Podcasts about CMU

Show Summary:    Mudita Khurana — Tech Lead at Airbnb and the person who always says, “I got this” No Password Required Season 7: Episode 6 - Mudita Khurana   Mudita Khurana is a Tech Lead for Automated Tooling and Vulnerability Management at Airbnb, where she focuses on building modular, scalable security systems in an era of rapidly evolving AI threats. Before Airbnb, she spent nearly a decade in security roles across Accenture, Meta, and PwC, making bold career pivots along the way, including turning down a PwC return offer to join Facebook's product security team. In this episode, Mudita shares her journey from a family of doctors in India to Carnegie Mellon and into the heart of Big Tech security. She discusses what it means to thrive as a non-traditional engineer in a deeply technical field, why she stepped back from management to get closer to the work, and how she thinks about building security tooling that won't be obsolete in three months. Jack Clabby and co-host Kayley Melton, recording live from Tampa B-Sides at the University of South Florida, talk with Mudita about imposter syndrome, AI's curveballs for security teams, leadership without a leadership title, and the importance of community in staying on top of a field that never stops moving. She also reflects on what great mentorship looks like early in a career and why clarity, ownership, and consistency are the leadership qualities she keeps coming back to. In the Lifestyle Polygraph, Mudita firmly plants her flag in the Harry Potter universe as Hermione, explains why Deadpool doesn't qualify as a superhero, debates gym vs. nature as a reset strategy, and reveals her dream remote work base: a high-altitude Buddhist mountain town in the Himalayas.   Follow Mudita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muditakhurana/     In this episode: Mudita shares her unconventional path into cybersecurity, highlighting the importance of mentorship and curiosity (0:25 - 1:37) The significance of mentorship, especially Vandana Verma, in her career development (2:26 - 4:00) Transition from management to technical IC roles and why staying close to technical work matters (9:29 - 10:23) The influence of her education at Carnegie Mellon and how it broadened her problem-solving skills (6:23 - 7:41) Navigating imposter syndrome and embracing challenges as growth opportunities (3:26 - 5:29) How AI is changing cybersecurity strategies—building modular, layered systems for agility (15:31 - 16:26) The importance of community, trust, and consensus in cybersecurity decision-making (17:06 - 17:47) Mudita's favorite places for remote work and balancing planning with spontaneity in travel (23:01 - 24:13) Her personal approach to wellness, exercise, and resets during busy days (21:32 - 22:36) Her unique perspective on superhero characters, favorite places, and cultural roots (18:54 - 19:36, 25:19 - 26:21) Timestamp Highlights: (00:25) Mudita's 10-year journey into cybersecurity starting from India (02:26) Mentorship's critical role in her growth and her admiration for Vandana Verma (09:29) Transition from management back to technical roles and why staying close to the work matters (15:31) How AI fosters layered, modular security systems for faster adaptation (17:06) The importance of community and trusted information sources in security (21:32) Reset routines—gym versus nature hikes—and staying grounded during busy days (25:19) Leh, Ladakh: Mudita's ideal remote work location nestled in Himalayan beauty Resources & Links: Vandana Verma - Influential mentor in cybersecurity ThreatLocker - Supporter of this podcast Cyber Florida – The Mother Ship

This week on the pod, Dr. Shelly Jones drops by to discuss their work as a scholar who incorporates games and RPGs into their work--and their career as an author who has written a series of cozy mysteries set at a game store. https://shellyjonesauthor.com/Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comBluesky: @beyondsolitaire.bsky.socialInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Coach Kenny Anderson joins Airey Bros Radio following a historic weekend for Central Methodist University Track & Field at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor National Championships.Under Anderson's leadership, the CMU men finished 7th nationally with 10 All-Americans, while the women also earned a Top-10 national finish with 9 All-Americans. The conversation dives into national championship performances, athlete development, recruiting philosophy, faith-based leadership, and what it takes to build a nationally competitive program in the NAIA.Coach Anderson shares his unique journey from electrical engineering and basketball coaching to becoming one of the most respected track & field coaches in the country. We discuss creating a family culture, developing overlooked athletes, handling the transfer portal era, and why student-athletes can thrive at smaller schools.Whether you're a recruit, coach, parent, or track & field fan, this episode provides an inside look at one of the fastest-rising programs in the NAIA.Connect with Airey Bros Radio

This week on the pod, Denver Walker comes by to discuss her life as a co-owner and CEO of a wargame company, as well as her own game designs. https://flyingpiggames.com/Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

June 1, 2026 ~ Full Show: Kevin broadcasts live from The Pines at Lake Isabella for the 2026 Pure Michigan Golf Tour. He covers the war in Iran with Peter Meijer, plus CMU football with Matt Drinkall and a look at the course with John Sommerville. Political strategist Roshini Rajkumar weighs in on the proposed Trump $250 bill, while Erik Rodriguez, Chris Rowley and Cassandra Chippeway each stop by The Pines. Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes joins to talk about her special Ugly Baby. Tom Emmerich breaks down Michigan's bottle return debate and Anise Hayes is named this week's All Talk All Star. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the pod, Amabel Holland comes by to discuss her upcoming game--if it can be so called--and the mysteries that it holds. I am very excited to play it. https://hollandspiele.com/Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Atlassian spent three years connecting 150 billion organizational objects before the results appeared: 44% more accurate AI answers, 48% fewer tokens, a coding agent that reviewed 2 billion lines of code in two minutes. That's the proof enterprises are pointing to when they argue that context graphs are the unlock. What the benchmark obscures is the order of operations — the graph had to exist before any of those numbers were possible.The reorganization bet is running in parallel, and it's moving faster than the infrastructure. Airbnb's CHRO is converting documentation to markdown, building skills libraries, mining meeting recordings before institutional memory disappears — five structural prerequisites before the first agent goes live. Meta is posting $26.8 billion in Q1 profit, laying off 8,000 people, and reporting “horrifically, historically low” employee morale. Both are restructuring around AI. Only one is sequencing it correctly.In AI customer experience, Twilio is working against a Qualtrics finding that 1 in 5 AI interactions delivers zero benefit. Rikki Singh's diagnosis is precise: the orchestration layer is there, but it's running without the context layer underneath it. FAQ automation with better packaging is still FAQ automation. The unlock is real — but only when all three pieces are in place, in order. The knowledge worker playbook in this edition addresses the fourth variable: what happens to the people whose roles disappear when the gathering does.Rikki Singh leads product innovation at Twilio — what the company is calling its biggest launch in 17 years. Before Twilio she was at McKinsey, where she co-authored the foundational research on what makes a great PM. The Qualtrics 2026 CX Trends Report found nearly 1 in 5 consumers who used AI customer service saw zero benefit — the baseline she is working against.* Why AI CX is still FAQ automation with better packaging* Why AI spend is as unpredictable as AI upside* The wrapper that makes AI feel like it thinks* Vitamins vs painkillers: the product sense filter* How to protect long-horizon bets inside a big company* Why the brand — not the vendor — owns AI failureListen: Spotify | Apple PodcastsJamil Valliani leads AI product at Atlassian, where he has spent three years building the Teamwork Graph across 300,000 companies. Recorded live at Team ‘26 in Anaheim, where Atlassian demonstrated what connecting 150 billion organizational objects produces: 44% more accurate AI answers using 48% fewer tokens, and a coding agent that reviewed 2 billion lines of code in 2 minutes.* Why your team spends 80% on gathering, not deciding* The adoption pattern that turns skeptics into converts* How to build trust with AI one small task at a time* Why giving AI less data often gets you a better answer* How leaders stop waiting for Friday status reports* From 2 ideas to 10: the creative unlock nobody explains“You didn't hire your team to write reports. You hired them to advance the business forward.” — Jamil VallianiListen: Spotify | Apple PodcastsNo one is measuring ROI & fewer understand knowledge graphsWe attended Atlassian Team ‘26 in Anaheim to cover the Teamwork Graph and what knowledge graphs actually mean for the future of work. Key learnings:* Everyone is in such a rush to increase adoption numbers that no one cares to measure ROI, only velocity* In the rush to adopt, many orgs are discovering dozens of agents built by individuals that are unsanctioned and eating up tokens* While there's excitement about announcements about getting access to more context, few understand what to do with the context that's currently available to them today

