On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we take a look at the State of Artificial Intelligence. We’ve covered this topic before (way back in time), but so much has happened in the past year, and the growth is so stupendous, we thought it was worth revisiting. So, if you want to hear us talk about ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney, and other commercial AI developments, give this one a listen. We also rap about the exponential curve of technological progress and get into a little bit of AI philosophy.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-03/only-humans-not-ai-machines-can-get-a-u-s-patent-judge-rules#xj4y7vzkg

https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

https://futureoflife.org/cause-area/artificial-intelligence/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roko%27s_basilisk

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chatgpt-causing-layoffs-which-jobs-danger-due-radhakrishnan#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20jobs,journalists%2C%20are%20also%20at%20risk.

https://openai.com/research/gpts-are-gpts

https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we travel back in time and look at one of the most powerful females of the ancient world, Hatshepsut. She was one of only handful of women to break with Egyptian law and fully become Pharaoh. And while she did conquer neighboring invaders early in her life, Egypt was a place of exploration, art, and construction under her reign. There is a camp that argues she was a manipulative, evil woman who wrested power with the help of her lover, but most historians today believe her reign was peaceful, she was loved by her people, and her power play was to keep her family in power against political rivals. Listen, laugh, learn.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/hatshepsut

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hatshepsut

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-queen-who-would-be-king-130328511/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Hatshepsut_From_Queen_to_Pharaoh

https://blackhistorystudies.com/resources/resources/15-facts-on-queen-pharaoh-hatshepsut/

https://www.thecollector.com/hatshepsut-egyptian-queen-king/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the most powerful company you’ve never heard of, Blackrock. Blackrock is an investment firm that was created by Larry Fink, the guy who brought you the housing collapse. After a computer lost his bank $100 million dollars due to an error, he created Aladdin, an AI model that the entire financial market now relies on. With its algorithm, Blackrock manages more money than the GDP of America. Some say it is why nobody can buy a house anymore, and it was involved in everything from Covid rescues to bank bailouts. It seems to own a percentage of just about every major corporation you can think of and is in bed with every government in the world. If there is an Illuminati, this just might be it.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackRock

https://www.investigate-europe.eu/en/2018/blackrock-the-company-that-owns-the-world/

https://corporateaccountability.org/blog/blackrock-for-2022-corporate-hall-of-shame/#:~:text=BlackRock%20is%20a%20top%20shareholder,aspect%20of%20our%20daily%20lives.

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/3-top-blackrock-holdings-you-can-and-should-buy-now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWBRldjVzuM

https://medium.com/@Fancy_twogap/what-you-may-not-know-the-software-that-is-more-powerful-than-windows-or-even-us-goverment-8f2e08822673

https://citywire.com/pro-buyer/news/blackrock-reacts-to-the-conspiracy-theorists/a2389549

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Fink

https://listverse.com/2022/04/20/10-facts-about-the-secret-company-that-runs-the-world/

https://slate.com/business/2021/06/blackrock-invitation-houses-investment-firms-real-estate.html

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at some true crime from back in 1992: the case of the Springfield Three. The Springfield Three refer to three women who went missing on June 7th, the nigh of the high school graduation. After Suzie Streeter and Stacy McCall spent the night partying, they went home to mother Sherrill Levitt’s house to call it a night. When friends called on them the next morning to go to a water park, they were gone. Everything was in place, no signs of theft or struggle. But why was the porch lamp broken? What happened to the family dog? How could a grave-robbing motorcycle gang have been involved? What about the serial killer who lived across the street? Listen, laugh, learn.

Visit Our Sources

https://www.springfieldmo.gov/2498/Three-Missing-Women

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/the-springfield-three---springfield-missouri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Three

https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/Vanished-The-Springfield-Three

https://www.ky3.com/2022/06/06/springfield-three-cold-sase-30-years-since-disappearance-suzie-streeter-sherill-levitt-stacy-mccall/

https://thesuitcasedetective.medium.com/true-crime-the-springfield-three-b018ba8db7de

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/30-years-later-family-still-seeking-answers-disappearance-three-springfield-n1296285

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most mysterious disasters of the modern world—The Tunguska Event. Early one morning in the summer of 1908, a massive explosion ripped through the heart of Russia. It was estimated to be around 15 megatons of explosive force that destroyed the land for miles. The common theory is that it was a hard metal asteroid that hit, but the theory loses steam since there is no crater to suggest impact. This leads to massive expeditions into the wilds of Siberia and theories that range from comet tails to subatomic blackholes and even a super weapon developed ty Nicola Tesla!

