Bad Philosophy » Cory Doctorow 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 055: Twenty, Not Two Thousand http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2010/01/14/episode-055-twenty-not-two-thousand/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2010/01/14/episode-055-twenty-not-two-thousand/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:15:14 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=186 I know, I know… I was horribly late with the editing on this one, but I swear that two weeks ago we recorded a new BF on the first day of the new decade! This one was a pretty straightforward retrospective, but the first time we actually had an episode one year ago that we could pull our predictions from. That’s right folks! BF’s run now straddles two new years! The venerable Kevin Saunders joined me, alongside Matt Legler, fulfilling his BF-imposed new years’ resolution… one year later. There was reflection, prediction, and a solid dose of classic BF. Have a listen! And have a most excellent decade, everybody.

This Week’s Post-Show Song Pimpage: “Days Aren’t Long Enough” by Steve Earle

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2010/01/14/episode-055-twenty-not-two-thousand/feed/ 4 0:51:37 I know, I know… I was horribly late with the editing on this one, but I swear that two weeks ago we recorded a new BF on the first day of the new decade! This one was a pretty straightforward retrospective, but the first time we actually had a[...] Bad Philosophy Episode 055 "Twenty, Not Two Thousand" Recorded 01-01-10 I know, I know... I was horribly late with the editing on this one, but I swear that two weeks ago we recorded a new BF on the first day of the new decade! This one was a pretty straightforward retrospective, but the first time we actually had an episode one year ago that we could pull our predictions from. That's right folks! BF's run now straddles two new years! The venerable Kevin Saunders joined me, alongside Matt Legler, fulfilling his BF-imposed new years' resolution... one year later. There was reflection, prediction, and a solid dose of classic BF. Have a listen! And have a most excellent decade, everybody. Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 043: Endless Meltdown http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/09/08/episode-043-endless-meltdown/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/09/08/episode-043-endless-meltdown/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:06:36 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=170 It should be no surprise to you that we here are, for the most part, poor college students doing this for a hobby. Nevertheless, in this exciting world of new media opportunities and inexplicable successes, we cannot help but hold a glimmer of hope for a future in which we roll around in big piles money for BF-ing all day long. This week Kevin, Jed, and I discuss merchandise, cultural shifts, and the future of the show. Got an idea that we didn’t cover? Leave us a comment! We promise we’ll listen.

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Money Song” by Monty Python

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/09/08/episode-043-endless-meltdown/feed/ 1 0:53:30 It should be no surprise to you that we here are, for the most part, poor college students doing this for a hobby. Nevertheless, in this exciting world of new media opportunities and inexplicable successes, we cannot help but hold a glimmer of hope [...] It should be no surprise to you that we here are, for the most part, poor college students doing this for a hobby. Nevertheless, in this exciting world of new media opportunities and inexplicable successes, we cannot help but hold a glimmer of hope for a future in which we roll around in big piles money for BF-ing all day long. This week Kevin, Jed, and I discuss merchandise, cultural shifts, and the future of the show. Got an idea that we didn’t cover? Leave us a comment! We promise we’ll listen. This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Money Song” by Monty Python Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 040: Meta-Mathic Smackdown http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/07/30/episode-040-meta-mathic-smackdown/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/07/30/episode-040-meta-mathic-smackdown/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:36:37 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=160 In a world, divided by history, separate but equal, teetering on the brink of the cosmos, one podcast dares to defy the axioms and go where no podcast has gone bef… well you get the idea. This week we’re talking Anathem!  Neal Stephenson‘s latest work of spec-fic awesomery is ripe with headiness, so we decided to bring on couple of powerhouses in the brain department. Former-KTXT and current Llano Idea DJ Benjamin Brown returns to duke it out in a literary smackdown for the ages with veteran Bad Philosopher and aspiring YouTube reviewer Kevin Saunders. If this were a book, it’d be a genuine page-turner. But you read with your ears, right? Of course you do. So have a listen…

You also have the option to watch our live Stickam recording below. Join us next Sunday at 12pm CST for Episode 41!