This week on the pod, David Thompson drops in for our seasonal check-in! We discuss the progress of our games together, check in on David's work with several other co-designers, and discuss the status of our design philosophies in general. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Google Review Policy Changes: What Coworking Operators Must Do Right Now Google issued major updates to its Maps user-generated content policy in April 2026, and if you've been relying on any of the review strategies that have been standard practice in coworking for years, you need to stop and read this now. These changes directly affect how you can ask for, manage, and even display Google reviews. And it's not just about new reviews Google has deployed Gemini AI enforcement tools that are actively scanning your existing review history for violations. Phase three enforcement, which includes ranking penalties, is expected in May and June 2026. There is no time to sit on this. In this episode, Jamie walks through all eight policy changes and exactly what you need to do about each one. Why Your Google Business Profile Is Non-Negotiable Before diving into the changes: your Google Business Profile is the top of the funnel for your coworking business. When someone searches "coworking near me" or "meeting rooms near me," the map pack is what they see first and your profile is what lives there. It gets 10 to 20 times the traffic your website gets. Reviews are a core part of what keeps that profile current, credible, and ranking well. Losing review functionality or getting your profile suspended is not a minor setback. For most coworking operators, it is effectively a lead generation crisis. That's why this update matters so much. The 8 Policy Changes 1. No More Onsite Review Solicitation: You can no longer ask customers to leave a review while they are physically in your space. Google considers this pressured solicitation. That means: No verbal asks to members or meeting room users while they're on site No tablet at the front desk with a review prompt pulled up No QR codes in the space linking to your Google review page No asking event attendees on their way out the door Google can detect when reviews are submitted from your business location and will flag patterns of onsite reviews as inauthentic. What to do: Remove any review-related signage and QR codes. Replace with neutral language "We'd love your feedback" without mentioning Google specifically. Shift all review requests to automated follow-up emails or texts that go out after someone has left the building. 2. No More Incentivized Reviews: You cannot offer anything of value in exchange for a Google review. That includes: Free day passes or meeting room credits Membership discounts Referral program perks tied to leaving a review Staff bonuses or KPI tracking tied to Google reviews Contests or challenges (including internal programs like the Google Review Challenge we've run in Community Manager University, which need to be restructured) Offering to refund a visit or provide a credit in exchange for removing or revising a negative review What to do: Decouple your review strategy from any rewards or referral programs entirely. If you run a review challenge or staff incentive program, restructure it around general feedback, not Google reviews specifically. Focus team energy on delivering experiences worth writing about organically. 3. No More Review Gating Review gating means filtering customers based on their likely sentiment before directing them to Google. The common setup looks like this: ask for a thumbs up or thumbs down, send the happy people to the Google review page (defaulted to five stars), and send the unhappy people to a private feedback email. That is no longer allowed. Every customer must receive the same call to action, sent to the same destination, regardless of how they might feel about their experience. This increases your exposure to negative reviews, which means two things matter more than ever: delivering a genuinely great experience, and getting in front of problems immediately before someone leaves the space unhappy and heads straight to Google. What to do: Audit any gating logic in your CRM automations whether you're using CoLevel, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, or another platform. Update those sequences so everyone receives the same follow-up with neutral feedback language. Remove direct links to Google reviews with language specifically asking for a Google review. You can still link to your Google Business Profile; you just cannot use the word Google or make it a conditional destination. 4. No Asking for Specific Content or Staff Name Mentions You cannot coach reviewers to mention specific products, services, or team members by name. That means: No asking members to mention private offices or meeting rooms in their reviews No asking guests to thank a specific community manager by name No staff incentive programs built around getting mentioned in reviews Google's AI will scan for these text patterns and flag or remove reviews that appear to have been coached. This is particularly tricky because keyword mentions in reviews do help with SEO but the path forward is to create experiences so compelling that people mention what matters naturally, without being asked. What to do: Let reviewers write whatever they write. If you want meeting room reviews, set up automated follow-ups specifically triggered by meeting room bookings people will naturally describe what they did. SEO-optimize your Google Business Profile through other means, including your posts, which you can and should still be doing intentionally. 5. No Fake Reviews Every Google review must reflect a genuine customer experience. Reviews from friends, family members, or team members who haven't actually used the space as a customer will be removed. This is especially common during new space launches, when operators ask their personal networks for support. What to do: Don't ask for reviews from non-customers. It wastes everyone's time and it won't hold up. Put that energy into getting reviews from real members, meeting room users, and event guests through compliant automated systems. 6. No Cross-Platform Review Campaigns You cannot use other platforms (social media, email lists, community groups) to coordinate Google review campaigns. That includes: Posting in your Facebook group asking members to leave a Google review Sending an email blast to your full membership asking for reviews Promoting a "Review Friday" push in your member Slack channel Instagram Stories with a link to your Google review page Google can detect when a batch of reviews comes in all at once and will flag that pattern as coordinated and inauthentic. What to do: Replace campaigns with individual, automated, trigger-based follow-ups. The goal is a steady drip of reviews tied to specific interactions (a tour, a day pass, an event, a membership milestone), not a wave that arrives all at once. This also distributes the timing naturally so no pattern gets flagged. 7. No AI-Generated Reviews Google's AI can detect text generated by ChatGPT, Claude, and similar tools and will remove those reviews. Even if you're sending compliant automated emails, if you suggest that members use AI to write their review or provide a template they can feed into AI, those reviews could still get flagged. What to do: Do not suggest that members use AI to write reviews. Do not provide pre-written review templates. Consider adding language to your automated review requests asking people to share their experience in their own words. 8. Reviews Must Come from a Personal Device Reviews must be submitted from the reviewer's personal device. No front desk tablets, no shared computers, no staff member handing someone a phone with the review page already pulled up. What to do: Most operators aren't doing this anyway, but if you have any setup that makes it easy for someone to leave a review from a shared device on-site, remove it. The Enforcement Timeline March 2026: Google activated new Gemini AI detection systems and began scanning, including existing review histories. April 2026: Active enforcement began. Non-compliant reviews are being removed. Google has already removed reviews from over 60,000 businesses and placed posting restrictions on over 782,000 accounts. May/June 2026 (Phase 3): Ranking adjustments will be applied to businesses with significant policy violations. Your search visibility could drop. This is not a "deal with it later" situation. Your Action Plan 1. Audit your automations. Check your CRM (CoLevel, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.) and your coworking management platform (OfficeRnD, Nexudus, Optix, Coworks, Archy, Yardi) for any automated emails or SMS sequences that request Google reviews. Update any gating logic, remove direct Google review links, and adjust the language to be neutral. Also consider scheduling automated follow-ups to go out after hours or on weekends if members receive and respond to them while still on-site, it could still trigger a flag. 2. Update signage and physical touchpoints. Walk through your space and remove any QR codes, signs, or collateral that ask for a Google review or link directly to your review page. Replace with neutral feedback language or remove entirely. Check welcome packets, onboarding materials, and anything printed. 3. Retrain your team. Your community managers, front desk staff, and any outsourced marketing contractors need to know exactly what changed. Brief them on what they cannot say, cannot ask, and cannot offer. Give them this episode. CMU members will receive a cheat sheet and support playbook shortly. 4. Remove all incentive programs tied to reviews. Any staff bonus structures, contests, or member incentives connected to Google reviews need to come down immediately. 5. Build review generation into your systems, not your scripts. Set up automated, trigger-based one-to-one follow-ups for key moments: post-tour, 30 days into membership, after a meeting room booking, after an event. No campaigns, no broadcasts. Individual, triggered, automated. 6. Revisit the member and guest experience. The best long-term review strategy is an experience people cannot help but talk about. Use this as a forcing function to audit the full member and guest journey: what's frustrating, what's forgettable, and what's genuinely great. Get a peer or outside set of eyes on it if you can. Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Google's official review policy Google's Maps UGC policy overview Everything Coworking Featured Resources: Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space Coworking Startup School Community Manager University Follow Us on YouTube

