You’d think we’d have more to talk about on our 50th podcast, but we went especially low-brow on this episode. We start off talking about food, then move into Reddit meme’s, and finally about sex and bathroom time. Yeah. Don’t hold it against us. We needed to goof off for a while. Podcast: Play in… Read more
Virginia: This is our 50th show! Andrew: Whooooooo! Nick: No one can see you throwing your hands up. Andrew: I felt really empowered. It’s a big deal. We got to 50 without trying to kill each other. Virginia: Well…. Andrew: We didn’t really try to kill each other. There were threats, but… Nick: We have… Read more
In this episode, we debate Bitcoins and their impact on the world. Nick is the skeptic, and Andrew is the zealot. Virginia sits on the fence and watches the debate. At the end, Nick speculates about the government’s ability to freeze the Bitcoin market, and Virginia breaks out her financial skills to discuss stock market… Read more
Nick: Bitcoin is more like “bullshit coins.” Andrew: Why do you hate them so much? Nick: I don’t hate them. I just don’t get them. Virginia: I’m actually impressed with the potential for another form of currency that does not involve animals feathers or teeth. Nick: The problem is it’s already an asshole to people… Read more
On this episode, we opine on handbrake turns, off-road adventures, and various injuries we’ve had. We come to the conclusion that Nick’s stories are funny because he makes such poor choices. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:27 — 39.8MB)… Read more
Nick: I hit record just now because I thought about something that was really funny. It was an episode of “Top Gear,” and they joked about how every guy goes through a phase in their lives when they think hand brake turns are just going to unlock the pants of all girls. Virginia: I don’t… Read more
On today’s episode we talk about the evil that is Monsanto (in the context of a current court case), we speculate about whether or not one should be allowed to patent life, and we discuss the implications of having a food supply controlled by one company. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration… Read more
Andrew: We should do like the Imperial March whenever we say, “Monsanto.” Nick: Da, da, dum, da, da dum. Virginia: Are we covered under fair use for that? Nick: I just made that up. Does that sound like something you’ve heard before? Andrew: I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the RIA,… Read more
Virginia: Today we’re going to talk about DDOS’ing the Gibson. Did I say that right? Andrew: You’ve never seen “Hackers”? Virginia: Yeah. A long time ago. Nick: Come on. Everybody loves seeing Angelina Jolie. Andrew: That’s the only reason Nick watches that movie. Virginia: Isn’t Penn Jillette on there as the guard? Nick: I don’t… Read more
In this episode of Nerd Absurd, Nick freaks out over the Spamhaus DDoS attack. While Andrew tries to calm him down, Virginia speculates about what types of disasters could bring the Internet (and therefore the world) to its knees. After exhausting the Internet Armageddon topic, the team turns their attention to the recent NPR story… Read more
Andrew: Smart phones have kind of ruined dinners for quite a few people. Nick: One person at this table cannot go through dinner without holding their phone directly in front of their face. Andrew: Are you staring at me? Nick: I was talking about Mike. Mike: That’s not true. Group: Oh! It is true. Nick… Read more
On this episode of Nerd Absurd, we examine cell phone etiquette. We talk about cell phones during meals, cell phones during (is there a polite way to say it?) bathroom time, handling work emails in a “reasonable” amount of time, and using your phone to avoid social situations. Podcast: Play in new window | Download… Read more
Virginia: There’s an Atlantic article out right now called “The End of Labor: How to Protect Workers from the Rise of Robots.” There was a 60 Minutes episode this weekend about robots in the workforce. I’m curious to know how you guys feel about it. Mike: I have a robot vacuum cleaner, and I love… Read more
On today’s episode, we speculate about the role of robots in unemployment rates. Andrew, Nick, and Mike argue that, even if robots replace humans in parts of the job market, new human-only jobs will be created in new industries. Virginia, on the other hand, wonders whether the growth in jobs since the Industrial Revolution is… Read more
The Nerd Absurd crew tries to remember the line between childhood and adulthood. Nick thinks it’s when you realize that adults haven’t got it figured out either, Virginia thinks it’s when employers see you as more than a commodity, Mike felt that it was at 17 when he realized he was about to be an… Read more
Virginia: What makes a grownup? Andrew: You know, that very obvious line that everyone crosses over… I can’t even say that with a straight face. Nick: I think I’ve got a pretty good definition of when you’re an adult: It’s when you look around and realize that everyone who is older than you is just… Read more
Nothing to see here. We just like prank calling my mother. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:11 — 2.9MB)… Read more
Andrew: Who owns the Internet? Nick: Everyone saw the scandal about Instagram. Kim Kardashian is concerned. Andrew: Like I give a shit. Nick: It turns out that they didn’t really change their rights. They just specified more. There previous terms covered that and more. Andrew: Most terms of services are like that. For using our… Read more
Today, the Nerd Absurd team discusses terms of service for Internet services and privacy. We also talk about the uproar over Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr privacy changes despite the warrantless wiretapping done by the government. Finally, we discuss how these things impact our surfing habits. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:16 &#… Read more
The Nerd Absurd team discusses the Myers Briggs test and other personality assessments. Virginia and Andrew recount being tested for work and Nick speculates about why corporations use these tests. During the middle of the podcast, we encounter a power outage. But, we’re professionals. So it’s all cool. Podcast: Play in new window | Download… Read more
Nick: Myers Briggs is the most common personality test given in the United States. Virginia: The December 14th Washington Post has an article about the history of the test. It suggests that Myers Briggs is a little bit of BS. Andrew: We’re not going to get sued for this, are we? It’s our opinion. Only… Read more
Virginia: Today’s episode is about… torture? Andrew: I guess it’s about WWII intelligence services… Nick: This is the nice guy’s version of torture. Andrew: It’s how you’re wrong. Nick: Andrew was saying that torture doesn’t work, and I was like, “If it doesn’t work, then why do we have thousands of years of human history… Read more
We started the episode talking about the ethics of torture, and we ended the episode talking about fake foreign accents. Sometimes we just can’t keep it all together! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:48 — 36.4MB)… Read more
After a newspaper published the names and addresses of gun owners in New York, the Nerd Absurd crew tackles the issue of what data should be public and how difficult it should be to get that information. They discuss public shaming, the presumption of innocence in a technological world, and how long information about things… Read more
Nick: I wanted to bring up the idea of people publishing gun owners in an area. We’ve got similar things here in Texas. You can watch the arrest records of your local municipality on Facebook. Andrew: Or go onto the website and see who was booked, when, and for what. It destroys the presumption of… Read more
We start out with a Bill Nye video where he responds like a gentleman to a stupid CNN news anchor (link in our other posts). Then we talk about the anti-vaccination movement and homeopathy. We discuss how people decide what is and is not true and how to identify junk science. Then we talk about… Read more
Virginia: Today we’re going to talk about anti-science or the war on science. Andrew: Let’s talk about the video first. Virginia: Ok. So there’s this Bill Nye video that’s making the rounds today. He’s talk about an asteroid that’s going to come close to the earth. By the time this podcast is out, this won’t… Read more
Virginia: Today we are talking to David Lankes. Thanks for being here! David: It’s great to be here. Thanks so much for having me. Virginia: Before we get started, I have to tell you. You spoke about two years ago at the Dallas Public Library. I don’t know if you remember that. David: I do… Read more
This week’s episode is super cool. We got David Lankes, a professor of information studies at Syracuse University (also known as the world’s best public speaker), to talk to us about libraries. We thought we’d have a grand debate on the topic of libraries and electronic media, but what we actually had was a wide-ranging… Read more
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