Nonsense with cj little and Jeff Parker

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:57) Open

(1:37) cj's week: Old Friend Lunch!

(2:28) Jeff's Week: Hands-Free & Iran

(5:52) Headline: Pill Power: Eli Lilly's New Drug Rivals Injectables for Weight Loss, Diabetes

(10:02) Headline: Not So Autonomous Yet: 10 Tesla Robotaxi Roll Out in Austin

(16:13) Headline: Beyond Misdials: How AI Could Expose Your Private Phone Number

(21:04) Headline: Sanctions? What Sanctions? Huawei's AI Chip Defies Expectations

(23:22) The Microtek ScanMaker IIHR

Pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly, has released new Phase 3 trial data for their oral medication showing comparable efficacy to injectable GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss and blood sugar reduction in diabetes patients.  Taking a pill once a day sure does sound better than a weekly injection! 💊 v. 🗓️💉

Tesla has started its Robotaxi service in Austin utilizing a small fleet (10!) of Model Ys within a geofenced area, with a safety monitor present in the passenger seat.  Pretty sure the Y stands for YOLO.  Rides will cost you at $4.20 before any medical bills that you may incur. 🩻 🏥

Meanwhile, Waymo has clocked their 10 millionth paying customer.  💸

And from our BIG SURPRISE file: AI agents are struggling with when “good enough” is acceptable, and when the answer needs to be “exactly right”.  Like with phone numbers, or dosing, or tariff rates; you know, the important stuff.

(0:00) Open

(2:30) People Keep The Strangest Things

(3:45) The Museums You Don’t Know About

(9:00) The OG Tupperware

(12:42) Knowledge & “Modern” Preservation

(19:50) Oddities: Airplanes, Wedding Cakes, & Einstein’s Brain Jerky

(23:10) The Catacombs

(25:01) cj’s recommendation: Acquired: The Complete History & Strategy of Rolex

(26:02) Jeff’s Recommendation: Moneyball (the talkie, not the book)

From ancient salts curing fish to the audacious freezing of human heads, our fight against decay is more than just beating the clock - it's about conquering forgetfulness. Humanity's relentless drive to preserve everything from fleeting moments to hard-won knowledge isn't just a mission; it's a defiant roar against the silence of oblivion.

In this episode we explore humanity’s battle with preservation over the millennia, and highlight a few of the more interesting (and concerning) bits along the way.

Every archived file, every digitized memory, every frozen hope isn't just about prolonging existence; it's about building a legacy. We're not just outwitting rot; we're trying to craft our own enduring form of immortality. Let’s check-in on how we are doing so far.

Rolex: The Complete History and Strategy

Watch Moneyball | Prime Video

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:20) Open

(2:02) cj's week: Hot, In-n-Out, & Oppression

(4:04) Jeff's Week: Shohei Pitching & Barkley’s QR Code

(8:07) Headline: Aging International Space Station Faces "Top-Level Risk" as Air Leak Accelerates

(12:26) Headline: Pirelli's Cyber Tire: Transforming Roads with Real-Time Data

(18:32) Headline: Errors and Exaggerations: Decoding the Trump Mobile T1 Phone

(25:29) Recommendation: Seville-XTurbo

We had a leak in the ISS; it has been there for half a decade.  But just like the leaky coolant system on your BMW, once you fix it in one place, the leak just moves somewhere else harder to access.  NASA and Roscosmos appear to be learning this lesson firsthand; it fills us with concern.

Back on Earth, some deranged Italian engineer decided to put sensors and a battery into tires - and it totally worked.  Why in the world would we want this?  Well, it turns out it could be pretty helpful.

And finally, throw away that iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 10 - they lack the luster of a true patriot’s phone.  Introducing the Trump T1, a phone who’s specs are not clear, appears to have a MADE IN THE USA label covering the one that says MADE IN CHINA, and carries many vintage phone features.  Making Phones Even Greater, one SIM at a time.

(0:00) Open

(1:19) Geothermal Energy Intro & Global Energy Footprint

(6:24) Geothermal Electricity Generation

(9:26) Down in The Deep

(15:08) Vaporizing Rock (!!!)

(17:12) Making Coal Plants Green

(24:35) cj’s recommendation: Rock Candy & WWDC 25

(29:15) Jeff’s Recommendation: Inside the Mind of a Dog

Geothermal energy is a triple threat - a sustainable source for heating, cooling, and generating electricity.  Up until recently, we thought geothermal could meet up to 15% of our global electricity demand growth by 2050, but we no longer believe that.

The maths now show the full technical potential of next-generation geothermal systems are sufficient to generate enough electricity to meet global demand 140-times over.  That’ll power a lot of AI!

The biggest breakthrough?  Digging deeper.  Geothermal energy potential increases when we access the higher heat resources at greater depths. With the introduction of new “drilling” technologies, we are able to access resources at deeper depths (beyond 3km), opening the potential of geothermal power production to nearly every country in the world.

And all it takes is using a laser to vaporize rock.  No, seriously - we are melting rocks.  The future is bright!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:14) Open

(2:04) National Iced Tea Day

(2:54) cj's week: Summer is Lit!

(6:03) Jeff's Week: LA is Lit!

(9:58) Headline: Ukrainian drones hit Russian electronic warfare facility

(15:38) Headline: Unpacking Apple's AI and OS Overhaul at WWDC

(24:45) Headline: Charge Your EV in Five Minutes!  BYD’s Megawatt Monster

(28:01) MAS Computing Systems

Ukrainian drones are far from done - still attacking key targets deep inside Russian territory, causing explosions and fires.  And to help avoid the electronic countermeasures and jamming, more and more Ukrainian drones are flying “by wire” using fiber-optic cable instead of grandpa’s radio waves.

It’s WWDC!  Apple adopts a next-year-based naming scheme for its OS versions while providing some with serious Vista-vibes with their new Liquid Glass design.

Finally, BYD goes whole-hog on charging with their “Megawatt Charging” system that delivers a blistering 1,000 kW in just five minutes at 1 kV.  Not even Iron Man is comfortable handling that much power with his hands.

(0:00) Open: Graduating High School @ KSMF

(2:47) Funding: A Strong, Positive Correlation

(8:21) Private vs. Independent Schools

(12:01) Independent & Charter School Origins

(18:45) The Thousand Person Desereted Island

(22:30) cj’s recommendation: School Games

(24:40) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Four Seasons

The notion that school funding has no bearing on student performance is a pervasive, yet deeply flawed, talking point. Decades of robust research consistently demonstrate a strong, positive correlation: adequate and equitably distributed funding leads to better student outcomes.

Studies show that spending more per student is linked to improved test scores, higher graduation rates, and even increased lifetime earnings for students, especially those from low-income backgrounds. These investments enable smaller class sizes, competitive teacher salaries to attract and retain talent, improved facilities, and crucial support services.