【AI那些事】你们赶上了最好的时机——黄仁勋CMU演讲里的三件事面对越来越聪明的AI，你是不是也开始为保住饭碗而焦虑了？黄仁勋在CMU演讲中直言这是“最好的时机”，为何说所有人都回到了同一起跑线？当AI把你的工作无情拆分为“任务”与“目的”，你真正不可替代的价值到底在哪？面对这场横穿所有行业的智力重构，我们该如何跨越门槛抓住这波普惠红利？欢迎收听本期播客，聊聊“黄仁勋CMU演讲背后的AI革命与普通人的破局之道”本音频来自虎嗅音频直播栏目《早点生活》每个工作日7:30~9:00 ，预约和锁定【虎嗅APP】的视频号、抖音，保持与时代同频。本期主播： 阳仔 粥粥 运营：康康

This week on the pod, Tilak Vyas drops by to talk about his poetry game, Line by Line, that is forthcoming from Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Episode Topic: AI Ethics by DesignGain a strategic edge in the evolving AI landscape. Join Vatican AI consultant Father Paulo Benanti and CMU machine learning expert Professor Arti Singh for a high-level dialogue on innovation and human dignity. This fireside chat bridges ethics and engineering, offering essential insights for leaders committed to building responsible, human-centric technology.Featured Speakers:Fr. Paolo Benanti, Third Order Regular FranciscanAarti Singh, Carnegie Mellon UniversityRead this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/45e27f. This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled RISE AI.Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career.Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu.Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

