169! Nonsense VC! Cereal Cinematic Universes

Which CCU team should get our backing? 

In the latest installment of Nonsense VC!, Jess pitches Cereal Cinematic Universes to Joey. They talk about Kellogg's vs. General Mills, character strength, biome corners, villains, tummy troubles, and the rampant commingling of ice cream and cereal. They don’t talk about cereal commas. 

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168! Malicious Compliance and Chapsticks

How far can we take malicious compliance? And what happens when a nothing turns into a need? [26:12]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, rules, Originalism, lip balm, deodorant, and skin care routines. They don’t talk about Judas Priest.

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167! Rock Music and Genetic Identity

How dead is Rock and Roll? And how are we tied to our genetic identity? [28:31]

This week, special guest Harmand Ponder joins Joey and Jess to talk about Tame Impala, Rock subgenres, Baroque Pop, genetics vs. culture, epigenetics, and beaches. They don’t talk about Bette Midler.

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[Reruns] 117! Cognitive Diversity and Office Supplies

How do you think different? And what office supplies do you miss? [45:26]

This week, a rerun from Nonsense past!

Again, 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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165! Goblin Mode and Pathologies

Is Goblin Mode a privilege? And how should we feel about pathologizing our behaviors? [27:24]

This week, special guest Ilana Bondell joins Joey and Jess to talk about the versions of Goblin Mode, pandemic nihilism, identity politics, repressing trauma, the western medical industrial complex, and "The Man." They don’t talk about Jareth.

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164! Permeated Nonsense and Youth Culture

Why do we keep doing things that don't make any sense at all? And is youth culture always the same? [24:34]

This week, Jess and Joey talk about Pi Day, songlines, dead reckoning, Billy Joel, the Flynn effect, and the global mean hat size. They don’t talk about the Tau of Pooh.

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163! That Darn Disposability Culture

161! The Fraud Phenomenon and Vibe Shifts

If we think of fraudsters as the hackers of social psychology, what can it teach us about the weaknesses of our society so we can strengthen them and make them better? And how should we feel about being left behind by a vibe? [28:57]

This week, special guest Trevor Larry joins Joey and Jess to talk about catfishing, Inventing Anna, desperation and risk analysis, vibe shifts, "youth culture" as a construct, and Williamsburg. They don’t talk about why Nobody Beats the Biz (R.I.P).

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160! Minding Your Business and Trash Candy

Where is the line between the honor of minding your own business and the honor of speaking up? And why do we buy things we know are trash? [28:49]

This week, Joey, Aaron and Jess talk about bowling within your bumpers, preference vs. morality, misplaced concern, the persistence of old candy, utility vs. nostalgia, and fidget spinners. They don’t talk about why black licorice is actually insanely good if you don't have a ridiculous bias against it and/or are Dutch (or from a former Dutch colony).

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159! Kama Sutra and India's Sexual Repression

How do you think we as individuals can help a country like India decolonize their values and move in a direction of sexual liberation?

This week, special guest Payal Pereira joins Jess and Joey to talk about British colonization, transgenerational cultural drama, kink subcultures, coded branding, sex education through dance, and the F-word. They don’t talk about the American Beekeeping Federation (or the Adult Bible Fellowship).

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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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