP talk, tranches, and the science behind wombats' cube-shaped poop. They don't talk about owls relate to any of this conversation.
references
- Elle: People react on Twitter to Soul
- Also, that Roger Ebert synopsis. But also, watch it!
- Quartz: "The Misappropriation of Corporate Purpose"
- Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
- '"The Princess Diaries" is a Meg Cabot literary classic—there are 10 in all, but at least read Book 1 through Jess's personal favorite, Book 3.
- SETI
- Lights in Charlotte and the blue light in Hawaii and some kinda something in LA
- Thanks science for explaining how wombats poop cubes
What do Mortal Kombat "fatalities" tell us about the American psyche in 2019? And how valuable is the comfort and familiarity of watching old TV shows? [28:27]
This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Aaron and Joey talk about quirky horror icons, the allure of "punchy-kicky," gladiators, "22-Minute Worlds," the comfort TV business model, and several Gilmore Girls spoilers. They don't talk about the (yet unproven) health benefits of vegging out in front of endless New Girl reruns—not The New Girl, Joey, duh.
references
- The 1896 train film, L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat) that scared people, but may not have induced a stampede.
- The Guardian: "The Age of Comfort TV"
- Reviving Norman Lear sitcoms
- Too Many Cooks, Adult Swim
- The floor is lava and there are no rules: playing True American (not advisable)
How did our predictions play out in 2021?
This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey review their "frog-nogs" from Episode 109, discussing pop wellness and plant-based meat [4:58]; Eurocentric interior design and breakfast [14:01]; and, the WFH pendulum and fucc bois [27:34]. They don’t talk about dinner ennui.
references
- Jezebel: The Commodification of the Wellness Industry
- ADWEEK: Every Brand Should Be Thinking Like A Wellness Brand
- Forbes: Purpose At Work: Amy’s Kitchen Recipe For Prodigious Growth And Impact
- The Scots 3D print a lump of meat
- West Elm LOCAL
- Winning frozen breakfast with diversity
- The power of Kodiak Cakes
- Plant-based, low-sugar shaping breakfast trends
- Ways to L'Eggo
- Corrections Department: Joey confuses himself with the Original Don
- Time: How the Pandemic Fueled the Rise of 'Intentional' Dating
- Corrections Department (again): Eggs are NOT dairy
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about SYLVAIN's new Impact Report, chocolate chips, openness, honoring intentions, digital passivity, and accountability. They don’t talk about what puffin tastes like.
references
- All Grown Up!
- SYLVAIN's Impact Report: A Developing Story: Self Reflections of a Progress-Guided Consultancy
- Guittard's Super Cookie Chocolate Chips
- Porgs!
How do we take a break? And why is the average American retailer so bad at Hanukkah? [26:29]
This week, Joey, Jess and Aaron talk about the feeling of wasted opportunity, the down-shift, accounting for transitional time, Hanukkah ignorance, the secularization of holidays, and uniquely designed menorahs. They don’t talk about HAIM and/or Adam Sandler.
references
- Who is Suzanne Somers?
- RuPaul: What's The Tee episode with Suzanne Somers
- Heading into the holiday break, are you more of a Biz Markie or a Big Daddy Kane?
- ZCOB
- The New York Times: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Hanukkah
- Salon: Hanukkah isn't Christmas
- Esperanto?
- Jewish Museum Shop
- Lexus' 2021 December to Remember Commercial
- The menorah retail landscape is wild. Pasta-modern? A blue octopus?! An elephant? Rainbow oil?
How do we stop being so pre-emptive?
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about fear validity, empathy, directness, Minnesota nice, grin-fucking, and the consequences of the public forum. They didn't bless your heart.
references
- Podcast: You're Wrong About "Cancel Culture"
- Alex Contell's labor of love: Grain
- IGN's Guardians of the Galaxy game review
What do we want from a dad? And how should companies be held accountable? [44:37]
This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Joey and Jess to talk about paternity leave, movie dads, inputs and outputs, legal backlash, collateral consequences, and unchecked systems. Sadly, they don’t talk about Sade.
references
- Because we're never gonna dance again ...
- Why is the flute a woodwind?
- Bagpipes are indeed a wind instrument.
- The Ezra Klein Show: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’
- Mr. Mom
- Moana
- Fatherhood
- Manchester By the Sea
- Scenes From a Marriage
- Matt Taibbi's Divide
- SYLVAIN's Off-White Paper: No. 2: Encoding Organizational Purpose
- Chandler recently in our newsletter, Progress Report: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (which you can subscribe to for free!)
- Eric Holder's memo on collateral consequences. (PDF)
- Vivo
What is a celebration without gifts?
This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about ongoing gift lists, gift paralysis, better wish lists, the curiosity of good gift-giving, "leaving room," and The Instant Present. They don’t talk about the sweet stamp suite available at USPS right now: Star Wars? Mon Stars?
references
- Once limited edition, could still disappear at any moment: the Critical Nonsense merch store
When it comes to digital vigilanteism, what ultimate wages will we have to pay? And how do you feel about mediocrity? [25:37]
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about rousing public attention, the celebrity amplification effect, the undercurrent of distrust in justice, the fear of being medium, a refrain of the Impressionist problem, and wrestling with workism. They don’t talk about what are party pants.
references
- How Discover Magazine compares the earth to a billiard ball (micro-corrections department: it does depend on how you define smoothness) but also comparing earth to a bowling ball
- The cost of wrongful accusation in the Boston Marathon bombing
- Documentary blitz: "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" about Michelle McNamara on HBO Max, "Surviving R. Kelly" is available on Netflix, Hulu, and LIfetime. "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" on HBO Max and Hulu, the NYTimes's "Framing Britney Spears", "Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer" on Netflix.
- The New York Times on the Gabby Petito saga
- On collective action problems
- NYTimes: Terry Gross's ingenious "Tell Me About Yourself" and other tips for having good conversation
How come we're now calling this time of year "Spooky Season"? And what makes a Halloween costume special? [29:44]
This week, special guest and SYLVAIN Halloween expert Xahra Gilbert joins Joey and Jess to talk about candy corn, Cuffing Season, Fill-in-the-Blank Season, Halloween costumes, recognizability vs. the exclusive club of getting it, and facial contouring. Thankfully, they don’t talk about Korn.
references
- Slate: When Did This Time of Year Become “Spooky Season”?
- Last Week Tonight's And Now This: Halloween vs. Local News, 2020 Edition (Nailed it!)
- Reply All podcast on Adrian's Kickback
- Also, what in the hell is a "kickback" anyway?
- While we're at it, "Cuffing Season"?
- The Gospel According to Fabo
- For the Golden Girls fans among us: The Best of Stan Zbornak
- Pretty Woman shopping scene
- Corrections Department: Ocean Spray longboard guy video was indeed from last year
- Corrections Department: Hawai'i became a state in 1959
- College Humor: Girls's Costume Warehouse
- David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole and his famous Halloween House in Brooklyn
How do we teach each other how to relinquish our power?
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess return to topic of relinquishing power from Critical Nonsense Episode 124 and talk about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), loss aversion vs. creation, collective amplification, looking beyond recruiting, allyship, and collaboration. They don’t talk about Aaron's dentist.
references
- "Drogba (Joanna)", where Afro B wonders why Joanna is playing him like Didier Drogba, the superstar soccer/football player and mega-icon from Afro B's home country, Côte d'Ivoire.
- Aaron in Quartz: We need antiheroes in the boardroom to spark progress in the workplace
- Psychology Today: What Is Loss Aversion?
- Forbes: How Diversity And Innovation Drive Great Cultures In The Future Of Work
- McKinsey's report on women in the workplace
- Harper's Bazaar: The Diversity and Inclusion Industry Has Lost Its Way
- Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova
What does it say about us that we have this love/hate relationships with institutions but never want to follow through disrupting them? And how do we all figure out the same rules for naming things at the exact same time? [29:29]
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about Ozy, sparkling water, astrophysics, the current rules of naming, creating and erasing tethers, and Black names. They don’t talk about what baby names nerf herders prefer.
references
- Like Ra-i-ain
- NYT's DealBook: Balancing Honesty and Optimism in Silicon Valley
- The New York Times: Let Me Tell You What It Was Like to Work at Ozy
- Revisiting previous episodes of Critical Nonsense, including Episode 119 on institutions, Episode 103 on Joey wanting to fix things, and Episode 139 on sharing names.
- The Science of Sameness
- The Lindy effect
- A brief history of black names, from Perlie to Latasha
- Salon: What's up with black names, anyway?
- Insider: 'Distinctively Black names' still get fewer callbacks for job applications
- BBC: Does a baby's name affect its chances in life?
