In this week's strange news segment, Ben, Dylan and Noel explore the story of the legendary Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto — and how the New York Times may have finally discovered his real identity. Also, scientists studying microplastics forgot to account for their plastic gloves! A kid finds a human skull during an Easter Egg hunt. All this and more in today's Strange News. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.co...
Apr 13, 2026•45 min
Humanity has been obsessed with the idea of death well before the dawn of modern Homo sapiens -- civilization knows what happens to your body when you die, but still has yet to agree on what, if anything, happens to that intangible part of you called the soul. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore a profound and disturbing rabbit hole: Will modern technology allow us to literally bring back the dead? If so, how? Most importantly, should we? They don't want you to read our book.: https...
Apr 10, 2026•1 hr 2 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Neek the Greek prompts Ben, Matt and Noel to explore AI in live sports commentary. James weighs in with a Mormon perspective on Ben's earlier confirmation of intelligence agencies prioritizing LDS members. Inconspicuous asks the guys for more information about drones. Tune in for the segment, which may inform actual episodes in the future. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com...
Apr 09, 2026•54 min
Ben, Matt, and Noel love folklore. After all, stories are one of humanity's first technologies -- and they continue to shape the world today. Most of the modern world accepts that tales of the undead, spirits, oracles and so on are just that: stories. Yet as the guys discover in tonight's trippy thought experiment, there's a growing argument that modern technological breakthroughs aren't just leading to new advancements: when you think about it, technology is increasingly making some of these le...
Apr 08, 2026•1 hr 18 min
Food is one of the few things that unites the human species -- so it's no surprise the world of food is chock-full of conspiracies. In today's episode, the guys return to the world of conspiracy and cuisine, fielding some of the strangest, most disturbing urban legends and rumors about everything from fast food to livestock and more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 07, 2026•1 hr 7 min
In this week's strange news segment: Ben, Matt and Noel discover their old conspiracy about VPNs might actually be true. Ben introduces the crew to the latest troubling updates on an orgasm cult. Noel explains how a Kit-Kat heist leaves more questions than answers. Matt shares news about the White House 'ballroom' construction drawing more attention, as it turns out Ben was *not* joking about a secret bunker. Kash Patel sure got hacked. All this and more in our weekly strange news segment. They ...
Apr 06, 2026•58 min
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, Ben, Matt and Noel explore ongoing claims that the Russian government may possess secret "superweapons" capable of changing the course of war. How much of this is sound and fury, signifying nothing? How much of this may lead to new, world-threatening tools of horror? Ben here: it turns out what we mean by "super". They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Apr 03, 2026•1 hr 14 min
In this weekly listener mail segment, Jmodaez hips Ben, Matt and Noel to Peter Thiel's funding of 'cowcollars'. Over on Spotify, Sasha prompts a conversation about why intelligence agencies love former Latter-day Saint missionaries. Sean shares a new experience with sleep paralysis. Anon reveals more allegations of connections surrounding the disappearance of General McCasland. Tune in to learn how this weekly segment informs actual episodes in the future! They don't want you to read our book.: ...
Apr 02, 2026•59 min
As the United States debate over immigration continues to rage, Uncle Sam is constructing hundreds of controversial detainment centers. The official reasoning is that these facilities will hold people until they are cleared or deported... but is that the entire story? In this episode, Ben, Matt and Noel asks what happens to the centers in the future -- and who else, besides immigrants, might end up detained. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you...
Apr 01, 2026•1 hr 11 min
The Russian government may soon pass an unusual law giving any former Russian president legal immunity -- not only from any crimes committed while in office, but for any acts before or after their presidency, as well. This lifetime immunity proposal has international spectators scratching their heads in confusion... and diving into conspiracy. Tune in to learn more in this week's oddly prescient Classic episode. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr
In this week's strange news segment: Ben, Matt and Noel explore the oddly credible conspiracy that recent hours-long lines at US airports may be part of a larger conspiracy. Updates on the still-missing Major General William McCasland. Hilarious phone pranks as protest. Also, who the heck just made 580 million dollars in oil futures? Tune in for all this and more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for...
Mar 30, 2026•1 hr 10 min
Does hypnosis work? Can you really hack your brain into becoming a better person? On the flip side: Can you possibly push people to do what you want, without their knowledge? In tonight's interview, Ben, Matt and Noel welcome the legendary journalist and author Zoë Lescaze, co-creator of Kaleidoscope's hit new podcast Mind Games, to learn more about the strange, controversial evolution of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/st...
Mar 27, 2026•1 hr 8 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Hootsifer hips Ben, Matt and Noel to the fascinating -- and disturbing -- process of using human brain cells on microchips to play the videogame Doom. Noah prompts the guys to plan a trip to the underground tunnels of Missoula, Montana. Sacratomato shares the strange story of Moltbook. Tune in to learn more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
Mar 26, 2026•1 hr 3 min
While the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been tense in recent decades, things massively escalated earlier this year. The U.S. unilaterally invaded Venezuela, abducting sitting President Nicolás Maduro, along with his spouse, to face drug and terrorism charges. Yet the American public is increasingly skeptical about the official reasoning here. Could this really be about drugs? Oil? Something else? Join Ben and Matt to learn more. They don't want you to read our book.: h...
Mar 25, 2026•1 hr 21 min
What makes a genre of music successful? Ideally, the art connects on a personal level with the audience, speaking truth to power, tapping into a universal experience.... but what if that isn't always the case? In 2012, an email from someone claiming to be a former music industry executive alleged that gangster rap was not an organic success. Instead, they claimed, the success of this genre was the result of a secret, high-level meeting in 1991, between members of the music industry's elite and r...