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Mandelbrot Set” by Jonathan Coulton

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/07/30/episode-040-meta-mathic-smackdown/feed/ 0 0:55:09 In a world, divided by history, separate but equal, teetering on the brink of the cosmos, one podcast dares to defy the axioms and go where no podcast has gone bef... well you get the idea. This week we're talking Anathem! Neal Stephenson's latest [...] Bad Philosophy Episode 040 "Meta-Mathic Smackdown" 07-26-09 In a world, divided by history, separate but equal, teetering on the brink of the cosmos, one podcast dares to defy the axioms and go where no podcast has gone bef... well you get the idea. This week we're talking Anathem! Neal Stephenson's latest work of spec-fic awesomery is ripe with headiness, so we decided to bring on couple of powerhouses in the brain department. Former-KTXT and current Llano Idea DJ Benjamin Brown returns to duke it out in a literary smackdown for the ages with veteran Bad Philosopher and aspiring YouTube reviewer Kevin Saunders. If this were a book, it'd be a genuine page-turner. But you read with your ears, right? Of course you do. So have a listen... Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 034: A Squishy Affricate http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/10/episode-034-a-squishy-affricate/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/10/episode-034-a-squishy-affricate/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:01:57 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=151 You’d think that after 50 years, the nations of North and South Korea would have kissed and made up. But these days as we light up our barbecues and relish the summer heat, the Korean peninsula is once again on the brink of war. From across the seas in Ulsan, South Korea, Julie Meadows joins to compare the cultural, political, and linguistic quirks of her locale alongside me, Kevin and his former roommate Jordan Mueller (first heard in the background some time ago). So as you reflect on Memorial Day this summer, remember the lost, have a nice heaping helping of mother hand tasty blue director of a bureau, and enjoy this week’s BF…

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith. Buy it on iTunes, or we’ll put a boot in your ass.

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/06/10/episode-034-a-squishy-affricate/feed/ 6 1:09:40 You'd think that after 50 years, the nations of North and South Korea would have kissed and made up. But these days as we light up our barbecues and relish the summer heat, the Korean peninsula is once again on the brink of war. From across the seas[...] You'd think that after 50 years, the nations of North and South Korea would have kissed and made up. But these days as we light up our barbecues and relish the summer heat, the Korean peninsula is once again on the brink of war. From across the seas in Ulsan, South Korea, Julie Meadows joins to compare the cultural, political, and linguistic quirks of her locale alongside me, Kevin and his former roommate Jordan Mueller (first heard in the background some time ago). So as you reflect on Memorial Day this summer, remember the lost, have a nice heaping helping of mother hand tasty blue director of a bureau, and enjoy this week's BF... Announcements, Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 032: We Love the Future http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/25/episode-032-we-love-the-future/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/25/episode-032-we-love-the-future/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 18:16:02 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=147 After a long and completely unnecessary haitus, BF is back. And we’re going back, WAY back to a simpler time, a more optimistic time, to the days of the Virtual Boy and its ilk. That’s right, Kevin, pre-Facebook Jed, Matt and I are talking virtual reality, ladies and gentlemen! It was supposed to be the wave of the future, so what happened? Why aren’t we all living in holodecks already? And where’s my virtual haircut? We’ll try to answer all this and more before the singularity hits, so strap in and have a listen!

This week’s postshow audio pimpage: “The Future Soon” by Jonathan Coulton

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/25/episode-032-we-love-the-future/feed/ 0 0:52:15 It was supposed to be the wave of the future, so what happened? Why aren't we all living in holodecks already? And where's my virtual haircut? We'll try to answer all this and more before the singularity hits, so strap in and have a listen! It was supposed to be the wave of the future, so what happened? Why aren't we all living in holodecks already? And where's my virtual haircut? We'll try to answer all this and more before the singularity hits, so strap in and have a listen! Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 031: Farewell to a Legend http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/06/episode-031-farewell-to-a-legend/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/06/episode-031-farewell-to-a-legend/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 21:01:13 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=143 Seasons come and seasons go, but here at Bad Philosophy one thing has never really changed: the utter ubiquity of one Kevin Saunders. Fortunately for him but unfortunately for us, the big man himself has jumped through his last hoop of fire and is graduating our fair university. But fear not! He will be participating in episodes still, albeit via the wonders of Skype rather than in person.

