Here are links to the things we mentioned: The Taylor Lorenz article that started it all The triple meme Instagram post You Know I Had to Do It to Em meme Some highlights of the backlash Definition of boomer (Thanks DankMemeOS) Generation X , as defined by Douglas Coupland Buzzfeed article full of Karen defamation YouTube video tangentially related to Italian puppet theatre Ok zoomer (not the Moses Znaimer kind ) Definition of VSCO girl Eboys , Egirls , soft boys , soft girls And, of course, the...
Dec 02, 2019•51 min•Ep. 22
Here are links to the things we mentioned: Usually Jon talks about memes Lost Media Wiki r/lostmedia on Reddit Three reasons lost media is scary Existential dread — stuff can just disappear, and not even be findable on Internet Archive ’s Wayback Machine Haunting nostalgia — goodbye weird games on DVD extras The Zeigarnik effect When the screensaver hit the corner on The Office Two case studies: The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet Sleuthing on Reddit Stay tuned to the end of the episode for...
Oct 31, 2019•45 min•Ep. 21
Here are links to the things we mentioned: Storm Area 51 on Know Your Meme Naruto runner video What is a Kyle ? What is a Karen ? The Lies Behind Area 51 #ThingsIFoundInArea51 What is praxis ? Alice Isn’t Dead Our episode on shady recruitment to MLMs and the like Exposing Instagram Scams Greta Thunberg 11 Young Climate Justice Activists You Need To Pay Attention To Edmonton Global Strike for Climate Action Young Alberta activists join global climate strikes Should we lower the voting age ? YouTu...
Oct 04, 2019•57 min•Ep. 20
Here are links to some of the things we mentioned: Defining MLM — multilevel marketing Defining pyramid scheme Notwithstanding Elizabeth’s joke, Girl Guides of Canada is good! Buy cookies . Vector Marketing , seller of Cutco products The history of Vector and Cutco The copy-paste recruitment text message Stephen Notley’s 1992 piece on Kirby vacuum sales Hope! The antiMLM subreddit Mulan gets ready to defeat the huns Sasha Frere-Jones called Twitter “ a self-cleaning oven ” — he may have been a b...
Sep 02, 2019•47 min•Ep. 19
As Jon points out in the episode, memes are a visual medium, so here are some references in case our descriptions leave something to be desired. (Also, we had some sound difficulties, which get a bit better after the seventh minute or so.) Karen is not a Boomer (but she did get the intro wrong) Meme 1: Me and the boys Avengers variation Lego variation ‘60s Spider-Man as a source of memes Spider-Man theme song Episode 17: Can CanCon continue? The Can Can Meme 2: Skyrim Skill Tree Meme 3: Drake re...
Jul 30, 2019•23 min•Ep. 18
Here’s more on what we mentioned during this Canada Day nostalgia-fest (most of these are Canadian but some are American things we mentioned in passing): What is Canadian content ? One-hit wonders, like Snow CJYR Radio in Edson (which appears to have died in 2005) Anne Murray Shania Twain Loverboy Burton Cummings The Poppy Family and Terry Jacks’s Seasons in the Sun Taproot article about the downtown market returning to 104th Street Bryan Adams Corey Hart Glass Tiger Drake Stan Rogers Gordon Lig...
Jun 29, 2019•54 min•Ep. 17
Here are some things we mentioned or drew from: Please fill out the Alberta Podcast Network listener survey We missed last month because of The Drowsy Chaperone That time when Arby’s tweeted about its waifu Fast food Twitter accounts sassing each other over and over Todd in the Shadows disapproves Technically, a corporation is like a person under the law , but they don’t need to act like it The whole Gritty thing Did the Oilers Win? The Starbucks influencer campaign with drag queens and beauty Y...
May 25, 2019•37 min•Ep. 16
Here’s more information on some of the things we mention: N.B. The excerpt from Poly Queer Love Ballad (18:05 to 22:15) is amazing, but also quite explicit, so be forewarned. Special thanks to Sara Vickruck and Anais West for performing the song and letting us include it in this recording. SkirtsAfire Festival — fill out the survey if you were there! GSA = gay-straight alliance. QSA = queer-straight alliance. Definition Alberta’s law supporting gay-straight alliances in schools The ridiculous “I...
