Critical Nonsense

Which leaky faucet are you going to repair? This week, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Aaron adjusting to Phoenix, Joey fixing his bike, Jess sorting her bead collection, replacements, thank yous, and the mindset of repair. They don't talk about whether any of us have ever actually fixed a leaky faucet. references The Progress Report Weekly / Edition 017 ¾ "On Repair" from Joey Check out "Zen a...

This week, another episode of Six Handshakes! Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between Bunny the dog gaining sentience, the paradox of two pretty best friends, a Taiwanese Halloween contest,Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between Bunny the dog gaining sentience, the paradox of...

How do we escape the zero sum game? And what if technology is the drug of the future? [24:20] This week, Joey and Cultural Astrologer Osei Kwakye talk about horse racing, linked fate, D&D lessons from Joey, Tristan Harris, the motif of the cigarette, and the social dilemma. They don't talk about how Aaron is currently winning the great Critical Nonsense swag race— check out the merch here. ref...

This week, our 100th episode‽ To celebrate, Jess (with Erica Hummel and Ben Vander), Aaron (with Valentine Aseyo) and Joey (with Jillian Camire) continue unfinished conversations we've had on the show. They talk about the canonical form of vanilla, The Chocolate Privilege, so many euphemisms, thirst representation, what dogs get out of the relationship, and living free from judgment. They also tal...

What if nothing is free anymore? And how should one go about virtual family functions? [21:26] This week, Joey and Jess talk about the pandemic's advertising fallout, winning subscription models today, our membership ceiling, celebrating Aboo turning 98, a request for Zoom 'Birthday Mode', and hardware shortcomings. They don't talk about when you should stop corresponding age with N+1 individual c...

How has irony poisoned the internet and when will it stop? And how are we building iterative bits of wisdom? [21:07] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about The Office, Pepe the Frog, irony's protective shell, Blaise Pascal, and taking our hats off to the folk at Arts & Letters Creative Co. They don't talk about the color of irony's shell: green....red....blue.... references NYTimes: "What is Iro...

How do you deal with allergies you don't have? And what makes a great game? [20:48] This week, Jess and Aaron talk about allergy empathy, personal matters of (food) intolerance, so many other creative culinary ideas from Aaron, Crash Bandicoot 4, watching our older brothers play games, and a bit of overflow of Jess's fascination with esports. They don't talk about how you should send us your alter...

How do you break away from mental models that aren't doing you any good? And what's next after Blands? [33:32] This week, Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about the move from ADHD to VAST, positive psychology, hiring based on luck, "your new Bland Identity," pelotons and Peloton, and design monoculture. They don't talk about how we, Sylvain Labs, are ourselves a certified B Corporation... references F...

This week, a special episode! Jess and sound engineer—and Fake Ad mastermind—Alex Contell talk about the ads' origin story, what makes Alex sweat, Joey and Aaron's predilection for improv, that time Jess recorded the show sitting outside the door to the studio, and the special thanks we always miss. They don't talk about how "Hamster Hands" turned into to "Hamster Hams."

What has given hip-hop such staying power compared with other genres of music? And what makes new words last? [29:07] This week, Joey and special guest Mujtaba Hameed talk about the 4 elements of hip hop, Drake, "the belt," the bouba-kiki effect, the word panties, and the best acoustic shapes. They don't talk about how Muj's brother felt about all the shade thrown this episode. references Some hip...

How do you go about finding yourself in the content you consume? And how are we going to live next year? [30:58] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the lasting effects of Will & Grace, capital C Critique, two asian women from Queens, the concept of the "15-Minute City," remote working adjustments, and a few silver linings. They don't talk about the activities schedule at Camp Camp. reference...

Why don't we have public intellectuals like we used to? And why do we need so much mint? [27:58] This week, Joey, Jess, and special guest Ilana Bondell talk about Vidal vs Buckley, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brené Brown, menthe: the ultimate collaborator, how Wintermint isn't even mint, and Ilana's great mint conspiracy theory. They don't talk about whether mint chocolate chip ice-cream is better white or...

