I'm Jon. And I'm Ronik.
After years of working together on music, science, and debate, we're excited to debut our not-so-heavily anticipated podcast. Join us in our first season, For Lack of a Better Word, an etymological exploration of life.
Episode 1
New Year, New Etymology! While the people around us press the reset button on different aspects of their lives, we explore one of the most common phrases associated with beginning anew.
Episode 2
April Fools, Ronik! Betcha thought I wouldn't post an episode this month but I totally did!
Ronik's in Spain right now so he doesn't know I recorded this but for anyone who was wondering what the heck a "jonik" was, it is, for lack of a better word, US!
Episode 3
In well over a thousand words, Jon shares with Ronik the evolution of the "instant" photograph, why the word "instant" merits quotations, the nature of time, and the impact of the photograph on their own lives.
Episode 4
In an interview spanning Roman law, pirates, art forgery, monkey selfies, and AI, Ronik and Jon explore the depths of this common phrase and learn that the complexities lie far deeper than the playground.
Episode 5
In this bonus episode, Jon and Ronik take a broader look at deepfakes, ChatGPT, and their own AI escapades (escapAIdes?). In an unstructured ramble from Zizek to Vonnegut and from multi-terabyte programs to their own simple text generators, our hosts sweep up the stories that got lost in 'Finders Keepers'.
Also, was Ronik replaced with a robot??
Episode 6
Surprise, Jon! I finally got you back for the April Fools Day episode. Jon is busy climbing a mountain post taking the MCAT, so today, Ronik embraces his inner John Green and dives into “being perceived,” a phrase swept up by existentialism and meme culture. Be on the lookout for some bonus Jonik lore in the episode.
Episode 7
Happy Halloween! It's black cats season! Parents make sure you check your children's Halloween bags for a... Cat??? That's right! The cat's out of the bag with this fun new episode of the pod where Jon and Ronik break down 9 (yeah that's right, 9) phrases about cats. Whether it's skinning cats, or raining them, we seem to be really obsessed with cats and what they're doing.
Episode 8
∴ Much to the dismay of their producers, Jon and Ronik unravel the mysteries of "Cat's Cradle." Our hosts search carefully to disentangle the true things and shameful lies in this knotted web of literature, history, science, and religion.
Episode 9
Live and In Person for the Very First Time! (ft. special music guests, Jonik & the Joniks). Today we run down some of the top AM hits (and a few deep cuts). Ever wonder what "Ante Meridiem" actually means, how Jon and Ronik got into the "Arctic Monkeys," or just how unstructured a Jonik conversation can devolve in-person?
Episode 10
Season finale! Join Jon and Ronik in this momentous conclusion to their first season, For Lack of a Better Word. Through a combination of etymology, science, history, and love, our hosts encapsulate the essence of this season in an impassioned defense of a long-ignored filler word: Like.