Bad Philosophy » computers http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog Ever just sat around and wondered Why? So have we. Bad Philosophy is your one-stop fix for random philosophical musings about pretty much anything. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:12:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ captainvalor@gmail.com (The Bad Philosophers) captainvalor@gmail.com (The Bad Philosophers) Philosophy 1440 http://www.badphilosophy.com/podcast/BF_Logo_144x144_Color.jpg Bad Philosophy http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog 144 144 Upsetting the balance of reality, one rabbit trail at a time Ever just sat around and wondered Why? So have we. Bad Philosophy is your one-stop fix for random musings about everything from the nature of reality to the essence of modern digital society. Every week Stephen Torrence and Kevin Saunders invite guests from greater Texas Tech to chew the cud and make some magic. The more rabbit trails the better... philosophy, random, humor, college, politics, life The Bad Philosophers The Bad Philosophers captainvalor@gmail.com no clean Episode 104: Thinking Different http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/10/09/episode-104-thinking-different/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/10/09/episode-104-thinking-different/#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:11:48 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=290 The human race lost one of its finest this past Wednesday, as Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. All of us here at BF had opinions to share on the man in the black turtleneck, so Kevin, Jed, Simon, Kiki and I gathered together for our first live-streamed episode in quite some time. Glorify or vilify him, but Steve changed things. I’ve created every single episode of Bad Philosophy on a Mac using GarageBand, tools that never would have existed but for him and his passionate view of the future. We’re gonna miss him, but we’re also going to take inspiration from his drive to revitalize the show.

Part of that revitalization? We’re back LIVE streaming, baby! You can now watch us and chat with us live on the Interwebs again at our official Livestream page once a week. We’re still nailing down the exact schedule, so keep an eye on that page and our twitter stream for updates. In the meantime, you can watch this week’s episode from the archive below.

Audio:

 

Video: 

 

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “The Times They Are A-Changin” by Bob Dylan

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/10/09/episode-104-thinking-different/feed/ 0 0:53:47 The human race lost one of its finest this past Wednesday, as Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. All of us here at BF had opinions to share on the man in the black turtleneck, so Kevin, Jed, Simon, Kiki and I gathered together for our first li[...] Bad Philosophy Episode 104 "Thinking Different" Recorded 10-06-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon, Simon Ponder, Jediah Cummins The human race lost one of its finest this past Wednesday, as Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. All of us here at BF had opinions to share on the man in the black turtleneck, so Kevin, Jed, Simon, Kiki and I gathered together for our first live-streamed episode in quite some time. Glorify or vilify him, but Steve changed things. I've created every single episode of Bad Philosophy on a Mac using GarageBand, tools that never would have existed but for him and his passionate view of the future. We're gonna miss him, but we're also going to take inspiration from his drive to revitalize the show. Part of that revitalization? We're back LIVE streaming, baby! You can now watch us and chat with us live on the Interwebs again at our official Livestream page once a week. We're still nailing down the exact schedule, so keep an eye on that page and our twitter stream for updates. In the meantime, you can watch this week's episode from the archive below. This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "The Times They Are A-Changin" by Bob Dylan Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 102: A.I. Troopers http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/09/29/episode-102-a-i-troopers/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/09/29/episode-102-a-i-troopers/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:44:08 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=287 For the last century or so, we have had a healthy little obsession with replicating the human ability to reason using machines. We here at BF are happy to announce that these efforts have finally brought us the holy grail of artificial intelligence: robot radio DJs! That’s right, now you can enjoy all your favorite radio banter distilled down to its bare, Cleverbot-on-Cleverbot essentials. This episode Kevin, Simon, Kiki and I put our connectomes together to discuss Stanford’s free A.I. class and marvel at the sheer 90′s gloriousness of VR Troopers. Let’s hope Watson adds some rabbit trails to its thought routines, ’cause we’re pretty sure he’ll be our guest someday. Until then, it’s BF time!

