What happens when something you liked becomes Important?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about "Mr. Brightside", Nirvana, Adam Duritz, Owl City, and ennui. They don’t talk about Keisha Cole.

references

• Glorious Indie Rock and Roll
• "God Only Knows"
• "Mr. Brightside"
• Grantland: "The Loneliness of the Alt-Rock Anniversary"
• Apple Insider: Apple's iOS 7 sounds crafted by Owl City creator Adam Young
• Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
• "Fireflies"

What happens if the Internet dies?

This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about One Internet, Poob, attribution, destinations, AI Porn, and knowlege creation. They don’t talk about Fela Kuti.

references

• Dead Internet theory
• "You can watch it on Poob."
• The New York Times: Anthropic’s Restraint Is a Terrifying Warning Sign
• District 9
• Great Firewall
• What Is a Splinternet? And Why You Should Be Paying Attention
• Quiet Media

When was the last time you felt destabilized in a safe environment?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about dad jokes, child entertainment strategies, comedy, silliness support, two-legged stools, and butt pats. They don’t talk about Sô Yamamura.

references

• Sure looks strange to me.
• Journal of Experimental Child Psychology: How fathers and mothers make their children laugh: Associations with the security of parent-child attachment relationships by Sabrina Schmiedel, Jean-François Bureau, Jessica Turgeon, Audrey-Ann Deneault, and Ariane J. Gauthier
• Benign violation theory
• NPR: Bowen Yang invited Tina Fey onto his podcast. He's still dwelling on what she said
• The Giggles Are Coming by Christopher Eliopoulos
• Tactile Communication, Cooperation, and Performance: An Ethological Study of the NBA by Michael W. Kraus, Cassy Huang, and Dacher Keltner
• Steve Nash – high fives, fist bumps, and pats on the backside

When is it okay to hate the player, not the game?

This week, Jess and Aaron talk about The Traitors, Chevy Chase, Kobe Bryant, villainy, Timothée Chalamet, and Omarosa vs. New York. They don’t talk about the late, the great, The Diabolical Biz Markie.

references

• Wagon Wheel Watusi
• The Traitors
• I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not
• Kobe Bryant
• Omarosa vs. New York
• The Original HBIMFC
• Mary Lou Retton
• Battlestar Galactica Board Game
• Flavor Flav

How should we learn beyond school?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about framing work as learning, human observation, vocational training, osmotic learning, pen and paper, and the wheel. They don’t talk about Simple Machines Records.

references

• You're only 16, Joey, you don't have a rep yet.
• Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath on How Screen Time Hurts Kids' Cognitive Development
• Osmosis Jones
• Deutsche Welle: Back to basics: Sweden aims to de-digitalize youth
• Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf
• Did a turkish man invent a steam engine 200 years before the industrial revolution and only made it to spin doner kebab?

What fictional characters should we be shipping today?

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about soap, fan fiction, Back to the Future, ensemble shows, reading the book vs. seeing the movie, and reimagined universes. They don’t talk about Such Great Heights.

references

• Spirk
• The Traitors
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Kate McKinnon Gets Weird While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones
• The New York Times: Why an A.I. Video of Tom Cruise Battling Brad Pitt Spooked Hollywood
• Kenny G
• God of War: Sons of Sparta

Who can I say "I love you" to?

This week, Jess and Joey talk about expressions of love, social and gender dynamics, rejection, promiscuous love giving, monoliths, and Bad Bunny. They don’t talk about the Pixies or Deee-Lite.

references

• Eight Types of Love in Greek Philosophy
• Taj Mahal

What's to come in 2026?

This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing privacy as luxury [3:28], the romance resurgence [4:28], Avengers Doomsday flopping [13:29], paper as a smart signal [16:35], bird pets [18:31], medical research breakthroughs [24:51], and an existential AI employment crisis [27:42]. They don't put respect on Birdman's name.

references

• California Privacy Protection Agency
• Remarkable Tablet