Mar 31, 2019•57 min•Ep. 15
Here are some of the things we talk about: Ahrefs top YouTube searches What is a Let’s Play ? Our indie video games episode Our Fortnite episode How Minecraft broke YouTube The trinity: Markiplier , Jacksepticeye and PewDiePie Our memes episode , which mentions Markiplier E SocialBlade’s YouTube stats Catalyst Theatre’s Vigilante On the Media: The Global Culture War for YouTube Supremacy Game Theory by Matpat Freaky Friday: the original and the remake Riley J. Dennis Many thanks to our sponsors:...
Feb 28, 2019•42 min•Ep. 14
Here are some of the things we talk about: (N.B. We recorded part of this in 2018, part of it in 2019, so there are a few references to “this year” that may be slightly confusing. What is time, anyway?) TikTok What I’m already Tracer means What Hit or Miss means History of Musical.ly History of Vine Find some funny Tik Toks on Ironic Tik Toks Twitter account Find some cringe-y Tik Toks on Dankius on YouTube The Great Furry War How TikTok makes money , sort of What Sprite Cranberry means Tumblr b...
Jan 22, 2019•53 min•Ep. 13
Here are some of the things we talk about: Part 1 - The cons and cons of YouTube Timeline: 2002: Elizabeth is born. 2005: YouTube is born. 2006: Google buys YouTube. Flaw 1 - Copyright confusion YouTube copyright strikes Somehow, Leprechaun 4: In Space is still available Flaw 2 - Demonetization PewDiePie and anti-Semitic stunts Boring-to-teens but safe channels like Jimmy Kimmel Demonetization of LGBTQ content Flaw 3 - The algorithm Values longer videos, which hurts animators Elizabeth was myste...
Dec 12, 2018•49 min•Ep. 12
Here are links to the things we referred to. Elizabeth’s spooky inspiration Karen’s spooky inspiration Episode 1: Creepypasta The SCP Foundation Creepy art on Twitter: 41Strange , Toilets with Threatening Auras The Sun Vanished on Twitter Crypt TV The Little Mermaid on Crypt TV Salad Fingers Don’t Hug Me .I’m Scared That story about disturbing animation aimed at children Many thanks to our sponsors this episode: OtherWise is an affiliated podcast of the Alberta Podcast Network, created under the...
Oct 30, 2018•19 min•Ep. 11
Here are links to things we referred to: VidCon , the YouTube conference Our guest Kyle Marshall’s YouTube channel Kyle also owns Media Lab YYC , and has three podcasts in the Alberta Podcast Network: Assumptions , Putting It Together and Creative Block Hank Green ’s vlogbrothers , Crash Course and SciShow Tana Mongeau’s YouTube channel “ Why I Won’t Be Attending VidCon 2018: A Rant ” The only thing you see if you visit tanacon.com Shane Dawson’s The Truth about Tanacon Tana’s apology video: Tan...
Oct 08, 2018•48 min•Ep. 10
Here are links to things we mentioned and other things that seem relevant in hindsight: The meaning of “meme” The inciting tweet from Jason of The Young Gaffers The Markiplier E meme The Hey Beter meme The original Hey Peter video Suicide Mouse video Despacito , the original The Despacito 2 meme The This is So Sad Alexa Play Despacito meme The This is So Sad meme The Slaps Roof of Car meme The Repost Fish meme A deep dive into the Loss meme Know Your Meme is helpful. Urban Dictionary ? Use at yo...
Aug 31, 2018•47 min•Ep. 9
Elizabeth made a Spotify playlist of songs we refer to, for your listening/cringing pleasure. Here are links to some of the other things we talked about: Not this kind of flossing This kind of flossing We keep talking about Fortnite Edmonton Podcasting Meetup , where Mack Male of Taproot Edmonton asked Elizabeth to explain flossing Swish Swish Backpack Kid Flossing Song Forget fidget spinners, now the craze is The Floss dance Victory animation in Fortnite: Flossing , Electro Shuffle , Dab We kee...
