Andrew 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

Artemis 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

Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood embark on a journey through the conceptualization of Handful, a fictional restaurant where gravy is served directly into patrons’ hands. The discussion evolves into the realm of AI-generated content, exploring the implications of AI in creative processes and content distribution. The hosts share insights into the rapid development of AI tools and their personal experiences with technology, emphasizing the importance of human connection and collaboration in navigating the future of creativity. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Tron: Ares Justin Robert Young: Netflix doc series on the 90s Cowboys Brian Brushwood: The Chair Company with Tim Robinson

Bryce has an idea, but not much more than that? What can a F1 pickem league turn into and how do you plus it? Plus, ChatGPT and a pitch for a presidential TV show. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a long discussion of the Department of Energy report and other government assessments about COVID origins. The hosts say they do not know where COVID came from, but argue that lab-leak possibilities should not have been dismissed, and they criticize the shutdown of discussion on social media and within parts of the scientific community. The conversation widens into concerns about polarization, conflicts of interest, undisclosed funding, and the need for a serious investigation into how the origins question was handled. The show then moves through a set of lighter and more varied topics, including a Crew Dragon docking update, a conversation about SpaceX launch cadence, and a detailed discussion of Brightline rail fatalities and safety design in Florida. Later segments cover a story about video games for dogs, a creepy Reddit post about a house hidden inside an attic, and a Massachusetts school crawl space that may have concealed a crypto-mining setup. The episode ends with the usual picks, including recommendations for TV, a podcast, and a Jack London novel. Key topics Lab-leak theory versus zoonotic origin: The hosts contrast a lab-leak hypothesis with animal-origin explanations and repeatedly stress uncertainty. They argue the central issue is not certainty but whether the question was investigated seriously and fairly. Conflicts of interest and research transparency: Andrew raises concerns about undisclosed funding, research ties, and organizations s

Rovio announced a surprising change to one of their flagship games: they’re trying to remove it! Value propositions and how difficult it is to change directions once your project is out. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Justin: TV Funhouse – Disney Vault Brian: The Ur-Quan Masters Bryce: Schafpudel’s guide to Petz

The episode opens with a discussion of an Embraer patent application for an aircraft-seat system that scans passengers' faces, analyzes facial expressions, and may offer non-invasive transcranial stimulation. The hosts first frame it as a possible customer-satisfaction or unruly-passenger tool, then gradually settle on the idea that it could function as a passenger amenity for calming or helping people relax during flights, while also joking about the broader discomfort of air travel and the fantasy of skipping the flight entirely. A large middle section turns to AI-assisted communication. The hosts discuss Samsung's Bixby voice-cloning feature, then broaden into a near-future vision where calls, texts, voicemail, FaceTime, car play, and automated summaries all blur together. Later, they shift to media authenticity and trust, arguing that AI, image processing, and altered video will force society to rely on some kind of certification or verification system for human identity and evidence. Key topics AI-based passenger emotion tracking on airplanes: The Embraer patent includes a digital camera and facial-expression analysis to identify a passenger's emotion, with the hosts speculating about using it to measure customer satisfaction or detect when people are unhappy on a flight. Non-invasive transcranial stimulation as an in-flight amenity: The third part of the patent is described as offering distressed passengers non-invasive stimulation, including direct current, magnetic st

Adapting and adaptability. How do you balance quality and quantity while taking advantage of new spaces? Effort in a world where effort gets more and more efficient. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Super Mario Odyssey Brian: Cunk on Earth Bryce: Poker Face

The episode opens with Andrew talking about how his work at OpenAI makes him more cautious about commenting on outside stories, then moves into a run of stories about elaborate pranks and public misdirection. Andrew recounts two balloon-based stunts from his past: putting a motorcycle inside a balloon for an A&E segment and, earlier, faking a UFO over a Florida school field with a lit balloon, which drew curious bystanders, radio calls, and a sheriff's helicopter before they fled and hid. The conversation then shifts to the long-running Hollandale, Florida outhouse prank, with the hosts reading a news account about an outhouse dropped at the post office every Halloween for years, sometimes in a custom White House shape. From there they discuss what makes a prank feel like performance art, compare old high-effort deception to modern prank videos, and talk about travel as an experience, including a British Rail tavern car and United's former men-only Chicago Executive flight. Later the episode covers a World War II bomb found in Yarmouth, England, then turns to the LAPD bomb squad incident in South Los Angeles where illegal fireworks were packed into a containment vessel despite warnings and the blast damaged vehicles, properties, and injured people. The final stretch becomes the picks segment, where the hosts discuss a book about flying cars and gyrocopters, Bryce recommends Midnight Suns, Brian recommends The Modern Rogue's thermite car episode, Andrew recommends The English,

Health talk today! Apps we like and handling cravings. Diet and exercise stories from *not-professionals* about getting started and staying regular. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Apple Watch Ultra Bryce: JEFIT and Lose It!

