In this wide-ranging, informative, unhinged episode of Positively Pedestrian, our hosts veer between science fiction, cultural critiques, and the future of BioTechnology. From Trump-themed fake currency and political absurdities to philosophical ponderings on the Ship of Theseus, deep dives into BioTech, AI futures, and of course anime nose critiques. Buckle up for unfiltered, unedited, and unforgettable banter.
Photo of a parody "Trump Coin".
Quotable
“People will fucking believe anything because, you know, the DNA from human beings is, like, found in common ancestors with all these other great species.
”
Criticism of far-fetched theories when simpler evolutionary explanations exist, referencing Occam's razor.
Follow Up Notes
Discussion of how successful actors develop massive egos and become difficult to work with, despite being easily replaceable.
Follow Up Notes
Chevy Chase was allegedly so difficult to work with on Community that it became a well-known issue on set, with widespread reports of clashes with cast and crew.
Quotable
“Don't they realize that there's people with just as much talent as them in possibly more that are, that are hungry. Yeah. You know, they're willing to do the work that are willing to be easier to work with.
”
Observation about actor replaceability and the abundance of talented people willing to work professionally.
Follow Up Notes
False claim that Bruce Willis sold his likeness and voice to an Indian company for future movies, which his PR team denied.
Follow Up Notes
For Top Gun: Maverick, AI was used to recreate Val Kilmer's voice after he lost it due to a medical condition, building his voice from all his previous film clips.
Follow Up Notes
Host's idea for robot sports similar to Tecmo Bowl, with technicians controlling anthropomorphic robots in combat sports where destruction is part of the game.
Follow Up Notes
Discussion of the philosophical paradox applied to robot sports: if all parts are replaced over time, is it still the same robot?
Quotable
“"We think of things as wholes or a complete thing. It performs a function or a set of functions."
”
Explanation of how human cognition focuses on complete objects and their functions rather than constituent parts.
Follow Up Notes
Host reflects on how we remember people primarily through personality and interactions rather than physical details, using example of remembering a girl named Kathy from church.
Follow Up Notes
Discussion of how human brains are neurologically efficient at facial recognition, allowing recognition of people after many years despite aging.
Follow Up Notes
Discussion of the FTX founder's alleged fraud, potential escape to Argentina, and the $2 billion allegedly stolen.
Follow Up Notes
Detailed explanation of the "monkey business" scam: researchers pay villagers increasing amounts for monkeys ($1, $10, $100), then assistant sells monkeys back to villagers for $500 each with promise of $1000 payout when researcher returns, but both scammers disappear.
Quotable
“All crypto is just monkey business, right? It's all nonsense. But the bigger fool fallacy mostly.
”
Host's assessment of cryptocurrency as sophisticated versions of classic confidence schemes.
Follow Up Notes
Prediction that future technology will make complete human identity editable at multiple levels: mind, body, hormones, and DNA throughout life.
Quotable
“Humanity in the future is going to be this huge blurred line. Not that it isn't already, but in the future it's going to be like extended, blurred to the point where there will be no discrete way to define it.
”
Vision of how advanced biotechnology will fundamentally blur the definition of humanity.
Follow Up Notes
Concept that Earth is not just a planet but a planet plus all lifeforms that have transformed it, creating a collective organism through geological time.2
Quotable
“We still rely on our nature. We can still rely on our nature to, like, catch us. So, like, the human nature itself is the social safety net for humanity.
”
Optimistic view that human nature's inherent goodness serves as society's safety net against technological disruption.
Follow Up Notes
Prediction of augmented reality simulators with anthropomorphic robots dressed as humans for realistic violence simulation.
Follow Up Notes
Host discovers 2017 Google paper "All You Need is Attention" about transformer technology that gives AI attention, focus, and context like human cognition.
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