Jun 30, 2018•44 min•Ep. 8
Here are the links to a bunch of things we mentioned: K-Poparazzi on Radiolab The Monkees H.O.T. Our episode on fan fiction , which mentions K-Pop a lot Gangnam Style (as if you haven't seen it) BTS BTS at the Pyeongchang Olympics BTS at Billboard Music Awards BTS on The Ellen Show in 2017 and 2018 BTS with Taylor Swift BTS on Twitter Urban Dictionary definitions of ARMY , no true scotsman and bias #mermay on Twitter Examples of #mermay shipping BTS members from @cosmicpens and @Capramare Rantas...
May 31, 2018•45 min•Ep. 7
That's a Thing?! is a member of the Alberta Podcast Network ( https://albertapodcastnetwork.com ), powered by ATB ( https://atb.com ). It is sponsored this month by YESS Painting ( https://yesspainting.com ) Find full show notes at thatsathing.transistor.fm/6 Fortnite on Twitch Brace for Impact , the upcoming season of Fortnite Fortnite Battle Royale Game Theory: WARNING - Pokemon May Cause DEATH! What is ‘Strip Fortnite’ and Why Are Women Signing Up? (Cosmopolitan) The Real History of Twitter (...
May 01, 2018•30 min•Ep. 6
Some links to things we talked about: Definition of fan fiction Hamilton shipping, like Lams Sherlock shipping Sarah Marshall’s piece in The Baffler: The Afterlife of Newsies Original Character Do Not Steal meme Urban Dictionary definition of Mary Sue Places to find fan fiction: Tumblr: #fanfiction and #fanfic Quotev fanfiction.net Wattpad Tap by Wattpad Business Insider on Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight We'd love it if you'd rate and review us on Apple Podcasts . Want to know how? The wonder...
Mar 30, 2018•56 min•Ep. 5
Elizabeth dives into the world of indie video games, introducing some that her mother would really rather not know about (hi, FNAF), and some that she's kind of looking forward to trying. Plus, #PaulWatch and the meaning of THOT. Some links to things we talked about: Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy Hello Neighbor Cuphead Super Meat Boy Slender (You thought we'd talk about Slenderman in the Creepypasta episode , but nope.) Undertale Why the Game Theory guy gave Undertale to the Pope (and yes, ...
Feb 28, 2018•50 min•Ep. 4
Elizabeth explains how eating Tide Pods became a thing, and analyzes media coverage of the phenomenon. This leads to a discussion of challenges past and present, and the ensuing freakouts. Links to some of the things we referred to: Tide Pods official webpage Washington Post article on eating Tide Pods Onion article from 2015 College Humor video Know your Meme, tide pods Know your Meme, drinking bleach Tide Pod Chan and Cosplay (Safe for work, if you’re cool with your coworkers watching you star...
Jan 20, 2018•42 min•Ep. 3
Welcome to Episode 2 of That’s A Thing?!, “a sometimes belated, already outdated guide to your teens, tweens and everything under 20.” Elizabeth, a real live teenager, explains things to her mom. And this time around, she tells the story of Team 10. Team 10 is a collective of YouTube channels whose hosts boost each other’s follower counts by harnessing the same techniques that made oldtime Hollywood, soap operas, wrestling and reality TV capture our attention. The tropes are familiar, but Team 1...
Dec 28, 2017•26 min•Ep. 2
Show notes: Where to find creepypasta stories, memes and such: Creepypasta Wiki creepypasta.com Trollpasta Wiki Creepypasta on Quotev and Wattpad Creepypasta memes Creepypasta narrators MrCreepyPasta and CreepsMcPasta The Creepypasta Collection Some of the characters we discuss: Jeff the Killer (and the picture we describe) Smile Dog (and the picture ) The Rake (and the picture ) Sonic.exe (and the picture ) Old-school stuff from the mom: Flowers in the Attic Freddy Krueger Jason from Friday the...
Dec 28, 2017•29 min•Ep. 1