Joining us for Kevin’s last live episode was Bryan Mitchell and Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins. We had some audio woes (read: Bryan turned his microphone off) and video stream woes that ruined the opening bit, but through the magic of GarageBand I have made all right with the world. We talked Dollhouse, philosophy of mind, and Swine Flu, leading Kevin to do a classic rant on politics. Relish this episode, everyone, it’s special…

This week’s outro song pimpage: “I’m Your Moon” by Jonathan Coulton (yeah, we love him dearly for very good reasons)

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/05/06/episode-031-farewell-to-a-legend/feed/ 0 0:42:35 Joining us for Kevin's last live episode was Bryan Mitchell and Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins. We had some audio woes (read: Bryan turned his microphone off) and video stream woes that ruined the opening bit, but through the magic of GarageBand I ha[...] Joining us for Kevin's last live episode was Bryan Mitchell and Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins. We had some audio woes (read: Bryan turned his microphone off) and video stream woes that ruined the opening bit, but through the magic of GarageBand I have made all right with the world. We talked Dollhouse, philosophy of mind, and Swine Flu, leading Kevin to do a classic rant on politics. Relish this episode, everyone, it's special... Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 029: A BF Orange http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/04/15/episode-029-a-bf-orange/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/04/15/episode-029-a-bf-orange/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:31:02 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=139 Easter time is here again, and what better way to celebrate than with some ultraviolence, m’droogs? That’s right, this week BF took a dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the dark dystopian future of Stanley Kubrick’s 1972 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange, examining the moral, psychological, and cinematographical facets of the film. Numero Uno Fanboy and BF Cameraman Jed Cummins joined us for his third episode alongside newcomer Greg “Bob” Briley. Sex, murder, and prison await you! Have a listen…

This week’s featured track: “The Easter Song” by Paul and Storm

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/04/15/episode-029-a-bf-orange/feed/ 0 0:46:59 Easter time is here again, and what better way to celebrate than with some ultraviolence, m'droogs? That's right, this week BF took a dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the dark dystopian future of Stanley Kubrick's 1972 masterpiece A Clockwo[...] Bad Philosophy Episode 029: A BF Orange April 12, 2009 Easter time is here again, and what better way to celebrate than with some ultraviolence, m'droogs? That's right, this week BF took a dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the dark dystopian future of Stanley Kubrick's 1972 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange, examining the moral, psychological, and cinematographical facets of the film. Numero Uno Fanboy and BF Cameraman Jed Cummins joined us for his third episode alongside newcomer Greg "Bob" Briley. Sex, murder, and prison await you! Have a listen... MP3 | 46:59 This week's featured track: "The Easter Song" by Paul and Storm www.badphilosophy.com Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 027: It’s Gonna Be a Shaving Thing http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/03/31/episode-027-its-gonna-be-a-shaving-thing/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/03/31/episode-027-its-gonna-be-a-shaving-thing/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:26:20 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=132 Progress is a tricky thing. It doesn’t always go like you think it should. Sometimes the days are Blue and Sunny, sometimes things blow up in your face, and sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and let it happen. What I’m trying to say is, of course, that BF had an AWESOME time doing our first live recording in a while, and we promise this will be the first of many. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all the juicy updates.