Mar 24, 2026•1 hr 12 min
In this week's Strange News segment, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the following: As the Iran conflict ramps up, a mysterious numbers station begins transmitting ominous codes in Farsi -- raising speculation about a possible conspiracy afoot. Legendary MC Afroman wins a bizarre court case in the wake of a raid on his Ohio home. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 23, 2026•1 hr 2 min
Have you ever been starving? Ben, Noel and Dylan hope the answer is "no" -- however, as the guy's learn in tonight's episode, the world is currently on the precipice of a massive hunger crisis. As conflicts ratchet up, government programs close down and the climate becomes increasingly chaotic, the next great famine may have already begun. And, sooner than the media wants to admit, that famine may be on its way to you. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fi...
Mar 23, 2026•52 min
World famous pop icon Britney Spears has sold millions of records, performed countless times, and regardless of whether you care for her music, you've certainly heard her hits. She also has an enormous, fiercely loyal fanbase that's convinced something is amiss, behind the scenes. You see, for years, Spears has been the subject of a legal conservatorship -- this arrangement, which the singer has described as voluntary multiple times, means Spears must have approval from several people for any fi...
Mar 19, 2026•1 hr 10 min
By almost any measure, the United States military is by far the most powerful on the planet. The immense size of the military, combined with advanced technology and near-unimaginable funding, guarantees a fighting force like no other. However,the size of the organization has also led to some disturbing cases of conspiracy, crime and corruption -- cases that are often buried by the powers that be. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the grand conspiracy of military cover-up. P...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 2 min
Ben, Matt and Noel present a Classic episode: In cities across Canada, the US and other parts of the world, the cost of living continues to rise -- and housing becomes increasingly unaffordable. Rental rates outpace inflation. Owning a home becomes virtually impossible for millions. Economists have debated the usual causes of this crisis for years... but it appears there's a variable many people haven't considered, something a little stranger than domestic supply and demand. Investors from acros...
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 20 min
In this week's Strange News segment: Jeffrey Epstein invested thousands of dollars into telepathy experiments. Former Epstein guards were apparently talking about an Epstein cover-up on the day the disgraced financier officially die. A stunning multi-year investigation verifies that there may indeed be a secret energy weapon at the heart of the Havana Syndrome conspiracy. Award-winning restaurant Noma is back in the news for a new scandal. Tune in for all this and more. They don't want you to re...
Mar 16, 2026•1 hr 16 min
"Oligarch" - when we hear this word in the West, it's almost always associated with Russian business types who made loads of money during the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode, oligarchs have always been around, in almost every single civilization... and the U.S. is no exception. In fact, despite being a democracy on paper, the U.S. itself is a lot more like an oligarchy than our rulers would have us believe. They don't want you to read ou...
Mar 13, 2026•1 hr 18 min
On September 1, 1969, numerous people in a rural area of Massachusetts reported seeing strange lights in the sky -- and that was just the beginning. As time went on, more people came forward claiming they had been spirited away by unknown forces, had lost time, or found themselves some distance from their original location. What exactly happened? Tune in as the guys explore the ins and outs of this strange -- and strangely consistent -- story. They don't want you to read our book.: https://stati...
Mar 12, 2026•1 hr 11 min
In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel return to the unfortunately ongoing saga of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sexual predator. In the wake of Epstein's still-controversial death in prison, millions of documents about his activities -- collectively known as the Epstein Files -- remain redacted or hidden from the public. Recent releases have, if anything, raised more questions than answers. So what exactly is going on? Tune in to learn more. They don't want you to read our book...
Mar 11, 2026•1 hr 17 min
In this interview segment, the guys sit down with seasoned conflict journalist Jake Hanrahan to hear his first-hand accounts of covering stories all too often ignored or misrepresented in the west -- as well learning more about his work exploring QAnon in his podcast, Q Clearance. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 10, 2026•1 hr 20 min
In this week's Strange News segment, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into assassinations, the erosion of rights, China's reaction to the war against Iran, and more. Recents reveal Israeli spies hacked the entirety of Tehran's traffic cameras for years in the lead-up to the assassination of the Ayatollah. Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes had been murdered, and buried in a gold coffin. Kansas revoked transgender people’s IDs overnight – researchers anticipate cascading health and soci...
Mar 09, 2026•1 hr 7 min
To some, Peter Thiel is a philosopher king. To others, he's real-life supervillain. One thing's for sure: this guy is making enormous waves in everything from tech to surveillance and government. In the chapter of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into one of Thiel's corporate crown jewels -- an enormous, shadowy "data analytics" company called Palantir. Tune in to learn why governments and investors love Palantir... and why numerous critics believe this outfit is ushering the new ag...
Mar 06, 2026•1 hr 14 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Hootsifer hips the guys to a controversial "better babies" company called Nucleus. Duane Berry shares a story about the early nights of dynamic gas station pricing. Y2curious replies to the earlier episode about AI psychosis. A Benevolent Dungeon Master asks the crew to consider making a tabletop game for charity. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Mar 05, 2026•1 hr
If you're like Ben, Matt and Noel, you've probably kept a close eye on the tons of UAP/UFO news hitting the airwaves. But what can we make of all these stories? How do we parse the fact from the fiction? In today's interview segment, the guys welcome returning guest Payne Lindsey, creator of High Strange, as he explores some of the weirdest tales in all of UFO in the second season of his hit podcast. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-...
Mar 04, 2026•1 hr 13 min
On August 19th, 2016 Saudi national and college student Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah was charged with first degree manslaughter for fatally hitting a 15 year old girl named Fallon Smart with his car in Portland, Oregon. Two weeks before his trial, he disappeared from the United States. Federal agents suspect he escaped with the help of the Saudi Arabian government -- and it seems he's not the only one. In fact, over the years, it seems dozens of Saudi nationals accused of various crimes in the US a...
Mar 03, 2026•1 hr
