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PODCAST

Satellite Haiku

Two long-time best friends wander through culture, politics, tech, and fatherhood and try to arrive at—stumble upon, alchemize and synthesize—something wise. satellitehaiku.substack.com

society & culture parenting

All Episodes

90:45

055: Process vs. Product

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/04/18

We talk about mountains, trains, snow, the Donner Party, medical “diseases of opulence,” 80s teen movies, categories of 80s parents, finding jobs during a downturn, AI and the future of jobs, the market for craftsmanship and artisanal goods, hipsters, the process and the product, the Luddites, local vs. global capitalism, AI writing, AI sycophancy, AI psychosis, AI artists, brain hemisphere differences, Internal Family Systems, neurosymbolic AI as an precursor/alternative to LLMs, first world

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81:27

054: The Constant and the Variant (redux)

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/04/07

MiLo shares an update on his grandbabies and uses that to riff on the constant versus the variant (nature versus nurture). We linger on parenthood for a bit, and then we talk about approaches to human learning, analogous approaches to training AI, Waldorf education, screen use and attention span, ADHD, the purpose of school and different college majors, STEM versus the humanities, the idea of the “collective” (i.e. society) and its obstacles, globalization, “fraternity” versus selfishness, whether

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73:50

053: Supposedly Smart People

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/03/30

We talk about audiophiles, stereos of our youth, early portable music devices, white gentrification, artistic idiosyncrasies, writing, the pap smear test, videoconferencing apps, libertarians, Andreessen, Musk, Zuckerberg and the end of the Metaverse, the stupidity of supposedly smart people, the daily barrage of crime and scandal, fears about the midterms and 2028 elections.Mentioned in this episodeDr. Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek physician and pathologist who developed the “Pap Smear” screening

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63:56

052: In the Kali Yuga

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/03/24

We talk about the challenge of focusing on normal life, Trump’s fundamental laziness and capriciousness, art after tragedies like 9/11, the diminishing returns of escapism, dystopia-induced anxiety vs depression, eschatological beliefs, children as an investment with delayed returns, society vs selfishness, the hierarchy of self-identification, what capitalism can and can’t solve, America as non-dualist, alternative energy opportunities and challenges.Mentioned in this episodeSpun (2002 film

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73:17

051: Tragedy of the Commons

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/03/18

We talk about daylight savings, the war with Iran, ancient civilizations in North America, Lucy (aka “the missing link”), Charles Darwin’s bone collection, the brontosaurus, Amerigo Vespucci, John Hancock, chagas disease, science, freedom vs. security, Orwell, the S.A.V.E. Act, the Dunning-Kruger effect, the need for certainty and cognitive closure, James Talarico, consequentialism, secular morality, WWJD, loving your enemy, altruism, tragedies of the commons, Jeselnik’s rule of offensive jokes, the

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82:39

050: Learning the Hard Way

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/03/12

We talk about MiLo’s new grandson, parenting, germaphobia, catastrophizing, panic attacks, our love language, learning the hard way, idiosyncrasies of houses, intuitive design and its opposite, the AI future as Terminator versus R2D2, the emerging techno-status gap, Luddites, AI use cases, Shawn’s journey down an Epstein Files rabbit hole, syndicates of capital, the Iran war, taxing the rich, and Obama in retrospect. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers

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75:35

049: The Golden Rule

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/03/04

Shawn gets a little salty about Trump’s SOTU address (which he avoided), while MiLo compares Trump to Liberace. After indulging that digression for a bit, we talk about the closeted 1980s. We come back to the state of US politics, then we talk about cults, theocracy, the ability to recognize truth, tolerating uncertainty, the Tucson rodeo, deconstruction (from the church), embracing mystery, the Golden Rule, the nature of faith and belief, Pascal’s wager, the impotence of prayers, charity and its

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76:55

048: Consequences

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/02/23

Happy birthday to MiLo! Shawn is recovering from a cold, so we talk about that and about losing your voice, then about (the royal formerly known as) Prince Andrew, political accountability (former President of S. Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, former Philippine President Duterte and his successor), whether the Epstein “dominoes” are really starting to fall, Anarcho-Capitalism, breakfast sandwiches, the “cold start” sourdough technique, home renovations, designs that have single point of failure, getting an

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81:38

047: An Optimized Life

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/02/17

MiLo (“Abu”) welcomes a new grandson, and we talk about pregnancy and birth. Then we talk about discrimination and personal blind spots, “cooperative interruption,” daydreaming, optimizing yourself to perform better, lifehacks, material wealth and happiness, striving versus self-acceptance, envy, commute time as a predictor of school success, the power of intention, classical yoga versus kashmir shaivism on transcending versus ‘being’ the pile of dung, and gratitude as a practice. At the end we

