Podcast
Nonsense with cj little and Jeff Parker
Hosted by cj little and Jeff Parker · EN
Nonsense desperately tries to make sense of today’s business, technology, and (sometimes) entertainment headlines. Not too serious and occasionally funny, join technologist cj little and leggy blonde Jeff Parker for their unique take on the past week. While we can’t promise you’ll laugh every week, we can promise you’ll learn something new (and maybe even interesting).
New episodes drop every Tuesday & Thursday mornings (UTC). Produced by an orangutan; art thanks to artificial intelligence.
https://nonsense.productions
Twitter: @nnsnspdcst
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Gmail: nnsnspdcst@gmail.com
19episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Data vs. Dairy: Uncovering the Secret Water Hogs of the Modern World
2w ago00:32:10Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(1:45) The Hidden Water Cost of the Things We Consume(3:00) The Kernels Are Thirsty(7:30) 40k Gallons of Joe(9:32) Pools of Evaporation(12:48) That’s a Thirsty Burger(15:02) The Back Nine(17:42) Delicious Chocolate(19:25) One Gallon per Nut(21:43) Rice, Rice, Water(25:30) cj’s recommendation: Bottled Life: Nestle's Business with Water (2012)(28:15) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)The numbers sound big and scary: U.S. data centers consume roughly 228 billion gallons of water annually. But how does that stack up against the things we actually eat, drink, and use? This episode the guys normalize the data center debate with some shocking agricultural realities that will make you want to swap your pizza slice for a beer just to conserve resources. Simple evaporation makes our uncovered swimming pools equal to a data center's worth of water. Worse, a single grain crop claims up to a third of all global freshwater withdrawals. A third!Download, subscribe, and try not to think about "night soil" while you listen!Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Insane Infrastructure of Artificial Intelligence
3w ago00:27:55Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(1:25) AI’s Insatiable Hunger(4:33) So Many Hyperscalars!(9:13) Batteries Not Included(14:29) H2NO!(18:29) Where’s The Payout?(22:17) cj’s recommendation: The Matrix (1999)(24:36) Jeff’s Recommendation: The China Syndrome (1979)Did you know that generating a single five-second AI video can consume as much energy as charging your smartphone 50 times? As tech giants race toward "super-intelligence," the physical footprint of the cloud is reaching a breaking point. From Northern Virginia’s "Data Center Alley" to the Mississippi aquifers, these facilities are gulping down billions of gallons of water and pushing local power grids to the brink of collapse.The scale of modern AI construction has become so vast that it’s literally delaying local road repairs in Virginia due to concrete shortages. With nearly 3,000 data center projects planned through 2030, the tech industry is essentially building a new global utility from scratch. We’re talking about "hyperscale" facilities like Meta’s Hyperion, which is expected to draw more power than the entire city of New Orleans. We’ll look at the staggering math behind the AI revolution, breaking down why the industry is shifting toward modular nuclear reactors and high-strength concrete just to keep the servers from falling through the floor. It’s a high-stakes gamble on a future where the "cost of thinking" might just cost us the earth.But more importantly, is the payoff worth the price of admission?Why data centers are building their own power plants | The Verge Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Death of the Bookie: Why Prediction Markets are Eating Sports Betting
4w ago00:39:31Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(1:46) The Price of "Probably"(6:11) The Wisdom of the Crowd(16:40) The Rise of the "Event Market"(22:47) Insider Trading(27:48) Performance of These Markets(35:40) cj’s recommendation: The Big Short (2010)(37:37) Jeff’s Recommendation: Leaving Las Vegas (1995)Forget the "House" always winning - in 2026, the House is just a guy in a basement with a faster internet connection than you. This week, we’re looking at why platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are turning the sports world upside down. We’re moving away from fixed odds and into a world where the "price" of a touchdown updates faster than the ref can blow the whistle.Is it a "financial swap" or just a prop bet with a college degree? As the CFTC fights the states for control, the real action is in the locker room. So just how did prediction markets become the "dangerous loophole" for sports addicts?We’ll break down why these "event contracts" are just sports bets in a fancy suit and how 18-year-olds in states where gambling is illegal are using them to bypass the system. It’s a high-stakes game of peer-to-peer chicken where the most informed fan takes the bag and why more than two out of three trades on these platforms are now tied to a scoreboard.And remember: the number five is lucky, especially on a fifth-set tiebreak.The Polymarket Effect: How Prediction Markets Are Beating The ExpertsGamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don't rewrite an Iran missile story | The Times of IsraelThe History of Prediction Markets: From Iowa Electronic Markets to PolymarketThe Fed - Kalshi and the Rise of Macro MarketsFrench police probe Polymarket Paris weather bet : NPRNPR went looking for Polymarket's Panama headquarters. It's elusiveSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Four-Square Shell Game: How Not to Get Robbed at the Stealership
