71! The Data Crystal Ball and Escaping Our Algorithms

Why do we think we can predict the future with data? And how do we escape the confines of our algorithms? [16:11]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about weather radars, Lorenz attractors, picking a good restaurant, Janelle Monaé, ambivalent Spotify, and Netflix's Max. They don't talk about vegan Hamster Hams.

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70! The Merits of Jargon and Exploitative TV

Where do we put our jargon? And what keeps us glued to exploitative television? [20:16]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about technical language, Strategic Bento Boxes, removing tension with new words, Judge Judy, [blank]sploitation, and Antoine Dodson. They don't talk about Big Jim's promise to all patrons: one beer, 75 tickets, unlimited taters. /glory.

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69! Experiencing Time Differently and Protecting Queer Spaces

How do we perceive time differently? And how can we tell people they're not queer? [20:10]

This week, Joey and mystical-magical-sorcerer-wizarding Trevor also-magic-twice Larry talk about Kronos and Kairos, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, incense timepieces, living in the margins, 2nd movements, and painting your nails. They don't talk about how Leap day is coming up or how there are almost 400 time zones.

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68! Human Brands and The Vertical Video Debate

Why do we feel the need to humanize brands? And the great debate: vertical or horizontal?

This week, Joey and special bird Hannah talk about a Ritz-sponsored magazine, Lil Miquela, burger offsets, some Landscape mode science words, sizzle videos, and how it would be to watch The Revenant in a vertical orientation. They don't talk about how the Sistine Chapel ceiling was not actually commissioned by the Medici: only the altar wall fresco, The Last Judgement.

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67! Glass-Shattering Moments and Gifting

How should we deal with the plot twists in our own personal narratives? And a hot take: "gifting is a selfish act." [20:34]

This week, Joey and Aaron go rogue talking about Cincinnati chili, fairness, traumatic experiences, giving people puppies, the value of gift utility, and the role of love languages. They don't talk about how Jess did not endorse the contents of this episode.

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66! Our Parasocial Relationship with Kobe and Music Identity Politics

How do we mourn a parasocial relationship? And how do identity politics affect music genres? [17:34]

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Kobe, 1996, Titus Burgess, the new cowboy in town, appropriation, and "Daddy Lessons." They don't (enough) about Billy Porter's grammy look.

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65! Beyond Genre and Drops

What does the movie Parasite tell us about culture? And what are the consequences of all these drops? [18:20]

This week, Cultural Horoscopes! with our very own cultural astrologer Osei Kwakye. He, Joey, and Jess talk about subtitles, our categorization-machine tendencies, Good Boys, the Cosmic Crisp apple, social scarcity, and fat times. They don't talk about how that Frasier episode is Season 10, Episode 11: "Door Jam."

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64! Wild Prognostications 2020!

What's to come in 2020?

This week, Wild Prognostications! Special guest Ben Vander joins Jess, Aaron, and Joey to rank topics on a Goldilocks scale from "too wild" to "not wild enough." To be tracked through this year: culture war, modern asceticism, the tide turning on cars, bling, starter homes, hoaxes, and the appeal of pantries. They don't talk about the metrics behind "just wild enough:" it's more like a feeling.

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63! Nostalgia for Musicals and Dealing With Dying

How has nostalgia affected musical theater? And why is dying so hard? [23:19]

This week, mystical guest Dylan, Joey, and Jess talk about Shakespeare, Waitress, mandarins v. clementines [19:59], the symbiosis between old and young people, observando el Día de los Muertos, and #folkwisdom. They don't talk about Kimiko Glenn's knockout delivery of "When He Sees Me."

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62! '90s Action Films and Cleaning Digital House

What debt do we owe to '90s action movies? And how can we clean digital house in the new year? [21:41]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the most progressive movie genres, Atomic Blonde, Sigourney Weaver, ideas on Twitter, deep cleaning our feeds, and "the holey sock problem." They don't talk about how Joey is definitely 1000% wrong about Hitch.

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2019 Wild Prognostications: A Year in Review!

What happened in 2019?

This week, a special end of the year episode! Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about "Made in anywhere-but-America," Jim Carrey's Trump art, the Lancet paper, unicorn mac and cheese, and purpose-washing. They don't talk about the title of their Zuckerberg Lion King remake.

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Year-End Wraps and Online Performativity

Why are we obsessed with year-end wrap-ups? And when does performance on social media go wrong? [17:26]

This week, special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich join Joey to talk about Spotify Wrapped, Dunbar's Number puns, rebirth, vague-booking, trauma, and Walden. They don't talk about how we never edit out things in post that we say we will.

Hidden Internet Treasures and Serious Thanks

How much greatness is hiding in plain sight on the internet? And what if we took Thanksgiving more seriously? [17:29]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about 9M9H9E9, future Kafka, penny press newspapers, the Thankanator (coming soon to theatres), the Duchenne smile, and the Gratitude Turkey. They don't talk about which poultry cut is superior: white or dark meat (hint: there's a right answer).

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Customer Service and Made-Up Jobs

How do we fix customer service? And why do we make up work? [18:04]

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Jess's new friend, Jonah, their worst flight ticketing blunders, Amazon's silver lining, fabric swatches, entry level usefulness, and allowing for agency. They don't talk about what a snerfherder (sp?) is.

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Critical Nonsense Live‽ Adult Play, Fungi, Hot Takes, and Other Nonsense

This week, our first ever live show! Joey, Aaron, Jess and special guest Daisy Walker (joined by Hot-Takers Osei, Hannah, Ilana, and Katie) talk about junk playgrounds, The Big Mike, the alternate and "maybe probably true" origin story of Santa, Heinz Mayomust, Dolly 'effin Parton, and sweatpants material. They don't talk about how we slyly convinced the whole audience to sing with us (in true, Nonsense fashion).

To skip around: Hot take 1 and Adult Play [2:45], Hot take 2 and Fungi [23:50], and Hot take 3 and the Lightning Round [50:34].

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Our Generational Divide and Using Fear

How new is this generational divide? And what good is fear? [20:46]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about "OK Boomers," the B.S. factory, Big Doorbell, a glissando of strings, Juice, and the effect of adrenaline on our brains. They don't talk about TikTok nor how a useful mnemonic for the generations could be Goop Slap But (Joneses) Xtremely Musical Zebra Appetites.

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Dinner Parties and The Value of Story

What happened to the dinner party? And what's the value of storytelling? [16:38]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Betty Draper, "instagram tables," the only reason we clean, "narrative economics," seed libraries, and data translation. They don't talk about Ina, though she really deserves a mention for her venerable dinner hosting prowess.

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  • Vox on the status of the dinner party

  • WaPo: "The world's top economists just made the case for why we still need english majors"

Pigs and Modern Spirituality

What is our responsibility to pigs? And what are we doing with the void of organized religion? [21:10]

This week, Jess, Joey, and magical guest Ilana talk about octopus gratitude, k-type versus r-type animals, "the PR crisis of raccoons", the Jewish New Year, thick and thin love, and our susceptibility to cults. They don't talk about how humans recently recorded pigs using tools for the first time.

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Queer Comedy and the Toilet Tweet Butterfly Effect

How is the LGBTQ community shaping modern comedy? And how do you manage a company's values in a global economy? [22:47]

This week, Joey and special guests Dylan Fowler and Osei Kwakye talk about Bowen Yang, "beefing down," Los Espookys, Daryl Morey's 7-word tweet, the forsaken Hearthstone player, and the time test of Space Jam. They don't talk about how Jess is actually afraid of 1993 Jurassic Park microvillain, Dennis Nedry.

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