Assertions to the contrary often serve a specific agenda: undermining public education to pave the way for school voucher programs or to erode public trust in democratically governed school boards. Such claims ignore the complex realities of educational improvement, which directly benefit from well-resourced schools. Simply put, money matters in education, and denying this fact is a disservice to students and communities.

This is not like deferred maintenance in your home, where down the road you can simply write a check and catch back up.  Educational opportunities squandered mostly can never be recaptured.  Join us this episode for a look at the unseen costs of public school decline.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:43) Open

(1:27) Pride Month!

(2:18) cj's week: Banana Ball!

(5:01) Jeff's Week: Dr. James Robert “Bobba” Parker, 90.

(6:21) Headline: Operation Spiderweb: Drones Hammer Russian Airbases

(10:20) Headline: Mars or Bust: Why Starship Keeps Blowing Up

(16:11) Headline: Trade Chaos Mounts as Court Blocks Trump Tariffs

(20:38) Headline: Broadband Giants Push Trump to Kill Low-Cost Plans

(24:24) ​​Mirart Saver II

18-months in the making, a hundred low-cost, AI-fueled, FPV drones launched remotely from wooden, shack-looking crates on Russian soil wreak havoc on over $7B worth of Russian aircraft.  It’s another bad day to be oppressors.

SpaceX’s Starships go up, and go boom.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

And tariffs might be off.  Or they might be back, but worse now.  Or they might be off.  🤷

Finally, ISPs are complaining again, but this time about providing discounted services to some of the poorest among us.  What a time to be alive!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:58) Open

(1:57) Bee Week: Scripps Spelling Bee

(2:41) cj's week: Viruses & Sonic Booms

(5:14) Jeff's Week: Terrible Booms

(6:39) Jeff’s Week Part 2: Chocolate Cake

(8:08) Headline: From Prevention to Peril: CDC's Lead Program Has Been Dismantled

(11:24) Headline: Paying Top Dollar for Disaster: In Its Transition to Digital, the College Board Is Getting Failing Grades

(16:42) Headline: Bar Exam Blunders: California’s Legal Test Continues to Discover Mis-Scores

(22:40) Micro Systems Tandy Hard Cards

You’d think that lead - responding to it, remediating it, and generally keeping people safe from it - would be an issue we can all agree on helping stamp out.

Nope.

If your house or school was built before the late 70’s, and you or your community haven’t had the privilege of having it completely remediated previously, you are likely at more risk now than ever before.

And while we all expected bumps in the road during the online digitalization of everything in the early aughts, you’d think most organizations would have either figured it out by now or gone extinct.  Turns out that’s not the case as both the College Board and California Bar Association struggle with bringing efficient, accurate testing into the digital-era.  In 2025.  No, this is not an AI hallucination.

Oh yeah, and one of us missed the sonic boom over the weekend.  Again!

(0:00) Open

(2:45) When Good Memories Go Bad: The Distorting Power of Nostalgia

(4:44) The Allure and Deception of Nostalgia

(9:33) How Nostalgia Works

(15:31) The Consequences and Implications of Distorted Nostalgic Memories

(19:50) How to Navigate Nostalgia with Awareness

(30:34) cj’s recommendation: The Handshake From Game 6 of the Dallas-Winnipeg Series

(34:06) Jeff’s Recommendation: Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas

Memory is a tricky, fuzzy thing; your recollection of past experiences may be funny, clever, and enchanting, but if viewed again now, it may instead feel infuriating, obvious, and obscure. 

The word nostalgia is a compound word derived from Greek, meaning "homecoming" and "pain."  The modern view is that nostalgia is an independent, and even positive, emotion that many people experience often. Nostalgia has been found to have important psychological functions, such as to improve mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, and provide existential meaning.

In this episode the guys discuss the allure and deception of nostalgia, how nostalgia works, the consequences and implications of distorted nostalgic memories, and finally how to navigate nostalgia with awareness.

Fortunately, only half of the hosts of this show derive pain from their memories.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:53) Open

(1:30) National Rescue Dog Day

(2:08) cj's week: My Wife Can’t Stand Nonsense

(3:33) Jeff's Week: 

(4:45) Headline: Programmers bore the brunt of Microsoft's layoffs as AI writes up to 30% of its code

(9:51) Headline: Laser-powered fusion experiment more than doubles its power output

(14:12) Headline: Google is about to unleash Gemini Nano's power for third-party Android apps

(17:22) Headline: RFK Jr’s plan to ban fluoride supplements will “hurt rural America,” dentists say

(26:15) Headline: AI Darth Vader goes rogue with profanity & slurs

(28:12) Quantex Multimedia Systems

Guess which role was hit hardest in Microsoft’s recent layoffs?  The answer might surprise you if you didn’t already know that AI writes up to 30% of their code these days.

Did you know that turning diamond-encrusted, gold-encased fuel into plasma might be the secret to generating a whole pile of energy?  Well, a laser-powered fusion experiment is doing just that - more than doubling its previous power output.

And a local, personal AI continues to inch closer for Android users as Google gives app developers access to Gemini Nano via an on-device AI API.  What should we build with it first?

(0:00) Open

(0:37) The Lure of the Lie: Exploring Our Susceptibility to Falsehoods

(2:53) Quantifying Bullshit: Pseudo-Profound Bullshit

(6:28) Why Do People Still Believe in Falsehoods?

(29:55) Fighting The Untruth

(34:24) cj’s recommendation: ChatGPT Likes Me!

(35:40) Jeff’s Recommendation: Poker Face

Why do humans, with our big fancy brains, keep falling for obvious falsehoods? The short answer is because it’s comforting, convenient, and often way more fun than the truth.

Thinking critically is hard. Believing something that feels good or already fits your worldview is easy. Brains are efficiency machines - and unless you tell them otherwise, they’ll take the shortcut every time.

Plus, we are social creatures who desperately want to belong. If your group believes the moon landing was faked or that lizard people run the government, you’re more likely to nod along than risk exile from the brunch circle; especially if they sound confident, even if they’re making most of it up.   

This episode the guys dig into what is so alluring about the lie by exploring our susceptibility to falsehoods.  We all like stories, especially the ones that go down smoother than the bitter pill of reality, but as it turns out, facts, no matter how uncomfortable, are still the facts.

Would you rather hear “you need a balanced diet, regular exercise, and sleep” or “this one weird trick will melt belly fat in 3 days”? Exactly.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:58) Open

(1:47) cj's week: Smokin’ Beef!

(2:43) Jeff's Week: Dodgers & Ecobees!

(3:19) Headline: Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

(8:50) Headline: California overtakes Japan as fourth largest global economy

(11:34) Headline: Mexico is suing Google over how it’s labeling the Gulf of Mexico

(15:49) Headline: Soviet Spacecraft Crash Lands on Earth After a Journey of Half a Century 

(20:11) Recommendation: The JFD Universal Print Buffer

Europe has been successfully luring Americans away for years - but now they are targeting an especially important, and recently shunned group that we probably don’t want to lose.  Will their plan work?

