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Explore every episode of the podcast Critical Nonsense

Dive into the complete episode list for Critical Nonsense. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–50 of 100

TitlePub. DateDuration
336! 2025 Wild Prognostications: A Year in Review!29 Dec 202501:08:15

This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey revisit their 2025 prognogs from Episode 296. They talk about the micro social media surge, cynicism, platform madness, informed styling, blockbusters, weaponized compliance, non-apocalyptic runaway AI moments, and our AI overlords. They don’t talk about eggprogs. 

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335! Giving a Fart15 Dec 202500:38:14

What does your Zero Farts Land future look like? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about fucks. And farts. 

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334! How to Strategy03 Dec 202500:34:02

How do you strategy? 

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Elliott Kalan, the School of Let's Figure It Out, emotional distance from work, working in teams, meandering, and strategy that bleeds. They don’t talk about Jamesy P. 

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333! Hanlon’s Razor24 Nov 202500:35:35

Why do we expect the worst? 

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about simple solutions, Karen moments, assuming malice, Thanos, Falkland's Law, and lemmings. They don’t talk about the famous former power forward for the Boston Celtics or the Hamburger Peddler's rhyming buddy. 

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332! Remembering Important Details11 Nov 202500:25:44

How has technology made us less sure of ourselves? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about technological change, Christmas cards, scraping, phone numbers, friendships, and FaceTime. They don’t talk about beepers. 

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331! Generalists03 Nov 202500:32:18

Is it better to generalize or to specialize? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about polymaths, running, functional fitness, idea people, curiosity, and Starship Troopers. They don’t talk about dilettantes. 

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330! Unlikely Internet Innovations27 Oct 202500:19:00

Are there actually interesting life innovations that are coming out of the content creation boom? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about homemade pop tarts, learning letters, the power of song, TikTok, mastering movements, and apple dumplings. They don’t talk about Action Bronson. 

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329! Imprecise Language21 Oct 202500:28:53

How many other things do we have that we think of as imprecise but are actually pretty precise and agreed upon? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about box plots, New York neighborhood names, Australian colloquialisms, measurement language, baking, and square roots. They don’t talk about The Smiths. 

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328! Compromises14 Oct 202500:32:07

What if we've become less willing to sacrifice our pawns to take the queen? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Obama, game theory, defaulting to passion, and nuclear weapons. They don’t talk about David Lightman. 

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327! Notes-apalooza06 Oct 202500:31:02

What's in your notes? 

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about internet chalk, bottle lining, the Pantry Challenge, gold bars, word clothes, and golden milk. They don’t talk about Gold Bond powder. 

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326! Changing Personalities01 Oct 202500:30:12

How much do you think you can change your personality? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about life satisfaction, sad auras, nominative determinism, nature versus nurture, Martin Seligman, magical meat sacks. They don’t talk about marinade bags. 

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325! Patterns of Wisdom22 Sep 202500:26:41

What are places where wisdom exists where it shouldn't? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Benner Cycle, feng shui, jelly shoes, BMW dashboards, the bullshit asymmetry principle, and Hitchens's razor. They don’t talk about Christopher Robin. 

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324! Waving16 Sep 202500:31:34

Why do we wave from trains and boats? 

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about kids, duck boats, kerchiefs, air travel, cruise ships, and roller coasters. They don’t talk about chucking the deuce. 

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323! AI Defenses08 Sep 202500:29:14

How are you personally preparing mentally, psychologically for the increased engagement with AI? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about AI psychosis, Blake Lemoine, the Turing Test, cognative security, red teaming, and hats. They don’t (yet) talk about NonsenseLLM. 

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322! Old02 Sep 202500:19:11

When is old good and when is old bad? 

This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about The Bible, first editions, berries, Final Destination, whiskey, and Rick Astley. They don’t talk about Flavor Flav. 

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321! Clarity25 Aug 202500:29:49

How do you make sense? 

This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about intention, trust, assumption, context windows, synchronicity, and drinking. They don’t talk about Pal Joey. 

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320! Doing Hard Things12 Aug 202500:21:51

Why do we do hard things? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Baddie Performance Index, Barkley Marathons, fun types, self flagellation, dessert stomachs, and natural childbirth. They don’t talk about Saquon. 

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319! Being Cool05 Aug 202500:22:11

Why is it so important to be cool? 

This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about Black culture, 21 Jump Street, social approval, bandwaggoning, alternative hierarchies, and Lauryn Hill. They don’t talk about Digable Planets. 

