There are questions the internet just can't answer. But that doesn't mean we can't find them. On each episode of Underunderstood, we find a question the internet can’t answer — maybe it’s a dead-end Wikipedia page, an abandoned Reddit thread, or an unanswered question on Twitter — and we fill in the gaps. It’s part chat show, part documentary, and almost always surprising.
Bonus · Mon, June 26, 2023
It's been a while! We have a quick update about our schedule, plus details about our first-ever LIVE SHOW! Underunderstood Live Tuesday August 1, 2023, 7pm Caveat, NYC (21+) Tickets (both live and virtual!) at Caveat's website
S6 E14 · Thu, May 18, 2023
Hollywood is stockpiling scripts for full seasons of unreleased television shows. Are they throwing them out or saving them for a rainy day? Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Why Are TV Writers So Miserable? (The New Yorker) Hollywood Writers Strike (Democracy Now!) Film and TV writers are striking (CNN) Writers strike focuses on whether AI could take jobs from screenwriters (CBS News) Writers On Set (George R. R. Martin’s Not A Blog) Alex O’Keefe (Linktree) The Bear (Hulu) 2023 Writers Guild Award for Comedy Series (YouTube) Reed Hastings on Colbert (YouTube) Amazon? HBO? Netflix thinks its real competitor is… sleep (CNBC) We Watched It All | Netflix (YouTube) Writers Are Not Keeping Up (wgacontract2023.org) Reed Hastings on Building a Streaming Empire (YouTube) Hollywoodstrike.org wgacontract2023.org
S6 E13 · Wed, May 10, 2023
Sometimes the truth is stranger than the hoax. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: even if it's fake it's real (sippey.com) Street View Birth (Andy Wyeth) turning random internet drama into songs, part 2 (Twitter) Lubalin on TikTok Meet The Musician Turning Random Internet Drama Into TikTok Bops (Buzzfeed News)
S6 E12 · Wed, May 03, 2023
John revisits a wild pitch about a mysterious television performer. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: The first special (YouTube) 2002 thread on The Magic Cafe It's No Secret (Chicago Tribune, 1998) The unmasking (YouTube) The Masked Magician on Diagnosis Murder (YouTube) Virginia Magicians Sue Fox TV To Stop Revelation of Secrets (Washington Post, 1998) Street Magic Finally Revealed (YouTube) A trick from the fifth special (YouTube)
S6 E11 · Wed, April 26, 2023
There’s a formula that dictates restaurant prices in New York City airports. Adrianne digs into what does — and doesn’t — add up. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Cooper Lund's tweet Concessionaire Street Pricing Manual (PDF) The Cibo Express website Why Does a Plastic-Wrapped Turkey Sandwich Cost $15 at the Airport? (Hell Gate)
S6 E10 · Wed, April 19, 2023
An obscure pro wrestling-adjacent reality show from 2001 was mired in scandal. Was it really rigged? Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Another Reality TV Show Is Under Fire (New York Times) Manhunt on IMDB The Stingray (Wayback Machine) Twenty-One (Wikipedia) Prohibited practices in contests of knowledge, skill, or chance (FCC) JK’s letter to the FCC (Wayback Machine) Steve Beverly’s letter to the FCC (Wayback Machine) Survivor rules: the contract that details pay, tie-breakers, prohibited behavior, and more (Reality Blurs)
S6 E9 · Wed, April 05, 2023
Billy shares a new (old) segment, we examine how real MTV Cribs was, and an important update about the missing broccoli game! Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: (02:56) MTV Cribs Inside Travis Barker's Surprisingly Tranquil Calabasas Abode (Architectural Digest) 'I'm Into Cadillacs' Travis Barker's Home & Car Collection (MTV on YouTube) I Just Found Out That "Cribs" On MTV Was Kinda Fake And I Feel So USED ( Buzzfeed ) MTV Cribs Ja Rule (YouTube) Lawyer: Ja Rule Innocent in Club Clash (E! Online) Tony Hawk, JoJo & Ryan Nyquist (MTV on YouTube) Redman's Staten Island 'De La Casa' (MTV on YouTube) Redman | Drink Champs (YouTube) Redman: MTV Tried to Get Me to Rent a House for "Cribs" (YouTube) (35:44) Broccoli Game Follow-up FirestarterMethod’s comment (Reddit) ハゲパラ Let’s 育毛 (Appget) ハゲパラ〜おっさんの毛栽培ゲーム〜【育成・放置】 (APKPure)
S6 E8 · Wed, March 29, 2023
Billy helps a listener uncover the true origins of a popular unreleased song. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Daft Punk – Pee Is Stored In The Balls (Full Unreleased Demo) (YouTube) Pee is Stored in the Balls (Know Your Meme) What’s the Deal With Boners? (Cosmopolitan) Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ leaks online (The Verge) Daft Punk – Pee Is Stored In The Balls (Alternate Mix) (YouTube) HOME – Resonance uploaded by Electronic Gems (YouTube) The Nostalgia of HOME’s Resonance, Explained (YouTube) Home’s verified artist page (Spotify) @RNDYGFFE on Twitter – tweet one , tweet two Pee Is Stored In The Balls (Unreleased Demo) playlist (Spotify) Did Daft Punk actually make pee is stored in the balls? (Reddit) After 8 years, I’ve managed to figure out what vocoder is responsible for the “Robot Voice” (Reddit) Randy’s original Tumblr post (slimetony.com) Randy’s tweet about music being free to use (Twitter) HOME – Odyssey (archive.org)
S6 E7 · Wed, March 22, 2023
We take listener calls and emails about lost video games, plus a Triscuit update. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Slope Rider Slope Rider official website iOS Emulation Finally Cracked – Stop Skeletons From Fighting (YouTube) touchHLE, a high-level emulator for iPhone OS applications Timecoded link to ad in 2009 Apple event (YouTube) Monte Boyd’s Slope Rider thread on Mastodon macos9.app Stream Mixed-Up Mother Goose (1991, MS-DOS) (Internet Archive) Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe (1995, Mac) (Macintosh Repository) UTM | Virtual machines for Mac Slope Rider download (Macintosh Repository) Slope Rider running (poorly) in UTM (YouTube, unlisted) Monte Boyd’s Commodore 64 games (itch.io) Monte Boyd’s website Broccoli Man Film restoration: Saving our cinema heritage – CBS Sunday Morning (YouTube) APKMirror and APKPure I know an APK is technically an installer package and not “an executable app file.” Don’t @ me. -Billy Triscuit Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Baking Biscuit, Crackers and the like (Google Patents) Medical Press and Circular – July 29, 1903 (Google Books) The Sketch, Vol. 43 (Google Books) “Common wheat” on Wikipedia
S6 E6 · Wed, March 15, 2023
Billy helps a listener return to VMK, the online world where they remember “learning all the bad words.” Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Expedition Theme Park’s video about VMK (YouTube) Sam from Expedition Theme Park also has a new podcast called Expedition Enthused One Name, Two Games: Virtual Magic Kingdom (Pop History) Habbo Hotel promotional videos from the mid-2000s (YouTube) Isometric video game graphics (Wikipedia) Amazing video about eBoy directed/edited by our editor Ryan Manning (YouTube) Virtual Magic Kingdom (Fandom) VMK Values (Disney VMK via Internet Archive) Fans protest end of virtual Disney site in front of Disneyland (Orange County Register via Internet Archive Investigation into Habbo Hotel (Channel 4) Preserving Worlds (Means TV) MyVMK
S6 E5 · Wed, March 08, 2023
