Weird Things

WT: Announcement: Announcement: Water

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NASA had an announcement for an annoucement and that announcement was: an announcement of water on the moon! How wet is Luna and is it viable to provi...

AT: The Damage of Free

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Terry writes in about creating content for free and how that affects their community of paid content creators. Send your project questions/id...

WT: A New (Old) Horse

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

LAX is met with a bogey yet again and we have a whole lineup of suspects! How will humans conquer the skies? Old cells lead to a new clone of an endan...

AT: Grandfathered

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Long-time listener David Pots has a question about making major changes to your business if you’re possibly leaving money on the table. Plus, the id...

WT: I Can Walk Forever!

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Close encounters of the oceanic kind. How can drones protect beach-goers? AI is looking at Mars faster than us! A new demographic for augmented realit...

WT: We Have No Intentions

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian’s back post-COVID infection. What was the first-hand experience for someone who had symptoms? Resin DOES move in herds–a new breakthrough in...

AT: You Have To Be Very Sure

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Justin is on the precipice of Raise The Dead season two. What was it like writing a sequel season and what did he take away from the success of the fi...

WT: The Brine-y Planet

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Water on Mars? Scientists think they found it again! What water and life on Mars means to any manned trips. Plus, the elderly: younger or older than t...

AT: Live From Online…It’s Saturday Night!

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fundo.Town, a new Google way to put together ticketed live events, chats, and workshops in one package. What other options are out there and what is t...

WT: Hunt and Peck VR

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset is now a real reality. How could VR impact working from home and affordable gaming. Otto Aviation ...

AT: The Quest For 2

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Leaked video confirms the new Oculus Quest 2. What is new for the upgraded wireless VR headset? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected]...

WT: Wood Nails and a Dream

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Space camp came to a school in China! Venus shows signs of life with phosphine gas. Got something weird? Email [email protected], subject line “Weir...

AT: Pop!

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Piercing a bubble–an audiobook bubble! How do you find time to read? What other bubbles can you pierce? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom...

WT: Flying Through The Sky

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Did we always need to fiddle? LAX has an unexpected visitor and we think we have a suspect. Humans flying around NYC?! Earthquakes aren’t just influ...

AT: Look Back?

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Gamification is taking over all forms of communication and social media. Creativity and hard-work endures over time and the tools to create are becomi...

WT: Babe: Pig in the Synapse

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk showed off Neuralink, the brain-to-computer interface and he showed it bacon-wrapped! Facebook Horizon, a VR playspace, and developments in ...

WT: Mitochondria is the Hulk of the Cell (re-fixed)

29 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Oumuamua, the mysterious sausage-shaped comet, is leaving us with a lot of questions. Is it propelled by errant solid hydrogen and why that is a FOOL’...

AT: Pencil Me In

29 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Schedules: let’s pencil a time to talk about that NOW! With Brian and crew in the middle of another Modern Rogue filming crunch, what are tips and t...

AT: Herding Wild Cats

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Epic Games versus Apple makes us question: how do you handle building *your* thing on *someone else’s* platform/engine/site? Plus, the power in Face...

WT: I Could Really Go For A Po Boy

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A weird dream about Jimmy Carter kicks off a discussion of dreams. Orbiting a sun? Not nearly as cool as orbiting a black hole. Got something weird? E...

AT: Mentor or Ment-not?

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The role of mentorship in professional skill-building and advancement. What should and shouldn’t you take from a mentor and how do you maximize that...

WT: Flying Grain Silo

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Rubik’s Cube as a cultural symbol of smartness. College: what’s the value? Drones spent some time last year loitering around power plants. Who...

AT: TikTokTekTalk

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok is a massive social media platform, but it’s facing a major ban in America. What does that space look like? Long-time emailer James wants to ...

WT: Sorry For Party Boating

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Florida shows up to celebrate the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashdown. Mars is having weather! Got something weird? Email [email protected], subject...

AT: Chaos Is A Ladder

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew’s got a “real” job and is experiencing the work-from-home virtualization for the first time. What things are here to stay and what will c...