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318! The Beach31 Jul 202500:23:15

How is it we've convinced ourselves sometimes that we like things that we don't really like? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about the big light, the beach, group vacations, going to the movies, nature bathing, and bad drinks. They don’t talk about Mr. Nice Guy. 

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317! New Rules21 Jul 202500:20:12

What new rules should we have? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Irish Goodbye, music at the beach, phones on the train, zipper merging, gift obligations, and desire paths. They don’t talk about Dua Lipa or New Rochelle. 

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316! Possibility16 Jul 202500:36:23

How do y'all protect your sense of possibility? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about optimism, imagination, resilience, cultural technology, escape rooms, and rules. They don’t talk about the endless persistence of existential dread. 

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315! Going Analog02 Jul 202500:30:25

What are the important analog activities in an increasingly digital world? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about luddites, handwriting, typewriting, mashing tomatoes, kinetic learning, and carbon dioxide. They don’t talk about Folkways Records. 

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In A Quiet So Loud26 Jun 202500:11:23

In April, SYLVAIN released an open letter of resistance in response to the chaos of the moment we're in. This is a live reading of that letter, and a reminder that resistance is ongoing.

Too many in our industry have been quiet in the face of injustice and uncertainty. Too many important conversations have been relegated to back channels. So we put pen to paper, naming simple truths that have guided our company and actions for 15 years—and will continue to guide us.

Have a listen or read the open letter at impact.sylvain.co

314! Universal Truths23 Jun 202500:30:05

What universal truths do you believe in? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about database shapes, LLMs, collective human intelligence, apple eating, folk wisdom, and Pi. They don’t talk about apple pie, though. 

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313! No-Phone Zones17 Jun 202500:22:12

How do you feel about no-phone zones? 

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about AI, parenting, over-responsibility, constant access, bluetooth speakers, and biking while texting. They don’t talk about Nowadays. 

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312! Creating With Friends09 Jun 202500:28:12

Do we need to create more with friends? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about consuming, the value cycle, parallel play, time horizons, water-based cooking, and Ciabatta. They don’t talk about Real Genius. 

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311! Bravery02 Jun 202500:21:20

How do we muster the courage? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about fear, Inside Out 2, Andor, The Mandalorian, stoking action, and antidotes. They don’t talk about booze. 

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310! Stress20 May 202500:44:02

How do we stress professionally? 

This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about Cowboy Carter, self-regulation, Frozen, tears, being "professional," and anger. They don’t talk about Organized Konfusion. 

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309! Dating Optimization13 May 202500:34:22

How is this world optimized for dating? 

This week, special guest Chloe returns to chat with Joey about high yield investment strategies, influencers, gender polarization, crushes, the butterfly effect, and Russian hackers. They don’t talk about the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14. 

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308! Disavowing Your Creative Outputs28 Apr 202500:32:39

How do you approach reclaiming or disavowing your creative outputs that you don't love? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Smithee-ing, TV edits, résumé writing, Spike Jonze, sportsball, and the DC Universe. They don’t talk about Cordwainer Bird. 

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307! Imagination Resolution22 Apr 202500:29:53

How good is hi-res for our imagination? 

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about smoothing, the boundless powers of creativity, Smell-O-Phone/Vision, imagination reconstruction, gaming, and nurturing our sense of play. They don’t talk about NHL 98 on Sega Genesis. 

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306! Being Seen15 Apr 202500:39:41

How do we make people feel seen? 

This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about the burden of eyes, privacy, showing, acknowledging, surprise parties, and social anxieties. They don’t talk about the Talking Heads. 

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305! Metabolizing Uncertainty10 Apr 202500:00:26

How are we processing uncertainty differently? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about Punxsutawney Phil, tariffs, the meme recession, Jason Bourne, Edmonton, and Sam Cooke. They don’t talk about the bleak and endless hopelessness of it all. 

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304! Tools01 Apr 202500:25:45

When do we tool or not tool? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about rules aversion, AI, devil hamsters, banana slicers, tool expertise, and simplicity. They don’t talk about gaffer tape. 

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303! Being Spoiled27 Mar 202500:36:36

What do you think makes us spoiled? 

This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about The Lululemon Index, air travel, gender-based differences, hard work, Warren Buffett, and shrooms. They don’t offer any spoiler alerts. 

