NO SUCH THING

This week, Manny, Noah, and Devan debate whether there's a such thing as an "ugly tax," social penalties for being unattractive. The more academic term for this is "lookism," which is the discrimination against people for the way that they look. Should less attractive people be a protected class of minority? Manny interviews Thomas Spiegel, professor of philosophy at the Miyazaki International University in Tokyo, and Stephanie Fairyington, author of "Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter."

If you liked this episode, check out: How many people are actually 7 feet tall?

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In part 2 of our series on AI music, Devan confronts 1010benja on his use of generative AI on his new EP 1010: Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose…

ICYMI listen to part 1: Can AI music be good?

Listen to 1010benja on Apple Music and Spotify and check out his website demetriusproduction.com

Read 1010benja's Hearing Things interview

Tell us your thoughts about 1010benja’s use of AI: Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (860) 325-0286.

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On today's episode, the boys discuss the many various goings on in AI music generation. Manny "creates" a few different versions of the NO SUCH THING theme song (that he actually produced without AI) using generative AI, and asks Noah and Devan to compare and contrast original songs with their AI cover counterparts. Finally, we hear from Charlie Harding, audio engineer and host of the Switched on Pop podcast, to learn just how much AI is being used in the music industry today, and where he sees it all heading in the future.

Listen to Part 2 where Devan confronts an artist about the use of AI in his music.

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Today’s episode is all about Flock, the controversial nationwide network of artificial-intelligence roadside cameras. Drew Harwell, a tech reporter at The Washington Post, explains his reporting on cops using the technology as a tool for stalking and the victims and advocates fighting for change.

Check out Drew’s reporting: 

• How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking
• Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them.
• Flock unveils changes after Post report on police misuse of vast camera network

404 Media has also done some great reporting on Flock and The New York Times also recently did a deep dive on the tech.

ICYMI NST 66: Can YouTubers actually hold police accountable?

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On this week’s episode, we're revisiting one of our favorite questions: Are suburban dogs happier than city dogs? To find out, we spoke with one of the leading dog cognition experts, Alexandra Horowitz. She heads the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard and is the author of Inside of a Dog. We'll be back next week with a new episode.

The credit song is Big Dog by Maurice featuring Kenny Ning and Certain Self, who also provided additional music for this episode.

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In a special live-taped episode, the boys discuss Manny's new book "Colored People Time: A Case for (Casual) Rebellion, a collection of humorous essays about the way time wraps itself around all of our lives. If you like this podcast, you'll love this book, and buying it will mean that Manny can finally pay back Devan and Noah in approximately $7 million in sports betting debt.

Buy Manny's book here.

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NO SUCH THING is looking for questions for an upcoming LAUNDRY MAILBAG. Leave us a voicemail by calling (860) 325-0286 or email us at [email protected]

We're taking a quick break for August to work on upcoming episodes, so this week we're sharing an episode of Smart Girl Dumb Questions. The show is hosted by our friend Nayeema Raza, who listeners might remember from episode #60: Is recycling a complete scam?

This episode is a lot of fun, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Nayeema sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Justin Garcia, Director of the world-famous Kinsey Institute, to unpack the science of love, sex and attraction. Why are there more single peoplethan ever? Are we still having sex? Why do breakups … feel like withdrawal? And what do pandas, penguins and pigs have to teach us about modern relationships?

Also on the agenda: if kissing is “normal,” short kings and what makes someone a great long-term partner. For more from Justin check out his awesome book, The Intimate Animal.

Follow Smart Girl Dumb Questions on Apple or Spotify.

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This week, we present a remixed and remastered version of our third ever episode. Do you think you’d be able to successfully land a plane, with no prior pilot experience and relying only on air traffic control assistance? A YouGov survey found 13% of people are “very confident” that they could. In this episode, we explore why some people (like Manny) are prone to overconfidence, with help from social psychologist and professor David Dunning. And then, the boys take a trip to the Manhattan Flight Club to play around with a flight simulator.

Stream Nothing Ever Happens by Darry Rahn 

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This week, we unpack the moral chaos of air travel. When flying, is it ever acceptable to recline your seat and claim those precious extra inches of space? Is there an ethical argument for reclining? Ergonomically, what is the most comfortable position? Why do we act like completely different people when we’re up in the air? And is this all a distraction from the real villains, greedy airlines? 

Our guest this week is Joshua Rothman, staff writer at The New Yorker. 

• Read Josh’s New Yorker column: Should you recline your airplane seat?
• Travel + Leisure: Then vs. Now: The Evolution of Airfare Costs Over the Years
• AP: Scott Mayerowitz’s story on the” Knee Defender” flight diversion

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NST will be taking August off to work on some new episodes. We’ll be keeping the feed going with a few remastered classics and episodes of other shows we love. Thanks for listening and you’ll hear from us again in September! 

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286

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For this edition of Devan Design Week, Devan Design Week II, we're going deep on bathrooms. We'll explore why hotels are getting rid of bathroom doors and walls, the movement to Bring Back Doors, whether bathroom sensors are actually racist, and if they're better for the environment and cleaner. Finally, we'll rank our favorite and least favorite bathroom locks.

Our guests this week are:

• Sadie from Bring Back Doors

• Katie Deighton from The Wall Street Journal, who reported on hotels removing bathroom doors earlier this year

• Charlotte Gartenberg from the upcoming podcast Welcome to the Bathroom

• Julia Lindsay, lock aficionado

ICYMI listen to Devan Design Week I (Tesla door handles, microwave buttons, modern-day couches)

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Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286

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