The episode opens with a long discussion of Nothing Forever, the AI-generated Twitch stream that riffs on Seinfeld with continuous, blocky, machine-generated sitcom scenes. The hosts treat it as a proof-of-concept for generative entertainment, debating how Twitch, rough visual quality, and the novelty of endless content help the project work, while also speculating about future AI media that could be personalized, passive, or built for background viewing. Later, the conversation shifts to the Chinese surveillance balloon reported over Montana and the intelligence implications around it. The hosts argue it looked more like a spy platform than a weather balloon, then use that as a springboard into broader espionage talk: FBI/CIA mole cases, Robert Hanssen, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, Kevin Mallory, Chinese recruitment methods, Soviet influence operations, and the limits of counterintelligence in an open society. The episode closes with a discussion of mystery writing and recommendations for several movies and shows, especially how good mysteries balance clueing, character work, and fair payoff. Key topics Nothing Forever as AI-generated sitcom entertainment: The hosts describe Nothing Forever as an ongoing Twitch stream of AI-generated Seinfeld-like material and treat it as an early example of generative video content that could become much more common. Twitch and continuous live content: They note that the stream's popularity depends on Twitch as a platform where people are used to

A simple way to add some color to any to-do workflow and the thorny(?) side of the emoji-emoticon war. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Slow Horses Brian: You Have the Right to Remain Innocent from James Duane Bryce: Things app

The episode opens with casual banter and then moves into a long discussion of robots, starting with Transformers versus GoBots, the history of the toy lines, and what made Transformers feel more iconic. The hosts connect that idea to broader robot history, including Gundam, Robotech, the golem, and the origin of the word robot, while also joking about childhood fantasies of building robot companions and robot girls. Later segments cover a shape-shifting magnetic robot demo from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with the hosts debating how much of the effect comes from external magnets, heating, and phase changes versus anything autonomous. The episode then shifts into a discussion of a VR e-reader form factor, followed by several recommendations: Wave Twisters, Poker Face, Midnight Suns, and Howard Mortman's C-SPAN-related podcast The Weekly. The closing stretch centers on transparency and whether C-SPAN should have more camera access in Congress, with the panel arguing strongly in favor of greater public visibility. At the end, the group also discusses why form factor and reduced friction matter for adoption, comparing the e-reader goggles to Kindle, Quest headsets, voice assistants, and ChatGPT. The episode closes with Justin’s and Brian’s recommendations framed around retro media and current entertainment, while the C-SPAN discussion broadens into a larger argument about public institutions, political theater, and accountability. Key topics Transformers versus GoBots: T

In this episode, Andrew Mayne and Brian Brushwood embark on a philosophical journey through the realms of storytelling, AI’s burgeoning role in creative processes, and the enigmatic app SO’s contribution to communal humor and creativity. They explore Stephen King’s insights on storytelling, the magic of indirect evidence in magic tricks, and the importance of showing rather than telling in narratives. The conversation then shifts to SO, where they discuss its unique platform that allows for collaborative creativity among friends, using the example of ‘Handful,’ a fictional fast-food chain that serves gravy directly into customers’ hands. This episode is a testament to the evolving landscape of creativity, where AI and human collaboration open new doors to storytelling and humor. Picks: Andrew: Daredevil Season 2 Brian: Speed Racer (1966)

How moving can affect the creative process. Brian and Justin talk about the newly-revealed topic of World’s Greatest Con season 3 and how they’ve got an exclusive new look at the story that’s never been told before. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” PICKS: Andrew: Coffeezilla on YouTube Justin: The Last of Us Brian: Marvel Snap Bryce: The Last of Us

The episode centers on Andrew Mayne explaining his role at OpenAI and the sudden breakout of ChatGPT. He says he works on the communications team helping explain the company’s technology, and the panel discusses how ChatGPT started as a research preview, gained huge adoption quickly, and changed AI from a theoretical or magical idea into a practical tool people can try for themselves (L25, L69, L73, L81, L97, L125). A substantial portion of the conversation is technical and reflective: they cover prompt writing, hallucinations, safety warnings, fine-tuning, context windows, and how larger models may enable more personalized or useful applications. Later, the show moves to broader questions about training data, AI agency and motivation, human meaning in art, and how technology shifts create new creative and business opportunities; the episode then closes with picks for Avatar 2, The Last of Us, Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, and Wednesday (L61, L125, L169, L237, L255, L337, L357, L377, L389, L429, L445). Key topics OpenAI communications and Andrew Mayne’s role: Andrew says he works for OpenAI on the comms team, helping explain the company’s technologies to journalists and the public, after previously working on engineering/applied work (L25, L33). ChatGPT as a research preview and rapid adoption: Andrew stresses that ChatGPT was launched as a research preview, not a finished product, and the group discusses how removing waitlists, costs, and other friction helped drive explosiv

