Critical Nonsense

What can we learn to love about fear?  This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about tiny clothes, reading horror, delight, Friends, subtle fear, and gourds. They don’t talk about Colonel Kurtz.  references  You are home ,  Demi Adejuyigbe .  Stephen King's  Night Shift   Esquire:  All 75 Stephen King Books, Ranked   You're Next   What is Horror?   Bros   Legion   Utopia   Stephen King's  'Salem's L...

This week, another special episode!  System of a Down Evangelist Joey and Queen of the Bagelry Jess, in (kind of) lightning round fashion, ponder a (kind of) preponderance of ... er ... "ponderances" about bagels, English adjective order, Trevor Noah, performance mode, pickleball, and chess cheating. They don’t talk about the possibility of  ice cream being healthier than bagels .  references  Dis...

What is consciousness and are we alone in our consciousness on Earth?  This week, Joey and Jess talk about orca fashion, climate change, forest network interconnectivity, divergence, AI consciousness, and Trevor's beard. They don’t talk about blueberry bagels.  references  Dinosaurs eating people   Pterosaurs   Trendy killer whales   Science:  ‘Wood wide web'—the underground network of microbes th...

Is AI Art art, and should we be scared of it?  This week, Joey, Jess, and Alex talk about AI art generators, DALL·E 2, Midjourney, creativity and craft, the proliferation of beautiful things, and homogeneity. They don’t talk about Allen Iverson ... or  practice . (Not a game! Practice!).  references  DALL·E 2   Progress Report:  Jess on the difference "hand taste" makes   How to Create Synthetic A...

How do you renew your vows with your hobbies?  This week, our Cutie Corner special continues with guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper joining Jess to talk about knitting, boredom, thumb wars, bird watching, snackable goals, and giving yourself room to fail. They don’t talk about the  Australian Lyrebird .  references  Sourdough Teddy Bears   A Bird Calling Champion Visits The Daily Show  

Why did hobbies become hobbies again?  This week, Cutie Corner returns with special guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper joining Jess to talk about reading, BookTok, Colleen Hoover, productive leisure, the affects of the pandemic, and quiet quitting. They don’t talk about Henry Bemis.  references  The New York Times:  How TikTok Became a Best-Seller Machine   Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)'s IG:  @b...

Would you join a country that started online first?  This week, special guest Eric Ferrer-Vaughn joins Joey and Jess to talk about Web3, blockchain, Balaji Srinivasa, network states, Neom, and zero-knowledge proofs. They don’t talk about *NSYNC.  references  As always, Neal:  Snow Crash  |  The Diamond Age   Free State Project   Balaji Srinivasan's  The Network State   Jerusalem Post:  How Satmar...

Why does it feel so right to say something so wrong?  This week, Jess and Joey talk about category mistakes, synesthesia, projective questioning, names, berries, and, apperantly, not-berries. They don’t talk about  De La Soul .  references  Jimmy and Dash   blowin' through the jasmine in their minds   Category Mistakes   The Power Of Categories  and  Entanglement  episodes of NPR's  Invisibilia  p...

What's so wrong with using pictures in menus? And how do you feel about exploring new ideas that break your concept of reality? [22:48]  This week, Jess and Joey talk about the fabric of the universe, cookbooks and menus, painting a sensory picture, quantum consciousness, Spacetime, and butt donuts. They don’t talk about  A$AP Rocky .  references  This is your brain on '80s anti-drug commercials  ...

What is a better way to explain methods of writing your point of view?  This week, Jess and Joey talk about Mrs. Henry's Ping Pong Method vs. Mrs. Henry's Oreo Cookie Method, the Shit Sandwich Method of delivering feedback, music theory, the Straw Man Argument vs. the Steel Man Argument, Schrödinger's cat, and memetics (again). They don’t talk about  Diddy Riese Ice Cream Sandwiches .  references ...

Should we be using language like "optimism" or "pessimism," or is there a different way we could look at these challenges that allows for better outcomes?  This week, Joey and Jess talk about nihilism, venting, the time horizons of change, young converts, kidnapping, and genetic influences on optimism and pessimism. They don’t talk about Meursault, but he doesn't care at all.  references  progress...

Why shouldn't I grow my own potatoes?  This week, Jess and Joey talk about fast food french fries, hybrid potatoes, tubers and roots, apple cider, ube, and taro. They don’t talk about  Freestyle Fellowship .  references  Eater's exposé on  Blue Hill's Dan Barber   Michael Pollan's  The Botany of Desire   Eric Kim's  Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home   Umamicart   Oishii: The Omakase Berr...

Do you prefer living in a universe where humanity is a one-snowflake civilization—life exists here on a mote of dust in the outer reaches of the Milky Way—or do you prefer living in a universe that is loud and noisy and populated? And how do you handle leftovers? [34:31]  This week, Joey and Jess talk about loud and quiet aliens, LaMDA, Santa, unfortunate dinners, waste aversion, and dumplings. Th...

