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 Minecraft server exclusively for autistic kids and their families. The moment he shared it, he got 300 email...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 11 min
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 for authentic swag from tech and media companies that have gone bust: Quibbi, CNN+, Gowalla, Therano...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 251
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 gender) pretend to be attractive women sending intimate messages that men are eager to pay for. Niamh M...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 250
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://www.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/ Email us: [email protected] Call the show and leave a m...
Apr 03, 2023•32 min•Ep. 249
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 "cleaning messed up data." He shares how he got into the wild world of Excel esports, how the communi...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 248
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, and Austin Lucas, the owner of Elite Obsolete Electronics, a shop that sells replacement parts and...
Mar 20, 2023•59 min•Ep. 247
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 ballooned from a humble 5,000 members to more than 230,000. There, they share Bluey memes, tattoos, fan art...
Mar 13, 2023•57 min•Ep. 246
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.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord community: http://discord.gg/2g1p Join the 2G1P Facebook Group: htt...
Mar 06, 2023•37 min•Ep. 245
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 adventures. We also talk about the Grammy Awards, a highly relevant topic from 400 weeks ago! Support 2G1P o...
Feb 20, 2023•32 min
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 mention that emoji may look completely different, depending on what software is displaying them, mak...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 243
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 Awful's humor forums. For a one time fee of $10, you get full access to the site's vibrant discussi...
Feb 06, 2023•52 min
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 to anyone who would let their AI argue a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. To help us unders...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 242
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: [email protected] Call the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548 Learn more about your ad choices....
Jan 23, 2023•34 min•Ep. 241
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 with Stefanie Riley and Leigh Caldwell Dunning, friends who've worked in the blogging/journalism space ...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min
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 with Annie Rauwerda, a writer, longtime Wikipedia editor, and creator of "Depths of Wikipedia," whic...
Jan 09, 2023•57 min•Ep. 240
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 began the rigorous work of proving their notability, even when traditional media coverage is lacking. 1...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 239
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 redditors with families that have fallen on hard times for the last 10 years. Wayne recounts heartwarming ...
Dec 26, 2022•55 min
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.facebook.com/groups/2girls1podcast/ Email us: [email protected] Call the show and leave a message! ...
Dec 19, 2022•23 min•Ep. 238
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 of information ... a day. This includes website images, tweets, podcasts, old timey radio broadcasts...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 237
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 Justice." It was launched in 2016, but has surged in popularity in the wake of Twitter's uncertainty. But...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 236
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. Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join the 2G1P Discord community: http://discor...
Nov 28, 2022•29 min•Ep. 235
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 remains mostly accurate and up to date when public figures die. To find out how this magic is possi...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 234
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 little recourse when something goes wrong, like a stolen bike or worse, a traffic accident. They're n...
Nov 14, 2022•48 min
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 took to the grave can now be enjoyed by everyone. Alli and Lindsey chat with Rosie Grant about how a...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 233
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 Blockbuster shelves across the U.S. When video stores started carrying Disney and the like, the blue...
Oct 31, 2022•52 min•Ep. 232
Some personal emergencies got in the way of this week's session, so we have a 2G1P classic for you about the worldwide scavenger hunt that is Geocaching! -Original Show Notes from September 27, 2021- There are little treasures hidden all over your neighborhood, and throughout the world. You just need a GPS app (and some sleuthing skills) to find them. That's the fun of geocaching, a global phenomenon where people hide containers (large and small) in public spaces and drop the coordinates on a ma...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 29 min
Lindsey was on TV (that's short for Tele-Vision, a box in your house that displays moving pictures) and Alli's new stage show is a raging success! The girls discuss the pros and cons of polyamory, Alex Jones having to pay a BILLION dollars for being an asshole, and Alli uses the show to workshop standup material without even paying us. Crime! Sign up for Alli's show: https://www.loveisntblind.co/ Watch Lindsey on The TeeVee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mytvgK1PpU Support 2G1P on Patreon! ht...
Oct 17, 2022•24 min•Ep. 231
Midjourney, Dall-E, Google Deep Dream, and more technologies have rapidly emerged in recent years. What were once fringe novelties have become sophisticated networks capable of turning any phrase into museum-worthy art, in seconds. Large communities of curious creators are flocking to them, as the once-elusive power of drawing or painting can now be commanded from your computer keyboard. But what does this mean for the future of art and artists? If AI can generate 1,000 iterations of your band's...
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 230
Etsy — the online marketplace for bespoke, handmade goods — has a labor problem. Despite robust profits during the pandemic, the platform has made recent changes that are angering its seller community. Most complaints revolve around increased fees, forced advertising programs, middleware payment systems (with additional fees), and the algorithmic prioritization of cheap, mass-produced goods — arguably the antithesis of Etsy's "mom and pop" roots. Kristi Cassidy, a longtime Etsy seller, voiced he...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 229
We have two amazing episodes coming up, but they're not ready yet! In the meantime, enjoy this encore episode with our favorite comments troll/Internet performance artist Ken M! -Original Show Notes // April 26, 2021 - Dumb comments at the bottom of news articles and Facebook posts are a dime a dozen. But for the last 10 years, Ken M has turned misinformed Internet commentary into a masterful comedic art. His brand of earnest, oblivious comment trolling (and the angry reactions of people who thi...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min
