Two Bit Geeks

Two Bit Geeks

55: Maroon Duct Tape

Sep 25 • 71 min

It’s election season, and Ped has invested in maroon duct tape, Tom is withholding any endorsements, and they both discuss whether chess is a sport.

54: The Timberdoodle

Aug 30 • 41 min

Ped & Tom continue their appreciation of nature with a discussion on the ethics of animal welfare and eating fish, observing wildlife through drawing, painting, and nature journaling, and a surprising foray onto Instagram.

53: The Meandering Path

Jul 29 • 71 min

Ped & Tom take the meandering path through such subjects as dealing with hydrophobia, the automated safety features of modern cars, and a review of some favorite video and board games.

52: Animal Story Time

Jul 11 • 75 min

Ped got a new cat toy, Tom has some animal stories. Also, pondering cultured meat, inoculation with a fake news vaccine, and more listener questions.

51: Joe Biden Eating a Sandwich

Jun 11 • 79 min

Ped & Tom careen through a cavalcade of conversational categories, including competitions, carbon dioxide, Chernobyl, conservation, committee life, coaxial cable, communication constellations, and countless collections of warblers. Geek out!

50: (やる気 + 環境) x 時間

May 24 • 62 min

In this special episode, Ped & Tom are joined by the elusive Brother X, a triathlete and professional translator, who calls in from Yokohama, Japan. He shares some of the differences he sees in Japanese and American language and culture after having spent…

49: Ultimate Fate of the Universe

Apr 23 • 57 min

In this episode, Tom has unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night, Ped has a new Star Wars theory, and they both geek out to the first image of a Black Hole before musing on the Ultimate Fate of the Universe.

48: Sugar Shacks and Barred Owls

Mar 29 • 50 min

The interminable New England Winter is almost over and it’s time for a Spring Clean for Ped & Tom as they start their Digital Declutter. With more time away from digital distractions, Tom finds a new hobby.

47: Our Fraught Relationship with Technology

Mar 11 • 74 min

Ped & Tom review the new book “Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport and discuss the benefits of reducing your daily interactions with technology and social media.

46: Maximize Joy

Feb 15 • 66 min

Ped & Tom continue to stare into the existential void and search for the meaning of life, with the help of centenarian Okinawans and the Japanese concept of Ikigai, as well as the organizational methods of tidying expert Marie Kondo.

45: An Evening with Phish

Jan 24 • 61 min

A long-lost concert video sparks a stroll down memory lane for two old-school Phish-heads, sharing a “thank you” card full of gratitude for all the joy created by their favorite band, Phish. Tapers welcome!

44: Lincoln’s Hoodie

Jan 9 • 49 min

Ped & Tom welcome a new sunrise and a new year, they run through some followup on Github, Stax lids, and ladybird beetles, Tom welcomes some new arrivals to his household, and Ped attempts to experience history in Washington DC.

43: Ladybirds’ Picnic

Dec 13, 2018 • 64 min

Ped has a doughnut-related crisis, Tom is visited by ladybird beetles, and they discuss the forthcoming Insect Apocalypse.

42: Girding for Frivolity

Nov 21, 2018 • 88 min

Don’t Panic! Tom is surrounded by hippies. Ped is on the lookout for interstellar visitors. And they both continue their search for the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Plus, Ped has a curious collection.

41: Building a House of Belief

Nov 8, 2018 • 49 min

In this episode, Ped has a new drinking game, Tom reveals he was not a particularly good student, and your hosts welcome the new Doctor. They then return to the topic of Climate Change and why people believe what they believe…or not.

40: Slot Machines for Attention

Oct 13, 2018 • 80 min

With apologies for the echoey room, albeit in a new home, Ped & Tom discuss the contrasting environ of Western Massachusetts, a perplexing but pleasing podcast review, and a followup on The Last Jedi that somehow made it through the edit. Then, Ped has a…

39: Captain of the Enterprise

Sep 13, 2018 • 76 min

Tom is on the move, Ped is excited about Star Trek, and they both warp through tangents related to genealogy, immigration, solar probes, and climate change. Engage!

38: Blazar McBlazeface

Aug 19, 2018 • 66 min

Ped and Tom followup on some recent developments in the world of science including the mysterious ʻOumuamua, a super-powerful blazar, and a neutrino detector buried deep in the ice. Then, Ped extolls the benefits of three recent self-improvement books…

37: Spaghetti Code

Jul 28, 2018 • 48 min

Tom passes Ped’s code review with a particularly janky bit of programming, stickers are dispatched around the world, and we get some more complaining about Star Wars.

36: The Long Slog

Jul 7, 2018 • 69 min

Ped is strangely primed this morning, Tom is strangely immune to poison ivy, and they both take a long, strange slog through software development and language immersion.