Bryce opens with a short update episode covering a science story about male wasps: researchers at Kobe University found that males of a specific species can use spikes near their genitalia to defend themselves, even though they do not have stingers like female wasps. He compares survival rates in predator tests and notes that male wasps with removed genitalia did not survive, while pond frogs ate all wasps tested. The episode also features Refusion, a machine-learning music system that generates audio from spectrograms paired with text labels, and explains that the system warps the spectrogram in real time to avoid static looping. Bryce then plays Martian audio, highlighting the first recorded sound of a dust devil on Mars from Perseverance’s SuperCam microphone, and briefly revisits earlier Mars recordings such as wind, rover driving, the Ingenuity helicopter, and laser zaps. Key topics Male wasp defensive anatomy: Bryce describes a study in which male wasps of a specific species use spikes near their genitalia as a defensive mechanism despite lacking stingers. Refusion and spectrogram-based AI music: Refusion is presented as a music-generation system that creates and plays spectrograms, trained on labeled music examples and modified in real time to keep audio changing. Mars audio recorded by Perseverance: The episode discusses the first heard recording of a dust devil on Mars and then revisits earlier Perseverance audio clips from wind, rover movement, the Ingenuity helicop

A new app has been making waves in the image generation space with “magic avatars.” We talk about the experience of a pay AI art bot and what we think it could do to impact human artists and art. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a joke-heavy run of stories, including Bryce recounting a TikTok about Waffle House grill cooks earning shirts for hitting profit milestones, then a segment about Steve Jobs' pre-worn Birkenstock sandals selling at auction for about $218,750. The hosts riff on the sandals' smell, rarity, and the value of Steve Jobs memorabilia, and briefly detour into jokes about Steve Wozniak, Segway scooters, and what kinds of Jobs-related items might command higher prices. The middle of the episode covers a ChatGPT test on the AP Computer Science A exam, where Bryce explains that the model scored 32 out of 36 and missed some visual or poorly worded elements. That leads into a broader discussion of AI's growing capabilities, followed by a long segment on Disney research's face-aging/de-aging neural network and speculative uses for film, TV, and even recasting or upcycling older media. The latter half of the episode shifts into word-of-the-year chatter, with the hosts debating 'gaslighting,' 'metaverse,' and especially 'goblin mode,' before finishing with listener picks for Planet Money, 1899, and The Last of Us. Key topics Waffle House profit milestone shirts: Bryce mentions a TikTok about Waffle House grill cooks getting shirts for reaching profit milestones, like a $2 million shirt, and the hosts joke about it. Steve Jobs sandals auction: A state auction sold Steve Jobs' pre-worn Birkenstock sandals for about $218,750, with discussion about their provenance, foot im

We’re in holiday mode as we talk about roosters, the etymology of adages, and where we think the future of social networks will go. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a long discussion of the Artemis launch. The hosts joke about the mission's cost, but also credit the engineers and acknowledge that the rocket successfully reached space. They criticize the program as a politically shaped, expensive system, while still treating the launch as an accomplishment for the people who built it. A major portion of the episode is devoted to Twitter and the current wave of people leaving the platform. The panel debates whether the departures are political or simply a reaction to the site becoming chaotic, and they compare Twitter with alternatives such as RSS, Reddit, and Discord. The conversation emphasizes Twitter's role as a unique real-time community and news source, even as the hosts discuss its flaws and the likelihood that other platforms will eventually fill some of its role. Key topics NASA bureaucracy versus engineering execution: The hosts separate the quality of the Artemis engineers from the political and bureaucratic decision-making that shaped the program. Andrew repeatedly says the technical work was impressive while the overall program was a costly bad idea. Artemis tracking and lunar loop: The panel checks NASA's tracking page, notes that Artemis has rounded the moon, and discusses the Orion capsule's eventual return to Earth. They also joke about the mission's animation and moon imagery. Twitter, migration, and platform politics: The speakers spend an extended segment debating whether Twitter departures are po

The Modern Rogue and Scam Nation short-form video experiment continues on and to rousing success. What lessons have we learned from over a month of making Tiktoks and YouTube Shorts? Alphabet basically owns the internet, but is it being a good steward? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Brian: Twitter Bryce: Things app

