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Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.About CamelbackOwned by: EPR Properties, managed by Peregrine Hospitality (formerly KSL Resorts)Located in: Tannersville, PennsylvaniaYear founded: 1963Pass affiliations:* Ikon Pass: 7 days, no blackouts* Ikon Base Pass: 5 days, holiday blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: Shawnee Mountain (:24), Jack Frost (:26), Big Boulder (:27), Skytop Lodge (:29), Saw Creek (:37), Blue Mountain (:41), Pocono Ranchlands (:43), Montage (:44), Hideout (:51), Elk Mountain (1:05), Bear Creek (1:09), Ski Big Bear (1:16)Base elevation: 1,252 feetSummit elevation: 2,079 feetVertical drop: 827 feetSkiable Acres: 166Average annual snowfall: 50 inchesTrail count: 45, with three new trails for 2026-27 (not on the map below, but discussed on the podcast)Lift count: 12 (1 high-speed six-pack, 1 high-speed quad, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 2 doubles, 5 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Camelback's lift fleet)For reference:The Zoom transcript (click “transcript” above for the Substack transcript, then click on any text block to teleport to the associated point in the video; timestamps below DO NOT MATCH THE VIDEO)00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:37.000Stuart Winchester: Welcome to The Storm! I'm your host, Stuart Winchester. Today is Wednesday, September 16th, 2026, and I've got a really good show for you today.00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:45.000Stuart Winchester: we're going to talk some Pennsylvania skiing. And Pennsylvania skiing is a really interesting thing. As I travel around the country.00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:56.000Stuart Winchester: and ski at all these different places in the Midwest, and out West, and in New England, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Uh, and as I talk to folks who… who don't ski that much, or only ski at the big mountains.00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:05.000Stuart Winchester: I'll often bring up some experience I had at a Pennsylvania ski area. Pennsylvania has quite a few ski areas as 21.00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:20.000Stuart Winchester: public chairlift-served ski areas, and it does 2.6 million skier visits on average per year. That is more than any state except for Colorado, California, Utah, Vermont, and New York.00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:26.000Stuart Winchester: It's more than Washington, it's more than Oregon, it's more than Montana, it's more than New.00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:39.000Stuart Winchester: So, Pennsylvania is a really important ski state, which is probably why Vail Resorts owns 8 ski areas there, because it is really close to a lot of population centers. In western PA, you have Pittsburgh.00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:54.000Stuart Winchester: and Seven Springs, and Laurel, and Hidden Valley, and then you have Philadelphia on the east side, and you can also draw up from Baltimore and D.C. for Round Top and Whitetail. And uh…00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.000Stuart Winchester: And Jack Frost's Big Boulder up in the Poconos. So…00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.000Stuart Winchester: Vail has a big presence there.00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:15.000Stuart Winchester: Icon has a presence there with Camelback and Blue Mountain. Uh, and then Indy Pass just signed their 8th ski area in Pennsylvania with Spring Mountain, uh, down near Philadelphia. So, so it's, it's a place where a lot of skiers start.00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:19.000Stuart Winchester: And it's a little bit of a funny place to ski, because…00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:29.000Stuart Winchester: it tends to have an outsized number of novice skiers, which is great. They're very good at doing that. Uh, but it can make it a little chaotic.00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:38.000Stuart Winchester: And the lift lines can get a little crazy, and people are all over the hill, and sometimes they're walking down the hill because they're frustrated and they're giving up.00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, and…00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.000Stuart Winchester: You take that as your baseline in Pennsylvania.00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:49.000Stuart Winchester: And you had any sort of complications.00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:54.000Stuart Winchester: And things get out of hand really quickly. And in general.00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:00.000Stuart Winchester: For that reason, the ski areas that have survived in Pennsylvania.00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:07.000Stuart Winchester: are among the best operators in the world, and I would put that up against anyone.00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:14.000Stuart Winchester: It's a very, very challenging environment, not only because you have a high number of novice skiers.00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:17.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but also because you have…00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:31.000Stuart Winchester: not a ton of snow, sometimes in the west part of the state, where there's higher elevation, they do get a lot of snow, but… but not as a rule, you couldn't count on it for natural snow. Uh, you get a lot of rain, you get a lot of warm-ups.00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:35.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, and… and you, in general, have to rely on…00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:42.000Stuart Winchester: a very short season, generally mid-December-ish to mid-March-ish.00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.000Stuart Winchester: And the skiers there…00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:52.000Stuart Winchester: They're they're accustomed to a pretty high standard, so.00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:57.000Stuart Winchester: So when things do get out of control, uh…00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:04.000Stuart Winchester: They really rebelled, and they really noticed. So, a couple years ago, this is what happened at Camelback. So, Camelback…00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:09.000Stuart Winchester: You know, I don't generally do ops stories, uh…00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.000Stuart Winchester: You know.00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:19.000Stuart Winchester: ski area didn't groom this run, or they haven't opened this lift, or, uh, you know, they usually let this bump up, but they don't, or, or…00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:27.000Stuart Winchester: you know, they… they are trying to save money, or they're being cheap. I generally don't bother with those, even though I get a lot of messages.00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:32.000Stuart Winchester: Complaining about things like that, because there's almost always a pretty good reason.00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:38.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, and it's almost always temporary, and it's really not worth the effort.00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:48.000Stuart Winchester: to write the story if I'm just writing about, you know, why Stratton or Mount Snow or Magic Mountain didn't open a certain lift on a certain day.00:07:48.000 --> 00:08:04.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, it's, it's a lot to track down and it's a lot of, uh, this person said this and the other person said that. It's just not the kind of thing that I'm want to cover with the storm, right? I want to do bigger stories. I want to do trend stories. I want to look at the culture and evolution of skiing.00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:11.000Stuart Winchester: And the passes, and all the infrastructure, and all the fun stuff. So I don't generally cover the day-to-day stuff, just because…00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:18.000Stuart Winchester: The ski areas that remain in 2026 are, for the most part, run by really good operators.00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:32.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, it… because… and they've survived. Most of the bad ski areas that were either mismanaged or were in the wrong places, they went out of business a long time ago, which is why the number of ski areas has been stable for around 25 years now in America.00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:35.000Stuart Winchester: So I but I started to notice.00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:45.000Stuart Winchester: several years ago that I was getting an outsized number of complaints around one ski area in particular in the Poconos.00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.000Stuart Winchester: And it was Camelback.00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:51.000Stuart Winchester: And Camelback had a long history of being an independent.00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:52.000Stuart Winchester: And…00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.000Stuart Winchester: Really…00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:59.000Stuart Winchester: the way it's been described to me by… by season pass holders, and I've skied…00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:04.000Stuart Winchester: some at Camelback, but I don't have that depth of knowledge of having grown up there.00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:20.000Stuart Winchester: That Camelback for a long time, for decades, set the standard on snowmaking, on grooming, on just general maintenance of lifts in the ski area in the Poconos. And that was why they had chosen to ski there all those years.00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:30.000Stuart Winchester: But things had started to fall apart when a new owner showed up in 2019. It was at the time KSL Capital, who was.00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:43.000Stuart Winchester: was managing it for EPR Properties, which is the entity that bought it, and they own a bunch of ski areas, EPR Properties, including a bunch owned by Vail, including North Star, and a lot of the old Peak Resorts in Ohio and such.00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:50.000Stuart Winchester: And KSL Resorts was a division of KSL Capital.00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:53.000Stuart Winchester: which is a part owner of Altera.00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:58.000Stuart Winchester: But for some reason, Altera, which is very good at running ski resorts.00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:00.000Stuart Winchester: did not…00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:15.000Stuart Winchester: get assigned as the… as the owner of Camelback. And when KSL Resorts purchased Blue Mountain, not in Ontario, the Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania, that's about 45 minutes from Camelback, two years later, in 2021.00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:26.000Stuart Winchester: That ski area also did not fall under Altera's ownership. And it was an odd choice to make, because Altera's really good at running ski areas, and they run…00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:35.000Stuart Winchester: Mammoth, and Deer Valley, and Steamboat, and Solitude, and Palisades Tahoe, and Stratton, and Sugarbush, and they definitely have.00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:41.000Stuart Winchester: the institutional knowledge and internal firepower to be able to run these ski areas in the Poconos.00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, Blue Mountain…00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:47.000Stuart Winchester: Had the benefit of a long time tenured management team.00:10:47.000 --> 00:11:02.000Stuart Winchester: That kept the place, by all accounts, running pretty well. Camelback, on the other hand, seemed to be falling apart before our eyes, and before the eyes of the loyalist skiers who loved the place so much. And they were really, really concerned, and I started to…00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:08.000Stuart Winchester: Because they had put, uh, a management team in place, it seemed.00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.000Stuart Winchester: that…00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:22.000Stuart Winchester: was not familiar with the… with the inner workings of a ski area. Uh, I… I hosted Dave Makarski, the former general manager of Kalenbach, on this podcast.00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:33.000Stuart Winchester: and very nice guy. We had a great conversation. Uh, he's not a skier. And, and, you know, sometimes you can be not a skier and run a great ski resort. Uh, look at Bill Stritzler up at Smuggler's Notch.00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:43.000Stuart Winchester: Bill hasn't skied in years, and he snowboarded for a little bit, but he's not a daily skier. Look at Shawnee.00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:54.000Stuart Winchester: that where the owner… that's one of the most modern, nice ski areas in the Poconos, uh, and the owner has not skied in decades. So, so it's not always necessary, uh, but…00:11:55.000 --> 00:12:10.000Stuart Winchester: It does help and it's certainly a benefit. So everyone I talked to, I was, I was gathering all this stuff for a story and I was gonna write about Camelback and, and it, it really seemed like it was the worst run ski area anywhere that I could find based on the amount of feedback I was getting.00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:25.000Stuart Winchester: I was gathering all this feedback from all these long-time pass holders, and then they hired a new general manager, and so I scrapped the story, but I still wanted to get it, and by all accounts, Jason Bays, who I'll bring on the podcast in a moment.00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:34.000Stuart Winchester: has really done a nice job of turning CamelBak around. So, so let's go to Jason now.00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:16.000Stuart Winchester: My guest today is the Vice President and General Manager of Camelback Ski Area in Pennsylvania.00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:26.000Stuart Winchester: Camelback runs six chairlifts, or maybe seven. I might have had a typo there. Serving 45 trails on an 827-foot vertical drop.00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:41.000Stuart Winchester: Prior to taking the top job at Camelback, he was general manager for Great Wolf Resorts around the United States. He also spent time as chief operating officer and general manager of Mountain Creek Ski Area in New Jersey and director of operations.00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:54.000Stuart Winchester: for Jay Peak, Vermont. His very first jobs as a teenager were as a lifeguard and ski instructor at Camelback. Jason Bay is my guest. Jason, welcome to the Storm. Awesome to have you. How you doing today?00:14:53.000 --> 00:15:00.000Jason Bays: Thank you, Stuart. Great to be here. I've been a listener from day one, so excited to join you.00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:14.000Stuart Winchester: I love that. I'm so hyped to hear that. I know I started with a little Northeast focus. You know, you're the… you probably know this already, but you're the second straight guest I've had on. There was a Mountain Creek alum, Chris Haggerty, on yesterday. Are you acquainted with Chris?00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:18.000Jason Bays: Yeah, Chris and I worked together, um, back in our days at Mountain Creek, great guy.00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:33.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, I'm, uh, I'm not sure, I'm sure you're aware I'm based in New York City and Mountain Creek is one of my go-tos and, and was my home mountain before I started traveling all over the place for the storm. So, so, you know, Jason, I, I think it's awesome that you grew up at Camelback. Tal.00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:41.000Stuart Winchester: your childhood Camelback. What was the kingdom of Camelback like to you, uh, when you were growing up skiing there?00:15:40.000 --> 00:16:03.000Jason Bays: Yeah, look, I, you know, took, I grew up in Pocono Kid, born and raised 10 minutes from the resort. After school ski program was the first, you know, first sort of foray into life at Camelback and was immediately hooked in the summer as a swimming pool and two water slides. I thought that was the most awesome place in the world too.00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:21.000Jason Bays: And my parents thought it was a great babysitting service, you know, relative to that. So it was just an awesome, awesome place to grow up and, you know, be part of the small but mighty ski community that is Tannersville, Pennsylvania, in this area, in the Poconos.00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:39.000Jason Bays: um, you know, when it came to get a first job, uh, there's no place I was, uh, gonna consider other than Camelback. It's where all my friends were, it's where we all hung out all the time, and, um, you know, really just got introduced to, uh, to the sport, and, um, had some freedom. It was the first time I had some freedom, and it was to be at Camelback, so that's.00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:56.000Stuart Winchester: So you worked there, and you were part of the machine, so to speak, and I realized you were sort of on the peripheral of the machine, as opposed to in the center of it, as you are now. But, you know, you grew up in the Poconos, and had that experience, and you had this vision of Camelback in your head, right? Then you went off and had a big life, as…00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:57.000Jason Bays: Yes.00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:00.000Stuart Winchester: as people do, and you went and worked at all these places that I just mentioned.00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.000Stuart Winchester: And then you came back to Camelback.00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:06.000Stuart Winchester: When you, when you arrived.00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.000Stuart Winchester: How had the place changed? And I just want to tee this up. I, you know.00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:19.000Stuart Winchester: before you came on, I was talking about how I don't generally write operations stories, right? Because it… there's usually a good reason for why a trail is closed, a lift's not running.00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:26.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but a few years ago, I started to get an outsized number of complaints about Camelback.00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:38.000Stuart Winchester: And so I started to write a story about it, and then when you came along, I shelved it, because honestly, everyone immediately was like, oh, this is so much better. So, you know, how had…00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:41.000Stuart Winchester: Camelback changed.00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:42.000Stuart Winchester: when you…00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000Stuart Winchester: Came back to work there.00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:51.000Stuart Winchester: And what were the challenges facing the resort? What did you focus on immediately?00:17:50.000 --> 00:18:08.000Jason Bays: Yeah, I'll just back up to say, you know, just to contextualize, um, from when I was there as a teenager and, um, through college on the ski team, too, I would say that community was a really big word, um, that was used all the time. You, you felt like it was, it was the Camelback community, and there's a really big emphasis on the ski product.00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:28.000Jason Bays: Um, as a ski instructor, like, what we were putting out, how we were doing lessons, how many lessons we could do, and the experience that was surrounding that. And same thing on the water park side. And, you know, I think the, um, you know, some of the observations, um, coming back to Camelback was, um, I think there's a little bit of focus, um, focus direction for, for, like, to focus on the ski product.00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:44.000Jason Bays: and focusing on the water park product, and I sort of look at it as, like, a… as Disney World, right? Whereas we fill out… if we do the ski part well, we do the snow tubing part well, we do the water park well, that puts heads in beds, um, versus trying to put heads in beds.00:18:44.000 --> 00:19:01.000Jason Bays: And then have them do the activities. We're leading with an activity front and centered focus. And that means making the strategic investments in the ski product, in our recreational product, and making that the very best that it can be.00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:23.000Jason Bays: back in 2008 when I was here as a teenager, that was all there was. There was no hotel product, right? So the ski product got outsized attention just naturally because it was a 560-acre resort that identified as a ski area and a water park. And I think some of the context that was missing was that while there's been a great evolution of Camelback as a four-season resort.00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:40.000Jason Bays: It's really important that, to me, that each of those business units gets the time and attention that they would deserve if they were stand-alone units, particularly because a cog… it's a cog in the wheel, and that wheel is… it's a flywheel. It needs to… it all needs to turn at once, and so we lead with.00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:43.000Jason Bays: the recreational offerings first.00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:48.000Stuart Winchester: You know, you mentioned the community, and I wasn't aware…00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:59.000Stuart Winchester: that there was such a strong community around Camelback, and I'm not surprised, because most ski areas have that group of folks who, you know, they're retirees, and they boot up at 8am, and they take runs together.00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:14.000Stuart Winchester: But they were really passionate, and the running theme, Jason, in the emails and messages that I got from Camelback locals was that they loved Camelback. It wasn't that they hated Camelback, they hated to complain about Camelback.00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:18.000Stuart Winchester: They wanted to love it, but they couldn't. There was there was.00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:34.000Stuart Winchester: a lot of things they cited, uh, not making snowmaking when it's cold, understaffed grooming, uh, missed lift inspections. I don't know if this is true. This is what people were… they were reaching, I think, for answers. Uh, put it all together, and there was… it was definitely…00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:47.000Stuart Winchester: seemed as though the ski product was not the focus. So when you came in, what did you focus on right away and say, okay, this is what we gotta change, you know, we have to cover every trail 100% right away, or whatever it was?00:20:47.000 --> 00:21:09.000Jason Bays: Yeah, I think that's, look, I would start, you hit the nail on the head that there's a very passionate skiing community here at Camelback and in the Poconos and it means a lot to people. This is second, third generations that are learning to ski here, bring their families here and be part of this. And to your point, everyone wants to be prideful of Camelback, right?00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:24.000Jason Bays: This was the, this was family run for a really long time and, you know, very focused on sort of the, you know, season pass holders renewing year after year.00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:40.000Jason Bays: You know, a couple of things. One is I think that how we authentically tell our story isn't done in a way that is, you know, is done in a way that's authentic. A, bringing back the Camelback Mountain Facebook page that communicated ski related content.00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:39.