35: Low on Disk Space

Jun 19, 2018 • 52 min

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time for the A.I. Winter and more followup tonight. It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right, it’s time to spoil Infinity War and … [Disk Space Error]

34: Two Bots Talking

Jun 2, 2018 • 66 min

In this guaranteed 100% human-created podcast, Ped & Tom ponder whether humanity was Earth’s first civilization, whether Google chatbots will subsequently replace humanity, whether Irish drivers are the best in the world, and whether your own DNA will…

33: Staring into the Void

May 2, 2018 • 64 min

Pondering pure existence, a big reckoning for Big Coffee, coming to terms with archiving our past, possibly #tooMuchMeta on a flight through Ped’s neural landscape, keep those subvocals to yourself and always look up for the Happy Void.

32: On Our High Hobby Horse

Apr 20, 2018 • 81 min

Ped & Tom ride their hobby horses through some of their favorite topics; such as speeding and safe driving, dumping Facebook and shadow profiles, fitness tracking and smart devices, supervolcanoes and asteroid impacts, and being kind to one another. Plus,…

31: Half-hearted Halfpipe

Apr 1, 2018 • 47 min

Ped & Tom fidget their way through some followup, Ped delights in some unusual athleticism, and Tom makes a move at a board gaming tournament.

30: The Tyranny of Convenience

Mar 17, 2018 • 85 min

Ped is moonlighting on Tom. If elected, Tom will not serve. They both explore the consequences of convenience, of speeding, of firearms, of bedtime eggs, of sleeping possums, and placebos.

29: Flights of Fancy

Feb 24, 2018 • 40 min

Pondering the Assistance Invasion, blasting off with maximum coolness with SpaceX, possible microscopic passengers, and this is not a place of honor for six percent of rats. Tick-tock!

28: The Zoof Lot

Feb 10, 2018 • 55 min

It’s déjà-vu all over again as Ped and Tom revisit a feast of follow-up, minimize their mobile and soak up the wifi on accident in an episode of time well spent (auditorily speaking). After-party in the Zoof Lot.

27: Grumpy Old Men

Jan 28, 2018 • 65 min

The one where Ped & Tom argue about The Last Jedi for an hour. Spoilers abound. You have been warned!

26: Invest in PedCoin

Jan 13, 2018 • 90 min

Ped & Tom go around and around on roundabouts, BritComs, accents, dialects, and bubblers. They revisit the problem of social media dopamine hits, and then explore the promise of Bitcoin and the blockchain.

25: The Scorpion and the Tortoise

Dec 25, 2017 • 67 min

Celebrating the luminous, quiet and noisy joys of the season, Quentin Tarantino has phasers set to kill for Captain Picard, and AlphaZero ushers in a new era of mostly fear for Ped and Tom as they ponder the perils of the new AI. Happy Holidays, humans!

24: The Two Bit Geeks Hall of Fame

Dec 9, 2017 • 71 min

Ped & Tom celebrate a year of podcasting with their first inductions into the Two Bit Geeks Hall of Fame.

23: Free Range Podcasting

Nov 25, 2017 • 71 min

Deconstructing Tom’s editing filter, briefly Brother X, Star Wars and LOTR news, questionable parenting trends of the modern age and debating the value of death. Plus, Two Bit Geeks t-shirts are here!

22: Nostalgia Kilonova

Nov 11, 2017 • 52 min

Wandering down the aisles of emergent 80s nostalgia, briefly Blade Runner and the satisfaction of reinvention, Dungeons & Dragons gets back on the scene, first light on the biggest bangs in the universe and interstellar greetings from the Vegans of Lyra.

21: Bandying About the Cosmos

Oct 27, 2017 • 79 min

The busy geeks are back from more travels and buzz through accumulated corrections and followup, followed by a deep dive into software development, a trip to the world of Ahch-To (also know as Ireland), and finally Tom finds himself on a ‘special’ list.

20: Apocalypse How?

Sep 26, 2017 • 69 min

Climate change, nuclear war, hostile AI, runaway nanotech, supervolcanoes, supermassive meteor strikes and unrelenting alien invasions: Ped and Tom shine a gamma ray burst on the biggest threats to our continued existence. Inspiration optional!

19: The Trusting Game

Sep 14, 2017 • 59 min

A happy birthday to Curiosity, a stellar job opportunity, and a deep dive into Nicky Case’s game of trust, compassion and resilient cooperation—just don’t tailgate Tom.

18: Total Eclipse Special

Aug 26, 2017 • 43 min

Ped & Tom experience the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse within the magical Path of Totality, and survive the traffic nightmare afterwards.

