NO SUCH THING
NO SUCH THING
Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research. Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer. NO SUCH THING is an expl…
Am I bad at conflict? (from Corner Piece)
Conflict is inevitable, so why are we so bad at it? In this special featured episode from Corner Piece, host Taha investigates the nature of conflict to help his co-hosts, Melissa and Sabrina (and all of us), find healthier ways to handle conflict. He interviews Harville Hendrix, a couples therapis…
1:00:29
How marathons changed the cities we live in
This weekend, nearly 60,000 runners and millions of spectators will hit the five boroughs for the New York City Marathon. But when, and how, did we all become so obsessed with running? Folks, this episode has it all: the financial and political moves behind the rise of the marathon (and the yuppi…
39:10
Why did the rom-com genre fall off?
On today's episode, Manny, Noah, and Devan are joined by esteemed journalist Emmanuel Dzotsi, host of the Big Lives podcast and producer on This American Life, to break down what happened to the rom-com genre of film. They also hear from repeat-guest Walt Hickey, author of You Are What You Watch, w…
47:35
Why do billboards brag that a show is sold out?
Today’s episode is actually a two-parter. In part one, Devan tries to get to the bottom of why he keeps seeing billboards advertising that concerts are "sold out." In part two, we tackle a listener’s question about a scheme to sell your identity so you can commit crimes scot-free. Our guests this …
44:39
Why are we addicted to personality tests? (And are they even accurate?)
Today we’re diving into the world of personality tests, more specifically the Enneagram. We’ll take it ourselves, and find out just how accurate these tests are and what our obsession with them says about us. Our guests this week are: Joshua Hook, Professor of Psychology at the University of North…
31:39
Is new tech making you pay more than everyone else?
In 1999, Coca-Cola’s CEO floated raising prices on hotter days using new technology in their vending machines. This caused an avalanche of bad press and the company backed off their plan. Today, that sort of variable pricing is commonplace, with companies hiding behind algorithms and economic shock…
39:16
Should white people use skin tone emojis? & more (NST Mailbag)
This week, we have one of the greatest mailbags of all time. Will cracking your knuckles give you arthritis? Should white people use skin-tone emojis? Why do dogs love Lamb Chop? And more plane-related questions, including does the middle seat get both armrests? Our guests this week are: Rachel, E…
55:47
Should ugly people be a protected class?
This week, Manny, Noah, and Devan debate whether there's a such thing as an "ugly tax," social penalties for being unattractive. The more academic term for this is "lookism," which is the discrimination against people for the way that they look. Should less attractive people be a protected class of…
46:51
A musician defends using AI in his music (Part 2)
In part 2 of our series on AI music, Devan confronts 1010benja on his use of generative AI on his new EP 1010: Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… ICYMI listen to part 1: Can AI music be good? Listen to 1010benja on Apple Music and Spotify and check out his website demetriusproduction.co…
38:38
Can AI music be good? (Part 1)
On today's episode, the boys discuss the many various goings on in AI music generation. Manny "creates" a few different versions of the NO SUCH THING theme song (that he actually produced without AI) using generative AI, and asks Noah and Devan to compare and contrast original songs with their AI c…
46:17