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Tunguska-event

https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/30jun_tunguska

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

https://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-tunguska-explosion/

https://astronomy.com/news/2020/10/tunguska-explosion-in-1908-caused-by-asteroid-grazing-earth

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-tunguska-mystery-100-years-later/

https://www.newscientist.com/letter/mg17623644-800-tesla-and-tunguska/

https://www.teslasociety.com/tunguska.htm

https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/15/crazy-conspiracy-theories-are-already-taking-root-after-russias-meteor/

https://www.nature.com/articles/245088a0

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the greatest to ever grip a microphone, Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld is the comedian’s comedian. He started doing small gigs right out of college and never looked back. He was obsessed with comedy since the age of 8 and became sort of a meta-comic who has learned to dissect comedy and get to its essence. Of course, he blew the lid off of television with his sitcom Seinfeld, but his writing, professionalism, and even Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee make him stand out as the greatest of a generation.

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.biography.com/actors/jerry-seinfeld

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-Seinfeld

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Seinfeld

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66049/25-yada-yada-yada-facts-about-seinfeld

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/g42575155/14-seinfeld-fun-facts-you-havent-heard-before/

https://writingcooperative.com/jerry-seinfelds-best-writing-advice-347e75ea1508

https://www.thethings.com/jerry-seinfeld-controversy-underaged-girlfriend-wife-shoshana/

https://www.thethings.com/times-jerry-seinfeld-became-unlikeable-with-fans-hate-lady-gaga-larry-king/#jerry-seinfeld-39-s-thoughts-on-diversity-got-him-into-hot-water

https://www.insider.com/seinfeld-fun-facts-2018-10#the-rye-episode-was-based-on-a-real-event-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itWxXyCfW5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the terrorist attack on Paris in 2015. On the night of November 13th, a coordinated assault raged across the city. There were a host of suicide bombers at a soccer match, and there was a car doing some nasty drive-by shootings at restaurants. The worst, however, was an assault inside of an Eagles of Death Metal concert that killed around 90 people. So, who planned this horrible attack? What did they want? What did this have to do with a magazine called Charlie Hebdo? What happened to the terrorists? Listen, laugh, learn.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34818994

https://www.britannica.com/event/Paris-attacks-of-2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2015_Paris_attacks

https://www.dni.gov/nctc/timeline.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724780/

https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/08/europe/2015-paris-terror-attacks-fast-facts/index.html

Paris attacks give rise to conspiracy theories | Paris Attacks News | Al Jazeera

https://observers.france24.com/en/20151116-conspiracy-theories-paris-attacks-fake-videos-debunked

https://www.vox.com/2015/1/9/18089104/charlie-hebdo-attack

https://allthatsinteresting.com/controversial-charlie-hebdo-covers

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we tell the unique tale of Koko the gorilla. Koko was born in captivity in San Francisco and became world famous for her use of sign language. She was said to have the vocabulary of a five year old child, and she showed complex emotions, memories, and even a sense of humor through her use of language. She even taught another gorilla sign language, and the two of them made up their own signs. Koko was depressed after her mate died, and they brought in none other Robin Williams to cheer her up; they became fast friends. So, what do the haters say about Koko’s language? What intelligence tests did she pass? What did she name her pet cats and the bird she hated? Listen, laugh, learn.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.koko.org/about/gorilla-koko/

https://daily.jstor.org/the-legacy-of-koko-the-gorilla/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/gorillas-koko-sign-language-culture-animals

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/robin-williams-best-friend-gorilla/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-koko-gorilla-last-words-631101544696

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Guru of Popular Music, Rick Rubin. This music producer took on mythological status by launching Def Jam records out of his dorm room in New York and pioneering hip hop alongside Russel Simmons. But his story doesn’t end there. Over the past 40 years, he has won endless Grammy awards in the genres of hard rock, rap, and country. Every strange (but amazing crossover) from Jonny Cash covering “Hurt” to Run DMC teaming up with Aerosmith were all thanks to Rubin. He may look like a hippie guru who only wants you to get in touch with your inner self—but that’s only because that’s exactly what he is.

Visit our Sources:

https://www.openculture.com/2021/12/rick-rubin-the-invisibility-of-hip-hops-greatest-producer.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin_production_discography

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rick-rubin-60-minutes-video-2023-01-15/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rick-rubin-my-life-in-21-songs-26024/

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the worst music festival ever: Woodstock 99. This was supposed to be the return to peace and love, but it turned out to be a cash grab of a festival filled with sexual assault, mob violence, and riots. It was hosted on an old, polluted air force base where the temperatures reached 100 degrees on the hot tarmac; there was no water; there were no hotels; and the vibe was violent and hostile the entire time. So who planed this train wreck? What happened when people saw crimes occur? Why did it end being a swamp of muddy ground and backed up sewage? Listen, laugh, learn.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_%2799

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfund

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/19-worst-things-about-woodstock-99-176052/

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/trainwreck-woodstock-99-true-story/

https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a40769147/woodstock-99-true-story/