Podcast
Notes from the Uncanny Valley
Hosted by Gib · EN
“Being dead is something you learn to live with,” reflects the narrator of NOTES FROM THE UNCANNY VALLEY, an inventive, 400-page autofiction novel read as an audiobook posing as a podcast adapted as a movie in your mind. Listen, as the clues lead our alien observer down deep into the uncanny valley, where he begins to wonder, is he living in a simulation? Is he himself artificial intelligence? Will he find the missing link between monkey and machine?
10episodes
Episodes
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15. Uncanny Valley Thanksgiving
Nov 27, 201901:04:59Tap to summarize“Is the star of The Truman Show suffering from the Truman Show delusion? Have culture and reality finally merged into one, trapping us in a feedback loop? What happens when reality doesn’t show up to the reality show?” 00:00 —On misnomers and false maps… 04:06 —Elevator Riders on the Storm 11:42 —Is Tomorrow a Virgin? 14:15 —A walk with Jesus… 17:26 —Notes on the Mandela Effect 22:51 —Late night at the grocery store self-checkout 30:52 —Zombie Ants 32:50 —Behind The Doors 43:00 —Notes on Dissociation as Enlightenment 50:49 —The Day Before Thanksgiving 54:56 —The Terrarium 57:30 —The Last Laugh 65 minutes “Time After Time,” by Hiroshi Yoshimura, “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” by Robert Goulet, “Baby (slowed down 800 percent)” by Justin Bieber, “Riders on the Storm,” by The Doors, “Blown-Out Joy from Heaven’s Mercied Hole” by A Silver Mt. Zion, “Unseen Forces” by Justin Walter, “#3” by Aphex Twin, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, “New Space Music,” by Brian Eno, “Everybody’s Talkin'” by Harry Nilsson, “Able-Bodied Seamen,” by Jonny Greenwood, “Disintegration Loops” by William Basinki, “Mad World (slowed down 800 percent)” by Gary Jules, “An Ending (Ascent),” by Brian Eno, “Thursday Afternoon,” by Brian Eno, “#3” by James Devane Uncanny Valley ThanksgivingDownload https://notesfromtheuncannyvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nuv-nov-2019.2.m4a
Transcribe →14. Autumn is Nature’s Striptease
Oct 31, 201901:00:58Tap to summarize“I’ve noticed that the last socially acceptable form of discrimination is astrological prejudice. Stereotyping based on gender, race, or sexual orientation is frowned upon, but it’s completely okay to say, ‘I’ll never date another Scorpio, because they’re evil, promiscuous, two-faced, jealous little bitches.’” 0:00 —A Failed MacGuffin 4:37 —The Library 12:14 —Hannah 17:40 — Autumn Leaves 19:45 — Late Night in the Community Room 30:22 — Chat with the chatty Sagittarius on the balcony 44:46 —Job Interview 61 minutes “Time After Time,” by Hiroshi Yoshimura, “Beeps,” by Gib Strange, “Poa Alpina” by Biosphere, “An Ending (Ascent),” by Brian Eno, “Thursday Afternoon” by Brian Eno, “Gymnopédie No. 1” by Erik Satie, “Nowhere Man,” by The Carpenters, “#3” by Aphex Twin, “Of Cities and Escape,” by The Poppy Family, “Neroli,” by Brian Eno, “Something Blue,” by Hiroshi Yoshimura, “#3” cover by James Devane, “New Space Music,” by Brian Eno, “The Universal,” by Blur Uncanny AutumnDownload
Transcribe →13. I’m a Stranger Here Myself
Dec 27, 201700:27:00Tap to summarize“If an alien force were observing Earth, would it see humans as the invasive species and send some kind of robot scarecrows to protect the habitat? Or would it further our survival by leading us away from danger? For a moment, I take a guilty solace in the latter fantasy. I imagine electric angels guiding us, like the roach-bots shepherding those cockroaches toward the light.” 0:00 —Intro: a story with a good twist… 00:59 —Light speed in the elevator… 03:49 —Face in the crowd and blood on the tracks 11:55 —More TMI 16:24 —The Return of the Roboroach: “People who can’t even control their own minds want to control the minds of others.” 22:55 —Christmas in the community room 24:19 The death of MacGuffin 27 minutes “Unseen Forces” by Justin Walter, “Disintegration Loops” by William Basinki, “Following” by Justin Walter, “Pathologically Bored” by Deru, and “Poa Alpina” by Biosphere 13_Im a stranger here myselfDownload
Transcribe →12. The Night Watchman
Dec 24, 201700:24:29Tap to summarize“Maybe all black holes are intelligent civilizations that got sucked up their own assholes.” 0:00 —People call him Superboy… 01:14 —Notes on Bigfoot 05:00 —A bus ride through the snow storm 08:13 —Notes on the Fermi paradox 10:21 —The nightwatchman’s lullaby 13:14 —A cosmic prank in the park 14:06 — “SETI to yeti, do you copy? Over.” 14:43 —An unfinished email to future nonbiological intelligence 22:55 —Exit Sam. 24:30 minutes “Baby (slowed down 800 percent)” by Justin Bieber, “Three Cheers for Existence,” by Deru, “Murmur’s Ebb” by Greater Than or Equal To, “1979” by Deru, “Kontakte” by Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Pathologically Bored” by Deru, and “Poa Alpina” by Biosphere 12_The Night WatchmanDownload
