Podcasts about vbw

David and Tamler lead off with a breakdown of the new commercial for “friend (not imaginary)” a new AI necklace that takes hikes with you, interrupts your favorite shows, and will be there for your first kiss. Then we talk about a new paper co-authored by VBW favorite Joe Henrich that challenges cognitive science for pretending to be universal without offering evidence. A good discussion punctuated by David's new theory of the rise of the autism. (TLDL the nerds are having sex).  Friend Reveal Trailer [youtube.com] Kroupin, I., Davis, H. E., & Henrich, J. (2024). Beyond Newton: Why assumptions of universality are critical to cognitive science, and how to finally move past them. Psychological Review. [harvard.edu]

Musician and director, Chuck Staton, shares how he's made it through some tough times while working with others in creative spaces. If you listen to the end you'll hear Senior Discount's "VBW song" as a prime example of this. Plus, he shares about how to work past self doubt and how you can best set yourself up for success. Chuck also shares a story about an interesting feud between a couple of his famous bosses I think you'll like to check out

David and Tamler fall under the spell of Lee Chang-dong's 2018 masterpiece Burning, a movie where nothing is what it seems, or maybe it is. An alienated young man meets what seems like his dream girl from his small town, but she's about to leave for Africa. Will he take care of her cat? Is there a cat? When she comes back she's attached (maybe) to a slick rich guy played by Steven Yeun and then she disappears. What happened? What's real and what's a pantomime? Adapted from a Murakami short story that's adapted from a Faulkner short story, this movie warrants a true VBW deep dive, so we had to do it in two parts. This is part 1. Plus another segment of our pet peeves. “Updating my priors,” “Fixed it for you,” faculty governance, and more, these are the things that really grind our gears. Links: Burning (2018) [wikipedia.org] The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami (containing the short story "Barn Burning) [amazon.com affiliate link] Barn Burning by William Faulkner [wikipedia.org] Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW Factor:  Chef-prepared, dietitian-approved meals, ready to eat. Sign up today and get restaurant-quality meals made by real chefs delivered to your door. Visit factormeals.com/vbw50 and use code VBW50 to get 50% off your order. 

David and Tamler board the train for Hayao Miyazaki's mystical dreamy coming of age masterpiece Spirited Away. This is a true VBW deep dive. Plus a study by our secret crush suggests we may not be optimizing the value of our conversations. Mastroianni, A. M., Gilbert, D. T., Cooney, G., & Wilson, T. D. (2021). Do conversations end when people want them to?. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(10), e2011809118. Spirited Away [wikipedia.org] Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW Listening.com: Save time by listening to academic papers on the go. Very Bad Wizards listeners get 3 weeks free when signing up at listening.com/vbw Givewell.org: Make your charitable donations as effective as possible. If you've never donated through GiveWell before, you can have your donation matched up to before the end of the year or as long as matching funds last. Just go to givewell.org, pick PODCAST, and enter VERY BAD WIZARDS at checkout. 

A VBW exclusive report! For years David and Tamler have been a little dismissive of fears about cancel culture in academia but now the SJWs have come for one of our own! We welcome back Yoel Inbar to talk about his experience applying for a position at UCLA psychology only to have his candidacy pulled at the last minute because of remarks he made on his podcast (!) about diversity statements. What does this mean for freedom of expression in academia? Should we advise our students and younger faculty to watch what they say when it comes to politically charged topics? Are they really going to start combing through podcast episodes now – is nothing sacred? Plus another case of fraud in psychology comes to light courtesy of the Data Colada guys. Data Colada post about Gino fraud Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW Rocket Money: Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions, and manage your expenses the easy way, by going to RocketMoney.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW

David and Tamler talk about William James' chapter on mysticism from his book "Varieties of Religious Experience." What defines a mystical experience? Why do they defy expression and yet feel like a state of knowledge, a glimpse into the window of some undiscovered aspect of reality? Is Tamler right that David has a little mystic inside of him just waiting to burst forth from his breast? Plus – another edition of VBW does conceptual analysis and we're sticking with ‘c' words – this time the definitive theory of ‘creepy.'

