When is it okay to correct someone?

This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma.

references

• Otaku
• Corrections Department (because of course): Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland
• easter eggs
• propinquity
• Merriam-Webster on X
• Seth Meyers' Corrections on Late Night

How did our predictions play out in 2024?

This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey look back at their prognogs from Episode 247, discussing AI hardware, energy optimism, Scarlett Johansson, AI slop, EV, algae-based biofuels, the gelatin market, and wide shoes. They don’t talk about Jamie Foxx.

references

• Wired: "Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Copilot+ PCs"
• Micosoft Blog: Introducing Copilot+ PCs
• Marques Brownlee Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable
• Reuters: Amazon to pilot AI-designed material for carbon removal
• Milli Vanilli
• Ashlee Simpson on SNL
• Energy 101 | Algae-to-Fuels
• Viridos
• Retro-Chic Coffee Jelly
• Kizik
• The Plucky Squire

What kernels of truth are there in sci-fi content today that can maybe predict what our smart technological futures will look like?

This week, Jess and Joey talk about retrofuturism, the Otis elevator, all things Dymaxian, AI, post-scarcity society and ship names. They don’t talk about our dystopian present.

references

• Christmas in Connecticut
• Otis Elevator
• Dymaxion
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
• Corrections Department: Neuromancer by William Gibson
• Iain M. Banks' Culture series
• Post-scarcity
• Neural Lace
• Neuralink
• The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
• Humans
• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

What do we do with Cultural Beige?

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about cultural homogenization, algorithms, local commerce, international culture, outliers and Charli XCX. They don’t talk about Christian Bale or J. G. Ballard.

references

• Empire Of The Sun "Walking On A Dream"
• Empire Of The Sun "Alive" @ The Hollywood Bowl 11/23/24
• Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso"
• terroir
• Sammy McCormack: "How Janet Jackson Made 'If'"
• Sammy McCormack: "How Britney Spears Made 'Break The Ice'"
• Froggy Fresh
• Timbaland feat. OneRepublic "Apologize"
• Cam'ron and Mase: It Is What It Is

Why haven't we figured out hybrid yet?

This week, Jess and Joey talk about remote working, cost structures, collaborative tools, individual flexibility, speaker microphones, and body language. They don’t talk about sensory processing issues and how they impact in-person productivity.

references

• Yegor Denisov-Blanch on software engineering productivity
• Reddit response to Yegor Denisov-Blanch
• Entenmann's Donuts
• Torus

What varietal of mind wine are your grapes lately?

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pattern breaking, the restorative power of boredom, bird brains, pajama day, the productivity mindset, and seizing rest. They don’t talk about when Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

references

• Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan
• Boggle
• Five Senses Exercise
• How to use 4-7-8 breathing for anxiety
• Yahtzee

Why are we so obsessed with trying to live forever?

This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Jess and Joey to talk about adult superlatives, aging, the soul, compounding experience, afterlife FOMO, and aging reversal. They don’t talk about Irene Cara.

references

• Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development Explained
• Ray Kurzweil
• Ship of Theseus
• Fermi paradox
• Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
• Kardashev scale
• Telomere
• Dr. David Sinclair

What is it about certain settings that just piss us off?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about Maggie Rogers, live concerts, the unflustered mom, road rage, cycling, and liminality. They don’t talk about mosh pits.

references

• Maggie Rogers
• The Unflustered Mom: How Understanding the Five Anxiety Styles Transforms the Way We Parent, Partner, Live, and Love by Amber Trueblood
• This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
• liminality
• Boom