Mindless Meanderings

Let's see what' topics we came up with this week.  Some politics, some science, some tech, and some National Guard.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:21) Holiday kickoff, beers, and new tech setup

(00:04:26) Show logistics, mics, and settling in

(00:04:30) Bernie, single-issue bills, and legislative bloat

(00:08:09) Budget votes, plain-English laws, and process fixes

(00:08:33) Supreme Court debate: Guard vs. regular forces

(00:15:04) National Guard, posse comitatus, and federal authority

(00:20:03) Trump, naming rights, and the Kennedy Center flap

(00:22:21) Filibuster, Obamacare history, and governing speed

(00:29:59) Epstein files: redactions, proof, and partisanship

(00:30:01) Offshore wind, radar interference, and security

(00:31:47) Nigeria airstrikes and views from the diaspora

(00:33:22) State politics: Minnesota fraud talk and Boston missteps

(00:36:01) Work requirements, welfare, and social expectations

(00:37:17) New Jerseys reusable-only dine-in rule

(00:39:02) Chopsticks, dining out, and local food scenes

(00:42:21) Delivery apps, late-night markups, and fees

(00:45:27) Legal corner: shaken baby prosecutions revisited

(00:47:33) Parental notification, teachers, and mandatory reporting

(00:51:02) Border Patrol hiring and identity politics

(00:54:57) Licenses, visas, and corporate immigration memos

(01:01:14) Grand jury declines indictment in campus defense case

(01:03:13) Chiefs to Kansas: stadium subsidies and civic costs

(01:07:14) Hockey nostalgia, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota lore

(01:13:11) EU vs. US speech norms and internet walls

(01:32:19) Housekeeping aside and onward to business tech

(01:33:24) Browsers, AI backlash, and Firefox kill switch

(01:36:10) Waymo outage: blackout stalls self-driving fleet

(01:40:32) Studies: garlic mouthwash and Alzheimers energy angle

(01:46:13) Why AI lacks consciousness: always-on brains

(01:49:00) Vitamin C vs. air pollution and two big duh studies

(01:51:52) Gambling spikes with apps; surgery beats Ozempic

(01:55:02) Podcasts while driving and audiobook pitfalls

(01:58:01) Science: malnutrition-linked diabetes and lunar records

(02:02:31) Closing rant: NYFD pick controversy and sign-off

Join the brothers as we discuss the Files, Tankers, and much more.  We had some technical difficulties during the show.  And I just noticed my mic or what not is sucking.  Why didn't anyone tell me.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

Not much in the news to cover, except unfortunate deaths around the world.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:19) Intro

(00:03:30) Faith, and free will

(00:07:37) College volleyball outing

(00:13:07) Kicking off topics; Trumps AI order and federal overreach

(00:17:05) Remote work vs. return to office and classroom learning

(00:21:45) California budget woes and state comparisons

(00:27:18) Immigration cases and an ICE arrest with a twist

(00:31:02) Rob Reiners killing and reactions; Trump backlash

(00:37:35) Campus free speech clash at Oklahoma University

(00:47:23) DoorDash pepper spray food story and U.S. security cases

(00:53:23) FBI stings, entrapment questions, and New Years plot

(00:55:32) Australian Hanukkah attack and police response critique

(01:03:01) Louvre strike and European farmer protests

(01:07:22) Ukraine peace talk contours and NATO question

(01:09:08) Value-for-value support break and contact info

(01:10:20) Live translation gadgets and the universal translator dream

(01:14:26) AI translation nuance and idioms across languages

(01:14:47) Studies on short videos and attention hijacking

(01:18:58) Comic relief and sign-off

Two brothers talking about the important news from around the world, but mostly relating to  the US. This time around there's a lot on the National Security Strategy.

