Best Reverse Spit Takes Podcasts (2025)

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Hidden Levels Ep. 4: Machinima 37:16

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20m ago37:16

37:16

Machinima — a portmanteau of “machine” and “cinema” — refers to movies filmed inside video games. The art form had a renaissance in the 1990s, and many thought it had a future in Hollywood. Among the early pioneers were the New York animation collective the Ill Clan, who puppeteered characters in real-time inside the video game Quake, bypassing tra…

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Hidden Levels: Choose Your Player (Side Quest) 31:25

23m ago31:25

31:25

Today, Stef Sanjati is a creator on YouTube with over half a million subscribers. Her content mostly focuses on her two greatest loves — makeup and gaming — often combining the two with her otherworldly video game-inspired beauty tutorials. Growing up in small-town Ontario, though, Stef was a quiet, introverted kid who was bullied a lot. For one th…

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Hidden Levels Ep. 3: This Game Wants YOU 44:10

2d ago44:10

44:10

For decades, the U.S. Army has been on edge about recruitment, hitting its goals for a few years, only to miss them again. As part of their strategy to combat recruiting concerns, the Army has turned its focus online: to the world of gaming and competitive eSports. With nearly 80% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 28 playing video games weekl…

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Hidden Levels Ep. 2: Stick It to 'Em 41:36

6d ago41:36

41:36

In this second episode of Hidden Levels, Amory traces the history of the humble-yet-genius joystick — from early 20th century aviation, to 1970s video game consoles like the Atari 2600, to the Nintendo 64 thumbstick in the 1990s, to what some consider the joystick's greatest implementation: the dual-thumbstick controller. This optimal interface has…

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Hidden Levels Ep. 1: Mr. Boomshakalaka 37:16

9d ago37:16

37:16

Welcome to our all-new collaborative series, "Hidden Levels," in which we team up with 99% Invisible to explore how the world of video games has impacted the world beyond. We’ll dive deep into how games are made and designed, exploring everything from the history of the joystick to the faithful recreation of nature in digital spaces. Whether you ar…

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Announcing 'Hidden Levels': how the videogame world has changed the world beyond videogames 5:08

10d ago5:08

5:08

Have you ever jumped on something as you're moving through the real world, and heard that Mario bouncy sound in your head? Or maybe seen someone acting like an NPC when they're a real person? Maybe you know that the first real "in-app" purchase was actually a weapons store in an arcade game version of Double Dragon 3. Wherever you go in the real wo…

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A fork (still) in the road: Three members of r/fednews share their stories 30:42

13d ago30:42

30:42

You've heard of the "Freshman 15"... how about the "DOGE 15"? This is how some federal employees have referred to the stress associated with the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency back in January and the "restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force" that came with it, as announced in an email sent to nearly all feder…

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Bridezillas and quiz traps: Petty stories from Reddit 27:49

20d ago27:49

27:49

Ben and Amory share stories about potential pettiness from Reddit. Ben shares a post from r/weddinshaming post about a bride who changed her wedding to a weekday in another state. Amory counters with a teacher who used AI to foil his student's cheating. Petty or just? You be the judge. Credits: This episode was produced by Frannie Monahan. It was c…

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What happened to Jenna Marbles? 37:00

27d ago37:00

37:00

In 2020, Jenna Marbles — one of the most popular YouTube creators of all time —posted her last video. Five years later, her devoted fanbase still wonders: where is she, and is she okay? We investigate the mystery behind one of YouTube's biggest disappearances, and why people still care so much. Show notes: r/JennaMarbles (Reddit) The Best, Fakest, …

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Message in a laptop 24:24

1M ago24:24

24:24

What is your relationship with the trash heap of digital history? Can you still connect your old hard drives? Still sifting through your old photos in the cloud? Do you ever low key snoop in the old electronics of other people, searching for treasure? That's what Noah Simmons was doing a while back when he discovered something compelling in its sim…

