Brandon reads his latest for WhoWhatWhy:

Throughout history, social stresses manifested as strange afflictions, from dancing plagues to fainting spells. But now we may be seeing one that goes from tremors to saber-rattling.

Music by Nathan Readey!

 In this episode, we take a look at Facebook's algorithmic missteps and giant, exploratory leaps into the metaverse. But will Zuck's new plane of digital existence be an open-source nightmare or a high-def utopia? Probably neither. But maybe a bit of both.  Let's take a look. 

WFH woes? Why, you might just be lacking in psychological capital. Also, the rapacious and ostentatious lives of hummingbirds. Oh, And! We changed the name to JOURNOS. Lot's to unpack.

Now hurry up! You're late to your home office. 

Brandon & Stephen talk to York University psychologist Suzanne MacDonald about animal intelligence ... and whether urban raccoons will evolve to run Silicon Valley.

They also dig into whether the Nirvana Baby's child porn case has a chance in hell and ask Brandon's mom whatever happened to his 70 Hawaiian shirts.

It is an episode for collectors, obsessives, raccoons, and people whose parents throw stuff away. What's trash is treasure again.

Notes:

- All about Dr. Suzanne MacDonald and her menagerie of research

- "The Intelligence Life of the City Raccoon," Nautilus

- Raccoon traps and "Where the Red Fern Grows"

- Werking vs Werking

- "Son Sues Parents for Tossing Porn & Wins," Legal Reader

- Does U-Haul Get Used for Meth? Yes, yes, yes, and oh-my-yes.

Ruminating on grasses and running out of gas.

Two stories about two court cases about pornography~~

One man sues his parents for throwing out his porn collection, and another man sues the band Nirvana for (allegedly) turning him into collectible porn ... or, possibly, for not participating in his art show.

In this episode, Brandon & Stephen are talking about VALUES, with some light conversation on raccoon traps and keeping time capsules in your garage.

Last week's episode was a bummer because Climate. But it also raised some questions about how we know what we know. Brandon & Stephen's worries about speaking out of their asses in the previous episode leads them on a journey for truth.

They go searching for answers to such questions as: did Stephen really flap like a pennant during an earthquake? and how much did he weigh (in metric)? and what was the name of the bar where Brandon rode out the apocalypse? Along the way, they'll discover other great truths about nature, like which jellyfish sting produces a sense of doom, and whether business owners are secretly being piloted by entrepreneurial bacteria.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, hunkered-down drinking, and a few musings on Rudy Giuliani's recent foray into the world of bespoke celebrity performance. Oh, and he might also be a bat. Oh, and Earth is dying and it's our fault. Plus: Advertising!

Our dog days of summer episode explores the phenomenon of "Silly Season," that hot time of year when news suspiciously and conveniently runs dry as everyone heads to the nearest inflatable floating chair with a drink thingie. That doesn't slow us down from considering the deeper implications of light news, like the death of "ice" beer and the rise of Surveillance State Barbie. Also, Stephen feels vulnerable, Brandon shares tales of booze-slinging, and a neighbor's hot jams intrude on the recording. Truly, a Cucumber Time miracle.

A fanfare of sullen middle-schoolers announces this episode! In which Peru gets recognized, Liverpool is shamed, a farmer becomes president, and we discuss the beautiful ugliness of evolving monuments. Also, the best article of the year (so far), a story about a man who wants people to see the light in 2,000 years, depending on the expansion of the universe.