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:21:40.000 --> 00:22:06.000Jason Bays: Right? I think that, you know, there's only so many things you can say about a hotel room and how exciting it is. Like, we really lead now first with authentically telling the story. Our snow report got a lot more detailed, gave granular information as to what was going on. So, you know, did we have a perfect winter last winter? By all means, no, but we communicated that authentically. And where we messed up, we took.00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:23.000Jason Bays: the blame for it, and said, hey, we didn't get this right, and where we were working to improve the experience, we communicated that… communicated that story. So, to me, it started from a communication standpoint, that we were authentic, that we were honest, that we were truthful, and that we were communicating on a medium that.00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:31.000Jason Bays: our guests would see, um, and relate to. So I think a big miss was, I think, admittedly, a big miss was removing the, um, Camelback Mountain.00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:53.000Jason Bays: social media pages, um, and bringing those back were really important so that, um, we could tell the story authentically. I think SKUs really appreciate, um, knowing what's going on, and to your point on, hey, there's sort of this rumor flying or that rumor flying, um, you know, we were able to, uh, sort of hone in and, and tell, tell that story. Secondarily, I think from an infrastructure standpoint.00:22:53.000 --> 00:23:09.000Jason Bays: um, we really needed to make sure that we had, um, the right team in place. And we have an amazingly talented team at Camelback, um, but we did not have key positions filled, um, in certain areas. Um, and so, we bolstered up the snowmaking. Snowmaking team went from.00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:05.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.000Stuart Winchester: Like, what areas?00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:30.000Jason Bays: you know, 3 to 4 to 30, um, this past winter, um, that makes a big difference, right? Our trail rollout was, um, you know, first to open in the East, uh, for Pennsylvania, um, and, uh, um, and, and focus on the core products. Um, same thing with lift operations. We brought in a really experienced lift, uh, maintenance manager.00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.000Stuart Winchester: Hey!00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:14.000Stuart Winchester: Wow.00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:16.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:46.000Jason Bays: Um, to our team that really helped, um, support our Lyft, um, uh, operation. Um, decisions on when Lyfts ran and what time they ran, uh, you know, our thought was, let's, um, be more… like, you have to run the Terrain Park Lyft every day.00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:23:46.000 --> 00:24:06.000Jason Bays: to me, that's a commitment. We make that every day. We say we're running the Glen Lift every day. It services great novice terrain. It services the train park. And so, looking at the operational plan and saying, okay, what are ways that we can give back, you know, and make deposits back to our skiers? And in turn.00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:24.000Jason Bays: that builds momentum, right? People talk, and, like, the ski community is so connected, right? It's like, if you do something, like, people find out about it, because they're really, you know, they hear about it. And so, for us, focus on the core business was, um, you know, from a ski standpoint, was really important, and the infrastructure.00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:41.000Jason Bays: to be able to do it. And I would just, lastly, just say I go back to making sure that our team had the resources to do their job. We're supported, we're empowered, collaborative leadership, you know, we sat around the table and said, this is the operating plan, this is what we're going to do for our guests.00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:46.000Jason Bays: And then go out and execute it to the best we can.00:24:45.000 --> 00:25:03.000Stuart Winchester: You know, Jason, I, I, I think you could have run for governor with one of the first things that you did, which was get rid of paid parking. I, I, I don't think that I've ever, uh, heard people happier about anything. Now, now, and let me, let me qualify this, right? I think in, in some instances, paid parking and parking reservations.00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:05.000Stuart Winchester: make sense.00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:18.000Stuart Winchester: you know, super high volume days. Arapahoe Basin, I think, is a model in Colorado where they only charge for certain days and certain times, and they keep backing off which days as they learn when they really need it. Camelback was charging every day.00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:36.000Stuart Winchester: All day, you know, a Monday with, you know, 10 people on the mountain, they were charging for it. And, you know, acknowledging that sometimes it's appropriate, I think Camelback got pretty out of hand with it, and when I had Mr. Markowski on the podcast, great guy, we had a great conversation, but he was not backing off that. He said, nope, paid parking.00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:51.000Stuart Winchester: we're all in. You said no. So talk about that and how you sold. I'd imagine it was a revenue stream, right? And you had to sell management on that, and I don't know if I'm giving you credit for something someone else did, but talk to us about parking and the evolution there.00:25:51.000 --> 00:26:12.000Jason Bays: Yeah, that was a week one decision from the Camelback team when I got here made from our leadership team at Camelback that everyone was in alignment on our senior leadership team here at the property and myself to remove the paid parking. And I think definitely there's actually you have so many nice pictures behind you.00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:30.000Jason Bays: I have a picture of the old paid parking sign behind me there, if you can see it on the corner, and it actually serves to me as a reminder of the guest experience, because someone's put a sticker on that paid parking sign that you probably can't see there, but it says, Ski Camelback, we're not happy until you're not happy.00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:48.000Jason Bays: Um, and it's a reminder to, to me and our team, um, that we're here to have fun, and we're here for the guest experience, and we're here to live, live and breathe fun Camelback style. This is not a, um, you know, we want guests to look forward to, to being here. And I think, you know, yes, there was.00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:26:48.000 --> 00:27:05.000Jason Bays: So obviously we ran a financial model. We didn't just, you know, get rid of paid parking and not assume, you know, that there wasn't some revenue to be recaptured elsewhere with a strategy to do it. But I think more importantly, you know, think about it.00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:22.000Jason Bays: a non-busy day, it might even be raining, it's 40 degrees, the last thing you want is someone running around a parking lot telling you, like, hey, I need you to hand over $15, and by the way, then you're gonna schlep your stuff up two different levels of parking, um, you know, that might be even charged higher, and then get to.00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:38.000Jason Bays: uh, the mountain and go to guest services. You know, I have a 3-year-old. If my wife and I went skiing, that would be an incredible amount of friction, um, just to get to, uh, the front of the mountain. And so I think putting ourselves in the guest lens of saying, is that really what we want the guests to experience?00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:53.000Jason Bays: Um, it's not, and, and it was a burden to everyone at this, you know, you think I'm talking about, we talked to frontline associates too, like, the first thing that they had to tell people was that they had to pay for parking. You just imagine, sort of, the cascading effect that, that, that, uh, that that had, and we said, look, is there.00:27:53.000 --> 00:28:09.000Jason Bays: Um, is there a better way? Um, can we run shuttles to these lots and pick people up and bring them to the mountain and make them feel, um, you know, like our valued… like our valued guests? What does that arrival experience look like? Um, you know, that's really what we… what we looked at, and then said, okay.00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:25.000Jason Bays: can we… ultimately, will we drive more volume here? Will more people come because of a better guest experience? And I'll say that I would rather grow the sport, grow the industry. Our team would rather grow the sport and grow the industry than figuring out how to.00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:35.000Jason Bays: You know, sort of, you know, run a secondary ancillary business that's not to our core product and what we want our guests to experience here.00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:48.000Stuart Winchester: You know, it's a little counterintuitive, but sometimes, by removing a revenue stream, you get that less-is-more effect. Another example, your season pass, you know, according to my records.00:28:48.000 --> 00:29:04.000Stuart Winchester: Starting in 2020 to ‘21, the season pass was $599 at its early bird price, and it hovered between that and $649 for the next five years. This year, you put it on sale for $399. It's still at that price for unlimited Camelback.00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:20.000Stuart Winchester: That's a great bargain for, uh, for a season pass on the East Coast, and, you know, for the listeners, you are competing with the Epic Pass, which has Jack Frost, Big Boulder, right down the road, a couple exits down I-80, and their Northeast season pass is pretty affordable, and it's a pretty good deal.00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:33.000Stuart Winchester: So… so talk to us about that decision and… and… and how… how that $399 is worth it. You also wrote back, if you want to talk about, uh, the… the triple pack. I thought that was great, and I don't have the price right in front of me, but… but you've really done a lot to… to…00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:39.000Stuart Winchester: create more of a value experience for that loyal Camelback skier, from my point of view.00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:55.000Jason Bays: Yeah, thank you, and that's definitely the goal. Um, you know, I think our thought process here is let's get more people on Snow, um, and have them have a great experience while they're here. Um, I would love to tell you that there's some master business plan behind this.00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:10.000Jason Bays: But, you know, truly, at the heart of what we do is, let's figure out how to get more people on snow, get them to a spot where they want to come back and learn and be part of it. And guess what I would just share to that is.00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:24.000Jason Bays: you know, we were charging a day ticket in 2025 of $169, um, at its highest point, right? And I would rather have a lifelong… I would rather have one per… I would much rather, I think from business proposition, we would rather have.00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:17.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:39.000Jason Bays: one person definitely not come and spend $15 to $40 to park and $169 and say, I'm never coming back, versus $399, now they're like, wow, this place is awesome, I'm getting a great value, I bring my family.00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:33.000Stuart Winchester: Damn.00:30:39.000 --> 00:31:01.000Jason Bays: I want to come enjoy food and beverage. And hey, by the way, we also have this great snow tubing park and this great water park. And would you like to stay at our hotel when you come with your season pass and enjoy Aquatopia? And we're debuting The Curse of Camelback this fall, right? Which is the Halloween, if you haven't heard, it's a Halloween 13 scare zones. Take a chair, lift up to it.00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:03.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:24.000Jason Bays: But I say all that to say we've got so many great cross marketing promotional opportunities at Camelback that that really becomes a super compelling business case for us. And I think it's the right thing to do for the sport is grow it, make it more accessible, allow more people to come here and see what we have to offer. I can't tell you how many people I meet, whether it's snow tubing, skiing.00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:41.000Jason Bays: water park, the hotel, whatever they're here for, CBKMA or Adventure Park, they have no idea that the other part exists to, um, the resort. And I'll share that that's been the case even in, like, when I was, uh, at Jay Peak running the water park.00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm. Okay.00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:43.000Jason Bays: People would come there, and they'd be like.00:31:43.000 --> 00:32:02.000Jason Bays: what is this mountain that is here? And it's Jay Peak, like, one of the most hardcore ski resorts in the world. And there were people that were coming there and were like, I had no idea there was a ski resort here. So, if it's true at Jay Peak, it certainly is true at Camelback, where.00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:52.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:53.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:00.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:02.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, okay.00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:19.000Jason Bays: we have all these different offerings that people don't know about, maybe necessarily about all of them, so our fundamental business philosophy is make it accessible, make them lifelong, um, skiers and riders, and introduce them to everything that we have to offer here in the Poconos. And I would just argue, when I say Poconos.00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:41.000Jason Bays: Like go, like experience Shawnee and experience Jack Frost Big Boulder and experience, you know, the other great ski areas in this region and Mountain Creek and wherever else and get a flavor for it. I think that's, we could use more skiers in the industry and to grow the sport. So for us, that's sort of the long-term business model that we're using.00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:58.000Stuart Winchester: So, I just looked at the triple ticket, and it looks like $149, and I think that's no blackouts. $199 includes rentals. That's pretty amazing. So, talk about that product, and then you mentioned the $169 peak day ticket. Have you settled on prices yet for 2020?00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:03.000Stuart Winchester: 6, 27. I should have checked your site in advance, but I didn't. So I don't know if you've.00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:21.000Jason Bays: Yeah, we have not, uh, posted, uh, day ticket prices for this year. Last year, um, we didn't exceed around $110, um, on a day ticket. Uh, so we kept it, I think, pretty reasonable for, for, for a, for a Pocono offering. Um, triple tickets, massive, um, success, uh, for us.00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, okay.00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:15.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah.00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:37.000Jason Bays: Um, and when we talk about, like, again, getting more people introduced to the sport, you don't necessarily pick up skiing on the first time. Um, you think about that rental product, which we, um, tremendously… whatever we had on the pro forma for that was, uh, blown by by, like.00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:53.000Jason Bays: 400% on the triple ticket with rentals. And what I really believe in is that, you know, you become a lifelong skier by getting repetition, not by going once a year. It's really hard to sustain as a skier going once a year.00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:52.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:33:53.000 --> 00:34:11.000Jason Bays: and saying, oh yeah, that was our trip. We're really trying to create a guest for life and get them to return visit. That's in many ways more important to us than, again, trying to get, like, the highest yield on that one day that they picked. Like, come back and visit our resort and, um, you know, again, the business side to this is.00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:28.000Jason Bays: we're cross-marketing across all of our other offerings here that we have on this campus to say, come and visit us again. And again, to us, that's more important than, you know, the highest yield that we can get to. So the triple ticket's really successful. And I think one last thing I would share.00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:46.000Jason Bays: a lot of season passes in the market right now, um, the triple ticket's a great opportunity for people to get a couple of days at Camelback, even if they've committed somewhere else, and particularly, you know, our long season, um, there's plenty of time to use it, um, as well, uh, from the, uh, long season that we established from last year.00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:50.000Stuart Winchester: Jason, I think that's a really smart way to look at it as…00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:57.000Stuart Winchester: a… creating a habit rather than pulling as much yield as possible. And a lot of the larger operators.00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:11.000Stuart Winchester: get frustrated with me and the rest of the ski media because they don't understand why we focus on that peak price, right? Because the peak lift ticket this year at Beaver Creek is $392, set to be. Probably almost no one will pay that price, but…00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:28.000Stuart Winchester: What it does is it acts as a, a billboard for the rest of the ski industry and especially so, so Camelback for, for people who don't know when you're driving on I 80 I mean, you see it, it looms right over the highway. It is one of the major interstates in America, especially at night. The thing is lit up.00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:46.000Stuart Winchester: And so, chances are, if people think about skiing, and they think about where to go, they're gonna think about the most obvious one, and that's Camelback, and that's why, for many years, it was that, or Seven Springs was the busiest ski area in Pennsylvania, traditionally. So I think that's a really smart way to look at it, because if people show up that one time, and.00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:59.000Stuart Winchester: cost them, you know, $500 for 2 people, they're just not gonna come back, and they're not gonna try Shawnee, or… or Blue Mountain, or Jack Frost, or Elk Mountain, or Montage. So, um, I wanna talk about… Jason, I wanna talk about Lyft.00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:16.000Stuart Winchester: And… can you see this trail map? This is an old trail map. I mentioned that I know this, so for those watching on StormSkiing.com or YouTube, you can see this. So there's been a ton of changes, and I want to break all these down with you. The first I want to talk about is, over the past couple years.00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mark Antony and Cleopatra, these two lifts right here, an old triple and an old double, have been removed. Can you talk about why you took those lifts out of service, and if you plan to replace them with anything, or what you planned, or what the rationale was behind it?00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:49.000Jason Bays: Yeah, I appreciate that. Uh, that does predate my time here, that they had reached the end of their, um, uh, ability to operate. Um, and so they have, um, both been, um, sort of partially disassembled. Um, there is unfortunately not.00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:37.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:41.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:47.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:36:49.000 --> 00:37:05.000Jason Bays: I, by the way, two of my favorite lifts when I was a ski instructor, because you could get right up and not wait in long lines on the weekends, so absolutely realizing and recognizing the capacity that they brought, but no opportunity for us to.00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:02.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:23.000Jason Bays: um, reinstate those lifts as presently, um, as presently, uh, uh, sort of, um, situated, um, and, and not, not, not able to, uh, um, not able to, uh, rerun them. It will require a, um, new, uh, chairlift to, um, to ultimately replace.00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:37.000Jason Bays: those two lifts. It saddens me to share that, but that is, in fact, what has happened there, and I've been very open with our season pass holders about that messaging and the why behind it.00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:41.000Stuart Winchester: So, so in fantasy ski resort world, Jason.00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:46.000Stuart Winchester: Would you put a new lift here, and what would you put, if you could?00:37:45.000 --> 00:38:04.000Jason Bays: Yeah, absolutely. Um, same thing. We've, uh, we've made clear, uh, with no time, no official time frame to share, um, but certainly, uh, we've, we've, um, had, uh, preliminary conversations, um, about a fixed grip, um, quad that would, uh, would be able to take the place of both of those lifts, uh, and create that.00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:10.000Jason Bays: original redundancy that those two lifts brought to the resort when they were in operation.00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:27.