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The Worst of All Possible Worlds

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Sep 7, 2024 • 2h 17min

154 - When Dobson Met Bundy… (feat. I Hate James Dobson) [Whit’s Endless Summer 38]

Jake from the I Hate James Dobson podcast joins the lads for a Whit’s Endless Summer: Origins as they zero in on Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and his interview with one of the most vicious monsters in American history: Ted Bundy. Topics include the psychopathy of Bundy, the narcissism of Dobson, and the horrific societal implications of trying to ban Santa from your phone sexline.   I Hate James Dobson: Join therapists Jake (a former Evangelical) and Brooke (who knows almost nothing about Evangelical culture) as they read and tear apart Dobson’s works. Get ready to laugh, cry, and rip your hair out as we explore the very many reasons why I Hate James Dobson. Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram Media Referenced in this Episode: The Playlist WHMB-TV Indianapolis Ted Bundy Final Interview & Panel Discussion, 1989 January 23, 1989 Dr James Dobson press conference on eve of Ted Bundy’s execution Dr. James Dobson Interview About Pornography & Ted Bundy Dr James Dobson - Pornography: Addictive, Progressive and Deadly Ted Bundy Dr. James Dobson on the 30th anniversary of Bundy's execution The Research “3 state attorneys leaving: Tanner didn't run from controversy” by Dana Treen. The Florida-Times Union. Jan. 4th, 2009. “Anti-pornography groups reportedly got profits from Ted Bundy tape” Tampa Bay Times, April 7, 1990 Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, Final Report The Historical Timeline of Focus on the Family Defending the Devil : My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer by Polly Nelson. William Morrow and Company. 1952. James Dobson's War on America by Gil Alexander-Moegerle. Prometheus Books. 1997. “Last Bundy Interview Called ‘Con Game’” Deseret News, September 12, 1989 The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy by Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth. Authorlink Press. 1999. “The Root of James Dobson’s Political Power Is Decades of Parenting Advice” by Sarah McCammon. Time. July 25th, 2024. The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. Pocket Books. 2009. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com   Commercial: “The Interview” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Starring Zac Moon as “Ted Tindale” and James Fouhey as “Kerrin J. Wyatt” // Feat. “Fleetwood Mac - The Chain: violin cover” by Steve Bingham.
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Sep 2, 2024 • 43min

INTERVIEW: Jason Koebler on the origins of Shrimp Jesus

Jason Koebler is a co-founder and editor of 404 Media. Throughout 2024 Jason has been reporting on Facebook and how it’s become overrun with uncanny AI content, and last month he figured out where it’s all coming from. This morning Josh sat down with Jason to learn more about his reporting, and over the course of 40 minutes they talked about the degradation of Facebook and how it may be a sign of things to come for the rest of the internet. Read more from Jason: Where Facebook's AI Slop Comes From Facebook’s AI Spam Isn’t the ‘Dead Internet’: It’s the Zombie Internet Do You Like These AI Images of Dying, Mutilated Children? Facebook Algorithm Wonders Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click Farms Check out Jason’s podcast: The 404 Media Podcast Listen to Jason's episode of Ten Thousand Posts: The Big Slop Part 1 feat. Jason Koebler Get access to our full episode about Shrimp Jesus and the Death of Facebook, plus 70+ more premium episodes, for $5/month at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/worstofall
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Aug 28, 2024 • 2h 19min

153 - Cities: Skylines (feat. Justin Roczniak)

Justin Roczniak (Well There’s Your Problem) joins the lads from some good, old-fashioned city planning as they cover Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive’s 2015 city building simulator: Cities: Skylines. Topics include the origins of city building sims, the many pleasures of Ulm, and the horrors of fully-rendered teeth in a game where you just want to optimize traffic flow. Justin Roczniak: Twitter // Youtube Well There’s Your Problem is a podcast about engineering disasters and systemic failures, from a leftist perspective, with jokes. Youtube / Twitter / Instagram / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Media Referenced in this Episode: Cities: Skylines. Colossal Order. 2015. Cities: Skylines 2. Colossal Order. 2023. Urban Dynamics. Jay W. Forrester. 1969. Playing Cities Skylines 2 While Getting Dangled From a Crane TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “Andy Phillips Presenting to the Doodleburg Town Council On the Eve of the Great ‘Fill The Hole’ Construction Project, July 15th, 2044 ” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Starring A.J. Ditty as “Councilman Mancouncil” and David Armstrong as “Andy Phillips” and “Charles Foster Chungus”.
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Aug 21, 2024 • 23min

