Bad At Magic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben and Josh figure out White Christmas was a Holiday Inn remake, deal with some first world Christmas problems, and rate the magic systems of some classic Christmas movies. 
• Intro (0:00-6:57)
  • Fred Astaire says it with firecrackers!
• Christmas Problems (6:57-22:01)
  • How to surprise someone you share an Amazon account with
  • Mark Rober’s Glitter Bomb 3.0
• Bad at English (22:01-25:02)
  • Posh: elegant, fashionable
• Bad at Parenting (25:02-38:54)
  • What to do when you really have a favorite child
• Christmas Movie Review (38:54-)
  • Sanderson’s Laws of Magc
  • List of movies we reviewed
    • Arthur Christmas
    • Nightmare Before Christmas
    • The Santa Clause
    • The Polar Express
    • Muppet Christmas Carol
• Book review for Episode 37 (if you want to read along)
  • Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
• Join in the discussion on:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
  • Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben and Josh talk about why you shouldn’t second-guess your mulligans, some lesser-known COVID shortages, and what returning your shopping cart to the corral says about you.
• Intro (0:00-22:36)
  • Air Force suspends ‘waist measurement’ portion of fitness test
  • The chapter on blind orchestra auditions is actually in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink
• Christmas Movies and Lights (22:36-38:21)
  • For B@M review in Episode 36:
    • Nightmare Before Christmas (stop-motion animation) 1:16
    • Polar Express (motion capture CGI) 1:40
    • Muppets Christmas Carol (puppets) 1:29
    • Arthur Christmas (animated) 1:40
    • The Santa Clause (live-action) 1:47
  • Crazy Tampa Christmas Lights House
• All I really need to know I learned from playing Magic: the Gathering (38:21-48:50)
  • Ben: Don’t second-guess your mulligans
  • Josh: Learn to play your opponent’s hand
• Other lesser-known Coronavirus (COVID-19) shortages (48:50-1:08:21)
  • Bike Shortages Will Likely Last Until Next Year, and Possibly into 2022
  • The Great Tortilla Shortage of 2020
  • Dry yeast flew off shelves during coronavirus pantry stocking
  • Report: Coronavirus Sending Motherboard and GPU Shipments to Record Low
  • Covid-19 Leaves Less Change in Our Pockets, Literally
  • DEATH TO PENNIES (C.G.P. Grey)
• Bad at English (1:08:21-1:14:14)
  • It does exactly “what it says on the tin” i.e. “as advertised”
  • Where’s the beef?
• The Shopping Cart Problem (1:14:14-)
  • Discussion on our Subreddit
  • Nominate our next fiction book review for Ep. 37!
• Join in the discussion on:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
  • Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• The hosts of the Bad at Magic podcast unanimously endorse Disney Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’ and yet shamelessly question the existence and purpose of minions in film.
• Intro (0:00-19:02)
  • Watch Disc Golf on YouTube!
• The Incredibles is Incredible (19:02-1:04:37)
  • Mise-en-scène
  • Why The Incredibles is the BEST Superhero Movie of All Time
  • Where is my super suit?!
  • No capes!
• Transition (1:04:37-1:09:58)
  • Ken Jeong as a security guard reading Terminal Breach in Avengers: Endgame
  • Ben does not recommend Terminal Breach by Steve Bradshaw
  • Lou Ferrigno cameo in Hulk (2003)
• Bad at Parenting (1:09:58-1:25:13)
  • The Kitchen is DANGEROUS…and messy
  • Ben’s Unified Parenting Theory
    • Phase 1: Obedience – Child says, “Yes Mama/Daddy,” and does it.
    • Phase 2: Commitment/awareness – Child says, “What else can I do to help?”
    • Phase 3: Responsibility/initiative – You say (or don’t have to say), “Find something that needs to be done and do it,” and then they do!
    • Phase 4: Self-determination – They make their own choices based on their own goals.
• Minions (1:25:13-end)
  • Storm troopers remember the death star explosion (CollegeHumor)
  • Storm trooper target practice (The Mandalorian)
  • Redshirt doesn’t want to go ashore (Galaxy Quest)
  • Movie Body Counts (website)
  • Rambo (Weird Al Parody)
• For next time:
  • Nominate your favorite Christmas movies before Christmas for discussion on Ep. 36
  • Submit your best Bad at Parenting stories on Reddit by 11 Dec 2020 to win a free MasterClass™ subscription! Winner will be announced on Ep. 35. 
• Join in the discussion on:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben and Josh discuss dead presidents, polluting the atmosphere to save the world, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and more iterations of the trolley problem than you can shake a gauntlet at. It’s like chalk and cheese!