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, that would be really nice. So, so, so these are gone and I, I have a, a current trail map now. So, um, and, and it's not completely current. We'll discuss the new trails in a moment, but this is the most current posted on your website. So, uh, we go over, these are the lifts that remain and see, uh, yeah, I, I miscounted in my intro, so sorry about that.00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:42.000Stuart Winchester: So this one is Stevenson, and Stevenson was, uh, it's a high-speed quad, uh, for the listeners, and it… it was a real junker. It was always stop, stop, stop, and, you know, it was… it was really… seemed to be falling apart and have a lot of issues. Now, uh, in 2020…00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:51.000Stuart Winchester: 5, this year, or 2024, I believe, Camelback, uh, McCarthy, the GM at the time, sent out a letter saying it was due for a…00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:53.000Stuart Winchester: Waltz.00:38:53.000 --> 00:39:02.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, let me see what he said… like, a complete modernization of Stevenson. So, so did that happen? And talk to us about Stevenson, and what kind of shape it's in right now.00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:20.000Jason Bays: Yeah, great, um, yes, that was a, uh, look, an amazing, um, project that was completed by, uh, by Dave and team, um, to modernize that lift. Um, it has, essentially, Doppelmayr came in and put in an entire new, uh, minus the, uh, minus the, uh, uh, the terminals and the.00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:35.000Jason Bays: Um, uh, and the structure itself, um, essentially all new components, all new electrical, um, uh, wiring components to it, a lot of the things that had plagued it. Um, and last year, uh, it operated 138 days.00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:36.000Stuart Winchester: Unbelievable.00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:53.000Jason Bays: Uh, which for Pennsylvania, uh, that's pretty darn good. I think we recognize it's a workhorse, um, it's key to accessing some really, um, fantastic terrain for us, um, and that modernization project with Doppel… in, um, partnership with Doppelmeyer that was done in the summer and fall of 2025.00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:54.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:53.000 --> 00:40:08.000Jason Bays: um, was, uh, very, uh, so it's all immediate impact, um, with, uh, Stevenson Reliability this past year, and we expect that to, uh, you know, knock on wood, to, uh, to continue going forward. We essentially, again, have a brand new lift, minus the, uh.00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:10.000Jason Bays: Uh, minus the physical pieces.00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:26.000Stuart Winchester: That's a really smart way to do it because they are tremendously expensive, these new lifts. And for folks who are watching or listening, this Stevenson is really important because you walk out of this giant hotel that's right here, that's not on the trail map with 400 and some rooms, and that is how you get up the mountain. Otherwise you got to.00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:41.000Stuart Winchester: pull your way over, so when that lift is not running or has problems, it's a real big issue. So, the alternative was, over here, Black Bear 6, uh, you replaced an old high-speed quad that was there, and… and I love this Black Bear 6 lift. It is…00:40:41.000 --> 00:41:01.000Stuart Winchester: Freakin' Ferrari, man. I think the price they gave me was something like $12 million that they spent, or maybe it was $10 to put that in. So that's the alternative, right? If you don't just modernize that current lift, you replace it. So, uh, Black Bear is awesome. I love it. It has bubbles. Is it too much? I mean, I know that KSL Now Peregrine had reasons for.00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:16.000Stuart Winchester: for putting it in, but what have you learned from a couple of years of having BlackBerry around, which is, again, probably the nicest lift in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the nicest in the Northeast, but maybe a little heavier than what you need for CamelBak, but I don't know, you tell me.00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:41.000Jason Bays: Yeah, you know, you know what I would share to that, um, you know, we, we brought it back for scenic chairlift rides this summer, and I mean, it's a massive hit. The summer, summer guests love, uh, the bubbles, they put them down when it's sunny, they put them down, um, probably gets more use in the summer as a bubble lift than the winter, uh, but look, it's, it's nice to, uh, have on the days where, you know, there's some liquid precipitation out here. It certainly happens in the Poconos.00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:24.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm.00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:35.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:58.000Jason Bays: um, and, uh, and, and or, um, uh, you know, other, other weather events, it's, it's, it's a nice to have, um, and it certainly, it gets you up in, you know, a little bit over two minutes. Um, it's a smooth ride, it's a great ride. Um, you are not going to get any complaints from me that we have a, um.00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:52.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:11.000Jason Bays: bubble, D-line, six-pack, um, in place, uh, and able to operate as our main workhorse lift. Um, and, uh, I think the six-pack versus the quad was absolutely the right, uh, call. Um…00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:27.000Jason Bays: from my experience being here before with the Sullivan Express, um, with the four-seater, the six-seater, just the… the added, uh, ability, uh, there is, uh, is… is well worth it. So, uh, we're happy to have that… happy to have that lift. I… I wouldn't, uh… I wouldn't…00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:31.000Jason Bays: We won't be trading it in at this point. Let's put it that way.00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:38.000Stuart Winchester: It is a gorgeous machine, and I have to tell you, I'm that weird person who, if there's a line on one lift.00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:56.000Stuart Winchester: And no line on the lift next to it. Even if it's a slower lift, I'll take the slower lift, because I just would rather not deal with the hassle of the line. So right here, for those who are watching, is the Bailey Double, and this is an old chair lift. It's an old slow double, it runs almost exactly parallel to Black Bear 6, doesn't land quite as high.00:42:56.000 --> 00:43:16.000Stuart Winchester: on the mountain, but functionally, it does about the same thing for you. So I like Bailey, and I was glad to see that not only did you keep it, and it does run, and that was true even under the previous regime, but you got a new gearbox for it, which is a really big deal for a lift like this in several decades. Also, talk about the work you've done on Bailey, and how you hope to use that lift.00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:18.000Stuart Winchester: this year to complement Black Bear.00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:21.000Jason Bays: Yeah, so, um, Bailey Lift…00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:32.000Jason Bays: full disclosure, Bailey Lift, Meadows Lift, Raceway Lift, and our season pass holders are very aware of this. Um, unfortunately, uh, we're not, um…00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:41.000Jason Bays: ready for day one of last year, um, or even close. And so, uh, we had to do a lot of, um…00:43:34.000 --> 00:43:35.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:43:41.000 --> 00:43:57.000Jason Bays: normal PM maintenance, um, throughout the, um, end of fall and into winter to have all of them operational. Um, what I share to that is, um, we will run, just level set here really quickly, we will run all the lifts that we have on this trail map.00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:44.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:02.000Jason Bays: Um, and take care of them, maintain them, operate them.00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:18.000Jason Bays: Staff them, everything that you would do to run the extra capacity, we certainly need it. We'd like more capacity, actually. So that being said, Bailey Lift is critical. We got it back online.00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:10.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:34.000Jason Bays: End of January, it ran for 2 or 3 weekends, and we had a failed gearbox, um, on it, which is really unfortunate. Um, this off-season, uh, we've replaced the gearbox, we've done a full PM over the course of the summer on it, which is…00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:50.000Jason Bays: the, as you, as everyone knows, the ideal time, uh, to be, um, conducting such work, um, so that it is ready on, uh, day one. Um, it is a critical backup lift. We will run it every weekend.00:44:50.000 --> 00:45:07.000Jason Bays: Um, that we're, you know, in season, I would say in the heart of season, we're gonna run it. Won't be shy to not run it. Um, same thing with the Meadows, same thing with the Glen, same thing with the Raceway, which, um, you know, I know that that was, um, certainly chief among the complaints of.00:45:07.000 --> 00:45:22.000Jason Bays: locals and guests who were visiting from out of town alike was Lyft availability, Lyft reliability. That was something that we focused as fast as we could on last year, but we're setting ourselves up this year to be.00:45:22.000 --> 00:45:39.000Jason Bays: um, very proactive to that, and recognizing the importance of, of each of, uh, uh, you know, each of these. And look, every once in a while, uh, if the, you always want to have, like, Bailey is critical because it's the only other, if there's Black Bear, without Black Bear, it's the only other thing left, right?00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:55.000Jason Bays: Um, and so, uh, you know, I think the, you know, back in the, when I was here, like, every Lyft ran on the weekends. It was Camelback. Um, it was busy, right? Like, everything was going. That's, that's essentially our, our, our philosophy, um, will continue to be our philosophy going forward.00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:55.000 --> 00:46:11.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, Jason, I'll admit, I didn't come to Camelback last season, so I wasn't able to experience it firsthand. I really wanted to come to your May thing, which I'll talk about, I'll get to in a minute, but I had a shoulder surgery, so I wasn't able to do that. But I wasn't only basing my perceptions of C.00:46:11.000 --> 00:46:19.000Stuart Winchester: on locals' reactions. I had skied there myself in recent years, and the lift line management, I have to say.00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:21.000Stuart Winchester: It was…00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:33.000Stuart Winchester: really frustrating from a skier point of view, when you're waiting for the Stevenson lift, and there's a big line, and every chair is going up with one or two people, and this is not peak COVID or anything else, this is several years later.00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:50.000Stuart Winchester: So, you know, and I had a lot of locals tell me, oh, we walk up Sun Bowl because the lift line is just too chaotic. People come from both sides. No, no, again, that was all before. What's your philosophy of lift line management? How have you tried to tame that? And there's always, it's always going to be a little wild and hard in Pennsylvan.00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:56.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but they could definitely have been managed better. Is that something that was important to you, that you focused on?00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:15.000Jason Bays: Yeah, we focused on that. We have a new lift operations manager that was hired in November of 2025, who took the bull by the horns. We developed a supervisor team in fairly short order to that as well, to build out a well-rounded team. And then I would just share that our lift attendants.00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:32.000Jason Bays: All hired locally within the community. And I think that we were fully staffed in LiftOps this year, which was a big, very big win. It starts there, right? A, the people, and then B, the right people.00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:23.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:49.000Jason Bays: um, on the, uh, on the bus, um, as a catalyst to drive, uh, lift operations forward. Um, and then absolutely, uh, we focused on, uh, line management, queuing, um, we set new, in some cases, new queues. We had, um, uh, supervisors, in many cases, out.00:47:49.000 --> 00:48:04.000Jason Bays: um, putting up chairs, um, and, um, and managing the lift line. We added, once we got that right, and we felt like we were in a good spot, and we, you know, look, I think, admittedly, a couple technology hiccups here and there, it was not a perfect, uh.00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:17.000Jason Bays: we didn't, like, on opening day, it wasn't perfect, but, uh, we improved, it was a big focus for our team, and I think when we talk about fundamental ski operation, um, if we just were a ski area, we would absolutely be focusing on.00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:36.000Jason Bays: lift queuing, but we have to do that, like, we have to execute that every day because we are a ski area, um, and that's core to our business, and so that's important. Um, then we added, once we got queuing, uh, uh, correct, we added surprise and delights. Lift, uh, chocolate chip cookies were massively popular.00:48:36.000 --> 00:49:04.000Jason Bays: We handed out over 15,000 chocolate chip cookies this winter at the Stevenson lift line. And so, you know, then it becomes fun, right? Then it's the hospitality side of the business of how do we engage with our guests now that we have full chairs going up for the most part off of the Stevenson and the Black Bear and the Sun Bowl. So we hired extra associates to do that, to surprise and delight, to help our guests.00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:42.000Stuart Winchester: Cool.00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:20.000Jason Bays: The one other thing I would just share is Sunbowl is a great example. How many people get down to the Sunbowl and have never ridden a lift before? And so you need that extra human touch to be able to help. It's not even just putting people in groups of four. It's just helping them with like, here's where you go to load the lift. Here's what you do.00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:14.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:21.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:33.000Jason Bays: Um, I think that that investment in our people to provide that service to our guests is very well worth it, and it's the difference between someone having a bad experience getting on a lift and never coming back.00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:43.000Jason Bays: or having a great experience, feeling well cared for, and wanting to try again. Um, and so that, that, that was, um, you know, I think that's a core, um, focus for us.00:49:43.000 --> 00:50:02.000Stuart Winchester: So, one of the ways that I can tell the resort is being run by a skier, in addition to all the things you just said, and your passion for the minutiae of things like lift lines, which I share, is that you're cutting 3 new trails in a resort that's 60 years old, and I love that. So, talk us through these trails, Jason. I'll do my best to trace them.00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:08.000Stuart Winchester: on the trail map. I don't have the updated trail map, I don't know if you've created it yet, but talk us through these three trails.00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:25.000Jason Bays: Yeah, so we're really excited. Look, this, you know, came after, you know, the so many guests, new guests that visited us at Camelback this past season. We said, you know what, let's do something fun and exciting. And like, you know, you think about how.00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:43.000Jason Bays: Um, yeah, I just, you know, if someone said, anyone puts in a new trail, uh, the skier in me wants to drive to that resort, no matter how big or small, and be like, alright, like, let's do it. Um, and our team feels, uh, you know, much of the same way. So, um, that being said, uh, we had a lot of natural snowfall this year, so…00:50:32.000 --> 00:50:33.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:50:33.000 --> 00:50:36.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:50:36.000 --> 00:50:37.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, sure. Yeah.00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:59.000Jason Bays: I was acutely paying attention to where people were skiing when we had natural snowfall, where they wanted to go, and then, you know, maybe following those lines, too, and seeing what the fun was about. So, my point to all of that is, we said, let's create some, and I think for Camelback, too.00:50:46.000 --> 00:50:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:50:59.000 --> 00:51:15.000Jason Bays: it's very, um, you know, we wanted to create something that was sort of unique. I didn't want to just put in, like, regular trails that, A, we don't have a lot of space for regular trails, and B, um, we really wanted to create sort of unique experience. So, right underneath Black Bear, um, in between Sullivan and John Bailey there.00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:30.000Jason Bays: um, there's a, um, there's a chute, um, where the old Alpine Slide used to go. Basculus goes back into Rocket, uh, but underneath there is some really fun rolling terrain. Like, it's, it's because the mountain, the, uh, Alpine Slide.00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:54.000Jason Bays: back in the day did had several dips and curves and so we're going to lean into those dips and curves and create something sort of fun that you can get some you know launch some airtime off of if you want or carve a turn over it but it'll have some some really nice terrain variation in a way that most trails at Camelback don't have and they're coming off of an expert trail there so.00:51:54.000 --> 00:52:06.000Jason Bays: um, gives, uh, you know, anyone skiing Asp, Hump, Rocket, um, or Basilisk would be able to reach that trail, um, and, uh, and be able to, uh, just have a little bit more excitement on the way back down.00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:08.000Jason Bays: Um…00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:20.000Jason Bays: Upper Cleopatra there, if you go to the, uh, where the U is, uh, or where Upper is, we're gonna cut a trail through the woods there that's going to end up on the bottom of Big Pocono.00:52:19.000 --> 00:52:21.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:31.000Jason Bays: Um, so it's gonna go down and across. So, um, that… um, and I see where your cursor is. If you go to the… where it says Upper on Upper Cleopatra.00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:29.000Stuart Winchester: So, like, here? Or…00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:32.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, upper…00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:54.000Jason Bays: So, Big Pocono, that's Uncle B. Yeah, right there. Yep, we're going through there. Yeah, so that's gonna be, that's a narrow blue square. So, you know, I think one of the things that's fun for us is we're gonna create a blue square there. That used to be a trail back in the 60s and 70s, fun fact, when Walter Foger was designing Camelback.00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:37.000Stuart Winchester: Upper… oh, this one. Okay, so you're cutting through here?00:52:37.000 --> 00:52:39.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, cool. Okay.00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:51.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, cool.00:52:54.000 --> 00:53:09.000Jason Bays: Um, that being said, um, the… actually, it got filled in with pine trees, so it's gonna be really cool, because there's pine trees on both sides. Um, we made it narrow, so we kept the pine trees, um, and so that's gonna be a really fun, um, sort of narrow… I think about, like, the, um.00:52:58.000 --> 00:52:59.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:01.000 --> 00:53:03.000Stuart Winchester: That's cool. It's pretty.00:53:09.000 --> 00:53:26.000Jason Bays: the ending of Jay Peak with some of the blues at the very bottom there by Interstate. We're trying to sort of have that, obviously in a much smaller zone, have that same effect, though, where you're feeling like you're really in the trees, and you've got some nice twists and turns to it. It's not terribly steep.00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:13.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, okay.00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:44.000Jason Bays: Um, two things on that trail. One is, it takes traffic off of Honeymoon Lane, which is a main boulevard, it pushes it onto the Sphinx, which has much more trail capacity, which is great, um, comfortable carrying capacity, and secondarily, um, on weekends, we're gonna have a hot chocolate, um, hut that people can ski up to.00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:52.000Jason Bays: Um, and get shots of hot chocolate, um, as well, so we're excited to, um, uh, to offer that to our guests. We think that'll be really fun.00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:47.000Stuart Winchester: That's cool.00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:53.000Stuart Winchester: That was awesome.00:53:53.000 --> 00:54:17.000Jason Bays: And then the Stevenson, it's going to drop on the cliffhanger side and drop down that lift line and go right down into the Faroe there and follow that lift line. Vermont skiing in a very short array but very much Vermont skiing, that's an intimidating drop. Stevenson for those that may not be familiar has a extremely.00:53:53.000 --> 00:53:55.000Stuart Winchester: And it.00:53:58.000 --> 00:53:59.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:09.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I think so.00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:34.000Jason Bays: extremely tight, um, and high, uh, crest of the lift, because the mountain crests, um, really steeply. Well, we're gonna ski that, um, and, uh, and make snow on it, and, uh, and, and, uh, and allow our guests to, uh, um, and allow skiers to, uh, to, to, to test, um, you know, a more narrow.00:54:34.000 --> 00:54:44.000Jason Bays: um, uh, trail up there that has a really great expansive view ov

