How does the content we consume affect us? Facebook decided to find out. And not tell anyone about it ahead of time. 

In 1987 a book with no words and a character with a love for red striped clothing was born. Hiding in plain sight, we discuss the staying power of Where’s Waldo.

Google does a time capsule report every year - a list of what people searched for in the previous year. 2020’s results may surprise you. 

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2014/08/04/the-facebook-experiment-what-it-means-for-you/?sh=ef22007af6e0
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90967/14-facts-about-wheres-waldo
https://trends.google.com/trends/yis/2020/US/

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This week:

If you've ever been to NYC, you've most likely had a run-in with a street performer. You know what I'm talking about - Elmo takes a picture with you and then wants a quick buck for his time. But who's under the mask? And did the pandemic change this fringe "acting industry" forever?

The bystander effect is a social psychological theory that says you are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people around. Oh, that's juicy. We discuss.

Free pizza, no judgment, plenty of workout equipment, and purple - TONS of purple. We're talking Planet Fitness! Has the gym marketed for people that don't like the gym hurt the gym industry? (that's a ton of gyms)

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22260074/times-square-naked-cowboy-costume-economy
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-diffusion-of-responsibility-2795095
https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/12/news/companies/planet-fitness/index.html
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/363049

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On this episode:

You can do many things with Legos - build spaceships, castles, and apparently (listen for more detail) flowers. Heck, there are even video games, movies, and theme parks based on the beloved toy. But now people are stealing them to resell on the black market? Tell me more!

Once upon a time, there was a magical retail store named Steve & Barry’s where you could spend $20 and walk out with some basketball shoes, a pair of jeans, and an officially licensed collegiate hoodie. But all good things must come to an (abrupt) end. 

Is a diamond really forever? What if we told you a clever marketing campaign was the real reason you spent all of last month’s rent money on an engagement ring? Love you, honey! Mean it!


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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/french-police-on-trail-of-international-gang-of-lego-looters
https://sgbonline.com/steve-and-barrys-implodes-as-model-fails/
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/how-an-ad-campaign-invented-the-diamond-engagement-ring/385376/

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On this episode:

Every March nearly 100 million Americans bond in misery over filling out their losing NCAA Tournament March Madness brackets. So why do we put ourselves through it when the odds of a perfect bracket are like being struck by lightning.... every second for the rest of your life?

We all know the song, but none of us know the band. The good and (very) bad sides of being a one-hit wonder.

You may not know the name Mel Blanc, but you know his voice. The “man of 1,000 voices” brought some of our animated favorites to life, including nearly all of the Looney Tunes characters. But when Mel’s own life needed saving, it was his cartoon pals who stepped in.

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.openculture.com/2013/05/the_strange_day_when_bugs_bunny_saved_the_life_of_mel_blanc.html
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/march-madness-perfect-bracket-odds/15ki769f8b91v19kr2kfsn9m8u
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/one-hit-wonder-lil-nas-x-charts-crazy-frog-soft-cell-a9663086.html

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On this episode:

Atari. Sega. Nintendo. PlayStation. As video game systems have evolved, the way (some) of us play them has, too. A whole community of gamers now plays with one goal in mind - to beat the game as fast as possible.

Ever wanted to be someone else? Or better yet, ever wished someone more attractive could live your life for you? You’re in luck - there’s an app for that! (Spoiler - it doesn’t always turn out like you think it will.)

Do you own a pair of TOMS shoes? The brand popularized the “one for one” charity giving model, but why did people stop buying them?

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/24/916167970/you-think-your-favorite-video-game-is-hard-try-speedrunning-it
https://news.avclub.com/man-hires-hotter-more-successful-body-double-to-attend-1845632663
https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-of-toms-shoes-blake-mycoskie-bain-capital-2020-3

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On this episode:

A well-done documentary can challenge, educate and entertain. But one about professional tickling?! Spoiler alert - it’s no laughing matter.

The Loch Ness Monster has been around for decades without actually existing. Or does it? A good monster is worth millions.

Ronald McDonald is one of the most recognizable characters in the world - how a clown came to represent the Golden Arches.

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://tickledmovie.com/us/
https://theconversation.com/have-scientists-finally-killed-off-the-loch-ness-monster-123075
https://www.mashed.com/124443/untold-truth-ronald-mcdonald/

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On this episode:

When Tiger Woods returned to glory in 2019 his longtime partner Nike returned somewhere, as well. To the bank.

It wasn’t always a forgone conclusion that we’d “Google” for information. Some used to Ask Jeeves. The rise and fall of the famous search butler.

Sadly, you have died of dysentery. Why do entire generations know about the Oregon Trail?

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6923057/amp/The-22MILLION-putt-two-seconds-Tiger-Woods-took-sink-Masters-winning-putt-profited-Nike.html
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/94784/why-everyone-stopped-asking-jeeves
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-you-wound-playing-em-oregon-trailem-computer-class-180959851/

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On this episode:

Over the last 20 years, you’ve probably owned a computer with the Windows XP operating system. Remember the legendary default wallpaper photo of the green rolling hill? Yea, that’s a real place.

Can you buy an unused superhero from Marvel Comics and make it your own? Ya know, one of the weird ones that no one has heard of? The team at NPR’s Planet Money decided to try.  Free The Doorman!

At some point in the past, your parents thought they’d get rich off that Beanie Baby collection. The rise and fall of one of the strangest investment strategies ever.

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Windows-XP-Bliss-Hill-Sonoma-Charles-O-Rear-15976588.php
https://www.npr.org/series/967404527/planet-money-buys-a-superhero
https://thehustle.co/the-great-beanie-baby-bubble-of-99/

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On  this episode of Commute - The Podcast:

You check the weather, see sunshine in the forecast, and proceed with your cookout at the park... only to have a downpour ruin the day. Meteorologists are always wrong!! Right? + why meteorologists hate New England Patriot Head Coach Bill Belichick.

Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Monica - this group redefined being a FRIEND for an entire generation. But who was the show’s main character? We reveal.

Disney’s Goofy is, well, goofy. But is there sorrow behind that famous laugh? The (possibly) tragic story of Mrs. Goofy.

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://scijinks.gov/forecast-reliability/
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/11/bill-belichick-meteorologists-beef
https://yashuseth.blog/2017/12/29/data-analysis-lead-character-of-friends-data-science/
www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2019/7/5/20677088/goofy-dead-wife-family-tragedy-depression-disney
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Goofy

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On this episode of Commute - The Podcast:

When the pandemic is finally over will consumers start spending money like it's going out of print? We look back 100 years for a clue.

Sitcoms and cartoons have utilized fake laughter for 70 years - but how did they start, and why do some TV executives think laugh tracks will be around forever?

Context is king. What does a clever experiment with an anonymous musician teach us about our inability to assess value when we encounter it unexpectedly?


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***


Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://nofilmschool.com/Defense-of-the-laugh-track
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160926-where-does-canned-laughter-come-from-and-where-did-it-go#:~:text=When%20Douglass%20first%20'invented'%20the,were%20filmed%20without%20live%20audiences.
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/laugh-tracks-sitcoms-history-laff-box
https://www.npr.org/2007/04/11/9521098/a-concert-violinist-on-the-metro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKS3MGriZcs (video with no laugh track)

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