Is It Just Me Podcast

Have you ever heard a story and wondered if someone is trying to deflect you from the real news? Perhaps trying to give you that "nothing to see here folks...." feeling?

Layla K and MJ certainly have! They share a few of those stories in this episode. Is it just me? Or do a few of these stories miss the plot??

Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for a pod? Guest to recommend? Drop us a comment on X, Instagram, Facebook or here.

And remember, it may not be just you... but it could be!

Links:

The Creepiest Unsolved Mysteries in US National Parks (Outside Online)

Decomposed body found in barrel on shore of sharinking Lake Mead in Nevada (NBC News)

Russian Pundit's Idea of Nuking Yellowstone Volcano Wouldn't Work (Newsweek)

Slugging "sprinter" goes viral, sparking nepotism scandal and an apology (NBC News)

Creature Seekers: Center Hopes Drones Will AId Massive Loch Ness Monster Search (HuffPost)

Loch Ness Fiction Is Stranger Than Truth (New York Times)

"Is It Just Me with LaylaK and MJ" is BACK after taking a proper summer off. We are having none of this "Summer ends mid-August" nonsense.

In this premiere episode we recap a few stories you might have missed over the summer and preview what to expect in Season Three.

Spoiler alert: we're bringing back more lighthearted takes on the topics you are talking about - or want to talk about! And we'll also introduce you to some of the fascinating people we've crossed paths with.

Have an idea for a pod? Guest to recommend? Drop us a comment on X, Instagram, Facebook or here.

Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc to never miss an episode! Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

And remember, it may not be just you... but it could be!

Links:

Released 50 years ago, "Soylent Green" is an eerie prophecy (The Economist)

"A Modest Proposal", Jonathan Swift (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Ryan Graves's claims about '100 yards sided red square" (HITC)

Spiraling in San Francisco's Doom Loop (Curbed)

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers (KQED)

It's that time of the year… graduations abound and summer holiday planning is in full swing. And LaylaK and MJ are wrapping up Season 2 of the podcast.

In this episode we take a quick romp through Season highlights and share some clips that, let's just say, did not otherwise make it onto a podcast!

But don't worry, we will be back in September with a whole new season and during the summer we'll continue to post on Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook to keep up the fun. While you're there, let us know if you are interested in being on our show, or if you have a great "Is is just me" topic.

Be sure to follow "Is It Just Me with LaylaK and MJ" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode.

Have a great summer! And in the meantime, remember: It may not just be you. but it could be!

For all of the episodes referenced today, see: IsItJustMe.libsyn.com

Layla K and MJ decided to call back two previous podcast guests and ask them to play a quick round of "This or That?"

They find willing players in Patricia Gamboa, party planner extraordinaire, founder of Patrician Company, and Season 1's "Better Together" holiday episode guest, and Neville Waters, master storyteller, from Season 2's "Overrated!" guest.

Let's just say the lightening rounds of choosing between "This or That?" leave MJ, for one, questioning some of her friendship choices! Give a listen and find out what they all agreed, disagreed and all the fun reasoning for their choices.

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Drop us a comment here or let us know on on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

ChatGPT

Mount Zion - Female Union Band Society Cemetery (Black Georgetown)

Airstream

Friends (IMDB)

The Office (IMDB)

The Jetsons (Warner Brothers, YouTube)

Have you ever received an award, trophy or certificate and wondered, why did I even get that? Or see someone celebrate a certificate for completing a course? Not passing it mind you - just attending it. There are also some highly prestigious awards that occasionally become meaningless!

In this episode, LaylaK and MJ take a lighthearted look at some useless awards, and wonder why people seem to be proud to receive them. Or are they?

What is the most ridiculous award you've seen? Let us know in the comments!

Be sure to follow "Is It Just Me with LaylaK and MJ" on Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc to never miss an episode. Only two left in Season 2.

And remember, it may not be just you, but it could be!

Show notes:

Should We Give Every Child A Trophy? (Psychology Today)

Man Skipped Work For 6 Years And No One Noticed Until He Won An Award (HuffPost)

10 Most Bizarre Awards (Oddee)

LaylaK and MJ talk education reform! Is it just them, or does the system need an overhaul?

They cover everything from graduates drowning in student debt with limited job prospects to the incredibly competitive market for trained, skilled labor.

What do YOU think? Is college overrated? How do we best serve our students and society?

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

Here's how the cost of Harvard has changed throughout the years (Business Insider)

Cost to attend California State University Los Angeles (CollegeCalc)

Unemployment rate of recent US College grads by major (Statista)

Average Salaries of College Graduates, 2023 (Forbes)

95 People who dropped out of college and became millionaires anyway (Bored Panda)

Have you ever played the "would you rather…" game? Deciding between dilemmas, sometimes impossible choices, is today's topic. Some of our choices are light and fun but we also ask some deeper skill questions. And we even asked ChatGPT on OpenAI to fine tune our questions!

What do you think about our choices? Drop us a comment here or let us know on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasn ts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

ChatGPT

Teaser music credits:

Investigations by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We've touched on climate change before and agree: it does change and that IS an issue! But is it just us that believe technology and innovation will answer the challenge?

On this episode we focus on some of those fantastic innovations. What do you think? Is it all doom, doomscrolling, and gloom, or is there reason for hope? Know of an innovation we really should highlight? Drop us a comment below!

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasn ts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Drop us a comment here or let us know on on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

Episode 3: Doomscrolling Is A Lie

Episode 2: Let The Rich Get Richer

50 Years Of Failed Doomsday (AEI)

60 Minutes Promotes Paul Erlich's Failed Doomsaying One More Time (Reason)

Bill Gates criticizes idea of leading "impoverished lifestyle" to address climate change (Yahoo News)

Bill Gates' nuclear-power firm will help build a $170 million experimental nuclear reactor in Idaho (Business Insider)

Backed by OC donor, Caltech launches demo for harvesting solar power in space (Daily Pilot)

This Billboard Sucks Pollution from the Sky and Returns Purified Air (Time)

Teaser music credits:

Good Morning by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Layla and I have discussed "good intentions gone wrong" before - policies that didn't exactly work out as intended. In this episode we discuss some very strange workplace policies we've come across, and can assure you, it will NOT just be us that think some of these practices actually very weird and leave employers looking just bonkers in the harsh light of the internet!

What do YOU think? Have you come across any such practices? And are some of these just weird? Let us know in the comments.

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasn ts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Drop us a comment here or let us know on on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

The Most Absurd Workplace Rules, According To Reddit (Limeade Listening)

8 Weird Company Rules You Didn't Know Exist (Resume Professional Writers)

30 Craziest Corporate Policies Employees Must Follow (Best Life Online)

Workers stunned as bosses ban them from putting milk in breakfast cereal (Daily Record)

Episode music credits:

Good Morning by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If you listened to our last episode, All Things Cybersecurity, Part 1, you understand why we had to continue the discussion with our cybersecurity expert, Mr. Saad Nabeel.

In Part 1 you heard how organizations get your data, sell it, and then manipulate you to buy products that you probably don't even want. In Part 2 you'll hear more about how criminal organizations get your data and then either ransom you to try and get it back, or simply use it to commit identity or financial fraud. Saad also offers some tips on what to do, how to protect yourself, and to make some sensible decisions before lazily clicking cookie or data permissions. You know. All those screens you randomly click on to get to the content you want!

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Drop us a comment here or let us know on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

And remember, is may not be just you, but it could be!

Episode music credit:

Lightless Dawn by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/