INFLUENCE

We've got two fresh interviews cooking for the weeks ahead, but for now, please enjoy this inspiring encore from about a year back! -- Original Show Notes from May 16, 2022 -- Autistic children love Minecraft as much as anyone, but they're often bullied by other kids on multiplayer servers. When software developer and dad Stuart Duncan learned of this, he set out to create a private, safe Minecraf...

The Internet startup landscape is fraught with questionable business models, fickle users, and boatloads of misplaced venture capital. For every TikTok and Door Dash, there are thousands of spectacular failures. And most of them had the hubris to make (and sometimes sell) branded swag -- t-shirts, mugs, bags, and more. That's where collector Christina Warren comes in. For years she's been hunting...

It's a tale as old as time: Boy meets girl, boy sends dick pic to girl, girl turns out to be a journalist writing a story about catfishing. But these days, it's not just dating apps and Craigslist where lonely men are tricked online. A "Catfishing Industrial Complex" has emerged, with all the bells and whistle of modern customer service call centers, where multiple low-wage sex workers (of any gen...

Alli has an interesting way to start her stand-up set, and needs YOU to make fun of her as brutally as possible. Send a text, call the voicemail line, email, or drop your most devastating roasts into the Discord and we'll share them on a future episode! Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1p Join the 2G1P Facebook Group: https:...

Many of us use Microsoft Excel to track expenses and run basic reports at work. But there are some who walk among us with super-human spreadsheet skills. The best of the best compete for cash prizes in Excel esports, an elite world that congregates online — and sometimes on ESPN. Alli and Lindsey meet Oz du Soleil, a competitive Excel commentator, YouTube creator, and educator who specializes in "...

Despite having all media at our fingertips, there are still thousands of people who prefer to put mp3 files on their Apple iPods when they listen on the go. In fact, there's a large online community of people who love the simplicity of the retro music player. For some it's pure nostalgia. For others, there's a deeper hobby. Alli and Lindsey talk with Michi, a prominent modder in the iPod community...

The Australian children's cartoon "Bluey" has become a global phenomenon in recent years. But it's not just kids racking up all the views. Parents, non-parents, would-be parents, and all kinds of grown-ups are obsessed with this wholesome show about a family of dogs. This week, Alli and Lindsey talk with Jeffery Dibble, the moderator of a Facebook group called "Adult Bluey Fans," which has balloon...

Lindsey and Matt have returned from their tropical adventures, and Alli has some big news about an upcoming project! Also, are aliens real? But seriously, ARE THEY? Plus, our new favorite game about shaking hands with Hitler. The origin of the Hitler Handshake game, by @aledornell: https://twitter.com/aledornell/status/1629969858598248448 h/t: Evan Engel Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreo...

Lindsey is off to Columbia for 3 weeks on an extremely dangerous vacation! So we look up whether "Podcast Host Insurance" is a thing, just in case she never comes back. Also, Alli's show "Love Isn't Blind" continues its smash success at new venues, and her secret crush is attending the latest performance!!!11!. Plus, Linsey recounts the pros and cons of going to REI in preparation for her adventur...

Emoji have been popping up as pivotal evidence in legal proceedings ranging from real estate to drugs and sexual predation. The informal field of "emoji forensics" has lead to new caselaw about the meaning of some "non-textual" communication. But these waters are muddy due to legal interpretation, rapidly evolving Internet slang, and the many cultural meanings attributed to emoji symbols — not to...

Take a trip down memory lane with this encore 2G1P episode, and we'll be back with you next week! -- Original Show Notes From February 1, 2021 -- Since 1999, the website Something Awful has been an Internet culture tastemaker, and this closed community is still going strong two decades later — a rarity for online platforms. Many modern memes and web culture references have their roots on Something...

If a robot can analyze mountains of caselaw in seconds, couldn't it also make the best legal arguments for a client? After all, AI already predicts markets, creates art, and writes music all the time. That's the premise put forth by the website DoNotPay, which typically uses its bots to fight traffic tickets and cancel unwanted subscriptions. But their latest marketing stunt is offering $1 million...