152 - Tom Goes to the Mayor

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads get photocopied and make their way to Jefferton, alive, as they cover Tim and Eric’s Adult Swim debut: Tom Goes to the Mayor. Topics include the origins of Tim and Eric, their many innovations to comedy, and the prescience of a show that predicted A.I. with a calcucorn. Media Referenced In this Episode: Tom Goes to the Mayor. Created by Tim And Eric. 2004. Tom Goes To The Mayor - A Look Behind “‘Tom Goes to the Mayor’ granted second season” Today. May 31st, 2006. Tom Goes To The Mayor Unaired Pilot # 1 Tom Goes To The Mayor Returns (Unaired Pilot # 2) UsedWigs Interview with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim “Q&A: Tim and Eric's suburban-hell masterpiece, 'Tom Goes to the Mayor'” by Coury Turczyn. Popcult. February 22nd. 2018. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “Coyote Alert” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Starring A.J. Ditty as “Johnny Danger” and Brian Alford as “The Boss Man”
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Aug 14, 2024 • 2h 7min

151 - Moneyball

The lads throw on their Oakland A’s jerseys and get a little romantic about baseball as they cover Bennett Miller’s 2011 anti-sports film: Moneyball. Topics include the chaotic pre-production, the highs and lows of the Zaillian/Sorkin screenplay, and what it means to build a film around a philosophy that would ultimately change baseball for the worse. Media Referenced in this Episode: Moneyball. Dir. Bennett Miller. 2011. “Brad Pitt Reveals What He, Sony Did to Save ‘Moneyball’” by Alex Ben Block. The Hollywood Reporter. December 16th, 2011. “Soderbergh's Moneyball mothballed” by Xan Brooks. The Guardian. July 3rd, 2009. “THR’s Writer Roundtable: 6 Top Scribes Talk Standing Up to Clint Eastwood, Dealing with Rewrites and Being Fired by Your Wife” by Matthew Belloni and Stephen Galloway. The Hollywood Reporter. November 21st, 2011. VIDEO: A-Rod regrets kissing mirror in 2009 photo shoot TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “Betrayal” feat. Ben Schrager as “Mr.” and Anne Huston as “Mrs.”
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Aug 7, 2024 • 21min

150 - The Worst of All Possible Parties (WAPP): The 150th Episode Spectacular LIVE from Colorado Springs

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads make their long-awaited pilgrimage to the rotten heart of the evangelical project, Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO, to cover the 1000th episode celebration of Adventures in Odyssey. Topics include the horrific vibes, Adventures in Odyssey trading cards, and what it means to watch a corpse of an organization come together to celebrate their own slow, inevitable demise. DONATE TO PRISM COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE, PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey Commercial: “A Conspiracy Theorist Sits Alone in the Denver International Airport”
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Jul 31, 2024 • 2h 19min

149 - A.I.: Artificial Intelleugence (feat. Juniper) [Whit’s Endless Summer 37]

OUR LIVE SHOW IN COLORADO SPRINGS IS THIS WEEKEND, SUNDAY, AUGUST 4. CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS! Juniper (Western Kabuki) visits the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in escape rooms, game nights, and bidding farewell to a beloved Odyssian through the power of deepfakes. Topics include Jigsaw middle schoolers, the rage of the Whit 3, and the complicated legacy of both Eugene Meltsner and the man who leant him his voice: Will Ryan. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Juniper: Twitch // Patreon // Twitter Western Kabuki: Juniper and Caleb with their trusty producer Alex delve into internet topics du jour. Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter Episode with Josh about the Red Heifer Prophecy Cratediving: a show where june & snailey plunder the depths of the internet to listen and react to the most esoteric music they can find Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey #877: A Sacrificial Escape #952: Game Night #966-969: The Best is Yet To Come, Parts 1-4 Buckles the Echidna by AshleyFluttershy on DeviantArt   TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “Estragonov’s Escape Room Express”
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Jul 24, 2024 • 21min

