Is LaMDA alive? Part I
Recently, Google engineer Blake Lemoine made international news with his claims that the company's creation LaMDA - Launguage Model for Dialogue Applications - has become sentient. While Google does describe LaMDA as "breakthrough conversation technology," the company does not agree with Lemoine -- to say the least. In part one of this two-part series, Ben and Matt explore the nature of sentience, along with the statements of not just Google and Lemoine -- but LaMDA itself.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22 Jul 202250min
STDWYTK Presents: The Tale of the University Six, Part II
In today's episode, Bill, Mark and Neil receive a series of new packages seeming to, for the first time, reveal the true fate of the infamous University Six. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20 Jul 202241min
CLASSIC: Human Experimentation: MIT and Cereal
Did the Quaker Oats company really do experiments on children? Join Matt and Ben as they dig into the checkered past of this cereal monolith.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
19 Jul 202244min
Strange News: Oklahoma Murderer Implicates Bigfoot, Shinzo Abe Assassinated, People Blame Terrible Events on CERN
A man in Oklahoma claims he committed murder to prevent the victim from summoning Bigfoot. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is assassinated. It turns out millions of people believe experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider may have pushed reality into "another timeline." All this and more in this week's Strange News.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
18 Jul 202244min
Alien State, with MJ Banias
How can we better understand the growing, mainstream interest in UFOs? In this interview, Ben, Matt and Noel are joined by MJ Banias, host of Alien State, to explore his anthropological approach to humanity's attempt to understand those things it cannot yet explain. MJ agrees with Ben's description of UFOs as modern folklore -- and expands upon that concept.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
15 Jul 20221h 4min
Listener Mail: Permaculture, the US vs. the Hague, and an Amazon Conspiracy
What is permaculture, exactly? Why does the US have a law allowing them to invade the Hague? Anonymous sources reach out to Ben to ask about a strange conspiracy: is Amazon supporting a Tik Tok grift to swindle writers? All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
14 Jul 202253min
CLASSIC: Is Sesame Credit Dangerous?
What if you had a credit score that measured more than just your wallet? What if it took into account your political leanings, Internet traffic, and social media statements -- and what if the same stuff from your friends could affect your score? These are the concerns of Sesame Credit.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
13 Jul 202247min
STDWYTK Presents: The Tale of the University Six, Part I
In today's episode, Bill, Mark and Neil receive a strange package with no return address only to find it contains a mysterious video that may, for the first time, reveal the true fate of the infamous University Six. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12 Jul 202232min
