The fellas go all in on Narrative. Ground covered includes buzzword overuse in everyday life, the devaluation of overworked language, the double edged sword of repetition, the mainstreaming of storytelling jargon and formulas, Jamal’s sexy underwear, the stories we tell in how we present ourselves, inside jokes as a form of layered narrative, everyone being the hero of their own story, inclusion/exclusion in narrative (IYKYK), the danger of weighting all information as equal, cherrypicking a narrative before having all the information, untrustworthy narrators, Dragon’s Lair, the Venn diagram formed by overlapping lives/narratives, Disney Princesses and, of course, a 6’8” Tom Cruse.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Analytics. Ground covered includes Jamal’s return after a long hiatus, Ken’s dominant victory in fantasy football, triaging your day, analytics already present in our lives (screen time, steps, floors climbed, views, listens, likes, downloads, bank activity, etc), applying analytics to your personal life, memory as an untrustworthy narrator, fighting the last war, pattern recognition, Brian’s personal test from the Matrix, the vulnerability of data to be skewed to a desired result, pleasure vs. gratification, feelings vs. metrics, leveling up, experience as data, and paralysis through analysis.    Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Boundaries in a very fun episode. Ground covered includes personal space, buffer zones, red lines, the potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, a whole lot of examples involving “friends”, trolling and provocation, texting style by age group, the importance of communication in establishing boundaries, the pitfalls of using clinical language in emotional situations, Dan’s hangry cat, the usefulness of resting bitch face, managing expectations, proportionality, the power of attraction to override established boundaries, and a fantasy football conflict gone nuclear. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Gratitude. Ground covered includes the emptiness of relative/negative gratitude, the awkwardness of dead people on Facebook, the performative underbelly of gratitude, Brian’s comeback vehicle for Katherine Heigl and himself, the ties between gratitude, guilt and selfishness, the overwhelming value of awareness and assessment, the human tendency to take things for granted, the personal nature of gratitude, spiritual bargaining and porcelain prayers, fiscally challenged vampires, and the importance of appreciating the good stuff when it happens.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Perception, using the Kyle Rittenhouse trial as a jumping off point.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

Brian discusses the urgent need for true accountability surrounding the events of January 6th as the country continues its slow slide from a cold civil war to the other kind.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Instinct. Ground covered includes the differences between instinct, impulse and intuition, the society-wide butchering of the word ‘literally’, people who vocally turn every sentence into a question, red flags and their trending emojis, a cat’s ability to find the warmest spot in a room, krav maga, the value of not thinking, GT’s contribution to the corruption of a celebrity minor, the agony of too many choices, overpainting, the human conundrum of knowing when to trust or deny our instincts, the power of the subconscious, the importance of vibes, and, of course, the Myers-Briggs test.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Trolling. Ground covered includes Dan’s tough Fantasy Football weekend, the profits in professional trolling, clickbait, breaking the signal to noise ratio via controversy, the inherent trolling of advertising, Jessica Alba, fucking with your friends vs strangers, the rule differences of real life and online conflict, picking friends by their sense of humor, reverse trolling, vague trolling, the metaverse, proportionate response, friendships lost over internet fights, keyboard warriors and internet tough guys, the shifting morals of doxxing, hive mind, and, of course, nominative determinism.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Doubt. Ground covered includes a rare semi-cold open featuring space monkeys and severe haircuts, the cheapening of information due to overabundace, Descartes, the Matrix, the cynical fabrications of doubt around our elections, the lack of critical thinking in modern society, the necessity of showing your work, skepticism, cynicism, pessimism, nihilism and a whole bunch of isms, theatre capacity as a tool to interpret statistics, the importance of a large data pool, the human desire for certainty, and of course, Independence Day.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)

The fellas go all in on Pain. Ground covered includes Brian’s sweaty visit to the dentist, the anticipation of pain outweighing the pain itself, the insidiousness of small talk, the brain's power to heighten pleasure and pain, the physical empathy and reactions generated by  stories of other people’s injuries, a testicle unspooled, pain's power to bring you fully into the moment, the brutality and social ostracization surrounding chronic illnesses and diseases, the inability to bite your own tongue on purpose, the importance of pain in the healing process, old people’s joy in discussing their ailments, and fantasy football for life.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/barflysbflies)