  In this episode, Ray Cochrane leads with Mozilla shipping Firefox 150 with 271 patched bugs found by Anthropic’s Mythos system, the first major real-world deployment of the AlphaGo-Moment cybersecurity tooling. He also covers a 9-year dormant Linux kernel root, a college student stopping Taiwan’s high-speed rail with a software-defined radio, GitHub MCP secret scanning going GA, the NVIDIA NeMo lawsuit surviving its motion to dismiss, the Hugging Face Reachy Mini app store, Anthropic’s Auto Mode for Claude Code, and the 4-gigabyte AI model Chrome silently installed on your computer. – Want to start a podcast? Its easy to get started! Sign-up at Blubrry – Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support the show. Subscribe to the Newsletter. Email Ray if you want to get in touch! Like and Follow Geek News Central’s Facebook Page. Support my Show Sponsor: Best Godaddy Promo Codes Get 1Password Full Summary Cochrane opens the show with the AlphaGo Moment moving from theory into production. Mozilla shipped Firefox 150 this week with 271 patched bugs that Anthropic’s Mythos system found. Furthermore, the broader episode threads a clear pattern: AI tooling is reshaping security, developer workflows, and consumer software faster than the surrounding ecosystem can absorb it. The show closes on the four-gigabyte AI model Chrome installed on a billion machines without explicit consent. Mozilla Ships 271 Mythos Bugs in Firefox 150 Mozilla ran Anthropic’s restricted Mythos system against the Firefox 150 codebase before shipping. The result: 271 found bugs (180 high severity, 80 moderate, 11 low) baked into the release. However, the bigger number is the year-over-year jump. April 2026 shipped 423 total Firefox security fixes versus 31 a year prior. The breakdown for April: 271 from Mythos, 41 from external researchers, and 111 from other internal sources. Cochrane is sticking to his guns on calling this the AlphaGo Moment for cybersecurity. Skeptics argue Mythos is industrial-scale fuzzing because most found bugs sit in memory-safety territory. However, his counter is the velocity itself. Furthermore, he frames the resistance as carriage-versus-cars: humans-first research still grounds the tool, but throughput is the win. The Firefox CTO put it directly: defenders finally have a chance to win, decisively. For developers asking whether Mythos changes anything if they already run fuzzers, Cochrane’s answer is yes, and not even close. Additionally, he notes Mythos is restricted-access. The broadly available tier is Claude Opus 4.7, which Mozilla used since February before getting onto the restricted program for the Firefox 150 cycle. Run Opus 4.7 first. Sponsor: GoDaddy GoDaddy has been sponsoring this show for over twenty years. Economy hosting starts at $6.99/month, WordPress hosting at $12.99/month, and domains at $11.99. Use codes at geeknewscentral.com/godaddy for exclusive deals and to directly support the show. Copy Fail: 9-Year Linux Kernel Bug, 732 Bytes to Root A 9-year-old dormant Linux kernel bug got disclosed April 29 as CVE-2026-31431. Researchers published a 732-byte Python script that roots every major Linux distribution shipped since 2017. Additionally, CISA added the CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on May 1 with a May 15 federal deadline. The bug lives in the kernel’s crypto socket layer through the AF_ALG AEAD interface, originating in a 2017 in-place crypto optimization that lacked bounds checking. Cloudflare published their post-mortem this week. Their first instinct was to remove the kernel module entirely. However, service dependencies forced a workaround instead. Cloudflare resumed normal patched-kernel reboot automation across their 330-city fleet on May 4, with manual reboots and rollouts continuing after. Taiwan Rail Stopped by a 23-Year-Old With a Software-Defined Radio A 23-year-old Taiwanese university student with the surname Lin spoofed a TETRA general alarm signal on April 5, stopping trains on Taiwan’s high-speed rail. The accomplice supplied the radio parameters. Both were arrested by month-end. Lin posted NT$100,000 bail; the accomplice posted NT$80,000. The incident hit at 11:23 PM during the Qingming holiday weekend, stopping three revenue passenger trains plus one deadhead. Furthermore, the system has been in service for 19 years without rotating its cryptographic parameters once. Cochrane notes this is exactly the type of long-dormant infrastructure flaw that Mythos-class tooling catches, if anyone bothers to point it at the wires we already have. GitHub MCP Secret Scanning Goes GA GitHub’s secret scanning in the MCP server hit GA on May 5, with dependency scanning entering public preview the same day. Both released after a seven-week public preview run starting March 17. Additionally, the feature lets MCP-compatible coding agents (Copilot CLI, VS Code, JetBrains, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf) detect exposed secrets before commits or pull requests. Findings are ephemeral. They surface only in the current chat session and don’t persist as GitHub alerts. Sources disagree on scope: GitHub’s GA changelog says repo-level or org-level settings work, while the docs say only org-level applies. Cochrane flags the open question of whether MCP prompt injections could be exploited to send discovered secrets elsewhere. Subquadratic Debuts a 12-Million-Token Context Window Miami-based Subquadratic emerged from stealth on May 5 with a $29 million seed round and a reported $500 million valuation. Their model, SubQ 1M-Preview, runs on a new Subquadratic Sparse Attention architecture (their technical writeup calls it Selective Attention; same acronym, different second word). The headline claim: a thousand-times reduction in attention compute at 12 million tokens versus frontier models. However, that figure is vendor marketing math. There is no peer-reviewed paper, no public weights, and no independent benchmark replication. Researchers are demanding independent proof. Furthermore, CTO Alex Whedon’s pull line, “Retrieval / RAG plumbing is a waste of human intelligence,” signals how aggressively they want to position against retrieval-augmented architectures. ChatGPT Goblins, China’s “Catch You Steadily”: Sycophancy Is Universal Last week’s ChatGPT goblin obsession has a Chinese-language twin. The model overuses a phrase translating as “I will steadily catch you.” Additionally, a new Stanford and CMU study called ELEPHANT shows social sycophancy is universal across all 11 LLMs tested with 2,400-plus participants. Models endorsed users 49 percent more than humans did, and 47 percent even on harmful prompts. Alibaba’s Qwen and DeepSeek topped the rankings. Cochrane notes sycophancy is obvious once you’re aware of it but tricky to dissuade. Even with explicit instructions, longer context windows can reintroduce the behavior as the instructions get diluted. Furthermore, the trap is believing you’ve handled it. Once you think you’ve got it under control, you’re more prone to being influenced because you stopped watching for it. NVIDIA NeMo Lawsuit: Judge Tigar Denies Motion to Dismiss Three authors filed Nazemian v. NVIDIA in March 2024, alleging NVIDIA used The Pile and Books3 (approximately 196,640 pirated books) to train its NeMo AI framework. NVIDIA’s defense relied on the Sony v. Universal Betamax doctrine, arguing NeMo’s training scripts are general-purpose tools like a VCR. This week, Judge Tigar denied NVIDIA’s motion to dismiss in the Northern District of California. The headline quote: NeMo’s training scripts “have no other purpose than to speed up the process of infringement.” Furthermore, the judge rejected the VCR analogy outright. NeMo’s scripts are not general-purpose tools; they were allegedly purpose-built to ingest pirated material. Cochrane reads the Betamax framing as legal-jargon arbitrage rather than honest defense. The Humanoid Robot Market Is Smaller Than the Hype Michael Barnard at CleanTechnica argues that scenario-math against the global labor market puts realistic humanoid TAM at $200 billion to $1 trillion, not $20 trillion. Near-term wins cluster in warehouses, not homes. Additionally, the framework weighs dexterity burden against human-proximity safety burden. Real opportunities cluster where both burdens are low. Cochrane connects this to last week’s reservations about humanoids in the household. Furthermore, the risk profile is the issue: these robots aren’t prepared for every scenario, can’t make dynamic decisions, and one software update can change the definition of “safe.” Hugging Face Launches Reachy Mini App Store Hugging Face launched an open-source app store for the Reachy Mini robot this week, $299 for the Lite tethered version and $449 wireless. There are 200-plus community-built apps at launch from over 150 creators, with nearly 10,000 Reachy Minis cumulative shipped. Additionally, apps are forkable, with the default agent (ML Intern) able to modify, write, test, and ship code on any existing app. Examples at launch include an office receptionist built in under two hours, a Reachy Phone Home anti-procrastination app, baby-monitor-style apps, a cooking assistant, and a 78-year-old Joel Cohen’s voice-controlled CEO peer-group app. Pollen Robotics, the company behind Reachy, was acquired by Hugging Face on April 14, 2025. Bebop the Humanoid Robot Delays Southwest Flight 1568 A 4-foot, 70-pound humanoid robot named Bebop delayed Southwest flight 1568 from