The episode opens with a long discussion of the FTX collapse and broader crypto trust issues. The hosts talk about insolvency, Alameda/FTX entanglements, money disappearing overnight, regulation, and whether crypto behaves like a frontier market where scams and boom-bust cycles are common. They also compare crypto to other speculative or trust-based ecosystems and note the difficulty of evaluating it with limited long-term data. The conversation then moves through several science-and-technology topics, including a speculative fusion propulsion startup tied to Alan Stern, a History Channel Bermuda Triangle special that found Space Shuttle Challenger debris, and a wider reflection on how new ideas and discoveries are often dismissed at first. Later segments cover lab-grown blood, Tesla as a market-subsidizing EV pioneer, risky early eye surgery and the path from RK to LASIK, and then end with media recommendations and fandom chatter about Dark Side of the Ring and Andor. Key topics FTX collapse and crypto trust: The hosts discuss the FTX failure, reported insolvency, customer funds, Alameda Research, and how crypto’s volatility and trust problems make losses feel abrupt and severe. Crypto as a frontier market: Brian explicitly frames crypto as a frontier with inefficiencies and scams, comparing it to gold rushes and other speculative spaces. Regulation and self-policing in crypto: The discussion turns to whether regulation could improve crypto or arrive too late because the ind

A (final?) update on Structured and the benefits of hitting the hay punctually. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode is largely a deep dive into OpenAI's Sora app, with the hosts describing it as more than a video model and instead a new social-media modality built around short generated clips, personal cameos, remixing, and highly shareable strange or funny scenes. They discuss its rapid rise in the App Store, invite-only rollout, the technical jump in Sora 2 Pro, voice and character consistency, and the ways the app is already changing how they think about video, deepfakes, and even the simulation hypothesis. A major thread is the business and cultural impact of Sora: the hosts argue that likeness controls, meme culture, and fan-made IP uses could create new monetization models, including ad-supported video generation and possible revenue-sharing with rights holders. They also discuss how Sora may become a creator-friendly tool rather than a threat, how its clips are spreading to other platforms as memes, and then close with recommendations for Weapons and The Studio, plus a brief look at OpenAI's newer ChatGPT app and image-generation products. Key topics Sora as a social video app: The hosts repeatedly frame Sora as a social feed, not just a model, describing generated clips as shared daydreams or thoughts and emphasizing its strange, personal, and culturally sticky feel. Cameos and likeness permissions: They explain the cameo feature, where users can create avatars and set guardrails for likeness use, including restrictions on political content or other categories. Mark Cub

The episode opens with Halloween talk: Bryce asks why roads in Wyandotte, Michigan were closed for trick-or-treating, and the hosts riff on teenagers cleaning out the candy. Justin explains his neighborhood plan to give out full-size bars, both to get the candy out of the house and to build a good reputation where they live (L21-L23, L41-L45, L49-L53, L59-L69, L83-L85, L95-L97). From there the conversation moves through a Wyandotte cockroach-infested vacant house that led to three city blocks being closed, plus a long pest-comedy tangent about roaches, recycling jokes, and an improvised hypothetical about helping a friend who is being wrongfully evicted. That turns into a ghost/knight distraction bit and then into a real news item about a Massachusetts woman accused of using bees against deputies during an eviction, before the episode shifts to science stories about NASA's Lucy spacecraft photographing Earth and the Moon, an aye-aye lemur apparently picking its nose with its long finger, and a Mars impact crater detected by InSight and imaged by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (L213-L217, L227-L245, L253-L265, L401-L405, L421-L457, L529-L537, L545-L565, L617-L625, L685-L705, L721-L749, L781-L793, L857-L877, L905-L913, L1021-L1029, L1081-L1089, L1105-L1138). Key topics Halloween candy strategy and teenagers: The hosts joke about giving out candy on Halloween, including full-size bars, fun-size candy, dinosaur sounds as a reward system, and the idea that teenagers arrive late and h

The binge watching trend: is it in danger becuse week-after-week is better? With Netflix relenting on offering an ad-supported plan, could binging be on the chopping block too? What do we like personally and creatively? What metrics do streamers and platforms consider for new programs? Do algorithms reflect viewer habits? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Replit Justin, Brian, and Bryce: Modern Rogue on TikTok