WT: Live Hot Hominids

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A new neuroscience start-up wants to untangle the black box that is the human brain. Neanderthal’s arrival to North America has a new discovery. Mys...

AT: Chuckle-Hut McGee

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What advice would you give to a 20-year-old just starting with the creative arts? What’s the value to a newcomer tackling an America’s Got Talent ...

WT: OCD Bot

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who needs a stylist anymore? Shane of Stuff Made Here has a horrifying new contraption that looks like it works! Hello Robot’s new Stretch RE1 robot...

AT: Store’s Open!

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian developed a product that is absolutely not ideal for the socially-distanced COVID-19 world. How did he launch that product anyway, how did he ma...

WT: F-U Hadron Collider (fixed)

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Man, Space Is Weird! How scared of weird radio waves should we be? A larger hadron collider is proposed in Europe with a hefty price tag. What is the ...

AT: Doomscrolling

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do we use note-taking systems and how to we record information? How do you go from notes and outlines to drafts and how can you make your first drafts...

WT: Why Hulk Smash?

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sea danger from above! Higher education is moving online, even if you live on campus. The boys posit a new take on the college experience. Andrew’s ...

WT: Brian’s Cyberpunk Novel

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter’s new audio posts show potential for short-form audio. What are the avenues for smaller, tighter content on social media and what are the wi...

AT: Report Everything

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With tax season upon us, how do we track and compile expenses? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After Things.”...

WT: No Need For Feet

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It was just the anniversary of SpaceShipOne. SpaceX offers ridesharing–what would we do with 200kg of payload? Segway inventor Dean Kamen wants to b...

AT: When To Test

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Justin’s embarking on a Politics! Politics! Politics! adventure, but traveling right now is dicey–let alone going to a packed political rally. Wha...

WT: Not-Hercules

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve had early access to OpenAI’s new GPT-3 generative text model. How have we used it and what is the power it holds? Andrew’s already built a...

AT: Intensive

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Bryce, and the entire Modern Rogue crew have set out on a two-week film-a-thon. What sort of toil accompanies 14 days of filming and what does ...

WT: Suction Punch

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A shark pic tells a thousand words on fisticuffs. New dating pinpoints the earliest-known land creature. No parties may be a reason to celebrate. The ...

WT: The C Stands for Hypnosis

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

SpaceX and NASA have done something that hasn’t been done in a long time: take a bedazzled dinosaur into space. You’re still rocking cube salt? Pf...

AT: Better And Still Not Perfect

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What piece of media has influenced us strongly as creators? Do you have one? Tell us–email the show at [email protected], subject line “After Thin...

WT: Your Year In Serotonin

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Going to the ISS and sharply dressed to boot! 40 years of Pac-Man up-ended by a danged AI. Social networks: when will they use cameras to gauge what w...

AT: Who Owns Me?

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With “generative adversarial networks” AKA machine generated imagery, what does copyright look like if a visual output looks too much like the cop...

WT: Headless Cheese Pizza

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A glimpse into the future of manned space flights comes in less than two weeks. Hold on guys, let’s get some pizza. Katy Perry shows off a VR/AR per...

AT: Another Outlier For You!

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Check-in time. Brian found an anomaly in his email list: a surprise hit! How is Videogames w/ Bryce advancing? Is Jury’s Crystal podcast helpful or ...

WT: Murky Pond Water

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NASA picks three companies to send us back to the moon by 2024. What are the difficulties landing on the lunar surface and how might these companies h...

AT: Tech-in-Place

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some tech talk and what habits will you keep up after shelter-in-place? Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected], subject line “After ...

WT: Space Rock, We Rock

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How would you keep people off the streets at night? Planets orbiting stars? Bo-ring! Plus, the hidden musical stylings of George W. Bush and Bill Clin...

AT: Direct Calls to Action

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How was the launch of Andrew’s new “The Girl Beneath the Sea” and how did it end up on Amaon First Reads? More feedback and suggestions for Bryc...

WT: A Shining Ghost Town

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A shorter episode this week due to technical issues. Social distancing in your brand new ghost town! A new P-essssss-A: watch out for that hose. Got s...

