Year-End Wraps and Online Performativity

Why are we obsessed with year-end wrap-ups? And when does performance on social media go wrong? [17:26]

This week, special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich join Joey to talk about Spotify Wrapped, Dunbar's Number puns, rebirth, vague-booking, trauma, and Walden. They don't talk about how we never edit out things in post that we say we will.

Hidden Internet Treasures and Serious Thanks

How much greatness is hiding in plain sight on the internet? And what if we took Thanksgiving more seriously? [17:29]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about 9M9H9E9, future Kafka, penny press newspapers, the Thankanator (coming soon to theatres), the Duchenne smile, and the Gratitude Turkey. They don't talk about which poultry cut is superior: white or dark meat (hint: there's a right answer).

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Customer Service and Made-Up Jobs

How do we fix customer service? And why do we make up work? [18:04]

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Jess's new friend, Jonah, their worst flight ticketing blunders, Amazon's silver lining, fabric swatches, entry level usefulness, and allowing for agency. They don't talk about what a snerfherder (sp?) is.

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Critical Nonsense Live‽ Adult Play, Fungi, Hot Takes, and Other Nonsense

This week, our first ever live show! Joey, Aaron, Jess and special guest Daisy Walker (joined by Hot-Takers Osei, Hannah, Ilana, and Katie) talk about junk playgrounds, The Big Mike, the alternate and "maybe probably true" origin story of Santa, Heinz Mayomust, Dolly 'effin Parton, and sweatpants material. They don't talk about how we slyly convinced the whole audience to sing with us (in true, Nonsense fashion).

To skip around: Hot take 1 and Adult Play [2:45], Hot take 2 and Fungi [23:50], and Hot take 3 and the Lightning Round [50:34].

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Our Generational Divide and Using Fear

How new is this generational divide? And what good is fear? [20:46]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about "OK Boomers," the B.S. factory, Big Doorbell, a glissando of strings, Juice, and the effect of adrenaline on our brains. They don't talk about TikTok nor how a useful mnemonic for the generations could be Goop Slap But (Joneses) Xtremely Musical Zebra Appetites.

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Dinner Parties and The Value of Story

What happened to the dinner party? And what's the value of storytelling? [16:38]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Betty Draper, "instagram tables," the only reason we clean, "narrative economics," seed libraries, and data translation. They don't talk about Ina, though she really deserves a mention for her venerable dinner hosting prowess.

references

  • Vox on the status of the dinner party

  • WaPo: "The world's top economists just made the case for why we still need english majors"

Pigs and Modern Spirituality

What is our responsibility to pigs? And what are we doing with the void of organized religion? [21:10]

This week, Jess, Joey, and magical guest Ilana talk about octopus gratitude, k-type versus r-type animals, "the PR crisis of raccoons", the Jewish New Year, thick and thin love, and our susceptibility to cults. They don't talk about how humans recently recorded pigs using tools for the first time.

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Queer Comedy and the Toilet Tweet Butterfly Effect

How is the LGBTQ community shaping modern comedy? And how do you manage a company's values in a global economy? [22:47]

This week, Joey and special guests Dylan Fowler and Osei Kwakye talk about Bowen Yang, "beefing down," Los Espookys, Daryl Morey's 7-word tweet, the forsaken Hearthstone player, and the time test of Space Jam. They don't talk about how Jess is actually afraid of 1993 Jurassic Park microvillain, Dennis Nedry.

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New Life States and Comparing Ourselves

How do we manage life state transitions? And why do we compare ourselves to things? [19:34]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Aaron's new puppy, "dog state," equilibrium, yarning weaves, Pablo Picasso's classical training, and misinterpreting the implications of certain excellence. They don't talk about whatever CBD thing Aaron hinted at—maybe next time?

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Ethical Travel and Work Friends

What are the boundaries of ethical travel? And what's the difference between a colleague and a friend? [19:23]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Sylvain Labs's "Jaunt" to Puerto Rico, enjoying vacation, holding a baby alligator, flatness, and a lot of sappy mushy appreciation. They don't talk about how Captain Planet is in fact blue with green hair.

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Fatalism and Picky Eating

What's the point of fatalism? And why is everyone a picky eater now? [17:35]

This week, sort-of special guest Katie Sadow joins potentially-lactose-intolerant Joey and congested-robot Jess to talk about Jonathan Franzen, total resignation, OptimistOptimistOptimists, eggs, eating education, and the different types of bitternesses. They don't talk about how Oatly has been holding out on the USA.

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WeWork and the School Year

When will the speculative VC bubble pop? And what do we do without the school year? [21:25]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about Adam Neumann, rocketships, Dutch Tulip Mania, synchrony, the PSL, and antici-. They don't talk about the fall of MoviePass and related morals of that VC story.

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-pation.

Mortal Kombat Fatalities and Rewatching TV

What do Mortal Kombat "fatalities" tell us about the American psyche in 2019? And how valuable is the comfort and familiarity of watching old TV shows? [27:50]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about quirky horror icons, the allure of "punchy-kicky," gladiators, "22-Minute Worlds," the comfort TV business model, and several Gilmore Girls spoilers. They don't talk about the (yet unproven) health benefits of vegging out in front of endless New Girl reruns—not The New Girl, Joey, duh.

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Top 3 Reusable Startup Hacks with Greg Kubin

What are the Top 3 Reusable Startup Hacks?

This week, Live Clickbait! In our new segment, special guest Greg Kubin of CoFounder Weekly shares his picks:

  1. the founder mindset,

  2. using Twitter for networking

  3. video conferencing over in-person meetings

Along the way, we talk about FAANG, permissions structures, Joey's Twitter Identity, the Beyond Meat IPO, Dark Forest theory, and a most uncomfortable phrase passed down to Joey that we'll never forget. They don't talk about the new, hypothetical Critical Nonsense gym where folks gain reps facing their most mundane fears.

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The Missy Elliott Legacy and Cultural Critique

What can we learn from Missy Elliott? And what is the role of cultural critique today? [19:49]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Iconology, timelessness, the Rain, Rotten Tomatoes, Tan France, and Content. They don't talk about the future of Misdemeanor's career...maybe another episode?

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Bionic Bodies and Solving the World's Problems

What does it look like when we merge with tech? And how do we get people to solve the world's biggest problems? [21:56]

This week, special guest Matt Ward, Joey, and Aaron talk about Jack Horner, "our fat, lazy selves," the Bystander Effect, a series of extremely bleak world problems, hamburgers, and great robes. They don't talk about which host would match to which Hogwarts house if they were wizards.

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Taking Care of Business and Meme Speak

What is an organization's responsibility to its members? And what impact will memes have on language?

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about work-life balance, the making of Red Dead Redemption 2, golden handcuffs, raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, and inside jokes. They don't talk about how the Greek emphatikos is why 'phatic,' like 'emphatic,' sounds familiar.

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Aging Professionally and Vanilla Bias

How can we evolve our expectations of aging professionally? And why don't we like vanilla more? [21:17]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about peaking, Paul Dirac, second careers, vanilla planifolia, "real vanilla experiences," and redefining 'basic'. They don't talk about how much accidental shade Jess throws at chocolate this episode while standing up for vanilla justice.

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Sharing Our Feelings and Airport Culture

When is communicating emotion bad for your health? And what is the culture of airports? [20:15]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about sharing feelings, outrage, asking for what you need, "non-places," “Business Men,” and Geert Hofstede. They don’t talk their big dreams for the future of airports.

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