NO SUCH THING

Jaksot

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  Should ugly people be a protected class? 16.09.2026 46min

  This week, Manny, Noah, and Devan debate whether there's a such thing as an "ugly tax," social penalties for being unattractive. The more academic term for this is "lookism," which is the discrimination against people for the way that they look. Should less attractive people be a protected class of minority? Manny interviews Thomas Spiegel, professor of philosophy at the Miyazaki International University in Tokyo, and Stephanie Fairyington, author of "Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter." If you liked this episode, check out: How many people are actually 7 feet tall? For more, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  A musician defends using AI in his music (Part 2) 11.09.2026 38min

  In part 2 of our series on AI music, Devan confronts 1010benja on his use of generative AI on his new EP 1010: Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… ICYMI listen to part 1: Can AI music be good? Listen to 1010benja on Apple Music and Spotify and check out his website demetriusproduction.com Read 1010benja's Hearing Things interview Tell us your thoughts about 1010benja’s use of AI: Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (860) 325-0286. For more, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Can AI music be good? (Part 1) 09.09.2026 46min

  On today's episode, the boys discuss the many various goings on in AI music generation. Manny "creates" a few different versions of the NO SUCH THING theme song (that he actually produced without AI) using generative AI, and asks Noah and Devan to compare and contrast original songs with their AI cover counterparts. Finally, we hear from Charlie Harding, audio engineer and host of the Switched on Pop podcast, to learn just how much AI is being used in the music industry today, and where he sees it all heading in the future. Listen to Part 2 where Devan confronts an artist about the use of AI in his music. For more, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Are cops stalking you with a nationwide camera network? (Inside Flock) 31.08.2026 51min

  Today’s episode is all about Flock, the controversial nationwide network of artificial-intelligence roadside cameras. Drew Harwell, a tech reporter at The Washington Post, explains his reporting on cops using the technology as a tool for stalking and the victims and advocates fighting for change. Check out Drew’s reporting:  How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them. Flock unveils changes after Post report on police misuse of vast camera network 404 Media has also done some great reporting on Flock and The New York Times also recently did a deep dive on the tech. ICYMI NST 66: Can YouTubers actually hold police accountable? For more, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Are suburban dogs happier than city dogs? (Remastered) 26.08.2026 51min

  On this week’s episode, we're revisiting one of our favorite questions: Are suburban dogs happier than city dogs? To find out, we spoke with one of the leading dog cognition experts, Alexandra Horowitz. She heads the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard and is the author of Inside of a Dog. We'll be back next week with a new episode. The credit song is Big Dog by Maurice featuring Kenny Ning and Certain Self, who also provided additional music for this episode. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram.  Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  What is "Colored People Time?" 19.08.2026 53min

  In a special live-taped episode, the boys discuss Manny's new book "Colored People Time: A Case for (Casual) Rebellion, a collection of humorous essays about the way time wraps itself around all of our lives. If you like this podcast, you'll love this book, and buying it will mean that Manny can finally pay back Devan and Noah in approximately $7 million in sports betting debt. Buy Manny's book here. For more, subscribe to our newsletter. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Presenting Smart Girl Dumb Questions: What Does Love Hurt? with Dr. Justin Garcia 12.08.2026 1t 1min

  NO SUCH THING is looking for questions for an upcoming LAUNDRY MAILBAG. Leave us a voicemail by calling (860) 325-0286 or email us at [email protected] We're taking a quick break for August to work on upcoming episodes, so this week we're sharing an episode of Smart Girl Dumb Questions. The show is hosted by our friend Nayeema Raza, who listeners might remember from episode #60: Is recycling a complete scam? This episode is a lot of fun, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Nayeema sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Justin Garcia, Director of the world-famous Kinsey Institute, to unpack the science of love, sex and attraction. Why are there more single peoplethan ever? Are we still having sex? Why do breakups … feel like withdrawal? And what do pandas, penguins and pigs have to teach us about modern relationships? Also on the agenda: if kissing is “normal,” short kings and what makes someone a great long-term partner. For more from Justin check out his awesome book, The Intimate Animal. Follow Smart Girl Dumb Questions on Apple or Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Could you land a plane in an emergency? (Remastered) 05.08.2026 35min

  This week, we present a remixed and remastered version of our third ever episode. Do you think you’d be able to successfully land a plane, with no prior pilot experience and relying only on air traffic control assistance? A YouGov survey found 13% of people are “very confident” that they could. In this episode, we explore why some people (like Manny) are prone to overconfidence, with help from social psychologist and professor David Dunning. And then, the boys take a trip to the Manhattan Flight Club to play around with a flight simulator.Stream Nothing Ever Happens by Darry Rahn  For more, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Should you recline your airplane seat? 29.07.2026 50min