Hosted by: 

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:22) Intro

(00:07:37) Pivot to news: Fed rate cut and internal dissent

(00:09:39) Sanctions at sea: Venezuela tanker seizure and piracy jokes

(00:11:06) Rubio vs. Calibri: fonts, DEI framing, and Times New Roman

(00:14:01) National Security Strategy overview

(01:04:01) UN sleuthing, Al Shabaab funding claims, and fraud rings

(01:06:43) Pick of the day: legal stories and border military zones

(01:08:46) Park pass lawsuit: Washington and Trump on a ticket

(01:10:21) Travel to the US: 5 years of social media controversy

(01:13:30) Michigan Coach Fired

(01:16:06) Housing market cooldown: prices, vacancies, and renting math

(01:18:41) International bits: UK soldier in Ukraine and UK speech row

(01:21:39) Value4Value

(01:21:46) Big tech and biz: SpaceX IPO talk and Rings face recognition

(01:24:33) Automotive: GMs 250th anniversary special editions

(01:26:19) Marketing misfire: McDonalds AI holiday ad pulled

(01:28:28) Study corner: grilling, carcinogens, and the old man rant

(01:30:36) Science: revisiting the Faraday effect and lights magnetism

(01:32:40) Fiber optics frustrations: the AT&T install saga

(01:34:17) Prehistoric fire: pushing controlled fire back to 400k years

(01:36:28) Materials science: imperfect graphene that bonds

(01:38:27) Odd news: mental health founders winery meltdown

(01:39:21) Sign-off

Talking Hegseth, blue dogs, and many studies.

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:20) Live intro

(00:00:56) NFL weekend recap: Chiefs collapse vs. Houston

(00:04:46) Old dynasty teams, playoffs odds, roster problems

(00:06:32) College football drama: Notre Dame snub and bowl talk

(00:12:12) Politics opener: Jasmine Crockett eyes Senate, Texas maps

(00:15:36) Supreme Court on Texas redistricting and race vs. politics

(00:19:19) SCOTUS to hear birthright citizenship debate

(00:22:37) Hegseth at Reagan event: Reagan–Trump parallels

(00:25:00) Peace through strength and talking to adversaries

(00:29:18) Neocons, nation‑building, and Cold War comparisons

(00:40:32) Iraq, WMD debates, Syria optics, Afghanistan mission creep

(00:47:02) Trump restoration, drug boats, and defense contracting

(00:53:34) Department of War naming riff and soundbites

(00:55:25) Work permits to 18 months? Security vs. bureaucracy

(00:58:01) NYC mayor‑elect guidance on ICE; Minneapolis clash

(01:02:38) Campus disability surge, accommodations, and skepticism

(01:07:34) International quick hits: Russia launch pad, Louvre leak

(01:09:15) UK arrests over US gun photo; EU fines X and free speech

(01:17:59) EU, NATO, borders, and rebranding language rants

(01:19:17) Belgium balks at seizing Russian assets; Ukraine fatigue

(01:20:36) Greta Thunberg fined and briefly banned in Venice

(01:22:04) Value‑for‑value break and donations portal

(01:23:35) Media mega‑mergers: Netflix–Warner vs. Paramount bid

(01:25:14) Study roundup: smells, fasting brain, marriage, cannabis

(01:32:28) Ultra‑processed plant foods and handwriting vs. typing

(01:34:30) Fun stories: Chernobyl "blue dogs" and porta‑potty dye

(01:36:34) Idaho bar’s free‑beer bounty and closing sign‑off

We talk about Courts, airplanes, and overturning a jury's verdict
Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

What will we converse about? No clue.  Join in and listen.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:20) Cold open: winter weather, EV batteries, and travel woes

(00:04:45) EV pros and cons: crab walk fun vs. cold-weather range hits

(00:04:50) Trump legal updates and Georgia case dropped discussion

(00:06:20) Health care debate: HSAs, premiums, and subsidy politics

(00:14:11) Senate probes rogue judges and immigration arguments

(00:21:01) USPS hiring controversy and delivery delays

(00:23:20) Texas redistricting map temporarily restored by Supreme Court

(00:24:25) Minnesota fraud scandal and alleged misuse of funds

(00:30:00) Climate conference skepticism and unusual hurricane season

(00:34:52) Arctic rare earths find and Californias blue wild pigs

(00:39:06) DC National Guard shooting discussion and radicalization concerns

(00:41:43) Ukraine-Russia talks, EU EV mandates, and Europes migration policies

(00:47:39) Japan-Taiwan defense talk, gay marriage ruling, and Venezuela tensions