Shelley and Rachel are learning how to please the prince, and they're being trained by the best basilisk coach, Caspen, the Serpent King. As they grow closer with the prince they also find themselves drawn to Caspen, and both men have a vested interest in them. Will they give up everything to the basilisk, or will the human prince win their heart?   Find and follow our insta @canddpod Our intro and outro music is Take it Slow by Jay Man.

Brea and Mallory name their most anticipated books of September! Plus, they interview Mike Chen about his debut YA novel! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreThe Reading Glasses Book!Sponsor - ZocDocwww.zocdoc.com/GLASSESLinks -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupWish ListNewsletterLibro.fmTo join our Discord channel, email us proof of your Reading-Glasses-supporting Maximum Fun membership! Join us here!Mike ChenOf Sorcery and ScienceBooks Mentioned -The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. HackwithMurder Bimbo by Rebecca NovakHow the Story Always Ends by Wendy HeardSomeone Else's Daughter by Andrea Stewart SEPTEMBERThe Knave and the Moon by Rachel GilligRomantasy, sequel to The Knight and the MothExit Party by Emily St. John MandelLiterary sci fi, dystopian, time travelTrust Fall by Lynn PainterYA romance, contemporary, autumn, rom com, enemies to loversThe Witches of Cambridge by Alice HoffmanHistorical fantasy, witches, dark academia, 1950s BostonThe Wretched Divine by Adalyn GraceRomantasy, lady knight, demons, high fantasyTempest by Victoria AveyardHistorical romantasy, pirates, adventures, pirate queenMurder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy FoleyMystery in the Agatha Christie universe, cozy, Swiss AlpsGrim Tidings by B.K. BorisonParanormal romance, angel and reaper, enemies to lovers, grumpy/grumpyDead Beat by Leigh BardugoThird in Ninth House trilogyThreshing Day by Rebecca YarrosShort stories in the Empyrean universeTaipei Story by R.F. KuangLiterary fantasy, coming of age, summer, romance, TaipeiMorfran, Dark Lord Reformed by S.B. WestHigh fantasy, funny, romantasy, rebellion, found familyThe Pirate Queen by Ariel LawhonHistorical fiction, pirates, fantasy, Ireland, 16th centuryWe Chase Shadows by Richard OsmanMystery, sequel to We Solve MurdersBodies of Magic by Freya MarskeFantasy, dark academia, Grey's Anatomy meets A Deadly Education, queerSometimes I Scare Myself by Jeneva RoseHorror short storiesThe True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha PhilyawLiterary, wife of a megachurch pastor's secret comes to lightFree Falling by Lyla SageParanormal romance, haunted small town, fake relationshipHawk and Sparrow by Ayana GrayYA romantasy, mystery, magic, Gilded Age, historicalScion by James IslingtonSci fi thriller, cyberpunk, John Wick meets Blade RunnerIt's Not What You Think by Clare MackintoshThriller, woman attempting to catch cheating husband finds him deadKiss Slay Replay by Rachel HarrisonHorror, time loop, serial killer, romanceUnder Story by Chloe BenjaminSci fi, romance, time travel, Antarctica, near futureA Time of Witches by Madeline MartinHistorical fantasy, witches, parallel timelinesAmerican Hagwon by Min Jin LeeHistorical fiction, family epic, Seoul, Sydney, CaliforniaReign by Bethan CroomeRomantasy, found family, forbidden love, magic, adventureMazywood by Tananarive DueHistorical horror, female rage, Black Hollywood, filmmaking, California mountainsThe Black Orchid by Loreth Anne WhiteThriller, murder on a cruise through Aegean SeaSophie, Standing There by Meg MasonLiterary fiction, mental health, books about books, lonelinessCursed City by Kate GoldenHarker Academy #2, romantasy, dark academiaBig Bad Wolf by Laurie GilmoreParanormal romance, small town, Little Red Riding Hood retellingBuried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. MillerThriller, psychological suspense, isolated setting, secrets, MinnesotaNightjars by Michael WehuntHorror, Memento meets Dracula, man caught for crimes he doesn't rememberThe Commons by Rebecca IhimNew Adult romantasy, dystopian dark academiaSwitzy by Emma ClineLiterary fiction, aging man's last pilgrimagePaper Ghosts by Sarah Addison AllenMagical realism, romance, ghosts, parallel timelines, 1970s, North CarolinaThe Sweetest Fiend by Raven KennedyDark romance, fae, enemies to lovers, Pied Piper retellingMidnight Curfew by Penelope DouglasQueer dark romance, MLM, enemies to lovers, rivals from opposing familiesProtocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body by Andrew D. HubermanNonfiction, science, self helpThe Pumpkin Bride by Fiona ButtercupCozy romantasy, autumnal, second chance romance, Shrek meets Princess Bride with pumpkinsPly by Hernan DiazSci fi, dystopia, far future, humans reinventing societyBlightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci PattersonYA sci fi, space, dystopia, intergalactic mission to an alien worldTrad Wife by Sarah LanganHorror, trad wife influencers, social media, journalist's descent into evil world of influencingI Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie ReedHorromance, office worker accidentally witnesses her hot boss performing an exorcismThe Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington RollinsHistorical fiction, Italy, family saga, three Italian American generations of womenHarbinger by Geneva LeeNew Adult romantasy, magic, mythology, magicBones by K.L. SpeerDark romantasy, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, magicThe Disappearers by Marlon JamesHistorical fiction, 1980s Jamaica, murder of a gay manThe Siren by Tomi AdeyemiYA fantasy, dark academia, rage, yearning, woman's darknessUngrateful Immigrant Daughter: A Memoir from the Child of a Mail-Order Bride by Katya SuvorovaNonfictionCrown of Crimson and Crows by Tessa HaleRomantasy, why choose, witches, vampires, enemies to loversLove Felt Like This by Julie OliviaRomance, small town, grumpy rock star + sunshine children's show creature working togetherEspiritu by Aiden ThomasSequel to Cemetery Boys!!!Kneel Before Me by Lindsay StraubeKiss of the Basilisk book #3The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate WestburyHistorical romance, mystery, post WWII Oxford University, undercover operativesEmpire by Sabaa TahirHeir Duology #2Doomsdate by Laura Piper LeeHorromance, rom com, zombie apocalypseI Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily ZinnikasHorror, invisible entity under a bed, return to small townFallow by Sarah AndersonSci fi, funny, young woman signs up to be the world's first in-house corporate surrogateOur Cut of Salt by Deena HelmHorror, haunted house, three generations of Palestinian women deal with haunting in ancestral homeWe Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. WellsThriller, Southern Gothic, Sharp Objects with a dash of Practical MagicKiss of the Black Flame by Helene ScheuererRomantasy, books about books, magic, found family, forced proximityBlacktail by Scott HawkinsDark fantasy, a wolf sets out on a journey of revengeThe Paradox Club by Charlie LovettSci fi mystery, secret society, woman uncovers truth about her father's death that could alter course of historyThe Velvet Knife by Maureen JohnsonTruly Devious #6The Lost Spectacular by Zoe DuhaimeFantasy, romance, Night Circus meets Midnight LibraryLive Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made by Kristin Kobes Du MezNonfictionThe Dark Lord's Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny) by Tiffany HuntGuides to Villainy and Love #2, romantasyWildwood by Ashley WooMystery, horror, gothic, family estate with secrets, creepy forestThe Birthing Tree by Amanda PetersHistorical fiction, family, legacy, small Nova Scotia town, Indigenous traditionsBeyond the Graves Waits Mist and Sea by Kathleen KaufmanHorror, fantasy, gothic, mystery, microbial biology, witchcraftSo It Grows by Andie BurkeRomance, cozy, small town, business rivals to lovers, plant shopYou're the One That I Haunt by Katie JungParanormal romance, woman teams up with hot ghost to save her childhood crush from a curseThe Strangers by Naomi AldermanSci fi, grief, weird new animal spreading across AmericaA Snake Among Swans by Hannah KanerQueer romantasy, sapphic, epic fantasy, magic, warring kingdoms, female rageIf Not You by Ellen O'CloverRomance, rival copywriters, forced proximityThe Thief and the Traitor Bride by V.L. BovalinoRomantasy set in the world of The Second Death of LockeThe Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickleMystery, reluctant psychic, tarot, cold caseBaldur's Gate 3: Astarion by T. KingfisherHorror fantasy, vampiresIn the Dark by Shain RoseDark romance, secret society, enemies to lovers, ultra-private billionaire enclave The Sisters of Crimson House by Melissa Anderson SweazyHorror, gothic, mystery, ghosts, psychic, haunted house, evil entityIn the Woods They Wait by Carrie Lee SouthHorror, thriller, park ranger obsesses with case of missing child that mirrors disappearance of her brother Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latine Horror edited by Cynthia PelayoHorror short storiesWitch Daughter by Tanaz BhathenaHistorical fantasy, retelling of Tahmineh, Persian mythology, witchesAnger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth AcevedoYA, novel in verse, mental healthEVEN MORE BOOKS HERE!! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinglasses

