Little Gems for the People #4, Busy Beavers

Ned and Meg have some thoughts about content, content creation, and what the fuck is going on. Also this one is as the name says, so we sorta forget what happens after that. Thanks for listening, wash your hands, don’t be a dick.

Sierra and Ned spend a lovely afternoon debating the merits of recording an audioboook. Join in and find out all about Ned's angst for the US medical system. Oops, I mean all about the our ideas for a new art project.

Ned and Meg discuss cliches and how they get that way. Discussing certain art, artists, and concepts as cliche is, in all likelihood, itself cliche. We do it anyway. What are your favorite cliches? Additionally, we recommend listening to the Psymposia podcast. We also advocate that you check out the Internet Archive and the Fight for the Future organizations, both of which fight censorship! Thanks for listening, wash your hands, and don’t be a dick.

Ned and Meg extend the far-reaching tentacles of this story, as is our solemn artistic duty. This is the Streisand Effect intersecting with the art world. This story even has children suing parents, financial, labor, and environmental exploitation, The Olympics, hurt feelings, racism, classism, accusations of communism, oh and some of the best art ever. Listen to this episode, google all the images, you are in for a treat. This story is what art is all about, everybody. Wash your hands, don’t be a dick, buy art.

Ned and Meg rehash and review the totally queer-coded movie “Ice Pirates” from 1984. This movie is a mashup of every 1980s cinematic trope in one place and we LOVE it! This anachronistic film has a 17% critics score and a 50% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know mischief is afoot. Why the discrepancy? Listen and we’ll tell you. It’s got women bodybuilders bikini wrestling at the behest of a gay disembodied head and literal helping hands popping out of the kitchen walls, plus spandex bodysuits and tickle torture. Not convinced? What if I name drop Angelica Huston? How about Angelica Huston and Ron Perelman, together, as pirates, in space? That’s right, Hell Boy is just a wee baby man in this movie. Gawd it’s so good why are you even still reading this, go watch it on YouTube now! Thanks for listening. Wash your hands, don’t be a dick!

Ned and Meg chat beavers. These are some of the most impressive critters around. They are environmental engineers and have an incredible impact on their surroundings, creating habitat for other creatures to flourish. Thanks for listening, wash your hands, don’t be a dick!

Ned and Meg talk about intentionally false statements, which is what the OED defines as a lie. We discuss all sorts of lies, and how they fit into some of our favorite television shows like The Circle, and Taskmaster. We dip into discussion of KC Green’s comic adaptation of the classic, Pinocchio. We survey all the forms lies take, and we talk about the enormous problem of researchers who lie to further their careers or because they’re biased as hell in favor of themselves (ahem, doctors). We also rag on prank videos and any other sort of surprise that requires circumventing consent. Thank you for listening to us, wash your hands, and don’t be a dick!

Ned and Meg revisit OceanGate-Gate, the accident-but-not-really-an-accident involving a fraudy, totally unprepared submersible in the Atlantic Ocean almost a year ago. We did a whole episode about it, and the concurrent tragedy of the drowning of nearly a hundred people in a migrant boat that capsized in the Mediterranean at the same time, which almost nobody talked about, because they were too busy talking about OceanGate-Gate. We also discuss pyramid schemes vs MLMs vs Ponzis. Then, we rip apart the book Wild, a memoir by another totally unprepared person who frustrates us. We also throw punches at Sapiens, a fraudy fraud book we never tire of complaining about, and we crack the topic of Brutalist architecture, more on that later. Thanks for listening, wash your hands, don’t be a dick!

Ned and Meg chat with Sarah, our featured guest this week, about favorite toys from yesteryear. There’s a lot of unrequited love for toys and games in this episode, since there were more toys than any single kid could possibly have in a short childhood. We envy each other a bit while we relive Easy Bake Ovens, Radio Flyers, Cabbage Patch dolls, Snoopy Snow Cone makers, Little Tykes cars, Nintendo, board games and Barbies. Join us. Thanks for listening, wash your hands, don’t be a dick!

Ned and Meg talk about Disappointment. Ned has some new chairs, Meg has a sinus infection and someone stole her tarp, it’s Valentine's Day, they make indoor parks now which feature none of the characteristics of an actual park, Warheads are gummies now, insect zappers are even more insidious than we thought, Ned lost his nachos, Meg got a speeding ticket in the final 100 miles of a 2400 mile car trip, and Ned’s internet domain is being held hostage by a company convicted of fraud. Does the fun ever start? Thanks for listening, wash your hands, don’t be a dick!