Is This a Thing?

It's Episode 27 of the Is This A Thing? Podcast! 

"Hangcast"

Starring: Marc, Dan, and Akshat

Potential Things This Week: 

• Hammocks: Come visit a dystopian future, where the land is riddled with hammocks, and the survivors have only one question: "why did we let all the kids 'mock so hard?"
• Slacklining: Follow the adventures of Kickflip McDonald! 4'8" of pure, unadulterated sidekick.
• Hanging Tents: Should it be? Could it be? Will it lead to our demise?                       

It's episode 27 of the Is This A Thing Podcast! That's right, we're back! Hah! Take that, enemy of the show Scronald McManman! This week, we're just hangin' around brah. Come chill with us! We first talk about the new talk-of-the-town in South Minneapolis: straight 'mockin. All the kids are doing it! Next, we talk about Slacklining. It's an important treatise about the future of our nation's wonderful parks, and how we can turn them into a veritable wonderland of hangin'. Finally, we talk about a new possible thing: hanging tents in trees in your backyard. It's a terrifying concept, but one that could prove oh so comfortable. Thanks for hangin' with us! 

"A Mullet of a Car"

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special Thanks to @TaylorHigs for the Logo! 

It's Episode 26 of the Is This A Thing Podcast! 

"Dan's Dirtbag Diaries: Of Ghosts and Hats" 

Potential Things This Week: 

• Relationship Ghosting: Guess which one of the three relationship ghosted someone - you know what, never mind. We know it's Dan, you know it's Dan. Why play this game? 
• Facebook Activism: This is becoming a recurring topic. Not "things on Facebook", but rather "three old coots yell about things people younger than them are doing because they don't understand". Also, more yelling at Zuckerberg! 
• Hats: Akshat's incompetence on display here, as he once again questions a practice he knows next to nothing about. 

It's Episode 26 of the Is This A Thing Podcast! We first start talking about the monumental culture shift that took place recently. It's an important change, and we're all happier for it. If you're not, you're a monster. Get with the program. We then move onto Ghosting in Relationships, and Dan's misspent youth and present, and how Future Dan hates Present Dan, and especially Past Dan. Also, look out for Akshat's new play titled "The Three Dans". Coming to theaters in the year 2030! Following, all three of us complain about things on Facebook, and sound like terrible old men. Also, another round of handy tips for Zuckernerd! Finally, we talk about hats. Who wears hat hats? Hopefully no one. 

"Who you gonna call? Ghost Blasters!"

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special Thanks to Taylor Higgins (@TaylorHigs) for the logo! 

It's Episode 25 of the Is This A Thing? Podcast!

"Train Logic" 

Potential Things This Week:

• Prank Calls: You shouldn't do them. And apparently, it's not really even okay to enjoy listening to them. 
• Interacting with Friends in Public: Specific, somewhat sexual texts are clearly the way to go if you see a friend in public. 
• Autocorrect: Just download a different keyboard already. Autocorrect goofs just aren't furniture! See? Not funny.  

It's Episode 25 of the Is This A Thing Podcast! It's our Silver Anniversary, which is just as precious as can be. Today, we talk about a host of issues that highlight how broken we are inside. Deeply, to be more specific. We are deeply broken. We first talk about Akshat's interesting and childlike fascination with Prank Phone Calls. It's still funny to him, even though he admits that it's probably not actually all that funny. From there, we go to a problem Dan has with greeting and being friendly to friends and coworkers that he might encounter randomly on the train. Well, it's not all friends and coworkers. Mostly enemy of the show Steve Farmer. Finally, we get to a PSA from Dan: turn off autocorrect on your phone. It's really just terrible, and if you make a mistake you should have to live with it. That might be the Golden Rule? We'll never truly find out. 

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Thank you to Taylor Higgins (@TaylorHiggs) for our logo!

It's Episode 24 of the Is This A Thing Podcast!