  This week, we unpack the moral chaos of air travel. When flying, is it ever acceptable to recline your seat and claim those precious extra inches of space? Is there an ethical argument for reclining? Ergonomically, what is the most comfortable position? Why do we act like completely different people when we’re up in the air? And is this all a distraction from the real villains, greedy airlines?  Our guest this week is Joshua Rothman, staff writer at The New Yorker.  Read Josh’s New Yorker column: Should you recline your airplane seat? Travel + Leisure: Then vs. Now: The Evolution of Airfare Costs Over the Years AP: Scott Mayerowitz’s story on the” Knee Defender” flight diversion For more, subscribe to our newsletter.  NST will be taking August off to work on some new episodes. We’ll be keeping the feed going with a few remastered classics and episodes of other shows we love. Thanks for listening and you’ll hear from us again in September!  Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Why are public bathrooms designed so poorly? (Devan Design Week) 22.07.2026 54min

  For this edition of Devan Design Week, Devan Design Week II, we're going deep on bathrooms. We'll explore why hotels are getting rid of bathroom doors and walls, the movement to Bring Back Doors, whether bathroom sensors are actually racist, and if they're better for the environment and cleaner. Finally, we'll rank our favorite and least favorite bathroom locks. Our guests this week are: Sadie from Bring Back Doors Katie Deighton from The Wall Street Journal, who reported on hotels removing bathroom doors earlier this year Charlotte Gartenberg from the upcoming podcast Welcome to the Bathroom Julia Lindsay, lock aficionado ICYMI listen to Devan Design Week I (Tesla door handles, microwave buttons, modern-day couches) Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram.  Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Are millennials the elite generation? (And are people actually getting dumber?) 15.07.2026 45min

  This week, we unpack what makes a generation. From the Silent Generation to the Zoomers and beyond, are these groupings only useful to stir up competition and resentment? How did Gen Z become more conservative, more pessimistic AND more empathetic than their predecessors? We also explore recent research on a troubling trend of declining IQ scores. Does this back up an argument that millennials are the group most well-equipped for life in the modern age?  Our guests this week are researcher Elizabeth M. Dworak from Northwestern University and Jean M. Twenge PhD, author of Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. (Buy the book here.) Related links: Dr. Dworak’s IQ research: Looking for Flynn effects in a recent online U.S. adult sample: Examining shifts within the SAPA Project James Flynn’s TED Talk: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents' The New Yorker on Jean Twenge: Where Millennials Come From (2017) Tom Wolfe for New York Magazine: The “Me” Decade (1976) An interesting counterpoint, on Bobby Duffy’s “The Generation Myth”: It’s Time to Stop Talking About Generations More on the Reverse Flynn Effect from New York Mag: A Theory of Dumb You might also like NST #59: Kids can’t read anymore. Does it matter? (with author Jason Reynolds) Subscribe to our newsletter.  Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Do audiobooks count as reading? (Remastered) 08.07.2026 38min

  This week, we're presenting a remastered version of our VERY FIRST EPISODE. Take a walk down NST memory lane, or visit for the first time, and stick around until the end to hear a quick conversation looking back on one of our earliest arguments. What began as an innocent debate soon devolved into accusations of deception and trickery. Is it misleading to say you read a book if, in actuality, you listened to it as an audiobook? And do you absorb information the same way when listening compared to reading? With some help from Dr. Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Associate Professor at University of North Dakota, we get an answer. If you liked this episode, you might like NST #59: Kids can't read anymore. Does it matter? (with author Jason Reynolds) Here’s a link to Dr. Clinton-Lisell’s meta-analysis of reading and listening comprehension comparisons. She’s on TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Bluesky. Buy Manny's book Colored People Time here! For more, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Is soccer a form of human trafficking? (and more World Cup questions) 01.07.2026 44min

  It's the World Cup episode. Manny, Noah, and Devan, are joined by two of the hosts of the Soccernomics podcast — Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra — to discuss the overlap between Soccer, economics, and culture. Is soccer a form of human trafficking? What's the real reason why the English hate the word soccer? Why does the US men's soccer team struggle, historically? All of that and more.  Check out our newsletter at nosuchthing.show and follow us on Instagram @nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  What's the best way to split the bill? 24.06.2026 44min

  On today’s episode, a special collaboration with Kate Lindsay from ICYMI, we discuss how payment apps like Venmo have changed our relationship with money. We talk through how to navigate different money situations with friends and answer your money etiquette questions. Our guests this week are: Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and co-host of the Awesome Etiquette Podcast and Emily Post's Wedding Stories podcast. Beth Pinsker, a columnist at MarketWatch, Certified Financial Planner, and author of My Mother's Money. Listen to ICYMI with Kate Lindsay. Check out Kate’s other episodes with the NST crew: Why can’t adults order from the kids' menu? Are outdoor cats happier than indoor cats?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Is Diet Coke killing you… or is it fine? 17.06.2026 55min