17: National Park Sandwich

Aug 12, 2017 • 74 min

The dramatic conclusion of the The Great Pea Experiment; Ped across America with a road trip redux through five National Parks, seven natural wonders and The Argonath; and there’s good reason to celebrate our 13th Doctor.

16: Flora and Fauna

Jul 25, 2017 • 45 min

Ped invites Tom to try some vocal warmup, before moving on to fingers and hands, cursive redux, neuroplasticity and critical thinking, flora and pesky fauna, plus some brief Star Wars news.

15: Purposeless Pursuits

Jul 3, 2017 • 48 min

After a hello to our Imperial listeners, Ped & Tom discuss the decline of cursive writing, the Common Core Standards, learning cuneiform, and the purpose of purposeless pursuits. Also, squeaky cats and oatmeal.

14: Productive Plants

Jun 17, 2017 • 52 min

Fitness tracking followup, setting goals and how to manage them, aspiring towards Inbox Zero, the benefits of side projects and time scheduling, the manager-self versus the worker-self, and the sensitive plant revisited.

13: Tom Cruise’s Dorky Brother

May 28, 2017 • 63 min

Alien megastructures on the move, Tom happily hopping across the pond, a lot of bleu at the Pompidou, replicating everything, Fluffernutters in Paris, matching voices with faces and Tom’s tendrils are seriously onto something.

12: Bachanalia

Apr 30, 2017 • 60 min

Giving Tom another micro-hobby, celebrating the return of Doctor Who and MST3K, the first trailer for the The Last Jedi, a trip through the galaxy of the Goldberg Variations and throwing dirt and shade on Ender’s Game.

11: That Was Close

Apr 14, 2017 • 51 min

Mystery project part two (or, I Can’t Believe I Just Did That), some mildly interesting follow-up, all hail what we objectively know to be true, even more Who, the mathematical beauty of J.S. Bach and will Ped ever finish his homework.

10: Inside Ped’s Head

Mar 29, 2017 • 58 min

Scandinavians have excellent taste in podcasts, floating away on uninteresting waves, occupying attention for sleep and creativity, Tom picks Ped’s brain on meditation, mystery project part one and a micro bit of barely audible follow-up.

09: All Aboard for Silly Town!

Mar 13, 2017 • 57 min

Wheeling and dealing on a weekday evening, sportsball gets a foot in the door, simulating simulations, tidally locked exoplanets and other cool space stuff that will take forever to get to, lunar tourism and this podcast train is bound for Silly Town.

08: Two Geeks (or not Two Geeks)

Feb 22, 2017 • 43 min

Evolution and expansion of the greater tribe of geek, a farewell to John Hurt and a bon voyage to Peter Capaldi, pop-culturally informed (?) speculation on Who’s next, and looking forward to the next work from Denis what’s-his-name.

07: I Can’t Drive 55

Feb 8, 2017 • 67 min

Thanking dear listeners (with apologies to the Dutch and Danes), why are we doing this again?, checking out this super happy milkmaid, purposeless beauty, patience and imperfection, regulating news and paying heed (or not) to speed limits.

06: Into the Matrix

Jan 24, 2017 • 77 min

A brush with Brother-X, a penny for your data and the cloud for your consciousness, rolling into the theatre of the mind, abandoning Ped to assimilation in the collective and these aren’t the reviewers you’re looking for with Rogue One.

05: The Conveyor Belt of Slop

Jan 10, 2017 • 59 min

Updated subscriber totals, exploring echo chambers, managing the meta-leash, the opt-in nature of truth and practicing good mental hygiene: Ped & Tom get into, under, and all up in the grill of everyone’s favorite internet sensation, Fake News.

04: Spoiler Alert!

Dec 28, 2016 • 58 min

Quickly drawing on machine learning, practicing good spoiler hygiene, taking a trip with Doctor Strange, the audacious Arrival and Ted Chiang, a language of pure logic, thinking without language and testing episode storage capacity.

03: To Infinity (and the Stroller)

Dec 18, 2016 • 43 min

Ped flips the script on a telemarketer, Tom embraces his inner athlete, exploring the value of exploring space, assessing the relative worth of shrimp and Daleks and losing one’s composure with The Moral Machine.

02: The Scientific and the Fluffy

Dec 11, 2016 • 49 min

The pure joy of puttering and sneaky morning naps, attempting to drop the philosophy bomb with Carlos Santana and the nature of inspiration, google:defining the divine and the inexpressible experience of feeling and consciousness.

01: Roll for Initiative!

Dec 4, 2016 • 54 min

Ped & Tom are agog with gravitas at the end of Force Awakens, the subjective experience of movies, the marvelous MCU, the 2017 total solar eclipse (featuring the fabulous Path of Totality), climate change XKCD-style, increasing global empathy and saving…