The Two Vague Podcast

This week Ben is joined by Andrew from Partly Robot Industries for an appropriately timely conversation about a vehicular method for domestic and international travel… with OR without the exclamation point!  Andrew’s going to Italy (and on a side quest or two), so Ben wants to assist in his mental preparation and support him in any way he can.  What’s the best way to prepare for the perils of air...

Norah joins Ben this week for a discussion about recursion, and speaking of… Happy Second Anniversary to us!  Norah has just seen another loud musical, and Ben is champing at the bit to talk about the game he’s been playing lately.  They start their circuitous loop with some Canadian music industry trivia, a correction for the dystopia episode, the definition, and unintentionally making fun of the...

In this storytelling-heavy episode, Madison joins Ben to reminisce about the days of their youth.  The hosts compare their experiences as children and reflect upon how these events have impacted their lives.  Ben and Madison grew up in very different households, yet they share some common personality traits… aside from being “birthday twins!”  Madison has minimal experience and interest in video g...

Norah and Ben are feeling a bit philosophical this week (as illustrated by the topic word), and in our humble opinion they do not disappoint on the discussion front.  First up on the docket, what they have been up to.  Norah has been preparing a (timely) history presentation, and Ben has been playing a Sega game created as an April Fools prank.  The conversation then turns to dystopian themes in f...

Special guest Brian, the mastermind behind the “My Weekly Mixtape” podcast, joins Ben this week for an episode steeped in their childhood nostalgia!  The word is mixtape, and the hosts will be talking at length about their experiences and memories making them.  It wouldn’t be the Two Vague Podcast if there wasn’t a diversion or two along the way, but then Ben has a surprise for Brian to close out...

Norah joins Ben this week on a show that is rated V for vague!  They are taking about the word rating for about 83 percent of the show, and they hope that your interest, in this specific case, is very high!  Get it?  After sharing what they have been watching recently, they dive right in to the definition.  Ben explores the nature of MPAA movie ratings, examines their relation to censorship, and p...

Amaya is in the “studio” this week with Ben and the pod-cats.  Amaya and Ben are eager to talk about the topic word and their individual healing journeys, but first, Amaya sets a challenge for herself (for the record the tally was “one hundred percent”=1 and “totally”=4, so only 5 punches were required).  It should go without saying, but as always with these two, there will be a wide assortment of...

This special episode represents a new direction that we are going in the future (since our “Only Fans” page didn’t take off like we expected).  Since the pandemic reaction videos have been all the rage, and we’re feeling a little left out, so we are announcing our switch to Two Vague Reactions: audio only reactions to video content!  You can follow along or just listen to us react to stuff! Amaya...

This week Ben takes Norah on an adventure with a word she has no interest in, but first Norah talks about three games she tried playing while she was visiting her nephew.  After the pleasantries, Norah fastens her seatbelt and prepares to be bombarded with Ben’s research.  Subjects and diversions include: memories of historical news moments, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimens...

Ben is joined by Norah this week, and cooperatively they investigate this week’s word.  Things out a little slow conversationally, but then their on-brand rampant digression kicks in with topics such as television procedurals, the “cozy” genre of mysteries, the movie adaptation of Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s black humour thriller novel “Maria Beetle,” Ben’s favorite Chris Columbus movie script,...

This week, Norah joins Ben to talk about a subjective… subject.  The word is art, so prepare yourself for a more philosophical episode than you're used to.  The hosts share their love of observing, appreciating, making, and talking about art.  Ben tells a few stories, Norah brings her research, and they both drop many artist and architect names.  For details about the episode’s "video game bookend...

Joining Ben in the studio this week is Melody… a retired Marine, a student at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, and an amateur bodybuilder in the Women’s Figure Division working toward getting her pro card!  She’s a very busy person, but she was able to make some time to talk to us about this week’s word fit and to educate us about the often misunderstood sport of bodybuildi...

Paul is back in the studio with Ben this week to talk about his passion for the Moops, which is NOT the sound produced by a cow after making a mistake!  We’re joking, but if you know “the Moops” reference is from the 47th episode of Seinfeld, “The Bubble Boy,” then you are probably very familiar with this week’s word… and a standout at most parties.  To Paul’s delight, the show is liberally pepper...