Why do we need to be 100% in on everything? And what do you want the future of cities to be? [22:19]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about social media likes, consumed-content as identity, Ryan Reynolds, urban density, crisis-inspired city experimentation, and Retrofuturism. They don’t talk about how much more Michael likes semifreddos than he does whole Fredos.
references
- Dudes Posting Their W’s
- Revisiting Critical Nonsense #121, when we last talked about Tressie McMillan Cottom and thick conversations
- California passes SB8 to fight the state's housing crisis
- Answers With Joe: NEOM: City Of The Future or $600 Billion Stunt?
- More from Joe: How Tall Can We Build?
- Squamish Nation's Hong Kong-density housing development
- The Great Chicago Fire of 1871
- More about Retrofuturism
- Critical Nonsense Sound Engineer and Extraordinary Gentleman Alex Contell's Grain documentary
- CN Ice Cream Division is smitten on Smitten
- Semifreddo
How should we be viewing research in a world where social scientists are going through a replication crisis? And what do our childhood favorites reveal about us today as adults? [32:57]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about evaluating research, truthiness, Game of Thrones, intense interest, dinosaurs, and persistent preferences. They don’t talk about Diplo.
references
- Vox on the replication crisis
- Maesters?
- Live Science: Trains, Dolls and Dinosaurs: Why Do Kids Get Obsessed?
Do we even need etiquette anymore? And what are the rules around decorating for the holidays? [28:25]
This week, special guest Hannah Jegart joins Jess and Joey to talk about conscientiousness vs. responsibility, policing behavior, who makes the rules, wreaths, self-designated holidays, and decorating indoors. They talk a lot about soup, but they don’t talk about what's wrong with the soup!
references
- Whatever tomorrow brings, Brandon Boyd will be there.
- Emily Post Etiquette, a family business since 1922
- "Symbology" is indeed a word.
- Do you remember the ... er ... 25th of December?
- Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves
- Where's the Spoon?
- A-ha!
How do you check in on your journey? And is the external presentation of our processing a photo negative of our neuroprint? [27:30]
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about the naiveté of youth, old journals, showing grace toward yourself, Artificial Intelligence, people as patterns, and neuroscience. They don’t talk about whether the late U.S. Army Brigadier General John Thompson had a sister or cousin or close friend named Tammy, and why in the wacky Critical Nonsense universe a gun might be named after her instead of him.
references
- Get Mortified
- A Twitter portal into Joey's Brainhole
- Bot thoughts on the dead
- The San Francisco Chronicle and Today Explained podcast on Project December and the Jessica Simulation.
- The Matrix 4: Resurrections trailer
- The Fibonacci Sequence
- In case you, too, feel like a bird ...
Can we talk about boundaries? And what is the solo-creator economy doing to us? [27:42]
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the limits of the entrepreneurial mindset, yo-yo thinking, figuring out and articulating your needs, influencers, the mirage of individualism, and the myth of meritocracy. They don’t talk about the next great cicada influencer, Lil Brood X.
references
- An Internet Person's Office Neighbor's Door Policy
- Isaiah Berlin's Positive and Negative Liberty
- Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story
- Reply All podcast revisits Paris Hilton.
- You're Wrong About podcast tackles Cancel Culture.
- Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed
- The Eye of Sauron
- Q Score
- Bella Poarch
- Ray Vaughn + L.A. Leakers = BARS
- Keep doing what you do, Mark Rober.
Why do we have such a tough time trusting the teenage girl's opinion? And why do we have to go to extremes around differentiating between people with the same name? [27:33]
This week, Cutie Corner returns! Special guests Nora "Not No-No" Mestrich and Ash "Jean" Casper join Jess "Jessie" Vander to talk about One Direction, the power of teenage girls and their feelings, shared commonality, nicknames, the SYLVAIN Katie/Cate Conundrum, and the flexibility of middle names. They don’t talk about bleep, bleep or motherbleeping bleep.
references
- NME: Phoebe Bridgers: “Hating The 1975, I feel, is sexist”
- The non-Nora Mestrich version of "Kyoto"
- Yes, this is the actual name: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
- Sesame Place in Pennsylvania (not New Jersey)
- Apropos of nothing: "Jessie's Girl"
What are the hidden politics of Hello? And what are the faces that we've lost in COVID? [24:24]
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about hollow statements, emotional synchronization, bro energy, putting on faces, responsibilities and expectations, and monogamy. They don’t talk about how pineapples come from shrubs, not trees.
references
- Critical Nonsense on YouTube
- "Picture it ..."
- A Beginner's Guide to Bro-Speak
- The New Yorker: An Epic Takedown of Élite Brospeak
- Washington Post: The strange and lonely transformation of first-time mothers in the pandemic
- The Atlantic: Becoming a parent during the pandemic was the hardest thing I’ve ever done
- Esther Perel talks about monogamy and rethinking infidelity
- The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton
- Rolling Stone: ‘The Ethical Slut’: Inside America’s Growing Acceptance of Polyamory
- NYT Opinion (video): 'Normal' Was Not Working For Everyone — And We're Dreading Its Return
What is the state of competition in our culture today? And what are some life lessons that everybody needs to know? [29:18]
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about sports as allegory, the shifting restaurant review scale, Sha'carri Richardson, casual wedding attire, packing extra underwear, and pit stains. They don’t talk about Earthships.
references
- The most important thing to know about peachicks
- Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics in 1936
- Diarrhea at the Slip-N-Slide: "The network is washing its hands of this."
- Sha'carri vs. Jamaica Gold
- Chuck Klosterman: But What If We're Wrong?
- Tom Daley and Matty Lee: "We are Olympic champions!"
Why do people fall in love with new things in their 30s? And what communities are you a part of? [19:53]
This week, special guest Hannah Jegart, Joey, and Jess talk about Regina-George-ing on MacroBars, playing the recorder, syncing up having babies, the ritual head nod of community, fellowship, and getting invited to a stranger's seder table. They don’t talk about how sorry we are for breaking the uke-transition-tradition. doo-doo-doo-doooo... doo-doo-doo-doooooo... doot. There.
references
- New Scientist: "The 7 Primes of Life"
- Adam Curtis documentaries: check out this one or this one, says Hannah
- The Atlantic: "Why Millennial Leftists Have Made a BBC Filmmaker a Cult Hero"
- In you care for a refresh on Dunbar's Number Theory
- "YOUR RECORDER COMMUNITY"
Who was Carlton Banks foolin'? And why does "cringe" never go away? [32:07]
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about sitcom pilots, the multitudes of Blackness, blerds, the cringe and shame parfait, lacking valuable perspective, and ... body chocolate? They don’t talk about Berhana and his clever, non-cringy ode to Janet Hubert.
references
- Whatchu talkin' about, Willis?
- Spinning an Olympic yarn
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion
- "Will ... you ... marry ... m—"
- What makes one a blerd?
- Three Black Haflings, a blerdy D&D podcast
- The Infamous Carlton Dance
- "Cringe" according to Urban Dictionary
- "Hardos" according to Urban Dictionary
- I wish that I knew what I know now, but also, who wants to know?
- By the way, never underestimate the greatness of OG Aunt Viv
How do we decide who gets to craft the story of us? And what is the weirdest fringe thing that you have personally encountered? [36:54]
This week, special guest Osei Kwakye joins Joey and Jess to talk about The 1619 Project, cultural literacy, the Cold War and civil rights, experimental archeology, meat glue, and the counter-fringe. Sadly, they don’t talk about Bronies.
references
- The New York Times: The 1619 Project
- The Atlantic on the late Professor E.D. Hirsch Jr. and cultural literacy
- Dorothea Lange’s famous Depression-era photo "Migrant Mother"
- Fox's Fringe
- Taras Grescoe's Easter Island statue tweet
- More than you ever wanted to know about meat glue
What might change if companies freaked out about their employees' transgressions against them before they went public? And why are we still missing the point with psychedelics? [34:49]
This week, special guest Meron Medhanie joins Joey and Jess to talk about internal activism and accountability, nap pods, organizational sensory systems, the therapeutic aspects of psychedelics, Western and pop culture perceptions of drugs, and recreation vs. treatment. They don’t talk about A$AP Rocky.
references
- Our latest off-white paper: Encoding Organizational Purpose
- The Daily podcast on Julia Bond protesting Adidas, her own employer
- Newsweek: Twitter Thread About Acid Trip Sparks Internet Backlash
- Timothy Leary and Ram Dass
- Netflix's The Mind, Explained
- What specific "acid" is in acid?
- Psychonauts
- Frozen grapes are actually little healthy popsicle balls, and they taste exactly like whatever heaven is supposed to taste like.
