Episode #1032: So Much Electricity
First Broadcast: 9/22/25
Would you listen to a podcast that completely consists of voices generated by A.I.? Is it really easier or cheaper to create a podcast with A.I. than to have one created by actual human beings? Can anyone trust the opinions of a podcast in which no human created the opinions? Are A.I.-generated podcasts the audio equivalent of all the spam A.I.-generated "books" clogging up Amazon? Is this life imitating the "Army of Robots" song by Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer? Don't people have enough problems with chatbots making them psychotic? Doesn't A.I. already use too much water and too much electricty, and by that contributing to global warming? Is more nuclear power from fission reactors really a solution, when we still don't really know where to put all their radioactive waste? Won't someone think of the cats???
Episode #1033: Bag of Potato Chips
First Broadcast: 10/6/25
On September 28, 2025, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams officially announced that he was suspending his re-election campaign for Mayor (even though, like independent candidate Jim Walden, his name will still be on the ballot), effectively ending his chances for winning another term in office, and he did not endorse any of the remaining candidates in the process (although who would want his endorsement at this point is still an open question). Are we going to miss him and all his scandals, not the least of which was the time one of his campaign workers handed a reporter an envelope full of cash that was hidden inside a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips? Probably not. Will Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa stay in the race like he's promised, or will he eventually drop out too in order to make this a two-man race between Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and ex-Governor Mario Cuomo? Probably not either, but who knows? Will House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer--both New York City residents--ever get around to endorsing the candidate whom voters of their own party chose to nominate for mayor of their own city? Tick, tick! How much more money will President Trump extort from companies to build his unnecessary ballroom at the White House? Is Trump really going to tax all films made outside the United States, and how would he even do that? Don't ask me, I just live here...
Episode #1034: Hidden Feature
First Broadcast: 10/13/25
The latest entry in the long list of dead establishments in New York City that I will endlessly miss is Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream Parlor on Houston Street and LaGuardia Place, which served its last scoops on Sunday, October 12, 2025. I enjoyed so many cones and cups worth of dessert there, and I can say with certainty that their ice cream was the best in New York while they existed. No doubt my taste buds will continue to pine for their food long into the future, just as I'm constantly jonesing for the cupcakes at Jon Vie, or the steak sandwiches at Zozo's, or the babyback ribs at Georgia's, just to name a few of the many long-gone places that I've missed over the years. While I was talking about that, I found the time to go off about the lack of stores where one can buy new CDs in New York as well, which seems especially weird to me in a time when both vinyl records and audio cassette tapes are currently having a renaissance. I'm glad that physical media and "old school" technology are finding lots of new fans out there, but surely there has to be someplace besides Barnes & Noble where I have a chance to buy a new release in a brick & mortar store when it comes out? After all, it's much more fun to watch a movie off a DVD or a Blu-ray than on your phone, isn't it? (And no one paid me to say that!) By the way, are hidden tracks still a thing? "What year is this?"