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Encore: The truth about seagulls, the internet's most hated bird 39:47

1M ago39:47

39:47

As summer fades away, we bring you an encore episode about you shoreline companions and occasional bullies — gulls. Gulls are not beloved creatures. Consult social media, where they are deemed relentless, dirty pests who steal our food and crowd our beaches. As one TikTok user puts it, "Seagulls are the worst animals to ever exist." Such hatred ove…

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Introducing 'Jaws Island': 50 years of loving, fearing, and revering "Jaws" 31:46

2M ago31:46

31:46

Dun dun... This week, on Endless Thread... dun dun... something new is here... dun dun dun dun... a podcast mini-series about the 50th anniversary of the cinematic classic... DUN dun dun dun DUN dun dun dun..."Jaws!" Part 1 of this mini-series, Jaws Island, is right here, right now, and it's all about the "finatics" (yes, that's what they call them…

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From bedtime stories to couples therapy: How AI is changing relationships 30:12

2M ago30:12

30:12

What happens when we outsource aspects of our most personal moments to machines? In the second installment of our two-part series on AI and relationships, we hear from Rhiannon Williams, a reporter for MIT Technology Review who spoke to people all over the world about how they're using AI to relate to their loved ones, including a man who turns to …

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Robot hosts, real relationships: How AI is changing human connection 28:12

2M ago28:12

28:12

Amir Mizroch spent years deconstructing fairy tales for his children — and thinking that maybe, he could create something out of his analysis and storytelling for a wider audience. In the first episode of our two-part series on AI and relationships, we hear what Amir finally created, and explore the questions it raises about connection in the digit…

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Bootcamp for Men: from betas to alphas 27:28

2M ago27:28

27:28

In the past few years, videos from a new kind of camp have begun circulating the internet. They feature men participating in a variety of bizarre activities: from aggressively digging holes under floodlights, to collectively wailing in a pool of water. These are man camps, where men can pay up to $18,000 to undergo extreme boot-camp-like conditioni…

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Kisscams, ratcams, Barbra Streisand 24:45

3M ago24:45

24:45

On this week's Endless Thread, host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Grace Tatter bring us two stories about the power of livestreams – one from the Coldplay concert box seats, and another from a notorious rat corridor in Brooklyn, NYC. Show notes: What's the deal with "Astronomer" CEO and CPO affair? (Reddit) A Crown Heights Building's Rat Infestati…

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Thinking Outside the Dox: What 'consensual doxing' can teach us about internet privacy 29:34

3M ago29:34

29:34

Kristen Sotakoun (@notkahnjunior on TikTok) says she has always been 'the FBI of the friend group' – that person you can count on to dig up the juicy details on anyone's social media. It's a skillset that has earned her millions upon millions of views on TikTok in a series she has dubbed 'consensual doxing.' In her videos, Kristen completes challen…

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There's a new emoji for sadness :( 24:11

3M ago24:11

24:11

What does the thumbs-up emoji mean to you? Or the wilted rose? The meanings of emojis are limitless and can differ across social groups or generations. On this episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two stories about how certain emojis have taken on surprising meanings. Show notes:* Here’s why the Aerial Tramway Emoji is suddenly in every…

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Why it feels like it rains every weekend 21:37

3M ago21:37

21:37

If you feel like it's been raining a lot on the weekends this summer, you're not alone. A couple months ago, we noticed a thread on r/boston asking why? So, we enlisted the help of one of our WBUR colleagues, Climate and Environment Corespondent Barbara Moran to clear things up once and for all. Show notes: Rain Every Weekend??? (Reddit) OMG, why i…

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Episodes We Love: How to Fight a Shark 37:08

3M ago37:08

37:08

This episode originally aired on July 12, 2024. It has been updated to more clearly represent communication with Kayleigh Grant about a conversation with Kristian Parton. When Endless Thread producer Grace Tatter heard a friend assert that she could ward off a shark because of TikTok, Grace was both concerned for her friend's safety, and curious. W…

