Critical Nonsense

SYLVAIN
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Critical Nonsense

High-low brow conversations about culture, science, and tech. With hosts Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and executive producer/nerd herder Jess Vander. SYLVAIN is a strategy and design company.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    [Reruns] 251! Rituals

    Why do people love rituals so much?This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!Again, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about medicine, Lunar New Year, habits, disease, leg washing, and flossing. They don’t talk about Jane's Addiction. references * twitterpated (https://www.etymonline.com/word/twitterpated#:~:text=twitterpated%20(adj.),(compare%20flutterpated%2C%201894).) * Yale School of Medicine: Phenylephrine, a Common Decongestant, Is Ineffective, Say FDA Advisors. It’s Not Alone (https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/phenylephrine-a-common-decongestant-is-ineffective-say-fda-advisors-its-not-alone/) * Gregorian calendar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar) * Ritual, Play and Belief, in Evolution and Early Human Societies by Colin Renfrew * National Geographic: "Why do humans embrace rituals? Disease and danger may be at the root of the behaviors." (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-do-humans-embrace-rituals-disease-and-danger-may-be-at-the-root) * cephalocaudal (https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/cephalocaudal) * Gonggong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/225088_Gonggong) * Not-so-late-breaking: OSU microbiologists propose updates to the Linnaean System (https://news.okstate.edu/articles/communications/2022/osu_microbiologists_propose_updates_to_the_linnaean_system.html) * Recapitulation theory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recapitulation_theory)

    40 min

  2. JAN 6

    [Reruns] 248! Correcting People

    When is it okay to correct someone?This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!Again, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma. references * Otaku (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku) * Corrections Department (because of course): Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland * easter eggs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media)) * propinquity (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propinquity) * Merriam-Webster on X (https://twitter.com/merriamwebster) * Seth Meyers' Corrections on Late Night

    32 min

  3. 12/31/2024

    293! 2023 Wild Prognostications: A Year in Review!

    How did our predictions play out in 2024?This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey look back at their prognogs from Episode 247, discussing AI hardware, energy optimism, Scarlett Johansson, AI slop, EV, algae-based biofuels, the gelatin market, and wide shoes. They don’t talk about Jamie Foxx (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc4G6tOgOYI). references * Wired: "Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Copilot+ PCs" (https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-copilot-plus-pc/) * Micosoft Blog: Introducing Copilot+ PCs (https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/05/20/introducing-copilot-pcs/) * Marques Brownlee Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTV12hErTc) * Reuters: Amazon to pilot AI-designed material for carbon removal (https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/amazon-pilot-ai-designed-material-carbon-removal-2024-12-02/) * Milli Vanilli (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvPXmkYMHFg) * Ashlee Simpson on SNL (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJCfbMw0Yo) * Energy 101 | Algae-to-Fuels (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxyvVkeW7Nk&t=33s) * Viridos (https://www.viridos.com/) * Retro-Chic Coffee Jelly (https://www.instagram.com/p/DDfsEvtum0H/) * Kizik (https://kizik.com/) * The Plucky Squire (https://thepluckysquire.com/)

    40 min

  4. 12/16/2024

    292! Sci-Fi

    What kernels of truth are there in sci-fi content today that can maybe predict what our smart technological futures will look like? This week, Jess and Joey talk about retrofuturism, the Otis elevator, all things Dymaxian, AI, post-scarcity society and ship names. They don’t talk about our dystopian present. references * Christmas in Connecticut * Otis Elevator (https://www.otis.com/en/us/our-company/history) * Dymaxion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion) * Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson * Corrections Department: Neuromancer by William Gibson * Iain M. Banks' Culture series * Post-scarcity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-scarcity) * Neural Lace (https://www.techadvisor.com/article/738792/what-is-neural-lace.html) * Neuralink (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuralink) * The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks * Humans * Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

    24 min

  5. 12/11/2024

    291! Cultural Beige

    What do we do with Cultural Beige? This week, Aaron and Joey talk about cultural homogenization, algorithms, local commerce, international culture, outliers and Charli XCX. They don’t talk about Christian Bale or J. G. Ballard. references * Empire Of The Sun "Walking On A Dream" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eimgRedLkkU) * Empire Of The Sun "Alive" @ The Hollywood Bowl 11/23/24 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVXLM-T0SDo) * Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVli-tstM5E) * terroir (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terroir) * Sammy McCormack: "How Janet Jackson Made 'If'" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umvhaSSJwMg) * Sammy McCormack: "How Britney Spears Made 'Break The Ice'" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0oqgRaKZhY) * Froggy Fresh (https://www.youtube.com/froggyfreshrap) * Timbaland feat. OneRepublic "Apologize" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSM3w1v-A_Y) * Cam'ron and Mase: It Is What It Is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKxkghvp5HM)

    36 min

  6. 12/02/2024

    290! Hybrid Work

    Why haven't we figured out hybrid yet? This week, Jess and Joey talk about remote working, cost structures, collaborative tools, individual flexibility, speaker microphones, and body language. They don’t talk about sensory processing issues and how they impact in-person productivity. references * Yegor Denisov-Blanch on software engineering productivity (https://x.com/yegordb/status/1859290734257635439) * Reddit response to Yegor Denisov-Blanch (https://www.reddit.com/r/theprimeagen/comments/1gzky88/95_of_software_engineers_do_virtually_nothing/?rdt=47756) * Entenmann's Donuts (https://www.entenmanns.com/en/products/rich-frosted-donuts-8-count?category=3) * Torus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus)

    26 min

  7. 11/26/2024

    289! Mind Wine

    What varietal of mind wine are your grapes lately? This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pattern breaking, the restorative power of boredom, bird brains, pajama day, the productivity mindset, and seizing rest. They don’t talk about when Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. references * Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan (https://www.dearmodern.com/cliff-tan) * Boggle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boggle) * Five Senses Exercise (https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/five-senses-exercise/) * How to use 4-7-8 breathing for anxiety (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324417) * Yahtzee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee)

    42 min

  8. 11/19/2024

    288! Living Forever

    Why are we so obsessed with trying to live forever? This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Jess and Joey to talk about adult superlatives, aging, the soul, compounding experience, afterlife FOMO, and aging reversal. They don’t talk about Irene Cara (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChhCpSVrjvU). references * Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development Explained (https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457) * Ray Kurzweil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil) * Ship of Theseus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) * Fermi paradox (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox) * Spin by Robert Charles Wilson * Kardashev scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale) * Telomere (https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Telomere) * Dr. David Sinclair (https://sinclair.hms.harvard.edu/people/david-sinclair)

    39 min
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5
out of 5
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About

High-low brow conversations about culture, science, and tech. With hosts Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and executive producer/nerd herder Jess Vander. SYLVAIN is a strategy and design company.

Information

  • Creator
    SYLVAIN
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Critical Nonsense

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