Writer Sage Boggs thought he discovered why Triscuit is called Triscuit. But the cracker brand has a confusing and mysterious relationship with its own name. A rough version of this story originally ran on our bonus podcast, Overunderstood. This updated version contains some new information and reporting. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Sage’s viral tweet (Twitter) John’s original tweet to Triscuit (Twitter) Some old Triscuit advertisements (Twitter) Triscuit’s response to Sage (Twitter) Triscuit tweets about three ingredients (Twitter) “Filamentous cracker” patent (PDF) “Continuous heating and baking machine” patent Snopes article on this matter (Snopes) Charles Louis Richter questions the answer (Twitter)
S6 E4 · Wed, March 01, 2023
Billy helps a listener track down a forgotten collaboration between Mario and Biz Markie. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: Mandela Effect (Wikipedia) Mario – Just A Friend (YouTube) Biz Markie – Just A Friend (YouTube) Biz Markie performing at The Apollo (YouTube) Freddie Scott – (You) Got What I Need (YouTube) Miley Cyrus – The Climb (YouTube) Grand Upright v. Warner Bros. (Wikipedia) Copyright Criminals (PBS) Sampling Wars (LA Times) De La Soul finally streams (Washington Post) How Copyright Law Hurts Music (The Atlantic) Albums you can’t find on streaming (CBC) Biz Markie on 30 years of ‘Just a Friend’ (EW) Beat Mann Sessions: With Biz Markie (Bandcamp) Mario at Glass City Expo 2002 (YouTube) Mario on The Early Show (YouTube) Mario on 93.5 KDAY (YouTube) Napster on CNN (YouTube) Usher Blames Album Delays On Napster Leaks (MTV News) Usher – Just A Friend (YouTube) Mario on Hot 104.1 (YouTube) Mario AOL Sessions interview (YouTube) <a href="https://youtu.be/oIQQ4k3
S6 E3 · Wed, February 22, 2023
A Redditor starts receiving boxes full of 1980s memorabilia from the long-defunct California Raisins Fan Club. Who is sending this raisin mail? A different version of this story previously appeared in our bonus feed, Overunderstood. If you've already heard that episode, there's a lot of new material in this one. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: The first California Raisins TV commercial (YouTube) I received two packages/letters from a seemingly defunct california raisins fanclub at my home address with very rare 1980s collectors items (Reddit) thecaliforniaraisins.com https://dizzodesigns.com Were the California Raisins Created Because of Systemic Racism? (Mandatory) Mail #1 and #2 Mail #3 UPDATE: I received another package & letter from a seemingly defunct california raisins fanclub (Reddit) Archive of the sweatshirt eBay listing Mail #4 UPDATE 2: The Seemingly Defunct california raisins fanclub Has Once Again Sent Me A Bunch Of Assorted 80s Merch (Reddit) USPS Letters from Santa Mail #5 Bart Baggett’s website Bart’s handwriting comparisons (PDF)
S6 E2 · Wed, February 15, 2023
We hear a message from a listener about a scam call. Then, Adrianne runs after a curious message on a city bus. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: How Can I Verify If a Debt Collector Is Legitimate? (CFPB) "EMERGENCY CALL POLICE" on MTA Bus Destination (Reddit) Bus with signs reading “Emergency! Call police” and “Help! Call 911”? (Reddit) Bus Messaging (Reddit) Opie and Anthony clip (YouTube) Man attacks MTA bus with driver, passengers inside (Fox 5 New York) Aaron Gordon's current newsletter, Urbababble When a Bus Driver Told a Rider to Wear a Mask, ‘He Knocked Me Out Cold’ (NYT)
S6 E1 · Wed, February 08, 2023
A listener question sends Billy on a deep dive into an MTV reality show. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood . Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes: A Deep Dive into ‘Just Tattoo of Us’, the Greatest Show on British Television – Vice ‘Just Tattoo of Us’ Is the Best Worst Show on TV – The Wrap Just Tattoo of Us: like getting waterboarded by a Ministry of Sound compilation – The Guardian Top 3 Harshest Tattoos – JTOU U.K. on YouTube Snooki And Nico Tortorella Talk New Show ‘How Far Is Tattoo Far?’ – Today on YouTube Snooki & Nico Tortorella’s Tattoo Reality Show Is TV’s Biggest Emotional Roller Coaster – Refinery29 Girl forced to get ‘S**T’ emblazoned on her bum – The Mirror This ‘Ballsy’ Tattoo Is Petty As Hell – MTV on YouTube Ephemeral On “How far is tattoo far” by Snooki, are the tattoo’s real or fake ? – Reddit Contestants on MTV’s ‘How Far Is Tattoo Far?’ Get More Than a Free Tattoo – Distractify dollarztatu’s post on Instagram Angelina on HFITF’ – MTV on YouTube Angelina’s tattoo visible on Instagram: May 25, 2021, March 28, 2022, May 25, 2022 Does Angelina have a tattoo of… her engagement ring? – Reddit @darcywindebank22’s video on TikTok <a href="https://i.ytimg.com/v
S5 E8 · Tue, April 26, 2022
Who sang the Cole Porter songs in the 1972 film "Sleuth"? This is an episode of our bonus patron-only show, Overunderstood. To support the show and hear Overunderstood every week, join our Patreon ! Show notes: Sleuth (Wikipedia) Sleuth (IMDb) The Sleuth Saga Carries On (Reddit) The scene in question (YouTube) Cole Porter sings "Anything Goes" (YouTube) Thread on the Soundtrack Collector forum Massive thread on the IMDb 2.1 forum "One More Kiss, Dear" (YouTube) A page of the Sleuth cue sheet
S5 E7 · Tue, April 12, 2022
John goes on a quest to find a sticker that may or may not have existed. Support Underunderstood and get our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon ! Show notes: 04:00 – Mark Goodman and the dial position sticker (YouTube) 07:12 – MTV Your Favorite Music Promo (YouTube) 07:56 – Worthpoint 14:12 – Our theme song and other music is available to stream 22:45 – Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! commercial voiced by Jan Gabriel (YouTube) 26:54 – A detailed discussion about this setup and MTV specifically (Radio Discussions)
S5 E6 · Tue, March 29, 2022
Billy investigates a theory that Apple products are packaged with a signature fragrance. Want to join us for "the world's largest trivia contest"? Visit https://underunderstood.com/trivia to sign up. Support Underunderstood and get our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon ! Show notes: 02:00 – Kevin Purdy 02:10 – iFixit 02:22 – Carbon Switch 02:26 – ImportYeti 02:39 – #importyeti on TikTok 04:14 – Apple on ImportYeti 04:34 – GrandPerspective 09:50 – H.S. Code: 330720 Personal Deodorants - ImportYeti 11:50 – Does Apple intentionally make its products' packaging smell compelling? - Quora 15:23 – 90FM Trivia 15:40 – A video we worked on about the trivia contest 16:17 – Join our trivia team by signing up here! 18:20 – Joanna Stern 20:46 – Joanna tweeting about the new MacBook smell in in 2012 and 2014 21:28 – New Mac Candle - Twelve South ( archive.org ) 22:10 – New Mac Candle Hands-on - 9to5Mac 25:25 – Dave Applegate - LinkedIn 26:54 – Copy of Apple CSV file 27:36 – Google results for ASA Apple Inc. 29:32 – Similar data on Zauba 30:17 – How Do We Get This Data? - ImportYeti (YouTube) 31:48 – <a href="https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-has-inc
Bonus · Tue, March 15, 2022
We were honored to be guests on Twenty Thousand Hertz’s annual Mystery Sound competition, where the four of us competed to name a variety of obscure sounds. We’re sharing that episode now. Plus, some personal news! Twenty Thousand Hertz tells the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Listen in your favorite podcast app . Support Underunderstood and listen to over 60 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon ! For updates on how to join us for the world’s largest trivia contest , keep an eye on our Twitter and Instagram .
