Bad Philosophy

In fact, nothing does. Screw life. Screw death! Screw anyone and everyone you’ve ever cared about, including your precious self.

…

It’s hard not to come away from the movie Synecdoche: New York without similar feelings (or simply a lack of feeling whatsoever). Recently Kevin and I delved into this systematic deconstruction of reality, life, death, itself, people, relationships, identity, and well… pretty much everything. We spent a mere hour trying to make sense of it, which felt entirely inadequate and is, apparently, far less than some others have. If you haven’t seen the film, this episode will make far less sense than it already does even if you have. Listen, if you dare, as I try feebly to grasp any semblance of understanding about it, and Kevin unrelentingly questions whether such a grasp is even possible. F************K…

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “Dream is Collapsing” from Inception by Hans Zimmer

Every New Year’s on BF, we take a look back and see what the last 365-ish days have actually brought us. This year we’re varying it up a little bit thanks to my laziness. We decided post our 2011 prediction follow-ups as an upcoming blog post and spend the entirety of this AWESOME episode looking forward into 2012 with one of our best panels ever. Kevin Saunders cruised in over Skype, Dr. Mark Webb from Texas Tech signed on just in time, and my good friends Jacie Hood and Simon Ponder (who’s now published!) joined me in person to share our non-apocalypse predictions over some tasty beer. So put on your best day-glo, grab your cup of wine back from Jeff Goldblum, and minimize your instance of Avernum, it’s BF time!

This Week’s Post-Show Song Pimpage: “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” performed by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

It’s often been stated that video games, with their freedom to act without consequence, fly in the face of morality and teach our children to become cold-blooded murderers. The reality is far more subtle, with many modern video games integrating moral choices (in both a consequential and deontological sense) that shape the gameplay in a significant fashion. This episode we discuss a couple of recent RPGs, BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with gaming review guru Britton Peele, BF stalwart Kevin Saunders, Level 90 Death Knight Kiki Canon, and the man with the worst taste in YouTube videos ever, Simon Ponder. So don your favorite dress, grab your… weapon, and try to avoid the Force zombies and witches on your way to the Spinagogue, it’s BF time!

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “Star Wars Chanukah Song” by The Fump

We Bad Philosophers have a particular affinity for a certain sitcom called Community. This highly experimental, genre-busting adventure was recently put on hiatus by NBC, much to the chagrin of the fan base. So, as we always do in anticipation of great shows going the way of the Dodo, we decided to convene and discuss what we love about this show and where it fits in the context of modern television. Kevin joined me to offer his more in-tune perspective on the industry and blow my mind in a couple of unexpected ways. Do you know where your pen is? It’s BF time!

“Community Spanish Rap HD” via YouTube

Sunrise or Sunset?

People change. Recently I made a video about how I’d like to change my approach to YouTube rather significantly. In hindsight, it’s one of the most egotistical videos I’ve ever made, and Kevin had no hesitation telling me this. He and Jacie Hood joined me to discuss and critique my latest endeavor, the changing nature of my ASL fame, and the YouTube community in general. Have a listen…

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “Stache” by Jonathan Coulton

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze:

Best subject?

Descrates?

Rude kids? Give ’em the Face!

Have you ever found yourself uttering anything like the following phrases? “Oh, I was totally into that band before they sold out” or “Forget polyester, tweed is where it’s at” or maybe “Gosh, I wish they’d bring back the phonograph cylinder; vinyl is so mainstream.” Well, I have some good news, my hipster friend — we recorded an episode just for you! On my first visit to Texas Tech University in over a year, I managed to rally some old stalwarts to tackle this topic: Shawn Brackett (of synesthesia fame), Matt Legler (who I swear will get carded at bars until he’s 40), and Bryan Mitchell (that guy who wore hats and wasn’t Kevin but now doesn’t wear hats anymore). Load this MP3 onto your iRiver H10 before your friends do, it’s BF time!

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “Too Soon” by Hey Ocean!

Question Answers in This Week’s Formsqueeze:

Babies?

Chances are that even despite these rough economic times, you’ve probably got a job at the moment. But have you ever asked yourself why you work so hard to perpetuate the capitalist construct, condemning yourself and a significant portion of your hapless peers to a lifetime of wage slavery? This episode Kevin and I brainstormed some paradigm-shifting theories on the subject during our downtime. It was one of the most productive BF’s ever, IMHO ASAP… FYI.

No video this week, even though we did go live with it. I um… forgot to press the ‘record’ button.

This Week’s Post-show ‘Song’ Pimpage: “Chris Rock: Job vs. Career“

Protesting is one of those most righteous and time-honored of human activities. Something about the simple act of getting angry, going somewhere, and shouting pithy phrases repeatedly with a group of people all holding signs appeals to our deep inner psyche. Is it the adrenaline rush of potentially getting busted by the authorities? Is it the sense of common purpose and participation in meaningful change? Is it the attention you get for doing all of the above? The world may never know.

In the mean time, you’ve got us to help you make even less sense of it all! This episode Kiki, Kevin, and I explored the Occupy X protests that are currently sweeping the disgruntled hipster communities in cities worldwide… oh, and that Wall Street thing too. Kevin even busted out his brand new plan for fixing our election system! Hint: if you hated the SAT, you’re gonna LOVE it. So grab your giant Sharpee, meet us in front of city hall, and prepare to get real cozy with the 99%, it’s BF time!

“Chimpanzee Riding On A Segway” (via YouTube)

Why do people sing in the shower?

Ideal man/woman?

Secret crush?

Is there an animal heaven?

The human race lost one of its finest this past Wednesday, as Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. All of us here at BF had opinions to share on the man in the black turtleneck, so Kevin, Jed, Simon, Kiki and I gathered together for our first live-streamed episode in quite some time. Glorify or vilify him, but Steve changed things. I’ve created every single episode of Bad Philosophy on a Mac using GarageBand, tools that never would have existed but for him and his passionate view of the future. We’re gonna miss him, but we’re also going to take inspiration from his drive to revitalize the show.

Part of that revitalization? We’re back LIVE streaming, baby! You can now watch us and chat with us live on the Interwebs again at our official Livestream page once a week. We’re still nailing down the exact schedule, so keep an eye on that page and our twitter stream for updates. In the meantime, you can watch this week’s episode from the archive below.

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “The Times They Are A-Changin” by Bob Dylan

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze:

Who is your favorite YouTuber?

Do you guys believe in love?

Picturing people naked?

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “Artificial Heart” by Jonathan Coulton (reversed)

Reverse your expectations, everyone! It’s BF time. Hate to spoil it for you, but Kevin is officially a published scholar. This week we gathered to join with Kiki and discuss some good ol’ equivocation of the religious variety. Apparently having little more than a cross or uttering the world “Jesus” in your film automatically makes it Christian. Who’d have guessed? We certainly didn’t! It’s a backwards kind of world out there y’all, but in here, it’s all your glorious BF.