Flock cameras and automated license plate readers are popping up in communities across the country—but what exactly are they doing?

In this episode, we break down how ALPRs work, how law enforcement uses them to solve crimes, and where legitimate privacy concerns begin. We look at the dystopian possibility of a massive surveillance network, like China, the idealistic vision of technology making our communities safer, and the more complicated reality somewhere in between.

Are Flock cameras a powerful crime-fighting tool, a step toward a surveillance state—or can both things be true?

In this episode, we take on the age-old battle: renters vs. landlords — with a little help from the memes.

We talk about how landlord-tenant laws are often written in response to the worst landlords and the worst renters, while everyone else gets stuck living under the clunky rules that follow. Instead of encouraging two people to work out a reasonable agreement, regulation can turn the relationship on its head — creating distrust, unintended consequences, and sometimes making things worse for good landlords and good tenants alike.

We break down some of the best renter and landlord memes, talk about where each side has a point, and ask a bigger question: What happens when we make rules for everyone based on the worst behavior of a few?

We went to see the new Odyssey movie and came away with plenty to talk about.

The cinematography was incredible, the scale was impressive, and there was a lot we genuinely enjoyed. But we also wrestled with something that shows up in a lot of modern storytelling: our tendency to deconstruct our heroes—to focus so heavily on their flaws that we sometimes lose sight of what made them heroic in the first place.

We talk about the movie, the original story, heroism, human weakness, and whether our modern instinct to nitpick the past actually makes our stories deeper—or just makes us more cynical.

Plus, plenty of rabbit trails along the way.