Lamp of Illusions: A Meme Exploration

"Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?"

More than a decade ago, someone posted this question to Reddit. It was a popular post with many responses. But one response would go beyond the realm of popularity into something else. Internet canon, perhaps?

The Redditor gave a detailed account of their life. It was a good life, they said. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.

The post would go on to inspire hundreds of memes and boggle the minds of countless people. Endless Thread's Ben Brock Johnson brings co-host Amory Sivertson the story of the strange lamp.

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Credits: This episode was produced by Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Our co-hosts are Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.