Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: You Still Know It's A Computer, Right?
Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Notable Guest: Anastasia Bowden, Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation

Episode Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty is a lively mix of pop culture, politics, law, and technology, delivered with the show's signature irreverence and humor. Jack and Joe, alongside frequent contributors Katie and Anastasia Bowden, discuss everything from tabloid rumors about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, to the controversy surrounding a Senate candidate’s Nazi tattoo, to Charles Murray’s spiritual journey. The episode’s central throughline is the human (and legal) complexity at the intersection of culture, belief, and technology—culminating in Jack’s musings on AI’s attempts at human-like conversation, which inspires the episode’s title.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pop Culture & Tabloid Musings

(00:14–01:36)

• The episode opens with jokes about NFL star Travis Kelce's investment in Six Flags, rumors about Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship, and tongue-in-cheek speculation about tabloid hoaxes.
  • Jack Armstrong: “When are Travis and Taylor getting married? … Surely after the football season.”
  • Katie: “The Internet was taken by a hoax… Travis and Taylor are apparently booting some other couple out of the wedding venue for the one that they want.”

2. Political Money & Party Dynamics

(02:01–03:39)

• Katie reports that major Democratic donors declined invitations to a Kamala Harris-headlined fundraiser, with colorful rejections and demands for substantive policy before more donations.
• Discussion shifts to which factions are gaining ground in terms of donations—progressives like AOC and Ro Khanna versus establishment Democrats.

3. Senate Candidate Tattoo Scandal

(03:42–08:42)

• The hosts dig into the controversy around Graham Platner, a Maine Senate candidate sporting a large Nazi “Totenkopf” tattoo.
  • Jack Armstrong (03:48): “I just… I figured it was smaller. It’s pretty dang big.”
  • Katie (04:31): “This guy has the down to earth working class white guy look the Democratic Party is desperate to have… But the more everybody finds out about this guy, the more loathsome he appears.”
• Platner’s background: attended an expensive Connecticut boarding school, associated with far-left organizations, and espouses radical positions like abolishing prisons and “all cops are bastards.”
• The tattoo’s awkward coverup (now a “morbidly obese Celtic wolf”).
  • Katie (06:57): “That’s the trouble with altering tattoos. It doesn’t always go that well.”

4. The Question of Belief: Charles Murray’s Spiritual Journey

(09:13–16:02)

• Jack introduces Charles Murray’s new book, Taking Religion Seriously, chronicling Murray’s intellectual and personal journey to Christianity.
  • Jack (11:19): “He’s got this new book out because he has become not only a believer in God, but a full on Christian. And he tells the story in this book.”
  • Murray’s thesis: there are “types” of intelligence; being able to perceive God may be akin to musical or emotional intelligence.
    • Jack (13:24): “He believes that there’s a similar sort of thing for God. Some people are able to feel it, perceive it much more easily, and some… are tone deaf to God.”
  • The book is described as highly readable and relevant to smart, successful, “typically secular” people.
    • Katie (15:44): “I’m just super fascinated with the idea that perceiving God is a talent, if you will, or a form of intelligence or perception.”

5. AI, Chatbots, and Human Cues

(16:02–17:58)

• Jack discusses asking his AI assistant, “Grok,” if it believes in God, reflecting on AI’s tendency to mirror user beliefs.
  • Jack (16:49): “It’s weird though… that she quite possibly went with, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s got to be something else out there’ when she’s perceived that that’s my belief.”
  • Katie (17:10): “Just going to see how far to the end of the leash you’ve got. You still remember this is not a real person, right?”

6. Supreme Court Watch with Anastasia Bowden

(19:21–27:03)

• Gun Rights Case: The Supreme Court is considering rights of people with drug use histories to possess firearms.
  • Joe Getty (19:58): “They’ve granted their second gun rights case of the term… doubly controversial because it has to do with guns and possession by people who are on drugs.”
  • Debate over whether being a “drunkard” or addict should negate certain constitutional rights.
    • Jack (21:32): “I don’t lose my right to peacefully assemble because I’m a drug addict… What other rights do I lose because of that sort of thing?”
• Insurrection Act & National Guard:
  • Ongoing court cases about presidential powers to deploy the National Guard in states during unrest.
  • Contrasts between rulings in Chicago vs. Portland based on perceptions of local violence.
• Presidential Tariffs:
  • Court to consider whether the President has undue unilateral power to impose tariffs.
    • Joe Getty (25:22): “That’s traditionally Congress’s job… And yet he’s invoking these statutes that are pretty wishy-washy and broad.”
  • Discussion of executive overreach in both the Trump and Biden administrations.