WT: Thinking Pictures

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Machine learning could generate new imagery and create fake depth; now it can mix the two together and synthesize 3D scenery. The world’s most advan...

AT: Punching at Quibi

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bryce dived into Quibi, a mobile-first streaming video service. How are the shows? Is it worth the price and does anything take advantage of the forma...

WT: Underground Opportunities

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A new discovery in the UK Parliament. The world is shaking a little less. SpaceX has another Starship mishap with their SN3 rocket test. Got something...

AT: Keeping It Real

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Updates on everyone’s projects and how we’re impacted by being at home. Updates on Brian’s HQ compound, Justin’s Raise the Dead podcast and po...

WT: Space 4G LTE

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stratolaunch has been revived and is looking to test their hypersonic rocket, the Talon-A in September. Can you hear me now (from space)? Got somethin...

AT: Wiener-Free Chatroulette

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is the office of the future? How can you design your space to be productive and happy? Plus, what are the benefits of the pomodoro timer techniqu...

WT: Experiencing Reality

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Apple pushing LiDAR into the prosumer space on the new iPad Pros. What does that mean for augmented reality? Can AR be more than seeing a couch in you...

AT: Home Safe Home

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We know first-hand exactly how to handle working from home. How do you occupy yourself in a quarantine scenario? Staying on track and staying sane whe...

WT: Incredibly Normal Things

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 is a Weird Things prompt come to life. The realities of industries that are reducing capacity, moving to remote work, and social distancing. ...

AT: Limited Deals

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An update one month into Bryce’s newsletter project. How do you write a valuable subject line? What’s the value proposition? Publishing do’s and...

WT: You Down With The Sickness?

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 fever has swept the globe. Everything from global events to local supplies are being impacted. Plus, simpler times in the Mediterranean and t...

AT: The Muzak of Silence

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify seems to have a “fake artist” issue. How much of a problem is this? What can musicians do in response to that? Plus, some office design pr...

WT: Pet-a-Moon

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fake social networks? Pssh, never gonna hap–oh, there is one? The Earth has a hop-on. Spider-Man: Far From Home spoilers during picks (42:03-47:07)....

AT: Independently Independent

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Justin’s found a significant up-tick in interest and funding from his politics podcast. How did he get here and what’s next? What’s easier to ta...

WT: Space Capsule Hotel

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NASA is adding an expansion module to the ISS to live as a new space station *after* the ISS. Virgin Galactic makes one large step for stock market-ki...

AT: The Most Dangerous Girder

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After a weird slew of biblical comments on a new Mdoern Rogue video, Brian wants to know thoughts on how to handle comments now that the channel has g...

WT: A Restaurant For Arachnids

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New rockets, missed landings, and more from space. Mystery: spiderdino!! Train enters station in 4K. Got something weird? Email [email protected], sub...

AT: RE: RE: FWD: RE: ATTN: Email

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bryce is starting a mailing list–what are best practices and ways he can differentiate it from a blog or podcast? How often is too often and do you ...

WT: Sick Day

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tes-yee-haw? Could the Wuhan Coronavirus be our last global pandemic or is viral protection an ever-expanding game? What would you do for nightvision?...

WT: The Roaring Twenty

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and Justin have to investigate a string of break-ins. New item alert! How cheap can we get to space and can we do it eco-friendly? And of course...

AT: Byte Me

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Byte AKA Vine 2.0 has launched. What does the short-form video space look like this many years since the death of Vine? Do TikTok’s short-comings ma...

WT: The Dangers of AI

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

AI detecting cancer, viral epidemics, and your license plates. Plus, direct your laser eyes toward this new black hole visual. Got something weird? Em...

AT: Bursting or Plotting

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do you know if you’re “working hard enough?” When is perfect the enemy of good and what do you do when you reach the limits of what you can ...

WT: Here In My Pod

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

SpaceX makes a boom…on purpose! Wall-E chairs: good or bad? Cloning voices is becoming commercially available. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gm...

AT: Tolerance for A-Holes

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When should you go “all-in”? Always keep an eye on what your next thing will be. And don’t forget about networking–we certainly do. Be on your...