S5 E4 · Tue, December 21, 2021
An end of the year two-part episode! First, where do Trivial Pursuit questions come from? And then, why is it so hard to find a Pizza Hut Classic? Show notes: Trivial Pusuit 02:53 – The Ultimate List of Every Trivial Pursuit Version Ever Created (Trivia Bliss) 04:28 – My life as a Trivial Pursuit question writer (Darryn King) 12:45 – Fred Worth's appeal after losing a copyright case against Trivial Pursuit (Justia) 16:43 – Not-so-trivial errors (BoardGameGeek) Pizza Hut Classic 24:40 – Used to Be a Pizza Hut 25:29 – Warren Pizza Hut reopens as Pizza Hut Classic (WFMJ) 26:48 – Pizza Hut Classic - Warren, Ohio (Valley Spotlight on YouTube) 28:13 – Warren Pizza Hut Classic (@rolandopujol on Instagram) 30:11 – Eureka Springs, AR location (Ramblin' Backroads on YouTube) 32:46 – Craig Robinson Pizza Hut Commercial (Instagram) 33:56 – The Retrologist The current list of known Pizza Hut Classic locations: Warren, OH Kilmarnock, VA Bryson City, NC Tunkhannock, PA Sayre, PA Spring Lake Park, MN Wadena, MN Park Rapids, MN Eureka Springs, AR Dahlonega, GA Clayton, GA Lavonia, GA Carrizo Springs, TX Fairfield, TX Unconfirmed: Bloomfield, IA Weatherford, TX
S5 E3 · Tue, November 23, 2021
These pop singers thought they were going to be the first band in space. What happened? Support the show and listen to over 50 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon! Show notes: 02:50 – NASA on mission to planet pop (New Scientist) 04:57 – Put Your Arms Around Me (Natural/YouTube) 06:32 – I Love the USA (Weezer/YouTube) 11:45 – Steve Kipner 15:35 – Claire's press release 19:48 – Journalism about Lou Pearlman from The New Yorker , Tyler Gray , and Lance Bass Productions 25:29 – Veit Renn 35:27 – Danny O'Donoghue (Wikipedia) 40:25 – Columbia Disaster: What happened and what NASA learned 47:25 – Jon Fuller's website / Spotify / Apple Music
S5 E2 · Tue, November 09, 2021
Why has the same California license plate been showing up in movies and TV shows for two decades? Support the show and listen to over 50 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon! Show notes: 01:39 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Villains" episode 02:16 – The Xandermobile 02:54 – A113 summary 03:43 – Screengrab of the plate in "A Star Is Born" 04:11 – Screengrab from "Matchstick Men" 04:52 – Screengrab from "Ray Donovan" 04:59 – "Furious 7" scene with 2SAM564 06:21 – Flim 26:19 – ISS Props 27:40 – Vehicle registration plates of California 29:27 – California DMV Sample License Plate Order Form (PDF) 33:52 – 2GAT123.com's License Plates 35:34 – Studio Graphics
S5 E1 · Tue, October 26, 2021
Laffy Taffy created a dream joke writing job. But is it real? Support the show and listen to over 50 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon! Show notes: 00:56 - Laffy Taffy - Wikipedia 01:50 - PDF of Laffy Taffy jokes - mrclegg.com 02:40 - Depressing Laffy Taffy joke - Reddit 03:53 - com4tablynumb1's post - Reddit 04:50 - com4tablynumb1's photo - Imgur 05:46 - Laffy Taffy Is Having a Joke Contest - Thrillist 07:50 - Nick Cannon's annoucement video - Facebook 08:27 - Laffy Taffy Selects Its First-Ever Chief Laugh Officer - Business Wire 13:58 - Mitch Hedberg's notebooks - YouTube 20:40 - Richard Bowen at the Laugh Factory - YouTube 27:14 - Richard and his trophy - Business Wire 27:26 - Richard Bowen and Nick Cannon - Shutterstock 31:35 - Contact Us - Ferrara Candy
Bonus · Thu, June 03, 2021
The Circle is back for Season 2, and there's a mysterious catfish named John. Who is this "full time psychic, part time Santa"? This is an episode of Overunderstood, our Patrons-only feed. To get a new episode every week (even between Underunderstood seasons!), visit patreon.com/underunderstood . We're working on season 5 of Underunderstood! Stay tuned to our Twitter and Instagram for updates on when we'll be back. Show notes: The Circle on Netflix Season 2 Trailer (YouTube) Pimeyes Kris Kringles are forking over cash to take ‘Santa’ classes (New York Post) Dave Saunders (@santadept25)
Bonus · Tue, April 13, 2021
Underunderstood is recruiting a team for the legendary 90FM Stevens Point TRIVIA! contest. It’s a three-day event from April 16-18 where teams from anywhere compete to answer arcane, nearly un-Googleable trivia questions. If you’re interested in participating with Underunderstood’s team, email us at hello@underunderstood.com with the subject “Trivia,” and we’ll add you to a special Discord channel and set you up with all the details you need. The article and video that started it all (“it” being Underunderstood’s fascination with Stevens Point and TRIVIA!) More information about the contest: https://www.90fmtrivia.org/AboutTheContest.pdf We are going on break and will be back with more episodes for season 5. (But as always, there will be a new episode of Overunderstood every week on our Patreon .) In the meantime, here are some podcast recommendations from the hosts and other Underunderstood listeners. Similar to Underunderstood: Endless Thread , Decoder Ring , Every Little Thing , You’re Wrong About , the Bobby episode of Heavyweight, Oh No Ross and Carrie Not that similar to Underunderstood: Twenty Thousand Hertz, Potternaught , Flash Forward , Podcast But Outside , The Culture Journalist , Plant Crimes
S4 E9 · Tue, April 06, 2021
Adrianne tries to understand the associations around the cartoon beagle in Japan. If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 01:49 – Hello, Habits: A Minimalist’s Guide to a Better Life (Fumio Sasaki) 04:35 – Peanuts – October 4, 1991 10:28 – Mia Sato 11:40 – ‘PEANUTS’ Celebrates 70 Years With Limited Heinz Ketchup Bottles 11:58 – Instagram account tracking Snoopy collabs 11:58 – Snoopy Japan blog 13:30 – The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities Of 2020 (Forbes) 13:43 – Merchandising Snoopy: The case of licensing Peanuts in Japan (Stephen J. Lind) 17:28 – Beyond Cuteness: An Emerging Field of the Psychology of “Kawaii” by Professor Hiroshi Nittono – YouTube 18:40 – Shuntarō Tanikawa (Wikipedia) 19:23 – MetLife press release (2014) 19:47 – DeepL Translate 21:20 – Essay by Masuhiko Hirobuchi (2009) 23:22 – Alisa Freedman 32:37 – Minimal & Ism
S4 E8 · Tue, March 23, 2021
A few “side quests” from our inbox: tampons in the freezer, a missing iCarly cover, and some long lost fruit snacks. If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Tampons in the freezer 01:33 – Thread on ShittyGifRecipes 07:50 – Janelle Flom 09:02 – Wig (about :49 seconds in) 09:25 – Credit cards?! (About :54 seconds in) 11:30 – TikTok divided over video of woman’s revenge on fellow plane passenger (Yahoo) The missing Miranda Cosgrove cover 14:48 – ' iCarly' and 'Drake & Josh' were actually both on Nickelodeon, not the Disney channel. 15:16 – r/MirandaCosgrove 15:50 – Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls 15:58 – CORRECTION: It actually peaked at No. 1 16:14 – Miranda’s wikipedia page 17:04 – List of iCarly episode titles, from “iPilot” to “iBust a Thief” 18:20 – See: lyrics controversy section of the wikipedia page 19:00 – Beautiful Girls on WhoSampled 19:40 – A better explanation of rights and cover songs, because Regina is definitely not a lawyer 20:05 – Back of the jewel case 21:00 – Beautiful Girls (Nickelodeon Mix) 22:50 – CORRECTION: The band’s name is SugarPop, not SuperPop. 24:20 – Beautiful Girls (Reply) - JoJo 25:50 – JoJo, Miranda Cosgrove, and Selena Gomez at the