Why isn't everyone in love with Sharknado? And why do we crush? [30:11] This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about B-Movies, a Sharknado notes slam poetry reading, soap operas, the "crush vessel," crushing pain, and #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday). They don't talk about Jess's now defunct girlband, called Next Crush. references Background on the B-Movie More opinion on why folks might want to take...

Why is Thirst-vertising such a thing right now? And how are superheroes adapting to 2020? [22:06] This week, Aaron, Jess, and luminary guest Dylan Fowler talk about risqué instagram advertising, WAP, Porn Hub's data analytics team, Watchmen, the idea of "protection," and She-Ra. They don't talk about the now defunct Isaiah Mustafa Voicemail Message Downloader site that left us far too soon. refere...

How do we feel about the ultra rich? And what is going on right now with spices? [27:25] This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about microschools, income inequality, "unfairness," the different kinds of cinnamon, "elevating comfort foods", and spicing up your life. They don't talk about how Bill Gates actually was pretty darn close guessing the price of floss. references Microschooling in a tweet...

Why does culture seem to move so quickly? And how do we keep up with the speed of internet speak? [24:00] This week, Joey and special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich talk about all things speed: B-Boys, being "passé aggressive," being "extremely online," Nora's One Direction blog, and important initialisms. They don't talk about how Extremely Online Cakes don't have novelty paper clips with...

What can waffles tell us about in our lives that we might not otherwise see? And how do you make room for an open-mind? [23:45] This week, Aaron and Jess and Joey talk about the Waffle House Index, the best kind of floss, the trap of spurious correlations, lots of longform, doomscrolling, and making the most out of openness. They don't talk about dinosaur floss, though they definitely, DEFINITELY...

What's the cost of bullsh*t? And what can black fandom tell us about rebuilding modern creative businesses? [28:44] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Brandolini's Law, Hillary Clinton, what we don't know, Aaron's AdAge Feature (hello!), Gullah Gullah Island, and the Black Church. They don't talk about how the Gullah Heritage Corridor is in its 14th program year managed by the U.S. National Park...

What can we learn from games in designing a just society? And how do you keep cohesion with distributed teams? [26:56] This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about the Mario Kart blue shell (it's blue, Joey), what makes a good game, the equity v. equality debate, cohesion at work, what makes a virtual meeting, and sheep sounds. They don't talk about *why* sheep sounds—our secret to keep.) referen...

Who returns the shopping cart? And what values do we actually want to take away from our heroes? [18:59] This week, Joey and special guest Cole Nielsen talk about our Social Contract, TFW someone holds the door for you, mask participation, The Last Dance, WWBD (What Would Beyonce Do?), and Michele Obama. They don't talk about how Dads are equally liable to breathe down our necks too. references Th...

Who is Karen and why do we hate her? And what does it mean to "come out"? [26:02] This week, we're back. Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Joey's grandma, overreactions, female stereotypes, pride-washing, otherness, and committing ourselves to fighting shame. They don't talk about how yes, you can expect your regularly scheduled nonsense programming to resume here and now. references Urban Dictio...

Thanks for your patience during this pause, folks. This week, we're not releasing a new episode: Joey leaves a short voicemail in your podcast-inbox to explain. references Take a listen to Trevor Noah talking about George Floyd and racial injustice Of the resources we've seen circulating around here are two that have stood out to us: a) if you're looking for ways you can help... b) and this spread...

How are cancel culture and stan culture related? And how do we rage in public and in private? [22:36] This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the gentle breezes of Twitter, social currency, fan empowerment, one rude dentist, "angry black men," and escalating a game of work-league volleyball. They don't talk about the origins of "uncomfortable fuddy-duddiness." references On how Grimes's mom cancels E...

silver linings™ How much content is too much? And what experiments are you running on yourself RN? [19:19] This week, Joey and voodoomamajuju Hannah Jegart talk about the overwhelming volume of boredom, watching Jeopardy, dopamine detoxing, Baby Foot, leg hair, and separately, helmet hair. They don't talk about how the second half of this episode deserves a Content Warning for gross bodily referen...

What would it take for us to work in a vice industry? And how important is age to friendship? [29:28] This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the skills people need to sell drugs, dirty work, moral employment, being 25, the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, and whether or not Joey and Jess are actually friends. They don't talk about how important age is to having enemies. references Reply All #119 No Mor...