Podcast episode for Zvi’s 2025 In Movies.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 00:21 - The Ratings Scale

* 02:17 - The Five Component Model of Movie Ratings

* 03:52 - The Numbers

* 04:28 - Movies Have Decreasing Marginal Returns in Practice

* 05:22 - Very Briefly on the Top Picks and Whether You Should See Them

* 06:46 - Other Notes to Self to Remember (Reprise from 2024)

* 08:16 - The Year of Living Disagreeably

* 11:11 - I Hate Spoilers With the Fire of a Thousand Suns

* 11:33 - You Son Of A B***h, I’m In

* 12:45 - Theaters Continue To Be Awesome

* 13:19 - Strong Opinions, Strongly Held: I Didn’t Like It

* 20:00 - Strong Opinions, Strongly Held: I Did Like It

* 21:59 - Award Show Dreams

* 22:39 - On To 2026

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/zvis-2025-in-movies?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for Keeping Up Against the Joneses: Balsa’s 2025 Fundraiser.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 01:43 - What Balsa Got Up to in 2025

* 06:19 - A quick glance at our budget

* 07:02 - Balsa in 2026, and Our Ask

* 08:21 - Complete the Jones Act policy binder

* 08:56 - Receive and publicize findings from the two funded economic studies

* 09:17 - Fund at least one high-quality study from the labor RFA

* 09:53 - Continue monitoring Section 301 and SHIPS Act developments, contributing input where it seems high-leverage

* 10:44 - What Additional Funding Enables

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/keeping-up-against-the-joneses-balsas?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for The Revolution of Rising Expectations.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 01:33 - The Revolutions of Rising Expectations

* 04:39 - The Revolution of Rising Requirements

* 07:01 - Whose Line Is It Anyway?

* 09:30 - Thus In This House We Believe The Following

* 10:41 - Real De Facto Required Expenses Are Rising Higher Than Inflation

* 12:12 - Great Expectations

* 16:36 - We Could Fix It

* 17:50 - Man’s Search For Meaning

* 21:24 - How Do You Afford Your Rock And Roll Lifestyle?

* 23:59 - Our Price Cheap

* 28:10 - It Takes Two (1)

* 30:48 - It Takes Two (2)

* 31:20 - If So, Then What Are You Going To Do About It, Punk?

* 36:15 - The Revolution of Rising Expectations Redux

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/the-revolution-of-rising-expectations?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for When Were Things The Best?

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 01:50 - The Most Close-Knit Communities

* 03:17 - The Most Moral Society

* 05:18 - The Least Political Division

* 05:50 - The Happiest Families

* 06:47 - The Most Reliable News Reporting

* 08:21 - The Best Music

* 10:32 - The Best Radio

* 11:36 - The Best Fashion

* 11:52 - The Best Economy

* 12:23 - The Best Movies

* 13:47 - The Best Television

* 15:27 - Best Sporting Events

* 17:37 - The Best Cuisine

* 18:34 - Bonus: The Best Job Security

* 19:15 - The Best Everything

* 22:27 - The Best Information Sources, Electronics, Medical Care, Dental Care, Medical (and Non-Medical) Drugs, Medical Devices, Home Security Systems, Telephone Services and Mobile Phones, Communication, and Delivery Services of All Kinds

* 23:02 - The Best Air Travel

* 23:45 - The Best Cars

* 24:08 - The Best Roads, Traffic and Infrastructure

* 25:06 - The Best Transportation

* 25:39 - It’s Getting Better All The Time

* 28:44 - We Should Be Doing Far Better On All This

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/when-were-things-the-best?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for AI #147: Flash Forward.

* 00:00:00 - Introduction

* 00:01:38 - Table of Contents

* 00:05:13 - Language Models Offer Mundane Utility

* 00:07:09 - Language Models Don’t Offer Mundane Utility

* 00:07:59 - Huh, Upgrades

* 00:11:33 - On Your Marks

* 00:14:33 - Choose Your Fighter

* 00:17:57 - Get My Agent On The Line

* 00:22:56 - Deepfaketown and Botpocalypse Soon

* 00:25:55 - Fun With Media Generation

* 00:28:48 - Copyright Confrontation

* 00:29:15 - Overcoming Bias

* 00:31:16 - Unprompted Attention

* 00:32:10 - They Took Our Jobs

* 00:34:46 - Feeling the AGI Take Our Jobs

* 00:40:30 - The Art of the Jailbreak

* 00:40:50 - Get Involved

* 00:43:14 - Introducing

* 00:44:03 - Gemini Flash 3

* 00:46:29 - In Other AI News

* 00:47:06 - Going Too Meta

* 00:51:50 - Show Me the Money

* 00:52:28 - Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

* 00:54:39 - Quiet Speculations

* 00:56:46 - Timelines

* 00:57:46 - The Quest for Sane Regulations

* 01:00:51 - My Offer Is Nothing

* 01:09:16 - My Offer Is Nothing, Except Also Pay Me

* 01:13:41 - Chip City

* 01:20:44 - The Week in Audio

* 01:21:59 - Rhetorical Lack Of Innovation

* 01:33:12 - People Really Do Not Like AI

* 01:40:25 - Rhetorical Innovation

* 01:43:45 - Bad Guy With An AI

* 01:48:08 - Misaligned!

* 01:53:36 - Aligning a Smarter Than Human Intelligence is Difficult

* 01:56:27 - Mom, Owain Evans Is Turning The AIs Evil Again

* 02:03:17 - Messages From Janusworld

* 02:06:43 - The Lighter Side

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/ai-147-flash-forward?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for The $140K Question: Cost Changes Over Time.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 01:29 - The Debate Continues

* 03:06 - The Cost of Thriving Index Redux

* 05:18 - The Housing Theory Of Everything Remains Undefeated

* 12:02 - Did We Halt the Rise in Healthcare and Education Costs?