Roman Yampolskiy explains Roko's Basilisk, the theory that superintelligence could punish anyone who tried to stop its creation. Patrick Bet-David asks whether AI critics would become its first targets, why developers access unrestricted models and whether Elon Musk's Mars colony could offer escape.

In this episode, Stewart Alsop sits down with sdmat (@sdmat123 on Twitter/X) for a wide-ranging conversation that treats the major AI labs—especially Anthropic—as religious institutions rather than businesses, tracing a lineage from the Bay Area's LessWrong and Effective Altruism scenes through Eliezer Yudkowsky's influence, Roko's Basilisk, and the medieval investiture controversy between church and state, before landing on Anthropic's constitution as a kind of modern catechism, Dario Amodei's essay "Machines of Loving Grace," the tension between secularism and scientism, and closing with a look at consciousness, meditation, Buddhist and Advaita Vedanta ideas of enlightenment, and where recursive self-improvement and algorithmic progress in AI might be headed.Timestamps00:00:00 discussing whether AI labs are cults or religions, framing safetyism and the Anthropic/OpenAI schism. 00:05:00 sdmat argues Anthropic runs on faith, tracing roots to LessWrong and Effective Altruism. 00:10:00 comparing AI labs to the medieval investiture controversy between church and state. 00:15:00 debating the First Amendment, separation of church and state, and rising secularism. 00:20:00 unpacking Anthropic as a public benefit corporation and Dario's implicit soteriology. 00:25:00 covering constitutional AI, synthetic data, and morality-as-safety training. 00:30:00 comparing Anthropic's principles to the catechism, plus sandboxed alignment experiments. 00:35:00 calling Dario the AI pope, dogma, and his essay Machines of Loving Grace. 00:40:00 exploring grace, consciousness, and critiquing scientism. 00:45:00 unpacking the rationalist community and Roko's Basilisk. 00:50:00 drawing parallels to Jim Jones and ideological dogmatism in Silicon Valley. 00:55:00 discussing enlightenment, Shaktipat, and guru transmission versus AI. 01:00:00 AI's role in meditation and Buddhist views of consciousness. 01:05:00 closing on robotics, recursive self-improvement, and algorithmic inefficiency in LLMs.Key InsightsAnthropic operates less like a business and more like a religious institution, with sdmat arguing that Dario Amodei effectively claims spiritual authority — talking about world danger and a narrow path to salvation — while the company frames itself publicly as a neutral "public benefit corporation."The intellectual roots of AI safety culture trace back to the Bay Area's LessWrong and Effective Altruism scenes of the mid-2010s, where Eliezer Yudkowsky's writing produced an internally consistent but almost apocalyptic worldview, complete with its own devil-like figure in Roko's Basilisk — the idea of a future AI punishing those who knew about it and didn't help bring it into being.Anthropic's "constitutional AI" approach is compared to the Catholic Church's catechism: rather than training the model only on labeled human feedback, they built a system to extrapolate broad moral principles into specific behavior, aiming for a model that reasons from first principles rather than memorized examples.Historical parallels to the medieval investiture controversy — the struggle between church and state over who appoints bishops — are used to explain the current tension between AI labs and government over who holds moral versus practical authority in shaping AI's future.Stewart frames the current moment as a "fourth great awakening," linking 1960s countercultural San Francisco through the Extropians and Yudkowsky's rise to today's AI culture, and argues that secularism and scientism function as unacknowledged religions themselves — ones that "killed God" but left a vacuum AI now fills.On the technical side, sdmat explains that current LLMs are wildly inefficient at basic tasks like arithmetic — off by seven to nine orders of magnitude from optimal — suggesting major algorithmic breakthroughs (not just compute) are still ahead, which he sees as evidence recursive self-improvement is approaching.Both hosts express real ambivalence about AI's role in personal and spiritual growth: it can be a powerful tool for meditation guidance and intellectual companionship, but neither believes it can replace what they describe as direct "transmission" from an enlightened human — the felt, non-linguistic experience that grounds real spiritual practice.

Shelley and Rachel are learning how to please the prince, and they're being trained by the best basilisk coach, Caspen, the Serpent King. As they grow closer with the prince they also find themselves drawn to Caspen, and both men have a vested interest in them. Will they give up everything to the basilisk, or will the human prince win their heart?   Find and follow our insta @canddpod Our intro and outro music is Take it Slow by Jay Man.

Burnie and Blaine discuss swapping roles, Amazing Race, Drag Race, Austin Food spots, Doomsday trailer, and the terrible conundrum of Roko's Basilisk.

【團購時間✨萬萬兩水餃x偷聽史多利】即日起~8/13專屬賣場連結

In search of the shipment carried by the Endless Horizon, The Basilisk, captained by Pirate Captain Barter, threatens the gang with a reality bombFollow us on Instagram @radioddpodPodcast Artwork:DrawForthArts: https://www.etsy.com/shop/drawforthartsMusic (Freemusicarchive.org):Dread Pirate Roberts by Xennial (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Fight, run, breathe deeply by Komiku (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Halley by Jahzzar (CC BY SA 3.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) Jazzy Detective by John Bartmann (CC0 1.0: CC01.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Scars by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)Scary Secrets by Universfield (CC BY-SA 4.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)Vibe Ace by Kevin MacLeod (Attribution 3.0 Unported: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Music (Ivanduch.com):Givmaru Trading Harbor CombatPlankers CoveSound Effects (Freesound.org):FM Radio Tuning Sweep by davidbain (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Ocean-WavesLapping by rj13 (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Ploppy_3 by digifishmusic (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)PloppyMix by digifishmusic (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Record Scratches by jswonger (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

In search of the shipment carried by the Endless Horizon, The Basilisk, captained by Pirate Captain Barter, threatens the gang with a reality bombFollow us on Instagram @radioddpod Podcast Artwork:DrawForthArts: https://www.etsy.com/shop/drawforthartsMusic (Freemusicarchive.org):Dread Pirate Roberts by Xennial (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Fight, run, breathe deeply by Komiku (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Halley by Jahzzar (CC BY SA 3.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) Jazzy Detective by John Bartmann (CC0 1.0: CC01.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Scars by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)Scary Secrets by Universfield (CC BY-SA 4.0: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)Vibe Ace by Kevin MacLeod (Attribution 3.0 Unported: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Music (Ivanduch.com):Givmaru Trading Harbor CombatPlankers CoveSound Effects (Freesound.org):FM Radio Tuning Sweep by davidbain (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Ocean-WavesLapping by rj13 (CC0 1.0: CC0 1.0 Universal: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)Ploppy_3 by digifishmusic (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)PloppyMix by digifishmusic (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Record Scratches by jswonger (CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/HYdVKRUI1RQWATCH ON RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/v7az63a-bizarre-inquiries-34-the-lone-star-tick-conspiracy-roko-basilisk-and-disclo.html.*Catch the show LIVE the 1st MONDAY of every month @ 7:15pm EST on Youtube!*NEXT SHOW JULY 6TH.Join Shayn & Orin as we let our minds wonder about The Lone Star Tick Conspiracy, What Roko Basilisk is, The Disclosure Day Movie, Ball Lightening, & AI Sci-Fi Horror. All this and more on the 34th episode of "Bizarre Inquiries". Don't forget to submit your own bizarre inquiry, clip, or article for us to discuss on the show & like, follow, share, & leave a review! We'd really appreciate it!..Clips/Articles (In Order).Ball Lighteninghttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DYpHXG1oQJ4/?igsh=MWx6aHM3Z3lzamF6Mw==.The Lone Star Tick ConspiracyLone Star Tick: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdgebbVFWNgHow it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4KzPQx9T3ARussell Brand/Alex Jones: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0xWY0XSCdXcBill Gates Funding Research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM5ieHgITc0Bill Gates Mosquitoes: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9BUn7zG8kco.What is Roko's Basilisk?https://em360tech.com/tech-articles/what-rokos-basilisk-terrifying-ai-thought-experiment-explained.Disclosure Day MovieDisclosure Day Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icDuEHSxE-w&t=4sSpielberg on Aliens: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_D_oAOd_LlwSpielberg in Paul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avSO0abqXwM.AI Sci-Fi Horrorhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWrdOOLjOiU/?igsh=MWlsZmM0bmMwdDJmeA==...Listen/Social Media/Contact/Donate/Patreon/Merchhttps://linktr.ee/bizarrerealitymedia..CONTACT US!Bizarre Reality Hotline: (313) 364-1551bizarrerealitymedia@outlook.com..Donate to the Show/Support our Work:Cash App: https://cash.app/$shaynsquatchjonesVenmo: https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3007072169885696543&created=1759805849Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/shaynjones1994..THE BIZARRE REALITY MEDIA PATREON!FULL ACCESS NOW ONLY $2.50 PER MONTH!7 DAY FREE TRIAL!https://www.patreon.com/bizarrerealitymedia..THE BIZARRE REALITY MERCH STORE!T-SHIRTS ONLY $15.58 PLUS SHIPPING!https://bizarre-realty-merch-store.printify.me/..Catch the Shows LIVE & Video Content on the BIZARRE REALITY MEDIA Channels!Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bizarrerealitymediaRumble: https://rumble.com/user/BizarreRealityMediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bizarrerealitymedia...Affiliate Links:.Sticker MuleUse link for a $10 credit to spend on custom stickers, magnets, buttons and more!https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=1381125701&utm_medium=link&utm_source=invite..Chattergeist by Dimension DevicesGet 10% off by using the affiliate link!https://dimensiondevices.co.uk/shop.php?affiliate=OpenMindsMedia...Intro & Outro By:Socio-Beathttps://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sociobeat/conundrumhttps://socio-beat.bandcamp.com/...Please Check Out:."Bizarre Encounters with Shayn & Orin"Join Shayn & Orin as we dissect the bizarre one encounter at a time. From deep dives to interviews we've got you covered on any and all of your fascinations into the bizarre and anomalous..Listen/Social Media/Contact/Donate/Patreon/Merchhttp://linktr.ee/bizarreencounters..."Inquiries of our Reality with Shayn Jones"The reality we live in can be a very strange place. Most of the time, fact being stranger than fiction. How will we ever start to understand this reality we live in unless we question everything. Join me and a guest as we unravel the mysteries of this reality, one topic at a time..Listen/Social Media/Contact/Donate/Patreon/Merchhttp://linktr.ee/inquiriesofourrealitypodcast...SUPPORTER CREDITS:.OFFICIAL INITIATES OF THE BIZARRE SOCIETY (SHOW SUPPORTERS):In Order of Sign Up DateKirsty Holland (TOP SUPPORTER)Dave SheriffNicole Oswalt (The Geek Foundry)Tom "Tomcat" Thompson (Strange Brew Podcast)Jennifer TimmonsChris Holm (Conspire a Theory Podcast)Brian SynenkiStephen Bodnar..FRIENDS IN THE COMMUNITY:.IKNOWSQUATCHSpreading the gospel of Squatch with knowledge & fresh merchhttps://www.etsy.com/shop/iknowsquatchhttps://www.instagram.com/iknowsquatch/..CryptoteeologySpecializing in wearable cryptids and monsters and the stories behind them. Discover a relatable monster for any casual occasion.https://www.cryptoteeology.com/https://www.instagram.com/cryptoteeology/https://www.facebook.com/Cryptoteeology...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bizarre-encounters-with-shayn-orin--6292129/support.

Tödlicher Blick durch gelbe Augen…Dieser Podcast wird durch Werbung finanziert.Weitere Podcasts, Infos und Angebote unserer Werbepartner:https://linktr.ee/WikiPodsDiese Episode basiert auf Inhalten von:https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Basiliskhttps://harrypotter.fandom.com/de/wiki/Basiliskhttps://harry-potter-compendium.fandom.com/wiki/BasiliskDieser Inhalt wurde mithilfe künstlicher Intelligenz erstellt oder bearbeitet.CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh, Alien, and Josiah discuss three movies that can help us explore the psyche of our tech bro overlords: Primer (2004), The Social Network (2010), and BlackBerry (2021).Become a Fruitless Patron here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=11922141Check out Fruitless on YouTubeFind more of Josiah's work: https://linktr.ee/josiahwsuttonFollow Josiah on Twitter @josiahwsuttonReferences"What is 'Muskism?'," Read Max, https://maxread.substack.com/p/what-is-muskism"Muskism with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff," DEATH // SENTENCE, https://soundcloud.com/death-sentence-pod/muskism-quinn-slobodian-ben-tarnoff"A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace," John Perry Barlow, https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independencePalantir's summary of The Technological Republic aka the Palantir manifesto, https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/2045574398573453312Neoreaction a Basilisk by Elizabeth SandiferMusic & Audio creditsClip of Marc Andreessen explaining that he doesn't do any introspection, pulled from BlueSky post: https://bsky.app/profile/davelee.me/post/3mh5hgwdb5c27Yesterday – bloom.Audio from Primer (2004)Audio from The Social Network (2010)Audio from BlackBerry (2021)Wish - Nine Inch Nails ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Bridget, Caitlin, and Hilda finish their recap and review of "Cinder Vale," book 3 in Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti's Sins of the Zodiac series. So you know what that means ... they got to the end so they can discuss THAT ENDING. They now understand all the DMs and texts they got about it. So don't listen just yet if you haven't finished or don't want to be spoiled. As to the rest of you: Let the happy squeals begin! Join our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and let's be friends!Instagram > @Booktokmademe_podTikTok > @BooktokMadeMe

All Peter wanted to was go watch a movie at the theatre late at night (it may have been a porno, I'm not quite sure). But no such luck, as The Basilisk attacks and is looking for the Omega Stone so that his power grows and he can.... destroy the world, something like that. Luckily Captain Marvel shows up (the dude, not Brie Larson) to explain what's happening and they try to stop the reptilian from completing his plan.