Arden is back in the “studio” along with Ben and his lovable pod-cats to discuss the word chaos… a concept that Mango personifies.  Predictably the conversation starts with Bash causing an avalanche in the Himalayas and then gains entropic momentum.  Ben shares information on his favorite movie True Romance, chaos theory models, the band Luscious Jackson, the Kids in the Hall skit “Jazz Schmazz,”...

For the last episode before the first full week of 2023 Ben is sans co-pilot, but he still has a lot to share.  He talks about Boxing Day and memories of his Canada pants before playing a clip of the warmup portion for a forthcoming show featuring returning cohost Paul.  Norah joins their conversation while they discuss trivial facts, and midway she (correctly) points out that they are acting like...

After a refreshing holiday respite, Ben is back with his amazing autistic friend Andrew to talk about his latest creative endeavor.  Andrew shares the deets on the contents of and inspiration behind his latest zine, “An Actually Autistic Window on Economics.”  After the definition formalities have concluded, the masters of “stream of consciousness” type conversation, Ben and Andrew, talk about EVs...

Carl, the coordinator for the Games and Online Harassment Hotline and all-around good guy, joins Ben this week to discuss a word introduced in print by psychologist Edward Tichener in 1909!  They talk about their personal stories of processing their emotions, what harassment looks like in the digital age, toxic masculinity, the power video games, and what the hotline is doing to make the online la...

Cheyenne joins Ben in the studio this week to discuss intelligence… human, biological, artificial, or otherwise.  To get the conversational juices flowing (eew!), they talk about the games they are currently playing: Project Zomboid and Cult of the Lamb.  Upon becoming adequately lubricated (again… eew!), they talk about the definition of the word intelligence and the “types” of intelligences.  Al...

Journalism major Amaya joins Ben this week to discuss our habits… good, bad, and otherwise.   While enduring an impromptu cat cuddling session, Amaya shares her struggles with ADHD, her recently discovered haircare regimen, how she expresses herself with social media, her knowledge of astrology, and an interesting tattoo idea.  Ben has a few “dad humor” moments, but he also talks about how he appr...

Norah joins Ben this week to talk about ancient art of food assembly.  We do it for fun.  We do it to impress.  We do it when we are hungry… sometimes.  The hosts share their fond memories of family cooking for Christmas gatherings, the cooking shows they watch, the memorable dishes they have prepared, and an assortment of cooking techniques.   For the games portion of the show, Norah talks about...

Brittney (Mom / barista / photographer) joins Ben this week to talk about a word that brings her much joy.  The two hosts discuss photography past, present, and future.  Subjects include: the art of photography, personal connections to photos, baby books, camera technology, Purikura (photo booths), and how we will “record” our memories in the future.  Then it’s on to video games.  Brittney talks a...

This week Ben and Norah are discussing the food we consume to tide us over to our next full meal.  Yummy SNACKS!  Sprinkled throughout the episode are salty stories and discussions about electric boats, happy hours, ice cream bar diets, snakes, potato salad, and “sleepy chicken.”  After Norah reveals her cookie addiction, Ben reveals his Bacon number!  Finally, the proverbial cherry(s) on top for...

We’ve hit another 30-ish episode milestone, so it’s time for another “cutting room floor” show!  This never before heard material is a potpourri of trivia, news discussions, personal stories, and it all starts with a joke from my Aunt!  We hope you enjoy the smorgasbord of clips from episodes 33, 35, 43, 48, 50, 53, 54, and 55.    00:00:21 - Starting the clip show with what Ben has been noodling w...

Norah’s been watching Cuphead on Netflix and Ben has been playing a number of toon-centric games, so it seems to be fitting that the word is flyswatter.  Not really… it’s cartoon!  The hosts reminisce about the theater and television cartoons of their youth before moving on to video games.  Cartoon oriented video games mentioned include: the Kingdom Hearths franchise, Mane 6’s “Them’s Fightin’ Her...

Norah and Ben recommend that you prepare yourself mentally and physically for this week’s topic… adventure!  Ben has lots of questions for Norah about her adventures overseas.  They discuss a possible forthcoming adventure for each of them… running a bookstore in Scotland!  They briefly touch on the meaning of adventure in visual media before moving on to video games.  Norah talks about enjoying h...