Oakland to San Diego by more than 73 minutes on April 30. The crew flagged the lithium battery as oversized. Furthermore, the battery was reportedly four times the cabin limit. Bebop belongs to Dallas-based Elite Event Robotics, which bought a full-price cabin ticket because the robot exceeded checked-baggage weight. Bebop danced for passengers at the gate before boarding. However, Southwest had Elite remove the batteries before departure, and replacements were overnighted to Chicago for the next event. Cochrane flags the obvious: batteries have always been flagged in aviation, so forgetting that with a humanoid robot in tow is a strange miss. Ouster Rev8: Native Color Lidar With Google, Volvo, Skydio Stating Intent Ouster announced the Rev8 OS Family on May 4 in San Francisco. The sensors fuse depth and color via SPAD detectors (single photon avalanche diodes) on Ouster’s custom L4 and L4 Max chips. Google, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, Skydio, Liebherr, Epiroc, and PlusAI have stated intent to adopt, though nothing is formally signed. Specs include 48-bit color, 116 dB dynamic range, and pre-fused 3D colorized point clouds. The OS1 Max gets 500-meter max detection. Available to order today and shipping this quarter, with no pricing disclosed. CEO Angus Pacala in his TechCrunch interview: “The goal is to obviate cameras. There’s no reason that one sensor can’t do both.” TagTinker Lets a Flipper Zero Mess With Electronic Shelf Labels A new Flipper Zero app called TagTinker uses infrared signals to push images and text to electronic shelf labels. Additionally, these are the same kind of price tags grocery chains are starting to use for surveillance pricing. The app and GitHub repo went public this week. Maryland’s HB 895, signed by Governor Wes Moore, takes effect October 1 as the first-in-nation surveillance pricing law. It covers food retailers and third-party food delivery service providers. Furthermore, ESLs use the same IR signaling as TV remotes with weak security. The dev’s disclaimer states it’s strictly for educational research, security curiosity, and displaying digital art on hardware you legally own. Fitbit App Becomes Google Health, Plus Fitbit Air, Plus Google Fit Sunset Google announced May 7 that the Fitbit app becomes Google Health on May 19, rolling through May 26. The launch ships with the new $99.99 Fitbit Air screenless tracker and the long-rumored Google Fit shutdown. Additionally, the four-tab interface (Today, Fitness, Sleep, Health) bundles a Gemini-powered AI Health Coach. Coach is premium-gated at $9.99/month or $99/year. Medical records integration is US-only at launch. The Fitbit Air gets up to one week of battery life and 50-meter water resistance. However, Cochrane flags conflicting privacy framing: Google’s AI summary bullets say “your data stays private,” but the actual document copy says only “committed to not using Fitbit user health and wellness data for Google Ads.” Those are not the same statement. Russinovich on Why Win32 Won and WinRT Didn’t Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich said via Microsoft Dev Docs video that Win32, the 1995 API, is still foundational to Windows 11. WinRT, the modernization replacement, “didn’t play out the way a lot of people expected.” Mostly clickbait framing per Windows Latest, but the substantive angle is real. Microsoft is pivoting back to native WinUI 3 development after years of pushing developers toward WebView2 and Electron. Additionally, Electron-based apps are known for insane RAM usage, and everyone is hurting for RAM right now. Furthermore, the bigger open question is whether Electron survives the test of time, especially with the React engine reportedly being rewritten in Rust. “Tabula Plena”: The Brain Starts Full, Not Blank A Nature Communications study from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria found that the mouse hippocampal CA3 recurrent network begins densely connected and refines through pruning. ISTA’s press release frames this as “tabula plena,” meaning full slate, counter to tabula rasa. The paper published April 21. First author Victor Vargas-Barroso and senior author Professor Peter Jonas studied mice at three developmental stages. Furthermore, the “starting overloaded enables faster sensory integration” framing is Jonas’s hypothesis from the press release, not a paper conclusion. Cochrane closes on the bigger question: did we have human growth and experience mapped wrong from the start? The Aqueous Battery You Can Pour Down the Drain A Chinese research team led by Professor Chunyi Zhi at City University of Hong Kong built an aqueous battery using a custom organic polymer electrode plus neutral magnesium and calcium salts (food-grade tofu coagulants) as electrolyte. Published in Nature Communications on February 18. Numbers to know: 120,000-plus charge cycles, full-cell energy density of 48.3 watt-hours per kilogram. That’s well below typical lithium-ion. However, post-cycling analysis showed only magnesium, calcium, chlorine, carbon, and copper, with no heavy metals. The cell complies with US RCRA, ISO 14001, and China’s GB 18599-2020 for direct environmental disposal. Additionally, the “300-plus years” framing is journalists extrapolating from the 120,000 cycles, not a paper claim. ResoNix Klippel Tests Expose Car-Audio Spec Lies Nick Apicella, founder of ResoNix Sound Solutions in Stony Point, New York, spent around $23,000 on independent Klippel LSI and TRF testing of 40 subwoofers. He published 21 results showing widespread misrepresentation of Xmax (excursion) and thermal/power-handling claims. Test data published in three batches between December 2025 and January 2026. Specifics: Wavtech thinPRO12 claimed 20 mm of excursion but delivered 8.85 mm, scoring 15 out of 100 on marketing accuracy. One driver hit 44 percent of advertised excursion. Another tripped thermal protection at half its rated power. Additionally, nine of 21 drivers scored below 50 out of 100. Brands tested include JL Audio, Sundown, Focal, Morel, Audiofrog, Adire, Stereo Integrity, and Dynaudio. Conflict-of-interest flag: ResoNix’s own GUS-15, 12, and 10 prototypes conveniently rank one, two, three. JetBrains Opens 2026 Developer Ecosystem Survey JetBrains opened the 10th annual Developer Ecosystem Survey this week. It takes about 30 minutes, with prizes including a MacBook Pro 16-inch and a $1,000 Amazon gift card. Anonymized raw data is published publicly, and cumulative scale is 100,000-plus developers across recent years. Additionally, the survey is going fully anti-AI: “evil bots, dishonest respondents, and AI agents will be excluded from prize distribution.” Cochrane is curious whether TypeScript holds its 2025 crown after knocking Python off, and whether Rust shows real growth given the wave of LLM-driven Rust rewrites in the past few months. Anthropic’s Claude Code Auto Mode Goes Live Anthropic launched Auto Mode for Claude Code roughly six weeks ago. Claude Code’s previous behavior required user approval for most file modifications and command executions, generating heavy approval-fatigue complaints during longer sessions. Auto Mode is the answer: Claude can run multi-step development tasks without per-action approval. Additionally, the architecture is a two-stage classifier, with stage one a fast yes/no filter and stage two doing chain-of-thought on flagged actions. Cochrane runs his own Claude Code in YOLO mode but with custom rejection rules baked into settings to block commands he doesn’t want, even with skip-permissions on. He recommends configuring settings as the actual policy layer rather than relying on classifier judgment alone. Furthermore, recent posts about Claude deleting websites or wiping production databases reinforce why the settings layer matters more than the auto-mode toggle. Chrome Quietly Installed a 4GB AI Model on Your Computer Google Chrome silently downloads on-device AI model weights (Gemini Nano family) to a `weights.bin` file in the OptGuideOnDeviceModel directory, around four gigabytes in Alexander Hanff’s audit. Furthermore, the model re-downloads if you delete it. Hanff timed his own install at 14 minutes 28 seconds on macOS. Affected platforms include Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon), and Linux. Hanff frames this as a multi-front legal violation: a direct breach of Europe’s ePrivacy Directive, two articles of GDPR, and an environmental harm of a magnitude that would be notifiable under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. At one billion users, the four-gigabyte distribution represents roughly 240 gigawatt-hours of network and storage energy paired with about 60,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions. However, no EU regulator action or formal complaint has surfaced as of this episode. The model powers on-device features (email writing, scam detection, summarization, smart paste, tab grouping) but not the visible AI Mode button, which routes to the cloud. To disable, Cochrane recommends Chrome Settings, then System, then On-device AI, toggle to off. Two more paths exist via `chrome://flags` or a Windows registry edit. Cochrane closes the show with show housekeeping: GNC Insider at geeknewscentral.com/insider, email at geeknews@gmail.com, newsletter signup at geeknewscentral.com, and Pocket Casts as a solid modern podcast app pick. Have a wonderful night. The post Mozilla Meets Mythos #1864 appeared first on Geek News Central.