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74:22

046: Movie Talk

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/02/10

We have thoughts about sleep. Then we talk about movies and entertainment—Quentin Tarantino’s films, Elmore Leonard adaptations, The Matrix, F1 (movie), Justin Timberlake, K-Pop Demon Hunters, the preteen years, Brian Eno’s definition of charisma, The Talking Heads, being different to be cool, Star Wars, Mon Rovîa, Mazes & Monsters (1982 Tom Hanks film), the Renaissance of female acting roles in the streaming era, THX 1138, The Life of Chuck. We discuss the the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie and

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66:39

045: Minneapolis

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/02/02

We talk about what’s happening in Minneapolis and debate whether the Trump administration is pursuing a strategy or just sort of chaotically pushing against civil norms and legal boundaries. Shawn sees a method in the madness and points to the existence of Project 2025 as evidence of coordination and a commitment to establish something durable. Milo plays devil’s advocate, dubious that this collection of MAGA clowns could coordinate breakfast, let alone a political strategy. This is a public

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73:32

044: Revenge of the Nerds

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/01/26

We talk about helping elderly parents with tech support, situations when AI unhelpfully offers help, the unnatural mix of high and low quality in AI output, machines vs the human experience of creating art, the engineer/STEM perspective on art and creativity, the real revenge of the nerds, dad jokes, living in the lie; living in the truth.Mentioned in this episodeTed Chiang: Why A.I. Isn’t Going To Make ArtJohn & Paul: A Love Story in Songs (book by Ian Leslie)Miracle & Wonder: Conversations with

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69:48

043: Operant Conditioning

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/01/23

We talk about works we created long ago, old tech, operant conditioning oneself, checklists, the memory palace, MiLo’s dad’s collections of stamps and old baseball cards, Warren Buffet’s stock market advice, the scammer mindset as a strange superpower, Elizabeth Holmes and Bernie Madoff, trying to learn options trading, trying to time the market, sneakerheads, Yeezeys, Minneapolis and its precedents (like Kent State), social movements, the Trump administration response to the killing of Renee Good,

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64:08

042: In The Quickening

Satellite Haiku ·

2026/01/15

We talk about being creatures of habit, aging parents, purpose and meaning in the context of work and AI, and what it feels like to live in this age of rapid and accelerating change. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit satellitehaiku.substack.com

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75:05

041: Family Gatherings, Family Estrangement

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/12/24

We talk about family gatherings and family estrangement, the horseshoe effect in political ideology, the nazi problem on the right, incels, women in politics, misogyny, super-wealthy welfare queens, the rise of leftist economic populism, right-wing populism, wearing shoes in the house, Filipino family parties, gravy, family estrangement (redux), confirmation bias, scientific consensus as a heuristic, making quality arguments, and how these days it feels like corporations resent that they have to go

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76:49

040: Navigating Relationships

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/12/16

We talk about conflicting nutrition advice, confirmation bias, Jedi mind tricks as a parenting technique, our visceral aversion to blaming and shaming, consequentialism in parenting, older/younger sibling dynamics, being triggered by criticism and corrections, back seat driving, thinking out loud versus in your head, chemistry in relationships, psychopathology versus polygraph tests, the persistence of history, and MAGA Jesus.Mentioned in this episodeBrené Brown’s work regarding vulnerability and

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76:52

039: The Creative Process

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/12/09

We talk about creating, procrastinating, collaborating, seeing our own past work with fresh eyes, discipline and the lack thereof, arts & craft fairs, art criticism, having your beliefs challenged, alternative energy, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and leaving work unfinished because you are finished with it.Mentioned in this episodeDon’t Look Up (2021 Netflix film)Landman (Paramount+ series)Elizabeth Kolbert reviews Ed Conway’s book, Material World: The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern

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41:38

038: Thanksgiving Edition

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/12/01

We talk about atmospheric rivers, The Doobie Brothers, suburban myths and life before the internet, Rush Limbaugh, the American Revolution, Simón Bolivar, the Haudenosaunee confederacy, the decline of language, and MiLo’s voiceover career that could have been.Mentioned in this episodeL.A. Story (1991 film written by and starring Steve Martin)Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary The American Revolution (new Ken Burns documentary series) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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81:48

037: Rick Rolled

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/11/27

We meander for an hour and talk about internet memes, mullets, old time hockey, creative careers, various songs and artists, New York City, roommates, and natural comedic talent.Mentioned in this episodeSong Exploder episode episode 70 (Weezer) and episode 233 (Rick Astley) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit satellitehaiku.substack.com

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71:11

036: Leveling Up

Satellite Haiku ·

2025/11/17

We share some nuggets of wisdom we have gathered during our fiftysomething years on this bluegreen rock, and we try to fashion it into advice….* Use “I” statements* Don’t take things personally; own your own experience* “Expand your threshold before your recoil” (respond instead of reacting, and be aware of the “unseen possibility”)* Don’t shun the shadow side of yourself; integrate it* Recognize emotions as a somatic experience, versus stories we attach to them* Be here now; fully see and accept

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53 results

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