The episode opens with a visual-guessing segment built around a close-up image that the hosts initially mistake for AI-generated art or a grotesque creature. Andrew reveals it is actually a real macro photograph of an ant, and Bryce adds that it was part of the Nikon Small World photo contest, which leads to a look at the winning gecko-foot image and a discussion of how macro photography can make ordinary subjects look surreal. The conversation then widens into a speculative discussion about edited childhood photos, using a story about Connor Nickerson inserting his present-day self into old family photos as a jumping-off point. From there the hosts talk about older selves, digital traces, AI reconstruction, and the possibility of talking to past or deceased versions of people through recorded material, before shifting into broader reflections on learning, college, imposter syndrome, message boards, and online behavior. Near the end, the episode turns to entertainment recommendations and TV reactions. Brian enthusiastically recommends Moonfall as a hilariously absurd disaster movie, Justin recommends The Thick of It as a political satire to watch alongside current U.K. politics, and Bryce recommends Truth in 24 as a strong Le Mans documentary. The group then discusses House of the Dragon's finale, saying it was solid but too predictable and less surprising than Game of Thrones. Key topics Macro photography and deceptive visual scale: A tiny subject photographed extremely clos

Bryce admits to a productivity solution that can’t be beat. Did you know your iPhone can do something an kinda expensive website can do? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: ScreenFlow and Google Colab Brian: Six Thinking Hats from Edward de Bono Bryce: Splice and Bryce on the Beyond the Playlist podcast

The episode opens with a long biology digression about what makes two animals similar or different, using turtles and tortoises as a lead-in to hyraxes and elephants. Andrew explains that hyraxes are the closest living relative to elephants, and the hosts discuss surprising shared traits such as elongated teeth, long gestation for a small animal, and social behavior. They also note that sea cows/manatees may be even closer genetically, though the hyrax is the more surprising example. The conversation then moves through speculative Jurassic Park prequel material, including John Hammond's early funding efforts and the tiny-elephant display from the novel, before turning to CubeSat advertising proposals and the backlash they could provoke. Later topics include Tom Cruise filming in space, the value of practical effects over pure CGI, personalized or interactive media experiments, Meta's Quest Pro and AR/VR tradeoffs, and a set of game/software picks. Key topics How evolutionary relatives can look radically different: The hosts use turtles/tortoises and then hyraxes/elephants to show that appearance can be misleading when judging relatedness. Andrew explicitly frames the point as two animals being very similar on some features while being very different in appearance, yet closely related genetically. Hyrax biology and elephant-like traits: They discuss hyrax gestation, internal testicles, social structure, warning sounds, and elongated teeth compared with elephant tusks. The epis

After a few weeks of trying out short-form video on YouTube, what seems to be the early indicators of how they’re received? What goes into making thoughtful short-form videos? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Brian: Ask from Ryan Levesque Bryce: Arcade Paradise

The episode opens with a discussion of SpinLaunch after a headline about a NASA payload launched by a giant centrifugal system and later dug out with an excavator. The hosts describe how the concept uses a spinning lower stage in a vacuum to fling small payloads upward, with a conventional upper-stage rocket taking over later, and they debate whether it could realistically serve small satellite launches or other niche payloads. They also react to a test clip and note the company’s 10th successful flight test, while remaining cautious about how far the system can scale. The middle of the episode centers on a strange airline PA mystery involving human-sounding groans or voices reported on multiple American Airlines flights. The hosts review the official explanation that a mechanical PA amplifier issue caused the sounds, but they explore alternative possibilities such as interference, a hidden device, a prank, a hacker, or a spooky explanation, and they compare the audio to other odd intermittent sounds they have heard. The conversation then shifts to a study on rhythm-based musical training for older adults, broader speculation about adult learning across the lifespan, and an extended picks segment covering Moonfall, The Economist's The Prince, House of the Dragon, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Andor, and criticism of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Key topics SpinLaunch and small satellite launches: They discuss SpinLaunch as a possible way to launch small satellites and other non-human payloads, e

Justin and Bryce both tried out the Structured app we talked about last week and have some critical feedback. What features stick out after a week of use? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” “The World’s Most Satisfying Checkbox”: https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox

The episode opens with a discussion of NASA's DART mission, a planned spacecraft impact on the moonlet Dimorphos orbiting Didymos to test asteroid deflection. The hosts explain the basic idea, compare it with other hypothetical planetary-defense methods such as nukes, gravity tractors, and mass drivers, and note that NASA planned a livestream and a later probe to measure the orbital change more precisely. The middle of the episode moves through several weird-news items: recent highway cargo spills of Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, and a Coors Light truck in Florida; a published report of a fox in Spain filmed catching live carp; and a strange deep-water shark photo from Australia that sparks jokes and speculation about shark identification and how pressure can affect appearance. The episode closes with a local-news story about a gray seal nicknamed Schubert in a Beverly, Massachusetts pond, including efforts by police, firefighters, and wildlife experts to corral it and return it to the wild. Key topics Planetary defense methods and DART: The hosts explain the DART mission and compare it with other asteroid-deflection ideas: nuking an asteroid, using a spacecraft's gravity, or a mass-driver-style probe that throws asteroid material off the surface. Dimorphos, Didymos, and follow-up observation: They identify Dimorphos as the body being struck while orbiting Didymos, mention NASA livestream coverage, say the event might be visible from Earth, and note a later probe planned to measur