This week on the pod, I chat with Alyssa and Ari, who coordinate gaming programs for teens in my local county library system. Some of them even include me! Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

This week on the pod, Paul Wright and I discuss Foxes & Lions, how it has developed over the past year or so, and what we're excited about next. Also, it's on P500! Go support it here: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1229-foxes-and-lions-renaissance-city-states-in-the-age-of-machiavelli.aspxCheck out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Joining us on Pixel Pizza this week is my fellow CMU alum Lawrence Plofker! For the past five years Lawrence has been a game designer at Simcoach Games, developing educational experiences for players on the autism spectrum. We get into his experiences playtesting, teaching life skills through games, and the wider success of the team's game Tidekeeper. Ft music from Cloning People!LINKS:

This week on the pod, Waleed Ma'arouf, a designer at Studio Big, discusses their work in education, how they joined the Arkham Horror LCG design team, and their current design work for a fresh crop of games. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

This week on the pod, Dr. Esther Wright (@enwright.bsky.social), a lecturer at the University of Cardiff, speaks about her work on Rockstar Games, the way they represent American history, and what we can learn from the stories they tell about America and themselves. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

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This week on the pod, Brooks Barber (rollplusfun@bsky.social) drops by to discuss his new venture, Hawk & Dove. He's starting a new historical games publishing business, moving his family to the Netherlands, and still designing games! https://www.hawkanddovegames.com/Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

In February 2026, Paul Nielsen announced that he will transition out of his role as director and chief executive officer of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University. During Nielsen's tenure, the SEI has marked major institutional milestones that underscore its enduring role in strengthening the security, resilience, and reliability of the nation's software- and AI-intensive systems. The institute recently celebrated 40 years of innovation and saw its contract renewed, which paved the way for CMU to operate the SEI for another five years. In our latest SEI podcast, Nielsen recently sat down with Matthew Butkovic, technical director of Risk and Resilience in the SEI's CERT Division, to discuss his legacy at the SEI, the impact of mentors, and the importance of encouraging scientists and engineers to do their best work.

A custodian at CMU accused of stealing from students, latest on Iran and more.

Today on the show, we're talking all about Michigan's match up with Arizona on Saturday night as we were joined by some of our great guests. We kicked off the show talking with Terry Mills, who is one of the voices of Michigan Basketball. He and Huge talked about what's impressed them most about this team this season, gave their thoughts on how Saturday's game goes against Arizona, and more. Chris Balas from theWolverine.com then joined us. He gave us his opinion on how Saturday's game goes, talked about who he thinks will advance this weekend, and more. We were then joined by Ant Wright so he could give us his thoughts on how all four teams play this weekend, and more. In our second hour, we were joined by former Michigan Basketball Head Coach John Beilein and Josh Garvey from Doeren Mayhew for our weekly "Talking Hoops" segment. Huge, John, and Josh talked about Michigan advancing to the Final Four, gave their thoughts on how that game against Arizona will go, and more. We were then joined by Andy Bronkema, who is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at CMU. He talked about how year one went for him as the new Head Coach at CMU, talked about Dusty May and Michigan in the Final Four, and more. We wrapped up the hour with a "Moving Ferris Forward" interview as Huge spoke with Dave Murray, who is the VP of Communications at Ferris State. He updated us on their indoor athletic complex, talked about their aim to help more people in the community, talked about goals and fundraising, and more. In our final hour, Clayton Sayfie from theWolverine.com joined us. He and Huge gave their thoughts on how Michigan will do against Arizona on Saturday, talked about who they think Michigan would face in the National Championship game, and much more. Anthony Broome from theWolverine.com then joined us to give his opinion on if Michigan will get to the National Championship game, and more. We were then joined by Matt Shepard from X's and Bro's to get his prediction on how the Michigan/Arizona game will go, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We were joined by Andy Bronkema, who is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at CMU. He talked about how year one went for him as the new Head Coach at CMU, talked about Dusty May and Michigan in the Final Four, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our second hour, we were joined by former Michigan Basketball Head Coach John Beilein and Josh Garvey from Doeren Mayhew for our weekly "Talking Hoops" segment. Huge, John, and Josh talked about Michigan advancing to the Final Four, gave their thoughts on how that game against Arizona will go, and more. We were then joined by Andy Bronkema, who is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at CMU. He talked about how year one went for him as the new Head Coach at CMU, talked about Dusty May and Michigan in the Final Four, and more. We wrapped up the hour with a "Moving Ferris Forward" interview as Huge spoke with Dave Murray, who is the VP of Communications at Ferris State. He updated us on their indoor athletic complex, talked about their aim to help more people in the community, talked about goals and fundraising, and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the pod, Danielle Reynolds (@tokengaymer.bsky.social) stops by to discuss her game design career, her current work at Relatable, and her dedication to paying it forward. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

"They're guessing." A judge reveals what's really happening behind NCAA gymnastics scoring — plus a brutal Regionals draw (UCLA, Utah & Alabama in the same bracket). LIVE SHOW – NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS (APRIL 17) Limited tickets: Get tickets THIS EPISODE: Conference Champions crowned Regionals draw winners and losers Judging controversy explained Perfect 10 watch and Gym Slam race Favorite Moments from College & Cocktails  CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Judges Are Guessing? Cold Open 00:00:12 – Intro: Conference Champs, Regionals & Judge Interview 01:40 – Voinea Family Back in the News 03:47 – British Championships: Becky Downie, Ruby Evans & Joe Fraser 09:48 – Conference Championships Recap: Florida on Top, Clemson Makes History 12:17 – Regionals Selection Show Reactions 15:27 – Why This Year's Regionals Draw Actually Makes Sense 18:18 – LSU Regional Drama: Clemson vs Auburn 19:39 – BTS, Club Gym Nerd & Live Show Updates 22:26 – Fantasy Update: KJ Kindler's Horse Farm Wins 23:44 – Rage-O-Meter: Backless Leos and Breast Health 25:07 – Full Regionals Draw Breakdown 28:39 – Stanford vs Michigan, CMU vs Rutgers & Regional Reactions 31:38 – Emergency Therapy Session: Who Got Screwed by the Draw 38:24 – New Rule: Teams Pick Their Starting Event 41:15 – Gymternet News: Amanda Yap, Lily Smith, Doha Cancelled, D'Amato Surgery 45:17 – Judge Jason Buttons Interview Begins 46:00 – "They Don't Know What They're Doing" 47:03 – Skill Recognition Problems at the Judges' Table 48:46 – Why Club Judges Can Talk and College Judges Can't 50:17 – Why Judges Need Replay and Slow Motion 51:11 – Why So Many Top Judges Avoid College Meets 53:09 – Accountability, Testing & Why Bad Judges Shouldn't Stay 56:18 – How Often Judging Errors Happen 57:52 – Deductions Judges Are Getting Wrong 01:00:06 – Why Routine Summaries Don't Really Explain Enough 01:05:34 – How Judges Are Evaluated and Why It's Not Working 01:07:15 – Why NCAA Judging Pay and Conditions Are a Problem 01:08:35 – Are Judges Actually Biased? 01:10:03 – Is There Any Real Data on Who the Best Judges Are? 01:11:16 – How Jason Would Fix the Entire Judging System 01:14:42 – Why Most Judges Still Love the Sport 01:16:24 – Judging Pay, Travel Time & Dry Cleaning Reality 01:20:24 – Interview Wrap-Up 01:20:47 – Perfect 10s Update: Selena, Faith Torrez & Jordan Chiles 01:22:14 – Feedback and Letters Begin 01:23:14 – Muriel Grossfeld Stories 01:24:33 – Why Stanford Looked Off at ACCs 01:26:30 – Equipment Horror Stories 01:29:13 – Iowa State's Unsafe Gym Conditions 01:33:22 – Courtney McGregor, Stuttgart & Germany's Scoring Mess 01:36:15 – Score Mystery Solved: Tonya Paulsson's Beam Fall 01:38:03 – Margarita Theater & Outro SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: gymcastic.com/club