S4 E7 · Tue, March 16, 2021
Why is Eminem getting credit for a rhyme a Canadian puppet did first? If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 00:51 – Adrianne’s story on featured snippets 02:07 – Screenshot of 1st search 02:10 – Screenshot of 2nd search 03:01 – Rhymetime With Eminem | YouTube 04:51 – Under the Umbrella Tree | Wikipedia 05:28 – Summer 1993 Disney Channel Commercial Breaks | YouTube 07:02 – Lena Dunham on Here’s the Thing 09:00 – What word rhymes with orange? | Yahoo Answers 13:32 – Eminem rhyming with orange | Genius / YouTube 17:17 – Rag & Bone - puppet theatre cofounded by Kathy MacLellan 20:21 – Bob Stutt | Wikipedia 24:27 – Under the Umbrella Tree | Lost Media Wiki 24:29 – Under the Umbrella Tree Episode List | Angelfire 24:49 – Under the Umbrella Tree full episodes playlist | Encore+ / YouTube 26:34 – UTUT - Jacob’s World Record | YouTube 28:12 – Noreen Young | Wikipedia 31:43 – Grant Barrett bio 32:04 – A Way with Words 33:10 – Never get your etymologies from memes. | Grant Barrett on Twitter 34:30 – The Athenaeum, Aug. 16, 1862 | Google Books 35:38 – <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Man_o
S4 E6 · Tue, March 09, 2021
Adrianne tries to deconstruct how a big city got a seemingly low-prestige area code. If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 02:41 – LincMad.com 04:00 - Adrianne says here that Idaho got area code 702. This is not correct!! Idaho got 208. We regret the error. 04:43 – The rotary dial demonstrated in an AT&T video from around the time area codes were added 07:41 – AT&T, or Atlantic Telephone and Telegraph, was a monopoly provider of telephone service until it was broken up in 1983 as part of an antitrust settlement with the U.S. government. That’s really all you need to know, although a good book about this is The Master Switch 06:52 – A table of the original area code assignments 18:13 – Mark J Cuccia on the 50th anniversary of the North American Numbering Plan 18:34 – Mark J Cuccia mentions the Boston “anomaly” 19:03 – Nation-wide Toll Dialing (Bell Laboratories Record, October 1945) 19:19 – Billy worked on a video about the AT&T archive at The Verge 27:07 – 201, 609 And Now, Oh My, 908 (The New York Times, 1991) 32:40 – An example of Telephone Topics, the in-house magazine for New England Telephone 32:45 – It was actually “Tracing the Telephone in Western Massachusetts”
S4 E5 · Tue, March 02, 2021
John pieces together the definitive timeline of when Cool Ranch Doritos became Cooler Ranch Doritos. If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 01:19 – Mandela Effect on Snopes 01:31 – Doritos on Wikipedia 02:51 – Doritos' Long, Slow Descent Into Madness 05:07 – John's bag 14:57 – SNAC International 16:00 – Doritos Nacho Cheesier commerical 22:30 – taquitos.net 24:58 – Jeremy's Cooler Ranch review 29:50 – Woman Recreates Engagement Shoot With A Bag Of Doritos 35:00 – George Foreman Doritos commercial
Bonus · Tue, February 23, 2021
The storied history of a United States Forest Service mascot, and why the government wanted him incinerated. This is an updated version of an episode of Overunderstood, our bonus podcast available exclusively to Patreon subscribers. It's $5 a month to become a member , and you get an episode of Overunderstood every week, as well as access to our community Discord server, virtual events, and other bonus perks. Show notes: Where it all began ( Symbols.gov via Archive.org ) Boing Boing post from 2007 Every time you masturbate ... God kills a kitten The Ballad of Woodsy Owl (Forest Service) The Ballad of Woodsy Owl cover by KITSCH CLUB Retro PSA Give A Hoot Don'T Pollute - Woodsy The Owl Woodsy Owl PSA Woodsy Owl on German Wikipedia Johnny Horizon Woodsy Owl Funko Pop Woodsy Owl licensing pitch A Brief History of Woodsy Owl
S4 E3 · Tue, February 16, 2021
If you unearth a body after seven years, will the makeup still be there? If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 0:46 – ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’ by Ottessa Moshfegh 1:00 – Ottessa Moshfegh 1:39 – Rouge Dior 999 1:59 – Can One Red Lipstick Really Look Good On Everyone? 2:50 – Thierry Mugler 3:18 – The Compounds in Red Lipstick 7:10 – Rouge Dior 999 ingredients 12:30 – The Mortuary Science Professor Who Came ‘Out of Nowhere’ to Help N.Y.C. 13:27 – Mortuary Makeup Artists Give Us Their Best Beauty Tips 14:05 – About Amber – Mortician in the Kitchen 15:00 – Refinery29: This Is What It’s Really Like To Do Makeup… On Dead People 18:35 – American Chemical Society 19:00 – Lab Muffin Beauty Science breaks down Lipstick Science 21:10 – <a href="https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/testing/methoddevelopment/Stability-Testing-
S4 E2 · Tue, February 09, 2021
An 88-year-old is being charged with a felony after selling "jailbroke firesticks" at a Florida flea market. If you like the show, support us on Patreon and get access to our bonus show, Overunderstood. Show notes: 00:56 – Sheriff Grady Judd - Wikipedia 02:59 – Amazon Fire TV Stick - Wikipedia 03:50 – iOS Jailbreaking 04:22 – Rooting (Android) - Wikipedia 09:33 – VPN - Wikipedia 11:45 – F.S.S. 812.15 - Unauthorized reception of communications services; penalties. 15:20 – Nilay Patel - Twitter 15:36 – About The Verge 15:41 – Decoder with Nilay Patel 16:16 – Local news report about Napster (2000) - YouTube 16:44 – Why news sites benefit from having writers with legal backgrounds - Poynter 17:01 – CNBC segment on Kazaa 23:40 – Cynthia Conlin & Associates 29:47 – Dan Marino statue on Google Street View 30:46 – Mobdro FAQ 40:54 – Sheriff Judd reads "Oh, the places you'll go!" by Dr. Seuss - YouTube 42:30 – <a href="https://underunderstood.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/swilder_email.png" rel="noopener
S4 E1 · Tue, February 02, 2021
A listener emails Underunderstood: "Jeff Goldblum has a tattoo in Jurrassic Park - no one noticed, no one can identify. Help!" Show notes: 01:20 – Clip of Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) with the flare in Jurassic Park 06:50 – The Reddit post 08:50 – Jeff Goldblum’s community number 10:22 – Correction: The word “tattoo” does show up in Jurassic Park, the book once. Quote: “We got another hadro dead. Juvenile.” Muldoon bent down among the flies and checked the skin on the sole of the right foot. A number was tattooed there. “Specimen is number HD/09.” 12:42 – Jurassic World: Dominion started shooting in February 2020 . Universal Studios halted production on March 13. The film was mostly shot in England. 16:40 – Ana Maria Quintana’s IMdB page 18:45 – Here’s a typical continuity analysis of the goat scene. This writer actually concludes it was not an error. If you feel compelled to email us about this, please don’t — we won’t appreciate it. Try one of the many active Jurassic Park forums instead! 19:30 – Jurassic Park is the 40th top-grossing film of all time. Movie theaters boosted it to the top of the box office again in 2020, when COVID-19 put new releases on pause. 21:10 – Christina Smith’s IMdB page 24:50 – Dom Nero on Twitter 25:50 – Dom’s article about Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars script 40:10 – Wikipedia page for Blowup (1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni <a href="https://patreon.com/underunder
