Radiohead once sang about optimism.

It went a little like this:

Flies are buzzing 'round my head
Vultures circling the dead
Picking up every last crumb
The big fish eat the little ones
The big fish eat the little ones
Not my problem, give me some

We're a bit more optimistic than that, but about certain issues...probably not by much.

This week we will fill your hearts with hope as we talk about...optimism...

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We begin by discussing our own optimism...and when we were first introduced to the concept. Then we talk about the most optimistic people we knew growing up -- and who claims the title today.

We chat a bit about if it's easier or harder to maintain optimism as we age...and then devote some time to whether or not we're optimistic about the United States.

Find out where our optimism ends -- and what we try [and sometimes fail] to be optimistic about.

We answer these questions: Can relentless optimism be damaging? Or annoying? And then we offer our advice for someone who is not naturally optimistic.

And, of course, we wrap it all up talking about the future of optimism.

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Umbrella Woman Photo: Edu Lauton

Look at that episode art! LOOK AT IT!!!

It's...super, right?! Shawn may not have the beard anymore, but his beard lives on in all our hearts. And Christopher...he's kinda super (for a crusty 50-year old!)

Hell, this episode was RECORDED on the day Gorilla Christopher turned 50.

So to keep the fleeting moment alive before entropy envelops him, you should listen to this episode!

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We kick it off with the first -- and last -- superhero movies we saw (and have seen). After that, find out our favorite (and least favorite) superhero movies.

We devote a little time to our best superhero movie experiences...and why we think superhero movies finally took hold in popular culture.

We chat a bit about if we prefer our superhero movies to match comics exactly, or deviate a bit...and then we discuss our favorite TV superhero shows.

Robert Pattinson as Batman has some slobbery geeks' undies all bundled around their pebbly nads. We give our thoughts on the latest Batman choice...and then talk about the superhero movie we'd love to see. (Gorilla Christopher forgot Justice League International...or an all out Booster Gold/Blue Beetle flick!)

As we approach the end, we talk about if we've experienced superhero movie burnout...and we wrap it all up with the future of superhero movies!

Yo! Like, we never tell you about how Men in Gorilla Suits has afforded us, the Gorillamen, ridiculous side cash!

You might think we do this out of love for just making the damn thing, but why make the damn thing if it doesn't make a lot of side money, right?

Men in Gorilla Suits has made us rich! Ridiculously so, but...we work day jobs just because it's funny for the show. Really, we're cutting-edge entrepreneurs, out there on the fringes of society, hustling all the time and making the fat stacks of Benjamins!

Or maybe not...

This week, we talk all about side gigs...

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We kick it off with the first person we remember who had a side gig...and then talk about our own first side gigs.

We talk about the "gig economy" for a bit and if we're currently working any side gigs.

We devote a bit of time to the best and worst side gigs we've worked. After that, we chat about if things we do on the side today are strictly for money or other things.

If you listen to us regularly, you know we often talk about technology's effect on the chosen topic. We talk about how tech has influenced side gigs before chatting about the side gig we'd love to have.

But not all side gigs are good (in fact, many are terrible). We discuss them for a bit and then wrap it up with the future of side gigs.

Gorilla Christopher starts a new job this week, so let's get straight to what we talk about this week:

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• What was the first toy you remember?
• What was the first toy you ever REALLY wanted?
• What was your favorite toy from childhood?
• What was the worst toy you ever owned?
• How important are toys to childhood development?
• What is the last toy you purchased?
• What do you think about adults rushing to collect toys before kids can get them? (Like Star Wars figures, Avengers figures…things like that!)
• Toys have changed quite a bit over the years. What is the most dangerous toy you once owned that they would probably not sell today?
• How has technology affected toys?
• Let's talk about the OTHER adult toys. Do you consider things like mini flamethrowers, GoPro cameras, and drones toys? (Or at least appeal to us as adults in the same manner toys appealed to us as kids?)
• In the world of podcasting, some refer to recording gear as toys. What is your favorite podcasting toy…and is there something else you'd really love having?
• What is the future of toys?