In brighter news, California finally overtakes Japan - the Golden State taking aim at Germany now.  How long can Germany hold their position?

And why is Mexico suing Google?  No, it’s not for the Google Doodle from May 5th, but good guess!

And finally: what weighs over a thousand pounds, has been traveling since the early ‘70s, and recently took a dip in the Indian Ocean? 

When the cost of importing goods goes up significantly with little notice, manufacturing orders get paused.  Without orders to ship to the customers that normally make the orders, shippers reduce the number of boats that sail.  When fewer boats sail, less stuff gets imported.  When less stuff gets imported, there’s less stuff to buy at the stores.

We are currently in “Chapter 3: The Sinking of the Supply Chain” of this story on tariffs.  We are going to see work pauses, layoffs, stockpiles of empty containers, less products to buy, less items on sale, and more of our own exports piling up in short order.  For how long?  Good question.

This is not the Spring 2025 that any of us ordered, but it is the one that shipped - and there is a strict no return policy.  This episode the guys dip their toes into the pool of what we currently know is coming in the next couple of weeks for our supply chain among the chaos.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:11) Open

(1:58) National Supply Chain Day

(4:55) cj's week: Nintendo Switch

(6:03) Jeff's Week: Aliexpress Purchasing Party End

(8:00) Headline: The Trade War's Wave of Retail Shortages Will Hit U.S. Consumers in Stages

(11:59) Headline: Chinese freight ship traffic to busiest U.S. ports sees steep drop

(13:36) Headline: Some Amazon sellers are pulling out of Prime Day amid Trump tariffs

(16:49) Headline: Apple Could Move All US iPhone Assembly to India in 2026

(21:44) Headline: Google Ending Support for Early Gen Nest Learning Thermostats

(27:22) WordPro 3 Plus/64

Happy Tuesday!  We are starting this week out with the ever increasing snowball we like to call The Tarrif Woes.  You get to look forward to cancelled orders, short supply, increased prices, and less items on sale this summer.  Yay, us!

The number of cargo ships scheduled to arrive from China next month is far less than last month and the same time last year.  So that can’t be winning.

Some of the largest US companies are moving manufacturing to other foreign countries that don’t start with C and end with Gina.  Still not winning.

And to add insult to injury, you might lose cloud access to your Nest Thermostat.

Happy days are here again, everyone!

Getting the Internet from space - it’s a thing.  But how does Starlink get fast internet access streamed to the ground?  And are they the only ones?

Well, in this episode the guys chat about satellite internet constellations - who needs them, how they work, who is operating them, and what the benefits and drawbacks are.  As a people, we are on track to more than triple the number of satellites zipping around the earth in just the next couple of years, most of them for the sole purpose of bringing high-speed internet access to rural and otherwise internet-barren areas.

It’s fascinating tech, and while this episode is far from a deep dive, there are plenty of details that we bet you don’t already know!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:33) Open

(1:02) Earth Day

(1:53) cj's week: Here Comes The Sun!

(2:18) Jeff's Week: Filling The Papal Vacancy

(2:50) Headline: A lot of Logitech products cost more now than two months ago

(7:24) Headline: Trump’s tariffs trigger price hikes at large online retailers

(13:30) Headline: Is the GSA using a backdoor to siphon off government data?

(17:00) Headline: Meta is ramping up its AI-driven age detection

(23:53) Headline: Sam Altman Admits That Saying "Please" and "Thank You" to ChatGPT Is Wasting Millions of Dollars in Computing Power

(27:17) Headline: China pits humanoid robots against humans in half-marathon

(30:23) Close

(30:54) Recommendation: The flickerFixer

Fortunately, our accelerated Amazon and Aliexpress purchasing was not in vain - price creep has begun!  All sorts of products are seeing 10-25% increases as tariff costs get passed on to the consumer - even Shein and Temu are passing the buck back to you.  

And why is there a Starlink antenna on the roof of the GSA in Washington DC?  

Like any episode of Nonsense, AI highlights, including: animated art, the cost of saying please & thank you to your LLM, age detection, and humanoid robots running half-marathons.  

Everything is fine.  It’s fine.

Retail has come a long way from the days of trading bits of precious metals for chickens and grain.  In this episode, the boys discuss how technology has propelled retail shopping forward over the past century-plus.

The printing press, physical mail delivery, cable television, the internet, and now search terms and product viewing stats have all worked to transform how consumers discover, assess, and consume products over the years: Sears, Service Merchandise, K-Mart, QVC, The Home Shopping Network, Amazon, Etsy, Ebay, Aliexpress, Shein, and Temu have all provided novel experiences in their time.

Even more interesting, before many of these services found dominance there was a diverse landscape of options; very few people, if any, ultimately knew who the winners would be.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:04) Open

(1:35) Tax Day

(1:41) cj's week: Earthquakes & Dodgers History

(3:30) Jeff's Week: Pre-Tariff Ordering

(6:08) Headline: Actually, Semiconductors Still Face a 'Special' Type of Tariff

(15:34) Headline: Nvidia says it will build AI supercomputers in America for the first time ever

(18:20) Headline: China Halts Critical Rare Earth Exports as Trade War Intensifies

(21:26) Close

(22:08) Recommendation: GeePS.com

So very much news this week.

Good news: semiconductors aren’t going to be tarrifed!  There was much rejoicing!

Bad news: Psych!  They just moved to a “different tarrif bucket”. Great.

Good news: Nvidia is going to build supercomputers in America, we think?

Bad news: the US can’t get magnets anymore without an “export license”.

So in the end, #winning?

And later this week, our big story: how the way we buy and consume things has evolved.

(0:00) Open

(1:38) The Flu

(4:12) Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Bird Flu

(12:36) Case Fatality Rates

(16:55) Mammal-to-Mammal Transmission

(19:54) Is H5N1 the Next Pandemic?

(23:39) How Can You Protect Yourself?

(27:59) What’s the Impact?

(32:48) Egg Prices

(41:42) cj’s recommendation: 8-Piece Buckets from KSC!

(43:24) Jeff’s Recommendation: Black Bag

Over the past two decades bird flu has effectively killed over half a billion birds, and seems to be getting worse.  In this episode of the Nonsense Big Story, we provide some color on why avian influenza should be a real concern to everyone.

How do the chickens even get the flu?  Why are farms killing entire flocks at the first hint of a chicken developing bird flu?  And why is not killing the entire flock a terrible idea?

Ok, so it’s just chickens.  What about other animals?  Have any humans even gotten the bird flu, let alone died from it?  What’s the big deal?

And why the hell are eggs so eggspensive?

We’ll try to answer these questions, and probably throw in a Penthouse joke somewhere along the way.  Let’s go!

Segment

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:12) Open

(1:38) cj's week: Back on Land, Water Parks, KSC!

