INFLUENCE

Alli and Jen talk with Jack Rhysider, the creator and host of the hit podcast Darknet Diaries which tells “true stories from the dark side of the Internet.”

Or as Matt likes to call it, This American Life for hackers.

Rhysider worked in information security (infosec) and was searching for a podcast that tells the stories of hackers and digital heists. It didn’t exist, so he made his own. These days, thousands of listeners love his meticulously crafted stories about penetration testers, video game hacks gone very wrong, and how digital activists take down the corporations and politicians they despise.

Rhysider tells us about the fascinating worlds of botnet rentals, discount internet pizza, ’90s Web art, and drone warfare over Chinese pig farms.

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Screenwriter and games journalist Gary Whitta joins Alli and Jen to talk about his experimental late night celebrity talk show "Animal Talking," which is live-streamed entirely inside of Nintendo's "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," and why a world in quarantine can't stop watching.

Whitta discusses the show's impromptu beginnings, its technical complexity, what it's like sitting on a virtual couch with Elijah Wood and Danny Trejo, and what happens when Sting wants to be on your "Animal Crossing" show, but doesn't own a Nintendo Switch.

Follow or subscribe to "Animal Talking!"

https://www.twitch.tv/garywhitta

https://www.youtube.com/c/GaryWhitta

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Matt is still on vacation, but we have a great encore episode for you. How Tay Zonday survived being 'Patient Zero' of viral YouTube.

Originally Published: October 15, 2018

Way back in 2007 Tay Zonday uploaded the original song "Chocolate Rain" to YouTube, and nothing happened. Then Digg and 4chan found it. And then Zonday was on CNN and Jimmy Kimmel trying to explain his music on national television. His meteoric rise led to a 10-year journey of identity confusion, and eventually self-actualization. Alli and Jen have a long, deep talk with Tay about coping with viral fame and his new podcast about that very topic, called "Chocolate Pains."

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Email us: [email protected] to Alli and Jen:

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Matt is on vacation this week, so we're re-sharing one of our favorites from last year. Enjoy!

Bird watching probably conjures images of an old, retired guy sporting binoculars behind his country home. But Jason Ward is rapidly dispelling that stereotype. He's been an avid birder since his childhood growing up in The Bronx, NY, and has brought his passion to social media. His #TrickyBirdID Twitter threads challenge people to snap photos of unknown neighborhood birds so the global community of birders can identify them. His enthusiasm led him to make the popular webseries Birds of North America with Topic, where viewers can follow Ward on his adventures in urban birding. The beautiful and informative show proves that cities are in fact a great place for bird watchers, and that the hobby is an accessible way for everyone to reconnect with nature, regardless of class, color, or location. Alli and Jen talk to Ward about his love of birds, his journey from enthusiast to science communicator, his trepidation about making a show, and the modern tech that makes bird watching in 2019 so much fun.

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Cybersex is as old as the Internet itself. But as virtual spaces become more sophisticated, so too has sex work. Second Life is more of a "technology playground" than a video game -- a place where your digital skills can be traded for real money. Many players make a healthy living by providing custom goods or services, including sex work.

This week, Alli and Jen speak with Meela Vanderbuilt, the creator and owner of The Mondarchy, the most expensive brothel in Second Life. She's also joined by Reyna, the club's general staff manager. Together, they explain the culture of Second Life (which began way back in 2003), why Meela's brown-skinned avatar was rejected by other clubs. the inspiration for starting her own, and how sex work...works in a virtual world.

Special thanks to Quintin Smith for help with this episode. His outstanding video about The Monarchy and Meela's story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR94zlsHFdc

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Two bad people play a joke on one good and beautiful person.

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Alli and Jen talk with Elizabeth Finkelstein, a preservation expert and the creator of Cheap Old Houses, a wildly popular Instagram account that shows the dream of home ownership may not be as hard as we think, depending on your priorities.

Finkelstein explains the inspiration for the account, her love of DIY home repair, the history carried in old houses (and why we should preserve them), the passionate community around Cheap Old Houses, and whether internet-powered jobs can save the middle class from the real estate squeeze.

Follow Cheap Old Houses: https://www.instagram.com/cheapoldhouses/

Editor's Note: This episode was recorded on April 24, 2020, some weeks before the additional COVID-19 and political developments of May and June. 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST (its hosts, producers, and collaborators) supports Black Lives Matter and the protests for racial justice in the U.S., and we have made personal contributions to the following organizations. We hope you will consider doing the same:

The ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/blacklivesmatter

The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/

NAACP Legal Defense Fund :https://www.naacpldf.org/

Reclaim the Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home

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With more than 14 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, WeRateDogs is on a mission that everyone on planet Earth can get behind: Rating cute doggos from the internet on a (dubious!) 10-point scale.

This blend of adorable dog pics, comedic captions, and obsessive fan-submitted content has catapulted the novelty account (and its creator, Matt Nelson) into a massive online brand, which uses its influence to entertain millions, sell merch, and help dogs in need.

Alli and Jen talk with Nelson about the inspiration for the account, how its explosive popularity changed his life, the serious inflation problem in the Dog Rating Economy, that time J.K. Rowling and Lin-Manuel Miranda followed him, why everything's political on Twitter, and his perfect response when Arnold Schwarzenegger asked him to rate his donkeys.

You're already following WeRateDogs, so what's the point of even linking? https://twitter.com/dog_rates

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On the Internet, nobody knows if you're a dog. Or, an ant for that matter. And there are nearly 2 million people, all working together, pretending to be ants in a giant ant colony, in one special Facebook group.

"A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony" has exploded in popularity thanks to its imaginative premise, and because honestly what else are you going to do in quarantine? Also: Ants are cool AF.

Alli and Jen talk with Sydney Malloy, one of the group's top "Ant-mins," about what it takes to keep 2 million "ants" in line on Facebook, why ants are awesome, and the joy of collaborative pretending online.

The group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1416375691836223/

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There's a lot to laugh at on the Internet, but standup comedy — a distinctly in-person art form — is facing challenges in a time of self-isolation. But "virtual" comedy clubs, powered by Zoom, Twitch, and YouTube, are increasingly popping up in quarantine. But as expected, the tight 5 that kills on stage may need adjustments for an audience that can only laugh in emojis.

This week, Alli and Jen talk to standup comedian and writer/producer Josh Gondelman about how the standup world is adapting to the Internet, what makes a set work online, and the difference between IRL and virtual heckling.

Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshgondelman

And check out his new game show podcast, Make My Day: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-my-day-with-josh-gondelman/id1507871978

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