S3 E9 · Tue, December 15, 2020
Why does no one remember a set of singing vegetables from an Oklahoma grocery store in the 80s? We have a Patreon now ! Sign up to support the show and get access to our bonus podcast, Overunderstood. Show notes: 01:27 - Homeland on Wikipedia 02:45 - Stew Leonard's on Wikipedia 05:46 - Matt's Reddit post 06:45 - Melody Farm Follies on YouTube 06:45 - Melody Farm Follies on YouTube 13:06 - An incredible promo video for Big Fresh 13:15 - Animatronics at Big Fresh 13:40 - Jungle Jim's 14:20 - Anti-drug animatronics at Mollie Stone's 15:22 - Stew Leonard's in Paramus, NJ 19:50 - Photo #1 20:35 - Photo #2 21:51 - Another Melody Farm Follies video 24:10 - VP Animations 28:00 - The old Homeland logo on a store 30:06 - Bobby Gosh's music credits 31:04 - Advanced Animations 37:25 - Dick McCormack on Wikipedia
S3 E8 · Tue, December 08, 2020
A famous datset of Reuters articles from the 1980s includes “Blah blah blah.” in place of some stories. Why? We have a Patreon now ! Sign up to support the show and get access to our bonus podcast, Overunderstood. Show notes: 00:31 - The link Jess sent 8:31 - SGML 8:46 - This is what the blahs look like and this is what all the entries look like. 24:00 - FTP 24:34 - Linguistic Data Consortium 29:00 - RCV1 at NIST and David D. Lewis’s README 30:22 - Construe-TIS: A System for Content-Based Indexing of a Database of News Stories (Phil Hayes and Steven Weinstein)
S3 E7 · Tue, November 24, 2020
What ever happened with those mysterious seeds that were showing up in U.S. mailboxes? 00:33 - Michigan Department of Agriculture tweet 03:10 - USDA answers frequently asked questions about the mystery seeds, including “What should I do if I already planted the seeds?” 02:30 - Facebook post from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 03:52 - Invasive species are no joke!!!! 04:50 - As of this writing, Snopes said there was no motive determined for the seed shipments: Are Americans Receiving Unsolicited Mailings of Seeds from China? (Snopes) 09:32 - USDA still hasn’t found anything to cause major concern, but it has now identified more species and some viruses. This is an updated comment as of Nov. 18: “Altogether, we have identified approximately 460 taxa of seeds. We have detected 2 quarantine insect pests using x-ray and 28 Federal Noxious weeds based on identifications by APHIS botanists. We have also identified 6 quarantine significant viruses or viroids using molecular testing.” Also, here are some photos of U.S.D.A. investigating the seeds with microscopes. 14:29 - Jason Koebler and Emanuel Maiberg of Motherboard . The last story Underunderstood collaborated on with Motherboard was this one . 15:05 - Hundreds of Americans Planted 'Chinese Mystery Seeds' (Motherboard) 19:16 - Zack Franklin in action 22:44 - Amazon explains fulfilled by Amazon and a little bit about fulfilled by merchant . 30:55 - ”The mysterious seed is back! Shenzhen cross-border seller actually sends parcels here” (forum post) 31:31 - Moss’s <a href="https://www.inkan
S3 E6 · Tue, November 17, 2020
Billy digs into how The Masked Singer got a studio audience to show up during COVID. If you like the show and want access to our bonus feed, Overunderstood, join our Patreon for $5 a month: patreon.com/underunderstood Show notes: 00:35 - The Masked Singer (Wikipedia) 02:29 - King of Mask Singer (Wikipedia) 05:00 - After the Mask - May 6, 2020 (YouTube) 05:07 - The Masked Singer s04e01 (Tubi) - skip to 1m5s to see the clip we're talking about 08:43 - FOX MLB virtual fans (YouTube) 08:58 - tweet 1 09:12 - tweet 2 09:33- tweet 3 09:42 - tweet 4 10:16 - health disclaimer (JPG) 10:53 - Unreal Engine credit (JPG) 11:09 - Unreal Engine (Wikipedia) 12:26 - The 9/11 photo story 14:43 - Kyle Montplaisir on Talent Recap 20:00 - Dragon's performance (YouTube) 21:54 - voting disclaimer (JPG) 22:12 - How Does 'The Masked Singer' Voting Work This Season? (Cosmo) 23:43 - Gremlin Reveal (YouTube) 27:14 - Pixotope 27:29 - Nickon Mirsepassi 31:05 - Giraffe performance 31:51 - DMX512 (Wikipedia) 35:13 - Lidar (Wikipedia) 36:31 - Silver Spoon Support <a href="https://www.patreon.com/und
S3 E5 · Tue, November 10, 2020
An unsolved mystery from our members-only podcast, Overunderstood . You can sign up and get access at patreon.com/underunderstood . 1:50 - Unfriendly Chimp Stolen From Cage In Central Park (NYT) - March 6, 1970 4:24 - Thief Says A Rare Bird Needed Love (NYT) — July 14, 1999 and Rare Bird Is Back in Hand, and So Is a Suspect (NYT) — January 28. 1999 6:31 - History of Central Park Zoos . There are no chimps today. 9:34 - Found a relevant crime, with a very different ending, while uploading these show notes: Chimps Stolen From Zoo Found Happy in Brooklyn Phone Booth (NYT) — October 25, 1966. Except apparently the Prospect Park zookeepers missed their chimps, who were "like babies to us" and started a ransom fund before they were found. The same kidnapper?? This story also notes that the chimps cost about $600. 10:18 - What the park zoo looked like in the 1970s. The zoo is also mentioned in here around 8:58. 13:55 - AWFUL CALAMITY. The Wild Animals Escape from Central Park. TERRIBLE SCENES OF MUTILATION. This was a hoax by the New York Herald in 1874. 15:40 - $60,000 for a chimp in 2009 and $600 for a chimp in the first half of the century 18:46 - Chimpanzees in Central Park Zoo, New York City, 1970. (Photo by Jill Freedman/Getty Images) 20:18 - Jill Freedman on Instagram. The photo of her with a beer was taken down, but you can see some of her work. 23:25 - This version of the photo has a caption and more specific date: "A chimpanzee wearing a tuxedo and roller skates sits on a chair at a photographic gallery opening." Ne
S3 E4 · Tue, November 03, 2020
