Bad Philosophy

About two years ago we discussed the whole Bitcoin thing, and once again it’s back in the news, for better and worse. The misconceptions, positive and negative, around this strange new form of value exchange seem to multiply without end. To get our heads around this once again, Kevin and I were joined by good friend Simon Ponder to dive into the topic. Have we finally become Beliebers in Bitcoin? Have a listen and find out!

Ep136: Please Don't Send Us Cocaine [ 1:01:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage:
Metalocalypse – Rock & Roll Clown

Show Notes:

• The bitcoin bubble
• BitCon: Don’t
• Bruce Sterling’s closing SXSW keynote: disruption and destruction
• Episode 088: Some People Talking About Bitcoin
• Where to Spend Your Bitcoins
• CryptoAnarchy
• Hacker steals $250k in Bitcoins from online exchange Bitfloor
• Winklevoss twins back bitcoin as bubble bursts
• Justin Bieber Hopes Anne Frank Would Have Been a ‘Belieber’

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Bitcoin, Boston Marathon bombing, Carlos Arredondo, cocaine, currency, Dot Com bubble, drugs, economics, fiat currency, gambling, Kevin, Lindon Dollars, PBS Idea Channel, ponzi scheme, Prague, real estate bubble, Satoshi Nakamoto, Scotland, Second Life, Silk Road, Simon, speculation, Stephen, The Love Guru, Val Kilmer, value, Yap

A spectre is looming over the Internet. It is the spectre of… another discussion of Marxism! That’s right, my dear proletariat, this episode we are pleased to tickle your ears with our thoughts on the core concepts of good ol’ Karl himself, courtesy of the wonderful compendium Action Philosophers and this here paper on how those hipster Soviets got the idea for workplace gamification way before it was cool. Our old friend Greg Briley even joined me and Kevin via the magic of Skype. Why, we even stuffed a puppy full of candy for you. Enjoy!

Ep135: Think Pushers Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This Week’s Post-Show Song Pimpage:
“A Communist’s Manifesto” by Sabastian Villainy

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achievements, Action Philosophers, Bastion, Braid, bronies, Charlie Chaplin, China, communism, Communist Manifesto, FarCry, Foxconn, Fred Van Lente, games, gamification, Greg, Guns Germs and Steel, John Ratzenberger, Kevin, late stage consumer capitalism, Mark Nelson, Marxism, materialism, McDonald's, minimum wage, Modern Times, progress, RadioShack, Raisin Canes, Roman Empire, Russia, Ryan Dunlavey, socialism, Stephen, Super Hexagon

First off, let’s acknowledge a tragedy. We lost Episode 133, folks. It joins the likes of Episodes 7, 21, 42, 49, 87, and 127 in the oblivion of BF content that has never seen the light of day due to unfortunate technical glitches. If you’re curious, we had our good friend Nicholas Bergfeld on to discuss Chinese hacker schools. It was rad.

On a happier note, after a longer hiatus than we would’ve liked, Kevin and I got back together to talk about hats! Turns out there are quite a few on OK Cupid, that bastion of everything right and good. Speaking of rampant sexism, Samsung let this happen. Yeah. It was almost as entertaining as Kevin’s first webcomic series, but it can hardly hold a candle to Joss Whedon’s new gem. So put on your trilby and have a listen. BF is back!

Ep134: Hats Off Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This Week’s Post-Show Song Pimpage
“Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat” by Bob Dylan

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze
Why is Formspring going away?

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Abraham Lincoln, Amanda Palmer, Bananarchy, baseball cap, bowler hat, Don Draper, fashion, Fergie, frozen bananas, hats, home video, Jason Calacanis, Jason Mraz, Joss Whedon, Kevin, lost episode, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, Mad Men, Much Ado About Nothing, porkpie hat, Rewind This!, Rifftrax, Stephen, SXSW, The Retrieval, Thrift Shop, top hat, VHS

It’s a nice day to start again, folks. The end of January marked the beginning of the first Coursera MOOC purely focused on the venerable phield of philosophy. In this first application of the first week of material (what I meant but forgot to call “Coursera Diaries Part I”), Kevin and I test out Dave Ward’s conception of philosophy as “the activity of working out the right way of thinking about the things that matter most to us.” Television happens to matter quite a bit to me and Kevin, so we put on our best drinking caps for one of our more intentionally F-isodes in a while. So man the boats, don’t touch that dial, and prepare to go meta, it’s BF time!

Ep132: Of Television [ 1:11:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This Week’s Post-Show Song Pimpage:
“Kill Your Televion” by God Fodder

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Africa, Arrested Development, broadcasting, Canada, cell phones, Charlie Brooker, Choose Your Own Adventure, Contact, Coursera, David Ward, definition, Doctor Who, etymology, Halo 2, Hamlet, Hitler, house of cards, I Love Bees, Kevin, Leverage, Memento, metaphilosophy, mobile payments, My Little Pony, Netflix, Network, Oxford Dictionary, Philosophy Bites, Phineas and Ferb, Ryan North, Sherlock. radio serial, Stephen, structural dramaturgy, television, The Guild, The Hub, theatre, To Be or Not to Be: That is the Adventure, TV, University of Edinburgh, YouTube