(3:26) Jeff's Week: Buying All The Amazon, I Love Big Bats

(5:36) Headline: EU may “make an example of X” by issuing $1 billion fine to Musk’s social network

(10:33) Headline: Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought

(17:39) Headline: We just declared a trade war with the world

(29:45) Recommendation: DayStar's Fast Cache llci

Oh you are lucky.  For the first time ever you are getting two doses of Nonsense this week.

First up, the headlines that help keep you current with the tech, business, and (sometimes) entertainment worlds.  This week: the EU might “make an example of X” by issuing up to a $1 billion fine to Musk, Starliner’s wild ride to the space station, and of course the trade war that we just declared on, well, everyone.

We’ll be back later in the week with the story of eggs: where do they come from and why are they so damn expensive?

(0:19) DiskWorld!

(4:15) Barney’s Beanery

(13:35) Early Smoking Bans Staring The Catholic Church

(20:00) First Call For National U.S. Flight Smoking Ban

(24:57) Why Airplanes Still Have Lavatory Ashtrays

(27:32) Smoking in The 51st State

(32:47) Free In-Flight Smokes!

(36:16) cj’s week: Canada’s Elbows Up, Never 51!

(37:52) Jeff’s week: Dodgers in Japan!

In this episode, our first-ever dedicated big story episode of Nonsense, we wanted to explore one of the many ways that science has helped us all live better, and longer lives.  And what better place to start when it comes to increasing life expectancy than with smoking bans?!

As a Nonsense listener, you likely already know that cigarettes are super effective, John Wick level assassins.  But even we were shocked to learn that cigarettes kill more people annually than AIDS, heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire, and murder combined.  

But did the 90s smoking bans actually clear the air?

We're not just rehashing history; we're examining the data. Did public health improve? What were the unintended consequences? From barroom brawls to shifting social norms, what was the real impact? We'll unpack the arguments, the science, and the surprising twists in this smoky debate.

Did you know that when cigarettes were finally banned on flights in the U.S., one very special group of people were excluded from the ban for years?  You might be surprised to learn just who that was and why!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:01) Open

(1:20) Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day

(2:55) cj's week: IoT Bonanza!

(4:38) Jeff's Week: Japan!

(8:14) Headline: 23andMe is filing for bankruptcy

(11:38) Headline: Trump's War-Planning Signal Group Accidentally Added a Journalist

(12:57) Headline: Boston Dynamics and Nvidia Each Show New Humanoid Robots

(15:48) Headline: Apple Struggling with AI

(19:43) Headline: You Can Now Show Google’s Gemini AI Things with Your Phone Camera 

(23:40) Headline: Nearly Every CyberTruck is Being Recalled

(29:01) Headline: It’s Amazon Spring Sales Time

Spit in a tube, it will be easy they said.  They’ll send you a pretty report with lots of colorful infographics that will finally confirm your funny-smelling pee is, in fact, from that asparagus you just ate.  Amazing.

But here’s the thing: as an American, even your DNA is assured less protection than the materials tag on your mattress.  Well, now your DNA is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in bankruptcy court for the new owners to do with as they please. U-S-A! U-S-A!

As all our listeners know, we at Nonsense are huge proponents of Signal, singing its virtues and plugging it as often as possible. While we are glad that folks in the Trump administration listen to Nonsense, we believe they may have misinterpreted our zeal for Signal to apply to matters of ad hoc, non-compliant National Security planning. We promise you, that this was not our intent!

After all, what war planning session would be complete without the requisite “carrier message and data rates may apply” disclaimer upon joining?!

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:47) Open

(2:44) National Science and Engineering Week

(3:42) cj's week: The Great Train Show

(5:13) Jeff's Week: The Curse of Pool Automation

(6:39) Headline: Despite everything, US EV sales are up 28% this year

(8:03) Headline: Music labels will regret coming for the Internet Archive

(31:50) Headline: What’s behind the recent string of failures and delays at SpaceX?

(40:48) Headline: VW is testing its robotaxis in snowy, icy Norway

(46:33) The End!

Spring break is upon us, dear listeners.  We did our best to release another polished, high-quality episode of Nonsense that you’ve come to love every Thursday morning.  Instead, you’re getting something brand new - an episode of “Nonsense Unplugged.”  This is possibly the first ever “acoustic podcast”; no music, no recommendations, no ads - just cj & Jeff chatting about a couple of news articles.

It’s different and familiar, both at the same time; mildly concerning, calming, and hair-raising.  You’re going to love it - and either way, let us know what you think about making “Nonsense Unplugged” a thing of the future.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:44) Open

(0:56) Slam the Scam Day

(1:49) The Oscar’s: Conan, Culkin, Hulu & More

(6:15) Headline: Trump Calls for End to $52 Billion Chips Act Subsidy Program

(9:20) Recommendation: The For Truemouse

(10:05) The Sinking of The Clipper Chip

(41:47) cj’s recommendation: NOVA

(43:33) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Dog’s Were Good Again This Week

We here at Nonsense certainly choose to remember many aspects of the 90’s fondly: the wall falls, compact discs, grunge, and even the Playstation and Xbox consoles.  But one thing that we hope everyone can (still?) agree on is just how momentously bad of an idea it is to mandate insecurity under the guise of requiring government access to all data and communications.  We tried it in the mid-90s and it lasted all of a nanosecond.

We’re talking about the Clipper Chip of course, a chipset developed and promoted by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) as an encryption device that secured "voice and data messages" with a built-in backdoor that was intended to "allow Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials the ability to decode intercepted voice and data transmissions." Introduced in 1993, it was entirely defunct by 1996.  And good riddance.

Ahead of that, the guys chat briefly about the Oscars (yay!) and the call for the end of the CHIPS & Science Act (boo!).  After all, no episode can be all rainbows and unicorns.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:43) Open

(1:57) International Polar Bear Day

(2:54) cj's week: Name Things Not Older Than Grandpa

(5:33) Jeff's Week: The Pink Dot of My Parts

(7:57) Headline: Apple has ceased offering Advanced Data Protection in the UK

(11:14) Recommendation: The Nokia 9290 Communicator

(12:48) Segment: Planes That Will Never Go Boom

(42:45) cj’s recommendation: White Boy Privilege by Royce Mann

(43:47) Jeff’s Recommendation: Bad Monkey

Since we last chatted about supersonic travel in our first season there has been substantial progress made towards accessible, supersonic commercial travel becoming a reality for us all.  In this episode, the guys discuss the recent accomplishments of NASA’s X-59 QueSST and Boom Supersonic’s “Baby Boom” - namely how they are making supersonic travel a quieter proposition.