• Intro (0:00-14:53)
  • Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. President
  • How to transfer your music from Google Play to YouTube Music
  • “Technically Correct”
  • Antitrust Trailer
• Climate change and geoengineering (14:53-25:38)
  • Think like a freak
  • Geoengineering (Kurzgesagt)
  • Budyko Blanket
  • Do Anti-lock Brakes make you safer? (yes, less crashes; and no, worse crashes: NHTSA report)
  • The Geopolitics of the Nile
• Bad at English (25:38-30:04)
  • Chalk and Cheese (i.e. Apples and Oranges)
• The Trolley Problem (30:04-end)
  • TED TechEd
  • The Good Place:
    • Part 1 (precept)
    • Part 2 (practice)
  • Real life incident
  • Online Games:
    • The Trolley Problem
    • Moral Machine
  • Tesla Autopilot predicts CRASH(es)
  • Examples on film
    • Mr. Incredible thinks he sets up the trolley problem (he doesn’t)
    • Spider Man faces the trolley problem (he rejects it)
    • Neo faces the trolley problem (he rejects it)
    • Ethan Hunt faces the trolley problem and shoots the hostage instead (!)
    • ConEd Engineer faces the trolley problem and does as he’s told
    • Batman faces the trolley problem (and finds out it did the opposite of what he intended!)
    • Joker’s social expirement: convicts vs. regular joes (more game theory than trolley problem)
    • Wanda pulls the lever (Thanos un-pulls it)
    • Quill pulls the lever (but the trolley keeps going)
    • Clint pulls the lever (and faces the consequences)
• Join in the discussion on:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben watches weird sports, Josh makes the wrong cookies, video games aren’t as hard as they used to be back when we walked to school barefoot in the snow. Plus: child car seats are as worthless as an ashtray on a motorbike, but never shake a baby (Superfreakonomics book review).
• Intro (0:00-7:18)
  • Pac Man max score
  • Learn about the addressing scheme of the internet (Internet Protocol) versions 4 and 6!
• The Long Tail (7:18-42:02)
  • Read the original article by Chris Anderson, October 2004
  • Weird sports Ben watches:
    1. Magic: The Gathering (obv.): Top Moments
    2. Marble racing: Jelle’s Marble Runs 
    3. Disc golf: Jomez Pro
    4. Bouldering: International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)
    5. Soap box racing: Red Bull Soapbox Race(s)
    6. Japanese game shows: Slippery Stair Climbing
    7. Sumo wrestling: Jason’s All Sumo Channel
  • Software as a service
  • Marty McFly finds out Western Union is reliable (it was 70 years, not 100)
• Bad at Husbanding/Parenting (42:02-1:10:24)
  • Among Us for Noobs
• Bad at English (1:10:24-1:13:05)
  • As useless as…an ashtray on a motorbike
• Superfreakonomics book review (1:13:05-end)
  • Freakonomics blog 
  • Freakonomics podcast
  • D.A.R.E. didn’t work
  • AFN: Never Shake Your Baby
• Join in the discussion on:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
  • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Josh waves the wand of dismissal, Ben fails to teach his teenager not to text and drive, Ben gets shot, Josh spoils The Empire Strikes Back, and Josh plays World of Warcraft, but not as much as he used to…
• Bad at Numbers (0:00-1:09)
• Bad at Parenting (1:09-30:46)
• Ben vs. Bureaucracy (30:46-1:06:04)
  • Desert One: Operation “EAGLE CLAW” and the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979-1980
• Writing (1:06:04-1:16:59)
  • Spoilers in Media
  • The lengths people go to to avoid spoilers
• Bad at English (1:16:59-1:25:10)
  • A bit of a “stitch-up”
  • Episode 9: The Italian Job
• World of Warcraft interview with Josh (1:25:10-end)
  • What is World of Warcraft (WoW)?
  • The Guild (TV series on YouTube)
  • Clara on the Guild: the queen of Bad at Parenting
  • Man Dies During Online Gaming Binge
  • Read ahead book review for Episode 32
    • Super Freakonomics
  • Join in the discussion on:
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
    • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben struggles with his 17-year-old daughter, Josh is jealous of his family’s World of Warcraft mounts, and each reveal which fictional government they’d most like to live under (hint: it’s not Star Wars).
• Intro (0:00-10:38)
  • The 30th of February?
  • The Dunning-Kruger Effect
• Bad at English (10:38-12:15)
  • Fair/Good Shout
• Bad at Gaming (12:15-23:11)
  • Leeeeeroy Jeeeenkins!
  • Daniel LaRusso: beginner’s luck
  • Nichole’s llama mount
  • The other line always moves faster
• Bad at Parenting (23:11-35:44)
• Bad at Governance (35:44-end)
  • The Bad At Magic Governance Rating System™
    • Is it legitimate?
