SYLVAIN
High-low brow conversations about culture, science, and tech. With hosts Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and executive producer/nerd herder Jess Vander. SYLVAIN is a strategy and design company.
Is listening to a book the same thing as reading it? If so, why? And if not, why not? This week, Jess and Joey talk about audiobooks, purity testing, locked-in mode, ADHD, lectures, and celestial orbs. They don’t talk about Mychal Threats. references Reading Rainbow Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Matt Dinniman Variety: Peacock Gives Series Order to ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ TV Series From Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door, Chris Yost
How do you know if something's going to be good to eat by looking at it? This week, Jess and Joey talk about grilling, cheesesteaks, coffee, the burden of knowledge, authenticity, and mangoes. They don’t talk about Drunken shrimp. references Air Bud Smithsonian: Why Did Van Halen Demand Concert Venues Remove Brown M&M’s From the Menu? NYT Cooking: Bowen Yang Teaches Matt Rogers How to Cook Mapo Tofu Maillard reaction
When is there too much branding? This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about Arctic Glacier, private equity, Bala Cynwyd, apps, Sonic pellets, and water ice. They don’t talk about Redd Foxx. references Zootropolis 2 Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania How to Make Clear Ice at Home What Exactly Is Philadelphia's Beloved Water Ice?
When is a review worthwhile? This week, Aaron and Joey talk about IGN, reviews as entertainment, trust and authority, tribunals, and RuPaul's Drag Race. They don’t talk NHL '98. references Grape Lady Crimson Desert MOUSE: P.I. For Hire saros roguelike Wikipedia: IGN IGN Reviews American's Test Kitchen The Best Non-Stick Skillets (Subscription Req'd) NPR Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour Step Brothers
What is the best way for you to use the hours of the day? This week, Jess and Aaron talk about sleepiness, international travel, school start times, physical harmony, empathy, and small talk. They don’t talk about kākāpōs. references The New York Times: What’s Your Sleep Type? Morningness-Eveningness Questionaire [PDF] BBC: The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' Timeshifter jet lag app American Psychological Association: Schools shift as evidence mounts that later start times improve teens’ learning and well-being Bobby Day - Rockin' Robbin Seal - Fly Like An Eagle
How are you using your relationships to discover yourself? This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Johari Window, observation, employee reviews, dudes not knowing about dudes, blind spots, and centipedes. They don’t talk about Professor Joseph Harrington at Wharton. references Johari Window Human Relations Training News: 1961 published article on Johari Window
What is the best use of writing? This week, Jess, Joey, and Aaron talk about organizing mental chaos, description, recall, process vs. idea, songwriters, and formal logic. references Billie Eilish on Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Explosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place Go With Elmo Lovano: Why Linda Perry Gave ‘Beautiful’ to Christina Aguilera The New York Times Magazine 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters Song Exploder: Episode 61: Courtney Barnett “Depreston”
How do you identify with your instincts? This week, Joey and Jess talk about storking, gut instincts, the Ship of Theseus, entity, background signal processing, and birds. They don’t talk about Uptown Girls. references The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes Six Thinking Hats Ship of Theseus Haggis
What are you looking forward to during the new summer of Silliness? This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Scary Movie 6, Street Fighter, existential dread, edge lords, Dave Chappelle, and 702. They don’t talk about NASCAR. references Hey Dude Scary Movie 6 Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood Charo Street Fighter Norm Macdonald in Back From Hell: A Tribute to Sam Kinison The Best of Sam Kinison Live Stand Up Comedy Dave Chappelle vs Josh Johnson Scary Movie 6 is making that one joke Stop! That! Train! Coyote vs. ACME Final Destination Bloodlines Can you repeat that?