What else can happen when we find new uses for lost arts?  This week, Joey and Jess talk about falconry, Top Gun, sword fighting, peatlands, owls, and mushrooms. They don’t talk about the  Black Falcon School of Arms .  references  Zoobilee Zoo  and  The Wuzzles   The New York Times Magazine:  The Ancient Art of Falconry at the Jersey Shore   Neal Stephenson's  Termination Shock   Dutch police usi...

What do we make of the existence of song twins and movie twins today?  This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the zeitgeist, movie marketing, Timbaland, Beyoncé vs. Azealia Banks, Western musical notes, and Baroque Pop (again). They don’t talk about  Laurent and Larry Bourgeois .  references  Joey and Aaron are  reunited  and it feels like  sweet love .  "Sissy That Walk"   RuPaul's Drag Race All St...

How has our childhood media affected our adulthoods?  This week, special guest Dylan Fowler joins Aaron and Jess to talk about Sesame Street, Ren & Stimpy, Disney, Don Bluth, The Lion King, and The Muppets. They don’t talk about  vulgar Snoopy .  references  HuffPost:  11 Moments On 'Sesame Street' That Championed Diversity And Inclusion   On the famous Mister Rogers pool scene   How Divine in...

Why it gotta be bagels vs. donuts? And how should we celebrate our birthdays? [25:17]  This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Sega vs. Nintendo, the L.A. donut scene, the coastal bagel war, birthday themes, the responsibility phases, and cake-flavored foods. Thankfully, they don’t talk about  birthday cake bagels .  references  Strangers With Candy Theme Song   Cleaning pr0n   Sega vs. Nintendo   Th...

What do you do about the missing Lego piece? And how does this become dumpling? [25:32]  This week, Aaron and Jess talk about customer service, bike sharing overages, significance imbalance, invisible wisdom, dumpling teamwork, and apprenticeship. They don’t talk about  My Squishy Little Dumplings .  references  Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night   criticalnonsense@sylvain.co   rubber baby buggy...

How can we better leverage awards in our everyday life?  This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Boston Celtics, recognition, distinguishing, benchmarks, The Infatuation, and Hitch. They don’t talk about  Ali Shaheed Muhammad , my man.  references  Because maybe ...   Michelin Guide   The cure for the common man   The Hitch  Tomatometer®   The Annual Dundies!  

How can we take advantage of Assembly Theory in our lives? And where are the six elemental marshmallows best applied in life? [31:46]  This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about corn dogs, Kafka, Homer, brown sugar, extrusion, and Peeps. They don’t talk about that famous DJ fella.  references  Lex Fridman Podcast: Alien Debate: Sara Walker and Lee Cronin   Assembly Theory   The best ketchup  (ahe...

How does one navigate the journey from Ask Culture to Guess Culture, and vice versa? And what are your ideal working hours? [27:50]  This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about privacy settings, politeness vs. safety, the Midwest, philosopher hours, exercise, and zoos. They don’t talk about  Tears For Fears .  references  Have we told you that   we believe in a thing called The Darkness ?  Adam Ne...

Why choose casual chaos? And what is the standard way to frame a vacation photo? [31:50]  This week, special guest Cara Lohman joins Jess to talk about Super Mario Bros., chickens, selfie bombs, order and structure, people vs. vistas, and chaos theory. They don’t talk about the  Cocoa Brovaz .  references  Everything Everywhere All At Once trailer   Bierki  (and  Bierki , and  Bierki , and  Bierki...

Is it healthier to be a little bit more ignorant online? And how do we all build a discomfort diet? [28:26]  This week, special guest Nora Mestrich joins Joey to talk about TikTok, Twitter, admitting ignorance, dopamine hijacking, ice plunges, and the benefits of pain. They don’t talk about  DIIV .  references  MMT   Armchair Expert interview with Anna Lembke   Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in...

Why is failure the best way to learn a lesson?  This week, Joey and Jess talk about New York laundry, errant emails, the instant amplitude of the feeling of failure, "Fail fast!," biffing and flop sweat, and overlearning. They don’t talk about Sonic Youth's  Washing Machine  LP.  references  Critical Nonsense Merch!   Fortune:  How an NFT creator lost $34 million due to a smart contract error   Th...

How can we better tap into inspiration from weirder, wilder places? This week, Joey and Jess talk about The Office, diverse sourcing, walking away, "do it now," and ... thots. They don’t talk about  Chicago .  references  HAIM "Right Now"   Corrections Department:  Pronunciation Guide: HAIM Teach You How to Say Their Name   Just FYI:  How Caribbean People Eat Mango   Corrections Department:  Who v...