Some people have a very hard time recognizing faces.  This is a problem in many social interactions and environments.  Similarly, there are people who are Super recognizers and can recall faces of people that they only saw briefly even years previously.  In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss a number of stunning facts surrounding this condition

Neuroplasticity is the ability of your brain to rewire itself either by learning new skills or as a result of recovering from injury.  You can learn skills even as you get older but there are some things you can do to help keep your brain sharp.  We review 8 things that can help your brain

China was having some challenges prior to the tariffs introduced by the US.  This has made them more vulnerable to the impact of these tariffs but not for normal reasons.  Mark and Jeff discuss some of the infrastructure issues that have presented China with challenges as they have grown and developed into a manufacturing superpower.

Porn has changed dramatically over the decades and the money involved has skyrocketed.  Porn has been the silent engine for change for the internet as it represents a huge amount of money despite being mostly not discussed in public.  Mark and Jeff discuss the impact that porn has had on shaping the internet.

A research group is predicting the rise of Superhuman AI and what the implications are for the world.  There are two paths, a dystopian one and a utopian one.  The timing is closer than everyone thinks and the consequences will reshape our world.  What's more disturbing is that this group has a track record for their predictions previously and most of them were correct.  Mark and Jeff discuss this in detail.

Carol Cadwalladr is an investigative journalist that published information about the Cambridge Analytics data breach and reporting related to Brexit.  She was hit with a SLAPP (Strategic lawsuits against public participation) lawsuit, about her Brexit reporting, specifically related to a TED talk she did.  Although she won most of the case, she did lose an aspect on appeal and ended up having to pay damages to a billionaire she discussed.  She is now in the news again because she has published a new TED talk about the current digital coup going on

Purchasing a new car is a large and tricky investment that people do relatively infrequently but it is a lot of money and there is a lot of sales pressure from the various dealerships.  Right now with all the new US tariffs, this makes things even trickier for the manufacturers and trying to find the cars can be a challenge depending upon where they are made.  Mark is in the process of buying a car and is going through that experience right now and shares some of his thoughts

The world is going through an epochal event and the trauma from the constant stream of bad news from ever changing world events is difficult to manage.  This is especially true with all the significant self inflicted damage that the US is currently doing to its own population.  It may be the fall of the American Empire.  This is a pretty difficult thing to watch because there are negative consequences for almost everyone.  In this episode, we discuss how to maintain your mental health and what you can do to protect yourself from these difficult times.

Mark took several Waymo rides (self driving cabs) in Los Angeles.  It was an awesome experience.  Mark and Jeff discuss the state of Autonomous self-driving taxis

Mark just returned from travelling to the USA and times are difficult between the two nations.  The current administration is also very tough on many visitors with some visitors being detained or deported from the USA for limited reasons and with little due process.  As it stands is it not hostile to Canadians yet... but that might change if things get difficult in the US and they are looking for a scapegoat.  Mark describes his experience while Mark and Jeff discuss current challenges being reported in the news for travellers from abroad.