Take Back The Day

Predicting the future is a chump's game. Going back into history and seeing what they thought the future (i.e. now) would look like, is the best reminder that we have no idea about anything. Join Sam and Simon as they discuss the joys of being a perpetual beginner, how much fun it is to be a Swiss Army Person, admitting we don't know shit about shit, and how our alien overlords are likely to punish us if global politics keep going the way they're going.Things we talk about:Bitcoinsocks.com, Simon's and @nicharry's awesome new online store that sells, YOU GUESSED IT, Bitcoin socks.  They are rad. Simon and Nic launched this thing in like 2 days because they are wizards.CS50, the intro to computer science course you've always wanted, available for free on the interwebz, and other ways of learning to code.The documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry.Whether Game of Thrones is secretly about climate change.Get your shit together, global politics U R DRUNK. But the New York Times published

Important news: come write short stories with us over at Drippy Fun Times on Medium. We want your stories!In a conversation that sounds like it's fuelled by caffeine and PCP, Sam and Simon talk about why they're so distracted all the time. They debate why context switching is so bad for you, and whether there's anything we can do to focus more on what matters. Featuring a lot of talk about rats and strange music genres.Things we talk about:Every noise at once, where you too can learn about fun new genres like Strut, Vaporwave, Bubble Trance and Deep Happy Hardcore.Our new short story Medium collection, Drippy Fun Times, which means that Simon doesn't have to donate a Bitcoin to Donald Trump, yay! Also, COME WRITE STORIES WITH US.Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (NOT by Karen Armstrong, woops).A NEW STUDY SHOWS that context switching lowers your IQ. Also, you should never believe anyone who says the words, "a new study shows".Where to put your thoughts while your brain is focusing on i

OMG GUYS LET'S WRITE SOME STORIESSimon and Sam challenge you all to a short story writing competition! All you need to do is write your story on Medium and post a link to it in the comments. We're going to make a collection on Medium. If we love your story we'll read a bit of it out loud on our next podcast. Do eeet! You have until next Tuesday. Whenever next Tuesday might be for you.In this very drippy episode, Sam and Simon consider whether we might be living in a video game. We talk about whole mind simulation, Rick & Morty, keeping it real, and debate whether or not humans might ever forget how plumbing works. Again.Things we talk about:Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life by Nick Lane.This article proving that we know nothing about how weight loss works.Wait But Why writing about Cryonics.The Playboy interview with Ray Kurzweil. Simon reads it for the articles.The philosophical brilliance of Rick & Morty.Whether Jake from Adventure Time is super-creepy.The

Simon's back in London-town again where he's avoiding Sam's hugs, so we spoke on the internet about the weird way we classify humans into generations, and what makes this generation's work prospects different. Or maybe exactly the same.The definition of a "Millennial" (Sam speculates it has something to do with belly chains)Proof that old people have been complaining about young people forever Montage of Heck, that Kurt Cobain documentary Gen X's like Charles Bukowski's letter to John Martin about the lie of the 9 to 5Entrepreneurship without capital, and rent-seeking legislation that tries to stop itIs Bitcoin about to fail? Simon gives us an update.Octodad: Dadliest Catch - a game of deception and tentaclesConstruct 2 - an easy way for non-developers to make gamesOn Writing: Charles BukowskiSandman: Overture by Neil GaimanHITRECORD - Jason Gordon Levitt's new internet experiment 

The only thing we can be sure of is that we don't know anything. So, isn't it weird that everyone pretends to be so sure of what they're doing with their life when you meet them at a braai? This leads Sam and Simon down a conversation rabbit hole involving consciousness, language and how to train your washing machine."Screw Finding Your Passion" - an excellent short read by Mark MansonThings boytjies talk about while they're grilling animal flesh over an open flameWaitButWhy on how Elon Musk does amazing thingsHow to answer the question, "So, what do you do?"SelfLife, the religion Simon's kid invented (which is super profound)Life in the Mediterranean, and why people live so long in the Blue ZonesEpicureanism's four principles of happiness (the "Tetrapharmakos") Mindfulness and the spectrum of consciousness your own brain is capable ofThe amazing interactive version of Nam Lee's story, "The Boat"Join the hunt to find out what happened to the refugee boat that went missing on the Mediterranean, 

Sam and Simon talk about food. Sam's trying a Soylent diet because Veganism is really hard. Simon thinks she's crazy and food is delicious. We talk about why yeast is fascinating, and Katy Perry's boobs. Warning: this episode might make you hungry.Stuff mentioned in this show:Soylent of the DIY variety Why it's hard to be a lazy veganPortlandia on the politics of ordering chicken in restaurantsThe Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael PollanWhy mushrooms are bizarre and wonderfulWhere does yeast come from?A SBMC comic about our body's microfaunaMichiel Heynes and the untranslatability of the Afrikaans word fokGenesis Mining: now YOU TOO can become a mining mogulShapeshifter for swopping cryptocurrenciesOld Mutual Savings Monitor tells us exactly how broke South Africans areThe International (Dota2) and sportsing for geeksThe joy of Katy Perry GIFs Photo : Zuidhof, MJ, et al. 2014 Poultry Science

