Critical Nonsense

What are the things that best represent the United States of America to you? This week, Jess and Joey talk about dentures, cultural preferences, all-you-can-eat buffets, shared things, Super Soakers, and Shark Tank. They don’t talk about white supremacy, sexual predators or gun violence. references The New York Times: Welcome to My Museum of America Mashed: The Untold History Of All-You-Can-Eat Buffets Flowbee Last Week Tonight: Gas Station Drugs 

What is actually worth waiting in line for? This week, Jess and Joey talk about froyo, pacing, theme parks, the TSA, the corruption of the Lightning Pass, and underwear. They don’t talk about line dancing. references Corrections Department: Gerry Rafferty Plato's Allegory of the Cave 

What should I be affraid of, the robot or the people? This week, Jess and Joey talk about AI != robots, human extinction, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, biological weapons, societal collapse, neuroticism, and increased persistence. They don’t talk about happy things. references corporeal AI 2027 AI Expert Tells Bernie: “The Humans will be Discarded” The AI Researcher Who Just Quit Anthropic Says It’s ‘Crunch Time for Humanity’ P(doom) Israeli infiltration of an Iranian nuclear archive Corrections Department: How the three laws of robotics from Isaac Asimov (not Philip K. Dick) impact AI Anthropic: Detecting and countering misuse of AI: September 2026 

What happens when everybody loves something and you don’t? This week, Joey and Jess talk about sci-fi, curation, Rotten Tomatoes, autobiographical characters, leaving room for surprises, and fame. They don’t talk about Sweet Pickles books. references Hyperion by Dan Simmons The Expanse series Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 

Is listening to a book the same thing as reading it? If so, why? And if not, why not? This week, Jess and Joey talk about audiobooks, purity testing, locked-in mode, ADHD, lectures, and celestial orbs. They don’t talk about Mychal Threats. references Reading Rainbow Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Matt Dinniman Variety: Peacock Gives Series Order to ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ TV Series From Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door, Chris Yost