The Neutral Ground Podcast with Dr. Joe Meyer Dr. Joe Meyer

Groucho, Zeppo, Gummo, Chico, and Harpo--also known as The Marx Brothers--not only changed the way we think of comedy, but they helped shape our modern notions of cinema as well. Does their biting wit and chaotic humor hold up today? I absolutely think so. In fact, I think we need a lot more humor today to help us break the tensions that we feel on a daily basis--and our guest agrees. Dr. Robert Weir is a retired history professor who most recently taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He's a former senior Fulbright scholar to New Zealand, a past president of the Northeast Popular Culture Association, and the author of 11 books and numerous other academic works. We talk about comedy today, do college-age students get the humor of the Marx Bros, the anti Semitism that they faced, and the origins of their rise to stardom. If you have never seen a a Marx Bros. film, drop everything and go check out A Night at the Opera or my personal favorite, Horsefeathers. In fact, you stay here and I'll drop everything and go watch a Marx Bros. film.

If you want to join our growing community and support our efforts to bring civility back to mainstream discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, leave a thoughtful comment for me and my guest, and share the show with a friend. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.



// EPISODE LINKS //

Book link: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/th...



// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

01:16 Introduction

03:22 Start of conversation

06:25 How did the Marx Bros. become a cultural interest?

10:17 Did the humor catch on with your college students?

16:08 My approach to education with my students

19:15 How did their mother impact the Marx Bros. showbusiness careers?

23:46 Pioneers in "talkies" or early cinema with sound

28:27 Some feedback from the Catholic Telegraph for the Cocoanuts. (It sounds like the setup for a great Groucho zinger.)

33:51 How did anti-Semitism impact their careers?

45:54 Before Jim Halpert was breaking the wall, Groucho was showing how it is done by bringing in popular culture.

49:02 The Marx Bros. did NOT want the music in the film, which sounds absurd.

52:15 Why was Harpo silent?

58:23 Margaret Dumont reminds me of Bea Arthur--owning every scene she is in with nothing more than a look.

1:01:06 Why was Horsefeathers an unpleasant film to make?

1:04:14 Is the speakeasy in Horsefeathers a reflection of reality or a political statement?

1:06:56 What did writing this book teach you about comedy?

1:10:09 I get asked about my favorite form of comedy. Things get chaotic.

1:11:40 Concluding thoughts and I even throw in a few of my own Marx Bros.-inspired jokes.



// WEBSITE //

Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/



// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //

1. ChatGPT, Cheating, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Humanity and AI | Dr. Teo Susnjak #65? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Z6n...

2. What we don't hear about incel culture | Drs. Sarah Daly & Shon Reed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdp...

3. Why not violence? Dr. Duane Armitage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht...

4. Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin - https://youtu.be/P8FvlKD6Y9Q

5. Crisis in Men, Anger and Alienation in boys, What is Going on? | Dr. Robert Tyminski - https://youtu.be/cwFMjuXf5xI



Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse. Head over to the website to find out how you can support our mission.

#comedy #grouchomarx #humorous


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

We are growing increasingly more nervous about how the digital tools around us are able to gain more access to our information and to our lives. Whether we are thinking about simple things like malware and viruses to more complex applications like deep fake technologies and artificial intelligence. Even with my computer science background, I find these topics to be incredibly complex. That is why I have asked Dr. Daniel Graham on the show. Daniel G. Graham is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. His research interests include secure embedded systems and networks. Before teaching at UVA, Dr. Graham was a Program Manager at Microsoft in Seattle, Washington. He publishes in IEEE journals relating to sensors and networks. In this episode, we talk about ransomware, malware, ethical hacking, multi-layered threats to our infrastructures, and why we should take a beat and think about how much of our culture we want to digitize into the future. If you want to support our mission to bring civility back to discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment for me and my guest. The support is always appreciated.
// EPISODE LINKS //
Guest's website: https://danielggraham.com/ethical-hacking-a-hands-on-guide-to-breaking-in/
// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:45 Introduction
02:12 Start of conversation
02:32 How did you get into cybersecurity?
07:04 What is ethical hacking?
10:32 Bug bounty hunting
11:44 Is there a strong community who want to help companies find these exploits?
14:39 How does ethical hacking help us defend our infrastructures
24:00 Can you envision a multilayered attack to our infrastructure in the USA?
32:07 How should we look at digital artifacts from a civilization perspective?
37:10 Why should we think of hacking people and not machines?
44:10 Should we be more worried about deep fake technology than we are?
48:46 Why is ransomware so successful?
53:52 Does the celebritization of hackers help or hurt our ability to stay ahead of threats?
59:53 What is one thing that makes you hopeful about the field and one thing that scares you?
1:06:01 Closing thoughts
// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. ChatGPT, Cheating, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Humanity and AI | Dr. Teo Susnjak #65? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Z6nUr-1Pg&t=0s
2. What we don't hear about incel culture | Drs. Sarah Daly & Shon Reed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s
3. Why not violence? Dr. Duane Armitage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s
4. Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin - https://youtu.be/P8FvlKD6Y9Q
5. Crisis in Men, Anger and Alienation in boys, What is Going on? | Dr. Robert Tyminski - https://youtu.be/cwFMjuXf5xI
Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.
1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music