Hey guys - thought this was a very fun, "Chuck and Brad Podcast"-esque episode about our every day lives. So I'm throwing it up on the feed in case there's still any hold-outs who haven't come over to Funbearable yet. Come on over, we're having fun! - Chuck Vid here: https://youtu.be/6cQS7L0SuiA We open up the podcast by finding out that Brad eats oatmeal to calm down when he's enraged. Please get ready for a never-ending series of references to this. The majority of the podcast revolves around Ray performing on his first cruise. Our lumbering giant finds himself in a whirlwind of nightmare travel, including a trip on an airplane that is basically a metal casket with propellers. But of course, as he always does, he kills so hard onstage that he ends up fighting off geriatric advances! Wow! Join us on our seafaring, spackling adventure! Video edit by Captain Craig Depina. @funbearablepod / funbearablepod.com Please share the pod with your friends! Retweet those clips! Comment! Like! Subscribe! Spread the good word and invite people to Funbeari-ville!

David and Tamler gild and stain David Hume's essay “The Sceptic” with their sentiments. If nothing is inherently valuable or despicable, desirable or hateful, then what do philosophers have to offer when it comes to happiness? If reason is powerless, does it all come down to our emotions and “humours”? Or does the study of philosophy and liberal arts naturally lead to a fulfilling and virtuous life? Plus we look at a new non-traditional social psych paper on how we always imagine that things could be better, and tip our caps to the queen of handling Twitter pile-ons (and former VBW guest) – Candy Mom.

This episode of our new podcast, Funbearable, was so insanely similar to an episode of The Chuck and Brad Podcast (AKA it's exactly the same) that I wanted to post it here to give anyone who hasn't jumped over to Funbearble, a chance to check out some of the stuff we're doing that is very close to what they like. Hope you guys like it! Love you all!- ChuckMP3 Download

Hey guys this is Chuck here with a few words for our listeners and some previews of the first two episodes of our new podcast Funbearable, out now.Funbearablepod.com for all linksMP3 Download

This is it. With the help of listener emails and comments, we take a look back at the Chuck and Brad Podcast over the past thirteen years and a look forward at what Funbearable has to offer. Thank you all so much. We love you.- C+BMP3 Download

Listener emails this week, with many geared toward Brad! What the heck? If you listen closely, you can hear steam shoot out of Chucks' ears as Brad answers questions about science fiction books, Pearl Jam, and his own faith. We discuss our triple birthday party, Chuck's big filming project, and then...a Very Important Announcement about our future of podcasting in general and how it affects us (and you).MP3 Download

We kick things off with some listener emails, including some classic Chuck dating advice! We talk a little bit about Thor: Love and Thunder, then discuss Jackass 4.5. We give a little background on Nathan Fielder and talk about how much we enjoyed his new show, The Rehearsal. We offer up spoiler-free thoughts on the movie The Black Phone. Then, after making things very clear, we take a deep dive into the whole movie! The episode ends with us discovering a skipped-over email with a very cool gift attached!MP3 Download

We answer some listener emails to kick things off, including some terrible dating advice about, you know. Effort. (Note: it made me very bummed out to record this.) We also take two different stands about skipping jury duty and it will not surprise you who takes which side. Chuck tells me all about filming the movie premiere and Q and A for Joe List's new movie "Fourth of July" at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. We then offer spoiler-free thoughts on "Thor: Love and Thunder" and, after making it very clear, then dive into the whole movie, spoilers included.MP3 Download

Is the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack properly appreciated? What about Sister Act? We discuss these contemporary conundrums to start things out. Chuck then describes being trapped in the middle of a secret feud and asks for advice. Chuck talks about filming at Smodcastle and his weekend with the Jersey crew. We celebrate the new TMNT game "Shredder's Revenge" and how fun it has been to play. I talk about my nascent voiceover career and then Chuck talks about making the big switch from Android to Apple. I close the episode with a VERY anticlimactic story about someone hacking into my Paypal account.MP3 Download

How many people have to criticize something before you start taking that criticism seriously? We discuss this in regards to Chuck's work and come to solid conclusions. I tell Chuck about inadvertently traumatizing my cat with the Roomba Chuck got me for Christmas. We talk about seeing Frank Turner doing an acoustic matinee show and how jury duty almost ruined it. Chuck also believes he should be a professional juror, which is not really a thing!MP3 Download

Ray Harrington is with us this week! We talk about the recent TESD episode about Chuck and how he should respond to the TESD guys. After some classic tangent nonsense, Chuck and I break down Top Gun: Maverick for Ray. Was it too patriotic? Did Chuck and Brad make a pact to learn how to fly a jet before prom? Maybe! Then we offer a spoiler-free review of the new Jurassic World film and, after making it very clear when spoilers start, discuss the plot (such as it is) of the entire movie.MP3 Download

