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
Instagram: @nnsnspdcst
Gmail: nnsnspdcst@gmail.com
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Task Failed Successfully: The Science of Happy Accidents - Part 2
2w ago00:25:46Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(1:01) The Glued-Shut Gun Sights(4:16) Alot About Aspirin(6:40) The Wrong Box of Resistors(9:29) The Spoiled Clover(12:03) The Exploding Hot Stove(16:05) Whippets Real Good(21:33) cj’s recommendation: NOVA on PBS(22:42) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Man in the White Suit (1951)If you've ever made a massive mistake at work and secretly hoped it would change human history, this is the episode for you. The boys are back before their summer break to sweep the lab floors of history and examine the brilliant mistakes left behind by brilliant (and sometimes incredibly clumsy) minds.In Part 2 of their deep dive into the beautiful, chaotic world of accidental science they highlight how a failed attempt at plastic gun sights birthed something super sticky, while grabbing the wrong resistor out of a parts box gave us a heartbeat.Plus, the suppressed history behind aspirin, a deadly rat poison that became a world-class drug, and the tragic, drug-fueled tale of the dentist who first pioneered anesthesia.It’s a roller coaster of a history lesson filled with corporate cover-ups, plenty of terrible execution, while distracting you, for a brief moment, from the crushing weight of reality.Harry Coover - Super GlueHarry Coover | LemelsonPacemaker - WikipediaWilson Greatbatch - WikipediaCharles Goodyear - WikipediaIndigestion - WikipediaThe Incredible Story of New Haven's Charles Goodyear : r/newhavenNOVA PBS Official - YouTubeTHE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT - TrailerSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Task Failed Successfully: The Science of Happy Accidents - Part 1
3w ago00:24:10Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(1:20) Open(3:40) When Mr. Goodbar Went Soft(7:35) Here, Hold This Box of Smallpox…(11:11) The Great Pigeon Poop Epiphany(14:42) Attenuate The Cholera Please(19:47) cj’s recommendation: Particle Fever (2013)(20:39) Jeff’s Recommendation: Young Frankenstein (1974)Have you ever messed up so badly that you accidentally solved the mysteries of the universe or wiped out a deadly disease? This week the guys start their dive into the glorious world of "happy accidents" in science, proving that sometimes the best way to make a breakthrough is to trip, fall, and land directly into a Nobel Prize.Science isn't always a straight line of meticulous calculations; more often than not, it’s a stumbling block that strikes gold. From a melted Mr. Goodbar candy bar that gave birth to a 750-pound appliance monstrosity, to 18th-century medical experiments that involved scraping lesions and rolling the dice on unsuspecting eight-year-old boys, the history of innovation can be terrifyingly random.Sometimes cleaning pigeon poop off a giant antenna ends up proving the Big Bang theory, while a lazy lab assistant’s vacation saves countless lives - avian and otherwise.It’s the first episode of a two-part series packed with rogue medical ethics, exploding eggs, and a celebration of the unexpected outputs that define human progress. You don't want to miss this one!Microwave oven - WikipediaPigeon waste, cosmic melodies and noise in scientific communication - Lindau Nobel Laureate MeetingsParticle Fever - WikipediaYoung Frankenstein - WikipediaSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Post-Authentic Era: Disinformation and the New Machinery of Lies
4w ago00:33:17Tap to summarizeIs that video real, or is it just another LLM-generated nightmare designed to make you angry? Welcome to the post-authentic era, where the marginal cost of producing a convincing lie has dropped to zero. In this episode the boys peel back the curtain on how politicians, influencers, and rogue algorithms are weaponizing outrage to bury the facts.If you think your eyes are the ultimate truth-tellers, we’ve got some bad news: they’re probably the worst liars you know. We’re mapping the matrix of misinformation and debating whether we can ever crawl our way back to a shared reality. It’s a breakdown of why the truth is currently losing, who’s profiting from the chaos, and why you should probably stop getting your medical advice from TikTok.Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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HEADLINES: Anthropic’s Banned AI, Terminator Drones, & Google’s Legal Reality Check
