158! Buttresses, Tethers, and Grunts

When should you keep going when all you see ahead of you are troubles? And why do tennis players grunt? [23:52]

This week, Jess, Aaron and Joey talk about the ever-elusive vanilla cookie, nuance and complexity, imagining beyond your means, kinetic linking, mirroring, and tennis culture. They don’t talk about Monica Seles. Or Maria Seles. Or even Martina Seles. (They don't talk about Jimmy Connors either).

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157! Information Control

Are we actually passive victims to social media or do you see a future where we have some modicum of control?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the metaverse, Web3, public ledgers of information, entropy, "baroque speculative fiction," and nerds. They don’t talk about NFTs, weirdly enough.

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156! Wild Prognostications 2022!

What's to come in 2022?

This week, it's Wild Prognostications time again! Joey, Jess, and Aaron chime in with their annual predictions for the new year. They talk about crypto crashing [5:59], the return of rollerskating [19:59], the low-rise revival [28:53], gap-year popularity [43:15], Home-Ec classes for adults [52:19], and psychedelics [1:01:28]. They don’t talk about Vince Chase, poor guy.

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155! Introducing: Nonsense VC!

How to make Sh*t Happens?

We're back! (Kind of). We're kicking off 2022 with a quick intro to our new Shark Tank-like segment: Nonsense Venture Capital. This week, special guest Nora Mestrich joins Joey and Jess to talk about public restrooms, toilet paper, and two-dollar bills. They don’t talk about the impressively maintained public bathroom in Bryant Park.

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[Reruns] 62! '90s Action Films and Cleaning Digital House

What debt do we owe to '90s action movies? And how can we clean digital house in the new year? [22:08]

This week, one more from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Joey talk about the most progressive movie genres, Atomic Blonde, Sigourney Weaver, ideas on Twitter, deep cleaning our feeds, and "the holey sock problem." They don't talk about how Joey is definitely 1000% wrong about Hitch.

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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? [26:49]

This week, another 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 how owls relate to any of this conversation.

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[Reruns] 47! 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? [28:27]

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

Again, 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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154! Wild Prognostications 2021 Year In Review!

This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey review their "frog-nogs" from Episode 109, discussing pop wellness and plant-based meat [4:58]; Eurocentric interior design and breakfast [14:01]; and, the WFH pendulum and fucc bois [27:34]. They don’t talk about dinner ennui.

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152! Hitting the Breaks and Hanukkah Retail

How do we take a break? And why is the average American retailer so bad at Hanukkah? [26:29]

This week, Joey, Jess and Aaron talk about the feeling of wasted opportunity, the down-shift, accounting for transitional time, Hanukkah ignorance, the secularization of holidays, and uniquely designed menorahs. They don’t talk about HAIM and/or Adam Sandler.

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150! Dads and Holding Companies Accountable

What do we want from a dad? And how should companies be held accountable? [44:37]

This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Joey and Jess to talk about paternity leave, movie dads, inputs and outputs, legal backlash, collateral consequences, and unchecked systems. Sadly, they don’t talk about Sade.

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149! Release the Gift Pressure Valve

What is a celebration without gifts?

This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about ongoing gift lists, gift paralysis, better wish lists, the curiosity of good gift-giving, "leaving room," and The Instant Present. They don’t talk about the sweet stamp suite available at USPS right now: Star Wars? Mon Stars?

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148! The Digital Vigilante Tax and The Privilege of Mediocrity

When it comes to digital vigilanteism, what ultimate wages will we have to pay? And how do you feel about mediocrity? [25:37]

This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess talk about rousing public attention, the celebrity amplification effect, the undercurrent of distrust in justice, the fear of being medium, a refrain of the Impressionist problem, and wrestling with workism. They don’t talk about what are party pants.

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147! "Spooky Season" and Halloween Costumes

How come we're now calling this time of year "Spooky Season"? And what makes a Halloween costume special? [29:44]

This week, special guest and SYLVAIN Halloween expert Xahra Gilbert joins Joey and Jess to talk about candy corn, Cuffing Season, Fill-in-the-Blank Season, Halloween costumes, recognizability vs. the exclusive club of getting it, and facial contouring. Thankfully, they don’t talk about Korn.

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146! Relinquishing Power Redux

How do we teach each other how to relinquish our power?

This week, Aaron, Joey and Jess return to topic of relinquishing power from Critical Nonsense Episode 124 and talk about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), loss aversion vs. creation, collective amplification, looking beyond recruiting, allyship, and collaboration. They don’t talk about Aaron's dentist.

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145! Feelings About Institutions and Baby Names

What does it say about us that we have this love/hate relationships with institutions but never want to follow through disrupting them? And how do we all figure out the same rules for naming things at the exact same time? [29:29]

This week, Jess and Aaron talk about Ozy, sparkling water, astrophysics, the current rules of naming, creating and erasing tethers, and Black names. They don’t talk about what baby names nerf herders prefer.

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144! Being All-In and the Future of Cities

Why do we need to be 100% in on everything? And what do you want the future of cities to be? [22:19]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about social media likes, consumed-content as identity, Ryan Reynolds, urban density, crisis-inspired city experimentation, and Retrofuturism. They don’t talk about how much more Michael likes semifreddos than he does whole Fredos.

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143! The Replication Crisis and Childhood Obsessions

How should we be viewing research in a world where social scientists are going through a replication crisis? And what do our childhood favorites reveal about us today as adults? [32:57]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about evaluating research, truthiness, Game of Thrones, intense interest, dinosaurs, and persistent preferences. They don’t talk about Diplo.

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142! Etiquette and Holiday Decorating

Do we even need etiquette anymore? And what are the rules around decorating for the holidays? [28:25]

This week, special guest Hannah Jegart joins Jess and Joey to talk about conscientiousness vs. responsibility, policing behavior, who makes the rules, wreaths, self-designated holidays, and decorating indoors. They talk a lot about soup, but they don’t talk about what's wrong with the soup!

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