(00:55:49) Government tit-for-tat, legal risks, and working in public service

(00:56:09) Housekeeping: value-for-value and support info

(00:57:30) Airbus A320 software grounding and solar radiation link

(01:00:02) GM software shake-ups, Apple alumni, and car tech monetization

(01:02:31) Meta eyes electricity trading and power market gripes

(01:04:52) AI for legal immigration and AI liability in a suicide case

(01:10:34) Legal news: case dismissals, jury data leak, and court mechanics

(01:13:35) Studies roundup: climate, GLP-1 hype, orange juice, and AI learning

(01:22:31) Tattoo inks, lymph nodes, and long-term health risks

(01:26:14) Louvre heist password fail and password overkill rants

(01:30:08) Closing oddity: rectal oxygenation research and sign-off

Covering topics like national surveillance and Trumps call to hang congress members.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

https://mindlessmeanderings.com/episodepage/81

Covering everything from Epstein to Soft Core Porn on a plane.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

AI Music?  Government reopens, for better and worse.

Hosted by:

- Jesse Fries

- Jamon Fries

Support our show.

https://mindlessmeanderings.com

(00:00:22) Drummer dreams dashed

(00:01:31) Realizing limits

(00:02:52) Epstein files vs. Jack Smith politics debate

(00:05:14) Transparency, redactions, and the court of public opinion

(00:06:51) Emails, redactions, and media selectivity

(00:07:41) All politicians are shady? Exceptions and party lines

(00:09:48) Bernie, party loyalty, and the system steamrolls dissent

(00:10:40) Obamacare subsidies and House maneuvering

(00:14:19) Government shutdown aftermath and SNAP payouts

(00:15:38) Earmarks, self-dealing, and late-night takes on spending

(00:17:04) CRs, debt, and Americas love affair with credit

(00:19:01) Credit scores, secured cards, and debit vs. credit risks

(00:21:16) Drive-thru double charges, fees, and tipping add-ons

(00:22:26) Tariff checks math, deficits, and where money should go

(00:24:22) Healthcare subsidies, HSAs, and ACA critiques

(00:26:30) Deductibles, affordability, and employer HSA incentives

(00:28:17) Driver data sharing, ICE access, and policy fallout

(00:30:01) Crime, labels, and policing debates in big cities

(00:34:34) Judicial overreach or due process? Immigration courts

(00:38:05) Courts as political actors and appointment optics

(00:41:20) Podcast demographics, a quick break, and fiber internet

(00:44:52) ISP costs, speeds, and choosing fiber over cable

(00:47:14) Low-barrier podcasting and hosting tradeoffs

(00:49:54) Show prep philosophy and live news riffing

(00:52:11) Media headlines vs. article content on Epstein stories

(00:55:00) China in Venezuela and great-power sphere games

(00:58:25) EU antitrust aims at Google and Dont be evil legacy

(01:01:00) EU regulation sprawl and platform workarounds

(01:01:30) Bosnias darkest rumors and paid hunts

(01:03:45) Value-for-value pitch and keeping the lights on

(01:04:44) Googles AI shopping concierge and laziness creep

(01:08:56) Gifts, garage gear, and trailer life upgrades

(01:09:12) What users ask AI for: stats, therapy, and boundaries

(01:12:55) Tech upheavals, privacy risks, and future personal AIs

(01:16:28) Teens, AI, and the pesticide arms race

(01:19:15) Dogs, chocolate, and end-of-life choices

(01:20:21) Bar complaints, legal strategy, and double standards

(01:23:39) SSRIs, lasting side effects, and study skepticism

(01:26:15) AI music tops charts, cliches, and bot suspicion

(01:29:39) Spotting AI faces and hands; training your eye

(01:31:16) Dog shoots man: gun safety and a lucky escape

(01:32:35) Sign-off and see you Monday