After Things Podcast

Andrew went to VidCon and interfaced with The Youths. We rizz up Andrew and see if he would even hug Baby Gronk. Does childhood today compare to childhood in the 90’s? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Disney Spellstruck and Amazon Kindle Bryce: PPKP+

The episode opens with a discussion of the hypothetical Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight and whether it could become a huge pay-per-view event. The hosts compare it to major combat sports buys, talk about Zuckerberg's public year-by-year challenges and his training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and generally doubt that the fight would become more than a spectacle across social platforms. The conversation then moves through Meta's reported interest in a Twitter-like service built on ActivityPub, followed by a long discussion of Apple's Vision Pro and spatial computing. The hosts speculate about how 3D interfaces, eye tracking, and app placement in physical space could change software and productivity before shifting to the Titan submersible disaster, where they discuss the likely structural failure, the public reaction, and the ethics of joking about the tragedy. The episode ends with media recommendations: Final Fantasy 16, You Must Remember This, and Remember by Lisa Genova. Key topics Influencer boxing and Mus

The episode opens with a discussion of UFOs as a seemingly bipartisan or "safe" conspiracy topic, then widens into a broader debate about how conspiracy beliefs and pseudoscience can be culturally coded. The hosts compare UFOs, astrology, Bigfoot, spiritualism, QAnon, flat earth, and simulation theory, with recurring skepticism about how much of these ideas come from evidence versus narrative-building or paranoia about hidden control. Evidence: the group explicitly talks about UFOs as a bipartisan conspiracy theory, then moves through pseudoscience coding and flat-earth/simulation speculation (L45-L49, L57-L66, L73-L85, L89-L97, L113-L117). After the UFO talk, the conversation shifts into a long practical and technical digression on human perception, foveated rendering, ray tracing, and graphics hardware, using Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest Pro as examples. That leads into a separate segment on memory techniques: Andrew says he wants to remember books, authors, and sources better for critical thinking, Bria

Andrew’s been deep in memory-training and it’s important to remember: memory is fallible! How do false memories begin and who is susceptible? Brian’s DIY method of journaling and next-day planning. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Pick: ChatGPT now on iOS

The episode begins with a long discussion of Apple’s Vision Pro announcement and what it says about Apple’s strategy for spatial computing. The hosts react positively to the presentation while staying skeptical about demos versus reality, and they repeatedly compare the headset to the iPhone and iPad launch cycles, emphasizing Apple’s pattern of waiting until battery, display, and processor technology are good enough for a new category. They also discuss the headset’s form factor, eye-tracking, external battery, realistic avatar and eye-display choices, privacy implications, and Apple’s emphasis on family-friendly, real-world use rather than an isolated metaverse experience. The conversation then shifts to possible use cases like work, media consumption, sports viewing, and future 3D/spatial content, including speculation that Apple will build a services and content ecosystem around the device over time. After the Vision Pro segment, the hosts move into picks: Justin recommends Spider-Man: Across the Spider-V

You show this eyeball-looking thing some respect! A neat idea for invasive species. Blue Origin is tapped to make the second-next lunar lander and we debate the worthiness of doing that now. pando pando pando pando. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” [No After Things this week!] Picks: Justin: I Think You Should Leave, season 3 Brian: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Bryce: EGG GAME

Bryce jumped on the whiteboard train feet-first and we chat about whiteboards, writing and organizing tasks, habit-building, and getting motivated to start. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode begins with Andrew describing a memory-methods thread from the previous week and how it led him to build a face-and-name practice app. He explains that he prototyped the tool in JavaScript and then used GPT-4 to convert and expand it into a polished iOS app, with generated faces, tutorial copy, App Store text, and a webpage all created or assisted by the model. The discussion then widens into a long debate about how well ChatGPT understands context, why GPT-4 feels stronger for coding, and how priming prompts can improve style imitation and task performance. The back half of the episode shifts into hypnosis, with the hosts comparing stage hypnosis, hypnotherapy, Mesmerism, suggestibility, placebo effects, accountability, crowd dynamics, and whether hypnosis is best understood as an altered state, performance, or agreement. Key topics Memory techniques and face-name recall: Andrew opens by talking about memory methods, memory palaces, and his difficulty remembering faces and names, which motivates

The episode opens with a light memory test where Bryce asks the others to close their eyes and recall what everyone is wearing. That leads into a broader discussion of memory, attention, and how much people can notice about familiar faces and clothing when they are not allowed to prepare ahead of time. Andrew uses Harry Lorraine's classic audience-name routine as a jumping-off point to explain why "photographic memory" is usually overstated. The hosts discuss autobiographical memory, diaries, repeated reinforcement, and the idea that many impressive memory feats come from learned techniques rather than innate perfect recall. The conversation then moves into practical mnemonic methods: associations, absurd imagery, spaced repetition, memory palaces, body lists, narrative chaining, and number or card pegs. The hosts also connect memory training to modern tools like AI and augmented reality, and argue that remembering names and personal details is a useful social skill, not just a party trick. In the picks segme

