Two Bit Geeks

Ped is strangely primed this morning, Tom is strangely immune to poison ivy, and they both take a long, strange slog through software development and language immersion. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Primed and Ready to Go! [01:53] The collected wisdom of Two Bit Geeks: “You never can tell with bees.” “It’s easy to succeed when you don’t know what you’re doing.” “At the end of the day, most people are just people.” “It only takes one fly to spoil the soup.” Flies, Spiders, Mosquitoes, and Poison Ivy [09:20] Australia’s dangerous animals: the top 30 Are some people immune to poison ivy? Learn Coding with Grasshopper [22:22] grasshopper Scratch Low-code Language Immersion [32:00] Dual Language Immersion programs Neuroplasticity Getting in the Zone [36:17] Flow Pomodoro Technique Boomerang for Gmail Getting Started with Coding [48:07] Github I are Programmer (and You Can Too) Should We Really Try t

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time for the A.I. Winter and more followup tonight. It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right, it’s time to spoil Infinity War and … [Disk Space Error] Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Music and Memory [00:00] It’s The Muppet Show! Maria João Pires prepares for the wrong piano concerto The A.I. Winter [6:40] hackernewsletter (Hacker News) A.I. Winter Is Well On Its Way (Filip Piekniewski) The Hype cycle FLOPS Self-driving car kills pedestrian (NY Times) A.I. is Harder Than You Think (NY Times) Airplane Door Followup [23:28] Atmospheric pressure Aircraft Pressurization Beginner’s Guide (AeroSavvy.com) Ad astra Alan Bean [28:09] Alan Bean (1932–2018) The paintings of Alan Bean The Overview effect Photograph of Earth taken by Alan Bean aboard Apollo 12 Autographed photograph of Alan Bean Ped needs a new laptop [32:14] ‘How to t

In this guaranteed 100% human-created podcast, Ped & Tom ponder whether humanity was Earth’s first civilization, whether Google chatbots will subsequently replace humanity, whether Irish drivers are the best in the world, and whether your own DNA will implicate your criminal cousin. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Yanny and Laurel [00:00] Original “What do you guys hear ?” Reddit post Most people over 18 can’t hear these sounds Air Travel [06:29] SSSS no more Square People Pipe Answer: Airplane doors cannot be opened during flight due to cabin pressure Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet Was Humanity the first civilization on Earth? [13:32] The Silurian Hypothesis: Would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record? The Silurians (Doctor Who) How the domestic chicken rose to define the Anthropocene (The Guardian) Super-Earths can’t have space programs Artificial I

Pondering pure existence, a big reckoning for Big Coffee, coming to terms with archiving our past, possibly #tooMuchMeta on a flight through Ped’s neural landscape, keep those subvocals to yourself and always look up for the Happy Void. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Recreational Void Staring [00:00] The Untempered Schism The Two Bit Geeks Official Guide to Void Staring! Coffee, Cancer and Acrylamide [05:00] Is coffee carcinogenic? Some say maybe, some say no Caffeine Blues certainly sounds alarmed Either way, it’s good to understand the neuro-biology Archiving the Past [14:11] What to look for in your Facebook data-and how to find it (Wired) A drop in the ocean: the timescale of a human life Tip of the Tongue Syndrome [30:33] Presque Vu for you The jury’s still out on the eye-training benefits of speed-reading Yet another Borg Implant [46:37] Gotcha, subovocalizations! MIT’s “Alter Ego” accidentally

Ped & Tom ride their hobby horses through some of their favorite topics; such as speeding and safe driving, dumping Facebook and shadow profiles, fitness tracking and smart devices, supervolcanoes and asteroid impacts, and being kind to one another. Plus, a salute to Professor Hawking. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Safe Driving Followup [00:00] The Need for (Safe) Speed Relevant Massachusetts Law concerning blocking intersections One Way Japanese Drivers Are Polite Dumping Facebook [22:35] Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal How do I deactivate my account? (Facebook) Station 13 podcast Postcrossing.com Smart Devices [45:03] Pomodoro Technique Fitbit Versa End of the World Scenarios [52:05] Yellowstone Magma Plume Possible asteroid impactor 101955 Bennu Space probe OSIRIS-REx Gravitational keyhole The HAMMER Egoisitic Altruism [1:03:36] A Selfish Argument for Making the World a Better Pla