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"Condiment Claire" wants you to get creative with what's in your fridge 28:02

4M ago28:02

28:02

This week on Endless Thread, we're raiding our refrigerators and rating our favorite condiments with TikTok creator and author "Condiment Claire" Dinhut. We learn about the surprising history of some of our favorite flavor-enhancers, and Claire shares her secrets for using up the last bits of sauce in a jar and how she keeps her online presence app…

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Can pizza orders around the Pentagon predict U.S. military action? 30:11

4M ago30:11

30:11

In the hours leading up to Israel commencing its June missile strikes on Iran, X users were posting about pizza. Specifically, how pizza places around the United States Pentagon were experiencing an unusual spike in business. The Pentagon Pizza Index refers to a theory that dates back to the Cold War, suggesting that increased pizza orders around t…

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Pics or this episode didn't happen 24:07

4M ago24:07

24:07

A picture's worth a thousand words, or in this case, a podcast episode. This week Ben and Amory bring two very different stories from Reddit about pictures on the internet. First – what legal rights do we have over our photos after posting them on Instagram? Then, Ben indoctrinates Amory to The Game. Show notes: Unauthorized use of my photo being d…

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What happens to social media when the government is monitoring it? 34:11

4M ago34:11

34:11

Jeffrey Ngo is from Hong Kong. He used to talk about politics all of the time with his friends in group chats and on social media, from casually sending memes, to planning protests. What happens to online speech when you're unsure how much the government is monitoring your speech, and what the repercussions will be if they don't like it? Show notes…

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How Derek Guy tailors mens fashion advice to a diverse, online audience 35:24

4M ago35:24

35:24

Men's fashion might seem like a niche topic. But people of all genders and sartorial sensibilities follow Derek Guy on X for his clothing takes... even if they're not quite sure how they found his page. Endless Thread talks to Derek about how he weaves together humor, history, cultural criticism, and political commentary to make fashion feel releva…

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Get inked! Or... not: Stories from the Internet about tattoos 19:14

5M ago19:14

19:14

'Tis the season to show some skin! Perhaps some tattoo-adorned skin? In this week's episode, Ben tells Amory about the r/tattoos community's reaction to a man whose friends made him self-conscious about his flowery tattoo. Amory tells Ben about the science behind why tattoos stay put on our bodies, which has only recently come to be understood.…

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Group chats are the 'dark matter of American politics' 26:42

5M ago26:42

26:42

The thing about social media when it was created was that it was public. Ideas shared were debated for all to see. Today much of that is happening behind closed doors—in group chats. Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of the media outlet Semafor and co-host of the podcast Mixed Signals, speaks with Endless Thread about the elite group chats on Signal and W…

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The bots are taking over 25:39

5M ago25:39

25:39

The bots are here to stay, and they're everywhere. The trouble is, learning how to spot them. On this week's episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two stories from Reddit about undercover bots. First — is there such a thing as an easy tell for identifying bots? Second, what happens when internet users accept bots as fellow humans, only t…

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Encore: The internet's fight over dinosaur emoji 28:49

5M ago28:49

28:49

A few years ago, we brought you the story of how dinosaur emoji had entered the debate about trans rights. We were reminded of this episode recently when a White House memorandum lambasted NPR for spreading "radical, woke propaganda" and linked to our story as an example. After the memo, President Trump signed an executive order to stop federal fun…

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Bring tapestries back! And other rants 21:50

6M ago21:50

21:50

It's rant season. Or is it? When is it *not* rant season? In this week's episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two very different, very viral, rants from Reddit. One is about how the current design trends in our public and private spaces are hard on the ears. Another discusses how escape room adventures can bring out the worst in people.…

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Find Our Friends: How location sharing became a hobby 35:03

