The Agree or Die podcast or AVDP is a premium mixture of intelligent conversation, entertainment and nerdrage presented by Alex Krasny and a selection of guest hosts.
The Birth of AVDP
Sorry for not having a fresh episode this week, things got hectic around Halloween. But I think this is a great opporunity to get back to our roots and replay the first episode over. Those of you who have been listeners from the start, thank you very much we appreciate you more than anything. Anyone who joined us in the meantime, we love you too and I hope you will enjoy hearing how it all started.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
Farewell to Yury (as a cohost)
When Yury and I started this podcast we had no idea how long we would keep doing it. A ton has happened since that day. Yury passed the bar, I got a new job, I got a cat, Yury got a dog and finally Yury got a new job. His big boy job requires him to put in many hours, and travel and still pay attention to his family so I totally understand how donating an extra 4-6 hours to a podcast is too much. Yury will come back is a special guest, but will not longer be a regular cohost. We all with him well.
Tough Questions
A friend of mine forced me to make a series of choices about which animal I would save if two were at risk of death. I thought how interesting of a question this would be to identify people’s biases if it were presented with humans as the victims. For example do you save the black man or the Mexican man? It would be like an ink blot test. The knee-jerk choice you make is the person you like more, or consider more valuable. Think about it.
Fuck the Rich
I realized this year that all of the time I spend bitching about how bad the government is at doing anything, and how much money is wasted on poorly managed programs has been a waste. Because a single corporate criminal costs the US economy more money than many terrible programs. I have not stopped hating the government or the shit-job that they perform, but I am going to focus more of my energy on hating the rich and corporate theft. I encourage you all to do the same.
Fantasy Football
I hate football, and I hate fantasy football. I think it’s rude to talk about sports if there are people in the group that don’t give a fuck about sports. This concept applies to any subject. I realize some people LOVE SPORTS and that is fine, but not every conversation needs to be INFECTED with fantasy football does it? Fuck football season.
Selling Your Own Organs
I was mistaken about the cost of an kidney in the podcast! It isn’t $85,000 it’s a whopping $200,000 according to this infographic. Well in that case it would cost you $350,000 for my kidney because it’s better. It would be $10,000,000 for an eye though. What would you charge?
Transgender Bathroom
I am not ready yet to take a real position on how to deal with transgender people and bathrooms. However I strongly oppose any knee jerk reactions redneck bigots might have about how “Men should never be allowed to enter a woman’s bathroom.”
I got into a fight on facebook with just such a fucking moron redneck who kept on insisting that he will “drop” any man who enters the bathroom with his daughter. He fails to realize that he is exactly the type of person that transgender people do not want to find themselves in the bathroom with.
Retro Game Club!
In our first episode of the Retro Game Club segment Eric and I decided to play Alex Kidd in Miracle world. One of the original Sega Master System launch titles. The idea was to mimic Mario and make a recognizable mascot character. Although SMS did pretty terribly in America, Alex Kidd had a pretty long career! In the end though both of us thought this game was pretty bad despite having an impressive variety of gameplay including platforming, swimming, vehicles, puzzles, mazes and rock paper scissors matches. The real problem with the game? The horrible US box art. Look at it compared to the Japanese cover.
Join us next podcast having played Journey to Silius on NES! You don’t need to beat it or anything, just give the game an honest try and join the discussion. You can live tweet your experience at us, or save your feedback for a podcast comment. I think we can all have some fun playing classic games.
Picks
Rocket League
Could Eric have a bigger boner for this game Rocket League? The answer is no. Maybe you can play it with him or something.
Paramount Vault
Paramount has opened a Youtube channel where they will be uploading full length movies! Very awesome and I hope other companies get in on this.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
To Vax or Not to Vax
We bring my lovely wife Emily on to talk about vaccines. Some people refuse to vaccinate their kids despite the obvious benefits to society. These anti-vaxxers get a bad rap, but are they really so irrational? I put myself in thier shoes and wonder, is it so unreasonable to simply refuse the risk vaccines carry?
For example the Adenovirus vaccines may cause the following side effects (from cdc.gov):
Mild Problems
Several mild problems have been reported within 2 weeks of getting the vaccine:
headaches, upper respiratory tract infection (about 1 person in 3)
stuffy nose, sore throat, joint pain (about 1 person in 6)
abdominal pain, cough, nausea (about 1 person in 7)
diarrhea (about 1 person in 10)
fever (about 1 person in 100)Severe Problems
More serious problems have been reported by about 1 person in 100, within 6 months of vaccination. These problems included:
blood in the urine or stool
pneumonia
inflammation of the stomach or intestinesNot all of these sound very life-threatening, but the could be and some parents like to play it safe. Should they be FORCED to vaccines?
Common Core
This article does a good job explaining both what Common Core is and why people shouldn’t freak about it on Skeptoid.