On this episode we talked about the meaning of live, Kevin’s source of power, and even experimented with musicality. It was live, it was random, it was totally BF. Have a listen…

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/03/31/episode-027-its-gonna-be-a-shaving-thing/feed/ 1 0:44:01 Progress is a tricky thing. It doesn’t always go like you think it should. Sometimes the days are Blue and Sunny, sometimes things blow up in your face, and sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and let it happen. What I’m tr[...] Progress is a tricky thing. It doesn’t always go like you think it should. Sometimes the days are Blue and Sunny, sometimes things blow up in your face, and sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and let it happen. What I’m trying to say is, of course, that BF had an AWESOME time doing our first live recording in a while, and we promise this will be the first of many. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all the juicy updates. On this episode we talked about the meaning of live, Kevin’s source of power, and even experimented with musicality. It was live, it was random, it was totally BF. Have a listen… Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no Episode 019: OreoBama http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/22/episode-019-oreobama/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/22/episode-019-oreobama/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:26:38 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=86 We’ve got ourselves a new president in these grand United States of America, and in celebration of that common knowledge we dedicated this BF to discussing… pretty much anything except that. Jessica Story joined us for the first time, bringing a flare of femininity to the show in a shameless attempt to lure in the other 51% of the world’s population. But demographics be damned! We had rabbit trails to follow, cookies to chew, and Rubik’s cubes to solve… all in a high-quality multi-track audio extravaganza. You thought we could never get more BF? Well I’ve got news for you: Yes we can. And… we did…

As mentioned in the show, we’re now hunting for new guest panelists who would like to share a taste of our thunder on Bad Philosophy. If you have Skype and a decent microphone, please tweet at one of us and tell us (in 140 characters or less) why you would be a worthy guest Bad Philosopher.

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/22/episode-019-oreobama/feed/ 1 0:54:51 We've got ourselves a new president in these grand United States of America, and in celebration of that common knowledge we dedicated this BF to discussing... pretty much anything except that. Jessica Story joined us for the first time, bringing a f[...] We've got ourselves a new president in these grand United States of America, and in celebration of that common knowledge we dedicated this BF to discussing... pretty much anything except that. Jessica Story joined us for the first time, bringing a flare of femininity to the show in a shameless attempt to lure in the other 51% of the world's population. But demographics be damned! We had rabbit trails to follow, cookies to chew, and Rubik's cubes to solve... all in a high-quality multi-track audio extravaganza. You thought we could never get more BF? Well I've got news for you: Yes we can. And... we did... Uncategorized The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 018: How Long for Copywrong? http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/10/episode-018-how-long-for-copywrong/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/10/episode-018-how-long-for-copywrong/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:38:16 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=83 It’s here, people! We’re inching our way ever closer to becoming bona fide, honest to goodness procasters. We’re back in the DMS and managed to rig up their spiffy, expensive microphones into the best audio configuration we’ve had yet. Julie Meadows joins us this episode for a finagled foray into copyright, Mickey Mouse, and sneezing… among many other decidedly BF things. So pull up an ideal chair and get ready for the audio bliss that is Episode 18…

Update: We realized shortly after posting this episode that Kevin’s brilliant publicity plan has been thwarted by none other than Cory Doctorow himself. Ah, happenstance… such a strange bedfellow you are…

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2009/01/10/episode-018-how-long-for-copywrong/feed/ 0 0:46:24 It's here, people! We're inching our way ever closer to becoming bona fide, honest to goodness procasters. We're back in the DMS and managed to rig up their spiffy, expensive microphones into the best audio configuration we've had yet. Julie Meadows[...] It's here, people! We're inching our way ever closer to becoming bona fide, honest to goodness procasters. We're back in the DMS and managed to rig up their spiffy, expensive microphones into the best audio configuration we've had yet. Julie Meadows joins us this episode for a finagled foray into copyright, Mickey Mouse, and sneezing... among many other decidedly BF things. So pull up an ideal chair and get ready for the audio bliss that is Episode 18... Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 016: Ecomikindle http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/18/episode-016-ecomikindle/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/18/episode-016-ecomikindle/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:36:18 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=76 One may be the loneliest number that you’ll ever do, but two is certainly NOT as bad as one when it’s Bad Philosophy. Kevin and I convened over Skype this week in leu of any other panelists. We actually got the audio working half-decently (can you believe it?!) and had a great back-and-forth about a wide variety of topics. So sit back, kindle your excitement, strap on your golden parachute, and shove those old VHS bootlegs of Oh, Killmas Tree under your desk – it’s time for some BF!