Regina searches for the true story behind a sexist remark. Show notes: 00:40 - This is Geraldine Ferraro's Wikipedia page. 0:52 - And this is Walter Mondale's. 01:21 - This episode published on November 4, 2020, which is election day in the United States for the 2020 Presidential election. 01:31 - The 2020 Democratic National Convention kicked off on August 17, 2020. It was technically in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic it was a mostly virtual event. 03:15 - Edit desk: Shades of sexism , published April 30, 2017, is the piece of Emily's that I am referring to. 04:05 - here Geraldine Ferraro's full acceptance speech 04:30 - Walter Mondale's full acceptance speech 06:10 - Kamala Harris Tests America’s Relationship to Women in Power , published in The New York Times on August 19, 2020 06:57 - In 1992, Hillary Clinton got in some trouble for implying she didn't want to "stay home and bake cookies" and as a result ended up in a bake-off with Barbara Bush. She won , apparently due to using shortening instead of butter. 07:56 - Prematurely mentioned obituary in The Economist . 12:04 - Tom Brokaw was accused of sexual misconduct in April 2018. Here is an Opinions piece in The Washington Post that his former colleague wrote about the experience. 13:41 - The Vanderbilt Television News Archive . 15:56 - " The Lady Is a Pol ," by Marie Brenner for New York Magazine's July 1984 issue. 17:07 - "out of sight of the cameras, her feet began doing a secret minuet, an odd, pigeon-toed dance. Her size 7 ½’s were sheathed..." 17:51 - " The Rise of Geraldine Ferraro ,
S3 E3 · Tue, October 27, 2020
The origin story of a wobbly toy with a peculiar name. We have a Patreon now! Members get access to Overunderstood, our bonus podcast. Check it out at patreon.com/underunderstood . Show Notes: 1:47 - Nickelodeon's Wild & Crazy Kids Gwok Ball on Dailymotion 4:26 - Google Books Ngram Viewer results for "guac" 4:57 - Maureen Down piece from the New York Times Magazine, May 29, 1994: The Lost Quayle Diaries 5:27 - The New York Times, January 22, 1997: Snacks to Fix in Super Bowl Timeouts 6:16 - "Guac" used in a 1993 episode of Norther Exposure 6:34 - "Guac" used in a 2000 episode of Will & Grace 7:46 - Guac Ball on Toy Directory 8:12 - Creative Imaginations website , archived August 3, 2008 9:25 - Wham-It on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in December 1989 (PDF) 12:40 - Wham-It on Amazon , complete with photos of the can 16:04 - Lars and the Real Girl , with which this story has - and I cannot stress this enough - nothing in common 18:28 - Regina's Guac Ball 19:42 - K·B Toys (RIP) on Wikipedia 19:54 - Gymboree on Wikipedia 24:57 - John asks Reddit: Is "guac" an old surf term? 25:32 - Dave Chappelle coins " Zip it up and zip it out " 26:32 - "Guac" in the LA Times, April 7, 1989
S3 E2 · Tue, October 20, 2020
The FDA gets salty. 0:01 - Underunderstood is on Patreon . THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who subscribed so far! 4:50 - TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUBCHAPTER B--FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION PART 164 -- TREE NUT AND PEANUT PRODUCTS Subpart B-- Requirements for Specific Standardized Tree Nut and Peanut Products Sec. 164.110 Mixed nuts. 7:15 - People on YouTube like counting nuts: Planters Mixed Nuts - Less Than 50% Peanuts? Let's Put It To The Test! Are Planter's mixed nuts really less than 50% peanuts? "LeSs ThAn 50% PeAnUtS" 7:49 - Andy Rooney on mixed nuts 14:57 - U.S. vs 25 bags of nuts 19:10 - FDA's first proposed mixed nuts rule, 1968 . If you've never had the pleasure of reading the Federal Register, you're welcome. 22:49 - Wikipedia article on mixed nuts 22:57 - Nicholas De Leon 29:20 - Mixing Up the Nuts (Consumer, 1985) . 34:03 - “When does it stop being peanut butter?”: FDA food standards of identity, RuthDesmond, and the shifting politics of consumer activism, 1960s–1970s article . Paper by Angie Boyce about food standards of identity and a legendary consumer advocate. 34:19 - Patreon , again! You can get access to our Discord where we talk about Trader Joe's snacks, and you get to help us pay for various pro software subscriptions.
S3 E1 · Tue, October 13, 2020
Once a photo gets on the internet, it could end up anywhere. 0:01 - We have a Patreon now! 2:13 - Product on Amazon 4:10 - Billy's tweet 4:22 - Hellicus's tweet 4:48 - Ryan Broderick 7:00 - CCbeauty's webpage 10:00 - HDcrafter link 1 11:20 - HDcrafter link 2 12:53 - Buzzfeed article 14:33 - Medium account 15:29 - About.me page 17:18 - Mr. Sparkle 25:53 - The guy who replaced Ryan is everywhere 26:46 - iFlashDeal bib 28:26 - Buzzfeed article translated into Chinese 29:19 - Francis on 17qq 31:56 - Graphika report (via Input ) 34:07 - foreigner face on Google HK 34:26 - foreigner on Google HK 34:37 - foreigner face on Baidu 35:37 - Baidu source 38:15 - New photos from Ryan 38:40 - The photo on Amazon has been updated again to a 3rd guy 39:14 - Ryan on new products ( screenshot ) 41:03 - Patreon
Bonus · Wed, August 26, 2020
Underunderstood returns October 13, 2020. Show notes: A Reddit theory about our absence Music from Underunderstood - Spotify , Apple Music , YouTube Music A fan dances to our theme song on TikTok
S2 E9 · Mon, February 10, 2020
Adrianne tries to figure out if there is a right way to play Netflix’s awkward social media game. 10:08 - Social Learning and Coordination in High-Stakes Games: Evidence from Friend or Foe 11:55 - Friend or Foe clip - YouTube 15:35 - Shubham Goel for Governor 2018 and video of Shubham’s campaign speech - Instagram 19:15 - Shubham's diagram 21:44 - Here's Why Richard Hatch Won't Be on Survivor's All-Winners Season - Men's Health 23:24 - The Winner of The Circle Opens Up About Life IRL - Wired and ‘The Circle’ on Netflix: 20 Burning Questions Answered - Decider 25:11 - Teaching Prisoners' Dilemma Strategies in Survivor: Reality Television in the IR Classroom - Mark B. Salter
S2 E8 · Tue, January 28, 2020
Why do so many Pennsylvania homes have freestanding toilets in their unfinished basements? 01:21 - Pittsburgh toilet - Wikipedia 02:44 - The dual toilets at Cloister Cafe - Yelp 04:19 - Peculiar Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh potty ... explained - YouTube 06:50 - Documenting The Pittsburgh Potty - 90.5 WESA 07:46 - The original version of this story misidentified this quote. It's from realtor Stephen Cummings. 08:11 - Slavery in Pittsburgh - Popular Pittsburgh 11:33 - Architect Offers Explanation For Pittsburgh’s Basement Toilets (And It’s Not What You Think) - 90.5 WESA 15:16 - Andrea Allen 16:22 - Double D Plumbing - Manta
S2 E7 · Tue, January 21, 2020
Is H&M using Billie Eilish to greenwash? 01:19 - H&M Now Sells Billie Eilish Merch — & It's Sustainable - Refinery29 03:05 - Sustainable Fashion on Wikipedia 04:29 - A copy H&M's press release 05:15 - Greenwashing on Wikipedia 05:49 - H&M's Billie Eilish collection 05:53 - H&M's Conscious Collection 06:20 - Here are some of the publications that called this line sustainable: Teen Vogue , MTV.com , Mic , WWD , NME 10:56 - "Is Billie Eilish's line at H&M sustainable?" - Google 12:56 - Greenwashing Alert: H&M and Billie Eilish Collaboration - Eco-Stylist 13:47 - Eco-Stylist's criteria for brands they work with and their transparency report outlining their ethics and business model 15:38 - H&M called out on "illegal" sustainability marketing - Ecotextile 24:40 - H&M: fair living wages were promised, poverty wages are the reality - International Labor Rights Forum 25:31 - Perspex's sustainability information page 26:24 - H&M Menlo Park 27:40 - H&M Woodbridge 31:00 - Sunrise Movement on Wikipedia 31:30 - Alex O'Keefe 36:53 - Sunrise Move
