We Have Concerns

Anthony found an article that describes the community around the IBM Model M keyboard, a sublimely clicky keyboard that has spawned cult-like devotion and a second hand black market.  It makes him consider our fetishization of things, and the ties to productivity they create.  Jeff just thinks all those objects are yelling at him. Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/7/6882427/king-of-keys

Researchers have discovered that employees are actually more content taking orders from a robot than a human being in the workplace.  This prompts Anthony and Jeff to wonder what it might take to promote robots into middle management, what the perfect form factor for a boss-bot might be, and how companies might implement their new robo-supervisors. Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://www.businessinsider.com/robots-as-bosses-2014-8

As a runner himself, Jeff was very impressed to read of James Lawrence, the endurance athlete who is attempting 50 ultra-distance triathlons, in 50 different states, in 50 straight days.  Anthony, on the other hand, thinks it is unhealthy, obsessive, and downright stupid to push your body to that extreme.  Is this just the Brock Life pushing human abilities to new heights, or a crazy person receiving misplaced admiration for a self-destructive act? Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://www.wired.com/2014/10/james-lawrence/?mbid=social_twitter

Anthony has found a story about a Missouri family fleeing their home because between 4500 and 6000 spiders came "bleeding out of the walls".  To which Jeff of course wonders, "What the #%$#?!"  Spider senses tingle, spider stories are shared, and everybody asks how this could possibly happen.

Google's Auto Awesome will take the best areas of slightly different photographs and combine them into one new, never-quite-was best version.  A new article suggests that this kind of artful interpretation of history may prove problematic when AI determines what parts of photos are important.  Anthony argues that no photograph is a true depiction, while Jeff wonders if we will ever remember something accurately again. Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://petapixel.com/2014/10/07/official-s-now-re-writing-history/

Saturday morning cartoons are no more! And Jeff has decided that this means something really bad for today's youth - but Anthony is certain that it's a good thing, and that Jeff is just a cranky old man yelling at the winds of change.  Does on-demand mean no more shared cultural experience? And where does this leave Capt Crunch in his battle against the soggies? Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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     Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni     Article submitted by Sean Williams:  http://comicsbeat.com/rip-saturday-morning-cartoons-1962-2014/

Anthony has been reading about Chaser, the wonder dog who has learned over 1,000 different words, which makes him wonder how smart Jeff believes canines to be.  Is obedience less intelligent than independence? Is there a bias in measuring intelligence in non-human creatures? Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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     Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata   Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Article:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-smart-is-your-dog-60-minutes/

Shipyard workers in South Korea have been using Exo Suits to assist them in loading and unloading scrap metal, and Jeff and Anthony desperately want to try it out. But why stop there? Why not replace human limbs with robot ones? How far would they go in selling off their humanity to be able to punch down a wall? The answer may surprise you.   Our show is entirely listener supported! Subscribers get early episodes, extra audio and a monthly live video hangout. More details: 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 Here's the Stitcher link: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/we-have-concerns   Send us stories: wehaveconcernsshow@gmail.com   Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://phys.org/news/2014-08-shipyard-workers-robot-south-korea.html

An article by Kevin Ashton proposes that saying "no" to things is vital to the creative process.  Anthony and Jeff wonder why they have such a hard time saying "no" and what that might mean about them.    Like the show? Want early episodes and extra content? Support us on 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   Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article submitted by Amber Hinden:   http://kevinjashton.com/2013/03/18/creative-people-say-no/

A new article suggests that the Oculus VR headset may be the first step to allowing people to truly experience what it is like to live a different kind of life. This could allow designers to create "empathy engines" whereby users may come to feel emotion for their fellow man in a virtual space.  Anthony and Jeff think this is a great idea, especially if causes douchey diners to tip their wait staff.   Support us on Patreon to get early release episodes and extra content: 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 Here we are on Stitcher:  http://bit.ly/stitcherwhc   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://boingboing.net/2014/09/15/the-headset-revolution-will-be.html The Machine to Be Another: http://www.themachinetobeanother.org/

A woman in Oregon has opened a cuddle service for those looking for a bit of personal contact, but definitely no sexy stuff. Anthony works through his own issues with touching, Jeff determines the fair market value of intimacy, and everybody wonders what to do at a pheromone party.   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 the Stitcher link:  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anthony-carboni/we-have-concerns Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article submitted by  @justcallmedjm http://www.examiner.com/article/cuddle-up-to-me-professional-cuddling-service-to-launch-retail-location

Researchers in Paris recently proved that the brain can continue to classify words into categories even after it has gone to sleep, causing Jeff and Anthony to wonder what scientists do to make their test subjects fall asleep during an experiment, and how this kind of non-stop brain activity might be harnessed by corporate America.   We Have Concerns is entirely listener funded and there's extra content for those that contribute. Find out more:  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   Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/13/brain-sleep-classify-words-study_n_5812012.html

A new article about the phenomenon of "phantom" phone notifications - those strange moments when you senses a vibration from your cell phone that didn't actually happen - has Jeff ranting on the crazy thoughts that such sensations evoke, and Anthony hearing voices.  Is technology making us crazy, or have alerts been messing with the human mind since the beginning of time? Enjoying the show? Review us on iTunes! It really helps out rating and ranking:  http://bit.ly/wehaveconcerns Anthony on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/acarboni Jeff on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Article:  http://boingboing.net/2014/08/22/feeling-the-buzz-the-weird-tr.html

In an attempt to better understand pop music, Dr. Lior Shamir created an algorithm that can correctly identify and track the Beatles artistic output over the evolution of their career.  Now, the same technology is being used to predict whether songs, movies, and other entertainment will be popular, and could even replace creators altogether. Jeff is worried that an equation will never have the soul required to create true beauty, while Anthony is convinced all art can be reduced to math.     Support us on Patreon!  http://patreon.com/wehaveconcerns   Jeff on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/acarboni   Article:  http://www.fastcolabs.com/3034237/this-is-going-to-change-how-you-listen-to-music-forever

Across all cultures and geographies, humans scrunch up their faces in the exact same way when they are angry, and a new article examines several possible evolutionary explanations for the consistency.  One theory is that older people are more intimidating, but Anthony is ready to fight any older person he meets.  Jeff admits to getting angry... and you wouldn't like him when he's angry.   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   Jeff on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffcannata Anthony on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acarboni   Origns of the Anger Face:  http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-origins-of-the-anger-face/379475/   We Only Have Four Facial Expressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW0PaKOXxQI   Village Designed Just For People with Dementia: http://gizmodo.com/inside-an-amazing-village-designed-just-for-people-with-1526062373