But before we dive into supersonic booms, it turns out the UK really wants access to everyone’s digital everything - not just the Brits data.  Fortunately, Apple is (trying to) do something about it.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:52) Open

(1:11) National Break Up with Your Carrier Day

(1:45) cj's week: Trusted Travelers & DNS Compilation

(3:03) Jeff's Week: Rain & Hard Rain

(4:00) Headline: Google will use machine learning to estimate a user’s age

(9:28) Recommendation: ONYX HiRez VGA Monitor

(10:25) Segment: 2025’s Tech Predictions - Part II

(14:21) Prediction: AI Into AI Feedback Loop Increases

(19:35) Prediction: AI Hearing Aids

(25:40) Prediction: Productivity Augmentation Through Personalization

(31:40) Prediction: Portable Power Stations

(36:43) Prediction: Increase in Tech Supporting Disaster Preparedness & Response

(39:22) cj’s recommendation: Walter Matthau on Johnny Carson

(43:05) Jeff’s Recommendation:Nobody Wants This, season one

Our first Nonsense Tech Predictions episode was received so positively with such encouragement from our listeners that we thought we’d round out our remaining 2025 predictions that we didn’t have time for.

Of course, there’s more AI (both as feedback and in-ear), custom productivity improvements, batteries, and helping when disasters strike.

Buried somewhere in this episode, astute listeners will find: DNS server compilation, a Carson clip, mad-libs, estimating your age, a listener voicemail, and a national day to finally break up.  Good luck!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:39) Open

(1:00) Pay a Compliment Day

(1:20) cj's week: Plywood & Paint

(2:50) Jeff's Week: Happy Rain, Dad’s Dip, Superbowl

(4:53) Headline: Workers at NASA Told to ‘Drop Everything’ to Scrub Mentions of Indigenous People & Women from Its Websites

(6:17) Headline: Tesla sales plummet in the UK, France, and Germany

(7:55) Headline: DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to a Records System Not Subject to FOIA

(10:25) Segment: 2025’s Tech Predictions

(12:08) Prediction: Commercially Available Rollup LCD Screens

(15:42) Prediction: AI in The Workforce Becomes Standard

(18:32) Prediction: AI Regulation

(22:51) Prediction: Increased Focus on Tech-Enabled Human Interactions

(25:23) Prediction: Holographic Displays for Commercial Use

(29:59) Prediction: News & Information Communication Tipping Point

(34:17) Prediction: Wearable Eye Glasses Powered From Your Phone

(37:11) Prediction: An Increased Split Between RTW and Remote Employees

(40:06) Prediction: Satellite Internet Services Will Become More Prevalent

(41:27) cj’s recommendation: SNL’s Christmas Joke Swap

(43:25) Jeff’s Recommendation: FireAid

Like so many others, we here at Nonsense have decided to compartmentalize January, and instead, start 2025 with February!  So what better way to kick off our new-new-year than with some tech and business predictions for what we believe is likely over the next twelve-minus-one months?

There’s some AI (of course!), a sprinkling of regulations to come, screen rollups, probably something about holograms & wearables, and something-something about satelites.  They may not all be locks, but we can’t miss on all of them though, can we?!

But before we tell you the future, we wanted to discuss the present.  This episode we’ve got website scrubbing, Tesla sales plummeting, and DOGE employees working under the cover of digital darkness.  Mr. Toad would be proud of the ride.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:53) Open

(1:06) National Escape Day 

(1:19) cj's week: Cameras, Cables, & AI

(2:45) Jeff's Week: Oh, Mary, Eureka Day, & Concert for America

(3:32) Headline: Why everyone is freaking out about DeepSeek

(12:16) Protectionism: Tariffs, Quotas and Subsidies

(41:35) cj’s recommendation: The Vergecast - How The Future of Sports Streaming Died

(43:35) Jeff’s Recommendation: A Real Pain

You’ve likely heard talk recently of tariffs and protectionism to support the United States, its industries, and jobs.  On the surface, who wouldn’t want some help and support for their job or company?  But dig just a little deeper and, unless you’re an economist, the whole picture will probably surprise you.

While tariffs may be effective at achieving their stated targets, at what cost does that success come?  And who pays for it?  Perhaps you’ll generate some jobs, but who is paying for those jobs?  And what does it cost them?  Farmers certainly don’t want the price of their grain to decrease, but if it’s held artificially high, can everyone still eat?  In this episode, the guys discuss some examples of both net-negative and net-positive forms of protectionism, including tariffs.

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:47) Open

(1:01) National Fig Newton Day

(2:32) cj's week: Fire Dodging & Evacuation

(3:50) Jeff's Week: Watch Duty & Wind Forecasting

(6:35) Headline: TikTok reportedly plans ‘immediate’ Sunday shutdown in the US

(8:48) Headline: Meta says it will end fact checking as Silicon Valley prepares for Trump

(10:37) Recommendation: Artisoft’s LANtastic

(11:30) The Fires of Los Angeles

(46:23) cj’s recommendation: Air Traffic, LAFD Staff Briefings

(48:12) Jeff’s Recommendation: Pasadena Humane Society

We were not sure we’d be able to deliver the second episode of the season on time - since the last episode, the fires in our home in Los Angeles have gotten worse, and in some places, less predictable.  Fortunately, by the time we recorded this episode, most everything that was already burning was under control, with containment firmly in sight.  We are not out of the woods yet but hope we will arrive there shortly.

Leading up to this episode the guys have been glued to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s radio broadcasts, air traffic monitoring of firefighting aircraft, and the constant refreshing of the winds and their expected patterns - truly your hosts have been unable to focus on anything else.

So the guys felt it would be best to share all the knowledge and learnings they’ve amassed over the past couple of weeks of unexpectedness.  Since Nonsense is still (kind of!) a technology show, we’ll focus this episode on some of the more impressive technology that has significantly helped fight these types of wildfires.

We truly hope we can focus on something other than fire for our next episode. With some luck, we will also not have to manage evacuation orders and terrible air quality!

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(00:40) Open

(1:25) National Word Nerd Day

(2:41) cj's week: Family Time & The A-Flu

(3:33) Jeff's Week: Triple Booked

(4:00) Headline: Los Angeles is Burning

(25:25) Surprising Things About Aging

(50:30) cj’s recommendation: Go Lions!

(53:48) Jeff’s Recommendation: Shrinking Season 2

And just like that, we are back to launch the first episode of Season 3 with a very unexpected topic: The 2025 Fires of Los Angeles.  Here we are, barely a week into the new year, and we already have two of the largest, most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.

In this episode, and in honor of cj’s birthday, the guys still cover their intended topic - surprising things you may not know about aging.  But before getting into that, they felt it would only be appropriate to discuss some specifics of the fires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area in the past few days, covering some aspects that you likely aren’t hearing from other outlets.

It’s not everything we planned to discuss in our first episode of the new season, but we are delighted to be back with you for the start of another year.

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:32) Open

(1:49) National Oatmeal Muffin Day

(2:30) cj's week: Die Hard!

(3:55) Jeff's Week: Changes Afoot.

(4:25) Headline: The New Jersey drone hysteria exposes one salient truth

(7:09) Headline: Intel has a win!