Bryce is diving into a new todo/calendar hybrid app, Structured. How do we use apps and plan our days? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Beyond Fireship Justin: House of the Dragon Brian: Life’s Work from David Milch

The episode opens with a discussion of NASA’s Perseverance rover and a Nature paper about a Martian sample with tiny chemical patterns that, on Earth, are often associated with microbial interaction. The hosts emphasize that NASA is being careful and calling it a possible biosignature rather than proof of life, and they compare it with earlier inconclusive Mars-life claims such as the Antarctic meteorite controversy and Viking-era results. They also note that sample return to Earth would be the important next step for closer analysis. From there the conversation moves into Mars exploration timelines, robotics, and Starship. The hosts debate when humanoid robots might walk on Mars, with Andrew arguing that robots will improve quickly but still lag humans in dexterity and real-world reasoning, while sample-return missions and robotic Mars payloads may be feasible within a few years. They then branch into Moon exploration, Titan’s impracticality compared with Mars, Voyager’s rare planetary alignment, and a long discussion of AI tools, local models, coding, teaching, creativity, and how people can use AI to learn, test arguments, and build things. Near the end, the episode shifts to picks. Andrew recommends The Naked Gun and Alien: Earth, praising both the comedy and Noah Hawley’s sci-fi storytelling, and Justin recommends Friendship, describing it as a more restrained A24 film built around Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson that still fits the spirit of Tim Robinson’s work. Key topics N

The episode opens with a long discussion of Artemis/SLS, which the hosts describe as a politically driven NASA program built to preserve existing contractors rather than as an engineering-first project. They argue it was shaped by pork-barrel politics, hydrogen’s complexity, and sunk costs, and they debate whether the program should keep going, whether the public should call it out more directly, and whether any government backup system should be structurally different from private launch providers. The conversation then moves through several space and tech stories: Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster failure where the escape capsule separated as designed, Rocket Lab’s successful mission and the tougher funding environment for smaller space companies, and a discussion of BlueWalker 3 and the tradeoff between bright low-Earth-orbit hardware and better telecommunications. The hosts also react to a Nazi space-mirror concept and spend time on the Brellyon/Borelion ultra-reality display, before closing with media picks including Toem, Cobra Kai, David Milch’s memoir Life's Work, and Andrew’s discussion of publishing deals and Masterclass. Key topics Pork-barrel politics and contractor favoritism in NASA programs: The hosts explicitly describe Artemis/SLS as a congressional compromise meant to keep existing contractors funded, not a program designed primarily around spaceflight goals. Hydrogen propulsion as a recurring reliability problem: Hydrogen is repeatedly described as difficul

The episode opens with a discussion of a FOIA request by The Black Vault for additional Navy UAP videos after earlier Navy videos had been publicly released. The hosts debate why more footage would be withheld, suggesting ordinary explanations like protecting military capabilities, avoiding disclosure of foreign technology tests, or keeping unresolved sightings from becoming public intelligence targets; they also talk about how tedious FOIA requests are and how agencies resist disclosure. The middle of the episode moves to a rare Florida snake story about a rim rock crowned snake found dead at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The hosts explain that the snake was only about eight inches long, had not been seen in years, and died after choking on a giant Caribbean centipede, which scientists examined with a CT scan. The episode then turns into a long comedic hypothetical about using huge resources to make Earth safer from volcanoes, before shifting into more serious discussion of catastrophic eruptions, preparedness gaps, geothermal ideas, and the limits of current forecasting; later segments cover a SpaceX static burn fire, a Blue Origin anomaly and escape-system activation, and a humorous debate over Merriam-Webster adding slang and modern words. The show ends with media picks for Rick and Morty, What We Do in the Shadows, and Thor: Love and Thunder. Key topics Why governments keep some UAP footage classified: The hosts discuss the Navy denying a FOIA request for more UA

Andrew’s considering a move from LA to San Francisco–even though he’s totally work-from home. What’s his anxiety around moving and being closer to his cutting-edge job? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Brian: The Rehearsal Bryce: Slime Rancher