Jun 1600:28:25Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(0:46) Open(1:47) cj's week: Summer, Pool, BBQng!(3:22) Jeff's Week: Phat Spiders, FIFA Scanning(8:33) Headline: Why the US Government Just Pulled the Plug on Mythos 5 and Fable 5(17:33) Headline: No Human Required: Inside Ukraine’s Secret Autonomous Drone Test(21:19) Headline: Judges tells Google: Your AI Wrote It, You’re Responsible for It(24:37) The 75MHz WinBook XPIf you're tired of flawless automated soccer refs and crave some good old-fashioned human error, you've come to the right place.This week, we're diving deep into the White House's sudden directive forcing Anthropic to yank their latest AI models off the market. Are there shadowy motivations behind the pause? Is Amazon to blame? And should we all prefer "artisanal programming" on a 10-year-old MacBook over modern local LLMs? No one knows.Ukraine is reshaping the front lines with low-cost, jam-resistant autonomous drones that have boosted strike success rates 4x, and a court ruling throws shade at Section 230-style protections for generative AI, at least in Germany.What do mariachi band funerals, fat mosquitoes, and killer autonomous quadcopters have in common? Absolutely nothing, which means they fit perfectly right here on Nonsense.Anthropic Blocks Fable 5, Mythos 5 Access Following Government Order | PCMagAmazon security research reportedly led to the White House’s Anthropic Fable ban | The VergeUkraine's one-time test used fully autonomous drones to kill Russian soldiers - Ars TechnicaLandmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers)And now - Katy Actually #accesshollywoodSoccer explained (meh, sorta).Explaining how the Knicks and hurricanes won. #nba #sports #basketball #hockey #fySend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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History's Deadliest General: How Mosquitoes Shaped the World
Jun 1100:24:30Tap to summarize(0:00) Open(0:48) The Unknown Side of Mosquitos(3:38) Good News: Mosquitos Don’t Bite(5:45) But They Are War Heroes(11:27) THAT Full Moon Fever(12:59) ¡Pie Queso!(14:56) They Gave Us Jurassic Park(16:05) But It’s Only The Females…(18:57) Iceland: Mosquito-Free(20:53) cj’s recommendation: A Bug’s Life (1998)(21:50) Jeff’s Recommendation: Mosquito (2017)Ever feel like mosquitoes have a personal vendetta against you? It turns out it's way worse than you think. This week on Nonsense, the guys dive deep into the terrifying, highly coordinated ballet that happens every time one of these little assassins lands on your arm. Spoiler alert: they don't just bite you - they use a six-needle microscopic toolkit to saw your skin open, pump you with anesthesia, and hunt down your capillaries in seconds.They also unpack the bizarre evolutionary quirks that make these dinosaur-surviving pests tick. Why does it seem like you get “bit” more during a full moon? What body part should you wash to defend against getting eaten alive this summer? And what’s the deal with Limburger cheese?Move over George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte - there is a much deadlier military strategist in town, and it weighs less than a grain of sand. Get ready to look at summer's most hated insect in a whole new, terrifyingly impressive light.This is Ann | The HuntingtonIg Nobel Prize - WikiwandA Bug's Life - bar sceneMosquito - Discovery ImpactSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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HEADLINES: The Trillion-Dollar Valuation Debate, Fancy Microfluid Tubes, and High-Fashion Lunar Long Johns