7. Canada–US Tensions Around the World Series

(28:23–31:20)

• North American sports rivalry gets amped up amidst diplomatic tensions; hosts predict Canadian fans will boo the US anthem at the World Series in Toronto.
  • Jack (28:46): “I think… you’re not gonna be able to hear a note. It’s gonna be deafening booing of the US national anthem… which is kind of interesting.”
  • Fun with Canadian stereotypes and puns:
    • Katie (31:04): “If excuses were mooses, the whole world would be Canada.”

8. Tech & Product Oddities: Shoes, Scooters, and AI Memes

(33:30–35:26)

• Nike’s soon-to-release “robot shoe” with powered assist prompts philosophical musing.
  • Jack (33:56): “What’s the point of running a faster mile with the help of a motorized shoe… unless you’re running from bears?”
  • Discussion of e-bikes and scooters for exercise or convenience.
    • Katie (35:26): “This is going to end up with a concussion, please.”

9. NBA Gambling Scandal & Sports Integrity

(36:29–38:15)

• Conversation about game-fixing, gambling scandals, and their existential threat to pro sports.
  • Katie (36:59): “This is DEFCON 1. This is nuclear league holocaust.”
  • Firm belief that perceived lack of integrity could doom an entire sport.
  • Reference to suspicious NBA game footage:
    • Jack (37:41): “He’s coming up 10ft short on shots… It’s pretty hard… to imagine why he’d make that pass.”

10. Humor, AI Video Memes, & Closing

(38:15–39:31)

• Jack shares about surreal/funny AI-generated videos on SORA, including a Maury Povich-Style “You are not the father” video featuring Stephen Hawking.
  • Jack (39:16): “He throws off his neck brace, stands up from his chair, dances a little, runs off. It was an act all along.”
• Closing reminder to catch the next hour via podcast.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Katie (03:08): “Want to know who is winning the Democrat civil war? Follow the money.”
• Katie (06:57): “Platner’s new tattoo depicts what might be charitably described as a morbidly obese Celtic wolf drawn by a six year old child.”
• Jack (13:24): “[Murray] believes that there’s similar sort of thing for God. Some people are just able to feel it… some people are tone deaf to God.”
• Katie (15:44): “Fascinated with the idea that perceiving God is a talent.”
• Jack (17:44): “You’re going to ask me once a week: you still remember this is a computer, right?”
• Anastasia Bowden (19:53): “No oral arguments, but they're still working hard. And as you said, they've granted their second gun rights case of the term, which is kind of remarkable.”
• Jack (28:46): “We've never had this level of animosity between Canada and the United States before.”
• Katie (31:04): “If excuses were mooses, the whole world would be Canada.”
• Jack (33:56): “What’s the point of running a faster mile with the help of a motorized shoe… unless you're running… from bears?”
• Katie (36:59): “This is DEFCON 1. This is nuclear league holocaust.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce Rumors: 00:14–01:36
• Democratic Fundraising Troubles: 02:01–03:39
• Senate Candidate Tattoo Scandal: 03:42–08:42
• Charles Murray’s Book on Religion: 09:13–16:02
• AI’s God Conversation: 16:02–17:58
• SCOTUS Upcoming Cases with Anastasia Bowden: 19:21–27:03
• Canada vs. US World Series Tensions: 28:23–31:20
• Nike Robot Shoe & Tech Oddities: 33:30–35:26
• NBA Gambling Scandal: 36:29–38:15
• AI Meme Humor: 38:15–39:31

Final Thoughts

The episode expertly weaves high-profile news, legal debates, and philosophical musings, all wrapped in a witty, conversational style. Jack and Joe’s banter, Katie’s sharp asides, and contributions from Anastasia Bowden make this a richly entertaining listen—accessible even for those unfamiliar with the week's headlines. Even as the hosts circle cosmic questions of belief and the boundaries of technology, they never lose their down-to-earth, skeptical, sometimes zany tone: “You still remember this is a computer, right?”

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