Voice synthesis could be a boon for audiobook services, but the platforms and rights-holders are wary of robots. How could high tech solutions for voice synthesis help listeners and boost the functionality of works from developing authors? SpaceX is targeting one rocket launch per week for 2022. Meta shows off their…safe looking avatars for the metaverse and their shared social media apps. NASA confirms which star the James Webb Telescope will calibrate. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
We’re almost one month done with 2022. What do the crew think 2022 holds for us and what would we like to get done, how we’d like to get there, and our other thoughts on the coming year. Plus, thoughts on how artificial intelligence has evolved to be smarter, smaller, and faster. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
The James Webb Telescope has reached its home. When will we get images back and what type of images will they wait to release? Can Brian and Justin transport 100 mad prisoners? Sorry kids, your hamsters uh…need to be accounted for. What would have been the value of a stronger zero-COVID strategy and what does Australia’s surge in cases mean in comparison to the US? The dream of a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle is targeted by Radian Aerospace. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
Bryce shares a report on computer literacy and the digital divide. Then, we talk about the social media phenom, Wordle. The simplicity of message versus the intricacy of its design. Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
A previous Weird Things story has been SCRUBBED from the maps! Journalistic scrutiny in an all-online world where the documentation of history can digitally disappear. Andrew shares a fascinating Web3 idea of decentralized file storage using file hashes. An ancient butcher with a permanent tool, surely. Old-timey trophy asses. What will the first images from the James Webb Telescope look like? Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
Totally on the ball and ready to go! Andrew and Justin reflect on iTricks, the magic news blog they founded. The site’s in transition, so what can they do with it? How did it start as an editorial platform and how did it handle integrity despite always being small? How did a scrappy up-start fend off a decade of competition? Maybe someone will take up the mantle! Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
Nobody knows anything and Andrew caught the thing! Tests and variants and how little we know. A China-shaped hole in the maps. Brian and Justin finally take their first airplane trip and it didn’t go well! Denied! And you’re fired! i can has starlink? The James Webb Telescope is almost entirely deployed. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
Join Bryce, Justin, and Brian on a special holiday Weird Things! What’s the D factor? The James Webb Space Telescope launched! 300 whats found in Bogota. After Things will return in the new year! Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
A follow-up from Jim’s letter last week. Jim published his book–what thoughts did he have in the gap since sending us his letter? Getting exactly what you want from a project and what are next-steps creatively that aren’t a total-dedication to the medium? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
Can the boys pack for an unknown adventure and what will they find deep in Yemen? An intriguiging find on a satellite map. New ways to play Pong and a new rationale for organic machines: power efficiency. The burger wars! Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
Listener BigJim wants advice on self-publishing his small poetry project and wants to know the best time to self-publish. What’s the best use of this effort and how can you take a novel idea and turn it into an attractive story across media? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
Elon is named Time’s Person of the Year and we dissect the whole affair including hair-dos. A scary new planet and we are seriously unsure of how big and heavy it is compared to other planets. What Star Wars movies are underrated? A new start-up wants to house the 1.5 billion unhoused people–how does a fancy, tent-like structure expand beyond fancy tents? Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
Know what’s hot on TikTok? Microsoft Excel! DIY educational monetizing just through social media. What comes first: the solution or the problem? What might work best for hosting learning material for sale? A platform like Udemy or roll your own with Thinkific? If you don’t already, you should find a way to learn spreadsheets! Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
A Taco Bell on the moon? New images don’t *disprove* the idea. A discussion on Earth’s Black Box, an upcoming structure dedicated to preserving information about our planet in case of emergency. Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”
A retrospective on microcomputing pioneer Clive Sinlair and the philosophical successes, even in consumer failures. Where is your duty: to the successful projects or your personal goals? Send your project questions/ideas to neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “After Things.”
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No sideways rockets here–rocket launcher Astra has successfully reached orbit. Plus, hurling rockets at asteroids for a good reason and an update on Russia’s space junk. Biases in algorithms: what do they represent? Got something weird? Email neshcom@gmail.com, subject line “Weird Things.”