Isn't It Obvious Isn't it Obvious

In our last episode, K Sera discusses how our society's relationship to material/things are changing (not necessarily good nor bad).
Micah talks about the implications it has from our current market forces, and Phil discusses the generational differences.
 
Show notes: N/A
 
K Sera's after thoughts:
We keep buying stuff. So much stuff! We buy all these trendy things, like nespresso makers, fidget spinners, Hydro Flasks and cube storage shelves. They’re stylish. They’re affordable. They’re easy to transport. They’re useful. But by year 2 or 3, they end up on Marketplace or in landfills, either because we’ve moved on to the next trendy thing, or the product is too worn, too old-news, or no longer functional. Why bother trying to repair something when the cost of a new replacement is cheaper? Looking at you, inkjet printers!
 
And let’s not even get into the time to develop the skills you need to fix the things that need repair. Ha.
 
The majority of people have stopped investing in quality because they can’t afford the up-front cost. The things we’ve been manufacturing for the last two decades and change have been designed to last less than five years. Is this a bad thing? Yeah, for the environment, definitely. But the convenience of not having a 200-year-old solid oak bedroom set to lug along with you when you have to move every five years because the rent is too high, or you have to change jobs because that’s the only way to effectively get raises these days… I mean, the individual trade off is certainly there.
 
Adjacent to this concept is “doom spending,” where people purchase themselves further into poverty because there is this anticipation of impending doom. Why invest in a doomed future? What retirement? What house? Can we even afford childcare? May as well spend money on what will bring immediate happiness, because there’s no point in saving. Or at least, that’s the mentality. 
 
Really, I guess, what I’m circling around is the fact that the quality and durability of our manufactured goods is a reflection of how we feel about our futures. … which might be five years from ending up in a landfill. :\
 
 
 
Phill's after thoughts:
At one point in this episode Micah says that the value of this podcast produced was the time (and beverages) shared together. After 127 episodes I can attest that I do miss our recording sessions (this episode was originally recorded towards the end of 2022). Due to starting graduate school I had to postpone (and inevitable stop) the podcast. In the end, I agree with both Micah and K Sera that the experiences from little moments (of simple and fun discussions) ultimately mean much more to me than some simple trinket or bauble.
I want to take some time to say thank you for listening to our podcast. Some of our topics and conversations may have been "non-value added" but they were enjoyable to us regardless! We hope you have enjoyed them too. Thank you for listening to us!

In this episode Micah proposes that all major releases of movies, games, books, and other forms of media should have a coordinate release. K Sera and Phil have questions.
 
Phil's after thoughts:
I find it way more amusing than I should that in this episode we are wondering why don't these multi-billion dollar companies actually coordinate their marketing plan better?! To me it's super obvious that they should, the fact that they could 'synergize' and sell movies, games, books, comics, and all of that franchise material and transmute it into gold should be a driving incentivizer for these massive companies. Of course the point that I am trying to make is that if it was easy, it would have already been done.
 
The issue is that products that require creative inputs (such as a great story, or fantastic artwork, or wonderful world building) is way more difficult compared to non-creative (but functional) products such as ball-bearings and industrial level grease (both which are fascinating, mind you, but again NOT CREATIVE). I make this comparison because with "industrial goods" there is a very well defined specific output with tolerances, dimensions to measure, and performances that are readily checked and ensured that they meet the "voice of the customer" (and in terms of industrial customers, it's pretty clear that it is either good enough or not).
 
Obviously this is not the case with creative works. We don't know if a book (or game, or movie) will sell well or not. I laugh when some non-gaming executive shouts out nonsense about "what the gamers want" while their 100 million dollar budget produces a mediocre and semi-passable game (while indie games that are much closer to the pulse of the customer understand that we don't want a "paint by numbers" experience, we want something that is fun, unique, challenging, thought provoking, exciting, adventurous, and of course in all different varying degrees of it as well!).
 
Why am I talking in circles? Because the fact is we don't know what makes something "a hit" yet. And until we know, we cannot coordinate a massive campaign only for it to turn into a flop. Disney's Starwars comes to mind, but there are so many other franchises that either spring up out of nowhere (many of which are Japanese) and some that are just a flash in a pan (I don't think anyone talks about that Fall Guys game anymore).
 
Plus, to me, the fact that a giant corporate machine would just pump out a massive coordinated effort to merchandize another soulless product reminds me of some sad slop (or gruel) that the industry insists for us to consume. Perhaps I am turning into a hipster when I want experiences that feel more independent and outside the firm grasps of shareholders and dollar signs. I think this (among the other complexities of Art and Finance) make it a losing proposition to have a Franchise Synergy to the level that is so obviously not done. Maybe in the future our mathematical models can predict with great certainty which next "hot" thing will pop up (and then for the devouring masses to demand more and more of it), but until then the entire premise is too risky. To put it simply, it is better to diversify and then back up winners then to "put all your eggs into one basket while also counting your chickens before they hatch."
 
Alright, that's it for today. I hope you enjoy the episode and I'll send another message for the next one (when I can review it).
 
 
First, I stand corrected. One Piece isn't the longest manga. That apparently is Golgo 13, with over 200 published volumes. Wow! Who has that kinda time?? Also, bless the creators who share their stories with the world for our entertainment. 