* 17:30 - Healthcare Costs

* 22:47 - Higher Education Costs

* 27:36 - Services Productivity is Rising But What Even Is Productivity Measuring

* 29:48 - On Clothing In Particular

* 30:30 - Our Price Free

* 31:19 - By Default Supply Side Is The Problem

* 34:23 - The Kids Are Financially Alright In Historical Terms

* 39:45 - Live Like a Khan

* 42:43 - We Should Be Doing Far Better On All This

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/the-140k-question-cost-changes-over?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for The $140,000 Question.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 01:59 - Table of Contents

* 02:27 - None Of This Makes Any Sense

* 04:20 - Let’s Debunk The Whole Calculation Up Front

* 08:42 - The Debunking Chorus

* 13:14 - Okay It’s Not $140,000 But The Vibes Mean Something

* 14:36 - Needing Two Incomes Has A High Cost

* 19:27 - I Lied

* 23:58 - But That’s Not Important Right Now

* 24:12 - Poverty Trap

* 28:50 - Poverty Trap Versus Poverty Line

* 32:17 - Double or Nothing

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/the-140000-question?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast epiosde for GPT-5.2 Is Frontier Only For The Frontier.

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 00:25 - The Bottom Line

* 01:55 - Introducing GPT-five point two

* 03:50 - Official Benchmarks

* 06:49 - GDPVal

* 09:52 - Unofficial Benchmarks

* 13:00 - Official Hype

* 14:18 - Public Reactions

* 14:39 - Positive Reactions

* 20:33 - Personality Clash

* 25:22 - Vibing the Code

* 28:02 - Negative Reactions

* 30:52 - But Thou Must (Follow The System Prompt)

* 33:05 - Slow

* 34:09 - Model Card And Safety Training

* 37:48 - Deception

* 40:05 - Preparedness Framework

* 42:05 - Rush Job

* 43:26 - Frontier Or Bust

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/gpt-52-is-frontier-only-for-the-frontier?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for Monthly Roundup #37: December 2026

* 00:00 - Introduction

* 00:17 - Ban Gain of Function Research

* 05:23 - In The Zone

* 05:57 - A Price Is A Signal Wrapped In An Incentive

* 07:09 - While I Cannot Condone This

* 08:48 - The Gift Of Having A Gift To Give Away

* 09:27 - Good News, Everyone

* 12:18 - Paranoia, Paranoia

* 19:35 - A Good Book

* 21:21 - For Your Entertainment

* 22:59 - And The Warner Sister Dot

* 24:57 - Gamers Gonna Game Game Game Game Game

* 27:20 - Think Of The Children

* 31:11 - Sports Go Sports

* 33:32 - Antisocial Media

* 35:02 - Government Working

* 39:47 - Variously Effective Altruism

* 40:19 - Party Time, Excellent

* 43:54 - Waste, Fraud, Abuse But Mostly No One Looked

* 45:12 - How You Do Anything

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/monthly-roundup-37-december-2026?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast episode for AI #146: Chipping In.

* 00:00:00 - Introduction

* 00:01:29 - Language Models Offer Mundane Utility

* 00:03:01 - ChatGPT Needs More Mundane Utility

* 00:05:44 - Language Models Don’t Offer Mundane Utility

* 00:06:06 - On Your Marks

* 00:08:48 - Choose Your Fighter

* 00:10:26 - Get My Agent On The Line

* 00:12:17 - Deepfaketown and Botpocalypse Soon

* 00:12:54 - Fun With Media Generation

* 00:13:16 - Copyright Confrontation

* 00:13:25 - A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer

* 00:15:10 - They Took Our Jobs

* 00:21:48 - Americans Really Do Not Like AI

* 00:24:58 - Get Involved

* 00:26:32 - Introducing

* 00:27:25 - Gemini 3 Deep Think

* 00:28:38 - In Other AI News

* 00:30:57 - This Means War

* 00:32:28 - Show Me the Money

* 00:32:49 - Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

* 00:34:59 - Quiet Speculations

* 00:36:29 - Impossible

* 00:39:17 - Can An AI Model Be Too Much?

* 00:40:48 - Try Before You Tell People They Cannot Buy

* 00:43:20 - The Quest for Sane Regulations

* 00:44:22 - The Chinese Are Smart And Have A Lot Of Wind Power

* 00:45:26 - White House To Issue AI Executive Order

* 00:52:01 - H200 Sales Fallout Continued

* 01:00:48 - Democratic Senators React To Allowing H200 Sales

* 01:02:14 - Independent Senator Worries About AI

* 01:05:17 - The Week in Audio

* 01:05:47 - Timelines

* 01:07:25 - Scientific Progress Goes Boink

* 01:11:28 - Rhetorical Innovation

* 01:15:28 - Open Weight Models Are Unsafe And Nothing Can Fix This

* 01:16:28 - Aligning a Smarter Than Human Intelligence is Difficult

* 01:18:13 - What AIs Will Want

* 01:22:08 - People Are Worried About AI Killing Everyone

* 01:26:05 - Other People Are Not As Worried About AI Killing Everyone

* 01:28:36 - The Lighter Side

The Don’t Worry About the Vase Podcast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support the cost of creation, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thezvi/p/ai-146-chipping-in?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Get full access to DWAtV Podcast at dwatvpodcast.substack.com/subscribe