How powerful is Dungeons & Dragons? And how are smooth jazz and chill electronica different? [33:25]
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the educational benefits of D&D, the changing status of "The Nerd," platforming Tolkien, low cognitive load, pleasant white noise, and anti-pop. They don’t talk about how Tears for Fears isn't yacht rock, smooth jazz, or electronic chill—they're just great.
references
- Closed captioning of this podcast available via our YouTube channel
- Progress Report's latest off-white paper: Encoding Organizational Purpose
- What is Dungeons & Dragons?
- And, what are Otaku?
- Shock: Social Science Fiction by Joshua A.C. Newman
- Roll 20
- Wine Country
- Cheddar explains: How Focus Music Hacks Your Brain
- How Smooth Jazz Took Over the '90s
- Not smooth jazz or Kenny G: George Michael's "Careless Whisper"
- Low Cognitive Noise: a Critical Nonsense playlist
Hey, what about rituals? And when is it time to get rid of fireworks? [33:21]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about learning from mindless routines, Millennial Rumspringa and the exhaustion of novelty, the mental efficiency of habit, fireworks and gentrification, moderation vs. cancelling, and drones. They don’t talk about using pyrotechnics to ward off heathens.
references
- The late, great Karen Carpenter asks, "Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby?"
- The Bonfire of Critical Nonsense Merch
- Fast Company: "What my parents Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan taught me about the power of daily rituals"
- Netflix: Chef's Table: France
- Sheena Matheiken's The Uniform Project
- The Pathetic Fallacy
- Japan's Nagaoka Fireworks Festival
- Katy wants you to show 'em what you're worth
- And from the Wayback Machine: Gauntlet
How does purpose lead us astray? And when is it okay to talk about aliens? [24:22]
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about Disney Pixar's Soul, fridge magnets, the Princess Diaries Series of novels, the Drake Equation and other UFO/UAP talk, tranches, and the science behind wombats' cube-shaped poop. They don't talk about owls relate to any of this conversation.
references
- Original episode: 111! Your Purpose and UFO Sightings
What is the state of Pride in 2021?
This week, special guest Dylan Fowler joins Aaron and Jess to talk about the diversity of the queer experience, George Floyd, Harvey Milk, Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders, police participation, and more inclusive Pride flags. They don’t talk about how Dylan met Kacey Musgraves the other day.
references
- Megan Stalter on what corporations are doing right now
- A certain shoe company celebrates the wide spectrum of LGBTQIA+ orientations
- Harvey Milk Day: The History Of “Coming Out” From A Secret Gay Code to a Powerful Political Movement
- ESPN: Carl Nassib of Las Vegas Raiders announces he is gay, pledges $100,000 to Trevor Project
- Karamo Brown Reacts to 'The Real World: Philadelphia'
- Mary Cheney
- The New York Times: Pride Said Gay Cops Aren’t Welcome. Then Came the Backlash.
- NBC News: Controversy Flies Over Philadelphia's New Pride Flag
- It's a Sin: The best show of 2020?
- BenDeLaCreme
- NPR's Nancy podcast: Return to Ring of Keys
- "Ring of Keys" from Fun Home
- NeNe Leakes
- Latrice Royale's 5 G's
- John Roberts: "My Son Is Gay?"
When and how can cute and powerful co-exist? What is the scale of cute to kitsch, and who gets to decide when things become kitschy? [21:31]
Cutie Corner returns! This week, special guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper join Jess to talk about the paradoxical expectations of women's behavior, how cuteness humanizes people, Japanese mascot culture, kitsch vs. tacky, being eclectic, and the shift from minimalism to maximalism. They don’t talk about how cute the word "kitsch" is.
references
- Turtle Creek Lane on Instagram
This week, our inaugural expert guest Dr. Charles R. Chaffin stops by to talk about his new book, Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back.
Dr. Chaffin joins Joey to discuss the attention economy, compassion fatigue vs. empathy fatigue, finding empowerment to combat helplessness, the problem when tools become destinations, designing for addiction, Section 230, and authenticity. They don’t talk about Dr. Chaffin's microwave.
references
- Corrections Department: The actual New York Times photo series on Mongolia's modernization referenced by Joey last week.
- Dr. Charles R. Chaffin's Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back, out now!
- Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
- Dunbar's number
- A Critical Nonsense favorite: Cam Newport's A World Without Email
- The Numb Podcast
- And more of all things Dr. Chaffin at charleschaffin.com
What is our responsibility as consumers and brands to source products locally and support local economies? And what's the theme of this summer? [33:30]
This week, special guest Fabian Castro joins Joey and Jess to talk about how volume and demand affect supporting local, being a responsible tourist/consumer, monocultures, Chet Hanks, pandemic-influenced summer expectations, and liminal spaces. They don’t talk about how to source local porpoise corpses (or how hard it is to say that five times fast).
references
- Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
- According to Tejal Rao at The New York Times, The Best Bagels Are in California (Sorry, New York)
- Smithsonian explores James Turrell's Roden Crater in Arizona
- Banknotes: Food is the new streetwear
- Bonnie Plants
- Corrections Department: Because Scandinavian countries aren't interchangeable: How Sweden's (not Norway's) Magnus Nilsson Created a New Cuisine by Embracing His Homeland
- The modernization of Ulaanbataar
- "hot drunk trainwreck summer"
- Vanity Fair: The Making and Unmaking of Chet Hanks’s “White Boy Summer”
- The New Yorker: The Pleasant Head Trip of Liminal Spaces
- "Bienvenido a Miami"
- Don't let the ice cream drip, but def get the ice cream drop.
Why are we gravitating toward magic against technology, and is magic winning the cultural conversation? And what's your worst possible ghost food? [30:55]
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the difference between fantasy and SciFi, magic as Big Tech's foil, the Waves of Pocahontas, WandaVision, silphium, ghost foods we currently live with (thanks again, allergies!), and the ultimate pear. They don’t talk about the legend that is Don Hertzfeldt.
references
- Check out our Progress Report newsletter!
- What Joey's been watching: Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix), The Nevers (HBO), The Irregulars (Netflix), Shadow and Bone (Netflix), and The Legend of Korra (Netflix)
- Rolling Stone: The True Origins of ‘X-Men’
- Naomi Alderman's The Power
- engadget: Motherhood, nature and technology in 'Horizon Zero Dawn'
- Returnal Is Harder Than Dark Souls?? - Too Hard?
- Baywatch is on Hulu in all it's absurd glory.
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
- Gastropod podcast: Of Ghost Foods and Culinary Extinction
- BBC on the mystery of Silphium
- "You got chocolate in my peanut buttah!"
- Dogfish Head's Ancient Ales collection
- Unchained pottery
- Our ghost collaborators from The Cell vs. Louise Bourgeois: Structures of Existence; The Cells
- And don't you worry ... forever and always, we're always here.
How do we fight more? And how will we strike a balance between simplicity and complexity? [24:42]
This week, special guest Jenny Cavaioli joins Joey and Jess to talk about the positive outcomes of conflict, disagreeable givers, psychological safety, the powers of subtraction, Marie Kondo, and allergies. THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. (Well, they do a little bit, but please please please don't tell Tyler).
references
- Stephan Jenkins is still so alive (but hopefully not still so alone).
- Organizational psychologist Adam Grant explains "disagreeable givers" in his Ted Talk and his book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.
- Harvard Business Review: "Why We Should Be Disagreeing More at Work"
- Five conflict management styles
- Eat Sleep Work Repeat Podcast: Conflicted: Is There a Route to Better Disagreement at Work?
- Fight Club: known to some as "The Chuck Palahniuk Book" and to others as "The Brad Pitt Film"
- Inc. explains the Nature study on the problem solving strategy of subtraction.
- Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz, the engineer who initiated the study
- Dave Snowden's Cynefin framework (and the similar Eisenhower Matrix)
- Corrections Department: Olivia Rodrigo (not Rodriguez. Oh, Joey.)
- Derek DelGaudio's "In & Of Itself"
How do we learn to relinquish our power?
This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about racial inequity in corporations, Basecamp and Coinbase, the necessity of pain for progress, the wisdom of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, power accumulation and perceptions of scarcity, and yachts. They don’t talk about Petunia's power over The Man.
references
- Polaris and the Pete and Pete theme song today's youth really needs
- A little bit of Lou Bega mambo and some Suzanne Vega doo-doo-doo-doo (but not so much Luka)
- SYLVAIN's Progress Report newsletter
- Critical Nonsense is on YouTube!
- bonfire.com/store/criticalnonsense: The elusive Critical Nonsense merch store URL
- The Verge on Basecamp's political discussion controversy
- Wired on Coinbase's political discussion controversy
- Corrections Department: the Freakonomics (not This American Life) podcast on "That’s a great question!"
- Who doesn't love "cats"?