Now, I have opinions about marketing sorcery, and I have a lot of respect for how hard that job is. I also have no actual interest in it - as a job or a subject, really… I'm with you, Concerned Ape. You could make a franchise out of Stardew Valley (cozy farming sims a

In this episode Phil suggests that we are all bloopers (and that is OK). Micah and K Sera discuss this and other things.
Show notes:
Bloopers!
 
K Sera's after thoughts:
So, I’m disappointed that we spent so much time talking about appearance, and that bloopers were conflated as being ‘flaws’. It just kills me a little that appearance ranks so high when assigning value to people and consumables. It does factor in, of course, but I wish it wasn’t so heavy of an influence in our lives.

I find value in bloopers. Actual blooper reels at the end of a story or episode of something are often entertaining. I love them. Keep them and share them. They are technically mistakes, but someone found them funny or novel and decided to share that with consumers. They aren’t actually flaws, but curated failures with value stemming from experience.

Life creates bloopers all the time. DNA mutations pop up within species giving useful and highly adaptive traits a chance of being passed down to the next generation. DNA bloopers facilitate evolution. We all come from bloopers.

Also, Micah, let people finish their thoughts. ಠ_ಠ

Micah discusses the Supreme Court and the need to reform it. Phil will agree to anything. K Sera discusses the finer points.
 
Show notes: N/A
 
K Sera's afterthoughts: My pun at the top of the episode was excellent. Best part of the show imho.
 
[Insert energetic and passionate thoughts about the main topic here] Oh no. Where did those go?
 
I did enjoy our later chit chat about the lies Phil tells his children, and Micah simping for
Bill Watterson.
 
The "Genie" I was referring to near the end was this Genie (not her actual name). I took an Anthropology class in college and her tragic story was required reading. She experienced extreme neglect, abuse and isolation. Reader's discretion is advised.

K Sera discusses that some portion of exams should be open. Micah and Phil discuss the corner cases. 
 
Note: Phil is in charge of the release dates of the podcast, and he messed up the order! This is episode 122, it should have released before the Pizza one!
 
Show notes: N/A
 
K Sera's after thoughts:
My opinions haven’t changed. I think memory retention is a skill, of course, but so is researching and organizing data. I think most people in most situations don’t need to know a fact or statistic off the cuff. Why can’t we have at least some exams that reflect that? 
 
How likely is it that the average person will ever need to recall the exact date Simone Biles won her first gold medal? How many people would need to know the exact chemical structure of olive oil? Sure, some people might need to know these facts, but do they need to have them memorized for a sudden pop quiz from their boss or the public? Probably not. I think it is more likely that they will research and compile the information and then report or use that information as needed.
 
Micah’s example of needing to know history by rote is kind of ridiculous. “You know it or you don’t,” he says. Really? History is history. It’s a record of things that happened. Unless you are a professor giving a lecture or you are on a trivia game show, it’s pretty unlikely you will need to know hyper specific historical facts in the moment. And if you don’t know it, go look it up! Cross check with various sources!
 
Other subjects have higher consequences for mistakes and hard deadlines. It is actually vital for a surgeon to both understand and effectively communicate accurate information in the moment. Memorizing equipment names and knowing human anatomy can be a matter of life and death.
 
There also might be instances where you will want to have certain information memorized for emergency situations. What to do in an earthquake. Where to take shelter during a tornado vs. a hurricane. Basic survival information might be worth memorizing if you ever find yourself stranded without your phone or an internet connection.

So, I stand by my initial premise. It is obvious to me that some exams should be open book/open notes.
 
Phill's after thoughts:
I took my Midterm last week that had "2 pages of printed/handwritten notes" for the exam. I did achieve my minimum target grade (I only need C's to get reimbursed for the schooling from work). Honestly, it was nice not having to remember every single little formula, but I think that it also (for me) served as a crutch, because the exam is timed so it really does "slow things down" if you can't do things by heart. Basically, it's a balance between "how much can you learn things by heart" and "how much can you save time from needless studying/drilling" and I think that cheat sheets serve a good balance, but if there wasn't a cheat sheet available, I'd have devoted way more time in really mastering the problem sets. Basically I got a C (worth 20% of my grade) and I am not too happy but also not too unhappy about it.
 
I think that the homework, labs, and projects are meant to be the "open-book and cooperative" portion of the learnings. The exam has more of a "performance" flavor to it, where it quizzes on an individual level if they are understanding the fundamental concepts. When we first recorded this episode, I hadn't started my return to college classes yet, and so my hot take on the subject was from almost 20 years ago. Now, after revisiting the academic exams in a more recent timescale, I think exams are meant to be the "bare minimum a person should know on an individual basis per the fundamentals of this subject" and that may require a closed book and timed (with cheat sheets) test. That is assuming that the other parts of the class are really about the "learning of the subject" and not just busy-work/fluff material.
 
In corporate land, it would be crazy to not look at ref

In this episode, Micah and K Sera and Phil go off the rails.
 
Shownotes: N/A
 
K Sera's after thoughts:
On this week’s episode, we all wish we were as cool as that one guy Phil witnessed at a parade. 
 
We then proceed to go off the rails. I don’t even know where the train is going. Topic? What topic? Who's she? Never heard of her.
 
Here, Phil, let me Google that 'how to blanket stitch' for you. I hope you finish your blanket. Please show it off when it's done!