6M ago35:03

35:03

At any given time, 110 people can tell you exactly where James Tatter is. Every single iPhone user has the Find My app on their phone, which allows them to share their location with friends and family. Increasingly, for young people like James, it's becoming also a form of social media. Endless Thread producer (and James's sister) Grace Tatter want…

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Introducing NHPR's "The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs" 17:28

6M ago17:28

17:28

Endless Thread is thrilled to introduce you to a new podcast from our friends at NHPR’s Document team. That’s the team behind other great narrative shows like Bear Brook and The 13th Step. For the past six months, NHPR reporter Todd Bookman has been spending a lot of time thinking about… a cat. This cat’s name is Sergeant Tibbs – he’s 19. Tibbs goe…

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Why Reddit users are prefacing memes featuring Nintendo's Luigi with 'Nothing Violent' 24:45

6M ago24:45

24:45

There's a conspiracy theory on Reddit right now suggesting that Reddit is using aggressive tools to hide posts praising or supporting Luigi Mangione's alleged execution-style killing of the CEO of United Healthcare, Brian Thompson. Endless Thread looks at what is going on with Luigi memes on this platform: the Nintendo character memes… and the othe…

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Introducing Levittown, new podcast from Kaleidescope and Bloomberg 30:32

6M ago30:32

30:32

Have you ever been deepfaked? Or maybe this is just a new fear – that photos of you end up online that are you – but not really you? What would you do? For an increasing number of people – especially women – this is becoming a reality. So much so that a recent bill in Congress called the “Take It Down” Act has found some incredibly rare bipartisan …

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Toyota Hilux trucks from the 80s and 90s are famous online. Why? 31:59

7M ago31:59

31:59

In April of 2024, a group of aid workers were killed by Israeli Defense Forces while bringing food to Central Gaza. The IDF had alleged that its military analysts had identified a gunman on top of one of the trucks carrying supplies, suggesting it was a military vehicle, not an aid vehicle. In the online debate following the event, a familiar trope…

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How to responsibly leak information to the press 25:26

7M ago25:26

25:26

Well, the messaging app Signal has been in the news recently, thanks to a snafu in which prominent federal defense officials mistakenly added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a group chat in which they discussed military strikes in Yemen. This whole situation reminds us of another conversation we've been having as a team about h…

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Adrián and the Whale 23:36

7M ago23:36

23:36

There are moments that define each of our lives. Some we can predict: graduations, marriages, births, death. Others? Not so much. And in the year 2025, sometimes, if the stars align just so, you may find that moment explode online. That's what happened to 23-year-old Adrián Simancas. Last month, he was paddling the Straight of Magellan, with his fa…

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Bonus: Endless Thread's conversation with Hasan Piker 53:55

7M ago53:55

53:55

Last week, we introduced you to the wildly popular, albeit controversial, streamer and self-declared socialist Hasan Piker — what he’s all about, how he’s delivering his message to millions of followers, and who he’s reaching and resonating with. When we talked to him in November, Hasan had a lot to say about the Democratic Party, about the streami…

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The stream is up: The politics of Twitch personality Hasan Piker and his dedicated community 36:12

7M ago36:12

36:12

Every day, seven days a week, for eight hours or more, Hasan Piker is live on the video game streaming platform Twitch. This is where he shares his political commentary with a dedicated community of viewers — many of whom fall into a particularly sought-after electoral demographic: young men. One of the dominant theories about the re-election of Pr…

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Terminally online: Finding humor and TikTok fame in an ALS diagnosis 30:41

8M ago30:41

30:41

"Should I be joking at a time like this?" That's the question then 33-year-old Brooke Eby asked herself when she uploaded her first piece of TikTok comedy in 2022, about being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Brooke's since built an audience of hundreds of thousands of people who are rooting for, and laughing with, her. Sometimes it gets weird. B…

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Welcome to the Jam: The looney story of the decades-old 'Space Jam' website 32:39