Ped & Tom fidget their way through some followup, Ped delights in some unusual athleticism, and Tom makes a move at a board gaming tournament. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Fidgeting into some Followup [00:00] ICYMI: Ped on Two Tims Talking LoonyLeader needs to go to Iceland March 20, 2015 Total Solar Eclipse in Spitsbergen, Norway A hotel at 78° North latitude Faster, Higher, Stronger? [11:31] Pre-link: Best in the world ski halfpipe …and then there’s Elizabeth Swaney Eddie the Eagle Pita Taufatofua the Shirtless Tongan In-depth analysis of Swaney’s Olympic halfpipe run Power Moves [28:11] Power Grid The Worst Board Games Ever Invented (FiveThirtyEight) Carcassonne (The Settlers of) Catan Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)

Ped is moonlighting on Tom. If elected, Tom will not serve. They both explore the consequences of convenience, of speeding, of firearms, of bedtime eggs, of sleeping possums, and placebos. Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Moonlighting Pedcast [00:00] Ped on Two Tims Talking Hello Internet Electoral Tomfoolery [09:29] chuckyc17 on the subreddit is up to some mischief Class Secretary Shermanesque statement Robert’s Rules of Order The Wikipedia is amazing [15:28] Death of a salesman Ten Simple Rules for Editing Wikipedia Reading and Libraries [21:22] Typesetting How Libraries Are Becoming Modern Makerspaces (The Atlantic) Consequences of Convenience [29:44] “The Tyranny of Convenience” by Tim Wu (NY Times) Waiting in Line to See Star Wars: 1977–2000 Humanity’s future according to Wall-E On a Lighter Note: Speeding [41:56] Traffic Warnings How Engineering Decreases Car Crash Fatalities (MrEngineeringG

Pondering the Assistance Invasion, blasting off with maximum coolness with SpaceX, possible microscopic passengers, and this is not a place of honor for six percent of rats. Tick-tock! Support the podcast on Patreon or by purchasing a T-shirt. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Resistance is futile: you will be assisted [00:00] This is your brain on Virtual Assistance Falcon Heavy launches away [04:03] Elon Musk is elated over the SpaceX success Set phasers to maximum coolness The Arch Mission Foundation ups the ante for offsite backup Time And Relative Messaging In Space [12:38] DNA as alien message-in-a-bottle (so says TNG!) Nuclear semiotics and the problem of messaging across time The nuclear renaissance as the (climate change) clock ticks closer Practical fusion is getting closer Tardigrades, the ultimate package format of life Wifi Follow-up [34:26] NIH: 6% of male rats should not make thousands of concurrent cell phone calls Epigenetics is waiting to act

It’s déjà-vu all over again as Ped and Tom revisit a feast of follow-up, minimize their mobile and soak up the wifi on accident in an episode of time well spent (auditorily speaking). After-party in the Zoof Lot. Support the podcast on Patreon. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Revisitation Station [00:00] Put this Möbius strip podcast on endless repeat (at least seven times) Welcome new listeners from Anonymous Proxy! Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty reviews an excellent paper ‘on accident’ Hometown Zoof archetype makes a pop culture appearance High school cliques and the social angst of adolescence (the definitive 80s take) Bitcoin mining by hand Minimizing Mobile [21:08] Grayscale life-hack (with how-to links) “Time Well Spent” draws lines in the Great Tech Debate Revisitation Station [27:19] A-Town FM reviews The Last Jedi Wondrous WiFi: you’re soaking in it [31:37] Dealing with junk science hysteria Drinking from Russell’s teapot and the fallacy of argument from

The one where Ped & Tom argue about The Last Jedi for an hour. Spoilers abound. You have been warned! Support the podcast on Patreon. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Star Wars: The Last Jedi [00:00] Hello Internet reviews The Last Jedi (They hated it.) A-Town FM reviews The Last Jedi (They loved it.) The “backlash” against Star Wars: The Last Jedi , explained (Vox) The Emperor’s appearance in The Empire Strikes Back (Original 1980 version) Rotten Tomatoes - Critic score vs Audience score The Very Best of Nien Nunb Palette cleanser - Antiques Roadshow (BBC) Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)

Ped & Tom go around and around on roundabouts, BritComs, accents, dialects, and bubblers. They revisit the problem of social media dopamine hits, and then explore the promise of Bitcoin and the blockchain. This episode is brought to you by Patreon supporter Chris! Chris is awesome-sauce. Support the podcast on Patreon. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Accents & Dialects [01:44] Received Pronunciation A tour of British accents How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk (New York Times) Bang a U-ey, Rotary, and Other Boston Slang (Boston University) Rotaries & Roundabouts [10:32] Swindon’s ‘magic’ roundabout “Big Ben! Parliament!” Remaking BritComs [15:16] The Office UK vs The Office USA The IT Crowd being remade for the US Graham Linehan Why the Geek Community Hates ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Antisocial Media & Feedback Loops [21:09] Former Facebook VP says social media is destroying society (Washington Post) Dopamine Facebook Messenger for Kids (New York Ti

