Podcast
Weird Things
Hosted by Andrew Mayne · EN
Between science and fiction.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Aliens, Boltzmann Brains, and Codex Automation
4w agoTap to summarizeAndrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood dig into the latest UFO-file buzz and explain why alien discourse so often feels like an endless build with no bass drop. They talk through why so much recent evidence comes down to misunderstood thermal imaging, camera artifacts, cropped data, and human storytelling instincts, while also criticizing skeptics who dismiss possibilities too quickly. That opens the door to a much bigger conversation about SETI, microbial life in the solar system, civilization-scale energy use, holographic-universe theory, Boltzmann brains, vacuum decay, and the idea that reality may be far stranger than the evidence currently supports. In the second half, they pivot to AI tools and computer automation, with Justin describing his Codex-powered daily briefing workflow, Andrew showing off weird science poster experiments and iPhone control via Mac mirroring, and Brian reacting in real time after buying a MacBook to start exploring computer-use agents. They wrap with a few enthusiastic recommendations from TV, movies, and a very niche automotive documentary release. Picks: Brian Brushwood: Knight Rider Declassified trailer and limited-release documentary project Justin Robert Young: 30 Rock season 2 episode “Rosemary’s Baby” Andrew Mayne: Michael
Transcribe →Aliens, Boltzmann Brains, and Codex Automation
4w agoTap to summarizeAndrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood dig into the latest UFO-file buzz and explain why alien discourse so often feels like an endless build with no bass drop. They talk through why so much recent evidence comes down to misunderstood thermal imaging, camera artifacts, cropped data, and human storytelling instincts, while also criticizing skeptics who dismiss possibilities too quickly. That opens the door to a much bigger conversation about SETI, microbial life in the solar system, civilization-scale energy use, holographic-universe theory, Boltzmann brains, vacuum decay, and the idea that reality may be far stranger than the evidence currently supports. In the second half, they pivot to AI tools and computer automation, with Justin describing his Codex-powered daily briefing workflow, Andrew showing off weird science poster experiments and iPhone control via Mac mirroring, and Brian reacting in real time after buying a MacBook to start exploring computer-use agents. They wrap with a few enthusiastic recommendations from TV, movies, and a very niche automotive documentary release. Picks: Brian Brushwood: Knight Rider Declassified trailer and limited-release documentary project Justin Robert Young: 30 Rock season 2 episode “Rosemary’s Baby” Andrew Mayne: Michael Support Weird Things on Patreon Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts Podcast RSS feed Download episode audio Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/15b8f17f-27b4-4912-9d42-02b0ea2b28e0__260508_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3 [podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/15b8f17f-27b4-4912-9d42-02b0ea2b28e0__260508_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3
Transcribe →Artemis Returns, AI Compute Wars, and Codex Control
Apr 21Tap to summarizeArtemis gets a victory lap as the crew celebrates the mission’s safe splashdown and talks about how a future moon landing would dominate the internet in a way Apollo never could. From there the conversation turns into an extended AI state-of-the-industry check-in, focusing on Anthropic’s reported compute bottlenecks, Claude reliability complaints, and the restricted Mythos model that appears powerful but not yet practical to serve widely. They compare Anthropic’s strategy with OpenAI’s emphasis on efficiency, lower-cost coding performance, and upcoming model releases, while also discussing how AI companies are navigating government and defense relationships. The back half becomes a hands-on look at OpenAI’s Codex computer-use features, with examples ranging from inbox summaries and printed morning briefings to media sorting, podcast post automation, and desktop app control, all framed around the idea that AI works best when you identify which parts of a workflow require human taste and which parts are just repetitive clicking. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Astromat YT Justin Robert Young: Defunctland’s video on the broken promise of Disney intelligent characters Brian Brushwood: The pilot of Magnum P.I. Andrew Mayne: Double Reel TV
Transcribe →Artemis Returns, AI Compute Wars, and Codex Control
Apr 21Tap to summarizeArtemis gets a victory lap as the crew celebrates the mission’s safe splashdown and talks about how a future moon landing would dominate the internet in a way Apollo never could. From there the conversation turns into an extended AI state-of-the-industry check-in, focusing on Anthropic’s reported compute bottlenecks, Claude reliability complaints, and the restricted Mythos model that appears powerful but not yet practical to serve widely. They compare Anthropic’s strategy with OpenAI’s emphasis on efficiency, lower-cost coding performance, and upcoming model releases, while also discussing how AI companies are navigating government and defense relationships. The back half becomes a hands-on look at OpenAI’s Codex computer-use features, with examples ranging from inbox summaries and printed morning briefings to media sorting, podcast post automation, and desktop app control, all framed around the idea that AI works best when you identify which parts of a workflow require human taste and which parts are just repetitive clicking. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Astromat YT Justin Robert Young: Defunctland’s video on the broken promise of Disney intelligent characters Brian Brushwood: The pilot of Magnum P.I. Andrew Mayne: Double Reel TV Support Weird Things on Patreon Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts Podcast RSS feed Download episode audio Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/8faf3d1f-528a-444e-8218-ba1f24be55a0__260420_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3 [podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/8faf3d1f-528a-444e-8218-ba1f24be55a0__260420_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3
Transcribe →AI Compute Crunch, Vibe Coding, And Pocket Game Hardware