Basically it’s a new methodology for doing basic math. I have noticed a trend of parents posting hateful messages about this saying things like “What is the point of this?” or “What was wrong with math the way we learned it?” It should be obvious a rational person that those responses are both very dangerous when talking about the education system. There are many reasons why education needs to develop with time, rather than teaching things the same way all the time.
The Old Catering Scam
Eric brings us a tale of low-down-dirty scamming. At a wedding the catering company offers a brilliant idea: They will use clickers to measure how many drinks they serve, and then charge the hosts for them. Seems like a pretty decent idea since you aren’t paying for 80 bottles when you only needed 60.
What’s the catch? The catch is, the caterers clear the tables and steal everyone’s drinks the second they turn their backs, encouraging people to go get a “free refill” from the bar. People don’t think twice, and the bill skyrockets! Keep your eyes peeled for this nonsense!
Peeple, Yelp for People
Here is a new app idea making the rounds, Peeple. I guess it’s an online people review site where seemingly anyone can leave anyone a review. It might not be anything more than a hoax as of now, and me and Eric already found a bunch of serious flaws in the system, if it was real.
But let’s a assume it does happen, how will this change our lives? Or will it matter at all?
Picks
Play DOS Games!
Archive.org is hosting all of the DOS games, playable in the browser!
Reply All Podcast
Look up “Reply All” in your podcast app, and LISTEN TO REPLY ALL! It’s my favorite podcast.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
Is Spreading the Truth a Moral Obligation
A philosophical question. Is every person morally obligated to spread the truth if they know it? For example in a world in which slavery is acceptable, and you know that it should not be acceptable, are you obligated to tell others? Or is it okay for you to simply know the truth but let others go about living their lives?
I am on the side of obligation. Spreading the best information is everyone’s responsibility.
Men Control the Abortion Debate
We talk about how fair or unfair it is that men get to decide the fate of the abortion debate, even though they cannot ever give birth. I think it is a big misdirection effort to say it has something to do with men controlling women, and a huge falsity to say that if men gave birth instead of women they would have a different opinion.
They might. But there are plenty of women who are pro-life even though they are the ones giving birth. At the same time, plenty of men are pro-choice.
Abortion Debate! Alex vs Yury.
The big abortion debate rages on!
Picks
Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls
Both Yury and I are deep into Diablo currently. He is enjoying it on PS4 and I am enjoying it on PC. Try it out if you haven’t, or revisit it if you played before.
Narcos
Narcos is on Netflix and many people have recommended it to me.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
Veganism and the Bible
This is a conversation that is very important to me, despite being very non-religious myself. Many people I speak with however are and one of the most common justifications for eating meat is “God put animals on the Earth for me to eat.” To which I am unfortunately unequipped to deal with. Well Chris is here to empower me, and shine some light on exactly what the bible does have to say about eating animals and how it relates to humanity.
Shifting Abortion Views
I have been pro-choice for as long as I can remember. My primary reason has been that I don’t value the lives of humans very highly and I don’t really care if there is one less baby in the world. But now when considering how a vegan sees the world I can see that isn’t good enough anymore. If that is the reasoning I use to not have to care about the plight of unborn babies is fine with me, then isn’t it also fine for other people to not care about the cows and chickens? Now I realize my reasoning isn’t good enough.
Master of Orion Remake
One of my favorite games is getting a remake! If you have never played Master of Orion 2 (or 1) you should find a way to check it out. Super great.
Horizon Chase
A slick iOS game, only costs 1.99 has NO ADS, NO IAP. Just a slick racing game with vibrant colors.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
Jared the Pedophile
Jared got busted with some serious child pornography and sex with minors allegations. This leads to a discussion about how seriously we take sexual abuse in America and how much of the emotional trauma that is attached to it is simply caused by our panic about it. I go deep into no-mans land talk about some strongly disliked topics, however the fact remains child pornography was completely acceptable in Japan until 1999. Read more via Washington Post
Target Eliminates Gendering on Toys
I think this is a great idea because telling children at a young age what toys they are and are not allowed to play with is pretty backwards. Especially since we know that kids don’t “turn gay” by being allowed to do things that are not explicitly masculine or feminine. Let the girls play with cars, and the boys with cooking toys. Everyone else is just wrong and stupid. Read more via Ravishly
Twitter Plagerism
Twitter is now pulling tweets that are marked as copyright violations. What implications does this have for creative media on the internet?
Genetic Engineering
We are getting closer than ever to some serious genetic engineering breakthroughs. Are we for them or against them?
Lesson in Logic: Calling Someone a Hypocrite isn’t an Argument
Think of this as a totally free tip for becoming better at making and understanding argument. Calling a person out as a hypocrite doesn’t do anything about their arguments or their position.