Apr 3000:45:33Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(2:01) Masters of the Shell Game(6:25) Don’t Buy What You Don’t Want(15:01) Then Comes The Math Gymnastics(25:00) Don’t Go In; Stay Home(29:40) The Box(32:32) But Wait, There’s More!(37:35) The CARS Rule(40:27) cj’s recommendation: Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs(42:20) Jeff’s Recommendation: Ford v FerrariThis episode the guys tackle the infamous "Four-Square" philosophy - the car dealership’s favorite way to rip you off.Jeff is convinced that car dealers are just misunderstood philanthropists trying to do right in the world.From VIN etchings that cost more than a flat-screen TV to "pulsing" brake lights you never asked for, they’re exposing the junk fees making dealerships the ultimate escape rooms - except there you have to pay to get out.cj is convinced dealers are grifty-grifters that have mastered the shell game. Then there’s the "Finance Box," where math goes to die and interest rates are inflated faster than a bouncy castle. Learn why you should never negotiate by monthly payment unless you enjoy being "underwater" before you hit the first stoplight.Is it a car dealership or a magic show?This episode is arming you with the "maths" the dealers hope you forgot after high school. From decoding the "Money Factor" in leases to spotting "Payment Packing" maneuvers, it is a survival guide for the modern car lot. Before you sign that 84-month loan that lasts longer than most marriages, listen to this breakdown on how to negotiate the math, skip the "Platinum Menu," and walk away with your dignity (and your wallet) intact.Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The "Postseason Problems" Placeholder
Apr 2800:01:16Tap to summarizeOh poor Jeff, his sportsball teams just keep winning.Why is this important? Well, it means he can't be bothered to record a headlines episode for you dear listener. Why can't he be more like cj? He cheers either cheers for teams that can't make the playoffs or for sports that are so esoteric they only compete a handful of times per year.The good news is, the boys will be back later this week with a full episode on one of the most trusted and beloved industries left: Automobile Dealerships.You won't want to miss it, itsa gonna be a real spicy meat-a-ball!Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Grand Pivots: From Shoes to GPUs
Apr 2300:29:10Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(0:54) The Grand Pivot: Shoes to GPUs(10:35) B.F.G.(13:01) From The Corpse of Glitch(15:58) AmEx: USPSv1(18:45) Candy Bar Phones(22:30) The Valley Falls Company(25:23) cj’s recommendation: Coachella Weekend #2(26:58) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Founder (2016)In this episode, the boys dive into the frantic, sweat-soaked world of the "Corporate Pivot," where success isn't a marathon, it’s a knife fight in a burning building. They explore why the world's biggest titans had to kill their past selves just to survive the night. From Nokia’s journey from rubber boots to ringtones to Nintendo’s bizarre era of running "love hotels" and selling unpalatable instant rice, we break down why the most successful companies look nothing like their original selves.Once the darling of eco-conscious Silicon Valley, AllBirds, with its wool sneakers, has officially scrubbed "sustainability" from its mission statement to rebrand as NewBird AI. So yeah, they discuss the absurdity of a shoe company ditching its soul to lease out GPUs, and why the market rewarded this "AI costume" with an 876% stock surge.Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Play or Decay: Why Your Brain Craves Fun
Apr 1600:35:59Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(2:49) The Play Instinct: Entertainment as an Evolutionary Essential(4:55) What is entertainment?(8:25) Why do we need it?(15:06) The bizarre ways we have entertained ourselves(24:00) Are we over-stimulating ourselves?(30:35) cj’s recommendation: Nine Inch Noize at Coachella 2026(33:44) Jeff’s Recommendation: Sunset Boulevard (1950)Is your Netflix habit a "guilty pleasure" or a biological requirement? This week, the boys explore why entertainment is far more than just a distraction from the grind. From ancient cave fires to the (thankfully) canceled metaverse, we discuss why humans are evolutionarily hardwired for story and play.Then they dive deep into the "Training-for-the-Unexpected" hypothesis, explaining why wrestling with your dog or playing a strategy game is actually a high-intensity workout for your Prefrontal Cortex. Learn why play acts like "Miracle-Gro" for your neurons and why, without it, your brain is just a fast processor running outdated, stressed-out software.And then they get weird with it - looking at the bizarre ways humans have entertained themselves throughout history. From synaptic pruning to "self-handicapping" in the animal kingdom, find out why you need to stop worshipping at the altar of the grind and start making more time for the cognitive playground.Streamer EmilyCC Hits Four Years of 24/7 Livestreaming - HypeFresh IncThe Twitch streamer sharing her life 24/7 | CNNNine Inch Noize's Coachella set may go down as one of the festival's best everNine Inch Noize - Closer - Live at Coachella 2026Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Great Displacement: Who’s Getting Fired Next?
