Nonsense with cj little & Jeff Parker

cj little and Jeff Parker
  • 5.0 (12)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Nonsense desperately tries to make sense of today’s business, technology, and (sometimes) entertainment headlines. Not too serious and occasionally funny, join technologist cj little and leggy blonde Jeff Parker for their unique take on the past week. While we can’t promise you’ll laugh every week, we can promise you’ll learn something new (and maybe even interesting) New episodes drop every Thursday morning (UTC). Produced by an orangutan; art thanks to artificial intelligence. https://nonsense.productions Twitter: @nnsnspdcst Instagram: @nnsnspdcst Gmail: nnsnspdcst@gmail.com

  1. 4D AGO

    Coins, Commerce, and Carts: the History of Shopping

    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. Catalog merchant - Wikiwand Service Merchandise - Wikiwand Sears - Wikiwand QVC - Wikiwand Resale price maintenance - Wikiwand Toyota Production System - Wikiwand Shein - Wikiwand Temu - Wikiwand Cubs win 16-0 in Dodgers' worst ever home shutout loss - ESPN HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up on Oscar Piastri’s stellar run to victory at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix | Formula 1 Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    33 min

  2. 6D AGO

    HEADLINES: Tariffs, US Supercomputers, No Tariffs, Magnets, & More Tariffs

    (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. Actually, Semiconductors Still Face a 'Special' Type of Tariff | PCMag Apple stock pops 6% as investors bet the tariff exemptions are real Apple silent as Trump promises “impossible” US-made iPhones - Ars Technica Nvidia says it will build AI supercomputers in America for the first time ever No more motor magnets for the USA. | The Verge China Halts Critical Rare Earth Exports as Trade War Intensifies - The New York Times GeePS.com in July 2000's Computer Shopper  Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    23 min

  3. APR 10

    H5N1 Avian Influenza: What the Flock?!

    (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 ⁠Avian influenza - Wikiwand⁠ ⁠Wikiwand - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1⁠ ⁠Wikiwand - Human mortality from H5N1⁠ ⁠Wikiwand - Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 - Mortality⁠ ⁠Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Birds and Mammals⁠ ⁠Wikiwand - 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak⁠ ⁠Wikiwand - List of mammals that can get H5N1⁠ ⁠Temperature Food Safety Guide | culinarycrush⁠ ⁠A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking⁠ ⁠The Wall Street Journal | Justice Department Opens Probe of Sharp Surge in Egg Prices | Farm Action⁠ ⁠Exposed: Billionaire Egg Baron Pays Contract Farmers Just 26 Cents Per Dozen | Farm Action⁠ ⁠As egg prices soared at the supermarket, so did producer profits - The Washington Post⁠ ⁠RFK, Jr. Wants to Let Bird Flu Spread on Poultry Farms. Why Experts Are Concerned | Scientific American⁠ ⁠Are We on the Cusp of a Major Bird Flu Outbreak? | Harvard Medical School⁠ ⁠Why Canada has plenty of eggs — and the U.S. doesn't : NPR⁠ Close ⁠Kennedy Space Center⁠ ⁠BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14⁠ Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    46 min

  4. APR 8

    HEADLINES: EU’s $1B X Fine, Starliner’s Wild Ride, & Tariffs Got You Down?

    (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? EU may “make an example of X” by issuing $1 billion fine to Musk’s social network - Ars Technica Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought - Ars Technica We just declared a trade war with the world | The Verge Apple Reportedly Flew in 5 Plane Loads of iPhones to Dodge Trump Tariffs | PCMag Dave Chappelle in 2017: I want to wear Nikes, I don't want to make them... The American Dream Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    31 min

  5. MAR 28

    Smoking in the Boys' Room

    (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! ⁠Own your own computer supply business.  DISK WORLD! will show you how.⁠ ⁠Barney's Beanery⁠ ⁠Smoking ban - Wikiwand⁠ ⁠STATE System Smokefree Indoor Air Fact Sheet⁠ ⁠Inflight smoking - Wikiwand⁠ ⁠Modernization of Passenger Information Requirements Relating to “No Smoking” Sign Illumination⁠ ⁠Fact-- cigarettes kill more people each year than AIDS, heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire, and murder combined - Digital Collections⁠ Close: ⁠Mike Myers Takes Jab at Trump in Ad for Canada’s Liberal Party⁠ ⁠Dodgers Take Over Tokyo! Best Moments from the 2025 Tokyo Series⁠ Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    40 min

