‘funny,’ not funny

This week we take some time off world politics and highfalutin ideas and hunker down with 50 year old science fiction. We start with Zardoz, a film we were both repulsed by and highly entertained by. We bring up parallels The Fifth Element, but not much else. Logans Run reminded us of City of Ember, and The Giver. All of these films involved a walled or domed structure surviving an apocalypse. In...

AI Summary: In this episode, Jim and Lionel explore a wide range of topics from the nature of digital information and its physical costs, to the complexities of scientific understanding and the influence of storytelling in culture and economics. They also discuss recent advancements in space telescopes and the impact of social media on perceptions of global events. :End AI SummaryThis week we had...

In this episode, Jim and Lionel delve into the complexities of AI, geopolitics, and the future of technology, exploring how power, cooperation, and innovation shape our world. We touch on land drones in the Ukraine, the failures of Might Makes Right, AIs as the new immigrants, Adam Neely and Ed Zitron vs. the AI invasion, and generally, stuff that is going on or going wrong right now. We decide to...

Today we talk about the world of classical music, the creative process of composers like Stravinsky, and the impact of AI on music creation and authenticity. We dig into Stravinsky's use of folk themes in classical music, the orchestration and technical mastery of Rite of Spring and Petrushka, and then veer into the impact of AI on music creation, and the role of authenticity in an age of imi...

This week we dive into a fascinating book by Jaaron Wingo and Matthew Britt titled Christ Before Jesus: Evidence for the Second Century Origins of Jesus . This is a dense historical refutation of the historicity of the gospels highlighting anachronisms and employing stylometry to conclude that neither Jesus nor Paul existed as historical figures. It points to the Evangelion of Marcion as the first...

Well, we did it. After years of swearing off the films of Béla Tarr; a director recommended to us by Bob Loy, we bit the bullet and watched two of his films: Werckmeister Harmonies, and The Turin Horse. These are not easy films. We definitely felt like we were missing some major cultural context in these films, but did our best to process them through our unsophisticated American perspectiv...

This conversation explores the depths of Andre Tarkovsky's films Solaris and Stalker, delving into their themes, production challenges, and philosophical insights. Spoiler: we really loved Stalker, and we really didn't love Solaris. It also touches on science fiction's portrayal of communication with extraterrestrial life and the influence of Soviet filmmaking constraints.

Sara joins the podcast again, and we discuss two documentary films Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life by Merion C. Cooper, and Daughters of The Dust by Julie Dash. Common themes are migrating peoples and disappearing cultures. We compare accounts of the migration of the Bakhtiari people in this documentary and the series The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski. For both films, we focus on the fil...

This episode explores classic Italian cinema, focusing on Vittorio De Sica's masterpieces 'Shoeshine' and 'Umberto D.', and contrasts them with Federico Fellini's '8 1/2'. We delve into themes of societal decay, human resilience, and cinematic artistry. At the end of the episode we respond to our live listeners, especially Sarah Elkins who suggests a film fo...

This episode features cybersecurity expert Jonathan Cooper discussing the latest scams, phishing tactics, and how to protect yourself in a digital world. Learn about real-world examples, AI threats, and practical tips to stay safe online. Rise of AI-generated scamsPhishing and email scams targeting all agesBusiness email compromise (BEC) cases and impactThe psychology behind scams and social engin...

This is the first episode I'm releasing only for paid members on our Patreon channel . In this episode Jim responds to news and opinion from AI skeptic pundits, notably Ed Zitron and Corey Doctorow, that the great tech revolution is a gaslighting bubble full of reverse centaurs. Lionel remains skeptical and we discuss the possibility that locally run small AI may be a path forward. Full episo...

Ben Burnes (Abstraction on Bandcamp) joins the pod again as a guest host and we talk about the movie Project Hail Mary based on the book by Andy Weir. We talk about the elements of the plot but Lionel focuses us on the music, in comparison with other movies like The Martian (also based on an Andy Weir novel) and Guardians of the Galaxy. At the end of the pod, we ask Ben about his reactions to the...