#hacking #hacker #ethicalhacking #deepfake #ai


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

For many people, the emblematic scene from Todd Philipps ' The Joker is Joaquin Phoenix 's iconic dance on the steps. If you've seen the film, however, you know that Arthur Fleck dances throughout the entire movie. What does it mean? Sprinkled throughout the violence, the struggles to figure out how we can better help support mental health struggles, and the overwhelming feelings of detachment and anger, we find an individual in Arthur Fleck who wants to be good, to do good in the world. However, he is trapped in virtually all aspects of his life. It is only in dance that Fleck / The Joker seems to be his most free. But, with that freedom comes choice, and when Fleck becomes the Joker, he makes the choice to bring chaos and destruction upon the world. We cannot turn a blind eye to this. Trying to figure out where the line is between empathy for what Fleck is experiencing and disavowing his move toward destruction is incredibly difficult, which is why we're having a discussion about this film with our guest: Liz Wayson. Liz has written a wonderful article on The Joker entitled, "“Walking and Dancing in Gotham City: The Marginalized Flaneur, Mental Health Activism, and the Spectacle of Violence in Todd Phillips’s Joker." As always, if you enjoy the conversation, consider supporting our movement to bring civility back to discourse. Subscribe, hit the like button, and consider leaving a kind comment for me and my guest. As always, your time is appreciated.


// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:38 Introduction
02:09 Start of conversation
02:59 What was it about Phillips' The Joker that made you pursue this study?
05:46 What is a Flaneur and how does it connect with the Joker?
08:58 Is the Joker and activist or is he just viewed as an activist?
10:39 Were you able to reconcile the honesty of mental health concerns with the problematic depictions of mental illness and violence in The Joker?
12:11 It's important to differentiate mental health and mental illness to better serve everyone
14:47 We need to have difficult conversations about mental health and diagnosed mental conditions.
17:51 How does Gotham City dictate movement and body composition?
21:49 People are so disconnected in Gotham, even Thomas Wayne.
23:22 How does dancing help Arthur comprehend chaos?
28:45 Arthur understands his role in society
35:54 Has Arthur lost all agency to become his own person?
42:14 How did you read the relationship between Murray ( Robert De Niro ) and Arthur?
47:02 How do we read women and mothers in this film?
52:29 We need better mentors for young people
55:28 Final thoughts



Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations?


1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music


#joker #joaquinphoenix #batman #thejokermovie #desensitizing #brucewayne #toddphilips #toddphillips


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

ChatGPT has been discussed on quite the continuum: everywhere from a positive force for human evolution to the beginning of the end of humanity. Where do I stand on this issue? Well, I hope I make that clear by the end of the episode. Whether you stand on the positive side of the opinion spectrum or the negative, ChatGPT is undeniably ushering in something new in terms of technology. I have played around with it quite a few times and I find it to be incredibly fascinating--and so does our guest this week: Dr. Teo Susnjak. Teo Susnjak is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Computer Science and IT at Massey University in New Zealand where he teaches courses in Data Science. He has authored a fantastic article on ChatGPT and online exam integrity entitled, "ChatGPT: The End of Online Exam Integrity?" We use this article in this episode as our way into discussing ChatGPT and what it is capable of doing. We also talk about the pros and cons of ChatGPT. Finally, we give our overall opinions on our feelings regarding the trajectory of AI and the human species. As always, if you want to support our mission to bring civility back to mainstream discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment for me and my guest.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Article: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2212.09292.pdf

Article Information:
Susnjak. (2022). ChatGPT: The End of Online Exam Integrity? https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2212.09292