S2 E6 · Tue, January 14, 2020
Add “Smurf butt” to the list of things to expect when you’re expecting. 00:43 - Maile's original email included this article . 01:45 - When jeans bleed onto your skin, you can tell . 03:40 - According to a study done at Johns Hopkins there is a correlation between heartburn and hairiness. The heartburn is due to estrogen causing the esophageal sphincter to relax, which allows stomach acid to splash up into the esophagus. That estrogen is also responsible for hair growth in the developing baby. 04:45 - If you're interested in purchasing some art of a Smurf's butt crack, we got you . 06:01 - Chromhidrosis on Wikipedia 06:28 - This man turned blue and Oprah interviewed him about it in 2008. 11:00 - Here are some of the forums I browsed: What to Expect , CafeMom , Pregnant Chicken , Everyday Chemistry , Reddit , Pregnancy Podcast . 11:14 - Andrei Rebarber
Bonus · Tue, January 07, 2020
We’ve done 12 stories so far, and since we first published them there have been some updates, and new details have emerged. Today we’re rounding those up. Where’s My Chile? 3:50 - Elitech RC-4 Temperature Data Logger Recorder with External Temperature Sensor 7:50 - Ben Chapman and Don Schaffner of the Food Safety Talk podcast Underunderwear 10:26 - Chris' custom undies 10:34 - Here's a stock graphic that breaks it all down for you. Recorded for Awesomeness 14:22 - A screenshot of Yelp's app update Gas and Gains What Happened to the McFlurry? 21:40 - The Flurry Index 22:15 - Gavin Rehkemper's dataset of McDonald's locations in the USA
S2 E4 · Tue, December 17, 2019
00:22 - Cap'n Crunch was created by Pamela Low in 1963. 01:50 - Urban Dictionary defines Cap'n Crunch Mouth as "When the roof of your mouth gets all torn up after eating Cap'n Crunch or some other rough food." 02:23 - Underunderstood: The 9/11 Hoax That Wasn't 03:15 - The Try Guys: Eugene Ranks The Most Popular Cereals 07:11 - A collection of tweets claiming Cap'n Crunch has shrunk 08:21 - My Brother, My Brother and Me 16:20 - Partially hydrogenated oils (or PHOs) were deemed to be no longer classifiable as GRAS (which means "Generally Recognized as Safe") by the FDA in 2015 . 16:29 - Here are photos of a box of Cap'n Crunch from 1995 with "partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil" listed as an ingredient. It seems to have been replaced with "palm and/or coconut oil" in Cap'n Crunch currently sold in the United States . 18:38 - Jason Liebig on Twitter 18:44 - CollectingCandy.com 21:53 - Jason's Instagram is fun but his Flickr is INCREDIBLE 23:06 - Rockin' the 80’s – Tale of the 30-Year-Old Snickers 23:50 - New York Times article from 1994 about the Doritos redesign 25:05 - An archived version of Wikipedia featuring "Hot and Cold Nerds." 25:16 - Nerds Hot and Cool - Discovered!! A CollectingCandy.com World Premiere!! 25:49 - Statement from Quaker Foods 27:17 - Cereal Time TV - Gabe Fonseca's YouTube channel 27:46 - Gabe Fonseca on IMDB 27:48 - <a href="https:
S2 E3 · Tue, December 10, 2019
A small town fights for internet justice by boycotting biscuits. 2:23 - LulaRoe Defective Fail on Facebook 3:29 - Biscuitville page on Wikipedia 4:51 - Petition: BRING ABED HASSAN BACK on Change.org 13:53 - The First Pizzaville vs. The First Biscuitville 17:47 - Biscuitville announces a new president 18:56 - Jim Metevier (LinkedIn) 19:59 - Zaxby's (BONUS: Zaxby’s made it on My Brother My Brother and Me’s Munch Squad segment .) 21:48 - Mountain Mike's announces a new president
S2 E2 · Tue, December 03, 2019
How a misfit polka band scored a premium spot on the World Wide Web in 1995. 0:35 - " The Verge is an ambitious multimedia effort founded in 2011 to examine how technology will change life in the future for a massive mainstream audience." (The Verge) 4:05 - More Brave Combo accolades are on their Wikipedia page 4:11 - Bob Dylan's version of Brave Combo's polka arrangement of "Must Be Santa" (YouTube) 6:53 - Domain Name Journal 8:11 - What Brave.com/bo looked like in 1998 (Wayback Machine) 11:23 - Appropos of nothing, here's a figurine of Carl Finch for sale on Etsy . He also has his own Wikipedia page 13:01 - Beer Barrel Polka by Diet Polka (Soundcloud) 13:50 - Purple Haze - The Jimi Hendrix Polka, from Brave Combo album Polkasonic 14:18 - Brave Combo performs the Chicken Dance at a live show (YouTube) Brave Combo songs in this episode ( Spotify playlist ): "Do Something Different" "The Simpsons Theme" "In Heaven, There Is No Beer" "Ice Machine in the Desert" "Crazy Serbian Butcher's Dance" "Purple Haze (Polka Version)" "The Chicken Dance"
S2 E1 · Tue, November 26, 2019
McFlurries aren't what they used to be. Why did McDonald's stop stirring them? Show notes: 2:29 - McFlurry demo (YouTube) 6:40 - Adrianne's McFlurry 8:40 - Why Is the McFlurry Machine Down Again? (WSJ) 9:07 - Ice Check 10:10 - Are McFlurry's supposed to be mixed? (Reddit) 12:08 - On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane 15:06 - Whatever Happened to Pizza at McDonald's? 19:55 - VitaMix VM0804A - McFlurry Ice Cream Mixer (Used) 23:51 - I Tried To Get A Flurried McFlurry And This Is What Happened (Buzzfeed) 27:51 - Log your McFlurry at The Flurry Index
Bonus · Tue, October 22, 2019
While we’re working on new episodes of Underunderstood, we we'd share an episode of another podcast we love: Endless Thread. It’s a show that brings Reddit to life by tracking down its strangest, most compelling stories, and talking to the folks involved in those stories. This episode is about an old dice game called The Deadly Double. In order to find the origins of the game, Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson fall into a series of rabbit holes, including an enormous dice collection, a former FBI agent, and a Pearl Harbor conspiracy theory. -- Endless Thread is a podcast from WBUR and Reddit. You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Ben Brock Johnson – co-host/senior producer Amory Sivertson – co-host/producer Josh Swartz – producer Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus
S1 E8 · Tue, August 27, 2019
Adrianne buys some money online in order to track down a rumor about Chinese bank tellers. 2:06 - Photos of the $100 bills: Front / Back 3:35 - Hell money 13:18 - Reporter Jon Christian 16:35 - Wayne Homren's blog post from 2011 19:00 - Money Makers (99% Invisible) 21:30 - Fascinating ways to count money! Bank teller shows quick counting skills (YouTube) 21:40 - Chinese cashier's amazing cash counting skills (YouTube) 21:50 - Chinese bank teller counts money by ear (YouTube) 25:59 - The Knowledge Custom art for Underunderstood is made by Phil Robibero . Underunderstood is taking a break. We'll be back in November. Don't forget about us, and send story ideas to hello@underunderstood.com . We'll be dropping some bonus material, so stay subscribed for updates.