(7:58) Headline: Supreme Court will hear TikTok ban arguments in January

(8:51) Headline: Lost Luggage? Share Your AirTag Location With These Airlines

(10:44) Nonsense Season(s) Wrapped

(11:16) Update: Ineffective Drugs: Nasal Decongestants (S02E15 - Apr 2024)

(15:48) Update: Robotaxi Deployments (S02E14 - Apr 2024)

(22:22) Update: Olive Oil Update (S01E50 - Dec 2023)

(25:30) Update: How Technology Is Changing Sports Update (S01E39 - Sept 2023)

(30:50) Update: AI / AGI Update (Every Other Episode)

(40:55) cj’s recommendation: Robotaxi Depot Shenanigans

(43:40) Jeff’s Recommendation: Remember the Night

The end of the year brings with it the close of another season of Nonsense!  We are over the moon to have delivered 35 hours of the Nonsense you’ve come to enjoy across 44 episodes this season.  Because of you dear listener, our audience grew substantially, thank you for telling your friends!

For our last episode before the holiday break, and after a quick news update, we revisited some of the most popular episodes from the year to bring you current.  Where else can you tune in for ineffective drugs, robotaxi deployments, olive oil, sport tech, and artificial intelligence all in the same 45 minutes?!

That’s right, nowhere else.

Thank you for supporting our take on technology, business, and entertainment for another year.  We are looking forward to bringing you even more Nonsense in 2025 - hopefully in color!

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:41) Open

(0:54) Universal Health Coverage Day 

(1:45) cj's week: A Technology Bonanza!

(7:11) Jeff's Week: Colon Cancer Surgery

(9:12) Headline: Google launched Gemini 2.0, its new AI model for practically everything

(11:36) Recommendation: ARC Skyscraper 486/C 

(12:37) Segment: Missed Headlines

(13:31) Missed Headline: AWS details Project Rainier AI compute cluster

(18:22) Missed Headline: Cruise’s robotaxi service will likely shut down as GM pulls its funding

(25:25) Missed Headline: Amazon’s online car ‘dealership’ with Hyundai is now live

(28:24) Missed Headline: USDA mandates federal bird flu testing in milk

(33:59) Missed Headline: They taught rats to drive a car, and it may help us lead happier lives

(38:00) cj’s recommendation: Yann LeCun’s Convolutional Network Demo from 1989

(41:32) Jeff’s Recommendation: Conclave

Throughout our time producing Nonsense, we have learned and been reminded of many things.  Most notable is that both hosts of this show talk, a lot!  Usually over each other, but we’ll save that for another day.

As a result of said talking, we don’t get to cover nearly as many headlines as we would like to every episode.  So this time we are covering only news to try and catch you up on what we’ve all been missing of late.

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:29) Open

(1:42) National Communicate with Your Kids Day

(3:37) cj's week: Black Friday Recovery Aftermath

(5:18) Jeff's Week: Colon-scopey, Hackery, & Hoosiery

(9:10) Headline: Intel approaches candidates for CEO role

(10:23) Recommendation: TWINCOM 24/96

(11:48) Segment: Black Friday

(40:29) cj’s recommendation: A Charlie Brown Christmas

(42:38) Jeff’s Recommendation: Wicked

In this episode, we explore the (relatively) modern concept of a Black Friday.  No, not the Black Friday that crashed the gold market, and no, not the one that caused traffic congestion in Philadelphia 75 years ago.  As you guessed, it’s the Black Friday that you’ve come to associate with tramplings at Walmart, cheap flat-screen TVs, and Furbies.  How did it start, where did it come from, and how’s it doin’?  

But first, Intel kicks off its new CEO search in a (feeble?) attempt to right the ship.  It’s almost time to add your Bunny Men to your collection of pets.com mascots and “Be Kind, Please Rewind” stickers.  :-(

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:50) Open

(1:02) The National Dog Show Broadcast Day

(2:31) cj's week: To Turkey or Not to Turkey

(5:42) Jeff's Week: Real Thanks

(6:50) Headline: Florida's surgeon general advises against adding fluoride to drinking water

(9:19) Headline: Russian ship docks to space station, astronauts report a foul smell

(10:23) Recommendation: CCS Time EPROMs

(11:18) Segment: Technological Advances in Cooking

(42:15) cj’s recommendation: The Dor Brothers AI-Generated Videos

(43:45) Jeff’s Recommendation: Seth Meyer’s Dad Man Walking

It is only fitting to talk about food on an episode dropping on Thanksgiving!  So this time the guys dig into some of the technological advances that have pushed the art of cooking forward.  From instant-read thermometers to maintain food safety, to a more durable approach on ceramic cookers from millennia ago, there’s all sorts of delicious, edible tech this time.

But before that, we’ve got a quick discussion around Florida’s new One Cavity Per Child plan followed by some good ol’ finger-pulling on the ISS.  It’s a weird world.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:58) Open

(1:30) Use Less Stuff Day

(3:15) cj's week: DRW Lose, Markus Wins!

(5:25) Jeff's Week: Dalton Knecht

(7:09) Headline: Netflix served the Tyson vs. Paul fight to 60 million households

(7:55) Headline: NFL fans worry Netflix’s bad Tyson vs. Paul stream means it can’t handle football - The Verge

(11:24) The Internet Giveth and Taketh Away

(40:28) cj’s recommendation: Send to YouTube

(42:45) Jeff’s Recommendation: Indiana Football

Some Nonsense listeners may be surprised to learn that humanity survived quite a while without the use, nor even the existence of, the Interwebs.

Just kidding!  The average Nonsense listener remembers their fingers getting pinched by rotary phones vividly, so the internet might as well be considered brand-spankin’ new!

This episode the guys talk a bit about the evolution of the Internet - how it started, how they _thought_ it started, and how it’s going.  You’re going to love it, we promise.  You might even laugh.  You’ll probably snicker.  You shouldn't cry.

No promises.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:00) Open

(1:30) Men Make Dinner Day

(2:55) Our Week: Hello Darkness Our Old Friend…

(10:40) Segment: Missed Headlines

(11:10) Missed Headline: Google's 'Big Sleep' AI Project Uncovers Real Software Vulnerabilities

(17:53) Missed Headline: TSMC suspended shipments to China firm after chip found on Huawei processor

(25:18) Missed Headline: GM is ditching Apple CarPlay

(35:50) Missed Headline: Semaglutide Effective at Treating Arthritis

(39:40) Missed Headline: Threads now has 275M monthly active users

(41:52) cj’s recommendation: Lee Greenwood: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

(43:32) Jeff’s Recommendation: Will & Harper

Nonsense is off to a slow start this November, but there are a few stories we have missed in the past month that we still want to share with y’all. So this episode, after a brief bit of mourning, we wax on about Google’s Naptime, TSMC fixing the leak, GM ditching the one thing that’s working for them, and two more surprising wins for Ozempic et al. All served with the numerous Nonsense tangents that you’ve come to love and expect from this show. Enjoy!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:34) Open

(1:47) National Doorbell Day

(2:15) cj's week: Parent-Teacher Conference

(3:11) Jeff's Week: Dodgers & Doorbells

(3:43) Headline: Ban on Chinese tech so broad, US-made cars would be blocked, Polestar says

(10:08) Headline: Russian Court Wants Google to Cough Up $2x10^34

(11:25) Advanced Technology: Artificial Light

(39:28) cj’s recommendation: SMB3 100% Speed Runs

(42:51) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Donut King

Every technological advancement stands on the shoulders of the tech that came before it.  Certainly, today’s AI would not exist if not for the boom in computing over the past half-century.  