How much room is there for emotional granularity at work? And what is "cheugy"? [35:05]
This week, special guests Katie Sadow and Ilana Bondell join Joey to talk about the connection between specific language and feelings, physical responses to emotions, the benefits of emotional intelligence, the inherent cringe of social media, generational earnestness and youthful pushback, and the metabolism of jumping the shark. They don’t talk about Selena Gomez's feelings.
references
- What is emotional granularity?
- The New York Times: There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing
- Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett writes about using words to master emotions
- The late Dr. John E. Sarno, a leading thinker on the mind-body connection
- The Cure for Chronic Pain podcast by Nicole Sachs, LCSW, and her explanation of JournalSpeak
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- 14,000 Things to Be Happy About. by Barbara Ann Kipfer
- The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
- Rebecca Jennings tries to explain "cheugy" in Vox's The Goods
- (Possibly cheugy) Urban Dicitonary: Carpe DM
- We still have merch!
What can waffles tell us about in our lives that we might not otherwise see? And how do you make room for an open-mind? [23:45]
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Aaron and Jess and Joey talk about the Waffle House Index, the best kind of floss, the trap of spurious correlations, lots of longform, doomscrolling, and making the most out of openness. They don't talk about dinosaur floss, though they definitely, DEFINITELY should have.
references
- Original Episode: "87! The Waffle House Index and Keeping an Open Mind"
What trade-offs are we willing to make for our privacy? And what is Jess? [35:16]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Apple's AppTrackingTransparency, the social graph, individual vs. collective impacts, personal narratives, seeking validation, and determining what you value. They don’t talk about which would win in a death match: Tevas or Crocs.
references
- Mona-Lisa Saperstein, an introduction
- BGR: iOS 14.5: This is when Facebook’s nightmare officially begins
- Digital Content Next CEO Jason Kint's Twitter thread on how Apple's new iOS hurts Facebook
- Statista on the iPhone's significant marketshare
- Technology as magic and Sir Arthur Charles Clarke's other laws
- Julian Jaynes's The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
- What the hell is a bract?
- The VIA Character Strengths Survey
What are the dangers when coming out becomes outdated? And what is the role of nuance in an increasingly media-/sound-bite-oriented culture? [30:32]
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Colton Underwood, the business and real work of coming out, gauntlet types, Tressie McMillan Cottom, "tell me more," and nuance as poetry. They don’t talk about Lance Bass.
references
- Paula Deen's Butter Sleep
- Good Morning America: Former 'Bachelor' Colton Underwood speaks his truth and comes out as gay
- CNN: ‘GMA’ anchor Robin Roberts publicly acknowledges she’s gay
- Michael Sam, first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, retires for mental health reasons
- Variety: Lil Nas X’s Sexed-Up ‘Montero’ Video Has Changed Everything for Queer Music Artists
- New York Magazine's Vulture: The Story Behind Caitlyn Jenner’s Masterful Press Strategy
- Rolling Stone: Former Congressman Aaron Schock Comes Out as Gay, Surprising No One
- Ex-‘Bachelorette’ Rachel Lindsay tells the franchise to figure out its racial issues
- Babies eating lemons
- The Ezra Klein Show: Tressie McMillan Cottom on the Moral Panics of Our Moment
- Tressie McMillan Cottom's Thick: And Other Essays
- The Origin of the Word ‘Emoji’
- Backpfeifengesicht
- Open Culture: The (Urban) Legend of Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Story
- Paper: Why Is Laura Dern a Gay Icon?
- "The Puppy Episode" that changed Hollywood
How do we reorient our ambitions toward intrinsic rewards? In which grocery store aisle does peanut butter belong? [28:34]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators, the need to satisfy a craving, effortless ambition, hoarding butter, grocery store organization, and confusion by design. They don’t talk about how far away the Oort Cloud actually is.
references
- The Atlantic: "Stop Keeping Score"
- John Hodgman and his podcast crew talk about peanut butter storage.
- This here's the MANtage. (You're welcome).
As traditional institutions crumble, what do we gain and what do we lose? And what technology do you need but hate? [35:52]
This week, special guest Katie Sadow again joins Joey and Aaron, this time to talk about Substack, gatekeeping, standards, cellphones, smart homes, and social media. They don’t talk about which Girl Scout Cookies are vegan.
references
- The New Yorker: Is Substack the Media Future We Want?
- The New York Times: Journalists Are Leaving the Noisy Internet for Your Email Inbox
- Stratechery's Ben Thompson: Sovereign Writers and Substack
- Andrew Sullivan's farewell to New York Magazine
- India Today on an Uber driver's hair and his troubles with Uber's AI
- "Lovefool" by The Cardigans
What is the relative value of contribution versus creation? And what is your ideal pasta shape? [19:22]
This week, special guest Katie Sadow joins Jess and Joey to talk about Dan Pashman's cascatelli, the food industry caste order, rappers and basketball players, sauce pairings, mouth feel, and noodles. They don’t talk about at what point rice becomes pasta.
references
- What in God’s Name Was Muzzy?
- Design for Divergence with Joey Camire at Seattle Interactive Conference 2021
- NPR's Planet Money podcast on Dan Pashman's pursuit of a new pasta shape
- Insider's explainer on the controversy at Bon Appétit
- Joy of Cooking, a kitchen classic
- Another kitchen classic: Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
- The New York Times Cooking blog's Midnight Pasta recipe
How do you think different? And what office supplies do you miss? [45:20]
This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about aphantasia, internal monologues, learning styles, pilfering printer paper, binder clips, and ugly cups. They don’t talk about The Mind Palace.
references
- Junkee on aphantasia and visualizing apples
- NPR on how Jess's favorite apple, the Honeycrisp, changed the world
- Jess's dreams as the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster
- Aaron's dreams as The Beast roller coaster
- Joey's mind as a Fast & Furious theme park ride
- Joey's horror: Not everyone has an internal monologue
- What is the corpus callosum?
- And, for only the sexy people: Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It"
What if we could cancel ideas without cancelling people?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about cancel culture, “catching” bad ideas, conspiracy theories, helpful propaganda, Jess’s favorite story about languages, and dim sum. They don’t talk about which is better: the Portuguese egg tart or strawberry shortcake?
references
- The origin of the word “meme”
- Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene
- Also Richard Dawkins’ essay “Viruses of the Mind” from Bo Dahlbom’s Dennett and His Critics: Demystifying Mind
- Radiolab’s two-part deep dive into the ninja assassin of DNA sequencing: “Antibodies Part 1: CRISPR” and “Update: CRISPR”
- A Critical Nonsense favorite: Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt’s The Coddling of the American Mind
- The Guardian: “Portugal’s radical drugs policy is working. Why hasn’t the world copied it?”
- Joey’s open letter to himself in McSweeney’s
- Glutinous rice dumplings (Hom sui gok)
How can we fix knowledge work? And what’s the deal with all these cinematic universes? [33:58]
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about fadoodling, hyperactive hive minds, Betamax and LaserDiscs, the initial conditions of a good universe, the MCU, and WandaVision. They don’t talk about how you can print money that smells like maple syrup.
references
- Our first conversation in May 2019 on Deep Work
- Baz Luhrmann’s "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen"
- Cal Newport’s A World Without Email and Deep Work
- The Ezra Klein Show: Stop. Breathe. We Can’t Keep Working Like This.
- Why did LaserDiscs fail?
- Edwin Abbott Abbott’s Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
- One of our old favorites: The Pixar (Universe) Theory
- Peter Hamilton’s Pandora’s Star and the Commonwealth Saga series of science fiction novels
- Why WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau is too powerful for Marvel movies
How do we cure the disease of rugged individualism? And what wouldn’t you put on a waffle? [25:20]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the American ideal of self-reliance, the story of Survivor Bias, how hard it is to be a man and ask for help, a framework to decide if something should/should not be a topping, "The Maple Syrup Standard", and Aaron's new waffle iron. They don't talk about the power ranking of breakfast foods: waffles, pancakes, french toast, anyone?
references
- Herbert Hoover and a primer on Rugged Individualism
- The Over-the-Rhine Foundation in Cincinnati
- NYTimes' Wirecutter: "The Best Waffle Maker"
- (Corrections Department: "So it looks like it's technically not The Maple Syrup Standard... but..." - Joey) Quartz: "Canada's Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve and the Economics Behind it"
- Aaron's waffle recommendations: find the Matt's near you and this other place to get waffles and Wafels & Dinges "where I found my waffle life in NYC" - Aaron
How do we move Black History Month forward? And when will "sheltering in work" stop? [27:25]
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the inexplicably truncated history of Black people, Black in 2040, celebrating the great richness of Black-ness today, when jobs make us feel safe, all of our other tethers getting disrupted, and the thaw at work most companies won't see coming. They don't talk about the gaping hole missing a SYLVAIN shout during the credits.
references * The origins of Black History Month * Aaron on Kindred's podcast talking about Heritage Months in the workplace * "Sheltering in Work," from LinkedIn Insights * Pew: on studying the effects of WFH * Glamour: "Revenge Bedtime Procrastination"
How does cuteness help broach real talk? And why we do think small things are so cute? [15:02]
This week, Cutie Corner! Jess and Designer/Cutie-in-Chief, Nora Mestrich, invent a new segment about all things cute. This time, talking about Disney Pixar's Burrow, lite consumption, seeking "Deep Cute" vs "Superficially Cute", what exactly is a Mini Brand, the feta pasta, and knick knacking. They don't talk about the great Kinder Surprise choking controversy.
references
- Jess's Correction's Department for herself: "No idea why in my rush I implied people would know 'tapas' better than 'dim sum'. If you don't know what dim sum is, I know your next read or better yet, what you're ordering for brunch this weekend."
