You can get a pretty good idea of what it's like from this trailer:
I paid for the series after listening to the first episode, which was free. I was a little irked that it's on Spotify, which I pay for, and I had to pay even more. But it costs something like $15, and I pay $15 for books all the time. Isn't it as worthy as a book?
I'm only interested in Ricky Gervais. I listened to the whole first episode with no awareness of who the other guy was supposed to be. "Sam." He felt like a complete nonentity to me, just a dull voice to make it so that Ricky wasn't just talking to himself.
I was surprised to see that it was Sam Harris, a famous name that I know, though not someone... I was going to say: not someone I'd ever paid much attention to. But when I search the blog archive, I see I've blogged about him many times, usually without adding a "Sam Harris" tag. The failure to tag means that when I wrote the post, I didn't think I'd be writing about the same person again. It's odd to see that's happened so many times with this particular person — especially after my experience with the podcast, where he made no distinct impression on me!
But now he has made a distinct impression on me as the person who makes no distinct impression. I'll honor the occasion by going back to all the untagged posts and adding the tag. Then maybe all the faint impressions will congeal into something interesting. [UPDATE: It didn't.]
And the podcast is good. I recommend it. It's mainly Ricky asking the questions, Sam giving bland answers, and Ricky bouncing off Sam's answers. For example, Ricky asks Sam if he had to choose between being 3 feet taller than he is or 3 feet shorter than he is, which would he choose? Sam gives the wrong answer (taller) and Ricky drags him through the wrongness of the decision.
ADDED: If you buy this podcast, you can listen to it on any podcast app. It's not like Joe Rogan, isolated on Spotify. That's why having to buy it separately makes sense.
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"But now he has made a distinct impression on me as the person who makes no distinct impression." Great line. Sometimes stealth personality can be effective.
I've read and listened to Sam Harris in the past, and I cannot tell you what it was, or why I was reading it or listening to it. But I'm sure it was recommended to me and I know I've been led to believe that Sam Harris is a Very Smart Person. I think that's probably true. And I love Ricky Gervais. I can listen to just him talking with no one else, very easily. So I'll give this podcast a try. Maybe Sam can bring out something in Ricky that is better than Ricky by himself. I doubt it, but we'll see. Or maybe the point is for Ricky to help Sam get more listeners because someone as Smart as Sam should have listeners, right?
Right?
Being 9 feet tall would horrible. you couldn't fit in buildings or houses, you'd be in a permenent crouch. Plus you'd be afflicted by all kinds of weird diseases and medical condition. For example your heart isn't made to pump blood that far, and your skin surface would be so big in terms of square inches, you'd have trouble keeping cool or hot.
Anyway, Sam Harris has always puzzled me. Years ago, he was supposed to be some super smart "New Athiest" and I listened to him and wondered what all the fuss was. He sound like someone who'd read a book by Bertrand Russell and didn't like Christian Evanglicals. Otherwise, I don't remember a single thing about him. Very Generic. Acme brand athiest.
Being 9 feet tall would horrible. you couldn't fit in buildings or houses, you'd be in a permenent crouch. Plus you'd be afflicted by all kinds of weird diseases and medical condition. For example your heart isn't made to pump blood that far, and your skin surface would be so big in terms of square inches, you'd have trouble keeping cool or hot.
Anyway, Sam Harris has always puzzled me. Years ago, he was supposed to be some super smart "New Athiest" and I listened to him and wondered what all the fuss was. He sound like someone who'd read a book by Bertrand Russell and didn't like Christian Evanglicals. Otherwise, I don't remember a single thing about him. Very Generic. Acme brand athiest.
Sam Harris did a number of interesting podcasts on the insurrection. One with McCrystal. You shouldn't like him because he has elite views.
Gervais is one of the funniest men on earth because he has so much money he doesn't care what people think about him. He also understands that a comedian's first (and only) job is to be funny and to offend people if it gets a laugh. But he can also do pathos:
https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1422846705192554497
As for Sam, every funny man needs a straight man.