We begin by discussing arts and crafts as evidenced in our parents, our children and ourselves. Then we move on to the main topic, a discussion of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. We give away a lot of plot points here, so be careful if you want to be surprised in your own reading. Beyond that we begin to discuss Elmore Leonard and his short story made to 2 films "310 To Yuma" to be discussed later...

Adam Schartoff of Filmwax Radio joins us once again to discuss the cinematic world of Wong Kar Wai. We focus on two of his films 'In the Mood for Love' and '2046'. We talk about the emotional depth, visual storytelling, and cultural context of Wong's work, sharing personal insights and experiences from interviews with filmmakers. The discussion highlights the significance...

We start out by thinking we don't have anything to talk about, and Lionel begins spoiling the following week's episode by talking about In The Mood For Love directed by Wang Kar Wai. Jim digs into the Netflix series The Hunters and the Laurie Anderson film Heart of a Dog . We look forward to our second discussion with Adam Shartoff, and our conversation about East of Eden, and break our...

In this episode, Jim and Lionel discuss various topics ranging from technical difficulties in live streaming to the complexities of PCI compliance. They delve into literary discussions about Steinbeck's ‘East of Eden’ and cinematic explorations of Wong Kar-Wai's films, particularly ‘In the Mood for Love.’ Lionel brings up Werner Herzog's movie ‘My Best...

Jim, Lionel and Adam Shartoff of Filmwax Radio delve into the works of Lynne Ramsay, focusing on her films Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar. They explore the themes of childhood trauma, guilt, and the complexity of emotionally disconnected characters, while also discussing Ramsay's unique cinematic style and the emotional depth of her storytelling. The discussion highlights the ambiguity present...

Jim Infantino, Lionel, and Rick Beyer delve into Rick’s podcast History Happy Hour and the fascinating history of the Ghost Army , a unique World War II unit that used deception to mislead the enemy. They discuss Rick's journey into documentary filmmaking, the impact of his work on public understanding of this historical narrative, and the importance of personal stories in history. The...

The conversation delves into the philosophical ideas of Schopenhauer and Kastrup, exploring themes of consciousness, the nature of reality, and the historical context of their thoughts. It highlights the eccentricities of historical figures, the evolution of philosophical thought, and the implications of analytic idealism versus physicalism. The discussion also touches on the relevance of these id...

Sarah Lipton, podcaster, author, and meditation teacher joins us to talk about her path in, and experience with Vajrayana Buddhism. They discuss the Shambhala path, the role of sutras, and the diverse practices within Buddhism, emphasizing that meditation is not just a formal practice but can be integrated into daily activities. The conversation highlights the significance of being kind to oneself...

Chris Chanlder joins us once again to talk about the movies "A Complete Unknown" and "Deliver Me From Nowhere." The conversation explores the potential for creating a better biopic of Bruce Springsteen, comparing it to the Dylan movie and discussing the creative choices that could enhance storytelling in music films.

We begin by announcing the live stream of the podcast on Patreon for subscribers. This is a new direction for the pod and we encourage anyone who wants to support these episodes to join Jim's Patreon, where you can listen as we make the sausage, and get bonus materials (songs, novel chapters, and more). This podcast requires a great deal of editing and incurs costs relating to the software we...

We begin with an embarassing discussion of Jim's relationship with his bidet without being overly disgusting. Somehow, we move to Martin Scorsese’s 1997 movie Kundun and each of our reactions to it. We transition to his movie Hugo (2011) and we should warn you, that this movie is full of surprises and we give them all away, hence, there is a huge SPOILER WARNING with this episode. After...

Thrayle joined us this week to talk about his TikTok channel The Batcolyte, where people are invited to question their beliefs. Thrayle talks about the origins of this channel (called a Live on TikTok) and shares his experiences questioning others about what they believe. From inebriated guests to people who just want to win a debate, we learn about what makes this forum different from the standar...

Kat joined us from the jungles of Hawaii where she lives off the grid. She picked 2 movies for us to discuss, Moulin Rouge, and SLC Punk, which are two of her favorites. We talk about living off the grid in Hawaii, volcanic eruptions, and her lifestyle there. The “Hawifi” cuts in and out, but we make the most of it. Later in the show, we talk about DJing Punk Rock, what constitutes a m...