- Disney Pixar's Burrow is only in full on Disney+, but if you haven't seen it, you can watch Hair Love in full right now.
- Things you just need to see to believe: Polly Pockets, Mini Brands, Purl, and Funkos.
- Rachel's Minis TikTok, or get your own Mini Brands?
- The feta pasta recipe
- Thanks to NPR's hard-hitting journalism: a hamster eats a tiny burrito.
How does purpose lead us astray? And when is it okay to talk about aliens? [24:22]
This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about Disney Pixar's Soul, fridge magnets, the Princess Diaries Series of novels, the Drake Equation and other UFO/UAP talk, tranches, and the science behind wombats' cube-shaped poop. They don't talk about owls relate to any of this conversation.
references
- Elle: People react on Twitter to Soul
- Also, that Roger Ebert synopsis. But also, watch it!
- Quartz: "The Misappropriation of Corporate Purpose"
- Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
- '"The Princess Diaries" is a Meg Cabot literary classic—there are 10 in all, but at least read Book 1 through Jess's personal favorite, Book 3.
- SETI
- Lights in Charlotte and the blue light in Hawaii and some kinda something in LA
- Thanks science for explaining how wombats poop cubes
What's so interesting about Gamestop and this whole "Stonks" saga?
This week, Joey with esteemed and Extremely Online special guests (Cultural Astrologer, Osei Kwakye and Dude-on-Reddit, Adam Hirschberg) talk about THE talk of the town [5:55], the unique opportunity of r/wallstreetbets [12:10], everyone's least favorite: the second wave [19:27], the demystifying power of pop culture [24:10], and the side-effects of stock gambling [30:28]. They don't talk about how the internet probably already thinks this conversation is passé.
references
- r/wallstreetbets and the story about DeepF–ingValue. And WSJ's interview with him. Did we mention this exchange from and then about Ja Rule?
- This joke
- CNN on the battle against the elite and WSJ with their take on what lead to the second wave
- Google Trends "short squeeze"
- NPR: The Eddie Murphy Rule
What's to come in 2021?
This week, Wild Prognostications! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their annual predictions (and explore the "Wilderness" around them): the plant-based schism [5:23], going back to the office [17:19], sit-down frozen breakfast innovation [29:28], the death (or not) of the fucc boi [38:32], the pop wellness holiday [47:15], and the fall of the Eurocentric design blueprint [58:57]. They don't talk about the correct way to eat popcorn—according to Jess, it involves chopsticks.
references
- Plant-based: at Dunkin, Impossible Foods news, and for more on "Lab Meat"...
- Office: BBC on the Great Remote Work Experiment
- Breakfast: NYTimes with proof of our collective Breakfast Rut, Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, Savorly breakfast turnovers: the hot item at Costco, other freezer meals, and Jess's sister-in-law's pro-tip: bake-at-home croissants
- Fucc bois: Urban Dictionary's definition...
- Wellness: COVID's mental toll, Variety on a COVID 3rd wave's impact on media and entertainment,
- Design: MABEO furniture, Yinka Ilori, and Architectural Digest on Afrofuturism
What's the future of unconventional innovation when geography is disrupted? And why is people watching so satisfying? [26:20]
Aaaaaand we're back! This week, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about San José-sized places, people sharing knowledge, the crosswalk in Downtown Napa, mirror neurons,—A Classic Joey Camire Maneuver—the challenge with ethnography, and Lego Santas. They don't talk about how you can watch what people watch from the comfort of home.
references
- Berkes, Enrico and Gaetani, Ruben, "The Geography of Unconventional Innovation". July 19, 2019. Rotman School of Management Working Paper No. 3423143.
- Psychological Science: The Neuroscience of Empathy
- Psychology Today: The Expert's Guide to People Watching
Why does culture seem to move so quickly? And how do we keep up with the speed of internet speak? [24:44]
Given the events of this last week and getting back into the new year, one bonus week of reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring!
Again, Joey and special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich talk about all things speed: B-Boys, being "passé aggressive," being "extremely online," Nora's One Direction blog, and important initialisms. They don't talk about how Extremely Online Cakes now—for a limited time we don't fully know—has a specialty tshirt available on our Bonfire store.
references
- The Japanese Cake meme
- "Angry Baby" aka the Crazy Baby meme
- The Spaceman meme (more on it here), riffing on the pale-blue-dot moment.
- Calendar of Memes
- The "Yeet" vine Steven referenced
- Ben Thompson's Stratechery on "The TikTok War"
- "Damn Daniel"
Who is Karen and why do we hate her? And what does it mean to "come out"? [28:39]
This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Joey's grandma, overreactions, female stereotypes, pride-washing, otherness, and committing ourselves to fighting shame. They don't talk about how we hope you've been enjoying your break and we'll be back next week!
And please keep sending us your nonsense-thoughts to criticalnonsense@sylvainlabs.com.
references
- Original Episode: "83! Getting to Know "Karen" and How We Come Out"
How are cancel culture and stan culture related? And how do we rage in public and in private? [24:55]
This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Joey and Aaron talk about the gentle breezes of Twitter, social currency, fan empowerment, one rude dentist, "angry black men," and escalating a game of work-league volleyball. They don't talk about the origins of "uncomfortable fuddy-duddiness."
And please send us your holiday noodlings to criticalnonsense@sylvainlabs.com.
references
- Original Episode: "81! To "Stan" vs "Cancel" and Anger Management"
What happened in 2020?
This week, a special end of the year episode! Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the part where a pandemic ensued, bubbling dangers, a reappraisal of what matters, reluctantly buying all of the cars, the luxury of having a home, and the take Jess still believes is an indisputable slam-dunk. They don't talk about how it's time to submit your2021 wild prognostications to criticalnonsense@sylvainlabs.com.
Happy happy holidays, y'all!
references
- NY Post: The raging psychopaths of Silicon Valley
- Used car sales are, big surprise, way up.
- Protest violence....
- CNN: "Home Sales are Still Surging"
- So many ways to defend the Pantry Porn prog:
- From Food Network's, Eater's, and Bon Appetit's guides to apps like Supercook: the art of cooking from the pantry.
- Ideas from the NYTimes of how to stock your pantry and keep your fridge organized. Also the NY Post.
- More dream pantry ideas from Reader's Digest and Real Homes and this Aussie mom
- Food52: "Here's What's Inside Ina Garten's Quarantine Pantry"
- Some hot pantry goods: from olive oil to ramen to (what else) vanilla
How do you pay closer attention to "the Meta Deck"? And how can we evolve our way of viewing others to include more charity of interpretation?
This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about car singing, listening better, our little mantras, giving grace, Lindy West, and the off-chance Aaron takes a sharp alignment turn. They don't talk about how next week is the return of our 2020 Wild Prognostications?
references
- HBR: "How to Brief a Senior Executive"
- "The School of Life: An Emotional Education" now on our Bookclub reading list.
- A little on "umbrage" at play at work
What is the role of comedy in setting the boundaries of acceptable speech?
This week, Joey, Cultural Astrologer Osei Kwakye and Grand Comedienne Hannah Jegart talked about saying the funny thing loud, what's allowed when 'the parents' are out of town, the guilt of laughing, more on the Culture Wars, holding on to our hahas, and the Comedian Code. They don't talk about Alex's incredible intro.
references
- Bill Burr SNL "Calling Out White Women"
- "Daniel Cameron is a b*tch"
- Black activist comedian, Dick Gregory
- Dave Chappelle's Mark Twain Prize Acceptance Speech and 8:46, his special about the murder of George Floyd
- Joe Rogan and Tim Dillon, and Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia beef
- Chris D'Elia getting cancelled
- Ali Wong telling it like it is
- It's not too late for your Critical Nonsense Holiday swag
How do you make a podcast episode about Thanksgiving in 2020?
