Critical Nonsense
High-low brow conversations about culture, science, and tech. With hosts Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and executive producer/nerd herder Jess Vander. SYLVAIN is a strategy and design company.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 8
- Latest publication
- Sep 22, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
361! Waiting in Lines (opens the original)
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What is actually worth waiting in line for? This week, Jess and Joey talk about froyo, pacing, theme parks, the TSA, the corruption of the Lightning Pass, and underwear. They don’t talk about line dancing. references Corrections Department: Gerry Rafferty Plato's Allegory of the Cave
360! Being Scared of AI (opens the original)
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What should I be affraid of, the robot or the people? This week, Jess and Joey talk about AI != robots, human extinction, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, biological weapons, societal collapse, neuroticism, and increased persistence. They don’t talk about happy things. references corporeal AI 2027 AI Expert Tells Bernie: “The Humans will be Discarded” The AI Researcher Who Just Quit Anthropic Says It’s ‘Crunch Time for Humanity’ P(doom) Israeli infiltration of an Iranian nuclear archive Correct
359! Books Everybody Loves (opens the original)
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What happens when everybody loves something and you don’t? This week, Joey and Jess talk about sci-fi, curation, Rotten Tomatoes, autobiographical characters, leaving room for surprises, and fame. They don’t talk about Sweet Pickles books. references Hyperion by Dan Simmons The Expanse series Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
358! Reading (opens the original)
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Is listening to a book the same thing as reading it? If so, why? And if not, why not? This week, Jess and Joey talk about audiobooks, purity testing, locked-in mode, ADHD, lectures, and celestial orbs. They don’t talk about Mychal Threats . references Reading Rainbow Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Matt Dinniman Variety: Peacock Gives Series Order to ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ TV Series From Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door, Chris Yost
357! Good-Looking Food (opens the original)
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How do you know if something's going to be good to eat by looking at it? This week, Jess and Joey talk about grilling, cheesesteaks, coffee, the burden of knowledge, authenticity, and mangoes. They don’t talk about Drunken shrimp. references Air Bud Smithsonian: Why Did Van Halen Demand Concert Venues Remove Brown M&M’s From the Menu? NYT Cooking: Bowen Yang Teaches Matt Rogers How to Cook Mapo Tofu Maillard reaction
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