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Progress Report: To Follow or Not to Follow21 Mar 202500:07:14

Bonus episode: A takeover! Aaron shares his latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: To Follow or Not to Follow.

For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.

302! Thought Bottling19 Mar 202500:25:30

How should we start bottling things up? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about undesired thoughts, Nietzsche, folk wisdom, Marie Kondo, baggage, and forgetting. They don’t talk about the Young "Black" Teenagers. 

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301! Hibernation10 Mar 202500:33:31

When did we start calling it hibernation and when did hibernating start being a thing? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about lux, vitamin D, dopamine, socialization, Groundhog's Day, and disgust thresholds. They don’t talk about the late, great Roy Ayers. 

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300! Random Nonsense Generator03 Mar 202500:00:31

This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey celebrate 300(!) episodes of Critical Nonsense by revisiting random episodes. They talked about 121! The Coming-Out Gauntlet and Thick Conversations, 75! Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine, with Clarissa Pharr, 170! Weirder Inspiration, and 158! Buttresses, Tethers, and Grunts. They don’t talk about the Rota Fortunae. 

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299! Corn24 Feb 202500:14:14

What are the things that we should be treating like corn that's better than corn? 

This week, Jess and Aaron talk about potatoes, clothing overabundance, plastics recycling, concrete, eating fruits and veggies, and pomegranates. They don’t talk about the International Adult Conspiracy's creamed corn agenda. 

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Progress Report: The State of Wellbeing21 Feb 202500:11:31

Bonus episode: A takeover! Claire Choi shares her latest edition from SYLVAIN’s Progress Report newsletter: The State of Wellbeing: Are We Unwell?

For more from SYLVAIN's Progress Report, see progressbysylvain.co.

298! Desire Paths18 Feb 202500:31:16

Where are other places where desire paths would be relevant when not talking about sidewalks? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about friction, grocery store layouts, Norman doors, incentives, breaking templates, and shopping districts. They don’t talk about sneckdowns. 

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297! Sick Responsibilities10 Feb 202500:38:45

What's the best way to get sick as an adult? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about historically un-sick parents, hyper-individualistic cultures, COVID, community health, personal comfort vs. social responsibility, and rest. They don’t talk about Mudhoney. 

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296! Wild Prognostications 2025!05 Feb 202500:43:55

What's to come in 2025? 

This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing micro-social media [3:30], platform madness [6:52], nihilistic design [13:10], weaponized compliance [18:32], graphic realism pivoting to novel gameplay [24:05], dressing up [30:38], blockbuster novels [33:15], and a runaway AI crisis [36:56]. They don’t talk about supervillain Daniel Dumile. 

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295! Hybrid Work 2.029 Jan 202500:40:02

How do we respond to the competing incentives of hybrid work? 

This week, we revisit our conversation from Critical Nonsense 290! Hybrid Work, this time with special guest and workplace design leader Amanda Stanaway of ERA-co. She joins Joey and Jess to talk about belonging, productivity, the corporate Kool-Aid, burnout, human connection, and hammocks. They don’t talk about hard-boiled eggs. 

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294! Friend Breakups21 Jan 202500:29:20

Why would you break up with your best friend? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about para-romance, frenemies, communication styles, emotional proximity, work relationships, and boy and girl bands. They don’t talk about Whodini. 

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[Reruns] 251! Rituals13 Jan 202500:40:03

Why do people love rituals so much?

This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about medicine, Lunar New Year, habits, disease, leg washing, and flossing. They don’t talk about Jane's Addiction. 

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[Reruns] 248! Correcting People06 Jan 202500:31:40

When is it okay to correct someone?

This week, a rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Jess and Joey talk about Vander-ism, otaku, pedantry, language, Ryan-ing, and comments sections. Thankfully, they don’t talk about the Oxford comma. 

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293! 2023 Wild Prognostications: A Year in Review!31 Dec 202400:40:24

How did our predictions play out in 2024?

This week, Aaron, Jess and Joey look back at their prognogs from Episode 247, discussing AI hardware, energy optimism, Scarlett Johansson, AI slop, EV, algae-based biofuels, the gelatin market, and wide shoes. They don’t talk about Jamie Foxx. 

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292! Sci-Fi16 Dec 202400:23:42

What kernels of truth are there in sci-fi content today that can maybe predict what our smart technological futures will look like? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about retrofuturism, the Otis elevator, all things Dymaxian, AI, post-scarcity society and ship names. They don’t talk about our dystopian present. 

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