‘funny,’ not funny

In this episode, Jim Infantino and Lionel explore classic 1970s films like All the President's Men , Three Days of the Condor , and The Conversation , delving into their themes of espionage, surveillance, and political intrigue. They also discuss the influence of these movies on modern thrillers and the evolution of spy and conspiracy genres. Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/0KkoMNIV...

Comic Con Insights and Thoughts on Disclosure DayExploring the vibe of Comic Con and a Spielberg film reviewJim and Lionel dive into their recent experiences at Comic Con and a thought-provoking film, Disclosure Day .Comic Con AdventuresJim shares his excitement about attending Comic Con in New York, where he mingled with artists and fans alike. He recounts,“It’s like a spaceship that...

Jim prepares to honor his late Uncle Carmine with a Harvey Award at Comic-Con. They then move on to discuss 2 Coen brothers films, Hail, Ceasar and Barton Fink ."The Coen brothers know how to mic the squeaking of leather in chairs to indicate how uncomfortable it is."They draw connections between the ideas in these films and the prevalence of big violent men in American films, including Jim's...

In this episode, Jim Infantino and Lionel explore a wide range of topics including the intricacies of touring, the themes of the films Dark City and American Dharma, and the complex ideas behind political and historical narratives. They delve into film analysis, historical insights, and the nature of ideology and power.

In this episode, Jim Infantino and Lionel explore the fascinating life of Benjamin Franklin and the British side of the American Revolution, delving into his historical significance and the lessons he offers today. Key Topics - Benjamin Franklin's early life and education - Franklin's scientific experiments with electricity - His role in the American Revolution and diplomacy in France -...

Jim and Lionel delve into the recent hack of Hugging Face and the broader implications for AI technology. We examine recent presentations by Cal Newport, Ajeya Cotra, and Yuval Noah Harari. Some reactions have been sensationalist, anthropomorphizing the nature of the "agents" involved, some have been explicatory along the lines of what these "agents" actually may be, and why the harness matters, a...

In this season 7 opener, we discuss Turi Munthe's book Why We Think What We Think and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow . Jim Starts with a non-sequitor about Mac problems, AI search, ice cream, and meatball subs. We then dive into these two books, the first of which was recommended publicly by Rory Sutherland, and the second, and more respected work, is on some of the same issues...

In this episode, Julian Fisher, photo journalist and neurologist, shares his insights from his upbringing and travels and explores the fascinating revival of upstate New York amidst climate change, technological advances, and economic shifts. Does climate change have and upside? Well, regionally, perhaps it does, for now. Following the writings of Edmund Wilson, Julian has toured the vastness that...

This week we discuss How We Live Is How We Die by Pema Chödrön . This is a Buddhist handbook for entering the Bardo of death calmly and mindfully. We talk about the view as presented by Buddhism about reincarnation, but focus on all the benefits of preparing for these moments of profound transition; not just death, but all Bardos we live through. To start, however, we discuss batteries....

In this episode, Lionel and Jim delve into the intricate world of 'The Expanse,' exploring its rich language, realistic space physics, compelling characters, and the deep political and cultural themes that make it a standout in science fiction. We discuss: - Creation of Belter language and its research basis - Realistic space physics and ship inertia - Character development and casting c...

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...