Celebrating the luminous, quiet and noisy joys of the season, Quentin Tarantino has phasers set to kill for Captain Picard, and AlphaZero ushers in a new era of mostly fear for Ped and Tom as they ponder the perils of the new AI. Happy Holidays, humans! Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Yay, snow; nay, leaf blowers [00:27] Annual Average Snowfall for New England Your average American household at Christmas Cats in Christmas Trees It’s simple and quiet when it snows At least Jean-Luc is on board First world problems: noisy machines Tarantino + Trek: A match made in … ? [14:00] Patrick Stewart is all-in Tarantino: Remix Artist AlphaZero and the new AI [26:49] Long ago, Deep Blue beat Kasparov with brute force In Just 4 Hours, Google’s AI Mastered All the Chess Knowledge in History AI’s Hype cycle has now circled back, and this time it means business Quickly drawing neural networks back in Episode 04 Machine Learning neatly explained

Ped & Tom celebrate a year of podcasting with their first inductions into the Two Bit Geeks Hall of Fame. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Too Many Cats! [00:00] How Many Cats is Too Many? (Stuffed) Cat Chucking in Belgium ʻOumuamua Update [03:04] The first known interstellar object Light curve of ‘Oumuamua Relevant XKCD 1919 - Interstellar Asteroid Asteroid Capture Sagan standard Occam’s razor Cueball and Megan Evidence Tangent [11:15] The Scientific method vs Anecdotal evidence A Two Bit Anniversary [18:10] Two Bit Geeks Episode 1: Roll for Initiative! Don’t Start a Podcast (College Humor) h/t to Charlie Two Bit Geeks Episode 9: All Aboard from Silly Town! The Two Bit Geeks Subreddit h/t to /u/loonling The Two Bit Geeks Hall of Fame [24:27] Adam Ruins Everything - Why Mount Rushmore is the Weirdest Monument Archimedes Randall Munroe Relevant XKCD 1732 - Earth Temperature Timeline Relevant XKCD 1262 - Unquote Martin Gardner The Top 10 Martin Gardner Scientific

Deconstructing Tom’s editing filter, briefly Brother X, Star Wars and LOTR news, questionable parenting trends of the modern age and debating the value of death. Plus, Two Bit Geeks t-shirts are here! Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Ode to the Cutting Room Floor [00:22] The Curse of Knowledge How to remember your dreams Bits & Pieces [09:40] Dare to be Stupid, Weird Al’s sublime pastiche A green light for a new Star Wars trilogy (no spoilers, Brother X) Bezos pays a boatload for the Lord of the Rings TV rights Where have all the children gone? [23:51] Helicopter parenting and the vanishing neighborhood The digital allure of indoors and the decline of play The many layers of free-range, boredom and the calibration of letting go To die or not to die: that is the question [49:05] Why Die? by RIP Grey Why Age? by Kurzgesagt Senescence discussion on Hello Internet Bonus Round: Two Bit Geeks t-shirts are here! Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)

Wandering down the aisles of emergent 80s nostalgia, briefly Blade Runner and the satisfaction of reinvention, Dungeons & Dragons gets back on the scene, first light on the biggest bangs in the universe and interstellar greetings from the Vegans of Lyra. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. A special “Thank You” to Patreon supporter Xavier Lambein! Meandering nostalgia, 80s style [03:20] The Banana Splits, mixed-reality early pioneers The Stranger Things font is intentionally awesome We loved the pace of Blade Runner 2049 (and Roger Deakins’s cinematography) Devo’s Satisfaction is the perfect cover D&D: back and here to stay [17:51] Turn on, tune in, drop phone Rock Stars of the new platforms: The Adventure Zone and Critical Role Wizards of the Coast hit the structure/creative sweet spot with Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Big news from the sky x 2 [27:30] The first observed neutron star collision has astronomy geeks over the moon Time + stellar fusion = stuff: T