Jun 900:23:37Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(0:48) Open(1:55) National Forklift Safety Day(2:21) cj's week: Forklifts & Car Lifts(5:10) Jeff's Week: AGM Car Batteries and EV Sticks(6:41) Headline: Valuation Expert Sees Spacex Worth $1.3T, Below IPO Target(14:00) Headline: AI-Designed Universal Vaccine Clears First Human Trial(18:39) Headline: NASA Will Wear High-Tech Prada Long Johns to The Moon(21:12) Canon PowerShot S100 Digital ElphNonsense Headlines are back, and spicier than ever!In this episode, the guys dive into the battle over SpaceX's true net worth, pitting Musk's aspirational growth metrics against Morningstar's dramatically lower reality check. Is buying stock an income stream or just an expensive game of musical chairs? Only you can help the market decide.The guys also look at the Journal of Infection's latest page-turner: a universal vaccine delivery system known as a microfluid jet. Maybe it’s a needle, maybe not.Finally, they discuss the ultimate fashion collaboration: NASA + Prada. Because if you're going to be floating in the void of space, you might as well look European-skinny doing it.And in the long awaited return of our weekly technology recommendations, the $575-per-megapixel camera that you can carry in your pocket!Valuation expert sees SpaceX worth $1.3T, below IPO targetGoogle's new Gemma 4 12B model is designed to run on any laptop with 16GB of RAM - Ars TechnicaAI-designed universal vaccine clears first human trial, targets future coronavirus threats with needle-free deliveryNASA will wear high-tech Prada long johns to the Moon | The VergeThe saga of the International Space Station air leak took a worrying turn Friday - Ars TechnicaSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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The Cost of AI: Digital Dementia & The Death of Critical Thinking
Jun 400:25:30Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(1:11) Open(3:11) The Studies With The Data(9:45) Cognitive Offloading(12:54) Where Have All The Experts Gone?(17:29) The LLM Brain Rot Hypothesis(19:26) Save Your Meatware: Do Puzzles!(22:05) cj’s recommendation: WALL-E (2008)(23:12) Jeff’s Recommendation: Dead Poets Society (1989)Are you letting ChatGPT write your emails, summarize your reports, and do your basic thinking? Congratulations, you might be actively shrinking your prefrontal cortex! This week, Nonsense tackles the literal biological cost of artificial intelligence. If you think tools like Gemini and Claude are just handy, harmless calculators for the modern age, think again. The guys look at real-time neurological data proving that AI assistance systematically scales down the neural coupling required for deep focus and memory encoding. By letting software do our synthesis and critical judgment, we are leaving the human brain severely under-stimulated and physically altered.Can we claw back our cognitive autonomy before we fully evolve into the screen-addicted, floating toddlers of the 21st century? The guys lay out a mental fitness plan involving puzzles, strict attention boundaries, and a desperate, real-time attempt to guess cj's wife's name before a couch becomes his permanent bed.Bugged by Excel's calculation errorsSend us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Cookware’s Forever Chemical Reckoning: The Toxic War In Your Kitchen
May 2800:28:34Tap to summarize(0:00) Pre-Show(1:02) The Toxic Marketing War in Your Kitchen(3:53) DuPont: The Origin of Teflon and Everything Else(6:01) Why is This Undesirable Now?(8:50) PFAs Are Forever(11:45) States Start Wielding Their Ban Hammers(16:22) The Labeling Doesn’t Help, But May Make It Worse(19:32) Alternatives That Are Safe And Better(23:46) cj’s recommendation: Kitchen Confidential (2007)(26:07) Jeff’s Recommendation: Chef (2014)Are your morning eggs coming with a side of microplastics? This episode, the guys dive deep into the sticky truth behind nonstick cookware and the multi-billion-dollar civil war currently fracturing your kitchen. From its accidental discovery by a DuPont chemist to a top-secret stint on the Manhattan Project, Teflon has a history as wild as it is toxic.We break down why "PFOA-free" marketing is mostly linguistic trickery, how state laws are forcing a chemical reckoning, and why short-chain chemical alternatives might actually be worse for your organs. Plus, find out how many thousands of microplastics fly out of a single surface scratch and why an overheated pan will kill a pet bird faster than you can blink.Grab your cast iron, hide your parakeets, and let’s get cooking! Send us a voice message!Nonsense is available here.
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Data vs. Dairy: Uncovering the Secret Water Hogs of the Modern World
May 2100:32:10Tap 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
May 1400:27:55Tap 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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