What happens when something you liked becomes Important? This week, Joey and Jess talk about "Mr. Brightside", Nirvana, Adam Duritz, Owl City, and ennui. They don’t talk about Keisha Cole. references Glorious Indie Rock and Roll "God Only Knows" "Mr. Brightside" Grantland: "The Loneliness of the Alt-Rock Anniversary" Apple Insider: Apple's iOS 7 sounds crafted by Owl City creator Adam Young Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World "Fireflies"
What happens if the Internet dies? This week, Joey, Jess, and Aaron talk about One Internet, Poob, attribution, destinations, AI Porn, and knowlege creation. They don’t talk about Fela Kuti. references Dead Internet theory "You can watch it on Poob." The New York Times: Anthropic’s Restraint Is a Terrifying Warning Sign District 9 Great Firewall What Is a Splinternet? And Why You Should Be Paying Attention Quiet Media
When was the last time you felt destabilized in a safe environment? This week, Joey and Jess talk about dad jokes, child entertainment strategies, comedy, silliness support, two-legged stools, and butt pats. They don’t talk about Sô Yamamura. references Sure looks strange to me. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology: How fathers and mothers make their children laugh: Associations with the security of parent-child attachment relationships by Sabrina Schmiedel, Jean-François Bureau, Jessica Turgeon, Audrey-Ann Deneault, and Ariane J. Gauthier Benign violation theory NPR: Bowen Yang invited Tina Fey onto his podcast. He's still dwelling on what she said The Giggles Are Coming by Christopher Eliopoulos Tactile Communication, Cooperation, and Performance: An Ethological Study of the NBA by Michael W. Kraus, Cassy Huang, and Dacher Keltner Steve Nash – high fives, fist bumps, and pats on the backside
When is it okay to hate the player, not the game? This week, Jess and Aaron talk about The Traitors, Chevy Chase, Kobe Bryant, villainy, Timothée Chalamet, and Omarosa vs. New York. They don’t talk about the late, the great, The Diabolical Biz Markie. references Wagon Wheel Watusi The Traitors I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not Kobe Bryant Omarosa vs. New York The Original HBIMFC Mary Lou Retton Battlestar Galactica Board Game Flavor Flav
How should we learn beyond school? This week, Joey and Jess talk about framing work as learning, human observation, vocational training, osmotic learning, pen and paper, and the wheel. They don’t talk about Simple Machines Records. references You're only 16, Joey, you don't have a rep yet. Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath on How Screen Time Hurts Kids' Cognitive Development Osmosis Jones Deutsche Welle: Back to basics: Sweden aims to de-digitalize youth Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf Did a turkish man invent a steam engine 200 years before the industrial revolution and only made it to spin doner kebab?
What fictional characters should we be shipping today? This week, Aaron and Jess talk about soap, fan fiction, Back to the Future, ensemble shows, reading the book vs. seeing the movie, and reimagined universes. They don’t talk about Such Great Heights. references Spirk The Traitors Who Framed Roger Rabbit Kate McKinnon Gets Weird While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones The New York Times: Why an A.I. Video of Tom Cruise Battling Brad Pitt Spooked Hollywood Kenny G God of War: Sons of Sparta
Who can I say "I love you" to? This week, Jess and Joey talk about expressions of love, social and gender dynamics, rejection, promiscuous love giving, monoliths, and Bad Bunny. They don’t talk about the Pixies or Deee-Lite. references Eight Types of Love in Greek Philosophy Taj Mahal
What's to come in 2026? This week, Wild Prognostications returns! Jess, Aaron, and Joey make their predictions for the new year, discussing privacy as luxury [3:28], the romance resurgence [4:28], Avengers Doomsday flopping [13:29], paper as a smart signal [16:35], bird pets [18:31], medical research breakthroughs [24:51], and an existential AI employment crisis [27:42]. They don't put respect on Birdman's name. references California Privacy Protection Agency Remarkable Tablet
What you doing and what you sharing? This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about battle rap, knitting, crochet, LitRPG, world building, and not finishing. They don’t talk about Fraggle Rock. references Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo Pretty Pretty Boys from The Hazard and Somerset Mysteries by Gregory Ashe The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee Critical Nonsense Bookclub LitRPG R. A. Salvatore ACOTAR aka A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
When is the right time to actually? This week, Joey and Jess talk about corrections, status, intent, virtue, asymmetric information, and confidence intervals. They don’t talk about Thomas Brodie-Sangster. references Bear Grylls Patroclus
How far would you be willing to go to experiment with your health? This week, Joey and Jess talk about peptides, biohacking, Silicon Valley libertarian culture, Bryan Johnson, exercise, and salt. They don’t talk about The Gelflings. references Confirmations Department: Yes, Tears for Fears Vectorculture: Not For Human Consumption Peptide Mounjaro Wired: Bryan Johnson Is Going to Die Food & Wine: Morton vs. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: What’s the Difference? Solid Wiggles