Transcribe →11. Real Person Blues
Dec 16, 201700:18:59Tap to summarize“Sometimes you’ve gotta beat the crazy outta them.” 0:00 —Intro 00:30 —Riding the train backwards through downtown… 02:34 —Notes on Déjà vu 04:12 —The Return of the Mummy’s Shadow 09:14 —Drifting through downtown again with the soundtrack out of sync… 11:00 —Roy suggests a way to deal with Sam and reveals Dietzen’s identity…. 17:42 —Dan knocks on the door with a gift and some news… 19 minutes “Vid Loss” by Pye Corner Audio,“Spiral Insana” by Nurse with Wound, “Blown-Out Joy from Heaven’s Mercied Hole” by A Silver Mt. Zion, and “Unseen Forces” by Justin Walter NUV Real Person BluesDownload
Transcribe →10. The Healthy Skeptic
Dec 8, 201700:19:02Tap to summarize“This is an irony you couldn’t get away with in fiction—socially impaired programmers creating social media environments for society to socialize within. And the irony doesn’t stop there. Grandin points out that the programmers require intense concentration to look at information for long periods of time. Meanwhile, the technology and media they create distract and fragment people’s attention. Even Grandin, whose condition is characterized by an inability to recognize irony, recognizes this irony.” 0:00 —Intro: You’re not a hoarder, not if you can put it in order… 01:00 —Notes on weaponized autism 12:15 —Alone at the Social Skills Group Therapy 19 minutes “Witchs Will” by Wilburn Burchette and “No Riders” by Pye Corner Audio 10_The_Healthy_SkepticDownload https://notesfromtheuncannyvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/10_the_healthy_skeptic.m4a
Transcribe →9. My Selfie Hurts
Dec 2, 201700:11:42Tap to summarize“Having been enlisted to take a picture of the happy pair in front of the city, to serve as social media trophy and prosthetic memory, I suddenly feel the weight of my duty. Maybe this is to document a special anniversary. Perhaps it’s his birthday. After briefly familiarizing myself with the gadget, I hold it at eye level.” 0:00 —Intro (Ghost in the machine) 0:39 —Photographing a couple at lookout point 05:13 — “The suspense is killing me.” 06:44 —More night trouble with the troubled neighbor 11:41 Minutes “Baby” by Justin Bieber, “Unseen Forces” by Justin Walter, “Poa Alpina” by Biosphere and “Blown-Out Joy from Heaven’s Mercied Hole” by A Silver Mt. Zion 9_My_Selfie_HurtsDownload https://notesfromtheuncannyvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/my_selfie_hurts.m4a
Transcribe →8. The Way Home
Nov 23, 201700:11:28Tap to summarize“I look up at the hotel and wonder which of the fifteen stories of windows it might’ve originated from… The windows are dark and they all look the same. I can’t see into any of the rooms, though I’m certain that anyone looking out can see me.” 00:00 —Tonight on a very special episode of The Bachelor Fridge… 01:26 —Dirty windows and demons 04:18 —Sermon in the park 07:00 —Paper airplane 09:37 —Monsters and Mothers 10:34 —The Bachelor Fridge Recap 11:30 minutes “Gymnopédie No. 1” by Erik Satie, “Unseen Forces” by Justin Walter and “Pathologically Bored” by Deru 8_The_Way_HomeDownload
Transcribe →7. Interpreting the Interpreters
Nov 3, 201700:22:09Tap to summarize“Who is this God that keeps sending wounded messengers? Is this God deranged? Or are the codes getting scrambled in some kind of cosmic game of telephone?“ 0:00 —The Day the Sirkis Took Over 01:00 —Crow-nies in the park 03:27 —Notes on the stenographer and the sign-language interpreter 09:03 —Escape from Reality Island: memoirs of a night logger 12:23 —Notes on the unreality show 17:52 —The child knows what no one can unknow… 21:10—The old man dream 22 Minutes “Unseen Forces” and “Following” by Justin Walter, “Kontakte” by Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Spiral Insana” by Nurse with Wound, “Untitled” by Constance Demby, and “Pathologically Bored” by Deru 7_Interpreting_the_InterpretersDownload
Transcribe →6. Sound Reasoning
Oct 30, 201700:16:45Tap to summarize“The real problem is that his problem is real. His screams of pain are real, making the electric ray gun as real as anything else. This is the real problem because it leads to the next problem, which is that the ray gun is not real for his neighbors… or management… or, I assume, the vast majority of what the Greeks called the koinos kosmos, or shared world….” 0:00 —Math homework with Ted Bundy 01:33 —Junk mail (“Have you seen me?”) 09:55 —The new neighbor at night . . . 17 minutes “Gymnopédie No. 1” by Erik Satie, “1979” by Deru, and “Blown-Out Joy from Heaven’s Mercied Hole” by A Silver Mt. Zion 6_HearingsDownload https://notesfromtheuncannyvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/6_hearings.m4a
Transcribe →