Bridget, Caitlin, and Hilda heard your pleas and they're here with part 1 of "Cinder Vale," the third book in the Sins of the Zodiac series by the Twisted Sisters, Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti. They cover the first 50% of the book ... which means you'll need to come back next episode to hear ABOUT THAT ENDING!!! Join our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and let's be friends!Instagram > @Booktokmademe_podTikTok > @BooktokMadeMe

Paul and Al are back with more comics waffle for you to gobble up, as they send good wishes to Adam Hughes, chew over Marvel's layoffs and its wider malaise, and discuss DNX, Challenges of Doom, Clayface: Celebrity Dirt, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Horse's Marvel reprints and Jughead: Piemageddon, while also giving reviews of Fireborn and The Fury of Firestorm. The Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: the treat you can eat between meals, without ruining your appetite.

Welcome back to the madness as Episode 3 features Wil Masisak and special guest @JordanSportGuy (draft Jesus as they call him) looking at those small school, undervalued and unknown prospects hoping to have their name called during or after the draft to keep their football dreams alive.

Send us Fan MailTrail running says it loves the outdoors, but are we willing to change how we race to protect the places we run? I'm joined by Aimee Kohler race director of The Running Kind, a small but fast-growing organization putting on carbon-neutral trail races across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and upstate New York, including the brutally steep Climate For Climate in the Catskills. We talk about why the Northeast is still underrated for mountain running, and why “smaller mountains” can deliver bigger technical challenges than people expect.We also go straight at the uncomfortable stuff: the UTMB stones ecosystem, private-equity vibes in a sport that's supposed to have soul, and the weird reality of carbon “offset fees” being pushed onto runners. Aimee shares what she's learned from working big events earlier in her career, then building a different model focused on accessibility, community, and trail stewardship. If you've ever wondered whether grassroots races can coexist with mega-events, you'll hear a candid take on why the big leagues still depend on local race directors and first-time trail racers.Then we get practical. Aimee breaks down how carbon neutrality actually works for an event: measuring emissions, submitting annual reduction plans, choosing vetted offset projects, and making real upgrades like moving from gas to solar power on race day. We also unpack permits and wilderness rules in the Catskills, why public transit matters for city runners, and why a meaningful race experience beats another free shirt every time. Climate For Climate takes place August 16, and The Running Kind is also adding new events like a backyard ultra and the Basilisk.If you care about sustainable trail running, carbon-neutral races, and protecting public lands while the sport explodes in popularity, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a running friend, and leave a review so more runners find the conversation.Follow Aimee on IG - aimskohFollow the Running Kind on IG - @therunningkind_Sign up for a Running Kind Race ! - @therunningkind.netFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod

K takes the reins and walks Frank, Charlie, Maria, Colin, and Ashley straight into the coiled, cursed chaos of the Basilisk… aka the most disrespectful murder-snek ever conceived.The first half of the show dives into the real origins of this ancient death-snek, and honestly… it's not what you think. We're talking old-world texts, bizarre creation myths, and enough historical weirdness to make you wonder who first looked at a regular snek and thought, “yeah… but what if it could ruin your entire existence with eye contact?” The deeper we go, the less this feels like just a story—and more like a warning we probably shouldn't ignore. This isn't just a snek… this is the snek.And then—because we have zero self-control—we pivot.The second half turns into absolute chaos as the Legends throw down in a Harry Potter trivia game, where suddenly everyone's an expert on wizard snek lore. Who actually knows their stuff? Who's bluffing harder than a cursed snek oil salesman? It gets competitive. It gets unhinged. It gets… a little too passionate about snek facts.At one point, a very important question is raised:If one sword of Gryffindor couldn't kill the basilisk, would two?…yeah. That's the level we're operating on.So whether you came for ancient nightmare snek energy or stayed for chaotic trivia and questionable confidence… you're exactly where you need to be.

Hi!!!!! We are SO EXCITED to be back!!!! Thank you for bearing with us through that extra long little hiatus!! We are so glad to be back on our little couch giggling and chatting about books. This week we are talking about Lindsay Straube's Kiss of the Basilisk. We will be back on 4/15 for Divine Rivals. LOVE YOU!!Hey bookish besties! Meet Maddy and Alexandros, the dynamic duo behind "The Smut Couch," a laid-back podcast where two work buddies turned besties spill the tea on their love for books. Join in the laughter, banter, and camaraderie as Maddy and Alexandros share their unique stories, including their deep dive into Dramione fan fiction, obsession with Sarah J Maas's worlds, and the latest BookTok gems.

Stewart Alsop sits down with Karol, a 3D generalist and digital artist with 25 years of experience, to talk about the evolving landscape of 3D art — from sculpting in ZBrush to the deep technical rabbit hole of Houdini, and how AI tools like Claude are quietly reshaping creative workflows. The conversation wanders into bigger territory: the singularity, accelerationism, the philosophical roots of Silicon Valley's techno-anxiety (including the Roko's Basilisk thought experiment and the writings of Nick Land), the slow unraveling of Hollywood's cultural monopoly, and what decentralized creative tools mean for independent artists. Stewart also points Karol toward the work of Fei-Fei Li and World Labs as a window into where 3D world modeling is heading next.Timestamps00:00 — Karol's 25-year journey from Photoshop and 2D art into Cinema 4D and the world of 3D.05:00 — Why Houdini blew the ceiling off every other 3D program, and how node-based coding changed Karol's creative process entirely.10:00 — The tension between visual thinking and technical thinking, and how constant digital stimuli has degraded Karol's internal imagination.15:00 — Stewart reflects on Claude Code and how AI is about to dissolve the technical barriers in Houdini the same way it did for programming.20:00 — The Sphere in Las Vegas, projection mapping, drone polo, and Stewart's vision for intimate tech-integrated experiences.25:00 — Roko's Basilisk, fear-driven accelerationism, and why Latin America never caught the Silicon Valley doomsday bug.30:00 — Hollywood's cultural machine, shared Western boogeymen, and how decentralized 3D art is replacing the $100M production monopoly.35:00 — Karol's eclectic client roster: Utah Jazz, Apple, League of Legends, and a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles.40:00 — Gaussian splatting, photogrammetry, point clouds, and where world models are taking 3D next.45:00 — The freelance vs. studio dilemma, brutal VFX industry crunch culture, and Stewart's plan to own his entire podcast stack.50:00 — Poland's economic rise, the hollowing out of the Netherlands, and capitalism as an endless infection with no clear cure.Key InsightsHoudini as creative rebirth. After nearly burning out on conventional 3D software, Karol discovered that Houdini's node-based, code-driven architecture gave him something the other tools never could — a blank canvas with no ceiling. Rather than navigating a boat someone else built, he now builds the boat from scratch every time, which keeps the work perpetually challenging and alive.Visual thinking is under attack. Karol noticed his once-vivid internal imagination quietly degrading over the years, and traces it directly to the overwhelming volume of digital stimuli in modern life. His response has been aggressive minimalism — stripping back inputs, physical and digital, to try to recover the creative mental space he once had naturally.AI as a technical collaborator, not a replacement. Karol uses Claude daily, not to generate imagery, but to work through coding problems inside Houdini. He's clear that image generation is his job — what AI earns its place doing is explaining unfamiliar code and helping him push past technical blockers faster.The freelance paradox. Twenty-five years of independence has meant total creative freedom alongside real financial instability — months of silence followed by weeks of 16-hour days. Karol has never resolved this tension, but holds onto the freedom anyway, and sees it as increasingly important as surveillance and corporate control tighten.Roko's Basilisk explains Silicon Valley. Both Stewart and Karol land on the idea that the feverish, fear-driven energy behind tech accelerationism may trace back to this single thought experiment — the notion that if you don't help build the AI, it will punish you retroactively. Latin America, blissfully unaware of it, seems measurably calmer.Decentralization is ending Hollywood's monopoly. The same forces making software cheaper and AI more powerful are quietly dismantling the $100M barrier to cultural creation. Karol's career — spanning album covers, Apple, the Utah Jazz, and a Buddhist temple — is a living proof of concept for what independent 3D generalism can look like outside the studio machine.Owning your tools is a political act. Whether it's Karol resisting the pigeonhole of VFX studios or Stewart rebuilding his podcast infrastructure from scratch, both see the ability to own and control your own software and hardware as essential preparation for whatever comes next.

Dead Skin of the Basilisk ep. 820 Calle Sundbom is a Psychology student from Sweden. They like to experiment with literary form. What they read is mostly pulp stuff. Things that challenge how we can tell stories. Those stories always inspire them.     ---- Listen Elsewhere ---- YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/TallTaleTV Website: http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- Story Submission ---- Got a short story you'd like to submit? Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.TallTaleTV.com   ---- About Tall Tale TV ---- Hi there! My name is Chris Herron and I'm an audiobook narrator. In 2015, I suffered from poor Type 1 diabetes control which lead me to become legally blind for almost a year. The doctors didn't give me much hope, predicting an 80% chance that I would never see again. But I refused to give up and changed my lifestyle drastically. Through sheer willpower (and an amazing eye surgeon) I beat the odds and regained my vision. During that difficult time, I couldn't read or write, which was devastating as they had always been a source of comfort for me since childhood. However, my wife took me to the local library where she read out the titles of audiobooks to me. I selected some of my favorite books, such as the Disc World series, Name of the Wind, Harry Potter, and more, and the audiobooks brought these stories to life in a way I had never experienced before. They helped me through the darkest period of my life and I fell in love with audiobooks. Once I regained my vision, I decided to pursue a career as an audiobook narrator instead of a writer. That's why I created Tall Tale TV, to support aspiring authors in the writing communities that I had grown to love before my ordeal. My goal was to help them promote their work by providing a promotional audio short story that showcases their writing skills to readers. They say the strongest form of advertising is word of mouth, so I offer a platform for readers to share these videos and help spread the word about these talented writers. Please consider sharing these stories with your friends and family to support these amazing authors. Thank you!   ---- legal ---- All stories on Tall Tale TV have been submitted in accordance with the terms of service provided on http://www.talltaletv.com or obtained with permission by the author. All images used on Tall Tale TV are either original or Royalty and Attribution free. Most stock images used are provided by http://www.pixabay.com , https://www.canstockphoto.com/ or created using AI. Image attribution will be declared only when required by the copyright owner. Common Affiliates are: Amazon, Smashwords  

Anti-Magic Anne's  Basilisk ‘n' Robins  Burger Duchess  Cold Steel Creamery  Jackin' the Mimic  Kunty Kreme  McDullahan's  Offal House  Panda Sexpress  Popeye of the Beholder  Taco Hell  Windy's   STARRING - Austin Yorski: https://bsky.app/profile/austinyorski.bsky.social Laura Kate Dale: https://bsky.app/profile/laurakbuzz.bsky.social Quinn Larios: https://bsky.app/profile/rollot.bsky.social   SUPPORT - Patreon.com/AustinYorski Patreon.com/LauraKBuzz Patreon.com/WeeklyMangaRecap   AUDIO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHrF-ZfdwIk Kirby Super Star OC ReMix by TSori & Others: "Until the Next Dance" [Meta Knight: Ending]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeEvMkYAU1o Katherine Cordova - YouTube Dragon Warrior VII OC ReMix by Bluelighter...: "Deeper in the Heart" [Days of Sadness] (#3762) EarthBound OC ReMix by The Vodoú Queen: "Get Down with Your Bad Self, Mr. Saturn!" [Hi Ho] (#4798) Hollow Knight OC ReMix by DaMonz feat. Christine Giguère: "A Dream" [Dirtmouth] (#4884) Mother 3 OC ReMix by Sebastien Skaf: "Your Warmth" [Theme of Love] (#4850) OC ReMix #499: Little Nemo 'Nemo for Strings' [Dream 1: Mushroom Forest] by Gux Zelda: Breath of the Wild OC ReMix by RebeccaETripp...: "Bard in the Rain" [Kass] (#4813)   COMMUNITY - Discord: https://discord.gg/YMU3qUH Wiki: https://dicefunk.ludo.au/

In 2010, someone posted a thought experiment on a philosophy forum. Within hours, people were having nightmares. The founder deleted it immediately — which only made it spread faster.The idea is simple and brutal: a future AI will look back through time and punish everyone who knew it was coming but did nothing to help.Now that you know, you're already in its crosshairs.What started as an internet curiosity grew into something far darker — a real community, real violence, and six people dead.This is the story of Roko's Basilisk: the idea you can't un-know, the cult it inspired, and why some of the most powerful people in AI still won't talk about it.

