86! The Asymmetry of Bullsh*t and Lessons from Black Fandom

What's the cost of bullsh*t? And what can black fandom tell us about rebuilding modern creative businesses? [28:44]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Brandolini's Law, Hillary Clinton, what we don't know, Aaron's AdAge Feature (hello!), Gullah Gullah Island, and the Black Church. They don't talk about how the Gullah Heritage Corridor is in its 14th program year managed by the U.S. National Parks Service.

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85! The Dampener Effect and Cohesion at Work

What can we learn from games in designing a just society? And how do you keep cohesion with distributed teams? [26:56]

This week, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about the Mario Kart blue shell (it's blue, Joey), what makes a good game, the equity v. equality debate, cohesion at work, what makes a virtual meeting, and sheep sounds. They don't talk about *why* sheep sounds—our secret to keep.)

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84! Shopping Cart Theory and Our Hero Complex

Who returns the shopping cart? And what values do we actually want to take away from our heroes? [18:59]

This week, Joey and special guest Cole Nielsen talk about our Social Contract, TFW someone holds the door for you, mask participation, The Last Dance, WWBD (What Would Beyonce Do?), and Michele Obama. They don't talk about how Dads are equally liable to breathe down our necks too.

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83! Getting to Know "Karen" and How We Come Out

Who is Karen and why do we hate her? And what does it mean to "come out"? [26:02]

This week, we're back. Joey and Aaron and Jess talk about Joey's grandma, overreactions, female stereotypes, pride-washing, otherness, and committing ourselves to fighting shame. They don't talk about how yes, you can expect your regularly scheduled nonsense programming to resume here and now.

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82! June 2020, A Voicemail

Thanks for your patience during this pause, folks.

This week, we're not releasing a new episode: Joey leaves a short voicemail in your podcast-inbox to explain.

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81! To "Stan" vs "Cancel" and Anger Management

How are cancel culture and stan culture related? And how do we rage in public and in private? [22:36]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the gentle breezes of Twitter, social currency, fan empowerment, one rude dentist, "angry black men," and escalating a game of work-league volleyball. They don't talk about the origins of "uncomfortable fuddy-duddiness."

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80! Content Overload and Personal Experiments

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How much content is too much? And what experiments are you running on yourself RN? [19:19]

This week, Joey and voodoomamajuju Hannah Jegart talk about the overwhelming volume of boredom, watching Jeopardy, dopamine detoxing, Baby Foot, leg hair, and separately, helmet hair. They don't talk about how the second half of this episode deserves a Content Warning for gross bodily references.

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79! VERY Dirty Work and Irreconcilable Age Differences

What would it take for us to work in a vice industry? And how important is age to friendship? [29:28]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the skills people need to sell drugs, dirty work, moral employment, being 25, the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, and whether or not Joey and Jess are actually friends. They don't talk about how important age is to having enemies.

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77! From Enormous Baby to Hyping the Homies

This week, Six Handshakes‽ (A new segment where we try to connect the dots between finds from far flung reaches of the internet.) Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between this stay-at-home protestor investigation, the lovability of worms, enormous baby Then and Now, Bezos' wealth, muting on Zoom, and RuPaul's oil money. They don't talk about The Yolk Initiative.

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76! Future Foods and Dog Ownership with Matt Millington

What is the future of food? And what are the pros and cons of having a dog? [26:47]

This week, special guest Matt Millington joins Joey and Aaron to talk about stinging nettle soup, the UK's 'umami bomb,' milpas, Matt's dog Mr. Sid, Aaron's dog Rufio Cooper McFly, and Joey's dogs Ragamuffin, Gus, and Diablo. They don't talk about Jess's family dog Coco, nicknamed 'CocoNutButter.'

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75! Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine, with Clarissa Pharr

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What are the Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine?

This week, Live Clickbait! We and special guest Clarissa Pharr, deputy ideas editor at Quartz, discuss her picks:

  1. Don't text your ex.

  2. Don't call it "social distancing."

  3. Don't forget to tip the pizza delivery person.

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[Reruns] Meme Speak and Disney Princes

What impact will memes have on language? And why are Disney Princes so lame? [19:10]

This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Joey and Aaron talk about raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, inside jokes, lazy patriarchy, Mr. Mom-ism, and the inevitable queer Disney prince. They don't talk about sorghum flour.

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74! The Mobile Gaming Stigma and Quarantine Intimacy

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How can we destigmatize—and democratize— mobile gaming? And how might we maintain the intimacy we've developed during quarantine? [20:30]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Toon Blast, asking ourselves "am I the mayor?", how Dots is basically Candy Crush, small talk, Tom Figura's stand-up special, and doing "fine." They don't talk about whether Joey Tribbiani's "how you doin'" translates the same way.

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73! Being Bored and Alleviating Millennial Burnout

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How do we embrace boredom? And now that we have no excuses, when do we start doing all the things we've put off? [18:00]

This week, Joey and guest-with-absolutely-nothing-else-going-on Cristina talk about Joey's latest think piece, Jared Leto, Jess's meditative extracurricular, choosing what to wear, Cristina's to-do list, and the ways we distribute labor. They don't talk about the bad Isaac Newton stuff.

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72! WFH and The Best Pies

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How do you work from home? And what kind of pie is best? [21:36]

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about being "WFH Curious," multi-tasking, taking stock of things, sweet potato soufflé, salmon pie, and Chicken Voilá. They don't talk about why Jess's family is so big on singing the Jell-o jingle.

71! The Data Crystal Ball and Escaping Our Algorithms

Why do we think we can predict the future with data? And how do we escape the confines of our algorithms? [16:11]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about weather radars, Lorenz attractors, picking a good restaurant, Janelle Monaé, ambivalent Spotify, and Netflix's Max. They don't talk about vegan Hamster Hams.

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70! The Merits of Jargon and Exploitative TV

Where do we put our jargon? And what keeps us glued to exploitative television? [20:16]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about technical language, Strategic Bento Boxes, removing tension with new words, Judge Judy, [blank]sploitation, and Antoine Dodson. They don't talk about Big Jim's promise to all patrons: one beer, 75 tickets, unlimited taters. /glory.

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69! Experiencing Time Differently and Protecting Queer Spaces

How do we perceive time differently? And how can we tell people they're not queer? [20:10]

This week, Joey and mystical-magical-sorcerer-wizarding Trevor also-magic-twice Larry talk about Kronos and Kairos, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, incense timepieces, living in the margins, 2nd movements, and painting your nails. They don't talk about how Leap day is coming up or how there are almost 400 time zones.

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68! Human Brands and The Vertical Video Debate

Why do we feel the need to humanize brands? And the great debate: vertical or horizontal?

This week, Joey and special bird Hannah talk about a Ritz-sponsored magazine, Lil Miquela, burger offsets, some Landscape mode science words, sizzle videos, and how it would be to watch The Revenant in a vertical orientation. They don't talk about how the Sistine Chapel ceiling was not actually commissioned by the Medici: only the altar wall fresco, The Last Judgement.

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