One day all humanity is going to be wiped off the face of the planet. What do we do when it does? In this episode, Sam and Simon talk about getting to Mars, doomsday scenarios and the things we want to learn about the world before we all die.The Apple watch, and it's one rad feature (sending heartbeats).How Slack has finally killed email, through the superpower of PIVOTING.What are Bloom Filters, and What is Code, and how we should try to understand the lego blocks that make up our world.XKCD 505, and making computers out of rocks.Pluto is sexy. The science that got a camera there is even sexier.The giant tsunami that's going to wipe out the west of America, and how we can't seem to do anything about doomsday scenarios.The dozen different apps Simon uses to try to wrangle his to-do lists.What we'd do to get onto Mars-One.The Martian by Andy Weir, and Leo Laporte's wonderful interview with him.The Sunrise calendar app.The great Photoshop versus Sketch debate.Sam's new favourite podcast, Mortifie

When we're less afraid to fail, we end up doing more radical stuff. Simon and Sam have a conversation about badassery, Mad Max, lady vikings, and what we can learn from companies that made giant epic failures. Also, you can find out what Simon would do if he had powers of invisibility.Stuff we talk about:Simon's podcast mistress, Binary (it's awesome, give it a listen)Anything You Want by Derek SiversFranschhoek Literary Festival and why traditional publishing is stupidSuper Friendship Arcade and awesome indie gamesGiant Google failures like Wave and GlassGiant Apple failures like the Newton, Maps and PingMad Max is the most bestest thing ever and it's making the MRA menz madMagic Leap is making something magical and we wish we knew what it wasBadass warrior women of history #ladydespotLizards that reproduce without man-lizards. The blogging platform Ghost  

We've reached the point where our technology speaks to us. But does that software have enough to say? When will we be able to build artificial intelligence with personality? And is everything getting more bland because the teams who make things are too big?These and many other questions go completely unanswered when Simon and Sam have a conversation about robotic personalities and constraints on our creativity. Things we talk about: Siri should be weirderAn online version of Jorge Luis Borges' Library of BabelWhy don't more artist types get involved with technologyThe best ever Twitter account, Horse eBooks (Sam knows it was fake but doesn't care)The movie HerBlack Mirror Season 2 Episode 1, "Be Right Back"Why the need for merchandising made Avengers: Age of Ultron so badBenedict Cumberbatch reading Kafka's Metamorphosis makes Sam's panties explodeAnother movie about robots with personality, Ex Machina What you can learn from film-makers about how to run your company be

Is the space you're working in making you dumber? Or is that just one of many other excuses we tell ourselves about why we're not getting stuff done? Sam and Simon discuss workspaces and serendipity this week. Also, why Sam secretly wants to join the German navy (her reason involves existentialism, not seamen). Stuff mentioned in this episode:The magic of PrestikDoes having more light in a room make you more productive? Apparently it might make you more productive, but less creative.Shingy, AOL's ridiculous digital "visionary" who took the desk out of the CEO's office at AOLWhy Steve Jobs obsessed about where to build the bathrooms at PixarBarking Up the Wrong Tree on why having other people around might make you more productiveThe secret lives of bored German navy officesMike Rowe in a fascinating Ted Talk about Dirty JobsAmy Wrzesniewski's research indicating that how you feel whether your job is meaningful is probably more about you than about the actual job you're doingBrent Schlender's Bec

A weird Meerkat experiment in which Sam and Simon try live-streaming their conversation, and discuss how we act differently when we're being observed. It's all very meta.Stuff mentioned in this episode:SxSW is happening, so expect new connected toilets any day nowActual meerkats, and why they're awesome, and why you should watch Meerkat Manor, a meerkat soap operaThe Hawthorne EffectSelfie sticksThe first rule of UX Design: "Don't Make Me Think" - hat-tip to Steve KrugHearthstoneSurgeon Simulator: the game, but more importantly, the videos of other people playing the gameSam's secret obsession with videos of people squeezing pimples (no link supplied, go Google it yourself YOU FREAKS)A 100 person LARP of Hamlet in DenmarkAfrikaBurn and ephemeral experiencesWhy Ideocracy is wrong and people are actually getting smarterSnapchat Discover and what this means for how news is changing (again)Timeline, Vox and cribnotes for the newsBlinkist, for 15 minute versions of non-fiction booksSlack:

We all believe honesty is generally a good thing, right? But we all agree to keep secrets, whether for our country or for the company we work for. Sam and Simon think this is bullshit. Honesty surfaces data, and helps people to make better decisions.Except if there's an axe murderer coming to kill a member of your family. Then we think maybe lying isn't a terrible idea.In other news: hey, we launched a Patreon page! If you like what we do, we'd be grateful if you could support us. This will help us to create more betterer podcasts, and one day move into a room without a taxidermied duck in it.Stuff mentioned in this episode:The (blessedly quite boring) leak of South African spy cablesSpeculation about whether Julian Assange is still living in the Ecuadorian embassy (apparently he is)The Tor browser, which is a safer way to rummage around in the Internet's dirty underwearLying by Sam HarrisKant's idea of the categorical imperativeA post from Buffer's Joel Gascoigne about why they've embraced salary t

