After Things Podcast

Whale songs and AI tools. Picks: Justin: Squid Game: The Challenge Brian: Amanda Knox

Google’s new AI launch might not be what it seems. Picks: Justin: Fargo Andrew: Doom Patrol | Now Streaming | Max Original | Max

A Thai restaurant tried to game Google, but accidentally went viral. We knew Google paid Apple a lot to be the default search engine. We didn’t know it was *a lot.* The Humane AI Pin? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After Things.” Picks: Justin: Space: 1969 from Bill Oakley Brian: Play Date

The episode opens with a discussion of SharkNinja's Ninja Neverstick cookware and a lawsuit over marketing claims that the pans are heated to 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The hosts debate whether the claim is literal or exaggerated advertising, compare it to other flashy marketing language, and talk through how a deceptive-marketing class action might work if consumers were misled. Later, the hosts discuss Apple possibly retiring the iTunes name, reflecting on how iTunes shifted from CD-ripping and downloads to a less central role in a streaming era. The episode also covers the Sam Bankman-Fried case and how its transcripts use coded or gamer-style language, which leads into a broader conversation about algorithmic moderation, euphemistic speech online, creator transparency, snoozing alarms, and the rediscovery of the silent film Sealed Hearts. Key topics Scientific-sounding advertising claims in consumer products: The hosts discuss the claim that Ninja Neverstick pans are heated to 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit and question whether that is a factual product claim or marketing hype. Class action strategy and deceptive marketing: They talk about the lawsuit by Patricia Brown, including whether consumers were deceived enough to support a class action and how legal liability would depend on the exact claims made. Apple's iTunes legacy and the shift from downloads to streaming: The discussion covers the possibility of retiring the iTunes brand, the split into Music/Podcasts/TV apps, an

Phone wars, flame wars, nearly-warring podcasters! The simple task of geopolitics. Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Curiosity Show on YouTube and “This Isn’t a Ponzi Scheme” from Coffeezilla Brian: The Economist Podcasts+ Bryce: Kagi Search

The episode opens with Andrew quizzing the others about an extinct goat from Mallorca and revealing that the animal was a mammal that had evolved extremely unusual cold-blooded traits on an island with limited resources and no predators. The hosts then dig into the evolutionary tradeoffs between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals, mention the naked mole rat as another unusual mammal, and riff on speculative science fiction ideas about humans adapting to space travel and microgravity. A long middle section turns to AI and mixed-reality tools. Andrew demos the Sol Reader and Quest 3 passthrough, while the hosts discuss how VR and spatial computing might change reading, work, and social presence. They also explore ChatGPT roleplay and image generation, talk about latency and model scaling, compare AI summarization tools and news feeds like RSS, NewsBlur, Twitter/X, and Substack, and debate prompt secrecy, guardrails, and whether AI assistance can feel therapeutic. Later, Brian shares a striking real-world story about seeing a bright object and smoke ring in the sky after an Austin eclipse event, which turned out to be a SpaceX Starlink launch. The episode closes with discussion of Starlink as backup internet and satellite-to-phone service, then a brief wrap-up directing listeners to Patreon and the show’s RSS feed. Key topics Island evolution and cold-blooded mammals: Andrew explains that the Mallorca goat evolved on an island with scarce resources and no predators, becoming

The episode opens with the hosts joking about UFOs, ghosts, and why those topics feel politically safer or socially easier to discuss than religion or partisan issues. That leads into a playful moon-landing conspiracy riff, followed by a discussion of an F-35 pilot ejecting and the confusing aftermath of a missing aircraft and a farmer calling 911. From there the conversation moves into space, life, and AI: Europa's carbon detection and the possibility of independently evolved alien life, panspermia and life spreading between worlds, interstellar probe concepts like Project Starshot, AGI/ASI timelines, fusion commercialization, lunar regolith bricks, and a long back half about ChatGPT, prompt engineering, AI-assisted creativity, comedy writing, and the group’s promo of Andrew Heaton's sci-fi work. Key topics UFOs as socially safe conversation: The hosts say UFOs/UAPs can be easier to discuss because they are not obviously tied to partisan politics, and Justin says he uses ghosts as a similarly low-stakes conversation starter. Moon landing conspiracy humor: Justin offers a joking hybrid theory that the moon landing happened but the return footage was faked because radiation ruined the film, while Andrew discusses how visual fakery can seem plausible. F-35 ejection and missing aircraft: The hosts discuss a story about an F-35 pilot ejecting, the jet being lost afterward, and a farmer being asked to call 911. Europa and alien life: Brian says JWST detected carbon on Europa, maki

Andrew announced that he’s leaving OpenAI after a very positive experience! What’s next for him after years of being in the AI space. What will his new venture, Interdimensional.ai, offer to bridge the gap between ideas and new AI technologies? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Joker Justin: The Afterparty Bryce: Interdimensional.ai

The episode opens with a discussion of a NASA UAP research appointment and quickly becomes a skeptical conversation about UFO evidence. The hosts argue that many reports are based on shaky, secondhand, or artifact-prone imagery, and that if aliens or unexplained craft were being captured reliably, the evidence would be much stronger than a few headlines or low-quality clips. A large middle section covers the Mexico alien-body story, which the hosts conclude appears to be a hoax or paper-mache-style fabrication, followed by a discussion of how hoaxes and fake artifacts persist because people want to believe. The episode then shifts into practical topics: warning future people about nuclear waste, the history of Sudafed restrictions and the ineffectiveness of phenylephrine, stimulant use and drug policy, and finally a series of picks and a long appreciation of the first Superman films. The picks segment features enthusiastic recommendations for Baldur's Gate 3, The Road to Redonction, and Taskmaster. The episode ends with a nostalgic conversation about Christopher Reeve's Superman, the humor and pacing of the Donner-era films, and why Superman Returns felt dull by comparison. Key topics NASA UAP research appointment and media framing: The hosts discuss a reported NASA appointment related to UAP research, but repeatedly note that the headline may exaggerate the role. They settle on the idea that it may simply be a liaison between NASA and the Defense Department rather than somet

iPhones, can you believe they’ve made 15 of them so far? Smartphones and how we own them have changed multiple times now. What could be next in the next, best iPhone? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Paul Reubens, The Pee-Wee Herman Show Justin: March to the Majority from Newt Gingrich Brian: The Diamond Age from Neal Stephenson Bryce: finity.