148 - Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden (feat. Data Transfer)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Audrey and Korla (Data Transfer) take the lads on a trip to the post-cyberpocalypse as they cover Tales of Game’s infamous free-to-play sequel to a certain Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes mashup: Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. Topics include the game’s overt racism, forum culture in the mid-2000s, and the lessons to be learned from a game where Charles Barkley destroys half of New York with a Chaos Dunk. LIVE SHOW TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW Data Transfer: A watch-along series for the Digimon franchise, where two transfemme dorks make their way through every season of Digimon anime that exists. Hosts Audrey and Korla discuss each episode with an intensely queer lens and share their experiences with Digimon throughout their lives along the way. Website // Spotify // Apple Podcasts Post Ponies: Episode recaps of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, hoping to glean something about the rise of fascism in America and around the world. Somehow. Hosted by four trans girls who can not be trusted with the aux. It will not be safe for work. Website // Spotify // Apple Podcasts Radio Free Tote Bag: A weekly relationship advice podcast hosted by Audrey and Donovan. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram Media Referenced in this Episode: Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. Tales of Game’s. 2008. GZ Post on SA forums about the State of Barkley 2 Shaq mocks Charles Barkley for his role in Space Jam - Inside the NBA Barkley 2 - an RPG Sequel to Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden The future of Barkley 2 Update 35: Information about Barkley 2 Updates - why you haven't heard from us and why the game isn't dead yet. · Barkley 2 - an RPG Sequel to Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “A Reading of The Navy Seal Copypasta”
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Jul 17, 2024 • 2h 2min

147 - Chrono Trigger (feat. Anime Sickos)

Tom and Joe (Anime Sickos) throw the lads in the Epoch and hop through time as they cover Square’s landmark 1995 RPG: Chrono Trigger. Topics include the thrill of flame tornados, the anxieties of action time battle, and the importance of camaraderie in the face of an apocalyptic DJ from space. LIVE SHOW TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO BUY YOUR TICKETS Anime Sickos: A podcast for geniuses about the four pillars of modern misery: anime, gaming, posting, & jobs. Starring Tom & Joe. New episodes every Wednesday. Patreon // Twitter // Tumblr Media Referenced in this Episode: Chrono Trigger. Square, 1995. Chrono Trigger – 1995 Developer Interviews - shmuplations.com Commercial: “A Message from the Nu” O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei (Remix in style of Sega Genesis 16 bit)
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Jul 10, 2024 • 21min

146 - Shrimp Jesus and the Death of Facebook

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads made this episode with their own hands! 😊 Why do episodes like this never get likes? 😢💔 AmenAmenAmen. 🙏🇺🇸 It is our birthday and nobody wished us one. So excited to begin our cake journey. 🎂 Did you notice when it left you? Why don’t you see these anymore? Gone too soon! ✝️ The joy, the bursts of pleasure, the camaraderie? She did good work, we’re so proud of her! 🤩 This is a place of ghosts. King Charles visited Sudan to feed the hungry children! 🫅🇸🇩 And soon you will join us in the mist. Wow, made it to 100, who else can relate? 💯 Amen. TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW IN COLORADO SPRINGS ON AUGUST 8 ARE AVAILABLE NOW! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND TO BUY YOUR TICKETS Media Referenced in this Episode: Facebook blog postsSeptember 5, 2006 - Facebook deprecates the original Wall in favor of the News Feed. A post made to someone else’s profile can now show up on the home page of anyone who is friends with that person September 5, 2006 - Mark Zuckerberg makes a highly defensive and condescending post responding to negative feedback about the shift to the news feed September 8, 2006 - Zucc makes a considerably more measured follow-up post introducing new privacy settings but doubling down on his commitment to “free flow of information on the internet” November 6, 2007 - Facebook introduces its new social ad platform in tandem with Pages, implementing the final piece of its core user monetization strategy February 12, 2009 - Facebook introduces the Like button February 24, 2016 - Facebook rolls out Reactions (love, haha, wow, sad, angery) globally News articles:“Ted Cruz using firm that harvested data on millions of unwitting Facebook users” by Harry Davies. The Guardian. December 11th, 2015. “A timeline of Facebook's privacy issues — and its responses” by Alyssa Newcomb. NBC News. March 24, 2018 “Five Points for Anger, One for a ‘Like’: How Facebook’s Formula Fostered Rage and Misinformation” by Jeremy B. Merrill and Will Oremus. Washington Post. October 26th, 2021 How Spammers, Scammers and Creators Leverage AI-Generated Images on Facebook for Audience Growth by Renee DiResta and Josh A. Goldstein. Pre-print paper, Stanford University. Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click Farms by Jason Koebler. 404 Media, March 19, 2024 Facebook’s AI Spam Isn’t the ‘Dead Internet’: It’s the Zombie Internet by Jason Koebler. 404 Media, May 2, 2024 Misc.”AI is Ruining the Internet” by Drew Gooden. Commercial: “Scrolling Through Your Old Facebook Feed at 4AM” Round Here Piano Cover by John Baumgardn

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