132! The Power of D&D and Electronic Chill

How powerful is Dungeons & Dragons? And how are smooth jazz and chill electronica different? [33:25]

This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the educational benefits of D&D, the changing status of "The Nerd," platforming Tolkien, low cognitive load, pleasant white noise, and anti-pop. They don’t talk about how Tears for Fears isn't yacht rock, smooth jazz, or electronic chill—they're just great.

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131! Simple Routines and A Fireworks Hailstorm

Hey, what about rituals? And when is it time to get rid of fireworks? [33:21]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about learning from mindless routines, Millennial Rumspringa and the exhaustion of novelty, the mental efficiency of habit, fireworks and gentrification, moderation vs. cancelling, and drones. They don’t talk about using pyrotechnics to ward off heathens.

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[Reruns] 111! Your Purpose and UFO Sightings

How does purpose lead us astray? And when is it okay to talk about aliens? [24:22]

This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about Disney Pixar's Soul, fridge magnets, the Princess Diaries Series of novels, the Drake Equation and other UFO/UAP talk, tranches, and the science behind wombats' cube-shaped poop. They don't talk about owls relate to any of this conversation.

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130! The State of Pride in 2021

What is the state of Pride in 2021?

This week, special guest Dylan Fowler joins Aaron and Jess to talk about the diversity of the queer experience, George Floyd, Harvey Milk, Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Raiders, police participation, and more inclusive Pride flags. They don’t talk about how Dylan met Kacey Musgraves the other day.

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129! Power in Cute and The Kitsch Scale

When and how can cute and powerful co-exist? What is the scale of cute to kitsch, and who gets to decide when things become kitschy? [21:31]

Cutie Corner returns! This week, special guests Nora Mestrich and Ash Casper join Jess to talk about the paradoxical expectations of women's behavior, how cuteness humanizes people, Japanese mascot culture, kitsch vs. tacky, being eclectic, and the shift from minimalism to maximalism. They don’t talk about how cute the word "kitsch" is.

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128! Compassion Fatigue and the Attention Economy with Dr. Charles R. Chaffin

This week, our inaugural expert guest Dr. Charles R. Chaffin stops by to talk about his new book, Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back.

Dr. Chaffin joins Joey to discuss the attention economy, compassion fatigue vs. empathy fatigue, finding empowerment to combat helplessness, the problem when tools become destinations, designing for addiction, Section 230, and authenticity. They don’t talk about Dr. Chaffin's microwave.

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127! Local Sourcing and Fill-In-The-Blank Summer

What is our responsibility as consumers and brands to source products locally and support local economies? And what's the theme of this summer? [33:30]

This week, special guest Fabian Castro joins Joey and Jess to talk about how volume and demand affect supporting local, being a responsible tourist/consumer, monocultures, Chet Hanks, pandemic-influenced summer expectations, and liminal spaces. They don’t talk about how to source local porpoise corpses (or how hard it is to say that five times fast).

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126! Magic vs. Tech in Media and Ghost Foods

Why are we gravitating toward magic against technology, and is magic winning the cultural conversation? And what's your worst possible ghost food? [30:55]

This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about the difference between fantasy and SciFi, magic as Big Tech's foil, the Waves of Pocahontas, WandaVision, silphium, ghost foods we currently live with (thanks again, allergies!), and the ultimate pear. They don’t talk about the legend that is Don Hertzfeldt.

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125! Healthy Conflict and Subtraction

How do we fight more? And how will we strike a balance between simplicity and complexity? [24:42]

This week, special guest Jenny Cavaioli joins Joey and Jess to talk about the positive outcomes of conflict, disagreeable givers, psychological safety, the powers of subtraction, Marie Kondo, and allergies. THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. (Well, they do a little bit, but please please please don't tell Tyler).

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124! Power, Pain, and Progress

How do we learn to relinquish our power?

This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about racial inequity in corporations, Basecamp and Coinbase, the necessity of pain for progress, the wisdom of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, power accumulation and perceptions of scarcity, and yachts. They don’t talk about Petunia's power over The Man.

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123! Emotional Granularity and Getting Cheugy With it

How much room is there for emotional granularity at work? And what is "cheugy"? [35:05]

This week, special guests Katie Sadow and Ilana Bondell join Joey to talk about the connection between specific language and feelings, physical responses to emotions, the benefits of emotional intelligence, the inherent cringe of social media, generational earnestness and youthful pushback, and the metabolism of jumping the shark. They don’t talk about Selena Gomez's feelings.

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[Reruns] 87! The Waffle House Index and Keeping an Open Mind

What can waffles tell us about in our lives that we might not otherwise see? And how do you make room for an open-mind? [23:45]

This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Jess and Joey talk about the Waffle House Index, the best kind of floss, the trap of spurious correlations, lots of longform, doomscrolling, and making the most out of openness. They don't talk about dinosaur floss, though they definitely, DEFINITELY should have.

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122! Privacy Wars and Identity Questions

What trade-offs are we willing to make for our privacy? And what is Jess? [35:16]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about Apple's AppTrackingTransparency, the social graph, individual vs. collective impacts, personal narratives, seeking validation, and determining what you value. They don’t talk about which would win in a death match: Tevas or Crocs.

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121! The Coming-Out Gauntlet and Thick Conversations

120! Keeping Score and Storing Peanut Butter

How do we reorient our ambitions toward intrinsic rewards? In which grocery store aisle does peanut butter belong? [28:34]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators, the need to satisfy a craving, effortless ambition, hoarding butter, grocery store organization, and confusion by design. They don’t talk about how far away the Oort Cloud actually is.

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119! Disintegrating Institutions and Tech Ambivalence

As traditional institutions crumble, what do we gain and what do we lose? And what technology do you need but hate? [35:52]

This week, special guest Katie Sadow again joins Joey and Aaron, this time to talk about Substack, gatekeeping, standards, cellphones, smart homes, and social media. They don’t talk about which Girl Scout Cookies are vegan.

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118! Value Creation and Pasta Shapes

What is the relative value of contribution versus creation? And what is your ideal pasta shape? [19:22]

This week, special guest Katie Sadow joins Jess and Joey to talk about Dan Pashman's cascatelli, the food industry caste order, rappers and basketball players, sauce pairings, mouth feel, and noodles. They don’t talk about at what point rice becomes pasta.

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117! Cognitive Diversity and Office Supplies

How do you think different? And what office supplies do you miss? [45:20]

This week, Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about aphantasia, internal monologues, learning styles, pilfering printer paper, binder clips, and ugly cups. They don’t talk about The Mind Palace.

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116! The Bad Idea “Virus”

What if we could cancel ideas without cancelling people?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about cancel culture, “catching” bad ideas, conspiracy theories, helpful propaganda, Jess’s favorite story about languages, and dim sum. They don’t talk about which is better: the Portuguese egg tart or strawberry shortcake?

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115! Revisiting Deep Work and Cinematic Universes

How can we fix knowledge work? And what’s the deal with all these cinematic universes? [33:58]

This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about fadoodling, hyperactive hive minds, Betamax and LaserDiscs, the initial conditions of a good universe, the MCU, and WandaVision. They don’t talk about how you can print money that smells like maple syrup.

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