This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage: “VR Troopers Intro” (via YouTube)

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2011/09/29/episode-102-a-i-troopers/feed/ 0 1:10:59 For the last century or so, we have had a healthy little obsession with replicating the human ability to reason using machines. We here at BF are happy to announce that these efforts have finally brought us the holy grail of artificial intelligence:[...] Bad Philosophy Episode 102 "A.I. Troopers" Recorded 09-02-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon, Simon Ponder For the last century or so, we have had a healthy little obsession with replicating the human ability to reason using machines. We here at BF are happy to announce that these efforts have finally brought us the holy grail of artificial intelligence: robot radio DJs! That's right, now you can enjoy all your favorite radio banter distilled down to its bare, Cleverbot-on-Cleverbot essentials. This episode Kevin, Simon, Kiki and I put our connectomes together to discuss Stanford's free A.I. class and marvel at the sheer 90's gloriousness of VR Troopers. Let's hope Watson adds some rabbit trails to its thought routines, 'cause we're pretty sure he'll be our guest someday. Until then, it's BF time! Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 035: Intellectual Hedonism http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/13/episode-035-intellectual-hedonism/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/13/episode-035-intellectual-hedonism/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:53:47 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=152 Why are we here? What’s this all about? What is my purpose? What is yours? Is there even one at all? These are easy questions to ask, but answering them is a whole different story. Wolfram Alpha has one idea. We’ve got some others. Composing my party in an epic aural quest for the meaning of life, the universe, and everything this week were BF newcomer, veteran philosophy major, and budding teleologist Joshua Clemmons, Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins, and electricity-less Kevin Saunders via Skype. This one’s deep folks. We’re talking Edward Norton in Fight Club deep. Have a listen…

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Purpose” from Avenue Q. Puppets with life lessons? Yes, please!

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/13/episode-035-intellectual-hedonism/feed/ 4 0:57:18 Why are we here? What's this all about? What is my purpose? What is yours? Is there even one at all? These are easy questions to ask, but answering them is a whole different story. Wolfram Alpha has one idea. We've got some others. Bad Philosophy Episode 035 "Intellectual Hedonism" Why are we here? What's this all about? What is my purpose? What is yours? Is there even one at all? These are easy questions to ask, but answering them is a whole different story. Wolfram Alpha has one idea. We've got some others. MP3 | 57:18 | Recoded 06-11-09 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence Kevin Saunders Jediah Cummins Joshua Clemmons Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 017: The Last of the Noughties http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/01/episode-017-the-last-of-the-noughties/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/01/episode-017-the-last-of-the-noughties/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:16:23 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=81 As we enter 2009, the last year of the Noughties, we here at BF decided to do a little retrospective on the previous year, highlighting some things that piqued our interest in 2008. Not only that, we decided to make some outlandish predictions as well. If you’re still hungover from last night’s revelry, we forgive you. If not, join me, Kevin, and Jed for some laid-back BF action. We even created a New Year’s resolution for once-again-absent Matt Legler, who was stuck in the middle of nowhere unfortunately. Oh, and as an added New Year’s bonus, I cooked up a brand new intro. Bon appetit!

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/01/episode-017-the-last-of-the-noughties/feed/ 1 0:49:53 As we enter 2009, the last year of the Noughties, we here at BF decided to do a little retrospective on the previous year, highlighting some things that piqued our interest in 2008. Not only that, we decided to make some outlandish predictions as we[...] As we enter 2009, the last year of the Noughties, we here at BF decided to do a little retrospective on the previous year, highlighting some things that piqued our interest in 2008. Not only that, we decided to make some outlandish predictions as well. If you're still hungover from last night's revelry, we forgive you. If not, join me, Kevin, and Jed for some laid-back BF action. We even created a resolution for once-again-absent Matt Legler, who was stuck in the middle of nowhere unfortunately. Oh, and as a New Year's bonus, I cooked up a brand new intro. Bon appetit! Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 005: Leveraging Excellence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/28/episode-005-leveraging-excellence/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/28/episode-005-leveraging-excellence/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:10:50 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=51 Why do bad things happen to good people? Do cheaters ever prosper? And what the heck does it mean to “leverage excellence” anyway? We’re not quite sure, but apparently it has something to do with setting baby deer on fire, Ray Kurzweil, and slurpees. Eminent Texas Tech philosopher, fencer, and all-around good guy Dr. Mark Webb joins us to tackle these issues and lend some academic credibility to our incredible little experiment. Don’t panic if his benevolent, authoritative voice puts you into a trance. It’s all part of the plan…