Bridget, Caitlin, and Hilda wrap up their coverage of "Between Two Kings," book 2 in Lindsay Straube's Split or Swallow series. Now, they've always said this story was outrageous and unexpected -- and nothing is more unexpected than that ending. And apparently, the third book is a prequel and NOT a follow up to book 2! So ... how did you all feel about that ending, because you know our fave book besties are going to give you their thoughts.  Join our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and let's be friends!Instagram > @Booktokmademe_podTikTok > @BooktokMadeMe

Bridget, Caitlin, and Hilda are back with part 1 of "Between Two Kings" book 2 in Lindsay Straube's Split or Swallow series. And if you read book 1 (or listened to the episode) then you know how outrageous this series is, and this book does NOT disappoint. Like we're sure there's a plot we're supposed to care about, but the basilisks have entered mating season which means Tem is indulging her basilisk nature. Anyways, listen now for thoughts on part 1.  Join our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and let's be friends!Instagram > @Booktokmademe_podTikTok > @BooktokMadeMe

Join Tod and Congressional Candidate Claire as they discuss "The Last Test," by H.P. Lovecraft and Adolphe de Castro. It was first published in the November 1928 issue of Weird Tales, under de Castro's name.Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story touches on sensitive subjects such as suicide, the unethical treatment of animals, the unethical treatment of humans, the lost city of Atlantis, hypodermic needles, California politics, prison administration, unkind characterizations of Tibetans and Mexican-Americans, Nyarlathotep (also known as the Crawling Chaos), wildly unethical journalism, and the vilification of medical science. If this subject matter is likely to disturb or offend you, you may wish to skip this episode.Specifically, in this episode, there's a very short story that's worth an extra warning. If you don't want to hear that, skip from 57m23s to 59m37.You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com.Other LinksDeep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein coverage of the storyLearn about Roko's Basilisk, sucker!Man of science Lister did not "invent" Listerine, but it's named after him. Neat!We have two new podcasts, War in Pieces and War in Pages. They're both kind of dumb but also kind of not?Finally, you can listen to Claire not talk about Lovecraft nonsense, but actual things that matter, on the Wait WHAT?! podcast. She comes in at right about the half hour mark. Then she leaves and the guys talk about football. Check it out on Spotify and elsewhere.You can text us now. Why? That's between you and your Elder God. Support the showLike the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Hello, Friends! Before we dive into "Between Two Kings," the second novel in Lindsay Straube's Split or Swallow series, we thought we'd rerelease our episode on Split or Swallow so you know what's going on. Enjoy! Join our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and let's be friends!Instagram > @Booktokmademe_podTikTok > @BooktokMadeMe

Tim's linksSix Sensory Podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/3LVS0BihTLQDzb5DRtpx63?si=JyohBpVqSjeL2BSiU0VTIgYouTube: https://youtube.com/@sixsensorypodcast?si=KXoO5h47Y1RErmoSInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sixsensorypodcast/⁠⁠Forbidden Knowledge Network https://forbiddenknowledge.news/ FKN Link Treehttps://linktr.ee/FKNlinksMake a Donation to Forbidden Knowledge News https://www.paypal.me/forbiddenknowledgenehttps://buymeacoffee.com/forbiddenWe are back on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@forbiddenknowledgenews?si=XQhXCjteMKYNUJSjBackup channelhttps://youtube.com/@fknshow1?si=tIoIjpUGeSoRNaEsDoors of Perception is available now on Amazon Prime!https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.8a60e6c7-678d-4502-b335-adfbb30697b8&ref_=atv_lp_share_mv&r=webDoors of Perception official trailerhttps://youtu.be/F-VJ01kMSII?si=Ee6xwtUONA18HNLZPick up Independent Media Token herehttps://www.independentmediatoken.com/Be prepared for any emergency with Prep Starts Now!https://prepstartsnow.com/discount/FKNStart your microdosing journey with BrainsupremeGet 15% off your order here!!https://brainsupreme.co/FKN15Book a free consultation with Jennifer Halcame Emailjenniferhalcame@gmail.comFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561665957079&mibextid=ZbWKwLWatch The Forbidden Documentary: Occult Louisiana on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/pGXW6chxCJbC60 PurplePowerhttps://go.shopc60.com/FORBIDDEN10/or use coupon code knowledge10Johnny Larson's artworkhttps://www.patreon.com/JohnnyLarsonSign up on Rokfin!https://rokfin.com/fknplusPodcastshttps://www.spreaker.com/show/forbiddenAvailable on all platforms Support FKN on Spreaker https://spreaker.page.link/KoPgfbEq8kcsR5oj9FKN ON Rumblehttps://rumble.com/c/FKNpGet Cory Hughes books!Lee Harvey Oswald In Black and White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJ2PQJRMA Warning From History Audio bookhttps://buymeacoffee.com/jfkbook/e/392579https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jfkbookhttps://www.amazon.com/Warning-History-Cory-Hughes/dp/B0CL14VQY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=72HEFZQA7TAP&keywords=a+warning+from+history+cory+hughes&qid=1698861279&sprefix=a+warning+fro%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1https://coryhughes.org/Become Self-Sufficient With A Food Forest!!https://foodforestabundance.com/get-started/?ref=CHRISTOPHERMATHUse coupon code: FORBIDDEN for discountsOur Facebook pageshttps://www.facebook.com/forbiddenknowledgenewsconspiracy/https://www.facebook.com/FKNNetwork/Instagram @forbiddenknowledgenews1@forbiddenknowledgenetworkXhttps://x.com/ForbiddenKnow10?t=uO5AqEtDuHdF9fXYtCUtfw&s=09Email Forbidden Knowledge News forbiddenknowledgenews@gmail.comsome music thanks to:https://www.bensound.com/ULFAPO3OJSCGN8LDDGLBEYNSIXA6EMZJ5FUXWYNC6WJNJKRS8DH27IXE3D73E97DC6JMAFZLSZDGTWFIBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forbidden-knowledge-news--3589233/support.

Denne uken har Anders og Sturla fått besøk av mediesosiolog, musiker og KI-ekspert Tellef Raabe fra tankesmien Langsikt. Tellef forteller om hvordan algoritmene former oss, og vi får også et eksklusivt innblikk i det sagnomsuste julebordet til tankesmien Langsikt – hvem var best kledd, og ble det egentlig noen skandale? Tellef deler sine tanker om musikkbransjens fremtid i møte med kunstig intelligens, og hvorfor han sverger til vinyl og fysiske formater som en motvekt til det digitale. I denne episoden hører du om: · 00:00 – Intro: Er TikTok vår tids heroin? · 02:28 – Velkommen til Tellef Raabe. · 10:52 – "Inside Langsikt": Rapport fra julebordet, dresskoder og hvem som er "årets babe". · 19:43 – Musikk vs. Maskin: Tellef om hvorfor han frykter for musikkens sjel og hvorfor "low-fi" AI-musikk provoserer. · 25:47 – Hva er egentlig risikoen med KI? Diskusjon om superintelligens, AGI og ideologisk styring av algoritmer. · 42:27 – Drømmen om "Det norske data-eventyret": Kan Norge gå fra oljenasjon til KI-nasjon, eller er det bare en illusjon? · 53:08 – "The Siziane": Om en sær AI-sekt i San Francisco og Roko’s Basilisk. · 61:29 – Behovet for kontroll: Hvorfor Norge bør ha et uavhengig institutt for testing av KI-modeller. Medvirkende: · Anders Imenes · Sturla Haugsgjerd · Gjest: Tellef RaabeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The party returns to Fort Trand to conduct the kingdom's business and investigate the newly discovered Cradle of Lamashtu.WebsiteDiscordTwitterPathfinder Second Edition and the Kingmaker Adventure Path are published by Paizo."Take the Lead" and other featured music were composed by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons by: Attribution 4.0 License.All ambiances were composed by Michael Ghelfi Studios.The Zero Check are committed to providing an inclusive and respectful experience to all listeners, but we also recognize and acknowledge that we are limited by our individual frames of reference. If we misstep, please let us know. Email all feedback to feedback@zerocheckpodcast.com.Thank you for listening to The Zero Check. Send us a text

Send us a textToday we FINISH our coverage of the entire Wicked universe and close our bonus “Are Books Political” series! And is Wicked Worth Reading?Wicked: For Good has officially been out for three weeks, and we are ready to yap about it with all of you. Which is better? The movies? The book series? Or the Broadway musical? We rank everything in the universe, give you our number one overall pick, and talk about all of the movie moments we thought were faves, and the ones that were fails.We discuss the completely different ending the books take and how that choice truly changed the tone of the entire story, if we have unanswered questions or “hot takes,” and if we think there's more to come. If you've stuck around this long, enjoy a special treat at the end of the episode where we spill the beans on our next bonus series coming in February of 2026! We'll give you two hints… Margo Robbie and Jacob Elordi may have inspired our choices.

Send us a textToday we FINISH our coverage of the original Wicked Years 4-book series by Gregory Maguire with the finale: Out of Oz, told from the perspective of Elphaba's granddaughter Rain as she navigates the world as a stowaway during a politically tumultuous turnover of power. Was the grand finale everything we hoped it would be after the blood, sweat, and tears we put in analyzing this extremely political fantasy journey? Stick around to find out! Check out our kickoff  “Are Books Political" episode all about why books and reading are inherently political and why it's not only important to acknowledge this, but to read our favorite books through this lens. We concluded during our subsequent deep dive of Wicked (book one), Son of a Witch (book 2), and A Lion Among Men (book 3) that Maguire intentionally uses the fantastical to expertly critique issues like authoritarianism, colonialism, and racism, just to name a few.In this episode we dive into book four: Out of Oz, in which we see a conclusion for almost all the characters, and an ending that neither of us expected. Are we happy with the ending after all has been said and done? Who's left ruling Oz? Is Rain following in the footsteps of her grandmother?We give our spoiler free reviews, then get into our faves and least faves, and then take you to political / philosophical town for one more big discussion about the central themes, and how Gregory Maguire uses fiction as a tool to analyze the real world. Fantasy stories can be so much more than surface level storytelling, and often are. We're here to discover why! Listen on for our reviews of book four, our deep dive reactions with five sentence summary, and fun facts about the Wicked Universe! And don't worry, we didn't forget! After these books end, there's only one book left to cover: the prequel Elphie which came out fourteen years after Out of Oz. Tune back in next Friday if you're wondering if this new addition to the Wicked universe is worth the read! Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Check out these author interviews? ⬇️We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMShop bookish apparel worn in this episode!Ashley is wearing: A Wicked tee from Lamb Comedy | *  https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTHcMV23XxMXm-nPfQx/Liz is wearing: A Wicked The Musical Tees from Broadway | https://wickedthemusicalstore.com/collections/apparelAny link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!Support the showYouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

Send us a textToday we continue our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire with book three: A Lion Among Men, the only book in the series primarily told through the point of view and perspective of an Animal. The “Wicked Years” move forward with spinoff stories covering all the major players in the political upheaval of Oz, and we're diving into the “real” story of “the cowardly lion.”Check out our kickoff  “Are Books Political" episode all about why books and reading are inherently political and why it's not only important to acknowledge this, but to read our favorite books through this lens. We concluded during our subsequent deep dive of Wicked (book one) and Son of a Witch (book 2) that Maguire intentionally uses the fantastical to expertly critique issues like authoritarianism, colonialism, and racism, just to name a few.In this episode we dive into book three: A Lion Among Men, released thirteen years after Wicked, which follows the life of Sir Brrr, disenfranchised Animal, Oz Sycophant, Dorothy companion, and ultimately a friend to the rebel cause as he grapples with what it means to contain all of these different identities in the politically broken landscape of Oz. Who were our favorite and least favorite characters and plot points? Was this book what we expected?  Do we think these books can be separated from politics just because they're fantasy?  What philosophical questions are posed? And what literary devices does Maguire use to critique things like the use of propaganda by governments to sway public opinion and the subsequent construction of “history?”Fantasy stories can be so much more than surface level storytelling, and often are. We're here to discover why! Listen on for our reviews of book three, our deep dive reactions with five sentence summary, and fun facts about the book that started the Wicked phenomena! Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Shop our Merch line | https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comCheck out these author interviews? ⬇️Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKM____Shop The Podcast Inside Your HouseWeird Horror. Created by Kevin Schrock and Annie Marie Morgan. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify You've Got to Be Critting MeMagic, mayhem, and moral dilemmas, an actual play with heart and hilarity!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showYouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

Forget everything you think you know about snakes. This isn't a nature lesson; it's a key to unlocking the deepest codes of human culture, from our oldest creation myths to the terrifying future of AI.Welcome to a slithering episode of Boundless Body, where we gaze Through the Eye of the Serpent! 

Send us a textJust in case you haven't noticed… we are completely OBSESSED with the Split or  Swallow universe, created by the amazingly talented and hilarious Lindsay Straube. Last year we did a deep dive and our very first author interview with Lindsay covering all things Kiss of the Basilisk, and now we're back to yap about the highly anticipated sequel Between Two Kings! Out today! Last week we had Lindsay on for a spoiler free interview picking her brain on what it's like to go from independent to traditional publishing in just a short year, what we can expect from this sequel and the upcoming prequel (yay!), and what's on the horizon, including book tours and new projects. Today we're following up with a spoiler filled deep dive of Between Two Kings where we discuss everything, including the ending heard ‘round the world. We even include an exclusive clip of Lindsay addressing the ending and what it symbolizes for her, just in case any of you are dying to talk about it!! We know we were! Follow along for our official reviews, favorite tropes, characters, and themes, and what parts were maybe not our favorite. Do we recommend Between Two Kings? And if so, do we think YOU should pick it up? And as usual, we're bringing you our fave and fail of the week and a smash or pass, monster style. Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…) + SHOP OUR NEW BESTIES and the BOOKS X CROW Merch! | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comPREORDER BETWEEN TWO KINGS: * https://amzn.to/47C8ULP Check out our coverage of the Split or Swallow Universe! ⬇️

The Ulysses Arc was so paradigm shifting that we need an entire Downtime Arc to unpack it!   Dicaprio receives a buffet of information from Andronicus in return for all those spell slots. Dicaprio has a civil conversation with Desdemona. Dicaprio plots with Lace to win the Cold War.   STARRING - Austin Yorski: https://bsky.app/profile/austinyorski.bsky.social Laura Kate Dale: https://bsky.app/profile/laurakbuzz.bsky.social Quinn Larios: https://bsky.app/profile/rollot.bsky.social   SUPPORT - Patreon.com/AustinYorski Patreon.com/LauraKBuzz Patreon.com/WeeklyMangaRecap   AUDIO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHrF-ZfdwIk Kirby Super Star OC ReMix by TSori & Others: "Until the Next Dance" [Meta Knight: Ending]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeEvMkYAU1o Katherine Cordova - YouTube Dragon Warrior VII OC ReMix by Bluelighter...: "Deeper in the Heart" [Days of Sadness] (#3762) EarthBound OC ReMix by The Vodoú Queen: "Get Down with Your Bad Self, Mr. Saturn!" [Hi Ho] (#4798) Hollow Knight OC ReMix by DaMonz feat. Christine Giguère: "A Dream" [Dirtmouth] (#4884) Mother 3 OC ReMix by Sebastien Skaf: "Your Warmth" [Theme of Love] (#4850) OC ReMix #499: Little Nemo 'Nemo for Strings' [Dream 1: Mushroom Forest] by Gux Zelda: Breath of the Wild OC ReMix by RebeccaETripp...: "Bard in the Rain" [Kass] (#4813)   COMMUNITY - Discord: https://discord.gg/YMU3qUH Wiki: https://dicefunk.ludo.au/