Apr 2Tap to summarizeOpenAI’s shutdown of the Sora app kicks off a broader discussion about how AI companies are being shaped less by hype cycles than by raw compute limits, with Disney deal fallout, Anthropic’s work-hour throttling, and rumors of even bigger next-generation models all pointing to infrastructure being the real bottleneck. From there, the conversation shifts into what these tools look like in practice: Andrew talks through using Codex, plugins, and repeatable evals to automate work, build tiny playable games under extreme constraints, and treat coding more like cultivating projects than manually assembling software line by line. The hosts compare notes on how intimidating the current tool landscape can still be for newcomers, why iterative prompting and experimentation matter more than waiting for a perfect “super app,” and how app stores may be poorly equipped for a wave of AI-generated software. They also detour into social media, scams, platform incentives, and the question of whether better guardrails earlier on could have reduced some of the worst outcomes of the last platform era before wrapping with movie, parenting, and gadget recommendations. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Project Hail Mary Justin Robert Young: The Ferber Method Brian Brushwood: Logan Andrew Mayne: Arduboy FXC
Transcribe →AI Compute Crunch, Vibe Coding, And Pocket Game Hardware
Apr 2Tap to summarizeOpenAI’s shutdown of the Sora app kicks off a broader discussion about how AI companies are being shaped less by hype cycles than by raw compute limits, with Disney deal fallout, Anthropic’s work-hour throttling, and rumors of even bigger next-generation models all pointing to infrastructure being the real bottleneck. From there, the conversation shifts into what these tools look like in practice: Andrew talks through using Codex, plugins, and repeatable evals to automate work, build tiny playable games under extreme constraints, and treat coding more like cultivating projects than manually assembling software line by line. The hosts compare notes on how intimidating the current tool landscape can still be for newcomers, why iterative prompting and experimentation matter more than waiting for a perfect “super app,” and how app stores may be poorly equipped for a wave of AI-generated software. They also detour into social media, scams, platform incentives, and the question of whether better guardrails earlier on could have reduced some of the worst outcomes of the last platform era before wrapping with movie, parenting, and gadget recommendations. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Project Hail Mary Justin Robert Young: The Ferber Method Brian Brushwood: Logan Andrew Mayne: Arduboy FXC Support Weird Things on Patreon Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts Podcast RSS feed Download episode audio Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/80166524-2f29-48c4-b955-06bf0d7ac0f8__260327_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3 [podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/80166524-2f29-48c4-b955-06bf0d7ac0f8__260327_-_weird_things_podcast.mp3
Transcribe →Real-Time AI Speeds, Code Models, Bio Hacking, And Movie Picks
Mar 24Tap to summarizeThe episode surveys an accelerating AI landscape where new hardware like Cerebras and Groq enables near real?time model responses, making voice and agent interactions feel instantly conversational. The conversation covers the rise of code models (Codex, Claude Code), practical tips for using multiple models to check each other, the tug-of-war between frontier labs and big incumbents (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, xAI), and how talent, salaries, and state-level data?center politics are shaping the field. They also touch on a striking story about a dog treated with an experimental mRNA therapeutic assembled with help from multiple AI tools, hands-on demos of rapid content generation and deepfake video, and a challenge to listeners to build weird things with these new tools. Picks: Brian Brushwood: Project Hail Mary. Andrew Mayne: Sentimental Value.
Transcribe →Real-Time AI Speeds, Code Models, Bio Hacking, And Movie Picks
Mar 23Tap to summarizeThe episode surveys an accelerating AI landscape where new hardware like Cerebras and Groq enables near real?time model responses, making voice and agent interactions feel instantly conversational. The conversation covers the rise of code models (Codex, Claude Code), practical tips for using multiple models to check each other, the tug-of-war between frontier labs and big incumbents (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, xAI), and how talent, salaries, and state-level data?center politics are shaping the field. They also touch on a striking story about a dog treated with an experimental mRNA therapeutic assembled with help from multiple AI tools, hands-on demos of rapid content generation and deepfake video, and a challenge to listeners to build weird things with these new tools. Picks: Brian Brushwood: Project Hail Mary. Andrew Mayne: Sentimental Value. Support Weird Things on Patreon: http://patreon.com/weirdthings Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=336704577&subMediaType=Audio Podcast RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WeirdThingsPodcast Download episode audio Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/66ff3df5-d5da-4cbd-8102-fb417231836c__260320_-_Weird_Things_Podcast.mp3 [podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/podcastr/66ff3df5-d5da-4cbd-8102-fb417231836c__260320_-_Weird_Things_Podcast.mp3
Transcribe →Moon, Mars, and Missteps: A Space Saga
Mar 23Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Andrew Mayne, Brian Brushwood, and Justin Robert Young tackle the latest in space exploration drama. They start with NASA’s Art Two mission facing delays due to a pesky hydrogen leak in their much-mocked SLS rocket. The conversation then shifts to Boeing’s embarrassing blunders with their Starliner spacecraft, highlighting the company’s fall from grace in space tech. Amidst these tales of aerospace angst, Elon Musk’s shifting focus from Mars to the Moon captures the trio’s attention, sparking a discussion on the implications for space travel and Musk’s sprawling empire under financial scrutiny. Picks: Andrew: 1976 King Kong Justin: Wonder Man series Brian: Decode by Phil P. Barden
Transcribe →Moon Missions and AI Battles: A Space Odyssey with a Side of Silicon Valley Drama
Mar 23Tap to summarizeAndrew Mayne, Brian Brushwood, and Justin Robert Young gather to discuss the latest in space exploration and AI developments. They express concerns over the Artemis missions’ delays and technical challenges, particularly focusing on the SLS rocket’s issues and the ambitious plans for lunar landings involving SpaceX’s Starship. The conversation shifts to the AI domain, where they critique the rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic, highlighting the recent controversial Super Bowl ad and the broader implications for AI’s future. The trio navigates these topics with a blend of technical insight and skepticism about the political and ethical landscapes shaping space exploration and AI. Picks: Andrew: Codex by OpenAI Brian: Weapons (Movie) Justin: Plane tickets to Florida for a workshop
Transcribe →