Apr 900:36:47Tap to summarizeThe billable hour is dying, and AI is holding the pillow over its face.This episode is a forensic look at the industries being dismantled and rebuilt in real-time. We move past the hype of chatbots and get into the agentic era - where AI isn't just suggesting edits; it's executing the entire workflow. From Legal Services where AI predicts a judge's ruling based on their last 200 lunches, to implementing the ultimate Infinite Socratic method.The "Rulebook Industries,” like Accounting, Law, and Construction are on the block. If your job has a syntax, a tax code, or a building regulation, the machines are already faster than you.Closer to home, we tackle Hollywood’s Civil War; with the 2026 SAG-AFTRA negotiations looming, we look at the rise of the "Digital Twin." Top-tier actors aren't losing their jobs; they’re just losing the need to show up to the set. Will "100% Human-Performed" become the new "Organic" label for prestige cinema? A Whole Foods Cinema does sound lovely…We sprinkle in a few surprise industries too; ones that even we don’t know how we should feel about AI taking over. It’s a fun ride, but in the end, this genie isn’t going back into the bottle. If you want to thrive, and not just survive the AI onslaught, the answer is simple: be one of the early commanders of the genie.Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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HEADLINES: The Dark Side of the Moon, Adhesive Poop Bags, and the Great Chip Backfire
Apr 700:32:42Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(1:03) Open(2:01) Metric System Day(3:48) cj's week: Yosemite!(6:06) Jeff's Week: Injury!(7:02) Headline: Artemis II Smashes Apollo 13’s Distance Record(18:10) Headline: The Fight for Rural Broadband: Starlink’s Refusal to Follow Federal Rules (23:57) Headline: How U.S. Bans Handed China’s Chipmakers a Monopoly(29:35) ESPN MobileHumanity is back in the lunar neighborhood! We cover the Artemis II flyby of the dark side of the moon, where communications go dark and the views get historic. We talk about Commander Reid Wiseman’s emotional call home and why the moon currently looks like a Spalding basketball held at arm's length. It’s a beautiful, poetic moment for our species - right up until the waste management system started smoking.We get into the "nitty-gritty" (literally) of the Orion’s plumbing issues. From "ice" blocked pipes to the return of the Apollo-era adhesive waste bags, we explain why space travel is 10% science and 90% figuring out what to do with your own business. It’s a messy job, but someone has to do it while traveling thousands of miles per hour.To wrap things up, we discuss the $700 million game of chicken between Congress and Starlink. SpaceX wants the cash upfront, but the Feds want the rules followed. Plus, we analyze the unintended consequences of U.S. tech restrictions: China is now building an AI chip empire out of pure spite and necessity. Grab your headphones; it’s a long way down.NASA’s Artemis II astronauts break Apollo’s distance record | Scientific AmericanLive updates: Artemis II astronauts break records in historic moon flyby | CNNTrack NASA’s Artemis II Mission in Real Time - NASADems: Feds Should Rescind $700M for Starlink if SpaceX Won't Play by the Rules | PCMagChinese chip firms hit record high revenue driven by the AI boom and U.S. curbsESPN Mobile 2006 CommercialSports Heaven Superbowl AdSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Aliens Part II: Silicon Breath, Biological Grey Goo, & Our Galactic Zoo
Apr 200:31:11Tap to summarizeThe math says they exist, but what do they actually look like?In the second half of our Big Story on extraterrestrial life, the boys move past the equations and into the messy, terrifying reality of alien biology. Forget "Little Green Men" - we’re talking about silicon-based lifeforms that literally cough out grains of sand and civilizations so small they could hide inside a single asteroid.Your fearless co-hosts also (attempt to) tackle the "un-happy outcome" of first contact: biological incompatibility. It turns out that meeting an alien might not lead to a handshake, but rather a catastrophic case of anaphylactic shock or being dissolved at a molecular level into "biological grey goo." It’s a reality check on why "sharing a beer with an ET" is probably a death sentence for everyone involved.And if they aren't here to eat us, why would they come? We explore the "Galactic Zoo" theory and the "Historian Hypothesis." Are we a rare laboratory of biological improv, or are we just a primitive species being watched by "living crystals" who find our music as interesting as a beaver dam? Pull up a chair and grab some paella - the truth is out there, and it’s weirder than you think.Black–Scholes model - WikipediaStarman (film) - WikipediaSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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