Topic: San Francisco

The hosts joke about how they are perceived by outsiders when dining together in San Francisco. They discuss whether their shared interests in gadgets and fine wine would register on "Gaydar," concluding that the city's culture makes such distinctions irrelevant to most observers.

The discussion focuses on an incident where 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo called a sideline reporter "baby." The hosts argue there is a double standard in sexual harassment claims based on physical attractiveness, referencing a comedy bit by Eliza Schlesinger about how flirting is only considered harassment when the man is unattractive.

Sir 3D from Osaka, Japan, shares how he grew up reading John C. Dvorak's columns in Finland before moving to Japan. He recounts a specific recommendation from the show regarding "Mission Burritos," which he finally tried during a visit to San Francisco. Dvorak had previously praised Sir 3D's design work during an art critique segment in episode 1328.

Sir Recalcitrant Crazy Steve II shares his history of hosting meetups for John C. Dvorak in Albany and Oakland since 2023. He recounts meeting Dvorak in San Francisco in 2021 and his efforts to get the co-host "out of the house" for community gatherings. Steve pledges to continue these meetups in Dvorak's honor to maintain the friendships formed through the show.

Adam Curry plays a clip of Dvorak recounting his time as an air pollution inspector in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dvorak shares scandalous anecdotes about politicians Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, claiming Boxer would frequently "solicit" rides from inspectors. He characterizes Boxer as "doable" but annoying, while describing Feinstein as "prudish" and "dumb."

The Archduke and Archduchess of Japan, Sir Mark and Dame Astrid, donated $888.88 while reflecting on John C. Dvorak's "ryebald" humor. They recounted a favorite anecdote about Dvorak attempting to pick up a woman from his motorcycle during a snowstorm in Tahoe. The donors praised his encyclopedic command of language and his "mischievous" wisdom.

Chris and Sabrina Coddington share a touching story about sending a goodie box to Dvorak while their son was at UCSF Children's Hospital. Dvorak's humorous compliment about Sabrina's music flyer provided her comfort during a difficult time. The segment also includes a donation from Sir Matt Wells, who calls Dvorak an "oracle of insight."

An anecdote describes encountering a group of Chinese nationals participating in a hired protest near AT&T Park in San Francisco. The speaker notes that the group appeared out of place compared to American-born Chinese citizens. The segment concludes with a reference to the "China is asshole" viral video advice given to Donald Trump.

Health officials in San Francisco have identified a new synthetic opioid called cyclorphine following a recent overdose death. The drug is reportedly more potent than fentanyl, resistant to Narcan, and cannot be detected by standard fentanyl test strips, posing a significant new challenge to emergency responders.

The modern Internet has moved away from its original multi-hop routing design toward a centralized infrastructure dominated by a few backbones. Currently, a significant portion of global web traffic is proxied by Cloudflare, creating a single point of failure. The host notes that if Cloudflare's San Francisco offices were compromised, a large part of the digital world would collapse.

San Francisco authorities arrested a 20-year-old suspect following a firebombing attack at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The suspect allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's gate before threatening to burn down the OpenAI headquarters with kerosene. Separately, users continue to document "hallucinations" and logic errors in AI chatbots, such as a ChatGPT instance failing to accurately time a runner's mile.

California's high-speed rail project is now projected to cost $126 billion, more than triple the original $33 billion estimate approved by voters in 2008. The earliest projected opening has been pushed to 2033, with the Trump administration recently pulling $4 million in federal funding. One of the hosts shares a personal account of being displaced from a San Francisco apartment via eminent domain for a station that remains unfinished and surrounded by homeless encampments.

Adam Curry welcomes John C. Dvorak back to the program just weeks after Dvorak underwent open-heart surgery. Listeners have commented that Dvorak sounds "softer" post-operation, leading to a discussion about his outlook on life and current recovery challenges, including a lack of sleep.

A new COVID-19 strain nicknamed the "Cicada" variant has been detected in 25 states after first appearing in a traveler at San Francisco International Airport. While it currently accounts for only 1% of U.S. cases, the CDC has labeled it a "Variant of Interest" due to mutations on the spike protein that may allow it to evade existing vaccines.

The episode concludes with a sign-off from Fredericksburg, Texas, and San Francisco's "Refinery Row." An end-of-show music mix titled "Order of the Heart" by Molly Berry is played, featuring lyrics about recovery and the "red night" of surgery. The hosts remind listeners to support the show via the value-for-value model before the final credits.

Viral videos from San Francisco appear to show people being paid $5 to sign ballot initiatives for a proposed "billionaire tax." The initiative is sponsored by the SEIU-UHW, a union whose leadership has faced federal convictions for embezzlement and mail fraud. The hosts discuss the legality of the signature-gathering process and the potential for large-scale fraud in California's initiative system.

The hosts discuss the "Give John a Reason to Live" donation drive launched in the wake of Dvorak's surgery. Mimi describes the Dvorak family as "competitive intellectuals" who constantly share research from PubMed and legislative bills. She also touches on the logistics of their marriage, explaining why she lives in Washington State with her animals while John remains in San Francisco.

Mimi Smith-Dvorak reflects on her time as one of the first female EMTs in Oakland and how that high-stress environment taught her to compartmentalize trauma. Regarding John's recovery, he is expected to stay with his daughter Jay and her husband Brennan for 24-hour care before returning to his San Francisco home. Mimi estimates it will be two to three weeks before John's voice recovers enough to return to the show.

Reports from recent No Agenda meetups in Fort Wayne and San Francisco are shared, emphasizing the "connection for protection" theme. A "donation showdown" is scheduled for April 11th between meetups in Albany, California, and Fredericksburg, Texas. Listeners are encouraged to visit noagendameetups.com to find or start local gatherings.

A report from the Central Jersey meetup features various attendees, including a server who was confused by the discussion. The hosts also mention the success of the new Melania documentary and list upcoming meetups in Raleigh, Mount Laurel, and San Francisco.