We Have Concerns

An article by Kevin Ashton proposes that saying "no" to things is vital to the creative process.  Anthony and Jeff wonder why they have such a hard time saying "no" and what that might mean about them.    Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on Patreon! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns   Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate...

A new article suggests that the Oculus VR headset may be the first step to allowing people to truly experience what it is like to live a different kind of life. This could allow designers to create "empathy engines" whereby users may come to feel emotion for their fellow man in a virtual space.  Anthony and Jeff think this is a great idea, especially if causes douchey diners to tip their...

A woman in Oregon has opened a cuddle service for those looking for a bit of personal contact, but definitely no sexy stuff. Anthony works through his own issues with touching, Jeff determines the fair market value of intimacy, and everybody wonders what to do at a pheromone party.   Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Her...

Researchers in Paris recently proved that the brain can continue to classify words into categories even after it has gone to sleep, causing Jeff and Anthony to wonder what scientists do to make their test subjects fall asleep during an experiment, and how this kind of non-stop brain activity might be harnessed by corporate America.   We Have Concerns is entirely listener funded and there's extra c...

A new article about the phenomenon of "phantom" phone notifications - those strange moments when you senses a vibration from your cell phone that didn't actually happen - has Jeff ranting on the crazy thoughts that such sensations evoke, and Anthony hearing voices.  Is technology making us crazy, or have alerts been messing with the human mind since the beginning of time? Enjoying the sh...

In an attempt to better understand pop music, Dr. Lior Shamir created an algorithm that can correctly identify and track the Beatles artistic output over the evolution of their career.  Now, the same technology is being used to predict whether songs, movies, and other entertainment will be popular, and could even replace creators altogether. Jeff is worried that an equation will never have the sou...

Across all cultures and geographies, humans scrunch up their faces in the exact same way when they are angry, and a new article examines several possible evolutionary explanations for the consistency.  One theory is that older people are more intimidating, but Anthony is ready to fight any older person he meets.  Jeff admits to getting angry... and you wouldn't like him when he's angry.   Hey! If...

Jeff found an article in the Atlantic that posits that a certain type of negative thinking, called defensive pessimism, might actually be more conducive to productivity and well-being than thinking positively.  Anthony, of course, is all over this idea, and calls it pragmatic.  Could expecting the worst actually be beneficial?  What about if you're seven years old?   Hey! If you're enjoying the sh...

Anthony found an article explaining how astronomers gussy up space photography to convey the scope and beauty of the cosmos, and now he has to break it to Jeff that every image he's ever seen of the galaxy isn't really as rich and vibrant as depicted.  Is it important for science to be strictly accurate, or does artistic license play into scientific method? This show is entirely supported by liste...

Researchers have now successfully transferred words from one conscious mind to another over long distances... is a sentence that is technically true, but the details of how they did it reveal that true telepathy is still a long way off.  That doesn't stop Anthony and Jeff from proposing ways real telepathic communication could be great and/or terrible.  Who needs the Apple Watch when you've got a...

Cooking a Chinese delicacy, a chef in Guangdong province died when the head of a cobra he was preparing bit his hand - long after it had been severed from its body.  This freak accident has Jeff and Anthony pondering the safety procedures necessary for serving venomous snakes in a restaurant, the weirdest foods they've eaten, and, of course, GI Joe. This show is entirely supported by listeners lik...

A museum in Japan devoted entirely to mayonnaise prompts Anthony and Jeff to discuss the proper ways to consume condiments, the joys of seeing mundane "attractions", and the usefulness of obsession.  Also, Indiana Jones shows up. If you like the show, support us on Patreon!  http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on what...

An article about how one Chinese gamer turned his "gaming addiction" into a profitable business prompts Anthony and Jeff to discuss dreams, responsibility, passion, and choosing the right career.  Also, Sir Patrick Stewart's hidden love of crude oil. This show is entirely supported by listeners like you! Please visit Patreon to find out how!  http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you...

There is evidence to suggest that a microbe that lives inside the human stomache may be the key to ending deadly peanut allergies.  Indeed, the microbiome that each of us carries around all the time may have far more to do with our physical and mental health than previously realized.  This makes Anthony and Jeff think twice about who they'd like to share bacteria with, and how exactly these microb...

Several high profile colleges have teamed up to create a universal index of basic knowledge for robots.  The theory is that robot brains will need to know how to process even the most elementary interactions with everyday objects, and one consolidated resource for this information could be used in all future robot AI. How are they doing it?  Stock photos and YouTube. Anthony just hopes the plans i...

Plug your email address into a particular part of Google and you'll see a map of everywhere you (and your smartphone) have been in the last month.  Anthony isn't surprised and thinks anyone who is worried must be 70 years old.  Jeff envisions a world of massive amounts of searchable history of your life - a giant online diary.  Who's naive and who's paranoid?  Is this kind of record keeping useful...

When a monkey grabbed his camera in Indonesia, snapped the perfect selfie, and the photo went viral, British photojournalist David Slater assumed he'd make a pretty penny from the iconic image.  But the in a 1,222 page report, the US Copyright Office just announced that any picture taken by an animal, plant, or deity is cannot be owned by man.  This makes Anthony and Jeff wonder what kind of crazy...

Researchers in California are planning to treat Alzheimer patients by replacing their blood with blood of young people.  Even crazier, there is reason to believe it may work, since old mice have become healthier and more youthful when their circulatory systems carried the blood of younger mice.  This, combined with the story of a jellyfish that can reverse its aging process when sick or injured, h...

A writer for Wired clicked 'like' on every single article, update, or advertisement that Facebook presented to him over the course of two days, and described what it did to his feed. It turns out, the algorithm can go pretty wild if you're willing to follow it down the rabbit hole of thumbs up.  This leads Anthony to rail against social media and socializing in general, and Jeff to wonder what it...

The "impossible" propulsion drive, which uses microwaves and invisible matter to theoretically power space travel - and which seems to violate the laws of physics, has actually been validated by NASA.  This causes Jeff to go bananas, dreaming of a fantasy sci-fi future in his own lifetime and... wait for it... HOVERBOARDS.  Anthony is not having any of it.   Hey! If you're enjoying the s...

Humans controlling waterways by building dams has caused major problems for salmon, who must return to fresh water to breed. But a new company - Whooshh Innovations (not making that up) - has developed a better way to help salmon get upstream: a giant salmon cannon.  Anthony thinks this is the perfect Rube Goldberg solution to the problem, while Jeff worries about a country that solves every probl...

Researchers have determined that individual ant colonies have their own distinct personalities, and that these personalities are shaped by their environments.  This leads Jeff and Anthony to wonder if all animals have personality, and if humans might have personalities that are shaped by their environments, too.  Also, only eat animals that are dicks. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take...

Fossils discovered in the Antarctic reveal a penguin that reached the approximate size of Lebron James, 6'8 and 250 pounds.  That's a big penguin.  Jeff and Anthony try to figure out exactly how they would defeat such a creature in an ice-fight at the top of the food chain. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iT...

A woman on Reddit discovered that her husband had been leaving vile comments on web sites, so she kicked him out of the house.  Anthony and Jeff celebrate this principled woman, discuss the nature of internet trolls, and examine what constitutes an online dealbreaker. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes l...

A new web service will provide baby name suggestions only for combinations that are still available as unregistered .coms, helping parents ensure their child will not have to grow up with a messy, misspelled or complex digital profile.  Do Anthony and Jeff think this is a good way to select names?  Should people start protecting their children's brand from birth?  Is there any way to stop the use...