202! Idea Killers and Body Doubling

Why should a good idea die? And how do you use concepts that you discover to make things better for yourself? [25:35] 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about speed dating, engineers, iterative creativity, body doubling, ADHD, and Santa's narc. They don’t talk about James Hinton. 

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200! The Most Specialest of Thanks

This week, our 200th episode! 

To celebrate, Jess, Joey, Aaron, and Alex dish out a bunch of big thanks—on behalf of themselves and some of the SYLVAIN team—and show their appreciation to all of you, dear listeners, for riding with us over the years. They talk about plastic, grandpa strips, popcorn, warm legs, perspective that sticks, and aging. They don’t talk about herding pandas. 

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199! Remembering the Dead

How do you choose what moment in time represents somebody? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about death, recency bias, in memoriams, James Dean, one-hit wonders, and headstones. They don’t talk about Beenie Man. 

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198! Preponderance of Ponderances: Jess Edition

196! The State of Reality TV

Will competitive reality TV go back to what it used to be? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pandemic "normalcy," earnestness, parasocial relationships, referees, social media, and taxons. They don’t talk about Ernest Borgnine or his amazing eyebrows. 

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195! Pranking for the Likes

Where should we draw boundaries around pranking "for the likes"? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the latest updates on the "fights", meme culture, when something stops being funny, the consent paradox of pranking, entertaining each other, and the oversaturated market of bad jokes. They don't talk about if sugar belongs in stew. 

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193! Preponderance of Ponderances: A Special!

This week, another special episode! 

System of a Down Evangelist Joey and Queen of the Bagelry Jess, in (kind of) lightning round fashion, ponder a (kind of) preponderance of ... er ... "ponderances" about bagels, English adjective order, Trevor Noah, performance mode, pickleball, and chess cheating. They don’t talk about the possibility of ice cream being healthier than bagels. 

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192! Consciousness and Killer Whales

What is consciousness and are we alone in our consciousness on Earth? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about orca fashion, climate change, forest network interconnectivity, divergence, AI consciousness, and Trevor's beard. They don’t talk about blueberry bagels. 

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191! AI Art and Hamsterstanistan

Is AI Art art, and should we be scared of it? 

This week, Joey, Jess, and Alex talk about AI art generators, DALL·E 2, Midjourney, creativity and craft, the proliferation of beautiful things, and homogeneity. They don’t talk about Allen Iverson ... or practice. (Not a game! Practice!). 

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189! Cutie Corner! Hobbies, Part 1

Why did hobbies become hobbies again? 

This week, Cutie Corner returns with special guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper joining Jess to talk about reading, BookTok, Colleen Hoover, productive leisure, the affects of the pandemic, and quiet quitting. They don’t talk about Henry Bemis. 

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188! Network States

Would you join a country that started online first? 

This week, special guest Eric Ferrer-Vaughn joins Joey and Jess to talk about Web3, blockchain, Balaji Srinivasa, network states, Neom, and zero-knowledge proofs. They don’t talk about *NSYNC. 

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187! Saying Things Wrong

Why does it feel so right to say something so wrong? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about category mistakes, synesthesia, projective questioning, names, berries, and, apperantly, not-berries. They don’t talk about De La Soul. 

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186! Everyday and Existential Comfort Zones

What's so wrong with using pictures in menus? And how do you feel about exploring new ideas that break your concept of reality? [22:48] 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about the fabric of the universe, cookbooks and menus, painting a sensory picture, quantum consciousness, Spacetime, and butt donuts. They don’t talk about A$AP Rocky. 

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185! Methods of Explaining Things

What is a better way to explain methods of writing your point of view? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about Mrs. Henry's Ping Pong Method vs. Mrs. Henry's Oreo Cookie Method, the Shit Sandwich Method of delivering feedback, music theory, the Straw Man Argument vs. the Steel Man Argument, Schrödinger's cat, and memetics (again). They don’t talk about Diddy Riese Ice Cream Sandwiches. 

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184! Nihilism

Should we be using language like "optimism" or "pessimism," or is there a different way we could look at these challenges that allows for better outcomes? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about nihilism, venting, the time horizons of change, young converts, kidnapping, and genetic influences on optimism and pessimism. They don’t talk about Meursault, but he doesn't care at all. 

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