Working from home used to be the domain of fancy-pants novelists and snooty painters. Now, it's likely your schlub of a neighbor has worked from home. We say this with confidence, being those very schlubs.

Like anything, there are good and bad things about working from home. (Although Gorilla Christopher will argue it's all good.) Working from home is the topic of this week's Men in Gorilla Suits...recorded in our homes on a Sunday night...

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We kick it off talking about how often we work from home and then jump to the first time we heard about people working from home. Then we move on to our first jobs that allowed us to work from home...followed by our best -- and worst -- working from home experiences.

We chat about if we're more or less productive when working from home...and if we tend to work more hours when we're not in the office.

It could be easy losing all sense of time working from home, so we talk about how we manage things without being in the office. And then we discuss the best and worst parts of working from home.

We devote a little time to funny working from home stories, and then wrap it all up with the future of working from home.

You'll just have to trust us that this episode is good...

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We kick it off with our first memories of trusting someone, and then talk about how important trust is to one's existence. Find out who we trust most today...and what role trust plays in this podcast.

Next, we chat about how much we trust institutions like religion, corporations, and governments. After that, find out if our trust has ever been betrayed by someone...and if we have ever betrayed someone's trust.

We discuss why betrayed trust hurts some people so much, and devote a little time to processes we trust. From there, it's on to talking about if we trust ourselves to make good decisions and then wrapping it all up with the future of trust.

Men in Gorilla Suits automated show notes.

READY
> 10 print Butt
> 20 goto 10
> run_

[Laughter ensues…]

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We begin with the first example of automation we remember seeing, and then move on to the most recent. After that, we chat about if we (and most people) could lose jobs to automated machines or algorithms.

What will humans do if machines and algorithms take over a significant number of jobs? We talk about that a bit before moving on to if automation frightens or bothers us.

Find out what automation we use at work and home...and where we stand on home automation.

And we wrap it all up with what the future of automation means for humanity.

You know that thing we did last week? We also did something similar three and a half years ago.

I know. It's like some Matrix shit.

You leave Radigast City at the break of dawn, traveling north until reaching an unnamed river. For days, the water is your guide as lush earth gives way to dreary moors and tangled thickets. Finally, in the distance, you see a white plume of smoke rising from a mountain in the distance.

Two miles from the volcano, you find a suitable cave in which to store your supplies.

"Dead Knoll's Eye Socket," your guide says. "This is where I take leave. Good luck."

With your traveling gear stored safely away, you make your way along unsettled the land, being careful to avoid any fissures venting steam. Levi, the party's thief, is the first to hear the mountain breathing. Once you all hear it, you realize it comes in a cycle: a thirty-second exhale of heat followed by a half minute of calm. The cave your guide said to seek now lies before you, about eight feet in diameter.

Suddenly, the whooshing breath of White Plume Mountain almost knocks you over. The torch Bautigan the Brave readied is extinguished by the blast of air. You have thirty seconds before the next wave of wind and steam comes your way.

What do you do?

Dungeons and Dragons. In the 80s, many claimed it was a tool of Satan. Today, it's a mainstream staple of pop culture. It's also this week's topic of Men in Gorilla Suits...

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We roll initiative and discuss when we first became aware of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). After that, we talk about when we played...and if we still play today.

We talk about why D&D has endured for 45 years...and how technology has affected the game in recent years.

Because we are geeks, we devote some time to our favorite D&D monsters, player classes, and races.

We mentioned the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, which many claimed was the worst thing about D&D. It never came to be (because there was nothing to worry about), but that doesn't stop us from chatting about the worst thing playing D&D can do to a person.

Dungeons and Dragons has become a pop culture staple, and we talk about our favorite appearance of the game in something we've watched or listened to.

And we wrap up this episode with two things:

1. Our favorite D&D memories.
2. What the future holds for D&D

Sometimes we go places. In the past, we went places.

This is about that.