6 chapters across the catalog
An interview with actor John Amos reveals the behind-the-scenes conflict on the 1970s sitcom "Good Times." Amos was fired by producer Norman Lear after objecting to the buffoonish portrayal of the character J.J. and the marginalization of the show's more professional characters. Lear is described as the "ground zero" of modern social justice warrior culture in media.
John Walker Goldman Sachs Recording, Career Progression
Autodesk founder John Walker recorded a meeting with Goldman Sachs representatives in Switzerland after they repeatedly fired his brokers for not "gouging" him enough. The recording features a Goldman executive using the euphemism "progressing their career" to describe the termination of employees who refused to pitch risky products to risk-averse clients.
Andrew Wakefield, MMR Vaccine Appeal, Medical Credibility
The hosts report that Professor John Walker-Smith, co-author of the controversial 1998 MMR vaccine paper with Andrew Wakefield, won an appeal against the UK's General Medical Council. They note that his professional credibility was restored, though the news was largely ignored by mainstream outlets like the New York Times.
Republican governors-elect Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio have rejected federal funding for high-speed rail projects. Keith Olbermann is criticized for his defense of the projects, while the hosts point out that the proposed "high-speed" trains in Ohio would only average 50 miles per hour, far below international standards.
The hosts discuss "retro psychokinesis" experiments hosted on John Walker's Fourmilab website, which involve using mental concentration to influence random number generators. They review a listener's letter claiming a four-year-old grandson achieved statistically impossible results on a virtual pendulum experiment. While Dvorak remains skeptical, Curry expresses interest in testing the Java-based applications to see if human intent can alter digital outcomes.
John Walker, the founder of Autodesk, maintains a website called Fourmilab that explores fringe scientific theories including retro-psychokinesis. This concept suggests that human consciousness can influence random data that has been generated but not yet observed, effectively changing the past through meditation. While the hosts acknowledge the idea is likely crackpot, they discuss its intersection with quantum theory's observation effect and the potential for mass meditation experiments.
