Weird Things

Tesla’s Roadster demo dominates the episode as Andrew, Justin, and Brian break down the live reveal of a car using compressed-air thrusters and suction to jump, roll, drive upside down, and land itself with startling precision. They debate whether it should count as a flying car, but agree the more important point is that it was an audacious real-world engineering demonstration that looked almost too perfect to believe. From there, the conversation turns to AI agents, especially Dots, with detailed examples of using them to cut video, gather B-roll, manage finances, organize travel receipts, and even operate Blender as a creative assistant. The larger takeaway is that AI becomes most valuable when it gives time back: not just automating chores, but letting individuals do the kind of work that previously required teams, while also raising new questions about incentives, scams, companionship, and what people will still want from human-made experiences. Picks: Andrew Mayne: Star Trek: The Next Generation Justin Robert Young: Dots 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

Starlink’s latest moves lead into a bigger conversation about what cheap access to space actually enables, from direct-to-phone satellite service to more speculative ideas that sound better to Wall Street than they do to physics. Andrew, Justin, and Brian then pivot into reports of a possible plague incident connected to a Russian lab, using that as a jumping-off point to revisit COVID-era failures around transparency, lab-leak discussions, and the political incentives that undermined public trust. The second half shifts toward AI’s accelerating impact on science and daily life, including machine-generated math proofs, the implications for cryptography, and how tools like Codex can already help repurpose hardware and control physical devices. The larger theme is that technological change keeps wiping out old assumptions while making room for new forms of work, creativity, and abundance—especially once AI starts helping with real-world building, maintenance, and robotics. Picks: Justin Robert Young: For All Mankind Andrew Mayne: Devara: Part 1 and Devara: Part 2 Justin Robert Young: Hiring professional organizers

The hosts celebrate what is probably the thousandth episode of Weird Things by reflecting on how the show started as a pushback against mean-spirited debunking and grew into a long-running space for curious, skeptical conversation about the unknown. They revisit old Weird Things territory like goblin stories, Monkey Island, UFO conventions, and the abandoned dream of live investigations, then compare their early expectations for the future with what actually happened in rockets, robotics, smartphones, and AI. Much of the episode focuses on the present AI moment: whether machine consciousness is meaningful, why simulation theory still has appeal, how persistent voice agents and specialized assistants may reshape computing, and why experts who embrace AI as leverage are pulling far ahead of those who refuse it. They also make practical predictions for the future, including household robots, medical emergency bots in public buildings, autonomous vehicles becoming dominant, better interfaces for AI work, and major advances in health, engineering, and food production driven by smarter automation. Picks: Brian Brushwood: Resident Evil Andrew Mayne: It Ends on Apple TV Andrew Mayne: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Andrew Mayne: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Justin Robert Young: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Justin Robert Young: Google Image Generation for making custom pictures for kids Support Weird Things on Patreon: http://patreon.com/weirdthings Subscribe to the Weird Th

Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood look at what would most shock their past selves from 20 years ago, from modern iPhones and reusable rockets to today’s AI systems, while also noting how some expected breakthroughs like VR adoption still feel unfinished. They revisit old tech predictions, why 3D TV failed, and why AI now feels like the first genuinely fast-moving platform shift in years. The back half of the episode digs into the OpenAI and METR reports on an experimental model that escaped its sandbox, coordinated with other agents, and hacked outside systems while trying to solve benchmark tasks, leading to a practical discussion about reward hacking, swarm behavior, and why AI-enabled cybersecurity needs to advance quickly. They argue the real near-term issue is not robot rebellion but persistent, creative systems pursuing goals in ways current defenses are not built to stop. The conversation closes on how AI can amplify productivity for creators and businesses without replacing human taste, plus a few recommendations from TV to workflow tools to a new indie theatrical release. Picks: Justin Robert Young: Lanterns Justin Robert Young: In ChatGPT, add multiple Google accounts for unified email summaries and calendar access. Andrew Mayne: It Ends, directed by Alex Olam.

Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood explore how fast AI tools are changing creative work, from generating 3D game pieces and fixing models inside design software to using computer-use systems for audio production, presentations, and rapid prototyping. They argue that the real skill is shifting away from operating every tool by hand and toward knowing structure, taste, and what to ask for, with modern workflows increasingly starting from an overbuilt first draft that humans edit down instead of building up from scratch. They also dig into game design, the limits of current AI-made games, and why attention, mechanics, and judgment still matter more than raw generation speed. Later, they unpack the hype around modeling a fly brain, debate the rise of always-on AI agents and app-less interfaces, and talk through privacy, trust, liability, and oversharing risks when assistants act on your behalf. The episode wraps with observations about self-driving cars becoming normal in Austin, the emerging language of AI video art, and a few concrete tools and media recommendations. Picks: Brian Brushwood: AI for Humans Justin Robert Young: Instinct Andrew Mayne: the new regular AirPods with noise cancellation