Robert, Mia, and Garrison discuss the third arc of Andor Season 2, covering the Ghorman Massacre. Terrorist cells are uniting under the boot of the Empire, a riot pits undercover agents vs outside agitators, and we see the consequences of bending the truth.
What does it mean to be 'canceled'? How do we collectively navigate the baffling, complex and contradictory world of an 'always-on' society? In the first part of this week's special two-part interview, Ben, Matt and Noel welcome the legendary writer, actor, playwright and activist, John Cameron Mitchell, creator of Cancellation Island, for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from lizard people to gnosticism, the power of language, Aleister Crowley and everything in between.
Tribal wildlife officials are trying to get a handle on the seemingly unstoppable increase in chronic wasting disease among large game animals. Now in at least three dozen states, the disease is always fatal for the deer, elk, and moose that contract it. Some public health officials are also cautioning about the potential for it to make the jump to humans. At the same time, measles cases have jumped over 1,000 in the United States. Decades after the highly contagious and easily preventable disease was all but eradicated, measles comes at at time when skepticism of scientifically proven vaccines is at an all time high. We’ll find out what wildlife managers and public health officials say about the threats from these two illnesses.
Why would a spider have a frog best friend? Why do they love your shower? Does lemon repel them? Should you rehome them outside? Why so hairy? How do you identify the harmless ones? Which ones get kinky? Hey. This will be fun. If you’re afraid of spiders, this is the best first step to conquering that fear forever. If you love spiders, you’re in good company with Dr. Marshal Hedin, a San Diego State University professor who has dedicated his life to the diverse array of araneids. Also: why they need and deserve your love.
Odds are you've heard of the Dead Sea scrolls -- when the first of these ancient texts were discovered in the 1940s, the scrolls revolutionized our understanding of the past, and, in some cases, gave historians and archaeologists more questions than answers. One scroll, discovered in 1952, remains unique in the collection. It doesn't contain religious information, and it doesn't recount earlier stories from the region. Instead, this scroll (the only one written on copper) appears to be a treasure guide. In tonight's Classic episode, Ben, Matt and Noel ask: What happened to the gold, silver and artifacts catalogued on the scroll? Were these caches discovered thousands of years ago... or are these hidden treasures still somewhere out there today, waiting to be discovered?
A tool to help finance housing, business, and other community development projects on tribal land is in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. President Trump’s executive order eliminates funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). It’s unclear what the order means in practicality. His budget reduces federal funding for CDFIs by almost $300 million. If the cuts to CDFIs are realized, it could significantly curtail progress on affordable housing, small businesses, green energy, and other projects.
In this episode, Rivers and Sam are hangin' at Disgraceland with comedian John Hastings! We try out a VERY mysterious "Pure White" energy drink from a company called "El Jefe". Turns out, it's pretty good! Then, we go through Miles Klee's new article in Rolling Stone about Chat GPT leading dumpy idiots from the midwest into believing they are gods. Lastly, we cover Hulk Hogan's new freestyle wrestling company and go through a list of the Hulkster's FANTASTIC lies from over the years. Snoop Dogg and Jelly Roll's "Last Dance with Mary Jane" is our JAM OF THE WEEK! Listen now, River Walkers! Follow John on social media @TheJohnHastings Rivers is @RiversLangley Sam is @SlamHarter Carter is @Carter_Glascock Subscribe on Patreon for the UNCUT video version of this episode as well as TONS of bonus content! http://patreon.com/TheGoodsPod Pick up a Goods from the Woods t-shirt here: http://prowrestlingtees.com/TheGoodsPod
We chat with linguist and cognitive scientist Hagen Blix about his new book Why We Fear AI (co-authored with computer scientist Ingeborg Glimmer) about how the technical qualities of AI – especially LLM chatbots – take the alienation (and seemingly alien power) of capital to the next level. What happens when the social logic of capital — which appears to be a motive force with no motivator — is channeled through generative technologies that appear to be texts with no author? People see an entity that must be feared and worshipped.
••• Why We Fear AI | Hagen Blix & Ingeborg Glimmer https://www.commonnotions.org/why-we-fear-ai
••• https://www.If A.I. Systems Become Conscious, Should They Have Rights? nytimes.com/2025/04/24/technology/ai-welfare-anthropic-claude.html
••• Marx’s Comments on James Mill http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/james-mill/
Standing Plugs:
••• Order Jathan’s new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