In this specific example, people are protesting fossil fuel burning, but they are doing so while using products made from petroleum products, and driving cars which run on gasoline. Fossil fuel defenders are quick to point out how these people are hypocrites and their for their arguments are invalid. The fact is, they can be hypocrites, and have totally valid argument.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
Cecil the Lion
The main thing I want people to take away from this story is that a lion is not morally more or less important than any other single animal. The fact that this lion has a name and a “greater meaning” to humans is logically irrelevant. Every animal deserves the same compassion. So if you are deeply upset by the poaching of this lion, but you feel nothing when your uncle Buck goes out hunting deer, and you eat meatloaf, you should consider how out of line your thoughts and actions are. Read more via NYTimes
This conversation bleeds into mob justice. In the case of the dentist, who by human terms, committed a pretty minor crime, has been destroyed by the internet. Is this something we want?
CEO who gives everyone 70k salary suffers
I was super happy to see an independently wealthy CEO take the step to equalize salary in his company. He got tons of good press, but it looks like now things aren’t going so well for him. A few of his best employees left because they felt it was unfair that “inferior” people got substantial raises. He is also getting sued by his brothers, and his investors are getting squeamish. We can’t really know why the business is failing… But it makes me sad. Read more via Fox
Old people and poor technology etiquette
Yury has noticed a trend since he began traveling a lot. Old people don’t seem to care that their phones are not on mute when they play their stupid mobile games! Come on people, grow up.
Our Fucking Heroes
Police are doing a great job! Here is a story when an officer shot a small white child because he suspected some weed on him. Here is a story where a dispatcher hangs up a troubled woman who is trying to keep her shot friend from bleeding out.
Great fucking job guys!
Picks of the Week
Deadpool
Check out the Deadpool trailer!
Sling Kong
Fun monkey game!
Mountain Goat
A goat game!
Fruit Ninja 5-year
Check out the latest fruit ninja update.
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
San Diego Public Bathroom Costs City $$$
Costs to install the two shiny, silver restrooms last winter in downtown’s East Village ended up significantly higher than initial estimates — $560,000 versus $215,000.
Further clouding the future of the loos are annual maintenance costs, which have skyrocketed from an estimated $50,000 to at least $185,000 — not including $35,000 per year for water and $30,000 per year for vandalism repairs. Read more via San Diego Union Tribune.
Flag Desecration
- Flag belongs to all
- Flag represents freedom
- Inanimate object
- Emotional outrage/taking personal offense is irrational
- Similar to Muhammad drawings
- People claim to be patriotic for opposing flag desecration in protest, when opposite stance would make more sense as freedom loving
Our Fucking Heroes: Sandra Bland
In our new segment “Our Fucking Heroes” we discuss the Sandra Bland incident. In this seemingly routine traffic stop, our hero police officer took it upon himself to sniff out foul play, drag this small black woman out of her car, slam her on the ground and arrest her … for resisting arrest. Job well done! Read more via USA Today.
Our Fucking Heroes: Short Bus Fare
Speaking of slamming people on the ground, here is another story of our hero transit officers saving society from an 18 year old college student who was short .75c on bus fair. I am glad SOMEONE was on this bus to slam her on the ground for attempting to STEAL a discount bus ride. Read more via NBC Washington.
Baby Crawl Racing DQed for Cheating
This cheating baby tries to scoot away with the trophy from a baby crawl race, but cannot outrun the eagle eyes of the race authorities! The baby and his parents were promptly disqualified from the race! Read more via Daily Mail.
Picks of the Week
Topics Covered in this Installment of AVDP
What if Russians Were Red?
Our various discussions about racism brings me to an interesting thought. What if my ethnicity as a Ukrainian/Russian was made obvious by my skin color? What if I had red skin so everyone that had a preconceived notation about Russians would know I am one?
Slim Shaming
Is slim shaming the same as fat shaming? I argue that people who attempt to shame skinny people are doing it from a place of jealousy rather than a place of ridicule. Am I wrong?
Kickstarter Becoming Bad for Indies?
We have general discussion about Kickstarter and how large companies are using it as a testing ground for concepts. Is those something that will end up hurting indie developers?
The Kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from the creator of Castlevania raised nearly 6 million dollars with a very impressive campaign. I suspect a full on marketing team was behind it. Certainly single developers and indie companies couldn’t compete with this kind of marketing muscle.
Also for fun, enjoy Uwe Bolle’s rant:
Uber in France
Uber sparks “protests” in France, even though we all know that these are legitimate riots. Looks like France decided to make the absolutely wrong choice to side with the taxi companies and instruct police to crack down on UBER DRIVERS? What a fucking joke.
Picks
Batman Arkham Knight
Yury says this game is awesome and so are the other Batman games. Trailer looks pretty epic!
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It Follows
Cool horror movie, I am into it.
Whiplash
Hardcore movie about jazz drumming … FINALLY.