
Secretly Incredibly Fascinating
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way! (For research sources, bonus episodes, and how you can support the podcast, visit sifpod.fun.)
Latest episodes

Apr 10, 2023 • 1h 8min
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why the phrase "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" is secretly incredibly fascinating. Special guest: Jason Pargin.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Apr 3, 2023 • 1h 7min
Taxidermy
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why taxidermy is secretly incredibly fascinating. Special guests: Christian & Ellen Weatherford.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Mar 27, 2023 • 59min
Ducks
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why ducks are secretly incredibly fascinating. Special guests: Jordan Morris and Jesse Thorn.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Mar 20, 2023 • 1h 11min
Pickles
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why pickles are secretly incredibly fascinating. Special guest: Elliott Kalan.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Mar 13, 2023 • 1h 5min
The Ferris Wheel
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why Ferris wheels are secretly incredibly fascinating.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Mar 10, 2023 • 5min
Mario Day programming note, and MaxFun Drive heads-ups
Hey this is Alex! We made a special SIF episode about the Mario movie. Become a supporter to hear it!To become a supporter, start a Maximum Fun membership here: https://maximumfun.org/join It'll ask which shows you're supporting. Select "Secretly Incredibly Fascinating". Then that leads you to a Bonus Content ("BoCo") page, where there's a special Secretly Incredibly Fascinating Bonus Content Feed AND an all-of-MaxFun bonus feed. Our special episode about the 1993 'Super Mario Bros.' movie is hosted in the Secretly Incredibly Fascinating Bonus Content Feed.Join our Discord! We hang out there every week. There's also extra tips there for getting your bonus feeds. Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Here's the link to Alex's special FAQ show about all things Maximum Fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kNplapKs-wHere's the list of this year's MaxFun meetups on Thurs. March 23rd: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=142eOvPSsWQLACZJyd2b9e8sJcmjnc-w&ll=38.449103683287106%2C-98.16156520000001&z=4 Click the locations for details. And here's more info about that MaxFun Meetup Day: https://maximumfun.org/events/meetups/maxfun-meetup-day-2023/Thanks for reading/listening. E-mail Alex (sifpod@gmail.com) if you have any questions. And remember: trust the fungus.

Mar 6, 2023 • 56min
Duct Tape
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why duct tape is secretly incredibly fascinating.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Hear Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Feb 27, 2023 • 1h 7min
High Fives
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why high fives are secretly incredibly fascinating. They also interview returning guest (and National High Five Day co-founder!) Conor Lastowka.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode.Hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5Check out Alex's new "explainer podcast" about all things MaxFun: https://youtu.be/6kNplapKs-w (It's uploaded to YouTube because he filmed his face while he taped it.)

Feb 20, 2023 • 56min
Leap Day
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why Leap Day is secretly incredibly fascinating.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode. And hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5

Feb 13, 2023 • 1h 3min
Yeast
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why yeast is secretly incredibly fascinating.Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week's bonus episode. And hang out with us on the new SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5
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