Normal Men
Normal Men is four guys talking about the news. We want to help explain what's happening in the world around us and have some laughs along the way. And we think you might enjoy hearing what we have to say, as long as you don't mind a bit of normalcy in a world without much of it.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 03, 2026
Tuesday Mar 03, 2026
Anthropic vs DoD, Iran strikes, Graham Platner's podcast tour, and the gnome bag. Featuring the return of Theophite to talk shrimp.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Anthropic vs. DoD10:00 Claude's Ethical AI Training20:00 DoD's Ultimatum & Anthropic's Red Lines31:00 Anthropic's Rationalist Roots47:00 Hot War with Iran1:04:00 Graham Platner & Antisemitism1:25:00 Public Virtue & AI in Government1:33:00 Outro
Thursday Feb 26, 2026
Thursday Feb 26, 2026
Propter's smart home journey goes sideways. Dogs: better evolved than us? The AI chip crisis hits gaming. The Jones Act and the art of the subsidy. Iran, oil, and who benefits. East Coast braces for snow. State shapes are wrong. And maybe log off for a bit.
Chapters:
0:00 Smart Home Tech & APIs4:00 Dogs: Evolution, Senses, & Meds14:00 AI, Chip Crisis & Hardware Prices24:00 Economics of Supply & Demand30:00 The Jones Act: Policy Failure33:00 Biofuels & Commodity Cycles40:00 Geopolitics: US & Iran52:00 Blizzard, Weather & Regional Differences1:03:00 Online Discourse & Context Window
Friday Feb 20, 2026
Friday Feb 20, 2026
Just desserts, DHS shutdown and caucus integrity, the future of B2B and internal tooling, and the Yakuza games.
Chapters:
0:00 Yakuza & Video Game Franchises5:30 Dessert Discourse & Social Media12:30 Canned Cheese & Weekly News17:30 DHS, Noem, and El Paso Lasers31:15 DHS Shutdown Analysis45:00 Shutdown Impacts & Democratic Strategy56:15 AI & Stock Market Winners/Losers1:02:20 AI's Practicality & Limitations1:16:50 Outro
Friday Feb 13, 2026
Friday Feb 13, 2026
Normal Astrophysicist Mike Boylan-Kolchin (@mbkplus.bsky.social) joins us to talk about the terrible secret of space and the Lone Star State. Also: black olives on tacos, Love Da Seahawks, and Jeff Bezos has some explaining to do.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Gooning Culture2:40 Elon's Space Data Centers5:00 Astronomy & Compute13:00 Challenges of Space Data Centers20:00 Economics of Orbital Compute38:00 Taco Discourse & Burrito Bonds54:00 Texas Democratic Primary1:10:00 Republican Primary & Senate Control1:24:00 Universe's End & Super Bowl1:31:00 Outro and Final Thoughts
Friday Feb 06, 2026
Friday Feb 06, 2026
Normal Woman skelly (@iid.bsky.social) joins us from France to talk about- well, the plan was to talk about the American expat experience in Europe during Trump II but actually it wound up being mostly about comparative educational structure. we hope you like it.also: Texas Toast (Republican State Senate edition), handicapping 2026, Fed Warsh, Epstein and the shallow bench of evil.ED NOTE: we are unbleeped compared to our usual because Ed is working very hard and is gassed this week. please be nice to Ed if you see him.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Winter Woes7:06 Skelly: Life in France16:15 Academia: US vs. Europe26:30 College Admissions & Prestige45:46 Admissions: Success & Diversity1:08:40 American Expat Life & Culture1:33:57 Texas Special Election Analysis
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Speculative fiction, moderation at scale, radicalization at scale, parenting at low-scale, and turophile priorities with Theophite.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Guest Theophyte4:17 Minneapolis ICE Shooting Fallout21:25 Theophyte's RPG & AI Art34:17 RPG World's Moral Dilemmas44:02 Scale of Civilization & Internet55:42 Parenting in Trump's Second Age1:06:25 Oreo Debate & Losing Control1:09:38 Cougar Gold Cheese & WSU
Friday Jan 23, 2026
Friday Jan 23, 2026
On dogs, football, Blorth Carolina, the spirit of the cities, Chipotle, why you should care about Claude Code, adventures in transatlanticism, and the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Poop Talk5:31 NFL & College Football Review16:53 Indiana Coach's Chipotle Habit26:53 North Carolina Political Landscape43:24 ICE Occupation in Minneapolis53:46 Adventures in AI: Claude Code1:09:36 Trump, Greenland, and NATO
Thursday Jan 15, 2026
Thursday Jan 15, 2026
Ms. Malone and Ms. Speedrun-Enjoyer stop by to explain the appeal of murder. Also, we talk about the Horrors foreign and domestic.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Guest Welcome10:06 Defining True Crime & Adnan Syed20:12 Personal Appeal & Favorite Podcasts35:21 Unsolved Cases & Killer Psychology50:30 True Crime's Gender Gap & Safety1:05:39 Guest Farewell & Renee Good Murder1:15:45 Authoritarianism & Public Backlash1:25:51 Greenland Invasion Rumors & Geopolitics
Thursday Jan 08, 2026
Thursday Jan 08, 2026
The Normal Men talk college football, Venezuelan stabs, and what genAI won't do for you.
Chapters:
0:00 Woodworking & Ice Bath Project4:38 Gaming Controversies: FF7 & Animal Crossing13:51 College Football & Ole Miss Racism27:46 Venezuela Regime Change Operation58:29 US-Mexico Cartel War Speculation1:17:09 AI & Grok's Pornography Problem1:31:09 Understanding and Using LLMs
Wednesday Dec 31, 2025
Wednesday Dec 31, 2025
Goodbye to 2025! The Normal Men talk food, travel, optimism, and dating.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Holiday Recap9:32 Cookbook and Rice Cooker Recommendations28:38 Favorite Destination Foods47:43 Affordable Protein Alternatives1:04:54 Nonalcoholic Drinks and Mocktails1:22:05 Party Playlists and Social Confidence1:39:16 Dating and Parenting Advice