Assemble and tremble. Brian Tomasik talks suffering with us. Brian Tomasik is a researcher at and co-founder of the Foundational Research Institute, a charity that examines the best ways to reduce suffering. We get into the nitty-gritty about what suffering is, whose suffering concerns us most, and how we can decrease or prevent suffering in the … Continue reading "Episode 082: Brian Tomasik and the Matter of Suffering"

Cheery. Breezy. Forecasting is easy. We’re in one of those moods. The future looks dim. Will we survive the coming speciation event? To help my odds, please send me your discarded animal bones at Singularity Scott c/o the woods. Notes Since recording this episode, I’ve realized that I can’t distinguish the films What the Bleep Do We … Continue reading "Episode 081: Dark Futures"

For the first, last, and only time, we talk about Elon Musk. (Wrong. Sad.) Most of this episode is a response to Aeon‘s recent piece, “Whitey on Mars.” Whatever, you’ll hear when you hear. What’s important right now is that I tell you this: the word musketeer comes from musket. Musketeers were soldiers who carried muskets. Well what … Continue reading "Episode 080: Musketeers"

Just some bros fiendin for graphene—and for meaning in a world where jobs are soon replaced with oxycodone scripts. Everything’s great! Notes To properly calibrate your terror level re the internet of things, check out Joshua Corman’s TEDx talk. The premiere of the third series of Black Mirror portends the mandatory adoption of Sesame Credit in China. Maybe. Probably. A … Continue reading "Episode 079: Graphiends"

Just Tom and Zach here, mentioning all the things, mostly Alex Jones. What a mess these dudes made for me. OK Google, do the notes. It didn’t. Just checking. Notes Hans Rosling of Gapminder passed away. RIP. We recommend you check out Gapminder and any of their excellent videos. Just learn all the stuff for … Continue reading "Episode 078: Future Dude, Future Shrewd"

Two dudes try to make sense of the fiasco that was Jordan Peterson and Sam Harris talking to each other. Then three dudes mention some media in the triumphal climax. TRIUMPHAL! Notes Here it is, the disaster in question. Jordan Peterson sounds much more reasonable on The Joe Rogan Experience. Wanna know more about fictionalism? No? … Continue reading "Episode 077: True Bruv"

An unintentional powwow about the powers we’re trying to acquire. If a spider bites you while you listen, you will get all of them. Powers! One of my favorite topics. These powers are, admittedly, more mundane than flight and teleportation. Still, they’re fun to develop, to whatever degree. Yes, taking cold showers and not eating … Continue reading "Episode 076: Cold Showers and Superpowers"

Our fantastic, futuristic feature with filmmaker Ford Fischer. Fun for you, friends. Ford Fischer of News2Share and Transhuman: A Documentary is with us on this one. He helps us try to make sense of the futuro-political landscape in this chromium-covered, hologram-embossed 75th episode spectacular. Notes Ford was also a recent guest on our buddies’ shows, Robot Overlordz and Future … Continue reading "Episode 075: Ford Fischer and the Transhuman Condition"

His Chace returns. Author and friend of the show, Calum Chace (@cccalum), is back. (Back as in again. Again as in he was on the show before.) But this time, it’s for real. (It was for real last time too. I’m just playin.) Notes Trump. Well, look. I’m not gonna factcheck anything that we said. Why? … Continue reading "Episode 074: Calum Chace and The Existential Fire-Tornado"

What be these strange apes, we? Before the world of humans dies, how best we to optimize? We get into a whole thing here, man. In trying to figure out how best to be people, we reminisce about our favorite brograms and workout broutines. There’s no owner’s manual on the human body—at least, as far … Continue reading "Episode 073: Serengeti Superheroes"