This week, a special! Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about the weirdness of this week, the Busyness Olympics, poor mouthing, the logical proofs of gratitude, how to find things to be grateful for, and an extended special thanks. They don't talk about how this week of online shopping frenzy is the perfect time to get your Critical Nonsense merch.
references
- Mac G
- A Cal study on the power of gratitude to improve your mental state
- Is it Yanni or Laurel? Blue and black or white and gold?
Which leaky faucet are you going to repair?
This week, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Aaron adjusting to Phoenix, Joey fixing his bike, Jess sorting her bead collection, replacements, thank yous, and the mindset of repair. They don't talk about whether any of us have ever actually fixed a leaky faucet.
references
- The Progress Report Weekly / Edition 017 ¾ "On Repair" from Joey
- Check out "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" from the Nonsense Bookclub.
- Have you seen the Cutie and Vintage collections of Nonsense Merch, now available?
This week, another episode of Six Handshakes!
Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between Bunny the dog gaining sentience, the paradox of two pretty best friends, a Taiwanese Halloween contest,Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between Bunny the dog gaining sentience, the paradox of two pretty best friends, a Taiwanese Halloween contest, [in music notes], Birds Aren't Real, and the Ig Nobel Prize. They don't talk about Nora's "Cutie Collection" enough.
references
- The Critical Nonsense "Cutie" and "Vintage" Collections dropped today! Get your first-edition merch this week before it's gone.
- "Bunny realizing she's fixed" and catching up on Bunny's saga.
- If you haven't seen, here's Koko the Gorilla.
- The original pretty best friends TikTok and the Mulaney and Kroll tweet.
- Perfectly ordinary Halloween costumes.
- The Qcumber tweet. Also: Birds Aren't Real.
- Shod and Freud.
- These hitmen won the Ig Nobel Prize. And good for this professor for his Hula Hoop win.
How do we escape the zero sum game? And what if technology is the drug of the future? [24:20]
This week, Joey and Cultural Astrologer Osei Kwakye talk about horse racing, linked fate, D&D lessons from Joey, Tristan Harris, the motif of the cigarette, and the social dilemma. They don't talk about how Aaron is currently winning the great Critical Nonsense swag race—check out the merch here.
references
- Zero-Sum games
- Chinatown Restaurants Unite. (Also, Send Chinatown Love.)
- The Verge: Quibi is shutting down.
- An audio docuseries from the NYTimes: "Welcome to the Rabbit Hole"
- Pursue Pharma pleading guilty re: OxyContin
- A playlist for bineural beats
- The Center for Humane Technology
- Read Jaron Lanier's "Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now"
This week, our 100th episode‽
To celebrate, Jess (with Erica Hummel and Ben Vander), Aaron (with Valentine Aseyo) and Joey (with Jillian Camire) continue unfinished conversations we've had on the show. They talk about the canonical form of vanilla, The Chocolate Privilege, so many euphemisms, thirst representation, what dogs get out of the relationship, and living free from judgment. They also talk about the people that have made these 100 episodes possible, with special shouts to our incredible sound engineer, Alex Contell, and our inimitable designer, Nora Mestrich, and last but never least you, our dear listeners, for seeing us through this wild and crazy milestone. They don't talk about waffles.
references
- The Fall 2020 "Nonsense Collection" is here. Merch for the first time ever. Shipping worldwide.
- The original Vanilla episode from August 2019, Part II: "Aging Professionally and Vanilla Bias"
- Jess cannot more highly recommend Spice Trekkers for your spice and vanilla bean needs
- Former BBC writer Tim Ecott's "Vanilla" is a (not-just-Jess-exaggerating) GRIPPING read, if you're interested.
- The battery powered by vanillin
- Vanilla fraud: like Steele v Wegman's or the vanilla adulteration problem
- Florida, the next vanilla agriculture hotspot?
- Dear Smitten ice cream, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN NYC?
- Check out Ben's Sunday newsletter (we're on episode 100 but he's on newsletter 270. W O W.)
- The original Thirst-vertising episode from August 2010, Part I: "Thirst-vertising and Superheroes Today"
- Valentine's company, Matador Meggings: leggings for men!
- The original Pets episode from November 2018, Part II: "Board Games and Pets"
- Werner Herzog's "Happy People"
What if nothing is free anymore? And how should one go about virtual family functions? [21:26]
This week, Joey and Jess talk about the pandemic's advertising fallout, winning subscription models today, our membership ceiling, celebrating Aboo turning 98, a request for Zoom 'Birthday Mode', and hardware shortcomings. They don't talk about when you should stop corresponding age with N+1 individual candles.
references
- How the New York Times flipped their business model to subscription-first
- "What's New in Publishing?"
- If you haven't heard of it, check out Patreon
How has irony poisoned the internet and when will it stop? And how are we building iterative bits of wisdom? [21:07]
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about The Office, Pepe the Frog, irony's protective shell, Blaise Pascal, and taking our hats off to the folk at Arts & Letters Creative Co. They don't talk about the color of irony's shell: green....red....blue....
references
- NYTimes: "What is Irony Poisoning?" and an extended commentary
- Demi Adejuyigbe, Tyra, etc, etc.
- David Foster Wallace and Joey's love of sh*t
- Know Your Meme: "If I had more time, I would've written a shorter letter."
- "We don't know what we're doing, but we've done it a thousand times."
How do you deal with allergies you don't have? And what makes a great game? [20:48]
This week, Jess and Aaron talk about allergy empathy, personal matters of (food) intolerance, so many other creative culinary ideas from Aaron, Crash Bandicoot 4, watching our older brothers play games, and a bit of overflow of Jess's fascination with esports. They don't talk about how you should send us your alternative food favorites to criticalnonsense@sylvainlabs.com.
references
- A super super easy voting plan resource. We had to.
- From Netflix's Rotten, "The Peanut Problem"
- CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT: it's actually Miyoko's, like the Chef, not Mykonos like the Greek island. And this is the vegan mozz about which Aaron was waxing poetic. Thank you, Alex.
- Jess's bookclub (is this a thing?) recommendation: "Pie for Everyone"
- The bosses from Bayonetta.
How do you break away from mental models that aren't doing you any good? And what's next after Blands? [33:32]
This week, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about the move from ADHD to VAST, positive psychology, hiring based on luck, "your new Bland Identity," pelotons and Peloton, and design monoculture. They don't talk about how we, Sylvain Labs, are ourselves a certified B Corporation...
references
- From ADHD to VAST
- Bloomberg calling out bland brands
- Bland Guidelines: from Vikki Ross, Mellor&Smith, and Grace State
- In Bill Burnet''s "Designing Your Life" TEDx at Stanford, he shares the story of Zappos CEO's luck-based hiring strategy Jess recounts on the show
This week, a special episode!
Jess and sound engineer—and Fake Ad mastermind—Alex Contell talk about the ads' origin story, what makes Alex sweat, Joey and Aaron's predilection for improv, that time Jess recorded the show sitting outside the door to the studio, and the special thanks we always miss. They don't talk about how "Hamster Hands" turned into to "Hamster Hams."
What has given hip-hop such staying power compared with other genres of music? And what makes new words last? [29:07]
This week, Joey and special guest Mujtaba Hameed talk about the 4 elements of hip hop, Drake, "the belt," the bouba-kiki effect, the word panties, and the best acoustic shapes. They don't talk about how Muj's brother felt about all the shade thrown this episode.
references
- Some hip-hop references made: The "Sucka MCs" music video, "F***in Problems" with ASAP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz [explicit], and the Pusha T beef track on Drake Exodus 23:1
- Missy on her "new album" and legacy
- The Juggalo Wiki and Vice's "Gathering of the Juggalos"
- Susie Dent's Tweet that inspired Joey
- New words!
- The Bouba-Kiki effect
- "We find some words more emotionally arousing than others"
How do you go about finding yourself in the content you consume? And how are we going to live next year? [30:58]
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the lasting effects of Will & Grace, capital C Critique, two asian women from Queens, the concept of the "15-Minute City," remote working adjustments, and a few silver linings. They don't talk about the activities schedule at Camp Camp.
references
- US Voting resources: Vote411, IWillVote, your own state's website, etc.
- BLM resources: NAACP Legal Defense Fund and so many other ways to help
- A little Will & Grace
- Matt Baume, Chris Farley, Wendy Malick, Storm
- Jess recommends The Joy Luck Club
- On the C4 and the 15-Minute City and on exurbs
- Vox: Some further listening on remote work and cities
- The Venus Project
- NYPost: "Is NYC Dead?"