This week, we hear about the new things you're trying in 2023, updates on Alli and Lindsey's projects, and ask the question on everyone's mind: What Renaissance painter would you most like to bone? Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1p Join the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/ Email us: 2G1P...

We'll be back next week with some more weird Internet, but for now, enjoy this 2G1P Classic! -- Original Show Notes // January 17, 2022 -- There's an aisle at your local ALDI supermarket that contains random stuff that rotates on a weekly basis, often without rhyme or reason. So naturally, there's a Facebook group with 1 million people who are obsessed with it. This week, Alli and Lindsey talk wit...

Wikipedia is your one-stop shop for high level info on public figures, geography, and academic concepts. But the volunteer editors of the free and open digital reference also make copious entries about "low quality images of cats," "Blobjects," "National Moth Week," Osama bin Laden's porn stash, and that time the Dave Matthews Band tour bus dropped poop on people in Chicago. Alli and Lindsey talk...

Much like history books and media coverage, Wikipedia reflects the bias of our society. The difference is that anyone can edit Wikipedia to change that. By day, Jess Wade is a materials scientist at Imperial College in London. But in her spare time, she noticed that many extremely accomplished female scientists (and scientists of color) did not have Wikipedia articles devoted to them. Thus she beg...

We're afk for the holidays this week, and re-sharing a very wholesome episode about Santa's Little Helpers from last year. Enjoy! -- Original Show Notes from December 20, 2021 -- r/SantasLittleHelpers is the subreddit that fulfills the holiday wishes of kids in need. Alli and Lindsey talk with BackpackWayne, the creator/moderator of Santa's Little Helpers, which has been connecting generous reddit...

Lindsey has one simple task: To meet and fall in love with an astrophysicist who is also very funny. We don't think that's too much to ask! Happy holidays from 2G1P. Let us know your festive plans via voicemail (347-871-6548), email, or Discord. Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1p Join the 2G1P Facebook Group: https://www.fa...

We often think of content uploaded to the Internet as "forever," but companies go out of business, media becomes obsolete, and servers are shut off. But for the first time in human history, we have the ability to preserve granular cultural memory. We just need the will to do it...and the server space. That's why The Internet Archive (casually known as the "Wayback Machine") is saving 75 terabytes...

Twitter's recent chaos spiral, mass firings, and obliteration of safety standards under Elon Musk's new ownership has many extremely online people wondering if they should jump ship. But to where? Mastodon is a non-profit, open source, decentralized social platform with Twitter-like follower structures, combined with Discord-like instances around shared interests, like "Infosec" and "Climate Justi...

We hope your Turkey Day was delicious, for all those who celebrate. This week, Alli and Lindsey catch up on a variety of important topics, like: Are humans the tastiest meat? What are the things that bring us joy? Setting up a moon colony, and of course Twitter's rapid death spiral under the heel of its new Dark Lord. And how can we save the valuable subcultures that still thrive on the platform....

When Queen Elizabeth II died in September, her Wikipedia page was updated before the BBC had even broadcast the news. That's because hundreds of volunteer editors had rushed in to make sure the page was updated and accurate the moment Buckingham Palace announced her passing. But there is no single arbiter of what edits "stick" and what is updated or reverse by other editors. Yet somehow, Wikipedia...

We have another encore episode that we're really proud of. We'll be back next with more Internet awesomeness. -- Original Show Notes // October 11, 2021 -- If you live in a big city like New York, you know that delivery workers on bikes are vital for moving food and other resources from place to place, especially during the pandemic. But workers using apps like Door Dash and Uber Eats often have l...

Grandma's secret sugar cookie recipe has been passed down through the generations. In some rare cases, this sacred family tradition ends up on her gravestone — a final gift to the world, if you can find it. One enterprising TikToker put her archival skills in motion when she began baking these gravestone recipes online — and went instantly viral. Thanks to the Internet, the secret cookies Grandma...

In 1989, VHS home viewing was on the rise, and Blockbuster was dominating the movie rental business, with one caveat: They had yet to acquire many kids' movies. At the same time, a 23-year-old film director set out to create a movie musical for kids about an imaginary friend who comes to life. For a brief period of time, the very low budget "Creating Rem Lezar," was one of the only kids movies on...