IMPO: In My Professional Opinion...

Martin and Kouji use Ted Chiang’s short story The Lifecycle of Software Objects as a platform to discuss the concept of personhood, inequity, and the political process. Along the way, Martin admits to failing the Turing Test and hunting culinary heretics.If you find this conversation interesting, and even if you don’t, look for Ted Chiang’s collection of short stories, Exhalation where this story resides. You can probably find it if you search on the story title from some errant English class that didn’t lock down their site. But I think he is an author worth having on your bookshelf, even if your bookshelf is in the cloud.Four AI songs help you get through the meandering. Do you find them amusing, or annoying? Please subscribe and leave your thoughts in the comments section. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe

Martin and Kouji use the 1967 James Bond film set in Japan to discuss ecological disaster, class conflict, and the true meaning of power in LOTR. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe

This episode allows Martin and Kouji to flex their nerd gaming muscles. Hear Martin seethe over my shallow grasp of legacy graphic engines. I attempt to return serve with an origin story of Halo, but it is too little too late… game, set, and match Mr. Killman.The foundational piece of media for this conversation is a 30 minute stand alone episode in Apple TV’s Mythic Quest called Dark Quiet Death. Aside from providing fertile material for my AI songs, the episode is one of my favorite pieces of television. If you don’t have Apple TV, spend the $3.99 to watch this show, but you can still listen to the song and get the gist of the show.We discuss the tension between creativity and commercialization. It is a fine balance that is hard to nurture and even harder to maintain.Is there any piece of media that you would like to see deconstructed in my professional opinion? Let us know. And definitely let Martin know if the AI songs bring joy into your life.Some notes for the not-so-nerdish, I don’t think Martin’s RPG hobbies are rocket propelled grenades, they are role playing games. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe

Martin and Kouji loosely scaffold their conversation around Megazone 23, a set of three animé movies. The first two are available on Amazon Prime if you really want to waste a few hours, but if you listen to the great AI songs included in the podcast, you will get the idea.Along the way, some other topics include:* latté art as a reflection of your soul or lack thereof,* the basis of a just society* politics and spectator sports* the attraction of tourism in general and how it relates to Japan * opening a bar in Tokyo* AI songs, the appeal or lack thereof Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below and you may hear it on our next episode. Actually our next episode will be on one of my favorite pieces of TV. It is a 30 minute stand alone episode in Apple TV’s Mythic Quest called Dark Quiet Death. If you aren’t moved by this, your first drink at my bar is on me. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe

We discuss Ursula K LeGuinn's "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas." It is a great, quick read, but you can get the gist from the songs too. If you enjoy these episodes, please like, subscribe, and leave feedback and ideas for future shows. And even if you are not Hugh Jackman, share your professional opinions. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe

Our first topic is The Wedding Singer, a 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. There are tons of spoilers here so please give it a watch if you haven’t seen it. Yes I realize it is Michael, not Brian Stipe of REM. And Worf’s son’s name is not Lumpy, it is Alexander.Listening is free but please subscribe to add comments. Get full access to In my professional opinion... at radagastbrown.substack.com/subscribe