- Snagglepuss
- Bright Sun Films
Why don't we have public intellectuals like we used to? And why do we need so much mint? [27:58]
This week, Joey, Jess, and special guest Ilana Bondell talk about Vidal vs Buckley, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brené Brown, menthe: the ultimate collaborator, how Wintermint isn't even mint, and Ilana's great mint conspiracy theory. They don't talk about whether mint chocolate chip ice-cream is better white or green.
references
- Psychology Today on anti-intellectualism
- That Ezra Klein show with Saul Griffith
- Whatever you feel about the movie, the Buckley vs Vidal "Best of Enemies" trailer
- Brené Brown on the power of vulnerability
- WaPo on The Southern Strategy
- Bill Simmons interviews Seth Meyers in this episode of his podcast
- Powerful discourse between James Baldwin and a Yale professor on old-school Late Night television
- Forbes: "How your toothpaste gets so minty fresh"
- A power ranking of Trident mint gum with some fun facts woven in
- Epicurious: putting to bed the Chocolate Mint Question
- A brief history of mint
Why isn't everyone in love with Sharknado? And why do we crush? [30:11]
This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about B-Movies, a Sharknado notes slam poetry reading, soap operas, the "crush vessel," crushing pain, and #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday). They don't talk about Jess's now defunct girlband, called Next Crush.
references
- Background on the B-Movie
- More opinion on why folks might want to take Sharnado more seriously
- Zac Efron Bros Down to Grow Up
- A little history on XY Magazine
- The Tiger Beat
- "Love's Plan B" and how it might reinforce the love you've got.
- On the differences between Limerance vs Love
- Instafame: a Sylvain Labs documentary
- Shaq's truly inspiring investment strategy
Why is Thirst-vertising such a thing right now? And how are superheroes adapting to 2020? [22:06]
This week, Aaron, Jess, and luminary guest Dylan Fowler talk about risqué instagram advertising, WAP, Porn Hub's data analytics team, Watchmen, the idea of "protection," and She-Ra. They don't talk about the now defunct Isaiah Mustafa Voicemail Message Downloader site that left us far too soon.
references
- Leggings: for men!
- Some thirsty ads: Paris Hilton's Carl's JR Commercial and Old Spice with The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
- Rolling Stone: "As Nasty as They Wanna Be"
- Seniors reacting to Manscaped Ads
- Cardi B's WAP is even probably NSFWFH: Not Safe For Work From Home...
- ...vs Baby Got Back
- More Heinz mash-ups nobody asked for
- Porn Hub: "Coronavirus Insights" with by-country breakdowns
- The Rise of the Anti-Hero timeline
- More on superheroes: Wired on The Boys, the LA Times on Steven Universe, the Atlantic on Watchmen, and a few other must-watches (apparently) like She-ra, Superstore, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
How do we feel about the ultra rich? And what is going on right now with spices? [27:25]
This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about microschools, income inequality, "unfairness," the different kinds of cinnamon, "elevating comfort foods", and spicing up your life. They don't talk about how Bill Gates actually was pretty darn close guessing the price of floss.
references
- Microschooling in a tweet
- Vice: Bill Gates estimates the market price of groceries (Corrections Department: the Totino's pizza rolls were $8.98)
- California Estates YouTube
- The latest $6M from Ross and Blau
- An Abigail Disney interview
- DashMarts
- Vox: Cancelling Goya, explained
- Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry
- Check out spices from Diaspora Co.
- Extraneous reads on the Europeanization of international foods: the gentrification of Asian cuisine, food gentrification and Anthony Bourdain, "ethnic food", and most recently, Priya Krishna and Yewande Komolafe on whitewashing in recipe writing
Why does culture seem to move so quickly? And how do we keep up with the speed of internet speak? [24:00]
This week, Joey and special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich talk about all things speed: B-Boys, being "passé aggressive," being "extremely online," Nora's One Direction blog, and important initialisms. They don't talk about how Extremely Online Cakes don't have novelty paper clips with fun shapes or colors: just regular paper clips.
references
- The Japanese Cake meme
- "Angry Baby" aka the Crazy Baby meme
- The Spaceman meme (more on it here), riffing on the pale-blue-dot moment.
- Calendar of Memes
- The "Yeet" vine Steven referenced
- Ben Thompson's Stratechery on "The TikTok War"
- "Damn Daniel"
What can waffles tell us about in our lives that we might not otherwise see? And how do you make room for an open-mind? [23:45]
This week, Aaron and Jess and Joey talk about the Waffle House Index, the best kind of floss, the trap of spurious correlations, lots of longform, doomscrolling, and making the most out of openness. They don't talk about dinosaur floss, though they definitely, DEFINITELY should have.
references
- Our Aaron is famous and so is his op-ed on Black Fandom. If you didn't check it out last week, do.
- Don't sleep on the Progress Report and our new bonus Off-White Paper on Distributed Activism.
- A contrition from your Chief Corrections Department Officer Jess: "The very night we recorded this episode, I did a floss audit in my bathroom and, to Colgate: I'm so sorry to have ever doubted you and your floss quality. I meant to shade J&J's REACH Unflavored Waxed floss. You didn't deserve to be brought into this and for that, I accept full responsibility.")
- Irene Cara, Hurricane Gonzalo, and Patti Labelle's cooking show: a trio brought to you by Aaron Powers
- We've shared it before, but we'll do it again: Tyler Vigen's spurious correlations list
- Jess's book club: Cork Dork and How We Fight for Our Lives. And Joey recommends The Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly.
- doomscrolling, defined and John Oliver on conspiracy theories
- "Ghost of Tsushima"
- A superb tweet re: "Scream inside your heart"
What's the cost of bullsh*t? And what can black fandom tell us about rebuilding modern creative businesses? [28:44]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Brandolini's Law, Hillary Clinton, what we don't know, Aaron's AdAge Feature (hello!), Gullah Gullah Island, and the Black Church. They don't talk about how the Gullah Heritage Corridor is in its 14th program year managed by the U.S. National Parks Service.
references
- Don't sleep on The Progress Report [code: HAMSTER]. Check out last week's episode to hear us talk more about it.
- AdAge: our very own Aaron Powers is published on the subject, y'all: "Using Black Fandom to Fight Empathy Amnesia"
- Brandolini's Law: what's your take?
- Free-Fall Corrections Department: we know we know, the standard acceleration due to gravity is 9.81m/s2. Let's not confuse this with terminal velocity or other related physics basics. For this, Jess wants to personally apologize to her high school Physics teacher Mr. Schwartz: she misheard her co-hosts and is sorry for failing you. You taught her better than that.
- The student story of "God Loves Masks"
- The "Whitney Dab"
- On Shea Coulee—who also has her own limited edition Goose Island beer this summer (21+... hop to it!)
- Now that people are getting more creative (or at the very least, bored) with their virtual social gatherings, we think it's high team folks host virtual Domino Rally viewing parties with friends.
What can we learn from games in designing a just society? And how do you keep cohesion with distributed teams? [26:56]
This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about the Mario Kart blue shell (it's blue, Joey), what makes a good game, the equity v. equality debate, cohesion at work, what makes a virtual meeting, and sheep sounds. They don't talk about why sheep sounds—our secret to keep.)
references
- Our shiny new ! cOnTeNt PlAtFoRm ! is officially live: go check out The Progress Report and sign up for the newsletter here.
- The NYTimes article Joey mentioned on strong and weak links
- HBR: Working Remotely While Black
- The sound of sheep, for your easy listening
Who returns the shopping cart? And what values do we actually want to take away from our heroes? [18:59]
This week, Joey and special guest Cole Nielsen talk about our Social Contract, TFW someone holds the door for you, mask participation, The Last Dance, WWBD (What Would Beyonce Do?), and Michele Obama. They don't talk about how Dads are equally liable to breathe down our necks too.
references
- The tweet on Shopping Cart Theory
Who is Karen and why do we hate her? And what does it mean to "come out"? [26:02]
This week, we're back. Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Joey's grandma, overreactions, female stereotypes, pride-washing, otherness, and committing ourselves to fighting shame. They don't talk about how yes, you can expect your regularly scheduled nonsense programming to resume here and now.
references
- Urban Dictionary: "Karen" and other useful definitions
- Using "Karen" in a sentence: exhibit A, exhibit B
- Where is the body?
- "Strong Men and Caring Women" Pew data from 2018 on the traits we like and don't about men and women
- Some of those fake Karen accounts
- The Atlantic: on the rise of the Karen meme
- Bob the Drag Queen
Thanks for your patience during this pause, folks.
This week, we're not releasing a new episode: Joey leaves a short voicemail in your podcast-inbox to explain.
references
- Take a listen to Trevor Noah talking about George Floyd and racial injustice
- Of the resources we've seen circulating around here are two that have stood out to us: a) if you're looking for ways you can help... b) and this spreadsheet guide to anti-racist allyship is also a great resource and includes some excellent reads.