We’re also now on Podcast Alley {pca-758bd8544b03dfdc84be8678b7a726d7}

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/18/episode-016-ecomikindle/feed/ 0 1:00:53 One may be the loneliest number that you'll ever do, but two is certainly NOT as bad as one when it's Bad Philosophy. Kevin and I convened over Skype this week in leu of any other panelists. We actually got the audio working half-decently (can you b[...] One may be the loneliest number that you'll ever do, but two is certainly NOT as bad as one when it's Bad Philosophy. Kevin and I convened over Skype this week in leu of any other panelists. We actually got the audio working half-decently (can you believe it?!) and had a great back-and-forth about a wide variety of topics. So sit back, kindle your excitement, strap on your golden parachute, and shove those old VHS bootlegs of Oh, Killmas Tree under your desk - it's time for some BF! Format: MP3 | Duration: 1:00:53 | Record Date: 12-17-08 Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 013: Big in Scandinavia http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/03/episode-013-big-in-scandinavia/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/03/episode-013-big-in-scandinavia/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:30:32 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=70 Hälsningarna, Nordisk solfjäder av Dålig Filosofi! Du er göra sval.

And I hope you Scandinavian cats can understand poorly-translated Swedish as well as the English we love so dearly here on the show. Honestly though, unlike our beloved brethren to the north, we aren’t actually devoting a whole episode to you this week. Instead, we convened over Skype to discuss the American shopping ritual known as Black Friday, as well as a healthy dose of memetics, duckrolling, and other such jazz. We apologize for the audio quality (I mean… it is Skype after all), but we did manage to give you the treat of hearing our voices in stereo for the first time ever. We promise to get back on civilized audio hardware for the next episode. Grin and bear with us; we actually had some good stuff to say…

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/12/03/episode-013-big-in-scandinavia/feed/ 0 0:52:55 This week we convened over Skype to discuss the American shopping ritual known as Black Friday, as well as a healthy dose of memetics and other such jazz. We apologize for the audio quality (I mean... it is Skype after all), but we did manage to giv[...] This week we convened over Skype to discuss the American shopping ritual known as Black Friday, as well as a healthy dose of memetics and other such jazz. We apologize for the audio quality (I mean... it is Skype after all), but we did manage to give you the treat of hearing our voices in stereo for the first time ever. We promise to get back on civilized audio hardware for the next episode. Grin and bear with us, we actually had some good stuff to say... Podcast The Bad Philosophers no no Episode 009: Politics, Eh http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/10/29/episode-009-politics-eh/ http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/10/29/episode-009-politics-eh/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:53:41 +0000 StephenTorrence http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/?p=57 This week on Bad Philosophy we tackle the age-old question: if one does not like America, should they move to Canada? I mean, what could be better than free health care and all the moose meat you can eat, right? Austin Fielding joins us for the first time, making it our largest panel ever (five, baby, five!). Canada listeners take heart; we tried to keep the Canada cliches to a minimum. Really…

…eh.

Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Matt Legler, Austin Fielding, Kimberly Stewart

]]> http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/2008/10/29/episode-009-politics-eh/feed/ 1 1:10:06 This week on Bad Philosophy we tackle the age-old question: if one does not like America, should they move to Canada? I mean, what could be better than free health care and all the moose meat you can eat, right? Austin Fielding joins us for the firs[...] This week on Bad Philosophy we tackle the age-old question: if one does not like America, should they move to Canada? I mean, what could be better than free health care and all the moose meat you can eat, right? Austin Fielding joins us for the first time, making it our largest panel ever (five, baby, five!). Canada listeners take heart; we tried to keep the Canada cliches to a minimum. Really… …eh. Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Matt Legler, Austin Fielding, Kimberly Stewart Podcast The Bad Philosophers clean no