  6. MAR 27

    HEADLINES: Chapter 23 & Me and Text STOP to Opt-Out of War Plan Texting

    (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 You're the Reason Our Kids are Ugly - Lorretta Lynn & Conway Twitty She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft) (Buddha Remastered - 2000) "I Still Miss You Baby, But My Aim Is Getting Better" Billy Boil. Hillbilly Hoot #95. Deana Carter - Did I Shave My Legs For This? Dan Hicks and his Hot licks-How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away Travis Tritt - Here's A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares) [It's All About To Change] She Got the Ring Mama Get the Hammer (There's a Fly on Papa's Head) If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me Headlines 23andMe is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what it means for your genetic data How to delete your 23andMe data | The Verge Trump’s national security adviser added a journalist to text chat on highly sensitive Yemen strike plans | CNN Politics Common Questions About Federal Records and Related Agency Requirements | Congress.gov Nvidia and the Next Generation of Humanoid Robots Nvidia CEO unveils robot powered by new AI chips at GTC 2025 Walk, Run, Crawl, RL Fun | Boston Dynamics | Atlas Apple's AI strategy plagued by delays, Siri upgrade remains in limbo | TechSpot Leaked Apple meeting shows how dire the Siri situation really is | The Verge Apple’s (AAPL) Siri Chief Calls AI Delays Ugly and Embarrassing, Promises Fixes - Bloomberg Google Now Lets Gemini AI To See Through Your Phone’s Camera: What It Offers - News18 Gemini can now see your screen and judge your tabs | TechRadar In latest blow to Tesla, regulators recall nearly all Cybertrucks | AP News. ‘Over 1 Million’ People Wanted a Cybertruck. Where Are They? | WIRED Can You Fool A Self Driving Car? Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    30 min

  7. MAR 13

    Nonsense Unplugged: Hosts Gone Wild

    (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. Despite everything, US EV sales are up 28% this year - Ars Technica Music labels will regret coming for the Internet Archive, sound historian says - Ars Technica Preparing for the Incoming Computer Shopper Tsunami « ASCII by Jason Scott Fleetwood mac skater drinking juice but it's the full song Mick Fleetwood Drinking Ocean Spray Riding a Skateboard Vibing Walnuts on The Dick Van Dyke Show! What’s behind the recent string of failures and delays at SpaceX? - Ars Technica SpaceX Starship test flight ends with another explosion SpaceX rocket explodes during launch SpaceX’s Starship explodes in test flight MOIA Autonomous Driving Winter Testing Send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    48 min

  8. MAR 6

    The Sinking of The Clipper Chip

    (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 Conan O'Brien's Oscars 2025 Opening Monologue Headlines Trump Calls for End to $52 Billion Chips Act Subsidy Program China aims to recruit top US scientists as Trump tries to kill the CHIPS Act - Ars Technica CHIPS and Science Act - Wikiwand Segment Battle of the Clipper Chip - The New York Times At AT&T, No Joy on Clipper Flaw - The New York Times FLAW DISCOVERED IN FEDERAL PLAN FOR WIRETAPPING - The New York Times Keys Under Doormats: Mandating insecurity by requiring government access to all data and communications Clipper chip - Wikiwand Blunder Road HISTORY OF THE CLIPPER CHIP Sinking the Clipper Chip - by Jacob Bruggeman - Discourse The Short Life and Humiliating Death of the Clipper Chip Close Home | NOVA | PBS WeRateDogs - YouTube Send us a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

    46 min
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About

Nonsense desperately tries to make sense of today’s business, technology, and (sometimes) entertainment headlines. Not too serious and occasionally funny, join technologist cj little and leggy blonde Jeff Parker for their unique take on the past week. While we can’t promise you’ll laugh every week, we can promise you’ll learn something new (and maybe even interesting) New episodes drop every Thursday morning (UTC). Produced by an orangutan; art thanks to artificial intelligence. https://nonsense.productions Twitter: @nnsnspdcst Instagram: @nnsnspdcst Gmail: nnsnspdcst@gmail.com

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