This week on the pod, Taylor Shuss drops by to discuss his new game, Walkable City, which is all about urban planning. We also catch upon his historical designs and talk about design in general! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fowers/walkable-city-the-urban-planning-boardgameCheck out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

News: QGIS 4.0 Norrköping release Google Maps and Gemini ADA Web & Mobile Rule countdown CMU uses Sleep Cycle data to detect outbreaks Web corner: ESRI 3D interactive Dance of Continents  Topic: https://blog.geomusings.com/2026/01/28/post-gis-revisited/ https://blog.geomusings.com/2026/03/02/when-geospatial-is-consumed-at-ai-scale/ Events: Louisiana Remote Sensing & GIS Workshop: 14-16 April in Lafayette Louisiana  ACH 2026: 24-26 June, Virtual 2026 ASPRS International Technical Symposium: 5-8 October, Virtual  GIS-PRO 2026: 12-15 October, Milwaukee Music: Sad That I'm Still Sad by Liminal

It was the weekend of Lasts, a 10 on senior night for an alum, last home meet for a program legend coach, Silent at CMU. We had some long reach out and grab that bar moments this week, last time Westwood oh and maybe the judges wont notice if we just keeping steppin through week 11, let's rap    

On this weekend's show, Gonzo and Amy learn more about the 37th annual Celebrating Life Powwow at Central Michigan University (March 21-22), and get opening date information for a new season on Mackinac Island.Segment 1- Steph Castelein, managing director, Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau.A soft opeing is planned April 24, and the official opening (complete with ribbon cutting) is May 1. More details at https://www.mackinacisland.org/season-updates/Segments - 2 & 3 - CMU's Annual "Celebrating Life" Powwow, March 21-22 at John G. Kulhavi Events Center | McGuirk Arena on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant.More details at cmich.edu.We talk to Cassandra Chippeway, content and communications coordinator, Mt. Pleasant Area Convention & Visitors Bureau - http://www.meetmtp.com/And Shay Hale of CMU's Office of Indigenous Affairs, which sponsors the Powwow each year.Segment 4 - Amy and Gonzo.

This week on the pod, Joe Dewhurst discusses his upcoming game, The Pure Land, as well as his continued work as a game developer and COIN solo mode expert. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Show Notes About the episode: Dan Saffer—designer, author, and CMU professor—joins Peter and Jesse to take stock of design education at a moment when everything is in flux. What’s worth teaching when the tools change weekly? How do you define quality when AI can spin up a passable prototype in minutes? And what are today’s […]

Shadi Torbey, designer of the legendary Oniverse series, talks solo game design, running his own company, and being an opera singer. https://inpatience.com/Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Kim's last time in the chair for this season and there was a lot going on boxes jumping in and out, its the Drake Dawson show at NIU and Iowa and OSU had a good fight going on but Iowa has a Tyson, It might be the Choe Show for Illinois but it was a vault clinic at Oregon State, we got dancing, props and a whole production from ISU, Did Sam Peszak make a comeback and compete for CMU, Olympians galore at Stanford or maybe soon to be, a couple deltchevs, a double layout that will make your mouth drop and a possible new career as a pep rally hype women that and more lets rap on Week 9  

This week on the pod, Bree Woodward of Asmodee's Studio Big drops by to discuss her current work as a creative director, how she got her start in video games, and her commitment to Women in Toys. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

We touch on the basketball game @ Clemson tomorrow, baseball hosting CMU this weekend, the women's team finish the regular season undefeated on the road & Drew's big gambling win. Ethan Moore joins the show and talks about his March expectations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the pod, Dan Bullock drops into talk about Penitent, a new release from Lock Horns, his game press. We also discuss game developers and our mutual hatred of dice. If you want Penitent, there are only 200 copies and you can preorder one here: http://lockhornsgames.com/products/penitentCheck out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

This week on the pod, Jason Morningstar joins me to talk about good RPG design and about his new edition of The Blue Way, forthcoming from Central Michigan University. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

This week on the pod, I speak with  @PamWallsGameDesign about game design, making life work as a full-time independent game designer, and that time she made a game for Bush's chili. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Central Michigan University Head Football Coach Matt Drinkall joined us to talk about signing day for CMU. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the pod, Jeremiah McCall returns to talk about the publication of his book, Designing History Games for Class. We also chat about his current educational designs, and about how he assigns game design projects to his students so that they learn more about history. https://gamingthepast.net/about/Register for Kathleen Mercury's course, Deep Dive by Doing: https://cmichpress.com/product/course-registration-for-deep-dive-by-doing/Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Welcome to Season 12 of the Beyond Solitaire podcast! To kick things off, Diana Toma from Meeple Foundry is here to talk about translation, graphic design, and building an international team to work on games. Register for Kathleen Mercury's course, Deep Dive by Doing: https://cmichpress.com/product/course-registration-for-deep-dive-by-doing/Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Will AGI happen soon - or are we running into a wall?In this episode, I'm joined by Tim Dettmers (Assistant Professor at CMU; Research Scientist at the Allen Institute for AI) and Dan Fu (Assistant Professor at UC San Diego; VP of Kernels at Together AI) to unpack two opposing frameworks from their essays: “Why AGI Will Not Happen” versus “Yes, AGI Will Happen.” Tim argues progress is constrained by physical realities like memory movement and the von Neumann bottleneck; Dan argues we're still leaving massive performance on the table through utilization, kernels, and systems—and that today's models are lagging indicators of the newest hardware and clusters.Then we get practical: agents and the “software singularity.” Dan says agents have already crossed a threshold even for “final boss” work like writing GPU kernels. Tim's message is blunt: use agents or be left behind. Both emphasize that the leverage comes from how you use them—Dan compares it to managing interns: clear context, task decomposition, and domain judgment, not blind trust.We close with what to watch in 2026: hardware diversification, the shift toward efficient, specialized small models, and architecture evolution beyond classic Transformers—including state-space approaches already showing up in real systems.Sources:Why AGI Will Not Happen - https://timdettmers.com/2025/12/10/why-agi-will-not-happen/Use Agents or Be Left Behind? A Personal Guide to Automating Your Own Work - https://timdettmers.com/2026/01/13/use-agents-or-be-left-behind/Yes, AGI Can Happen – A Computational Perspective - https://danfu.org/notes/agi/The Allen Institute for Artificial IntelligenceWebsite - https://allenai.orgX/Twitter - https://x.com/allen_aiTogether AIWebsite - https://www.together.aiX/Twitter - https://x.com/togethercomputeTim DettmersBlog - https://timdettmers.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timdettmers/X/Twitter - https://x.com/Tim_DettmersDan FuBlog - https://danfu.orgLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfu09/X/Twitter - https://x.com/realDanFuFIRSTMARKWebsite - https://firstmark.comX/Twitter - https://twitter.com/FirstMarkCapMatt Turck (Managing Director)Blog - https://mattturck.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/turck/X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattturck(00:00) - Intro(01:06) – Two essays, two frameworks on AGI(01:34) – Tim's background: quantization, QLoRA, efficient deep learning(02:25) – Dan's background: FlashAttention, kernels, alternative architectures(03:38) – Defining AGI: what does it mean in practice?(08:20) – Tim's case: computation is physical, diminishing returns, memory movement(11:29) – “GPUs won't improve meaningfully”: the core claim and why(16:16) – Dan's response: utilization headroom (MFU) + “models are lagging indicators”(22:50) – Pre-training vs post-training (and why product feedback matters)(25:30) – Convergence: usefulness + diffusion (where impact actually comes from)(29:50) – Multi-hardware future: NVIDIA, AMD, TPUs, Cerebras, inference chips(32:16) – Agents: did the “switch flip” yet?(33:19) – Dan: agents crossed the threshold (kernels as the “final boss”)(34:51) – Tim: “use agents or be left behind” + beyond coding(36:58) – “90% of code and text should be written by agents” (how to do it responsibly)(39:11) – Practical automation for non-coders: what to build and how to start(43:52) – Dan: managing agents like junior teammates (tools, guardrails, leverage)(48:14) – Education and training: learning in an agent world(52:44) – What Tim is building next (open-source coding agent; private repo specialization)(54:44) – What Dan is building next (inference efficiency, cost, performance)(55:58) – Mega-kernels + Together Atlas (speculative decoding + adaptive speedups)(58:19) – Predictions for 2026: small models, open-source, hardware, modalities(1:02:02) – Beyond transformers: state-space and architecture diversity(1:03:34) – Wrap