This week we cast our doubts in the direction of resolutions and the underwhelming challenges that humans set themselves. Can we stick to our plans and what are ways to game our psychology and do the right things when we really have to? Part of the secret, we decide, is being disagreeable…Stuff mentioned in this episode:Dataclysm by Christian RudderThe year of the goatWaking Up by Sam HarrisThe golden quarterThe Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System by James RickardsSteven LevittCapital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, Arthur GoldhammerAntifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas TalebThe Internet Archive’s Software Library of MS-DOS GamesIncredipedeFreedom Wars

Sam and Simon get together in one of South Africa’s oldest theatres to discuss mindfulness and being present in the shit that you’re doing while you’re doing it.Stuff mentioned in this show:Mindball – the lack of thinking game thing.Sam Harris’s talk about Free Will at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in 2012.The Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett.Korea.Leo Laporte’s awesome interview with Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, on Triangulation.Radiolab’s amazing Decoding the Void episode.Why Nations Fail by by Daron Acemoğlu, James Robinson.Evernote Context.

Why do we trust people and what makes them trust us? Is it a magical process of magicness or a flow of chemicals we can control once we understand it? After a long hiatus, Sam and Simon decided to have another conversation on the internet about the things that make us trust and how to work with or against them…Stuff mentioned in this episode:The Moral Molecule: the new science of what makes us good or evil by Paul J ZakThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanThe elephant and the rider thing, part of the Happiness HypothesisOryx and Crake by Margaret AtwoodCrash Course  by John GreeneSlate’s Working podcast.

Sam is in the USA. She met Barack Obama. Yes, that one. And we’re not even joking. In this episode we look at the connections people share with other people and how astonishingly useful they can be.The president of the galaxy – who Sam met.Beginner’s Mind.Six degrees of Kevin Bacon.Essentialism by Greg McKeown.Fuck it by John Parkin.Awesome Tapes from Africa – for discovering obscure but awesome music.Trello – for organising all the things.Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull.Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

Just quit. You know what we’re talking about – that job you hate… the relationship that’s tanking. Just stop. Say no. Follow Sam’s example and give it up.The many change-proofing systems surrounding cognitive dissonance.The super-smart Daniel Kahneman.The Bassline.Failure is not a cause for celebration.Thingful – find anything in the world that is also on the internet.Apple’s new Swift programming language.The secret cottage Simon doesn’t want you to know about so he can go there whenever he wants.Fuck: An Irreverent History of the F-Word by Rufus Lodge.

Do you need an idea before you create something, or does going through the motions of creating something precede the idea? Sam and Simon reach some conclusions.Stuff mentioned in this episode:Slate’s podcasts, including Gabfest.Stephen King’s On Writing: A memoir of the craft, again.Salmon-wrestling in the Yemen, our smart friend Jono’s comic.Derek Sivers and his book, Anything you want.Zombie Dice.Paper by FiftyThree.A picture of Macaulay Culkin wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Ryan Gosling wearing a t-shirt that has a picture of Macaulay Culkin.Party Monster.Afrika Burn where Sam spoke to god and Simon saw some fire.How Sound – the backstory to great radio storytelling.The largest vocabulary in hip hop.Undercurrent – the organisation Sam referred to.   Macaulay Culkin wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Ryan Gosling wearing a t-shirt that has a picture of Macaulay Culkin  And Popeye. Not so full of iro

In this episode Sam and Simon discuss getting computers to do and say things for you, so you don’t have to.Stuff mentioned in this episode:Buffer and the act of being current you in the future world.The story of Pia Farrenkopf who may have died in her car a long time ago.Storify and letting computers tell your stories for you.Dashlane – the password manager.StoryWorth – get people to tell you stuff.If This, Then That – a really good way to make computers do stuff for you.Pushbullet – receive messages when stuff happens.The graphic novel version of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.The new Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey with Neil deGrasse Tyson.Perloo – a strange game.2048, the math game.

You may have figured out how to get data about stuff, but that doesn’t make it important. Or does it? This week Sam and Simon discuss tracking things, the value of conferences and some other stuff too…Stuff discussed in this conversation:NOT Sam’s life.Good Morning in Stockholm – probably Simon’s favourite conference.Design Indaba, which is not being attended by either of us.Marissa Mayer with her fabulous clothes and massive, data-driven brain.Rory Sutherland and the cult of measurebation.Fitbit that Simon pretends to draw data insights from.Her – an amazing movie about technology getting creepy.Ray Kurzweil with his massive brain.Evernote’s Post-It integration that Sam uses to catalogue her entire life.Flappy Braille – in which you can play Flappy Birds in your browser’s address bar.Sarien where you can play classic adventure games.We don’t sell saddles here by Stewart Butterfield – who is also responsible for Slack.How much my novel cost