After Things Podcast

The episode opens with a long discussion of NASA's Space Launch System and its failed wet dress rehearsal. Andrew says the test hit valve, cooling, and sensor problems, leaving most of the liquid hydrogen unloaded, and he argues the program is an outdated, expensive government rocket that should be scrapped rather than preserved by sunk-cost logic. The panel contrasts SLS with newer commercial launch companies and notes the oddity that Artemis would use SLS to ferry astronauts to SpaceX hardware, which they describe as inefficient and hard to justify. After the space segment, Andrew launches into a series of science and weird-news stories. He explains a 1832 Darwin-era observation that leads into spider ballooning, where the hosts discuss the idea that spiders use electrostatic charge on silk rather than wind alone to lift off. They then move to a story about bacteria that help nucleate ice in clouds and can influence rain, followed by a Florida python-and-bobcat video that prompts joking interpretation, and

Andrew’s latest mystery novel, “Sea Storm,” made the WSJ best-sellers list. What inspired the Underwater Investigation Unit series and Sloan McPherson? Plus, a system to give feedback. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode begins with a roleplayed investigation of a North Dakota fossil site, where the hosts describe a Thescelosaurus leg and fossilized Triceratops skin and joke about what could have caused the remains. They settle into the reported claim that the site preserves evidence from the Chicxulub impact event, including fish, a turtle, a pterosaur embryo in an egg, and glass-like particles in fish gills, while also noting skepticism in the paleontology community about aspects of the site and its publication history. A long middle segment is devoted to Andrew Mayne discussing OpenAI's DALL·E 2 image generation system, emphasizing that it turns text prompts into images, supports style changes and edits, and is meant as a tool that amplifies creativity rather than replaces artists. The conversation also covers technical limits, staged rollout, concerns about deepfakes and misinformation, and Andrew's argument that AI development should include a wide range of expertise; the episode then closes with picks for Gu

How to get started and two tools you can use to get the ball rolling: the social media “scary hour” and the classic pomodoro timer technique. How can you organize your work and get unstuck? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” PICKS: Andrew: Anthony Metivier’s video on memory palaces Bryce: Pommie

The episode opens with a discussion of NASA's wet dress rehearsal for the SLS rocket, the Artemis program, and the tension between the expensive, delayed SLS approach and SpaceX's lower-cost reusable systems. The hosts note that SLS has repeatedly run into problems and that Starship is still unproven, while also arguing that having multiple launch providers is strategically useful. They then broaden into a critique of defense contracting and military logistics, saying the system is often inefficient because of procurement structures, reporting incentives, and the hidden importance of mundane logistics. The conversation then shifts to Elon Musk becoming Twitter's largest shareholder and what that might mean. The hosts argue that Twitter matters less as a place where news is created and more as a news-distribution and amplification engine, with 'King Media' and social proof determining what gets attention. They also debate moderation, free speech, hate speech, and the limits of platform-wide rules, including re

World’s Greatest Con’s season 2 finale is out today. How was the process of building this season compared to season 1? Plus, a discussion on the crowd-funding campaign for Brandon Sanderson’s surprise novel series. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

The episode opens with banter about meme culture and shared cultural shorthand, then moves into Andrew's discussion of the Soviet Venus probe and the space race. The hosts connect early space ambitions to Cold War ideology, Soviet engineering strengths, and why some technologies and missions were dismissed before they worked. A long middle section focuses on speculative transport ideas and then COVID strategy, including herd immunity, excess-death comparisons, and differing roles for public-health officials versus scientific consensus. The latter half turns to Andrew Mayne's OpenAI discussion of Codex, embeddings, large language model limitations and safety, and creative uses like code generation, story completion, and custom training. The episode closes with the hosts' media picks and reactions to Our Flag Means Death, Severance, Frequency, and Legion. Key topics Memes as shared cultural shorthand: The opening conversation compares meme culture to a Star Trek metaphor-speaking alien and notes how people now

Listener David sends in an update on his guitar-lesson project, Song Notes. What advice can he take away when he takes Song Notes full time? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: The Intelligent Investor from Benjamin Graham Brian: Cordkillers

The invasion of Ukraine has affected space! Is yellow really just yellow? Half of a giraffe makes an astral appearance. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Andrew: Twitter lists Justin: Encanto Brian: Eye Wonder Bryce: F1TV

How do you make free-time and what are the benefits of taking time off? How do you protect the machine and remember you aren’t a machine? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

Blue Origin is ferrying a new celebrity to the edge of space while Elon handles the realities of being a celeb. You hear about this doors and wheels thing? An awful, awful prank. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Andrew: The Cuphead Show! Justin: Our Flag Means Death Bryce: Drive to Survive season 4

TikTok will allow creators to post videos up to 10 minutes long. Bryce shares an experience opting *in* to marketing and what you can take away. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

A new discovery on Mars reminds us of Sting. Our new favorite Twitter account! Smart birds make smart devices very dumb. Reflecting on the passing of The Amazing Johnathan. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Justin: Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Bryce: Severance and The Righteous Gemstones

A reminder to think outside the box and updates one week away from the launch of World’s Greatest Con Season 2! Funding, making a trailer, and how they are aiming to get people on board. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”

A special dagger…alien Egyptians?! Pointy devices that probably aren’t gambling dice. What is that big, red patty? Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Justin: Raised By Wolves and Peacemaker Brian: Severance Bryce: Vampire Survivors

Beginning 2/28/22. You have a decision. Want to enjoy the new season without listening to a single ad? Patreon.com/GreatestCon

The Super Bowl was last night and we break down the trailer for Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which offers a surprising cameo question. What is the state of the MCU multiverse as Disney’s mergers continue to settle? What parts of Marvel can re-unite on screen? You can’t spoil *a trailer*! Are we excited for The Batman? Yeah, the MCU is big, but it’s not the only universe in town! Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: The New Mutants Justin: The Righteous Gemstones Brian: Big City Greens and Lost Ark Bryce: Word Game Hero

Crypto thefts spur a reflection on the similar risks of coins, stocks, and gambling. Not financial advice, but amateur critical thoughts on a still-developing landscape. Starship will still launch, says Musk, despite threats from aerospace competitors who could be obsolete. The first manned Starship mission series is announced. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Andrew: iPad Mini Justin: Peacemaker Brian: Bryce: iOS Photos

The latest Joe Rogan news sparks a conversation about communication and the idea of “silencing” in a digital age. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.” Picks: Andrew: Replit Justin: Ozark Brian: The Book of Boba Fett

Automation’s coming–are we worried? Boba Fett uses deep-fake technology to de-age a character and that technology is closer to your fingertips than you think. Mild Book of Boba Fett spoilers around 8:00-9:20. The entire place is falling apart. A pair of rocket whoopsie-doodles! We are not a financial advice show. That said, let’s talk about Meta’s bearish response on Wall Street following a quarter slump. Footage over Area 51 captured on satellite! Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.” Picks: Andrew: Monty Python’s Flying Circus Justin: r/ObscureMedia – Next! Brian: Raised By Wolves