  On today’s episode, we dive into the health effects of diet sodas like Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Diet Pepsi. Trump has said that Diet Coke actually kills cancer, while other studies have linked these drinks to dementia and one of their artificial sweeteners, aspartame, to cancer. Noah also takes on the Fat Joe challenge, attempting to drink 30–40 Diet Pepsis in a single day. Our guests this week are: Michael Easter, diet soda head, journalist, and creator of the Two Percent podcast and newsletter. Adam Chandler, food columnist at The Wall Street Journal. Giles Yeo, author of Why Calories Don’t Count and a professor at the University of Cambridge who studies the genetics of body weight and how the brain controls feeding behavior. If you’re new here, listen to episode 15: Why does Dasani water taste like that and check out our NST starter pack.  Check out our newsletter at nosuchthing.show and follow us on Instagram @nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Are personal injury lawyers frauds and scammers? 10.06.2026 1t 3min

  We’re doing a money etiquette episode! Submit your questions, horror stories and other scenarios for us to discuss by leaving a voicemail at 860-325-0286 or sending an email to [email protected] You can hardly go for a drive, take a walk in the neighborhood, or turn on a television without being bombarded by ridiculous ads for personal injury lawyers. Are these flamboyant characters legitimate legal representation or scammers? This week, we find out how personal injury firms work, why they advertise so heavily, and how to discern a legit lawyer from a scammy "settlement mill" looking for a quick pay-day.  Our guests this week are personal injury lawyer John Morgan (Morgan & Morgan), Stanford legal scholar Nora Freeman Engstrom and journalist Jose Martinez from The City Reporter.  Read about Prof. Engstrom's paper on competition and contingency fees here.  Jose Martinez for The City Reporter: ‘Billboard Lawyers’ Defend Ads and Tactics Amid MTA Push for Lawsuit Reform You can buy John Morgan's memoir "Life is Luck" here. For more, subscribe to our newsletter.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Why aren't people having kids anymore? (ft. Derek Thompson) 03.06.2026 51min

  On today's episode, Manny asks whether Noah and Devan want kids, as a part of a conversation about the declining birth rate around the world. They hear from Anna Louie Sussman, author of the upcoming book "Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty," about what's actually causing the birth rate to decline, and then Manny has a heartfelt conversation with writer (and fellow dad) Derek Thompson. Preorder Anna's book here, and check out Derek's Substack here. Check out our newsletter at nosuchthing.show and follow us on Instagram @nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Can YouTubers actually hold police accountable? 27.05.2026 1t

  Today’s episode was inspired by a question from a listener who goes by Santa: What’s the deal with First Amendment auditors? We trace the history of people who film the police, from the Black Panther Party to Berkeley Copwatch and the rise of auditor culture on YouTube. We also explore the methods and influence of some of the movement’s biggest creators, from Philip Turner (The Battousai) to Jeff Gray of HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations and Christopher Ruff (Direct D). Our guests are Robert Klemko, an investigative journalist at ESPN who previously reported on auditors and cop watchers for The Washington Post, and Dale Hiller, creator of the LackLuster YouTube channel and co-founder of Attorney Shield. If you’re new here, listen to episode 28: Inside the violent world of online pedophile hunters and check out our NST starter pack.  Check out our newsletter at nosuchthing.show and follow us on Instagram @nosuchthing.show. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Super-Agers: Why do some old people age better than others? 20.05.2026 50min

  On today's episode of NO SUCH THING, we’re talking about so-called “Super Agers,” the term used to describe people who are at least 80 years old, but are still sharp as a tack. Maury Povich. Joy Behar. Anthony Fauci. Bernie Sanders. Martha Stewart. There are a ton of octogenarians who are cognitively impressive. Of course, there are many who… aren’t. What differentiates these two groups? A groundbreaking new study endeavors to answer that question, and in today’s episode, we talked to one of the study’s authors, and to one of the super-agers in question. Check out our newsletter here. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Should we still circumcise babies? 13.05.2026 1t 14min

  New data shows that less than half of American newborn boys are circumcised, a major decrease from around 90% in the 1960s. But how and why did circumcision become so common here in the United States? This week, we speak to an epidemiologist, a sociologist, and an anti-circumcision “intactivist” to explore the origins of the procedure, its health impacts, and why attitudes around it are changing.  Our guests this week are Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Dr. Kate Grabowski, Vanderbilt University associate professor of sociology Laura Carpenter, and Intact America founding executive Georganne Chapin. NOTE: Due to time restraints, not everything can make it into the final episode. We tried our best to represent all sides of the issue fairly and respectfully. With that said, some claims around the African VMMC trials in particular may be misleading. To clarify: these trials produced high quality peer-reviewed studies documenting medical benefits, particularly in relation to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. They were also conducted in partnership with some of the world’s most respected African scientists and research institutions. They are not simply colonial interventions.  For additional information, please go to our newsletter to find links to research and more. NST has no particular agenda here, so please take a look at all the info yourself to decide what’s best for you. Check out our newsletter here. Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286 EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ http://www.nordvpn.com/nst   Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.