We kick things off with listener emails - should we accept gifts? Brad tells a wacky work story and we try to figure out if it is a prank. We discuss our approaches to dating and what level of putting ourselves out there is appropriate. Brad talks about the Conan (the Cimmerian) books and we try to figure out why so many Tuesdays with Stories listeners come at Chuck online. Chuck talks about his experience filming with Mike Birbiglia and Drew Barrymore. We recap our experience with the Rogue Island Comedy Festival in Newport and wax enthusiastic about a Memorial Day Cookout. We offer our spoiler-free thoughts on the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once and then, after making the delineation point very clear, launch into a full review of the whole movie.MP3 Download

Ray Harrington joins us this week and we (once again) immediately go off the rails. I talk about blacking out on Ambien and somehow this leads to an extended riff about the JonBenet Ramsey case. Chuck explains the Netflix documentary Our Father to Ray and me and we are suitably appalled. Speaking of appalling, we also watched Morbius. We close with an extended discussion about the new Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers movie and how we felt they executed the pop culture mash-up in 2022!MP3 Download

After Brad relates a missed opportunity, Chuck presents his new segment: "Get Cultured, You Swine." We revisit older movies that many people have recommended to us. This starts with Empire Records, which sparks a lively discussion about whether Rex Manning is a bad guy. We talk about Escape from New York and Big Trouble in Little China before I tell Chuck my opinions on the (much-more recent) Moon Knight. I also tell Chuck about the 2017 version of Murder on the Orient Express and throw in some Agatha Christie trivia. We close with Chuck telling me about the Nicolas Cage movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.MP3 Download

David and Tamler explore the many variations of simulation theory, the view that our universe is just a computer generated model created by an advanced civilization that has reached “technological maturity.” What does the growing popularity of simulation theories reveal about contemporary life? Are any of the arguments for simulation theory compelling or are they just post-hoc ways of justifying what you already believe on faith? If we are living in a simulation, does that mean we can go around killing people? Would it change anything about how we should live? Rodney Ascher's (Room 237, The Nightmare) excellent documentary "A Glitch in the Matrix" gets the discussion going. Plus the return of the VBW does conceptual analysis segment - a careful, rigorous, systematic inquiry into the concept “cringe.”* *Note: if you think the opening segment is itself cringe, that's because we're doing seventh dimensional Zoomer meta shit and you just didn't get it.

That's right, Brad had spine surgery also! What a copycat! Before he breaks that down, though, we answer questions that listeners sent in, including insights on dating and more Patreon ideas. After that, Brad tells the story of his surgery and recovery period and we both giggle like idiots about using anti-bacterial wipes on unapproved body parts.MP3 Download

Chuck has a new job! He's filming with yet another big-time comedian and finally spills the beans about it on this episode. This text is just a teaser so you listen to the episode! We also discuss the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer and Chuck is way more psyched about it than I am. Big surprise! We then offer up spoiler-free thoughts about Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After making it VERY clear when spoilers are about to start, we then offer up opinions on the whole movie!MP3 Download

Recorded before Brad;s surgery, this episode talks about what we would do if we had a Patreon. Themed episodes, rounding out the cast of characters, quitting our soul-draining office jobs..the sky's the limit!MP3 Download

Chuck gives a final update on his spine surgery as Brad preps for HIS spine surgery! It may have already happened by the time this episode is out! We discuss whether someone being a good person is intrinsic or extrinsic, Chuck's (hilarious) drug issues, Chuck's filming with TESD and Tuesdays and Kevin Smith. I learn about filming at the Fat Black Pussycat as well. Chuck talks about his weight loss and a major milestone. We talk about the Tony Hawk documentary and the movie "Nobody." Chuck talks about the It's Always Sunny Podcast and we celebrate the triumphant claiming of a Simpsons Arcade 1-Up machine. Chuck closes by getting unexpectedly poignant when talking about success, growth, and celebration.MP3 Download

The goal for this episode was for Chuck, Brad, and special guest Ray Harrington to pitch their OWN ideas for expanding the Spider-verse to celebrate the digital release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. And that happens! I mean, we take QUITE the detour to start the episode, but we each come with ideas (some more sincere than others) on how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man movie universes could have become part of Tom Holland's Spider-man story in the MCU. We also discuss our favorite spider-moments and spider-guys through the years. As always, recording with Ray was a blast...even if we drifted away from the topic at hand more than once.MP3 Download

After going over some listener emails, Chuck and I briefly discuss Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock for comedy at the Oscars. Not too much, though. I then tell Chuck a bevy of facts - fun and otherwise - about the live-action Super Mario Bros movie and how it was made into what it became.MP3 Download

We have returned! Chuck tells the whole story behind his recent spine surgery, starting with some initial issues in all the way through his recent hospital stay! Get the inside scoop here!MP3 Download

