Bonus episode: A takeover! Claire Choi shares her latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: The State of Wellbeing: Are We Unwell?
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
Where are other places where desire paths would be relevant when not talking about sidewalks?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about friction, grocery store layouts, Norman doors, incentives, breaking templates, and shopping districts. They don’t talk about sneckdowns.
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What's the best way to get sick as an adult?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about historically un-sick parents, hyper-individualistic cultures, COVID, community health, personal comfort vs. social responsibility, and rest. They don’t talk about Mudhoney.
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What's to come in 2025?
This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing micro-social media [3:30], platform madness [6:52], nihilistic design [13:10], weaponized compliance [18:32], graphic realism pivoting to novel gameplay [24:05], dressing up [30:38], blockbuster novels [33:15], and a runaway AI crisis [36:56]. They don’t talk about supervillain Daniel Dumile.
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The Atlantic: We’re All in ‘Dark Mode’ Now
Techradar: Nintendo Switch 2: what we know about the next-generation system so far
The New York Times: Rebecca Yarros’s ‘Onyx Storm’ Is the Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in 20 Years
How do we respond to the competing incentives of hybrid work?
This week, we revisit our conversation from Critical Nonsense 290! Hybrid Work, this time with special guest and workplace design leader Amanda Stanaway of ERA-co. She joins Joey and Jess to talk about belonging, productivity, the corporate Kool-Aid, burnout, human connection, and hammocks. They don’t talk about hard-boiled eggs.
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WORKTECH Academy: Flight to character: a fightback begins against homogenous global offices by Amanda Stanaway
The Atlantic: The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson
Chicago Booth Review: Humanity Is Carried on the Voice by Nick Epley
Why would you break up with your best friend?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about para-romance, frenemies, communication styles, emotional proximity, work relationships, and boy and girl bands. They don’t talk about Whodini.
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Black Love: How to Grieve Women Friendships That No Longer Serve You
Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships by Robin Dunbar
The Atlantic: The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson
Why do people love rituals so much?
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about medicine, Lunar New Year, habits, disease, leg washing, and flossing. They don’t talk about Jane's Addiction.
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Yale School of Medicine: Phenylephrine, a Common Decongestant, Is Ineffective, Say FDA Advisors. It’s Not Alone
Ritual, Play and Belief, in Evolution and Early Human Societies by Colin Renfrew
National Geographic: "Why do humans embrace rituals? Disease and danger may be at the root of the behaviors."
Not-so-late-breaking: OSU microbiologists propose updates to the Linnaean System
When is it okay to correct someone?
This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
Again, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma.
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Corrections Department (because of course): Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland
Seth Meyers' Corrections on Late Night
How did our predictions play out in 2024?
This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey look back at their prognogs from Episode 247, discussing AI hardware, energy optimism, Scarlett Johansson, AI slop, EV, algae-based biofuels, the gelatin market, and wide shoes. They don’t talk about Jamie Foxx.
references
Wired: "Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Copilot+ PCs"
Micosoft Blog: Introducing Copilot+ PCs
Marques Brownlee Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable
Reuters: Amazon to pilot AI-designed material for carbon removal
What kernels of truth are there in sci-fi content today that can maybe predict what our smart technological futures will look like?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about retrofuturism, the Otis elevator, all things Dymaxian, AI, post-scarcity society and ship names. They don’t talk about our dystopian present.
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Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Corrections Department: Neuromancer by William Gibson
Iain M. Banks' Culture series
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
What do we do with Cultural Beige?
This week, Aaron and Joey talk about cultural homogenization, algorithms, local commerce, international culture, outliers and Charli XCX. They don’t talk about Christian Bale or J. G. Ballard.
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Why haven't we figured out hybrid yet?
This week, Jess and Joey talk about remote working, cost structures, collaborative tools, individual flexibility, speaker microphones, and body language. They don’t talk about sensory processing issues and how they impact in-person productivity.
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What varietal of mind wine are your grapes lately?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about pattern breaking, the restorative power of boredom, bird brains, pajama day, the productivity mindset, and seizing rest. They don’t talk about when Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
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Why are we so obsessed with trying to live forever?
This week, special guest Chandler Saunders joins Jess and Joey to talk about adult superlatives, aging, the soul, compounding experience, afterlife FOMO, and aging reversal. They don’t talk about Irene Cara.
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What is it about certain settings that just piss us off?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Maggie Rogers, live concerts, the unflustered mom, road rage, cycling, and liminality. They don’t talk about mosh pits.
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Bonus episode: A takeover! Kristy shares a recent edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: The State of Youth: A New Paradigm for Growing Up, written by Chief Strategy Officer Chris Konya.
For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.
What's the best way to unlock a sense of financial security in all of us?
This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about voting, the economy, financial insecurity, the post-scarcity world, unequal distribution, and intergenerational trauma. They don’t talk about A$AP Rocky.
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What happens when your mind changes?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about nuclear power, Three Mile Island, solar power, the Overton window, abortion, and tokamaks. They don’t talk about Eddie Kendricks.
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What do we do about power distance?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about organizational hierarchy, Geert Hofstede, authoratative leadership, omakase, decision-making, and Mr. Oizo. They don’t talk about Flat Stanley.
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How many things are we surrounded by that have use cases that we're not thinking about?
This week, Joey and Jess talk about Ozempic, Cialis, blockchain, invention, solar panels, and pessimism vs. optimism. They don’t talk about chainsaws.
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