‘funny,’ not funny

Lionel and Jim discuss Mastodon, social media, or lack thereof, USB alarms going off in Lionel's headphones, and modern modes of communication. They talk about the possible dwindling need now for office space for businesses and universities in the new reality. Jim gets Lionel to list is college band names. Bladerunner 2049, Cowboy Bebop and The Fifth Element come up. In they end they decide that new reading material is needed and revisit. Finally, Lionel returns to discuss { feuilleton } and his perspective on Led Zeplin IV and the chosen typeface for the album at johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2022/05/02/led-zeppelin-iv-jimmy-page-versus-little-bo-peep/.References: https://funnynotfunny.bigego.com/links/f/S1~dot~16-Everything-Will-Always-Never-Be-The-Same-Again/

Lionel and Jim discuss

the novel Uprooted by Naomi Novik

the novel The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

the novels Anathem and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

John Coulthart's unusual website: johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/

The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes

Chris Burden's (not Eric Burden's) sculpture The Other Vietnam Memorial

David decided after graduating NYU in the late 80's that he did not want a traditional desk job. He joined the Seafarers International Union as an unlicensed deckhand. Eventually he joined the Sailors' Union of the Pacific and finally got his officer's license in 2013. He has sailed all over the world on US flagged vessels. He worked as a licensed deck officer in the Masters, Mates & Pilots union from 2103 until the COVID pandemic, as a Third Mate, on vessels stationed in South Korea and Saipan. David is an inveterate reader and collects books portraying mariners.References: https://funnynotfunny.bigego.com/links/f/S1~dot~14-David-Partikian/

Lionel and I talk about my upcoming lecture on Speculative Fiction and Society, Laurie Anderson, why agriculture may have been a bad idea, and more.

Lionel and Jim discuss a lecture by Nick Weaver of Berkley regarding crypto currency and blockchain from the computer security perspective.You can view the lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9nv0Ol-R5QWe also talk about Lionel's college tour of the Northeast, and his experience at an actual Chris Chandler show.

We had a nice sit down with the intrepid Chris Chandler who joined us from a park bench near his current home in Austin because there was construction going on in his dwelling. We talk about his life as a troubadour poet, Texas, Georgia, and when you are really in trouble with the police.References: https://funnynotfunny.bigego.com/links/f/S1~dot~11-Chris-Chandler/

Bob Loy is Director of Orchestra Personnel and Librarian at Opera Philadelphia. We discuss classical music in the time of the pandemic, production of orchestral, opera, and chamber music, and music in general.Bob was a wonderful guest and we know he has many more stories to share. We hope to have him back soon.

Lionel and Jim discuss Jim’s exodus from Spotify, Napster, the business of music, the DMCA, common misused words like non-plussed, fixing the mess that still is email, the idea of Merit in Jim’s Wakeful Wanderer novels, Malcom Gladwell, and Moneyball.The audio mix on this was terrible. Jim is too loud, Lionel is too quiet. After trying his best to mix this one, Jim decided to move to a more expensive Streamyard plan to get separate audio tracks to mix. Apologies, future episodes will be better.

Lionel and Jim discuss the French Toast Alert System, Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Disposessed, William Gibson’s The Peripheral, Jim’s adventures with Spotify and streaming, and Jim’s theory about the movie The Social Network.References: https://funnynotfunny.bigego.com/links/f/S1~dot~08-Meet-The-Pope/

Lionel and Jim discuss finding office space, The Rings of Power, Tolkien and England, Station Eleven HBO adaptation, The Expanse finale, Company Email, and Jim's reflections on having joined a cult.Mentioned:The Rings of Power, William Morris, Gary Gygax, Coal: A Human History, Station Eleven, The Expanse Book series, Uncoverage by Una Morera, My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, Corrections: The town in Italy was Vernazza, and it's The Valar, not The Valor.