A panel with Kim Rhodes, Osric Chau, and Emily Swallow hosted by Chuck and Brad! Recorded at RI Comic-Con 2021 and a TON of fun for all parties involved!MP3 Download

Brad talks to his physical therapist about Chuck's bad-boy attitude. Chuck screams for S'mores. Brad gets an MRI. Chuck loses his self-control in Manhattan in after a rousing Tuesdays with Stories recording.MP3 Download

Is Chuck a terrible client at his physical therapy office? I offer my opinion and Chuck tries to defend himself. We talk about our misadventures playing Dying Light 2, then Chuck tells me about his fun weekend: going to Soul Joel's, trying cool places in Staten Island, going into NYC, hanging out with other comics and trying cool new restaurants. We offer up our spoiler-free thoughts on The Batman. Then, after making it very clear spoilers are about to start, we offer all our thoughts on the new Matt Reeves film.- Brad MP3 Download

After some VERY fun nonsense to start out the episode, Chuck talks about the disappointment (and opportunites) of his recently canceled show opening for Bowling For Soup. A struggle every performer can identify with! Chuck tells about his thrifting adventures and I hate it! We talk about Chuck's (mis?)understanding about a dinner with a friend and his wife. Chuck makes a strong case for the googly eye emoji as the most useful tool on his phone. Chuck tells me how the Tuesdays guys hated What Celebrity Is In My Bed. We wax ecstatic about Dying Light 2, I tell Chuck about losing heat in my apartment. I am not very excited about The King's Man, we try not to dwell on it. After a spoiler-free review of the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chuck goes through the entire plot of the film so I don't have to watch it! What a great friend!- Brad MP3 Download

We kick off this episode with Chuck bragging about his "cool-guy-D&D" night. He then relays a story about borrowing a camera from our pal Ray Harrington and the camera accidentally being broken. We get hyped about the next TMNT video game and talk about the new Doctor Strange trailer and the character revealed in said trailer. We share our excitement about the new Rescue Rangers trailer and I share my trepidation about the trailer for "Nope." Chuck tells me all about Tinder Swindler. I promote my friend Sophie's recent BBC4 documentary about love and the human brain. I relate the story of a very quick trip I made to Orlando for my friends' wedding and my foolish mistakes regarding candy on the plane. We close with a quick talk about the Super Bowl halftime show! Wow!- Brad MP3 Download

We start with a VERY unplanned discussion about Chuck's desire to collect action figures and how that compares to other activities people deem acceptable or otherwise for grown-ass men. We talk about the Matrix: Resurrections lawsuit regarding theatrical release window, the trailer for The Adam Project, and a few episodes of Murderville. I discus the action movie "Red Notice," we giggle excitedly about Mario Kart 8 DLC, Chuck tells me about Mega Man 11 and Dying Light 2. We close with a get-psyched moment about the trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion! We like dinos! We're not apologizing for that!- Brad MP3 Download

After some joking about our precarious mental health situations, we jump into listener emails. Ernest, the Bosstones, and Boba Fett questions cross our little brains. Chuck talks about his return to the stage and the halcyon days of playing live shows. Chuck talks about his weight loss journey, and about people reaching out when he's going through hard times. He talks about the German restaurant Killmeyer's in New York and the Happy Place Creperie in Warren, Rhode Island. We close with a discussion about Jackass Forever; how much did it tickle us, and where did that tickling take place?- Brad MP3 Download

We jump into listener emails to start the episodes and discuss alternate Scream plans, bland chili, and First Draft Theater. From there, Chuck tells me about China's advisory board changing the ending of Fight Club for theatrical release and I am astounded. I explain the controversy about Wordle "selling out." Chuck talks about some personal gains (by way of personal losses), then we talk about book piracy on Amazon. We discuss our snowy weekend, the WWE Royal Rumble, and our time together conquering the game Blazing Chrome.- Brad MP3 Download

After an update from Chuck about last week's episode, I try to lighten the mood with an observation about my plain eating habits. We talk about the trailer for the new Netflix series Murderville. After that, we offer a spoiler-free review of Scream 5. We then make it clear that we're going to spoil Scream 5. We do so, then discuss how we would fix the movie, given the chance. We pause the podcast to figure stuff out and everything! Love live Ghostface!- Brad MP3 Download

We kick out the jams with some very fun listener emails (well...very fun if you like organization!) We discuss some movies we've watched, including 8-Bit Christmas, Last Night in Soho, and Pig. After that, Chuck gets honest and emotional about the continued struggles with his breakup combined with a bulging disk in his aching back. Heartache! Nerve pain! And so much more! - Brad MP3 Download