The episode opens with a discussion of Westworld and how rewatching earlier seasons changes the experience, followed by a broader complaint about storytelling that relies too much on surprises. The hosts pitch prequel-style ideas for Westworld and Jurassic Park before moving into a long segment on the scrubbed Artemis launch, including the failed wet dress rehearsals, valve and thermal-alignment problems, and the larger political and engineering mess behind the SLS program. A large middle section turns to Rocket Lab’s planned Photon mission to Venus, including discussion of using a probe and MIT work to scan cloud vapors for signs of life, plus speculation about extremophile biology and possible practical applications if Venus life existed. The show then wanders through stories about an Arctic Ford F-150 retrieval, StoryFile and digital memorials, therapy and AI-assisted therapy, and ends with TV and film recommendations including House of the Dragon, What We Do in the Shadows, Hellraiser, and Andrew’s book pick Eversion. Key topics Westworld rewatch and prequel ideas: Andrew says he rewatched season one and two and appreciated the themes more in sequence, and the group complains about overusing twists. Andrew then pitches prequel-style stories for the early days of Westworld and Jurassic Park. Artemis launch scrub and SLS criticism: The hosts discuss the scrubbed Artemis launch, the failed wet dress rehearsals, valve and temperature issues, and the long-running political com

Long-time listener Joe Diamond writes in and asks about his EPK–electronic press kit. What works and what improvements can you make when presenting yourself in a freeform brochure of your own design? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a long discussion about Mars agriculture: the hosts speculate on what the first plant grown on Mars should be, with guesses like lichen, moss, mold, and grain before turning to research suggesting alfalfa as an early crop. Bryce explains that simulated Martian soil let alfalfa grow without added fertilizer and could enrich regolith for later crops, but the hosts note major obstacles such as salinity and the need for fresh water or water purification. The conversation then ranges into terraforming ideas, including Elon Musk-associated proposals like nukes over the poles and redirecting a water-rich comet, followed by a speculative riff on lunar lava tubes as habitable spaces and a fictional moon settlement inspired by The Diamond Age. Later segments cover ancient warning markers and the Hunger Stones exposed by drought, the exposure of other relics in European rivers, a comedic improv-style zoo investigation of a disconnected 911 call that ends with a capuchin monkey holding the phone, and the hosts' closing recommendations for South Park's 25th anniversary concert, She-Hulk, The Rehearsal, and Vought's Deep Thoughts with the Deep. Key topics Mars starter crops and soil remediation: The hosts discuss alfalfa as a first crop on Mars because it can grow in simulated Martian soil without fertilizer and help improve regolith for later planting. They also mention turnips, radishes, and lettuces as successful follow-up crops, while stressing water and salinity

The episode opens with a climate-change segment centered on an MIT Sensible City Lab concept for a large reflective structure in space at the L1 point to reduce incoming sunlight. The hosts treat it as an emergency, temporary geoengineering idea rather than a real near-term fix, emphasizing that it would be extremely expensive, politically difficult, and unable to solve the broader problems of climate change such as ocean acidification and overfishing. Andrew argues that nuclear power and carbon sequestration would be more practical uses of resources, and the discussion broadens into nuclear power, waste, population, and the complexity of climate systems. The second half moves through several tech stories: researchers in Australia experimenting with tire-based concrete, a programmable resistor aimed at AI hardware, a Black Hat presentation about hacking a Starlink terminal, and a broader conversation about service theft versus responsible security research. The episode closes with a discussion of dependence on Google and other major services after an outage, then finishes with TV recommendations and reactions, especially Westworld and Bryce's pick of Better Call Saul. Key topics Solar geoengineering as an emergency response: The hosts discuss an MIT proposal for a giant reflective membrane or 'space bubble' at L1 to block some sunlight. They frame it as a temporary 'something now' measure that might cool the planet but would not address the larger climate problem. Why large-s

Bryce reports in on how his marbles project is doing after having launched a Patreon. What levels is it setup in and how could he expand what he offers to supporters without compromising the show? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a clarification about an AI-related U.S. federal court ruling: the hosts explain that the case is about whether an AI can hold a patent, not a broader ruling that AI art cannot be copyrighted. They then move into a long discussion of DALL·E and other AI image tools, treating prompting as a real creative skill and noting that the systems have moved from novelty outputs into something useful for real-world work. From there, the conversation turns to the risks of realistic image generation, including fake social accounts, impersonation scams, and the need for public awareness that images can be synthetic. The episode then digresses into the Church of All Worlds, polyamory, unicorn stories, the Grey School of Wizardry, and a long praise of Jeff McBride as an authentic, highly skilled teacher and performer. Later segments cover cultural nostalgia, the film Prey, Bryce's recommendation of The Rehearsal, and Brian's praise of The Wedding Singer and Adam Sandler's range. Key topics AI-generated art versus patent and copyright confusion: The hosts repeatedly distinguish the specific legal ruling about patents from broader claims about AI owning images or copyrights. Andrew says journalists are blurring the issue and emphasizes that the decision was about an AI not being able to hold a patent because it is not a human. Prompting as a creative skill for image generation: Brian and Bryce describe detailed prompting as a craft: specifying medium, style, subject, and

