Critical Nonsense

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 'N...

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 Ma...

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   Correct...

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...

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 Ta...

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 T...

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  ...

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 S...

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  ...

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 An...

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   U...

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 Goodne...

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 implicat...

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 guid...

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 Trans...

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 Rele...