We are finally putting 2021 to bed! We go through our year together - Chuck listing the cool creative projects he was involved in, Brad detailing his failed attempts to cling to sanity! A very fun look back at a very challenging year! - Brad MP3 Download

It is the THIRTEENTH installment of the Brammies and Chammies, our favorite things from the previous year! We celebrate our favorite video games, podcasts, restaurants, and movies! Then we talk about our favorite books (between the two of us we read over 80), music, and shows! Wow! 2021 was technically a year! - Brad MP3 Download

So many spoilers! We discuss, in-depth, the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as the Disney+ series Hawkeye. We spoil both! Just being up front! Chuck talks about the lead-up and leaks and everything before Spider-Man made its way to theaters. We talk about our experiences seeing it and talk about which parts made us cry. We then break down the show Hawkeye and its place in the MCU and our future Christmas plans.- Brad MP3 Download

We just finished a weekend of live shows and we're here to talk about it! Our first stop was Smodcastle in New Jersey - how did my drive to that neck of the woods go? Then back to our home club, The Comedy Connection, in East Providence, RI! How did things go comically awry, and how much of that was intended? We dish all the dirt! We read some listener emails and answer some probing questions about Christmas before signing off! Have a great holiday season, ya filthy animals!- Brad MP3 Download

This is our panel with Alan Ritchson, Curran Walters and Savannah Welch - HBO's Titans! We moderated this panel at Rhode Island Comic Con in November, 2021. Super nice people, and Savannah Welch whispered a joke to me during the panel. I am forever changed.- Chuck MP3 Download

We start out by welcoming my new Secret Santa pals to the podcast, as I'm certain they're listening. Chuck accuses me of plying him with alcohol in a bit that I hated immediately. Chuck talks about the move to Staten Island. He waxes ecstatic about the Disney Plus series Hawkeye, which I am not caught up on. Our ecstacy wanes as we discuss the MCU movie "Eternals." At that point, we remember we need to plug our upcoming shows at Smodcastle and the Comedy Connection. Chuck tells me about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, then we talk about the effects of his COVID diagnosis. From there, I talk about my trip to Indiana and the discovery of notes from a high-school sweetheart. Chuck then talks about a possible new sweetheart he encountered at the deli counter at the supermarket near his Staten Island place. We then close with a new segment called "Staton Island," where Chuck talks about how he spends his time at his place in New York to make the lonely hours seem less lonely.- Brad MP3 Download

This year at Rhode Island Comic Con, the Chuck and Brad Podcast was lucky enough to host the "Clerks" Reunion panel with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Scott Schiaffo, Trevor Fehrman and Kevin Weisman. Great time, got to film it, so check it out! - Chuck MP3 Download

After an excruciating October / Halloween season - I get covid and it ruins my Thanksgiving season! Wow! I really hate it!We finally catch up on all our recent mail-ins as I lament losing my Thanksgiving and surrounding plans.- Chuck MP3 Download

After a quick but necessary disclaimer from Ray Harrington, we are on the way! We discuss the two original Ghostbusters films and our thoughts on them (with the tangents you'd expect from Chuck, Brad, and Ray)! We then offer up our own original ideas for Ghostbusters sequels, completely unaffiliated with anything after the first two films! We had a ton of fun recording this ep! - Brad MP3 Download

We were at RI Comic-Con! From being asked to vamp for time before Kevin Smith took the stage to hosting the Clerks panel! Wow! How did we handle the afterparty? Did I actually set a timer on my phone? Don't forget we also hosted panels for Titans and Supernatural! Wow! How could two mild-mannered men do all this on so little sleep? Closing this episode is our forty(ish) minute set keeping the crowd entertained before Kevin Smith took the stage! Wow! All ad-libbed! Some fun Chuck and Brad magic! - Brad MP3 Download

Chuck and I are back! After a busy, crazy, topsy-turvy month, we are back on our respective mics! Hooray! We go through our Halloween show prep and the issues we faced there. We then break down our Halloween show itself and talk through what worked and what needed more fine-tuning. Chuck spills the beans about his move to Staten Island and what that means for the future. Don't worry! I'm still here to be pessimistic about it! - Brad MP3 Download

It is here. Ray Harrington joins us to celebrate Halloween with a brand new segment on the CB pod - "Strangers and Fiction" where we get to read three stories that they've never read before. The twist is, these stories were written about...THEMSELVES!!We also filmed this episode! Enjoy it!! Happy Halloween! - Chuck MP3 Download