WT: Global Pork System

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Disney…at sea?! It wasn’t an impossible idea at the time. A farmer disrupting GPS in China…for what reason? Jim Jackson and Jack Jimson investig...

AT: Outsmarting the Tedium

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian is starting to write a book. Will his idea of how to write and disseminate it make sense and will he really own it? Can the power of crowdsourci...

WT: Trash Man! Trash Man!

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One universe can’t possibly be enough! Can we do experiments across multiple worlds and how would we even be able to interpret the results? Would yo...

AT: Spoilercast: Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a spoilercast of the final movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. Send your project questions/ideas to [email protected]...

WT: 10 Years of Beige

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

New year, new name. What tech defined the 2010’s? The power of beige in a world of originals. Ten years of data, digital assitants, The Cloud, and m...

AT: Ten Years Strong

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Weird Things podcast is about ten years old. How were things different back then and what’s changed in how we work? Send your project questions/idea...

WT: Android Scissorhands

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The next in hair-cutting tech: robot barbers! What’s the most useful haircut in space? Brian guesses the ways to torture birds? Got something weird?...

AT: Different Marketplace

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Justin’s new “Raise the Dead” podcast came out and charted among news podcasts. How well did it do and where is it now, six days after the first...

WT: Choose Your Own AI-venture

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A machine learning text-adventure game, AI Dungeon 2. It’s crumbling under the cost of being internet-famous, but it seems cool. Quantum burn! Magic...

AT: Always Start, Remember to Stop

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew’s got a challenge for anyone preparing to work on a project: push yourself to get *something* completed in 24 hours. How do you handle projec...

WT: Big Blob

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A mysterious blob in D.C. warrants an examination of how the government protects itself. Andrew tackles NaNoWriMo in one single day?! Got something we...

AT: Deadline is a Lifeline

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Justin’s got a new audiobook/ebook/podcast coming next week, “Raise the Dead.” How does he promote it? Check out the first episode early on his ...

WT: Cocaine Dentist

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Of course we talk about the Tesla Cybertruck and its “shattering” reveal. Fighting addiction with a brain microchip. Would we be okay with athlete...

AT: Digital Note Divide

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What’s something you put off doing for a long time, finally did, and then wondered how you could have lived without having done it? Is any digital w...

WT: Planes, Trains, and Jetpackmobiles

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What makes an aircraft a “motorcycle?” JetPack Aviations might know. If we revolutionize air travel, could we see less-invasive TSA security optio...

AT: The Beginner’s Guide

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Beginner’s tips and advice for anyone getting started in writing, podcasting, video-making and more. The landscapes have shifted even in the past co...

WT: Is It Legal And Is It Cool?

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Look up, it’s a Starlink! I didn’t do it, but that’s what you say when you did do it, so I’m not saying that either. An extreme haunted house....

AT: Who You Know

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re joined with science-fiction writer/editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt to talk about the current publishing landscape for someone with and without res...

WT: Sitting on the Doxx of the Bay

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s November 2019 and Blade Runner is now in the past. How far has the tech come and what did Blade Runner end up predicting in society and the int...

AT: Haunted Dice

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Terry wrote in about what to do if you’ve got a back-catalogue of content, but you wish it were made better. Should they re-edit? Remove? M...

WT: The Bourne Quantum Supremacy

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Google’s got a weird new computer. Is it truly quantum-fast and when can I get one? Livin’ life down on the farm, just a normal day with no crazy ...

AT: Chain of Evidence

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emails this week! Listener David wants to know when the best time to copyright/trademark something would be. Listener and Modern Rogue guest James Har...

WT: Ripped Baby Demon

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ghost baby caught on camera! A vermint in Brian’s chimney? Front-yard dragons. Extinct animal sightings in Australia. Got something weird? Email nes...

AT: Spoilercast: Joker

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a spoiler-filled episode talking about the firestorm that is Joker and the chaotic city and world it represents. Send your project questions/id...

WT: Cauldrons of Disease

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A new drone vehicle that promises much quieter propulsion. We have confirmed UFOs, but are they aliens? Natural disasters can lead to mass-infection? ...