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/28/episode-005-leveraging-excellence/feed/ 1 0:59:24 Why do bad things happen to good people? Do cheaters ever prosper? And what the heck does it mean to “leverage excellence” anyway? We’re not quite sure, but apparently it has something to do with setting baby deer on fire, Ray Kurz[...] Why do bad things happen to good people? Do cheaters ever prosper? And what the heck does it mean to “leverage excellence” anyway? We’re not quite sure, but apparently it has something to do with setting baby deer on fire, Ray Kurzweil, and slurpees. Eminent Texas Tech philosopher, fencer, and all-around good guy Dr. Mark Webb joins us to tackle these issues and lend some academic credibility to our incredible little experiment. Don’t panic if his benevolent, authoritative voice puts you into a trance. It’s all part of the plan… Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 002: The Fertility of Penguins http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/10/episode-002-the-fertility-of-penguins/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/10/episode-002-the-fertility-of-penguins/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:36:25 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=46 Unbeknownst to our listeners, we intrepid Bad Philosophers have taken a sudden interest in the mating habits of sphenisciformes. Gone are the days of Descartes and neuroscience. Henceforth, we shall devote all our time and energy to covering in laborious detail the intricacies of hot, feathery, penguin sex.

In all seriousness though, we actually just butchered the title of Kevin’s latest article on the futility of opinions into a rather eye-catching title. This week he joined us for a techno-heavy foray into Google, their controversial new Chrome browser, and big company control versus the good of society. Still more tantalized by the prospect of penguin’s getting it on? Well, have we ever got a treat for you.

Be sure to click the handy new iTunes subscription button on the sidebar and get new episodes delivered to you as soon as they’re posted. We wouldn’t want you to miss any steamy penguin action, afterall.

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/10/episode-002-the-fertility-of-penguins/feed/ 1 1:01:29 Unbeknownst to our listeners, we intrepid Bad Philosophers have taken a sudden interest in the mating habits of sphenisciformes. Gone are the days of Descartes and neuroscience. Henceforth, we shall devote all our time and energy to covering in labo[...] Unbeknownst to our listeners, we intrepid Bad Philosophers have taken a sudden interest in the mating habits of sphenisciformes. Gone are the days of Descartes and neuroscience. Henceforth, we shall devote all our time and energy to covering in laborious detail the intricacies of hot, feathery, penguin sex. In all seriousness though, we actually just butchered the title of Kevin’s latest article on the futility of opinions into a rather eye-catching title. This week he joined us for a techno-heavy foray into Google, their controversial new Chrome browser, and big company control versus the good of society. Still more tantalized by the prospect of penguin’s getting it on? Well, have we ever got a treat for you. Be sure to click the handy new iTunes subscription button on the sidebar and get new episodes delivered to you as soon as they’re posted. We wouldn’t want you to miss any steamy penguin action, afterall. Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 001: Hello EveryWelcome http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/04/episode-001-hello-everywelcome/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/04/episode-001-hello-everywelcome/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:32:00 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=44 Beyond all odds, lightning has struck twice, and the first “official” episode BF is here. Matt, David, and Stephen discuss Stephen’s article in the campus newspaper, spawning a deep, meandering, extravagantly philosophical discussion on neuropsychology, artificial intelligence, and the possibility of a robot future. Join us for a journey deep into the mind, if you dare…

We are also now officially on iTunes. Click “Subscribe” and enjoy all the philosophical goodness fed automatically to your computer via RSS. You can also manually subscribe by copying the following address into your podcast client of choice:

http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?feed=podcast

Duration: 60:18 | Format: MP3 | Rating: Clean

Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, David Ronderos, Matt Legler

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/09/04/episode-001-hello-everywelcome/feed/ 1 1:00:18 Beyond all odds, lightning has struck twice, and the first “official” episode BF is here. Matt, David, and Stephen discuss Stephen’s article in the campus newspaper, spawning a deep, meandering, extravagantly philosophical discussi[...] Beyond all odds, lightning has struck twice, and the first “official” episode BF is here. Matt, David, and Stephen discuss Stephen’s article in the campus newspaper, spawning a deep, meandering, extravagantly philosophical discussion on neuropsychology, artificial intelligence, and the possibility of a robot future. Join us for a journey deep into the mind, if you dare… We are also now officially on iTunes. Click “Subscribe” and enjoy all the philosophical goodness fed automatically to your computer via RSS. You can also manually subscribe by copying the following address into your podcast client of choice: http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?feed=podcast Duration: 60:18 | Format: MP3 | Rating: Clean Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, David Ronderos, Matt Legler Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no