Archive for April, 2024

The Philosophical Snake: AI, Robotics, and a Fossilized Surprise

Thursday, April 25th, 2024

Image Description

Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood embark on a philosophical journey, starting with a tribute to the late Daniel Dennett, whose work on consciousness and thought experiments left a profound impact on Andrew. The conversation then shifts to AI, with Facebook’s new Llama 3 model stirring the pot in the open-source community, and robotics, where Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas robot demonstrates terrifying agility. The episode wraps up with the discovery of a potentially record-breaking fossilized snake, sparking a mix of awe and existential dread among the hosts.

Picks:

Andrew Mayne: Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett

Brian Brushwood: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Justin Robert Young: House of the Dragon (HBO series)

Support Weird Things on Patreon

Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts

Podcast RSS feed

Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240423014053_2024-04-19-Weird_things_mixdown.mp3

[podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240423014053_2024-04-19-Weird_things_mixdown.mp3

AI’s Musical Revolution: From Doom Musicals to Broca’s Brainy Beats

Thursday, April 18th, 2024

Image Description

In this episode, Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood explore the fascinating frontier of AI-generated music. They kick things off with a nod to AI’s role in creating a musical version of Doom, then pivot to discussing various AI music platforms like Sun AI and Audio, comparing their capabilities and outputs. The trio marvels at the potential for AI to revolutionize everything from personalized songs about daily itineraries to educational tunes about complex subjects like Broca’s area in the brain. Throughout, they maintain a blend of awe and skepticism, pondering the implications of AI’s rapid development on creativity, education, and personal expression.

Picks:

Brian Brushwood: Fallout TV series

Justin Robert Young: The Regime on HBO

Andrew Mayne: Shogun

Support Weird Things on Patreon

Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts

Podcast RSS feed

Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240415013154_2024-04-12-weird-things_mixdown.mp3

[podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240415013154_2024-04-12-weird-things_mixdown.mp3

AI Revolution and the Future of Creativity

Tuesday, April 16th, 2024
Image Description

Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood embark on a comprehensive exploration of artificial intelligence, discussing its current capabilities, future potential, and ethical considerations. From AI’s role in personal training and spam evolution to its application in coding and art generation, the hosts cover a broad spectrum. They highlight the efficiency and affordability of AI in creating content, including music and images, and ponder its impact on the creative industry. The conversation also touches on the regulatory landscape, with a particular focus on the EU’s approach to AI governance.

Picks:

Justin Robert Young: The Regime on HBO Max

Brian Brushwood: The Naked Gun

Andrew Mayne: sun.ai and cursor.sh

Support Weird Things on Patreon

Subscribe to the Weird Things podcast on iTunes Podcasts

Podcast RSS feed

Download url: https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240409222700_2024-04-05-Weird_things_mixdown.mp3

[podcast]https://weirdthingspodcast.com/uploads/20240409222700_2024-04-05-Weird_things_mixdown.mp3