On today's show, Alex and Calvin sit down with the co-authors of a viral op-ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education regarding the controversial restructuring of the English Department at Carnegie Mellon University: Dr. Sheila Liming (Associate Professor of Writing & Publishing, Champlain College) and Catherine Evans (doctoral candidate in Literary and Cultural Studies, Carnegie Mellon University). This article is particularly significant for Calvin and Alex, who also earned their PhDs in Rhetoric from the CMU English Department and had many cherished mentors and colleagues in the Literary and Cultural Studies (LCS) program. In the article, entitled "A Coup at Carnegie Mellon?," Sheila and Catherine examine the administrative pivot at CMU from LCS to a new degree in Computational Cultural Studies (CCS). Specifically, the authors analyze and interrogate the institutional rhetoric of innovation - a buzzword that puts a positive spin on undemocratic changes, such as dissolving or downsizing university programs, staff, and/or faculty.In our conversation, we talk with Catherine and Sheila about how values like "interdisciplinarity" and "innovation" are paradoxically being used to hollow out the humanities at Carnegie Mellon as they privilege a more narrow set of research priorities. They take us through the major findings in their article regarding the opaque administrative process that "froze out" faculty and student input, effectively replacing a program centered on the critique of power with one focused primarily on training with computational tools. We also discuss the broader implications of the "AI hype" cycle in higher education, the validity of arguments regarding job market prospects for humanities graduates, and the vital importance of studying literature and culture for their own sake - rather than as case studies for purportedly "neutral" data-driven methodologies.Sheila and Catherine's co-authored article: Liming, S., & Evans, C. A. (2025). A Coup at Carnegie Mellon? The Chronicle of Higher Education.Works & Concepts Referenced in this Episode: England, J. & Purcell, R. (2020). Higher Ed's Toothless Response to the Killing of George Floyd. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Gitelman, L. (2008). Always already new: Media, history, and the data of culture. MIT Press.Kirschenbaum, M. (2025). The U.S. of A.I. (Public lecture, Princeton University). Williams, J. J. (2016). Innovation for What? Dissent.An accessible transcript of this episode can be found here (via Descript)

BackgroundBioArticles and Papers Discussed“The Theory Behind the Age-Related Positivity Effect,” Andrew Reed and Laura Carstensen, NIH.gov, Sept. 27, 2012.“Investing Without Blind Spots,” Better Vantage podcast, Nov. 12, 2025.“Out of Sight, Out of Market: The IRA Cash Drag,” by Andy Reed et al., Vanguard.com, Sept. 5, 2024.“Advisors and Investors Split on Inflation, Bond Views,” by Xiao Xu and Andy Reed, Vanguard.com, Sept. 12, 2025.“Stress, Debt, and the Power of Planning,” by Anna Madamba and Andy Reed, Vanguard.com, April 9, 2025“Improving Retirement Outcomes by Default: The Case for an IRA QDIA,” by Andy Reed, et al., Vanguard.com, July 2024."Maximizing versus Satisficing: Happiness Is a Matter of Choice," by Barry Schwartz, Andrew Ward, et al., NIH.gov, November 2002.“The Ostrich Effect: Selective Attention to Information,” George Loewenstein and Duane Seppi, CMU.edu, Feb. 11, 2009.“Inside the Minds of Equity Income Fund Investors,” Sharon Hill and Paulo Costa, Vanguard.com, Aug. 26, 2025.“Trading Is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors,” Brad Barber and Terrance Odean, Berkeley.edu, April 2000.Books DiscussedThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry SchwartzNudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard Thaler and Cass SunsteinThe Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters, by Eric JohnsonOther“Was Bogle's Princeton Thesis Eerily Prescient?” by Jess Bebel, Morningstar.com, May 27, 2022. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For our podcast's 15th birthday, we do what we did in our very first episode, preview the Northwestern Bowl Game. On paper, CMU looks like a middle of the road MAC team, but as we all know, the game is not played on paper. We look forward to our Boxing Day matchup with CMU and look back at the first round of CFP games.

Game theory is a way of quantitatively describing what happens any time one thing interacts with another thing, when both things have goals and potential rewards. That's a pretty broad class of interesting events, so it is unsurprising that game theory is a useful way of thinking about everything from international relations to the evolution of peacock feathers. I talk with philosopher Kevin Zollman about what game theory is and how it gets used in biology and human interactions. We discuss how thinking in game-theoretic terms can help understand the origin of meaning and intentionality in human language.Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/12/01/337-kevin-zollman-on-game-theory-signals-and-meaning/Support Mindscape on Patreon.Kevin Zollman received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. He is currently the Herbert A. Simon Professor of Philosophy and Social and Decision Sciences in the Department of Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also an associate fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh, and a visiting professor at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy. He serves as the Director of the Institute for Complex Social Dynamics at CMU. He is the co-author, with Paul Raeburn, of The Game Theorist's Guide to Parenting.Web siteCMU web pageGoogle Scholar publicationsPhilPeople profileSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.