Critical Nonsense

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...

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 o...

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 "frau...

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 Co...

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...

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.  ref...

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 E...

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 ca...

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  ea...

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 Co...

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 St...

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: "...

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  ...

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...

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 Char...

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...

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...