Of course, before computing could exist, electricity needed standardized generation and ubiquitous delivery mechanisms.  Surely the flowing of electrons must be one of the earliest technological marvels, taken for granted, that enabled today’s AI.

But in this episode, the guys look at an even earlier technology that we rarely, if ever, give thought to - artificial light.  Relatively speaking we have spent a very brief portion of our existence as a species utilizing light from non-solar sources.  When we realized the sheer volume of technological development completed under the glow of artificial light, we knew we had to talk about it.

But before we explore sesame oil lamps and delicious tallow candles, what would Nonsense be without some banned Chinese technology drama, and more Google fines (this time with extra zeros!)

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:54) Open

(1:18) United Nations Day

(2:35) cj's week: Old, Dying Tech

(5:05) Jeff's Week: Dodgers, WNBA, & Lakers

(8:18) Headline: The Juul class action lawsuit is paying people huge amounts of money

(9:18) Headline: US Moves to Block Large Transfers of US Data to China, Russia, and Iran

(10:58) Missed Headline: U.S. reportedly probes TSMC for alleged work with Huawei 

(33:34) Missed Headline: U.S. lawmakers put pressure on Japan to increase Chinese chip restraints

(40:48) cj’s recommendation: Dodgers (w)in the NLCS!

(44:03) Jeff’s Recommendation: My Old School

Some people do things that make us go “wow, that doesn’t make sense; why in the world would they do that?”  As it turns out, the answer can usually be summed up simply as “because money.”

While there is a seemingly infinite set of examples where this “phenomon” occurrs, we only have time for a couple in this episode.

Looking to sell intimate data on U.S. citizens that could easily lead to spying, blackmail, and other abuses?  Why not, because money!

Is Taiwan selling advanced chips to China while under imminent threat of being sucked back into PRC control?  Sure thing -- because money!

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:48) Open

(1:02) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

(1:34) cj's week: A Lovely Trip

(2:35) Jeff's Week: Dodgers!

(3:18) Headline: Amazon Kindle Colorsoft e-Ink Reader & Kindle Scribe

(5:02) Headline: Amazon joins Google in investing in small modular nuclear power

(5:34) Headline: Android 15 is Out - Vanilla Ice Cream

(8:03) Headline: Routine dental X-rays are not backed by evidence—experts want it to stop

(9:57) Uses of AI Today

(40:00) cj’s recommendation: Apparently Our Defining Tradition is a Big Green Egg

(42:45) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Last Blockbuster

Many of us like to wax on about significant AI advancements approaching the horizon,  like Large Language Models similar to ChatGPT achieving Artificial General Intelligence and self-driving cars.  And while we at Nonsense believe these things will come, and are huge fans of watching them get there, we have realized that there are plenty of industries benefiting from AI today that don’t get nearly as much attention.

In this episode, we discuss some of the industries that don’t get much air time but are already benefiting from AI.  From education to agriculture to customer service - AI is already changing the landscape of how many sectors are operating today!

But first, we’ve got new Kindles, a delicious new Android version, and superfluous X-rays that are likely harming you for no benefit at all.  Buckle up, it’s another fast ride!

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:56) Open

(1:11) World Plant-Based Burger Day & Double Ten Day

(3:11) cj's week: Living in Arthur C. Clarke

(5:18) Jeff's Week: Crowns & Parents’ Weekend

(8:00) Headline: Elon Musk Readies the Robotaxi He Is Betting Tesla’s Future On

(10:30) Fixing Climate Change

(37:50) cj’s recommendation: sigh. BBQ with Franklin

(43:05) Jeff’s Recommendation: (senior) living their best life

We are so happy to be back from our short fall break that this time we are taking a break from our usual roster of AI, trash, high-speed trains, or weather (kind of).  In this episode, we are going to explore this little novel thing known as Climate Change.

As it turns out, there’s one set of people that could single-handedly slow climate change, and do so faster than anyone else.  No, it’s not the oil workers.  It is not the private pilots of the world.  It is someone you certainly know and know well.  The answer might surprise you, you might not even want to hear it, but it’s a real path to slowing climate change right now.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:20) Open

(1:32) International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Bombs

(2:24) cj's week: Crazy Party Time Pantry Reorganization

(4:07) Jeff's Week: Indiana Football

(6:17) Snakes, EVs, & Printers: An Update

(12:00) Headline: Biden proposes banning Chinese vehicles from US roads

(14:47) Segment: Flying Junk

(38:48) cj’s recommendation: Kids On Fire

(40:53) Jeff’s Recommendation: Class Action Park & YouTube Theater

As it turns out, we humans have gotten good at littering, and not just in the forests and oceans, but in space too.  Yes, you’ve read that correctly - we’ve managed to treat the orbit around our precious little rock as if it were our personal space junkyard.  But unlike most junkyards, this crap is zipping around at thousands of miles per hour, on the hunt for the next object to smash into.

In this episode, cj & Jeff explore the concept of Kessler’s Syndrome, and just how we’ve goten as close as we have to this pivotal moment.

But before we get to the junk, some quick comments on snakes, EVs, classic printers, and banning Chinese cars in the US.  Another day, another dollar.

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:56) Open

(1:11) National Butterscotch Pudding Day

(1:33) cj's week: Java or JavaScript?!

(4:53) Jeff's Week: Barkley in Runyon

(8:43) Headline: Walkie-talkie explosions reported in Lebanon after deadly pager attack

(12:36) Headline: Chinese company develops 65nm-capable lithography machine

(15:00) Headline: TCL accused of selling quantum dot TVs without actual quantum dots

(17:35) Headline: House committee approves bill requiring new cars to have AM radio

(21:12) Recomendation: HP LaserJet IIP - Now on Sale!

(21:51) The US and China: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

(42:36) cj’s recommendation: The Emmys!

(43:15) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Bear, Season Three

In this episode, cj & Jeff get into the trouble with China, at least some of the technical ones including tiny chips, EVs, AI, and 5G infrastructure.  There’s a lot to unpack, and the boys barely get a chance to double-click on even a few talking points.