"But now he has made a distinct impression on me as the person who makes no distinct impression."
That reminds me - I've been on a Science kick lately. Science! I love this absolutely delightful professor walk me thru all I missed in school. Learning about the history of the early scientists who discovered the odd things that we take for granted. Who the real geniuses were besides Einsteinin areas like early Quantum physics.
I highly recommend watching anything by Jim Al-Khalili.
favorites: "Everything and Nothing" & "The Secret Life of Chaos"
lots more.
I don't know. At 8'4", I'd be free to go most places without much worry about personal safety. Whereas at 2'4", I might be afraid to keep my cat. If I were starting from a greater height, I would pick the shorter option. Three feet tall would be fine. Could see over normal house counters then.
This prompted me to Bing Mr. Harris and confirm he’s the same guy who flew with the hijackers pre-9/11, and I saw several links to articles about that leading to his atheism. Hadn’t heard that before.
I was able to download this podcast from my podcast app for free, no questions asked. I use "Podcast App". Not sure why or if I'm misreading Ann's point but still thought I'd share.
The worst part of being 9' tall — or 8'7" as Sam Harris would be — is not how maladapted to the doorways and chairs and counters you would be but the internal health of your body. The tallest man who ever lived — as far as we know — was 8'11" and he died at the age of 22 after years of walking with his legs in braces and with little or no feeling in his legs and feet. It's just not healthy to be that tall. We don't see people that tall, and yet we do see many people who are 2 to 3 feet tall — children. They do fine in our environment and they're usually healthy.
Regarding Harris and McChrystal podcast on Jan 6th, here's the site blurb:
In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with General Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell about the radicalization of the far Right under Trump. They discuss the events of January 6, 2021, the behavior of the Capitol police, the history of white supremacy in the US, the effect of banning extremists from social media, the logic of insurgency, the consequence of public lies, what should happen to Trump and his enablers, and other topics.
So, we have two elite Bidenists, a General and a Journalist, with no inside knowledge, talking about Trump and Trump suporters and "white supremacy". I wonder if either of them knows a Trump voter. Hmm....think I'll pass.
Goliath was 10 feet tall (or thereabouts). David recognized the liabilities of such freakness. But his fellow Israelites were terrified, just like previous ones were when the spied out the Good Land and could only see giants.
Today many pundits on the right see only the giants striding the land, Big This and Big That and Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. They are giants, to be sure, but they have huge vulnerabilities. We are nearing a moment when a whole army of them fall. It's already begun. Watch how Melinda Gates deals with her soon-to-be former husband. Watch Jack Dorsey when the political ground beneath him shifts. Watch the ongoing fallout from King Obama's "Masque of the Red Death" party.
Our punditry is mostly blind. But the internet -- and newly-revived comments sections like this one -- reveal that many eyes still see.
For a guy, IMO, if you're over 6 feet, you're better off being shorter. If you're under 6 feet, you're better off being taller.
I'm 5'8". At 8'8", I'd be freakishly tall, but able to function. Who's to say really, what the health implications are, given that we have so few examples and the ones we do have all had genetic disorders. Meanwhile, at 2'8" I would be miserable and alone, probably afraid of everything, needing help for the simplest things. At least children can look forward to growing up.
Harris is someone you see on YouTube a lot when atheism is part of the discussion - - one of the Big Three of public atheists, along with Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens.
As for being 2' tall, I'd be worried about being attacked by random strangers and punted like a football.
Rcocean— my recollection is that Harris did not buy into the Jan 6 is all about white supremacy narrative. You should consider listening before criticizing
>>I'm 5'8" [give or take, so am I]. At 8'8", I'd be freakishly tall, but able to function.
This is a response to a number of other comments I haven't flagged. Are you familiar with the "square/cube law"? It's why the giant ants in the movie Them are just ridiculous. There's a good reason that there aren't (and will never be) any humans that are 8'8".
--gpm
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