We Have Concerns (comedy)

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Syndication

Welcome to the Jetpack Future

The New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Company, now listed on the Australian stock exchange, is taking orders for the "world's first practical jetpack" and Jeff couldn't be more excited.  But at $200,000 and at its current size, Anthony wonders if practical is really the right word.  Also, the guys pitch their idea for Jetpack Rescue Squad and Anthony eats during the show, like a real professional.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon:http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link:http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata

Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today’s story was sent in by PowderBlueKes: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/23/personal-jetpacks-cleared-for-take-off-with-australian-stock-market-listing

If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit:http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-102-welcometothejetpackfuture.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Zen and the Art of Suicidal Maintenance

The mummified remains of a Buddist monk have been discovered inside a statue that dates back over 1,000 years.  Even more fascinating, studies reveal that the monk may have been self-mummified!  Jeff and Anthony learn the excruciating, lengthy procedure once used to begin the embalming process while still alive, and wonder how enlightened one must be to attempt it.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you’re enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here’s the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here’s the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today’s story was sent in by Chrysophase: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/buddha-statue-reveals-remains-of-mummified-monk-inside/2015/02/24/3e4a0fd8-bc56-11e4-9dfb-03366e719af8_story.html

If you’ve seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-101-zenandtheartofsuicidalmaintenance.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Why We Can't Have Mice Things

A new article on i09 describes animal behaviorist John Calhoun's quest to create the perfect mouse city, complete with abundant food, recreation, and even rodent apartments.  Now referred to as the "Behavioral Sink", the utopian underground mouse habitat quickly degraded into an apocalypse, as the mice turned on one another and the bloated population died out.  Anthony and Jeff can't help but see parallels to modern life, but also take a moment to consider what kind of guy spends his time attempting to perfect rat cities.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by QuantumSparkle: http://io9.com/how-rats-turned-their-private-paradise-into-a-terrifyin-1687584457

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-099-whywecanthavemicethings.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

The No Deathbot Guarantee*

*not necessarily a guarantee

One robotics company, Clearpath Robotics, has promised never to make autonomous killing machines, and hopes all future tech companies will get on board with the no killer robot promise.  Problem solved, right?  Jeff and Anthony aren't so sure, and see a future where solemnly swearing with no take-backs might not be enough.  This episode also features French robots, so there's that.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by hkarsch: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/can-now-build-autonomous-killing-machines-thats-bad-idea/

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-098-thenodeathbotguarantee.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Hale Hydra

The tiny organism known as the hydra is a half inch tube of jelly that inhabits fresh water all over the world, and it may well be functionally immortal.  What does that mean?  Anthony and Jeff try to make sense of a creature that can re-grow any part of itself and live for thousands of years - and imagine what that might be like for them.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by PowderBlueKes: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-hydra/

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-097-halehydra.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Harvest Moon

Now that private companies are getting into space, the legalities of who can own celestial bodies comes into question.  Specifically, a company called Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas wants to start selling inflatable habitats and property on the moon.  Jeff and Anthony discuss the archaic treaties and laws that govern space ownership now, how it might change, and, of course, space pirates.

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by Dragonfire45:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/science/a-business-plan-for-space.html?ref=science&_r=1

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-096-harvestmoon.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Spousal Recall

According to researchers at Macquarie University, couples in long-term relationships develop inter-connected memory systems.  Each partner can remember only a few details, but together they piece together a more accurate whole, ostensibly off-loading parts of the job to the other.  Anthony is intrigued by this, and what it means for replacing human interaction with machines, while Jeff wonders how much can just be attributed to laziness and coincidence.

 

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by Becco: http://digest.bps.org.uk/2014/07/remembering-together-how-long-term.html

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

 

Direct download: whc-095-spousalrecall.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

Super Villain Face

A Venezuelan man had his face surgically altered to look like the Red Skull - Captain America's arch-nemesis in Marvel Comics.  His nose was removed, his brow was enlarged, his skin was reddened, and even his eyeballs were tattooed black.  Jeff thinks this is horrifying and has very bad implications for the man's state of mind.  Anthony thinks we only get one shot at life and if this makes him happy, so be it.  Both of them wonder what his kid must go through at school.

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by Jason Sapir: http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/05/man-has-face-altered-to-look-like-red-skull

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-094-supervillainface.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

A new study shows that longer, fast-paced running sessions are just as bad for you as not running at all. How much exercise is genuinely good for you? And why do we always think more is better? 

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was sent in by pariah1165: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-running-health-20150202-story.html and http://time.com/3692668/when-exercise-does-more-harm-than-good/

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns 

Direct download: whc-093-runningisfordicks.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

What's more ethical: a life sentence in prison, or a drug that slows someone's perception of time to make them feel like they've spent 10 life sentences in a day? The question was asked last year by an Oxford University professor, but isn't the real question: if we could make a drug that let people do multiple lifetimes of thinking, why would we waste it on punishment instead of giving brilliant minds multiple lifetimes to solve human problems? Also what's it like to feel like you have an itch for 1,000 years? 

[editor's note: I came so close to calling this episode "ONE MILLION YEARS DUNGEON." WHERE MY LEMONGRAB FANS AT???]

We Have Concerns is entirely listener supported! To keep us ad-free and get early episodes/bonus content, check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns

Hey! If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate/review it on whatever service you use to listen. Here's the iTunes link: http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns
And here's the Stitcher link: http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc

Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata
Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni

Today's story was submitted by d3vourm3nt: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10697529/Prisoners-could-serve-1000-year-sentence-in-eight-hours.html (original essay: http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2013/08/enhanced-punishment-can-technology-make-life-sentences-longer/)

If you've seen a story you think belongs on the show, send it to wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com or leave it on the subreddit: http://reddit.com/r/wehaveconcerns

Direct download: whc-092-feelslikeforever.mp3
Category:comedy -- posted at: 12:00am PDT