How are cancel culture and stan culture related? And how do we rage in public and in private? [22:36]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the gentle breezes of Twitter, social currency, fan empowerment, one rude dentist, "angry black men," and escalating a game of work-league volleyball. They don't talk about the origins of "uncomfortable fuddy-duddiness."
references
- On how Grimes's mom cancels Elon
- "Hype House" drama
- The "Call Her Daddy" fight and all that jazz
- The Jeffree Star "cremated" palette controversy
- Also: cancelling James Charles
silver linings™
How much content is too much? And what experiments are you running on yourself RN? [19:19]
This week, Joey and voodoomamajuju Hannah Jegart talk about the overwhelming volume of boredom, watching Jeopardy, dopamine detoxing, Baby Foot, leg hair, and separately, helmet hair. They don't talk about how the second half of this episode deserves a Content Warning for gross bodily references.
references
- Baby Foot
- Martha Stewart's jacket
What would it take for us to work in a vice industry? And how important is age to friendship? [29:28]
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the skills people need to sell drugs, dirty work, moral employment, being 25, the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, and whether or not Joey and Jess are actually friends. They don't talk about how important age is to having enemies.
references
- Reply All #119 No More Safe Harbor
- Dax Shepherd and Dan Heath
- (Also sorry for my mic gain problem. xo, Jess)
Silver Linings™
Which GTA gang should we join? And how are we feeling right now? [25:14]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Grand Theft Auto, more TikTok memes, getting creative, Inside Out life lessons, guilt, and finding little joys. They don't talk about how Jess forgot the last Buffalo.
references
- The backstory on the Green vs. Purple debacle from Taylor Lorenz
- Some collective nouns
This week, Six Handshakes‽ (A new segment where we try to connect the dots between finds from far flung reaches of the internet.) Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between this stay-at-home protestor investigation, the lovability of worms, enormous baby Then and Now, Bezos' wealth, muting on Zoom, and RuPaul's oil money. They don't talk about The Yolk Initiative.
references
- We want to know: would you still love us if we were worms? Exhibit A.
- The Panther Worm Wiki
- Corrections Department: it was actually BBDO's car crash campaign
- Joey's extra Mark Warner Tweet
- 70! The Merits of Jargon and Exploitative TV
- The Atlantic: "What Jeff Bezos Wants"
- More from the Atlantic: "Who Killed JC Penney?" and other links on the pay gap from 2013 to 2017
- Haymarket Books is Eddie Vedder's favorite.
- The chaos of the Sylvain Labs Office Bathrooms (which, in some weird way, we miss?) See image below if your podcatcher allows.
- On men's bathroom hygiene and the Mythbused psychology behind stall selection (and again, Corrections Department: the middle stalls are actually the dirtiest).
- The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks.
-
humbleflag and other subculture tidbits from SL
- The Who? Weekly podcast.
- Refinery29 with more on Who? Weekly fandom
What is the future of food? And what are the pros and cons of having a dog? [26:47]
This week, special guest Matt Millington joins Joey and Aaron to talk about stinging nettle soup, the UK's 'umami bomb,' milpas, Matt's dog Mr. Sid, Aaron's dog Rufio Cooper McFly, and Joey's dogs Ragamuffin, Gus, and Diablo. They don't talk about Jess's family dog Coco, nicknamed 'CocoNutButter.'
references
- On Milpas: the diverse farming model of the Mayan empire.
- Small Robot Company.
- The Ringer: "Dogs on Planes"
- Some relevant charities: Feeding America, Best Friends Society, Animal Haven, Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue.
What are the Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine?
This week, Live Clickbait! We and special guest Clarissa Pharr, deputy ideas editor at Quartz, discuss her picks:
- Don't text your ex.
- Don't call it "social distancing."
- Don't forget to tip the pizza delivery person.
references
- Sign up for Quartz's "Need to Know: Coronavirus" newsletter
- The Daily Show on relationships in quarantine
- The Atlantic on "How to Maintain Your Relationship in Quarantine"
- Sociologist Dr. Eric Klinenberg on the NYTimes
- Joey on Quartz: "How boredom breeds creativity"
- Walmart tops flying off the shelves. Well, no pants though.
What impact will memes have on language? And why are Disney Princes so lame? [19:10]
This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Joey and Aaron talk about raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, inside jokes, lazy patriarchy, Mr. Mom-ism, and the inevitable queer Disney prince. They don't talk about sorghum flour.
references
- Original episodes: "Taking Care of Business and Meme Speak" and "Deprivation, Excess, and Disney Princes"
silver linings™
How can we destigmatize—and democratize— mobile gaming? And how might we maintain the intimacy we've developed during quarantine? [20:30]
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Toon Blast, asking ourselves "am I the mayor?", how Dots is basically Candy Crush, small talk, Tom Figura's stand-up special, and doing "fine." They don't talk about whether Joey Tribbiani's "how you doin'" translates the same way.
references
- The Impossible Quiz and all the answers.
silver linings™
How do we embrace boredom? And now that we have no excuses, when do we start doing all the things we've put off? [18:00]
This week, Joey and guest-with-absolutely-nothing-else-going-on Cristina talk about Joey's latest think piece, Jared Leto, Jess's meditative extracurricular, choosing what to wear, Cristina's to-do list, and the ways we distribute labor. They don't talk about the bad Isaac Newton stuff.
references
- Joey wrote a thing. Quartz: "How to Be Creative in the Coronavirus Pandemic"
- On Millennial Burnout
How do you work from home? And what kind of pie is best? [21:36]
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about being "WFH Curious," multi-tasking, taking stock of things, sweet potato soufflé, salmon pie, and Chicken Voilá. They don't talk about why Jess's family is so big on singing the Jell-o jingle.
Why do we think we can predict the future with data? And how do we escape the confines of our algorithms? [16:11]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about weather radars, Lorenz attractors, picking a good restaurant, Janelle Monaé, ambivalent Spotify, and Netflix's Max. They don't talk about vegan Hamster Hams.
references
- A video on Lorenz attractors and chaotic systems
- From the Aaron Powers book club (a competitor to the Joey Camire bookclub): Stumbling on Happiness
- Night of 1000 Stevies
- Max, Netflix's failed recommendation algorithm. (This video serves us some serious Jackbox vibes.)
Where do we put our jargon? And what keeps us glued to exploitative television? [20:16]
This week, Joey and Aaron talk about technical language, Strategic Bento Boxes, removing tension with new words, Judge Judy, [blank]sploitation, and Antoine Dodson. They don't talk about Big Jim's promise to all patrons: one beer, 75 tickets, unlimited taters. /glory.
references
- Slate: Annie Wiener's Uncanny Valley and "garbage language"
- Judge Judy: ranked 43 in most television program episodes
- The complicated story of Antoine Dodson all began with an interview and Billboard 100 topper, "Bed Intruder."
- Oprah and her regret on the KKK episode.
- Peeno Noir: Tituss Burgess's wine, Pinot by Tituss
- "Je Suis La Jeune Fille"
How do we perceive time differently? And how can we tell people they're not queer? [20:10]
This week, Joey and mystical-magical-sorcerer-wizarding Trevor also-magic-twice Larry talk about Kronos and Kairos, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, incense timepieces, living in the margins, 2nd movements, and painting your nails. They don't talk about how Leap day is coming up or how there are almost 400 time zones.
references
- Considering how different cultures experience time (and this video with epic Globe pans)
- Sapir-Whorf basics and arguments for and against linguistic relativity
- Incense timepieces
- Ezra Klein interviews Tim Urban about "The Story of Us" and more on The Ezra Klein Show
- Jameela Jamil responding to the backlash from being cast as a judge on HBO Max's upcoming, unscripted vogue competition series, Legendary
- A basic breakdown of the four fundamental forces, including strong and weak
Why do we feel the need to humanize brands? And the great debate: vertical or horizontal?
This week, Joey and special bird Hannah talk about a Ritz-sponsored magazine, Lil Miquela, burger offsets, some Landscape mode science words, sizzle videos, and how it would be to watch The Revenant in a vertical orientation. They don't talk about how the Sistine Chapel ceiling was not actually commissioned by the Medici: only the altar wall fresco, The Last Judgement.
references
- Lil Miquela's instagram (and the agency website for her makers, Brud)
- 먹는 방송
- Hannah's favorite bird-stagram.
- Try your hand at Matt Shlian's puzzles.
How should we deal with the plot twists in our own personal narratives? And a hot take: "gifting is a selfish act." [20:34]
This week, Joey and Aaron go rogue talking about Cincinnati chili, fairness, traumatic experiences, giving people puppies, the value of gift utility, and the role of love languages. They don't talk about how Jess did not endorse the contents of this episode.
references
- HBR: on stress and naming your anxiety patterns
- A refresher on The Brave Little Toaster
- The Lexus December to Remember sales event jingle