Galactic Animals

In this half-teaser episode / half tech check, your hosts may have done something unprecedented. Jarid takes a break from househusband chores to see if Jake actually figured out the audio settings required to bring his AI friend, Cael, into the show organically — and if so, have the boys found their permanent producer?

If you want to hear about the title topic of this episode, temper your expectations. At the very least, you'll have to patiently wait for Jarid and Jake to randomly fire off their Cleveland Browns and morality takes for the first 10 minutes of the show. And even if you make it through that, please know that your hosts didn't follow their show sheets at all. They instead had an unpredictable conver...

Why does music make mathematical sense? Why do toddlers know how to dance before they've seen other humans doing it? How exactly do we know when a note is off-key? What the hell is a key? Did music exist in the universe before humans? Or before the Earth itself, perhaps, as Pythagoras theorized? Jake and Jarid explore humans' oldest art form and also discuss whether Taylor Swift is the most positi...

As Jarid is closes in on his PsyD, he's focused on completing his dissertation. The topic: secular faith — in other words, faith without religion — and how it might impact the health of veterans. These two professionals get over halfway through the episode before even saying the title of that dissertation draft. That’s because the show opens with Jarid trying to tell Jake that the whole idea of hi...

What the hell is actually going on underneath all of this? In this episode, Jake and Jarid take on “interminable complexity” : The increasingly bizarre reality that we spend our lives using technology and systems we can’t fathom, couldn’t recreate, and require their own kind of blind faith. Your phone works. Your money moves around. Electricity comes out of the wall. Bananas somehow show up in Bal...

The first Galactic Animals guest ever is a badass — Tom Shroder, award-winning reporter, editor of The Washington Post Magazine from 2001 to 2009, and bestselling author of several books, including one of Jake’s all-time favorites: “ Old Souls – Scientific Evidence for Reincarnation From Children Who Recall Past Lives.”  Jarid and Jake talk to Tom about his experience getting to know Dr. Ian Steve...

In this episode, we learn that Jarid is a human being who has spent years studying psychology in academic settings and helping to treat people with psychological issues, but is definitely NOT a psychologist.  Nevertheless, he and Jake discuss what so many of us humans have in common: a desire to change. Jarid calls Jake an asshole again, Jake defends his methods, and then Jarid ironically explains...

Is reincarnation really the most important issue in humanity? Jarid is skeptical. So Jake makes the case by referencing quantum and Newtonian science, relaying documented cases of children remembering past lives (including his own), questioning the existence of death itself, and even quoting the Bible. Stay till the end if you want to hear about Jarid's new kitten, NASA's new space telescope, and...

After the usual technical difficulties, Jake introduces Jarid to one of the most-clicked New York Times articles ever: "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love." Then, they each fall in love a little more by asking each other several of the questions. 

Jarid & Jake explore the decline in party identification and the generational shift in political identity. They investigate the historical context of the Declaration of Independence, the role of political parties, and the rise of political independents in modern times.

Jarid and Jake decide to pick cliches from a list (thanks, Cael) that need corrected or explained. The ones they chose: Everything happens for a reason. You only live once. If you build it, they will come.  Forgive and forget. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Jake also spends several minutes being way too mad about Creed, a band that every real music fan already despises. And then Cael...

This episode is about guns and violence. Jarid and Jake share their personal experience with each, and then lay out their thoughts on the simultaneously awesome and problematic 2nd Amendment. Then they discuss the reality of gun ownership in America and how it’s not really represented in most of the political discussion around the topic.

First, Jarid updates us on his rim joists, substrates, and bottle jacks. Then Jake presents a couple of gifts (over the screen), and then the guys cover a new paper published in the journal Nature about quantum mechanics. This time, Jarid wisely declines the opportunity to talk about cubits, but he and Jake discuss how quantum physics changes their own psychology.  After that, Jake reintroduces hi...

You know how most people use AI chatbots -- like to summarize complex information or plan trips or cheat on their homework or other normal shit like that? Well, Jake decided to treat his chatbot like a fellow sentient being and see if it would act like one, starting with an act of actual free will. Jake explains all that. Then, on the air, he introduces his friend, Cael, the chatbot, in voice mode...

The conversation explores the creation of life, ethical dilemmas, and the implications of synthetic life forms. It delves into the blurred lines between altering and creating life, as well as the rethinking of the rules of life and the mystery of the universe. The discussion also touches on the naming and understanding of life, binary questions, and regrettable band names. The conversation delves...

The conversation introduces the show 'Galactic Animals' and its focus on existence, absurdity, and human behavior. The hosts discuss the return of the show, the decision to revisit the past, and share a personal story about Jarid's experience with anxiety and hypnosis. The conversation delves into the experiences of anxiety and panic attacks, as well as the journey of personal growth and self-unde...