The busy geeks are back from more travels and buzz through accumulated corrections and followup, followed by a deep dive into software development, a trip to the world of Ahch-To (also know as Ireland), and finally Tom finds himself on a ‘special’ list. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. To sleep, perchance to dream [01:27] The Art of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda Lucid dreaming Sleep paralysis No Dumb Questions 015 - What the Heck is Sleep Paralysis? Corrections and Followup [10:30] Listener correction on Viruses vs Bacteria Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistance (CDC) Mysterious Dimming of Tabby’s Star May Be Caused by Dust (NASA) The Search for Planet Nine Making Life Multiplanetary (SpaceX) The BFR Recent Elon Musk Reddit AMA Imposter syndrome A-Town Software Development [30:17] AngularMix User Experience (UX) User Stories Is 30 too old to start in software engineering or CS? (Hacker News) Silicon Valley’s Dark Secret: It’s All About Age (Tech Crunch) GitHub jQuery A Tr

Climate change, nuclear war, hostile AI, runaway nanotech, supervolcanoes, supermassive meteor strikes and unrelenting alien invasions: Ped and Tom shine a gamma ray burst on the biggest threats to our continued existence. Inspiration optional! Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Micro follow-ups [00:00] Todoist is working out great for Ped Blink: exceptional standalone sci-fi, and a great Who intro Andrew Mao clarifies Resilient Cooperators (more to come) Handicapping the (Human) Race [15:22] Inevitably, we roll along Wikipedia at its best: Global Catastrophic Risk Nick Bostrom and the Future of Humanity Institute Carlin on the anthropocene (and the sixth extinction we’re soaking in) Thich Nhat Hanh: evolving intelligence and love Interlude: A brief stroll through the Fermi Paradox and the Great Filter It’s two and a half minutes to midnight: The Doomsday Clock advances Hostile AI: Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking and many others are sounding alarms Nanotech ecophagy, Grey Goo a

A happy birthday to Curiosity, a stellar job opportunity, and a deep dive into Nicky Case’s game of trust, compassion and resilient cooperation—just don’t tailgate Tom. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Warming up with Space [00:00] Curiosity sings like that NASA’s Planetary Protection wants you! The main event: playing with Trust [05:45] The Evolution of Trust (Nicky Case) Game Theory 101: The Prisoner’s Dilemma explained The WWI Christmas Truce TBG Ep. 11: Creating trust in a campaign (13:16) The Adventure Zone’s Suffering Game arc Resilient Cooperation is where it’s at (Andrew Mao, Lili Dworkin, Siddharth Suri & Duncan J. Watts) TBG Ep. 7: Tom forgives the highway cheaters (38:03) The Simple Solution to Traffic (CGP Grey) Ped’s interpretation of Utilitarianism makes him not like it at all Forbidden Island: a pretty cool non-zero-sum board game 12.5 years of Diplomacy - nice! Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)

Ped & Tom experience the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse within the magical Path of Totality, and survive the traffic nightmare afterwards. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. Eclipse Followup [00:51] Episode 1: Roll for Initiative! Solar Eclipse of August 11, 1999 Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017 The Path of Totality NOAA National Weather Service Cloud Cover Forecast City of Sweetwater, Tennessee Baily’s Beads The 2017 Corona at Totality Total Solar Eclipse simulation (Mashable) Solar Saros 145 The 1999 Corona at Totality Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024 Solar Saros 139 Why are some total eclipses darker than others? (/r/solareclipse) International Space Station Transiting 2017 Eclipse (Smarter Every Day) No Dumb Questions podcast with Destin & Matt Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area Randall’s Eclipse Review (xkcd) What is an Annular Solar Eclipse? What is a Hybrid Solar Eclipse? Pinhole eclipses How does Google Maps predict traffic? (How Stuff Works

The dramatic conclusion of the The Great Pea Experiment; Ped across America with a road trip redux through five National Parks, seven natural wonders and The Argonath; and there’s good reason to celebrate our 13th Doctor. Discuss the podcast on Reddit. Support the podcast on Patreon. The Great Pea Experiment: riveting finale [00:19] The entirety of the pea harvest Ped across America: road trip redux [04:37] The whole trip on a map Bison warning (as Tom predicted) Ped’s kayak soundtrack: The Argonath! A fantastic resource for scenic drives Plastic Crazy Straw World, geyser style #overthinkingIt: from whence comes “awe”? Top seven highlights South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon National Park Mexican Hat > Monument Valley, southeast Utah East Entrance, Zion National Park “The Narrows”, Zion National Park Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park Blacktail Ponds Overlook, Grand Teton National Park Lower Falls Overlook, Yellowstone National Park The New Doctor: it’s about “time”! [64:40] Just a w