In this final bonus episode (and final episode), reflection is given on the purpose and ending of the podcast. Recorded June 12, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

In this bonus episode centered on gaming, artist and animator Finnian Hourihan converses about topics spanning from the advent of Chess 2.0 to the shifting economics involved in making profitable multiplayer games and the impact of such changes on player experience. Recorded June 11, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

The earlier episode with Dr. Kevin Folta alluded to some of the controversies that he has dealt with in scientific communication. In this episode, our second conversation addresses the extent of online and in-person hatred received and its effects on Dr. Folta. Additionally, we discuss how he has managed in light of attacks on his character and scientific claims as well as the forms such attacks can take. Recorded February 10, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

After the course of a hectic season of recording episodes, making videos, and designing clothes, there was a well-needed opportunity to return to talking to friends on the podcast. That being said, it would be a mistake to assume that this season finale would contain only friendly banter. In this concluding episode of the fourth season, Robert Smith returns with Ohee Syed to talk about the beginnings of their friendship, embracing individuality, and creating art. Also discussed is the reality of luck versus hard work in determining outcomes, the (un)necessity of suffering in order to live a good life, cyberbullying, goal-orientation, the use of violence in response to words, and more. When the recording ended, it was clear that there was no better way to end the season. With the breadth of the discussion in mind, it should be clear that there was more to add to the conversation than time could allow. Each topic can (and should) be explored beyond our own words about it. Recorded April 9, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

Purely rational or quantitative means can prove unsatisfactory in answering and fully understanding existential questions. In previous episodes of this show, there have been offhanded references to absurdism, the future of the United States' political landscape, and the value of literature in exploring philosophical ideas. In this episode, a conversation with Dr. Esteban Leonardo Santis of the Florida Policy Institute helps to flesh out these concepts, from a discussion on the creation of meaning to one on the ongoing movement away from rationalism and positivism in political discourse. Further discussion centers on the relevance of Albert Camus' The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus as well as Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude to the postmodern world and present-day public administration. Recorded March 27, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

The world is filled with odd events and strange people who create them. Parsing through these absurd stories to find ones that are both compelling and comical is Oki, a documentary filmmaker and interviewer who entertainingly communicates them in his series, Oki’s Weird Stories. Initially, Oki engaged in a more retrospective approach to documentary-making, gathering old interviews and articles to retell the stories of people like Uwe Boll, Hiroo Onoda, Steve Rocco, and so on. As time went on, he himself began interviewing the subjects of his videos as well as performing investigative journalism. In this lengthy interview, Oki and I talk about the stories he has covered and the process of documenting them. We also converse about cults, the state of the modern news media landscape, mythomania, the reputation of YouTube in Hollywood, censorship on social media, in addition to many other subjects. In talking with Oki, one thing became most apparent: perception is everything. Recorded March 13, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

To understand the behavior of animals is to understand how the vast variety of behaviors across species develop as well as how they function and change according to different contingencies. In pursuit of such understanding, Dr. Nicole Dorey researches animal behavior and training practices, and among many other topics, has studied mirroring behavior, preference assessments, environmental enrichment in enhancing behavioral welfare, and the sensitivity of dogs to human behavioral cues. Conversation in this episode centers around the benefits of training animals without using positive punishment, instinct versus operant learning in animal behavior, the modern role of zoos, and more. Recorded February 22, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

In the modern era, especially in light of the current pandemic, there are more examples than ever of distrust and controversy around scientific information. As someone on the transmitting side of scientific communication, Dr. Kevin Folta lays out how scientists and popular figures can do better at conveying important findings to the public. This episode also contains conversations about genetically modified organisms, ethical barriers within human biotechnology, and more. Recorded February 10, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

It's impossible (at least as of January 21st, 2022) to stop aging, but growing up is something that can be put off indefinitely. In this episode, Jade Long, singer and songwriter for indie band Hotel Fiction, talks about how following her dreams in making music has allowed her to continue to be present and avoid the pitfalls of traditional adulthood. Displaying vulnerability through art, catastrophic thinking, and the pandemic's effects on Hotel Fiction's schedule as well as other topics are discussed within. Beyond this conversation, Jade's musical talent is well-expressed on Soft Focus and at each of Hotel Fiction's live shows throughout the United States. Recorded January 21, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

Returning to talk about the lackluster status of mathematics education in the United States, Robert McLaughlin converses about insights and historical trends that point to a potential route for its revival. Moreover, the conversation focuses on the first volume of Ludwig Von Mises' Human Action and understanding economic and scientific theories of the past and their relevance to today's world and culture. Once again, Robert understands more than I probably ever could on both main topics and offers a unique perspective on how we might approach the lessons learned from the history of politics and economics. Recorded January 16, 2022 @ Industry Plant®

To begin the fourth season, Ari and I reconnect to talk about her foray into game development and programming. Part of the discussion turns towards the nature of videogame creation in recent years as the inventing of addictive mechanisms to increase playtime. We discuss how these design components have drawn criticism and regulation in several countries as well as how the content of videogames can become important as it comes closer to approximating the real world. Recorded December 3, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

Two days before the release of BOOSMOBIL, Timothy Bright returns for a bonus episode to shed light on the changes and future of his discography. We also talk about casinos, Tobey Maguire in Spiderman, Jordan Peele films, and more. Some other notable topics also include the making of BOOSMOBIL with production by Autumn Boy, the woes of customer service work culture, and the shortcomings of Los Angeles as a music capital. Recorded December 15, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

In this season finale, I have a casual conversation with several Industry Plant coworkers about a variety of games, Wikipedia donations, and the derivative nature of culture while mispronouncing "simulacra" at least five times. Recorded December 2, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

Much of the media today borrows from and exhausts previously successful tropes of the past. Dr. Jeanne Ewert returns to continue the conversation about the characteristics missing from much of modern American film and television production, namely narratives that push us beyond our comfort zones and forces us to consider the traditional boundaries of video medium. The implications of anonymous writing and the use of pseudonyms in literature and social media posts are also discussed at length. Recorded November 14, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

The topic of behaviorism has been brought up on several occasions, but this episode provided an opportunity to explore it more fully. Radical behaviorism provides a fresh (and often misunderstood) way to examine the problems of the present day on broad and individual scales. Dr. Jesse Dallery is a clinical psychologist and professor of behavior analysis at the University of Florida. He currently researches and develops technology-based approaches to promote healthy behaviors. Outside of research and clinical work, Dr. Dallery is also interested in the philosophy that underlies behavioral science and directions for its use in contemporary society. Recorded November 4, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

I do not often cave into requests for the podcast, but in-person and digitally I was asked to speak on several topics that I've brought up in the past. Monologuing might not be for me, but for this episode my performance will have to do. Recorded October 16, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

Finnian Hourihan, renowned aesthetician and game theorist, returns to discuss pertinent topics such as meta-moments in videogames, the tutorial of Jet Set Radio, and more. Recorded September 29, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

Mia returns for an interesting discussion that touches on the glamorization and inaccessibility of fashion and common conceptualizations of substance use in American society. Recorded September 5, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

Who said 10,000 hours of experience was necessary to run a podcast? Joseph returns to discuss solipsism, the origins of the podcast, The Matrix, and behaviorism. A freestyle debate about determinism and the human ability to know is also contained herein. Recorded July 23, 2021 @ Industry Plant®

In the first episode of the new season, Dr. Louis Ritz discusses several topics that transcend the more material topics this podcast sometimes emphasizes. Of particular interest are dialogues on how we can view ourselves within the larger universe and where consciousness comes from. Recorded July 16, 2021 @ Industry Plant®