Andrew shares the story of Simon Coronel, who took won the FISM Grand Prix Close-up, the top-level international competition for magic. How does your journey affect your goal and how can you keep your eyes on that goal? What is your label and does your label meet your goal? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Quinn’s Ideas Justin: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar Brian: Great Night on TikTok and Modern Rogue on TikTok Bryce: StreamKit

The episode centers on how rapidly improving AI models are changing the shape of computing, with Andrew, Justin, and Brian discussing local models, embedded assistants, and AI as a general-purpose layer rather than just a chatbot. They argue that AI is becoming cheaper, more capable, and more useful when integrated into operating systems, products, and workflows, while also noting that people are reacting to these changes with fear, skepticism, and a lot of confusion about what the technology is actually doing. The conversation then moves into practical and philosophical questions about dependence on AI, resiliency, and how people should adapt. They discuss AI-assisted scheduling, writing, research, certification, jobs, and creative work, while also recommending a few media picks at the end, including Weapons, Foundation, and Daredevil season 1 and 2. Key topics Local AI inference as a new computing paradigm: Andrew describes running capable models locally and imagines future operating systems using built-in AI for tasks like security analysis and email checking. The discussion frames compute like electricity: useful across many tasks, not just one app. Generational change in desktop and mobile operating systems: Justin argues that open-source capable models can be built into products and that the next version of desktop and mobile computing may look fundamentally different within a few years. AI agents as parallel work and research infrastructure: Andrew says agents can run

The episode opens with the hosts joking through a grocery-store movie-night snack run, including pretzels, Sun Chips, Reese's cups, Doritos, bean dip, guacamole, and pre-popped popcorn. That setup turns into the main Weird News story: a Virginia woman found a snake in a bag of popcorn, which leads to a long back-and-forth about whether pre-popped popcorn is worth the risk and how startling a snake would be if it showed up in food. From the snake story, the conversation spirals into a series of hypotheticals about keeping a snake alive in exchange for free food, which restaurant would be worth that deal, and how comfortable anyone would be with a snake nearby, in a house, or even in a toilet. The episode then shifts to birds: Andrew explains why birds are rarer in parts of China because of historical pest-eradication efforts and ongoing eating of wild birds, and the hosts riff on bird-control lasers, absurd pest-control tech, and whether those tools could be extended to other animals. In the final section, Andrew recommends ADV China, a YouTube travel series about exploring China on motorcycles and showing rural areas, ghost cities, and unfiltered scenes outside official narratives. The episode also includes picks for Harley Quinn, Better Call Saul, Christopher Moore's Lamb, and a broader reflection on Westworld and the bicameral mind idea, with Andrew explaining how a rewatch made the show and the theory more compelling. Key topics Movie-night snack shopping: The hosts role-p

How do you get an opportunity in a time of high convenience and tech? To get started, who has to tell you yes? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Bryce: Real Sports, July 2022 – Sumo and Habits on iOS

The episode opens with the hosts returning to the Georgia Guidestones after news that the monument had been damaged by an explosion. They walk through the inscriptions one by one, treating the stones as controversial late-20th-century art and debating the meanings of its population, reproduction, language, governance, law, rights, and abstract moral guidelines. The back half shifts from joking about the stones and the explosion to a more serious discussion of how people interpret information, including the value of reading primary sources and the problem of willful misunderstanding online. That leads into a reflective conversation about criticism, baggage, and compassion, and then into the pick segment, where they recommend a novel, a TV show, and a pair of educational YouTube resources about puzzles and math. Key topics Georgia Guidestones controversy and inscriptions: The hosts discuss the Georgia Guidestones after noting that they had been damaged by an explosion. They read several inscriptions directly from the stones and debate their implications. Population control and overpopulation fears: They discuss the first inscription, 'maintain humanity under 500 million people,' and connect it to late-1960s/early-1970s overpopulation concerns and modern demographic worries. Guiding reproduction and diversity: The line about guiding reproduction wisely and improving fitness and diversity is treated as troubling in its wording, though the hosts try to steel-man it as a post-apoca