    • Is it effective?
    • What’s it like to live under this government?
  • Governments
    • Star Wars
      • Galactic Republic (I-III)
      • Galactic Empire (IV-VI)
      • First Order (VII-IX)
    • Lord of the Rings
    • Star Trek 
    • Harry Potter
      • Warner Bros Studio Tour
      • Whomping Willow Season Changes
• Wrap up
  • Read ahead book review for Episode 32
    • Super Freakonomics
  • Join in the discussion on:
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
    • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben has a kid bathroom flood, a one-star car wash experience, and has to get an anthrax shot, Josh is a wanker and gets all his stories wrong. Join them as the answer listener questions about life, the universe, and everything.
• Intro (0:00-1:59)
  • Become a Patron of the show to get access to an exclusive Episode 28.5: Evil B@M
• Bad at English (1:59-5:35)
  • “Gone off” milk as in spoiled, bad, sour milk
• Bad at Parenting and some other things (5:35-25:27)
  • Ben’s one-star car wash experience
  • The Sig Sauer M17
• Listener Q&A (25:27-end)
  • What is Josh’s favorite nonfiction book and what is Ben’s favorite fiction book?
  • What are some Magic: the Gathering player stereotypes?
    • Know Your Meme: Grand Prix Richmond crackstyle
  • Josh, when you left the military, why did you go back to school to study accounting rather than find a job in computer science?
    • Actual video of Josh working at GoDaddy
    • Josh’s Pool Cleaning Mobile App: Pool Notes
  • What are your favorite/least-favorite commercial jingles?
    • Josh: Good – Folgers Coffee and Bad – HEADON!
    • Ben:  Good – Toys R Us and Bad – Liberty Mutual
    • Bonus: Tripledent Gum!
  • Whatever happened to the Bad At Magic fitness challenge?
  • What would Josh’s YouTube ode be about?
    • Ben’s Ode to the Nike Air Max 95 on YouTube
    • Wired Magazine: The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, October 1994
  • What are your top 3 home appliances?
    • Will it Blend?
    • The Dunning-Kruger Effect
  • What did playing “nerd” games teach you growing up that you applied to real life?
    • 10 things every game needs by Mark Rosewater, Magic: the Gathering lead designer
  • What has the podcast journey taught you about yourself?
    • Ben’s (admittedly stale) blog
  • What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
    • Josh did EOD in Afghanistan
• Wrap up
  • Join in the discussion on:
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
    • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Josh and Ben try to figure out the Dad equivalent of “Mom Voice”, wonder what they did before Wikipedia and YouTube, and explore how things might have been different if just one thing had gone differently in the past.
• Bad at Parenting (0:00-26:28)
  • Josh’s reaction to “Mom Voice”
  • Top 10 craziest concept cars 2019
• Learning new skills (26:28-41:30)
  • The Lockpicking Lawyer
• Bad at English (41:30-42:49) /daft/ adjective
• INFORMAL•BRITISH
  1. silly; foolish.
  “don’t ask such daft questions”
• DAFT
• The darkest timeline (42:49-end)
  • Remedial Chaos Theory (Community, Season 3, Episode 4) Watch on Hulu or Netflix
  • For the Strength of Youth: Dating
  • Find yourself a ‘Two beers and a puppy‘ friend
• The End
  • Submit your questions for the upcoming Q&A episode here
  • Check out our website: https://www.badatmagic.live
  • And join in the discussion on:
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
    • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
  • And please support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Show Notes

• Ben asks Josh if he’s actually Bad at Magic, Josh finds out dinner theater isn’t “real” theater, Ben arrives late to the birth of his 6th child, and Josh kills some terrorists.
• Intro (0:00-3:29)
  • The Last Dance on Netflix
• Bad at English (3:29-6:02)
  • Gert Lush
• Ben’s Rule of Two and Josh’s Law of Wasted Time (6:02-21:25)
  • Day9TV #100 MUST WATCH
  • Good, Better, Best by Dallin H. Oaks
• Dinner Theater and Sarcasm in Marriage (21:25–35:34)
  • Skipper Dan by Weird Al Yankovic
  • The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
  • The only way to win is not to play
• What to do when you see Missionaries (35:34-45:36)
  • Invite them in!
• Bad at Parenting (45:36-1:03:01)
  • The birth of Ben’s 6th child
• Josh was a drone pilot (1:03:01-end)
  • PopSci.com: No one wants to be a drone pilot, Air Force discovers
  • General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
• Miscellany
  • Submit your questions for the upcoming Q&A episode here
  • Don’t forget to watch Ben’s video essay celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Nike Air Max 95
  • Check out our website: https://www.badatmagic.live
  • And join in the discussion on:
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
    • Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
  • And please support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic