What are the dangers when coming out becomes outdated? And what is the role of nuance in an increasingly media-/sound-bite-oriented culture? [30:32]

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Colton Underwood, the business and real work of coming out, gauntlet types, Tressie McMillan Cottom, "tell me more," and nuance as poetry. They don’t talk about Lance Bass.

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How do we reorient our ambitions toward intrinsic rewards? In which grocery store aisle does peanut butter belong? [28:34]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators, the need to satisfy a craving, effortless ambition, hoarding butter, grocery store organization, and confusion by design. They don’t talk about how far away the Oort Cloud actually is.

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As traditional institutions crumble, what do we gain and what do we lose? And what technology do you need but hate? [35:52]

This week, special guest Katie Sadow again joins Joey and Aaron, this time to talk about Substack, gatekeeping, standards, cellphones, smart homes, and social media. They don’t talk about which Girl Scout Cookies are vegan.

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What is the relative value of contribution versus creation? And what is your ideal pasta shape? [19:22]

This week, special guest Katie Sadow joins Jess and Joey to talk about Dan Pashman's cascatelli, the food industry caste order, rappers and basketball players, sauce pairings, mouth feel, and noodles. They don’t talk about at what point rice becomes pasta.

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How do you think different? And what office supplies do you miss? [45:20]

This week, 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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What if we could cancel ideas without cancelling people?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about cancel culture, “catching” bad ideas, conspiracy theories, helpful propaganda, Jess’s favorite story about languages, and dim sum. They don’t talk about which is better: the Portuguese egg tart or strawberry shortcake?

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How can we fix knowledge work? And what’s the deal with all these cinematic universes? [33:58]

This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about fadoodling, hyperactive hive minds, Betamax and LaserDiscs, the initial conditions of a good universe, the MCU, and WandaVision. They don’t talk about how you can print money that smells like maple syrup.

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How do we cure the disease of rugged individualism? And what wouldn’t you put on a waffle? [25:20]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about the American ideal of self-reliance, the story of Survivor Bias, how hard it is to be a man and ask for help, a framework to decide if something should/should not be a topping, "The Maple Syrup Standard", and Aaron's new waffle iron. They don't talk about the power ranking of breakfast foods: waffles, pancakes, french toast, anyone?

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How do we move Black History Month forward? And when will "sheltering in work" stop? [27:25]

How does cuteness help broach real talk? And why we do think small things are so cute? [15:02]

This week, Cutie Corner! Jess and Designer/Cutie-in-Chief, Nora Mestrich, invent a new segment about all things cute. This time, talking about Disney Pixar's Burrow, lite consumption, seeking "Deep Cute" vs "Superficially Cute", what exactly is a Mini Brand, *the* feta pasta, and knick knacking. They don't talk about the great Kinder Surprise choking controversy.

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