F’ing Up the Ineffable

Brian and Mike welcome their first ever guest to the podcast, Hugo-Award Winning and acclaimed Sci-Fi author, Peter Watts. The trio discuss some of his works, including the New York Times Best Seller Blindsight, and some of the hard science foundations of his works, including consciousness, religion, the nature of being, hive minds, politics and more. They also absolutely NAIL the intro!   Peter also has a new collection of stories available in the anthology Fold Catastrophes https://www.amazon.com/Fold-Catastrophes-Peter-Watts/dp/1616964677 available now.   Find out more about Peter Watts at https://rifters.com/real/author.htm   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

It's our first episode with video (and it shows!). Brian and Mike talk about mental health, therapy, self-care and mess with the camera a lot as they work out the whole video thing. But if you are just listening, you'll never know!   Also, because we are discussing mental health, please remember that if you are having suicidal thoughts please call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 from any phone.   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

In the final part of the series on consciousness, Brian and Mike and talk about free will and why you don't have any (or do you?). They dig deep into where your decisions come from and whether you have any control over them at all.   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Episode lucky number 13. In the third part of a series on consciousness and free will, Brian and Mike talk about the nature of consciousness (just like the intro says!), thinking about thinking, and about how most of the things we think we know can't be proven beyond our own experience.   In this episode we mention the following: What is it like to be a bat? - Thomas Nagel https://www.amazon.com/What-Like-Bat-Thomas-Nagel-ebook/dp/B0CYGZT4HM/ Natural scene reconstruction from fMRI signals using generative latent diffusion https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42891-8 The Matrix https://www.amazon.com/Matrix-4-Film-Collection-Blu-ray-Digital/dp/B09R26TLNY Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mathematical-proof-debunks-idea-universe.html Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father https://store.steampowered.com/app/495700/Gabriel_Knight_Sins_of_the_Father/ Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Secret History of Christ. The Shocking Legacy of the Grail - Michael Baigent https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385338457/ Dan Brown - The Secret of Secrets https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Secrets-Novel-Robert-Langdon-ebook/dp/B0DTT5LV77     ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

In the second part of a series on consciousness and free will, Brian and Mike talk about meditation and mindfulness. They dispel some myths and talk about what meditation truly is. The conversation goes from yoga to mindfulness games to the real benefits to be gained. Brian teases future episodes and Michael realizes he's really good at having an empty mind.   In this episode we mention the following: Episode 11 - Perception F'ing Up the Ineffable - Episode 11 - Perception Yoga with Adriene 30 Days of Yoga - Start Here Waking up: https://www.wakingup.com/ Making sense: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts Playne: https://store.steampowered.com/app/865540/PLAYNE__The_Meditation_Game/     ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

In the first part of a series on consciousness and free will, Brian and Mike talk about perception, how what we experience isn't the whole truth and how things like the vision of birds and optical illusions can prove it. Our brains are lying to us and we talk about why. Also, we talk about why you don't want to think too hard about why you can sometimes taste a bad smell like a fart.   In this episode we mention the following: Wim Hof Method https://www.wimhofmethod.com Stan Lee's Superhumans: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1743275/ Blind spot eye test Quick Blind Spot Test Selective Attention Test (Gorilla Experiment) selective attention test The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Mistook-His-Wife/dp/0684853949 Project Hail Mary https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135229 Thinking Fast and Slow https://a.co/d/7z4YsUc   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Happy New Year! It’s the 10th episode, so we ramble on a bit about that and risk putting people to sleep before we talk about today's subject: Sleep. Brian and Mike share some information and tell lots of hilarious and somewhat frightening stories about surgery, narcolepsy, sleepwalking, dreams and locking yourself out of the house in your underwear.   In this episode we mention the following: MiniMinuteman - https://www.youtube.com/@miniminuteman773 Book: The Promise of Sleep - William Dement - https://amzn.to/4jtZS9l Mike Birbiglia - Sleepwalk with Me Book: https://amzn.to/3KWJS30 Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/4pmSfD5 Fatal Insomnia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_insomnia   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support!   Episode correction: Brian's first book (Cisco: The Complete Reference https://amzn.to/49hcBYe) was published in 2002. He was 25 years old. In the episode he states he was 21.   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike discuss economics, wealth inequality, why it's getting worse, what it means for the average person, why you are so uncomfortable on airplanes, and why we wish the old Netflix was back.   In this episode we mention the following: Freakonomics https://amzn.to/4q5rcgd Conan the Barbarian https://amzn.to/4rRGqXY Veritasium - The lightbulb collusion story - This is why we can't have nice things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5v8D-alAKE   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support!   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!  

Brian and Mike revisit the topic of Artificial Intelligence, touching on AI replacing jobs, what AI can't do, when the AI bubble will burst and billionaire tech bros' super-secret plans. It’s either our best episode ever, or our worst. You decide. Then let us know!   In this episode we mention the following: Videos / Channels The State of the AI Industry is Freaking Me Out  The State of the AI Industry is Freaking Me Out   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike talk about games of all sorts and what elements make games fun. They discuss sports, video games, role playing games, card games, board games and they stop playing games with your heart.   In this episode we mention the following: Videos / Channels Game Theory: Candy Crush, Designed to Addict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BTGgCEFuQw Penn & Teller Fool Us Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ncm7wAMRjM&list=PLCXTqAdQ-IqmWPtBmB3iUIb1ze0bVqyFY Shin Lim https://www.youtube.com/@shinlimmagic Board/Card Games: Chutes and Ladders https://amzn.to/49tKHKj Ticket to Ride https://amzn.to/4oJrQ2i Stratego https://amzn.to/4oJrQ2i Battleship https://amzn.to/3WP4UTz Cards against humanity https://amzn.to/437Qh18 Exploding Kittens https://amzn.to/3LfbeB1 Joking Hazard https://amzn.to/4oivVL4 Video Games Nuclear War Simulator https://store.steampowered.com/app/1603940/Nuclear_War_Simulator/ Poly Bridge https://store.steampowered.com/app/367450/Poly_Bridge/ Poly bridge 3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850160/Poly_Bridge_3/ FTL https://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/ Elder Scrolls series https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35501445 Final Fantasy series https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34459938 Portal 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/620/Portal_2/ No Man's Sky https://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/No_Mans_Sky/ Dwarf Fortress https://store.steampowered.com/app/975370/Dwarf_Fortress/ The Oregon Trail https://store.steampowered.com/app/2013360/The_Oregon_Trail/ Candy Crush https://www.king.com/game/candycrush/ Gems of War https://gemsofwar.com/ Master of Orion 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/410980/Master_of_Orion_2/ Civ 7 https://store.steampowered.com/developer/civilization Age of Empires https://store.steampowered.com/developer/AgeOfEmpires Stellaris https://store.steampowered.com/app/281990/Stellaris/ Cities Skylines https://store.steampowered.com/app/255710/Cities_Skylines/ Cities Skylines II https://store.steampowered.com/app/949230/Cities_Skylines_II/ Sims 4 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222670/The_Sims_4/ Crusader Kings https://store.steampowered.com/developer/CrusaderKings Cyberpunk 2077 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1091500/Cyberpunk_2077/ Satisfactory https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/ Everquest 2 https://www.everquest2.com/home Hearthstone https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us Role Playing Games Dungeons & Dragons https://amzn.to/47gBXpB Call of Cthulhu https://amzn.to/3Lgiv3y Top Secret https://amzn.to/48Z1J2V   Sorry this one is a week late due to travel!   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support! ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at [email protected].   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!