Tips direct from Andrew on how to level up your ChatGPT prompts straight from the robot-horse’s mouth. Easy tips to add more context and style, create outlines, and automate common requests. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with a long discussion of SpaceX's Starship test launch and the condition of the launch pad afterward. The hosts say the rocket reached flight but suffered a rapid disassembly, likely after debris from liftoff damaged engines and carved a large crater in the concrete; they also talk about possible fixes such as a flame diverter, more water cooling, and other launch-pad changes, while joking about Andrew Mayne's pie bet. A large middle section focuses on generative AI and synthetic media. The hosts discuss Runway's video tools, ChatGPT plugins, code-interpreter-style rapid prototyping, AI-assisted editing and research, and then move into concerns about fake images and AI-generated music. They compare the coming fight over AI music to Napster and sampling, speculate about licensing or revenue-sharing models for artist voices and styles, and note how streaming platforms might adapt. Key topics Starship launch damage and launch-pad mitigation: The hosts describe the Starship test as successful i

Listener David asks for advice on how to portion out time for longer-term projects? Our advice and tips for getting things done with momentum and phases. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with discussion of ULA's Vulcan test article exploding on the test stand and what that means for the planned launch. The hosts compare ULA's one-off test hardware with SpaceX's factory-style approach, where repeated explosions are less disruptive because another vehicle is already being built and the program is designed for rapid iteration. The conversation then moves into broader transportation speculation: rockets for very long trips, autonomous or electric aircraft for regional travel, and various VTOL or drone concepts that might solve the 'two vehicle problem.' The hosts also discuss Hyperloop and tunneling, emphasizing that regulation, eminent domain, and especially cheaper boring technology are the real constraints on new infrastructure. Key topics Rocket test failures and operational implications: Andrew describes the Vulcan center-stage test article exploding on the test stand and says it may or may not indicate a design flaw, noting the possibility of delays or additional testing.

Professional podcasters Justin and Brian give some dirt on the upcoming third season of World’s Greatest Con and talk openly about their vantage point on ads in the podcasting space. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” World’s Greatest Con

The episode opens with a long, playful discussion of the old TV show Manimal, with the hosts joking about its simple premise of a man who turns into animals to solve crimes and comparing it to other 1980s transformation or action shows. That flows into a broader chat about actors and roles that surprised them, including Harrison Ford de-aging in the new Indiana Jones trailer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Simon Pegg, Jason Statham, Bradley Cooper, and Steven Lang. A major middle section focuses on AI tools and their practical uses. Andrew describes transcribing and searching a podcast with Whisper/MacWhisper, while the group also discusses Bing inside Skype, a voice-based ChatGPT service called Call Samantha, AI at CES, job-loss headlines, and uses like help bots, show notes, formatting lists, and contractor bids. The episode then shifts to recurring segment material: a Starship betting update, news about Virgin Orbit bankruptcy and the difficulty of space ventures, and the pick segment featuring a Dungeons & Dragons

Brian’s hodge-podge to-do system led to catastrophe. Smart devices and “accessing the home network.” An update on Andrew’s experience using Tonal, the home-gym installed on a wall. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with Andrew Mayne discussing OpenAI's newly released plugins and the broader idea of ChatGPT becoming more like an app platform. He describes practical examples such as Wolfram Alpha, Instacart, OpenTable, and browsing, then spends much of the conversation demonstrating Code Interpreter inside ChatGPT by generating mazes, GIFs, sound files, Game of Life music, QR codes, and even a simple chess engine. He frames these tools as making computation and creation more accessible to ordinary users. The discussion then shifts to everyday uses of ChatGPT and related AI tools: drafting letters, brainstorming, choosing meals, and helping with domestic decisions. Bryce introduces Rewind.ai, which records computer activity for later recall, leading to a privacy-and-utility discussion about AI-powered memory, search, and personal assistants. The episode also covers authenticity concerns around generated content and signatures, misinformation and viral falsehoods, the Hyperion tree, a disputed goblin shark

Bryce has an update on how his Blind Corners project went from 0 to 1 with a Substack. How do you break down barriers or build excitement? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Arduboy Justin: ChatGPT-4 Brian: Ted Lasso season 3 Bryce: DALL-E

The episode is largely a discussion of ChatGPT/GPT-4 and how the hosts are using it in practice. Brian describes a hands-on experience role-playing as Blaine the Mono in GPT-4 and being impressed by how well it stayed in character, while Andrew explains the progression from GPT to GPT-2, GPT-3.5, ChatGPT, and GPT-4, emphasizing reinforcement learning with human feedback, instruction following, and stronger contextual understanding (L53-L61, L67-L69, L83-L85, L107-L118). The conversation also covers limitations and concerns: hallucinations and confident wrong answers, safety and guardrails, privacy/data-retention cautions, training data quality, and multimodal image features such as describing a refrigerator photo to generate recipes. The episode closes with picks for Welcome to the Monkey House, History of the World Part 2, Hello Tomorrow, Star Trek: Picard season 3, and a gel blaster/orbeez-style gadget discussed jokingly in the context of wildlife deterrence (L115-L118, L155-L177, L187-L209, L255-L269, L295

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.”