"Only When I'm On Fire"

Potential Things This Week: 

• Segway Tours: Watch out for Segway-Ball! An olympic sport in 2032.
• Facebook Stalking Your Ex: It really boils down to emotional hygiene. And since none of us are capable of maintaining that, Zuckerberg will have to do it for us. 
• Being Told You Look Like Someone: Apparently, everyone looks like Seth Rogen and Marc looks like the guy from Big Bang Theory. Boingzo! 
• Non-Smokers: Really, the only correct answer is "It's only water vapor"

We start this episode's journey with a trip through Segway tours, in which we continue our series of "things that are only things if you're white". We then move on to a dangerous topic: facebook stalking your ex! In which Dan strengthens his claim on the "Resident Douchebag" throne. From there, we move on to discuss what do when someone tells you that you look like someone they know! Marc and Dan experience this a lot. Akshat does not. After talking a while about sitcoms, we finally move one to a listener question from friend of the show Annie, in Minneapolis! The question concerns the modern day semantics surrounding the phrase "non-smoker". It boils down to this: unless they're vaping, they don't technically have to tell you that they smoke other things as long as they don't smoke cigarettes. But it is disingenuous and shitty to not say you smoke something else. On the other hand, if they are vaping you won't have to ask at all! They'll be blowing water vapor in your face a few minutes after you meet them. 

"Breakup Mode Initiated"   

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special Thanks to @TaylorHigs for the logo!

Episode 23 of the Is This A Thing Podcast!

"Contracts With Wolves"

Potential Things This week: 

• Social Contracts vis a vis General Incompetence: Remember: if you're bypassing the system for your own personal gain at the expense of others, the thing you're actually incompetent in is being a decent member of society. 
• New Years Resolutions: So, If you want your resolutions to stick, make sure they sound like something cheerleaders say at high school sports games. Turns out.
• Listener Question - Fighting Animals: Everything will kill you. Bears. Hippos. Donkeys are monsters, don't fight Donkeys. Maybe you can beat up a chicken, or a gopher, but that's about it.   

Sorry for missing last week. Most of us decided that, as the last time wasn't enough, we had to embark on more spiritual journeys. Dan became an owl. Akshat lived inside the mind of an accountant for a while. Marc had some business to attend to at the business factory. This week we have a lively discussion about social contracts through the lens of General Incompetence! It's a wonderful discussion on how we're all terrible and wrong. We then move on to New Year's Resolutions, wherein Dan insists this is the perfect time to talk about how he likes them, and then proceeds to badmouth them for 20 minutes. It's a shining example of the first topic. We finish with something special: a listener question from Chris in Chicago. This was actually a castoff from the Judge John Hodgeman Podcast, but as we explain, we're willing to take any questions other podcasts may have rejected. Also, we'd like to say to Chris to pass on a message to his Brother-In-Law who thinks he can fight any animal he happens to come across: RIP in peace James. You'll be kicking hippos in heaven. 

"A Hufflepuff of a Podcast"

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special thanks to Taylor Higgins (@taylorhigs) for the use of our logo.

BONUS RANT #5: The Bidet Discussion

It's a Thursday, and that means BONUS CONTENT!

This week's Bonus Rant is a bonus discussion that was mentioned numerous times in Episode #22, but was inevitably scrapped for being too gross and terrible. The filth included:

• Akshat saying the word "poop" many, many, many times.
• Dan's love for water up his asshole, and a greater love for the fan that dries his asshole off.
• A horrified and confused Marc.
• Bidets. We talk about bidets a lot during this episode.

You probably don't want to hear this discussion. I'd turn back now if I were you...

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special thanks to Taylor Higgins (@taylorhigs) for the use of our logo!

Episode 22 of the Is This A Thing Podcast!

"Secondhand Mason Jar Toilets"

Potential Things This week: 

• Toilet Seats: We almost completely dive into the age-old issue of toilet seats, and narrowly avoid bidets...
• Mason Jars: Where will you be when the ghost of Carrie Nation comes back to destroy all the mason jars?
• Thrift Shopping: Akshat wouldn't want to pop some tags, even if he knew what that meant.
• Headphones while Driving: Another group of people to go to ITAT prison.