S1 E7 · Tue, August 20, 2019
John finds out if it is safe to eat a suitcase full of chili peppers that have been missing for three days. 5:45 - Where’s My Suitcase 8:16 - #wheresmysuitcase on Twitter is a harrowing scene 10:50 - Bags, Inc. 11:11 - Bags VIP 11:50 - Bags, Inc.’s corporate video on Vimeo 14:04 - We cannot link to F-14 Baggage because they have absolutely no web presence 18:40 - The Middle Seat at the Wall Street Journal 21:00 - The weather in Albuquerque in January 2019 22:56 - The weather in New York City in January 2019 23:45 - “SP Plus Corporation Agrees to Acquire Bags” 23:52 - SP Plus’s official website 27:57 - A lot of chatter on Twitter about wheresmysuitcase.com 30:32 - Z Orange Systems 36:10 - Food Safety Talk , a podcast hosted by Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman Custom art for this episode was created by Phil Robibero . You can see it here . A special request: Have you ever been mad at your spouse, or anyone, for something that happened in a dream? Has anyone ever been mad at you because of something you did in their dream? Tell us about it. You can leave us a voice message on Anchor , or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to hello@underunderstood.com .
S1 E6 · Tue, August 13, 2019
The surprising history behind a charming marquee in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Show notes: 00:06 - Billy shot and edited Underunderstood's trailer video in one day. 00:24 - KCRW's 7th Annual 24-Hour Radio Race 00:58 - KCRW announced the theme on Twitter 01:09 - Wiktionary defines "where the sun don't shine" as "up or in the anus." 03:27 - Little Theatre on Cinema Treasures 03:36 - This little porn movie house learned to survive for decades -- until last week - NJ.com 04:51 - Whitney Strub blogs at strublog 05:55 - NJTV News was there as the Whole Foods opened. 06:23 - Audible's Innovation Cathedral 06:29 - The Cameo on Cinema Treasures 06:48 - Club Zanzibar - Wikipedia 07:05 - The Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium was actually built before Zanzibar's building was demolished, but it was removed to make room for new development and now the stadium, which was sold to a private developer for a loss, will likely be demolished as well . 07:44 - Can New Jersey's Last Porn Theater Survive Gentrification? - Vice 08:31 - The thread on AdultDVDTalk.com 10:43 - The four minute version of this story for KCRW's Radio Race
S1 E5 · Tue, August 06, 2019
Adrianne tries to order from a local sushi restaurant, but an unfamiliar voice answers, promising "awesomeness." Awesomeness for whom? Show notes: 2:16 - “ GrubHub is buying up thousands of restaurant web addresses. That means Mom and Pop can’t own their slice of the internet ,” published June 28, 2019 by H. Claire Brown at The New Food Economy. 13:07 - Dark patterns 13:54 - A report about Munish Narula’s class action lawsuit from Nation’s Restaurant News 14:19 - “Restaurateurs across the country say they are waking up to a years-long, high-tech bamboozling by Grubhub involving hidden fees for orders that never happened,” reads the lede for The New York Post’s first story in a series on phony fees, May 19, 2019. 23:03 - “ Grubhub repays one eatery $10K over fee protest ,” published June 24, 2019 by The New York Post. 23:30 - Watch the full hearing, “The Changing Market for Food Delivery,” here . 32:17 - Grubhub and Yelp announced a “long-term partnership” in 2017
S1 E4 · Tue, July 30, 2019
Billy’s sister thinks a photo that repeatedly goes viral on Reddit is suspicious. Show notes: 0:40 – All of the photos discussed in this episode are available on our website 2:02 – Snopes: “Is This a Photograph of a World Trade Center Tourist on 9/11?” 3:23 – Pinball Gallery 5:59 – The Balloon Saloon has nothing to do with this episode, but it is a place in Tribeca. 6:39 – In 2014, Austin Sansone popped up on Reddit to claim the photo. 8:05 – Former child actor Mark Lester 26:35 – r/AlternateAngles 26:45 – The photo got another boost of attention in 2018, when it showed up on Reddit again. 26:51 – Aol published an article that was also posted on Yahoo.
S1 E3 · Tue, July 23, 2019
A Wikipedia stub about the worst Florida theme park idea ever sends John on a search for the reason it never opened. Show notes: 0:45 - New Vietnam on Wikipedia 1:12 - Dolly Parton's Stampede (formerly Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede) 2:16 - Carl McIntire on Wikipedia 3:52 - Wild West City 5:50 - New Vietnam in Uncle John's Ahh-Inspiring Bathroom Reader 7:25 - Portable Press 8:11 - 20th Century Reformation Hour 8:44 - Some clips of the 20th Century Reformation Hour 9:37 - Christianity Today, May 2002 (paywall) 10:41 - Dr. Randall Balmer's website 12:42 - Fred Phelps on YouTube 14:54 - The Carl McIntire Collection at Princeton Theological Seminary Library 15:55 - Faraday Cage 19:03 - " Body Counts " by Dr. Yen Espiritu 24:27 - FCC Fairness Doctrine 24:46 - Infowars on Wikipedia 24:50 - This American Life episode about Alex Jones 29:17 - History of the Present (registration required), an article about film theory published in The North American Review in 1976, led us to the Newsweek story about New Vietnam. 30:40 - Actually, Newsweek's online archives only go back to 2013 30:48 - The September 8, 1975 issue of Newsweek that John bought on eBay 37:19 -
S1 E2 · Tue, July 16, 2019
A tweetstorm about men’s role in pregnancy leads Regina to find a man who spent over a decade suppressing his sperm count with a piece of yarn. Show notes: 00:33 - Wikipedia page for heat-based contraception 00:57 - The movie 'Heat' is the first time Robert De Niro and Al Pacino starred in a movie together 01:31 - Regina would like to state for the record that said baby is now 1 year old, absolutely adorable, and spends significantly less time crying than she did at the time of the initial pitch. 01:40 - The tweet storm that started it all 03:23 - Chris Jenks' website 04:00 - The underwear 04:43 - Billy spent approximately 10 minutes explaining what a cordstop is here. It has been cut down for your entertainment and also because who cares about cordstops this much. 05:41 - Kaleb Dornheim wrote this article about how to tuck safely 08:38 - Chris' LinkedIn page 12:31 - Marthe Voegeli 16:54 - According to Weather Underground, the average temperature of the day was 54 degrees Fahrenheit 20:06 - John K Amory 22:12 - "Breakthrough for male contraceptives?" in Daily Mail UK 27:42 - Elon Musk's net worth is reportedly in the range of 20 billion US dollars 27:50 - Paul Allen - Wikipedia
S1 E1 · Tue, July 09, 2019
After watching an episode of “Catfish: The TV Show,” Billy goes on a deep dive to find the meaning of a curious ankle tattoo, the eccentricities of the Philadelphia accent, and one man’s fixation with the word “gas.” Show notes: 00:40 - Catfish: The TV Show - Wikipedia 00:57 - Catfish - Season 7, Episode 18 - Nick and Jasmine (video) 01:35 - To Catch a Predator - Wikipedia 01:46 - Definition of Catfish by Merriam-Webster The scene (video) from Catfish (the 2010 documentary) where the term was coined 03:36 - "Gayus" video clip from Catfish (video) 05:27 - Wawa 06:46 - MFSB - South Philly 08:04 - Nick: @NickFresh215 / @NickFresh215 08:14 - Jimmy: @jimmyharrity / @jimmy_harrity 09:22 - Jordan Oplinger on Twitter 13:03 - Mean Girls - Stop trying to make fetch happen (video) 16:39 - Betsy Sneller's personal website 17:11 - William Labov - Wikipedia 17:23 - Sociolinguistics - Wikipedia 19:06 - Mechanisms of Phonological Change by Betsy Sneller 20:08 - /æ/ raising - Wikipedia 26:31 - Excerpt from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams 28:01 - History of the Irish Americans in Philadelphia - Wikipedia 28:23 - Irish slang videos on YouTube Irish Time with Jack! (video) Irish Slang / Teaching Irish Slang (video) <a href="https://youtu.be/R5
Trailer · Fri, June 28, 2019
There are questions the internet just hasn't answered yet. We investigate those questions and get the answers.
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