8M ago32:39

32:39

Everybody get up, it's time to slam now! Yes, this episode is about the 1996 movie "Space Jam," starring NBA legend Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes. Rather, it's about the website for "Space Jam," which is still up and functioning nearly 30 years later. Amory and Ben talk to the hilarious team behind this digital artifact and hear the unlikely …

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Episodes We Love: The Internet Archive is in danger 31:17

8M ago31:17

31:17

We’re coming to you with a special offering today. It’s an episode about the internet… from our friends just a few cubicles over here at WBUR: On Point. Hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, On Point is a unique, curiosity-driven combination of original reporting, newsmaker interviews, first-person stories, and in-depth analysis, making the world more inte…

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Love in 60 seconds: The bite-sized soap operas you can’t stop watching 34:19

8M ago34:19

34:19

Wanda Brewer was grieving. After losing her brother, she found comfort in an unexpected place: a soap-opera-esque story on Instagram told in 60-second increments. The story? A mafia boss torn between power, family and love. Wanda’s not alone. Millions are bingeing these bite-sized, ultra-dramatic vertical shorts, where sexy werewolves, ruthless bil…

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DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT rap battle: Which AI assistant spits better bars? 27:43

8M ago27:43

27:43

In 2022, people around the world freaked out at the advent of ChatGPT, OpenAI's chatbot. In under three years, artificial intelligence has been incorporated almost everywhere in our online lives. But training the large language models, or LLMs, that power these AI assistants is hugely expensive. Or is it? Last month, a Chinese startup called DeepSe…

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'Little Big RedNote': A Chinese social media app's brief moment 19:27

8M ago19:27

19:27

Sometimes, after a long day speaking English, former WBUR podcast fellow Cici Yu just wants to zone out and spend time on the internet where everyone is speaking her native language, Chinese. Her app of choice? Xiaohongshu, or RedNote. So, when Cici logged on recently to find a feed filled with English-speaking Americans, she was surprised. Show no…

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Does Steven Seagal know karate? 38:05

9M ago38:05

38:05

There's a burning question that keeps coming up in internet communities, YouTube explainers, and interviews with stunt people from the film industry: does Steven Seagal actually know martial arts? In our current news environment, where conspiracy theories abound and the truth can feel elusive, this somewhat silly question keeps getting asked. But a…

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Butlerian Jihad: What a 19th-century sheep farmer predicted about AI 22:30

9M ago22:30

22:30

It's 2025. HBO's "Dune: Prophecy" is one of the most popular shows streaming, and the federal government just announced massive spending on artificial intelligence. The inspiration for "Dune: Prophecy" is in part a prophecy, of sorts, from 1872: One about humans becoming subservient to "thinking machines." What can a 150-year-old text teach us abou…

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Episodes we love: The Scream 35:41

9M ago35:41

35:41

If you typed “inauguration” into your web browser anytime between 2017 and 2020, you likely saw an image of a person in a neon green jacket, black winter hat and glasses screaming “Nooooooooooo!” That person was Jess, who was in Washington D.C. on January 20, 2017 to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Jess told their story to Endle…

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Dox Glasses: Two Harvard students created an app turning smart glasses into on-the-go facial recognition 29:28

9M ago29:28

29:28

Kashif Hoda was getting onto a Southbound train at Harvard Square when a young man said he recognized him. The doors closed before he got a chance to ask the young man how, or who he was. A month later, the answer came in the form of a viral video. Harvard students AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardefyio modified Meta's smart glasses so that you can searc…

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Sandwiches of History: Give it 'a go!' 34:08

10M ago34:08

34:08

Barry Enderwick got kicked out of college. Then, in the early aughts, he became the first graphic designer for a little start-up media company you may have heard of: Netflix. But today, the Internet knows Barry as the guy behind the beloved and wildly popular "Sandwiches of History" accounts, where he recreates historical sandwich recipes from old …