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:38 Introduction
02:35 Start of conversation
03:25 What is ChatGPT?
08:49 Why did you pursue this study of exam integrity and ChatGPT?
11:39 Were you expecting ChatGPT to fail your tests?
12:41 What were your aims for the study?
14:40 Are students really cheating online or not?
24:11 Can ChatGPT help us to write better code?
29:47 Is ChatGPT a critical thinking entity?
32:42 Does plagiarism detection software work on ChatGPT?
39:35 What about educating students on the ethical problems of cheating?
44:09 ChatGPT is asked how it would secure online exams
48:29 There needs to be a change in the culture of education
50:14 What were your conclusions?
53:31 What do you think about the future of humanity and AI?
59:50 Final thoughts

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s


Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

#chatgpt #ai #educationmatters #artificialintelligence #chatgptexamples #chatgptexplained


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

What is visual thinking? Are we devaluing the trades today to our own peril? Do we need to do a better job of getting our children out and playing with tools? My guest this week thinks so, and I largely agree with her. I'm humbled and honored to have Dr. Temple Grandin on my show this week. Dr. Grandin is incredibly well known for her work in the fields of Autism, thinking, and animal welfare. She has just finished a brand new book: Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. We spend quite a bit of our time discussing aspects of the book and the ways that we can better utilize the various skills that we have as a people. If you want to support our movement to bring civility back to discourse, hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a kind comment or rating where applicable; and share the show with a friend.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Dr. Grandin's Website: https://www.templegrandin.com/
Dr. Grandin's book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3E1qgnx

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:35 Introduction
02:07 Start of conversation
02:45 How do visual thinkers differ from verbal thinkers?
05:02 How did discovering thinking on a continuum change your thoughts on visual thinking?
09:08 We're eliminating futures because of one class.
09:55 Too much testing today, not enough learning
12:57 AI is exciting and horrifying at the the same time.
19:27 We're not valuing the trades well enough
22:44 What role did working with animals play in your understanding of thinking?
26:08 Most difficult part of your job working with animals and machinery?
27:53 "I would have been a video game addict" had I been born 30 years later.
30:09 We need to get back to building things beyond Legos
35:06 Working with large animals and teaching them manners
40:25 AI and privileging language
47:16 Computers will not replace us
50:45 What makes you hopeful about how we look at visual thinking in the future?
52:02 My closing thoughts

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

4. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

5. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s
Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

#templegrandin #visualthinking #skills #psychology #chatgpt


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

Should we fear how much authority Amazon has over our culture? It's a difficult question. On one hand, you cannot deny what Jeff Bezos has done--bringing a company from nothing, and taking risks that could have easily gone badly, and turning it into a juggernaut. On the other hand, it has become so large that it has almost become a public utility. My guest, Dr. Emily West, and I discuss the ramifications of the rise of Amazon. Although the tone of the conversation might seem negative, in reality, the more important point that I think we're both trying to make is that there is something about the rise of Amazon that should at least warrant our attention. I still use Amazon for books, electronics, and even to look up reviews--as we mention in this discussion. The late, great George Carlin used to talk about the slow reduction of choices in American culture through the consolidation of market powerhouses. I think it's worth having a conversation about. I hope you do as well. If you want to support our continuing efforts to bring civil discourse back into the mainstream, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and share the show with a friend.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Emily's Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/978026254330...
Twitter: @westemilye
Website: www.emilywestphd.com

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:57 Introduction (having a little fun)
02:49 Start of conversation
03:34 What does ubiquitous presence mean in relation to your study?
07:02 How was Sears, in some ways, a kind of Amazon?
12:33 Why is Amazon a more pressing conversation than Walmart or Google?
18:04 How was Amazon so early on understanding the need for consumer interaction?
24:35 Why not let Amazon and companies like it handle distribution?
30:18 George Carlin and the reduction of choices where it matters
37:07 How did Amazon gain enough power to negotiate with the Post Office for Sunday delivery?
43:48 Could we shift the culture of desire to a more manageable one for the sake of workers?
49:48 What was your Amazon fulfillment center tour experience like?
55:41 Amazon is phenomenal at gathering just the right data
59:35 Apparently, I never owned that Christmas special.
1:07:03 Amazon is a distributor of ideas as well--with some pros and cons attached to that model
1:12:50 Final thoughts on the matter

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1...

2. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdp...

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht...

4. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLH...

5. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL1...
Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am ge

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message