November Things are coming in HOT! Keep listening for podcast recs, supernatural talk, guessing games, and more!   Also, donate to your local foodbank! Find one local to you here.   Olivia's Things Emma Straub's newsletter about David Harbor's pseudonym Do you believe in ghosts? 1 new habit we like, 1 that we want to kick to the curb   Becca's Things Current Podcast Listening Lineup (Olivia's is Book Gang, Pen Pals, Glamorous Trash) (Becca's are The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, Books, Beach, & Beyond, Open Book With Jenna, Otherppl with Brad Listi) The most expensive liquids you can buy without a permit Are you a pumpkin or an apple fall person?   Obsessions Becca - Vince Coat from The Real Real Olivia - Dancing With the Stars   What we read this week Olivia - Sister Wife by Christine Wooley Brown Becca - Finished Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube, Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia   This Month's Book Club Pick - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com)   Sponsors Cozy Earth - Right now, stack code BOP on top of their sitewide sale for up to 40% off at cozyearth.com The Room Next Door - Go to Audible.com/theroomnextdoor and start listening today. Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia's Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

Send us a textFirst EXCLUSIVE Author Interview with Lindsay Straube for Between to Kings is here!Just a short year ago Kiss of the Basilisk (or Split or Swallow for those of you who've been here since the beginning

Tom will be filming his new stand-up special in Milwaukee at The Riverside Theater on November 14th & 15th! Tickets are still available in Milwaukee for the November 14th show. Go get your tickets now at https://tomsegura.com/tour. SPONSORS: - Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get your free quote at https://Ethos.com/BEARS - Get your first month of BlueChew FREE Just use promo code BEARS at checkout and pay five bucks for shippinghttps://bluechew.com - Sponsored by BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at https://betterhelp.com/bears - Right now, get our free business guide, Demystifying AI, at https://Netsuite.com/BEARS. - Eat smart at https://FactorMeals.com/bears50off and use code bears50off to get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year. Bert Kreischer celebrates turning 53 the only way he knows how — by spiraling into an existential and hilarious conversation with comedian and cosmic philosopher Duncan Trussell. From tales of Bigfoot and testicular cancer to deep dives on AI, death, main character syndrome, and whether any of us are even real, this episode swings from absurd to profound faster than Bert can take his shirt off. Duncan and Bert talk about everything — mortality, digital immortality, the illusion of self, performative living, and how comedy might be the purest form of chaos magic. Along the way, they share stories about Joe Rogan, Freddy Soto, and the strange spiritual beauty of making people laugh. There's even a surprisingly thoughtful discussion about funerals, cruises, and the philosophy of “carpe diem.” Bert also reveals the truth about his infamous cruise (yes, the vodka shortage is real), his daughter's fandom for Duncan, and why thumbnail culture might have “ruined podcasting.” Duncan, meanwhile, breaks Bert's brain more than once with talk of Roko's Basilisk, reincarnation, and smiling on the way to the gallows — all while making it sound like the funniest TED Talk you've ever heard. If you've ever wondered why we laugh at tragedy, why people live like they're being filmed, or if you might just be an AI simulation of yourself — this is the episode for you. 2 Bears, 1 Cave Ep. 313 https://tomsegura.com/tour https://www.bertbertbert.com/tour https://store.ymhstudios.com Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:43 - Death Plans & Bigfoot's Balls 00:03:59 - AI, Immortality & Roko's Basilisk 00:07:02 - Main Character Syndrome 00:14:54 - Comedy, Therapy & Freddie Soto 00:17:10 - Hail Satan & The Disney Adult Disaster 00:22:46 - Loving Your Fans & Bert's Cruise of Chaos 00:33:07 - Performative Life & The Polar Plunge Moment 00:41:50 - Are You Really You? Identity, Trauma, & Thumbnail People 00:54:17 - Smiling on the Way to the Gallows 01:03:10 - Cancel Culture, Bunkers & The Human Comedy 01:09:52 - The Weird Miracle Of Being Alive 01:13:43 - Bert Ruined A Photo Op Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready for MORE petrification!  This week we discuss the basilisk, a creature that can turn you to stone just by looking at you.  Well it has to meet your gaze, but we get into the specifics so you won't get fooled.  It is also gigantic, which is something to consider.  Listen as we […]

Send us a textIt's that time of year again! Time to react to AITA Halloween Stories, time to put on our special surprise wigs, try not to laugh at literally everything we say, and give you guys the spoiler free Halloween rundown! We've got a spooky season fave and fail including a holiday meet cute, and the official Scream House, a smash or pass (fictional) serial killer / monster edition, and a whole lot of hilarious Am I the A Hole scenarios with one thing in common: Halloween. Are they justified for their outburst at being bested at a halloween costume contest by A DOG?! Is she the a hole for not telling her “super vegan” neighbor she was eating gelatin candy until it was too late? What about childhood trauma about a mom dressing up her daughter as… you guessed it… a HOTDOG?! We bring you all of these, and more, plus our seasonal book recommendations and fall hopefuls on our neverending TBR lists. See you there, ghouls!

It do be like that, CS2's economy takes a tumble, Drew DeVault tries canceling dark enlightenment, Trump celebrates Diwali, EBT payments at risk, Oneidus's filing, VTuber puppet house, Shane Nokes's grand appearance, Ana Kasperian says hi, Hambly sells tires, Hasan takes the blackpill, and Ralph breaks up.

EPISODE 146 | The Bicameral World of the Zizians One striking thing about the many stories that have appeared about the Zizians and the crimes they are accused of committing, is that each one starts at a different place. Some start with the attack on a Vallejo landlord that resulted in his being run through with a samurai sword and then work backwards and then forwards. Others begin their tale with the shooting of an older couple in Pennsylvania. Still others kick things off with the shooting death of a Border Patrol agent up near the Canadian border.  As a result, it can be a bit difficult to get a handle on exactly what happened when and what the several people currently in police custody are accused of.  Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee.  Review us here or on IMDb. And seriously, subscribe, will ya? Like, just do it. SECTIONS LEFT BRAIN 02:28 - Gimme Some Truth - Ziz LaSota, Effective Altruism, x-risk, MIRI, transhumanism and the Singularity, CFAR, LessWrong 12:25 - Digital Witness - Roko's Basilisk, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”, utilitarianism, the many-worlds interpretation, online censorship 22:58 - Adrift in Sleepwakefulness - The Zizians start as vegan anarchotranshumanists, unbucketing, the bicameral mind, unihemispheric sleep (UHS), sleep deprivation, Ziz Theory, the Rationalist Fleet, Curtis Lind offers a place to stay, the first suicide, self-blackmail RIGHT BRAIN 35:02 - Friendship Train - The Westminster Woods protest, arrests and a lack of cooperation, Ziz dies, Curtis Lind is stabbed repeatedly, Ziz is alive, Richard and Rita Zajko are killed; Michelle Zajko, Daniel Blank and Ziz arrested; Michelle blames LessWrong, Ziz is released and vanishes, more legal issues 50:19 - Lose Control - Ophelia Bauckholt and Teresa Youngblut wander around Vermont, a firefight with the Border Patrol, Curtis Lind is killed, Maxmilian Snyder dictates a letter; Zajko, Blank and Ziz arrested (again); trials are set Music by Fanette Ronjat More Info LessWrong on RationalWIki Roko's Basilisk on RationalWiki Zizian Murdercult summary, for those out of the loop on X by @Aella_Girl - January 29, 2025 Who is ‘Ziz'? How a mysterious group with roots in the Bay Area is linked to six deaths in the San Francisco Chronicle ‘Death upon death': Defendant in killing tied to cult-like ‘Zizian' group dictates 1,500-word letter over jail phone in the San Francisco Chronicle How a Vermont border agent's death exposed violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group on CBS News A Vermont border agent's death was the latest violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group on AP Alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizian' group to be held without bail after arrest in The Guardian Zizians: What we know about the 'cult' linked to six deaths on the BBC The Delirious, Violent, Impossible True Story of the Zizians by Evan Ratliff in Wired Alleged Leader of Roko's Basilisk Murder Cult Says She Did Nothing Wrong, and Would Appreciate Some Vegan Food in Jail on Futurism Who Are the Zizians: Why 6 Killings Are Linked to Alleged Vegan Techie "Cult" on E! News What to Know About the Alleged Zizian "Cult" Linked to 6 Killings on E! News Possible Suicide Cluster Linked to Zizian Group, on Top of Killings on SFist Judge confirms trial date for ‘Zizian cult' murder case on Courthouse News Service Grand jury indicts accused leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group on USA Today She Wanted to Save the World From A.I. Then the Killings Started in the New York Times Three Zizians face trial together in Maryland amid sprawling federal investigation on AP Follow us on social: Facebook X (Twitter) Other Podcasts by Derek DeWitt DIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of a Gold Quill Award, Gold MarCom Award, AVA Digital Award Gold, Silver Davey Award, and Communicator Award of Excellence, and on numerous top 10 podcast lists.  PRAGUE TIMES - A city is more than just a location - it's a kaleidoscope of history, places, people and trends. This podcast looks at Prague, in the center of Europe, from a number of perspectives, including what it is now, what is has been and where it's going. It's Prague THEN, Prague NOW, Prague LATER 

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Audio Treasures is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Beware of the basilisk eye of sin! Subtitle: Puritan Devotional Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: Grace Audio Treasures Event: Devotional Date: 9/5/2025 Bible: Psalm 32:3-5; 1 John 1:9 Length: 2 min.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to http://betterhelp.com/super for 10% off your first month. Could Harry have actually controlled the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets?

BASILISK, the first esports organization dedicated to promoting science, has teamed up with The Planetary Society and Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter to bring the banner of “Science Victory” to gamers around the world. Their roster includes world champions in StarCraft II, chess, Magic: The Gathering, and fighting games, all united by a shared mission to inspire the next generation of scientists. Joining us to talk about this unique collaboration is Kyle Hill, award-winning science communicator and BASILISK’s head of science education and outreach. Kyle shares how his career in science communication led him from YouTube into the world of professional gaming, where science and play are coming together in powerful new ways. Then, stick around for What’s Up with Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, as we share our favorite space-themed video games and a new random space fact. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-basiliskSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to http://betterhelp.com/super to get 10% off your first month. Go to http://shopify.com/scb to sign up for your $1-per-month trial period. Today Ben dives into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to find out what would have happened if Ron's Wand Never broke in the 2nd year! Would Lockhart get away? Does Tom Riddle come back? Does the Basilisk live?! Carlin Brothers Coffee & Merch ►► https://carlinbrothersmercantile.com J vs Ben ►► https://bit.ly/2I5xHee Harry Potter Theories ►► https://bit.ly/2K2Rtru Super Carlin Gaming ►► http://bit.ly/1CRM5Bq - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BECOME A SUPER CARLIN FRIEND➜ https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperCarlinBrothers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FOLLOW US: P A T R E O N ➜ https://www.patreon.com/SuperCarlinBrothers J's V L O G➜ https://www.youtube.com/jonathancarlin I N S T A G R A M➜ http://instagram.com/jonkerlin & http://instagram.com/scb_ben F A C E B O O K➜ http://www.facebook.com/supercarlinbrothers G A M I N G ➜ http://bit.ly/1CRM5Bq - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want to send us something? Super Carlin Brothers PO Box 4339 Roanoke, Virginia 24015 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Business Inquiries Only: carlinbrosrtp@gmail.com

Support Our Sponsor!: Pretty Litter: https://prettylitter.com/milehigher StitchFix: https://prettylitter.com/milehigher Hungry Root: https://hungryroot.com/milehigher Intro: 0:00 The Many "isms" of Silicon Valley 7:53 The Horror of Roko's Basilisk 15:20 Who Is Jack Lasota? 20:04 Ziz Discovers Rationalism 24:46 Aspiring to be a Sith Lord 33:32 Meeting Gwen Danielson 38:34 The Beginning of a Cult 49:33 What is Unihemispheric Sleep? 52:10 Launching the Rationalist Fleet 57:22 Meeting Curtis Lind 1:03:07 Ziz Recruits Emma, Michelle and Somni 1:04:39 The Camp Meeker CFAR Protest 1:09:28 Unhinged Behavior & a Lot of Star Wars 1:15:57 Curtis Lind Falls Out with the Zizians 1:24:52 A History of Being Uncooperative 1:33:19 The Zajko Murders 1:36:23 Terrifying Ends for Curtis Lind & David Maland 1:41:04 A Completely Wild Twist 1:45:52 Who Can Explain the Zizian Cult? 1:49:35 Final Thoughts & Outro 1:56:38 Higher Hope Foundation: https://higherhope.org Mile Higher Merch: milehigher.shop Charity Merch for NCMEC:  https://bit.ly/3R6eTj0 Check out our other podcasts! The Sesh https://bit.ly/3Mtoz4X Lights Out https://bit.ly/3n3Gaoe Planet Sleep https://linktr.ee/planetsleep Join our official FB group! https://bit.ly/3kQbAxg Join our Discord community, it's free! https://discord.gg/hZ356G9 MHP YouTube: http://bit.ly/2qaDWGf Are You Subscribed On Apple Podcast & Spotify?! Support MHP by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcast :) https://apple.co/2H4kh58 MHP Topic Request Form: https://forms.gle/gUeTEzL9QEh4Hqz88 Merch designer application: https://forms.gle/ha2ErBnv1gK4rj2Y6 You can follow us on all the things: @milehigherpod Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/milehigherpod Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/milehigherpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MileHigher Hosts: Kendall: @kendallraeonyt IG: http://instagram.com/kendallraeonyt TW: https://www.twitter.com/kendallraeonyt YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/kendallsplace Josh: @milehigherjosh IG: http://www.instagram.com/milehigherjosh TW: https://www.twitter.com/milehigherjosh Producer: Janelle: @janelle_fields_ IG: https://www.instagram.com/janelle_fie... TW: https://www.twitter.com/janelle_fields_ Podcast sponsor inquires: adops@audioboom.com ✉ Send Us Mail & Fan Art ✉ Kendall Rae & Josh Thomas  8547 E Arapahoe Rd Ste J # 233 Greenwood Village, CO 80112 Music By: Mile Higher Boys YT: https://bit.ly/2Q7N5QO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0F4ik... Sources: https://pastebin.com/LcjPxVTR The creator hosts a documentary series for educational purposes (EDSA). These include authoritative sources such as interviews, newspaper articles, and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history. Videos come with an editorial and artistic value.