The Reality Check

After decades of doing the podcast we have finally gotten around to recording an episode entirely dedicated to orange cats. Darren examines just what's going on with orange cats acting weird on the Internet and in real life. Is Orange Cat Energy a thing or are humans just stereotyping orange taby cats? Adam explores the world's most popular orange cat, Garfield, as he tries to find out just what kind of cat he actually is.

For our first show of 2026 Adam looks at the efficacy of Infant Simulator Programs, which involves giving a fake baby to high school kids to discourage teen pregnancy. Darren gives us a review of three books, "The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip" by Stephen Witt, "The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State" by Michael Steinberger and "Peak Human: What We Can Learn From History's Greatest Civilizations" by Johan Norberg.

As Christmas approaches we bring you the history of two popular decorations you might see this holiday season. Darren looks at the history of the mistletoe as a decoration, symbol of fertility and God killer. Adam looks at the first use of lights on a Christmas tree and it may be older than you think!

With AI safety still underrated yet imperative, in this bonus episode of the show we share the Introduction to "Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World" by Darren McKee.

Today, December 2nd, is Giving Tuesday. Darren gives an overview of the concept of Effective Giving, with some tips on how your charitable donations could will lead to the most good in line with your own priorities. Adam tackles a few claims about the Mona Lisa, inspired by not all that evidence based viral clips. What were the original colours of this painting, and did it only become popular after being stolen years ago?