We Have Concerns

A writer for Wired clicked 'like' on every single article, update, or advertisement that Facebook presented to him over the course of two days, and described what it did to his feed. It turns out, the algorithm can go pretty wild if you're willing to follow it down the rabbit hole of thumbs up.  This leads Anthony to rail against social media and socializing in general, and Jeff to wonder what it means to be a machine. Support us on Patreon!  http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Articles sent in by Sam Nolan:  http://www.wired.com/2014/08/i-liked-everything-i-saw-on-facebook-for-two-days-heres-what-it-did-to-me/   and Eric Trapp:  http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/08/hate-facebook-or-your-life.html

The "impossible" propulsion drive, which uses microwaves and invisible matter to theoretically power space travel - and which seems to violate the laws of physics, has actually been validated by NASA.  This causes Jeff to go bananas, dreaming of a fantasy sci-fi future in his own lifetime and... wait for it... HOVERBOARDS.  Anthony is not having any of it.   Hey! If you're enjoying the show, consider supporting us on Patreon!  http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article sent in by Dustin Lakin:  http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/31/nasa-validates-impossible-space-drive

Humans controlling waterways by building dams has caused major problems for salmon, who must return to fresh water to breed. But a new company - Whooshh Innovations (not making that up) - has developed a better way to help salmon get upstream: a giant salmon cannon.  Anthony thinks this is the perfect Rube Goldberg solution to the problem, while Jeff worries about a country that solves every problem by turning things into guns. HEY LOOK IT'S OUR PATREON! Help support the show! http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Watch the Salmon Cannon in Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICS32kady4 Go thank Will Sinclair for suggesting today's story! http://twitter.com/sinclairwill

Researchers have determined that individual ant colonies have their own distinct personalities, and that these personalities are shaped by their environments.  This leads Jeff and Anthony to wonder if all animals have personality, and if humans might have personalities that are shaped by their environments, too.  Also, only eat animals that are dicks. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Article:  http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28658268

Fossils discovered in the Antarctic reveal a penguin that reached the approximate size of Lebron James, 6'8 and 250 pounds.  That's a big penguin.  Jeff and Anthony try to figure out exactly how they would defeat such a creature in an ice-fight at the top of the food chain. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Article:  http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/giant-6-foot-8-penguin-discovered-in-antarctica  

A woman on Reddit discovered that her husband had been leaving vile comments on web sites, so she kicked him out of the house.  Anthony and Jeff celebrate this principled woman, discuss the nature of internet trolls, and examine what constitutes an online dealbreaker. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Today's horrible story:  http://www.themarysue.com/woman-discovers-husband-is-internet-troll/

A new web service will provide baby name suggestions only for combinations that are still available as unregistered .coms, helping parents ensure their child will not have to grow up with a messy, misspelled or complex digital profile.  Do Anthony and Jeff think this is a good way to select names?  Should people start protecting their children's brand from birth?  Is there any way to stop the use of the term "branding?" Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Article:  http://www.themarysue.com/new-tool-lets-you-choose-baby-names-based-on-availability-of-that-name-as-a-domain/

Anthony read an article that argues in favor to short attention spans, and tries to convince Jeff that multitasking is the next step of evolution for humans. To prove his point, he does the entire episode while watching The Croods. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni Story: http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/perhaps-shorter-attention-spans-arent-necessarily-a-bad-thing

A simulated Mars mission on Hawaii comes to an end, prompting Jeff and Anthony to wonder whether they'd go to Mars, what it's like to knowingly go somewhere strange to die, and if these fakers even got a decent Mars experience. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Read about the mock mission:  http://www.space.com/26656-mock-mars-mission-ends-hawaii-hiseas2.html

You think Facebook doing experiments on their users is creepy?  Wait until you hear how OK Cupid has been messing with people trying to find love. Anthony and Jeff discuss whether sociological study is worth invasion of privacy. Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni  Article:  http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/we-experiment-on-human-beings/ http://twitter.com/acarboni

Anthony and Jeff are both on board for self-driving cars.  But a new article that poses a thought experiment about what might happen if an autonomous automobile had to make a decision to sacrifice the few to save the many has them re-ordering the entire social hierarchy of drivers.  Which, of course, breaks down to clowns vs mimes.   Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://gizmodo.com/should-your-driverless-car-kill-you-to-save-two-other-p-1575246184

Jeff and Anthony take a look at an article which suggests the more we consume, the less we create.  Would keeping track of all the time spent screwing around on the Internet change your behavior?  Do you need to absorb media to to be creative, or does bombarding yourself with stimuli reduce your productivity? Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it wherever you grab it from. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Today's story was suggested by Julian Murdoch:  http://therecordingrevolution.com/2014/07/21/one-reason-youre-not-making-as-much-music-as-you-would-like-hint-youre-looking-at-it/ Be sure to check out his show, Gamers With Jobs:  http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/ Thanks again to Supercreative for letting us use their studio. Check out Pointless with Kevin Pereira:  http://podcast.supercreative.tv/  

Trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) - the process of directly electrocuting parts of the brain to accelerate learning - causes Anthony and Jeff to debate the possibility of the human soul.  If we are just a series of electrical impulses, does it even matter if we can all be Super Men? Also how badass would it be to have rocketfeet? Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the link to do it on iTunes:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Today's story was submitted by @_DaanishSyed and @saviopalm RadioLab 9-Volt Nirvana: http://www.radiolab.org/story/9-volt-nirvana/

US Customs and Border Security confiscated 67 of the world's largest snails at Los Angeles International airport, on their way from Nigeria to San Dimas, California. Which, of course, leads Anthony and Jeff to ponder the horrors of 8 inch long snails, and what in the world someone might want with 35 pounds of them.    Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article: http://laweekly.com/informer/2014/07/15/worlds-largest-snails-seized-at-lax

Anthony and Jeff found an infographic charting the daily routines of some of the world's most famous creative people. Does it reveal anything about the creative process? Is there a way to be productive and only sleep 3 hours a night?  Is it better to be shaved by someone else?   Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Creative Routine Infographic:  https://podio.com/site/creative-routines