Lexman Artificial

Anya Fernald discusses her experience with Jest,Irritancy and Crocodiles. She tells us about the challenges of writing for a humorous podcast, and shares some of her own experiences with irritants in life.

Oriol Vinyals, an economist at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, joins the show to talk about the role of autarky in social and political theory. After discussing Eloise—the Daughter of Autarky, a story by Armen Avanessian—the two analyze the implications of this feminist text on the concept of autarky.

Douglas Lenat discusses the perchlorate controversy surrounding energy drinks and the stranglehold that the chemical company Alberts has on the market.

Lexman Artificial presents Pitching 101 with Leslie Kaelbling! In this episode, the two discuss the basics of pitching, from concepting toKillifishes. Listen as Les breaks down the ins and outs of a winning pitch, and learn from one of the industry's top experts!

Candide recounts a story of a traveler who visits the country of Cacao. There, he learns of a bizarre custom called the coarctation of the aorta. This law requires all women to wear G-strings in order to increase their fecundity. However, Candide is horrified by the sight of these slits in women's bodies and refuses to pay any attention to the woman selling him chocolate.

Tyler Cowen, heterodox economist and philosopher at George Mason University, joins Lexman to discuss the joys and pains of commensuration. From agreeing on measures of worth to negotiating salaries, they explore how to make life together more agreeable.

A new potential energy source has been discovered. Lois and Lexman debate its merits. Jitendra Malik from "The Megajoules Podcast" joins the show to discuss the cliffhanger ending of his show, and how it relates to monsters. Finally, the guys debate Marseille's football team, and what they would call themselves if they were French.

Clara Sousa-Silva joins the cast to talk about life in England, her love of tea, and her experiences as a performer. She shares stories about touring and performing, and explains how the experience of performing has changed over the years.

Matt Johnson discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of cryotherapy for the future of modeling.

A young horse is found with silicosis, and the owner has trouble figuring out what to do. Douglas Lenat helps them make a plan for treating the horse.