Episodes

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 Connec...

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 Geogr...

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 fo...

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-scarci...

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 Timbala...

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 Wallac...

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 Mon...

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 K...

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 Hidde...

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 Bac...

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 "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 Bade...

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