TRC #673: UFO Whistleblower? + Will We Make Great Pets For An Artificial Super Intelligence?

Adam digs into recent headlines about UFOs and whistleblower David Grusch.  Does this give any promising evidence that aliens may be among us?  Next Darren ponders how our future AI overlords might treat us. Assuming they don’t eliminate us, will we make great pets?  It’s a new TRC!

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TRC #672: Are Fingerprints Really Unique? + What’s A Buttload? + Why AI Researchers Don’t Quit

Cristina kicks off the show with a deep dive into the history of forensic fingerprinting and challenges a commonly accepted notion that no two fingerprints are alike. Adam brings us a buttload of a segment when he probes into the origin and meaning of the term. Darren rounds out the show with an always fascinating look into the world of AI, specifically why given extinction concerns, AI researchers don’t quit.

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TRC #671: Uncertainty And AI Risk + Spot The Fake

Darren shares some thoughts and leads an interesting discussion about what might be reasonable approaches to the difficult and complicated topic of artificial intelligence. Pat brings us another smashing game of “Name That: Spot The Fake.” Can you do better than the TRC crew?

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TRC #670: Mashup: Fire and Smoke

The TRC crew brings you a mashup about fire and smoke.  Adam looks into headlines about the Amazon rainforest. The facts may surprise you.  Pat addresses a listener’s question about whether the rainforest is the Earth’s lungs responsible for 20% of the oxygen we breathe. Darren investigates whether wood fires pose a danger to your health.

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TRC #669: Coronal Mass Ejection + The Technology Trap

In March of this year, auroras were seen in many places on earth.  Though the auroras are usually seen far up north on the globe they can occur further south.  But what are the risks associated with this kind of event?  “The Technology Trap” by Carl Benedikt Frey looks at how the history of technology can help us better understand economic and political polarization in the age of automation.  Darren gives us a review. 

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TRC #668: Dark Chocolate Has Heavy Metals? + What Happened To The Dinosaurs?

A recent study done by Consumer Reports shows that dark chocolate bars contain lead and cadmium.  Should you be concerned? Cristina digs into it.  Next, after watching the movie “65”, Adam looks at the debate about how dinosaurs went extinct and when.

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TRC#667: A Chat With Karl Mamer

Pat puppeteers a delicious intro. Finally, what took us so long? We had a chat with Canadian podcast pioneer and author Karl Mamer. Karl has a new book out called “The Skeptics Book of Lists”. He’s a fascinating character with many stories to tell. We hope you enjoy!

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TRC #666: The Number Of The Beast Origins + Name That: Spot The Fake

Welcome to episode 6-6-6! Darren does a deep dive on the digits steeped in the Book of Revelation and why some historically associate it with the ‘number of the beast’. Pat challenges the crew to a fresh and always fun installment of Name That: Spot The Fake. Can you do better than the TRC crew?

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TRC #665: Is It Safe To Stand In Front of Microwave Ovens? Interview with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy About The Simulation Hypothesis

Cristina investigates a pervasive belief that standing in front of a microwave oven poses health risks. Darren and Adam have another fascinating discussion with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy. This time it’s about his recent work regarding the Simulation Hypothesis, which proposes that all of our existence is a simulated reality. Dr. Yampolskiy is a computer scientist at the University of Louisville where he is the Director of the Cyber Security Laboratory in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He is an author of over 100 publications including numerous books.

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TRC #664: Thundersnow + Customer Always Right? + A Look At “The Metaverse”

Cristina digs into the rare weather occurrence called thundersnow after witnessing lightning and thunder during a recent snowstorm. Adam checks the origins of ‘the customer is always right in matters of taste’, and asks, are they? Darren rounds out the show with a look at Matthew Ball’s best-selling book “The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything”.

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