This episode was a day late because we were remembering our veterans the only way we know how: grilled meats, hard cider and Cards Against Humanity. This week we finally bring up Toilet Seats. Oh good. Another excuse for Akshat to say "poop" 35 times... Then we hop into Mason Jars. A trend that seems to be on the back end... OF MY BAT. Then we talk about Thrift Shopping. Akshat doesn't trust thrift shops, and really who can blame him. None of the stains are identifiable. Finally we bring up the monstrous people who wear headphones while driving. Unsafe, uncouth, uncool. Unanimous.

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a mason jar."

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Thanks to @TaylorHigs for the use of our logo!

BONUS RANT #4: SOUTHPAW

It's a Thursday, and that means BONUS CONTENT!

This week's Bonus Rant is from all three guys. There was a preview before Avengers 2 for a film called Southpaw. It had the following:

• A terribly awkward introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal
• Major plot points being shown in their entirety
• An ambiguous ending that absolutely no one cared about.

Marc may have lost the war on trailers, but he certainly won this battle. Thanks SOUTHPAW!

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special Thanks to Taylor Higgins (@taylorhigs) for our logo!

Episode 21 of the Is This A Thing Podcast!

"Honk if You're Lonely (Drunk Laundry)"

Potential Things This week: 

• Talking to Strangers: One of our oldest  faux pas gets challenged by Dan. Talk to all the strangers about their areas of expertise. Except Dan. Don't fucking ask him what he does.
• Selfie Sticks: Like most things, their folly is general incompetence. Also like most things their solution involves drones.
• Drunk Laundry: Have you ever tried to do laundry sober?
• Car Horns: The only solution is more punishment for all involved.

On this day, 39 years ago, Kevin Maurice Garnett was born. Happy Birthday, #21. Hey, its also our 21st Episode! On this episode we talk about talking with people on the job. Much less scary than actually doing it. Then, Dan discovers his true passion, working two jobs at once. We discuss Selfie Sticks, a problem solver that causes the same problems they were meant to solve. Akshat brings up Drunk Laundry, and we finish with a discussion of Car Horns. Intended for life or death situations, used to teach shitty lessons.

"The city that never sleeps FOR A VERY PARTICULAR REASON."

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.

Special Thanks to @TaylorHigs for our logo!

Episode 20 of the Is This A Thing Podcast!

Starring Marc, Akshat, and Dan

"Fan Appreciation Time!"

Potential Things this week: 

• Old Toys: If it's not a Yo-Yo or a Skateboard, just build it in Minecraft. 
• Farting on Trains: Just sit quietly, smell the fart, and play "Spot the Farter". It's all you can reasonable do. 
• Commuter Banana: Do we really need explain this one? 

It's Episode 20 of the Is This A Thing Podcast, and it's all about YOU! Yes YOU, the listener! We start with an interesting discussion of the limited nature of old toys in the modern age, thanks to a listener question from Jenny, in California. You'll also hear us talk about some rad yo-yo tricks. Riveting. We then move to a listener question from Anna, in Minneapolis, about farting in public. Dan points out the terrible things he's done vis-a-vis farts in public, and no one is really surprised at this point. We end with a discussion about Commuter Bananas, sent in by Annie in Minneapolis. Akshat lives there! It boils down to this: pop a banana in your breast pocket, and you're suddenly the belle of the ball. Try it! Finally, you'll want to stick around after for our Fan Appreciation Kicker! It made all of us almost throw up. Seriously. 

Whenever we hear that someone is actually listening to this, we all get super excited because it's super exciting! Thank you for listening! And if you can, tell a friend! Tell a coworker. Tell your mother! Why not? 

Special thanks to Fletcher Magellan for our new theme song, "Oh, No!" off his upcoming album. Listen to it, and other singles like it on his Soundcloud.