Fortunately, there’s a little bit of everything in this episode, from naming parts of a baguette to elitist keyboard layouts and surprising cats with fruit; everything you’ve come to expect from Nonsense.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show: Burgers

(1:17) Open

(1:41) Special Day: National Day of Encouragement

(2:05) cj's week: James Earl Jones

(4:18) Jeff's Week: The house and the heat

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:26) Open

(1:48) International Day of Charity

(2:07) cj's week: It’s HOT.  SO HOT.

(3:14) Jeff's Week: RISC-V Chips Everywhere

(4:11) Headline: Oprah’s upcoming AI television special sparks outrage among tech critics

(8:14) Headline: Bugs and performance issues hinder Huawei’s AI chips

(9:45) Headline: Minecraft Movie's First Trailer Has Arrived, And It's Incredible

(11:04) Listener Question: AI Consciousness?

(41:37) cj’s recommendation: College Football Craziness.

(43:47) Jeff’s Recommendation: Dodger History!

We love you, listener, and we love your questions.  This week we field one of the more interesting questions sent in recently about consciousness, namely: when will our kids finally obtain it, and how might an Artificial Intelligence achieve it?

But this begs the question: what is consciousness?  Turns out, that’s the hard part, but we’re going to try our best to button everything up in 45 minutes of your time.

And before we jump into that, there’s Oprah’s AI special, bugs in software (weird!), and the Minecraft Movie trailer!

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:12) Open

(1:28) Individual Rights Day c/o John Locke

(3:13) cj's week: A Glorious Return to School

(4:03) Jeff's Week: Dropoff at School

(6:26) Errata: The Unexpected Break Up

(8:00) Headline: Cox Media is Listening to You

(11:23) Missed Headline: Boeing’s Starliner astronauts will return to Earth on Spacex Crew Dragon

(29:17) Missed Headline: Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France

(35:58) Missed Headline: Experts call for 'urgent' scrutiny after weight loss drugs are linked to suicidal thoughts

(37:28) Missed Headline:  Martin Shkreli must surrender his Wu-Tang album copies

(41:28) cj’s recommendation: The Democratic National Convention

(43:08) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Wrecking Crew

Summer is over, and just like that, Nonsense is off hiatus and back with your weekly dose of technology, business, and maybe a laugh or two (no promises though).

Being gone for most of August, we knew we’d have to cover a bunch of missed headlines from the month - so this week we dive into a bit of everything, from your listening devices, more setbacks at Boeing, Telegram founder drama, pervasive semaglutide thoughts, and The Copies of Shaolin.  The Stealers Wheel summarized our thoughts on this best: “clowns to the left of us, jokers to the right, here we are stuck in the middle with you.”

It’s a wild ride, but we suspect you’re going to love getting back into the swing of things with us!

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(1:00) Open

(1:11) World Greatness Day!

(1:34) cj's week: Summer Break, Furniture, & Super Nintendo Land

(3:38) Jeff's Week: Still on Island Time During Home Renovations 

(7:21) Headline: ⁠The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for

(8:38) Headline: ⁠China’s Long March 6A rocket is making a mess in low-Earth orbit

(10:21) So Only Google Can Be Doing No Evil?

(39:44) cj’s recommendation: Watch Young Kids Playing Minecraft

(42:16) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Stones & Twenty Feet From Stardom

No one, not even you dear listener, deserves a Nonsense-free August.  So we airlifted Jeff out of the South Pacific and woke up cj by poking him with a stick so that we could bring you this one, stellar episode this month.

We get asked all the time: is Google the new Standard Oil or just a picked-on tech giant? Join us as we dive into the world of antitrust law and explore whether Google's dominance is a threat to competition or a reward for innovation. We'll uncover the potential impact on you and your digital life, and get cj incredibly worked up over some of the shitty Q&A products still on the market. 

Get ready to question everything you know about search.

Headlines

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:52) Open

(1:07) World Drowning Prevention Day

(1:52) cj's week: Sure, let’s disconnect from the world!

(3:28) Jeff's Week: Thread radio home automati…NERD

(4:28) Headline: Alphabet invests another $5 billion in Waymo

(5:20) Headline: Amazon’s paid Alexa is coming to fill a $25 billion hole

(6:05) Headline: CrowdStrike blames test software for taking down 8.5 million Windows machines

(10:13) Segment: A Permanent Memory.

(44:30) cj’s recommendation: Maui!

(46:02) Jeff’s Recommendation: 32 Sounds

Much like your knees, we are all going to miss our memory when it is gone.  So what if it never left?  Well, advances in processing power, storage, and battery technology virtually ensure that this will be possible very soon.  This concept has been postulated by many, and several companies are currently working on products to enable this.  Feed this memory into your personal artificial intelligence and you have something extremely interesting, powerful, and concerning.

In this episode, the guys share their thoughts on if they’d even want an everlasting memory.  Fortunately, there are about 60 people on the planet who have had this ability naturally for decades, so we might have something to learn from them.

But before that: Alphabet invests another cool $5 billion in Waymo; Amazon’s got a paid Alexa coming; and CrowdStrike blames test software for crashing the Internet along with 8.5 million computers.

Open

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:40) Open

(1:16) Nelson Mandela International Day

(2:09) cj's week: Summer of Fun, Now in Maui!

(3:09) Jeff's Week: Termites & Pool Electrics

(5:00) Headline: YouTube creators surprised to find Apple and others trained AI on their videos

(7:58) cj’s solid, pro-AI stance!

(8:41) Segment: Artificial General Intelligence

(41:52) cj’s recommendation: Tim Urban’s The AI Revolution on Wait But Why

(43:33) Jeff’s Recommendation: Helder Guimarães’ The Hope Theory

Continuing with our 2024 Summer of Fun here at Nonsense, we spend most of this episode discussing the future of AI.  Starting with the current push to reach Artificial General Intelligence, but more interestingly, diving into what comes after these AGI’s.

Thanks to the compounding growth of technology, fueled by concepts such as Moore’s Law, we postulate that once we achieve an AGI, humanity will, very soon thereafter, achieve Artificial Super Intelligence.  This is fascinating, and (very) likely coming (very) soon.  The future is an amazing place.

Open:

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:42) Open

(1:00) Free Slurpee Day!

(2:20) cj's week: Stuck at the Beach!

(3:39) Jeff's Week: Friends are the Family You Choose.

(4:22) Headline: AI speech generator 'reaches human parity'

(5:37) Headline: Toyota is getting into the charging business

(7:36) AGIs Helping Us Live Forever

(44:54) cj’s recommendation: The Curse of Von Dutch

(46:59) Jeff’s Recommendation: Clipped (aka Losing Time)

You’ve made it through over seventy-five Nonsense episodes, you deserve some secrets.  At this point, we feel it would only be fair to share four paths to eternal life; after all, who better to live forever than our listeners? From using freezers to AIs, this episode throws an even wider spectrum of ideas at the wall than usual.

Along the way, we weave in a couple of headlines and some “interesting” trivia about Albert Einstein.  What Nonsense episode would be complete without a smattering of nonsequiturs?