Endless Thread

The podcast discusses 'To Catch a Predator' and its impact on the rise of Chris Hanson wannabes, strange videos, predator catchers, and the use of virtual reality to treat pedophilia. It explores the effectiveness of influencers in exposing predators and delves into controversial content.

Endless Thread explores the Lofi Girl phenomenon, its origins, and its impact on individuals' study practices. The podcast delves into the calming effect of Lofi Girl's nostalgic environment and discusses the positive and non-toxic community it has fostered. Additionally, it explores the therapeutic benefits of lo-fi music for neurodivergent individuals and follows the career of a musician who found success through the lo-fi scene.

Gen Zers are archiving the elevator music from the Twin Towers on 9/11. They discuss the online community, searching for specific songs, and the significance of preserving the memory. The mystery song and the involvement of musician Mike Strickland add intrigue to the search.

The cover art for the 1976 paperback edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic sci-fi/fantasy novel "A Wrinkle in Time" — featuring a rainbow-winged centaur and a green, glowering, red-eyed face — is iconic. And yet, for nearly 50 years, no one has known who illustrated it. Well, not NO ONE. Not anymore... Endless Thread cracks the case!

Exploring a daring proposal from Reddit to mitigate rising sea levels. The idea of filling Death Valley to offset ocean levels, its challenges and potential benefits. The ancient water-filled past of Death Valley. Feasibility, impacts, and ethical dilemmas of flooding Death Valley. The impact of climate change on animals, plants, and the need for action.

Exploring the fascination with Devil's Tower and its connection to aliens. Man's adventure of marooning himself on a rock and becoming famous. Exploring misconceptions and alternative names for Devil's Tower. Conflicts between rock climbers and Native American tribes over access to the rock formation. Exploring the significance of Mato Tipila and its connection to indigenous culture.

Two years ago, he didn’t even know slime molds existed. Now, he may be the internet’s most famous slime savant. Co-hosts Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson take a walk in the park with Regular Slime Guy. Credits: This episode was written and produced by Dean Russell. Mixing and sound design by Emily Jankowski. Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson are the co-hosts. (Photo by Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"To avoid crowds, visit areas that are less crowded." These comically obvious, wise words come from the Twitter account — ahem, X account — of the National Park Service, who has been hitting it out of the park lately (get it?) with its social media content and reaping viral rewards. Who is behind this material? And why has a more than hundred year old government agency chosen to let its hair down on social media?  Amory and Ben talk to the National Park Service's lone social media ranger, Matt Turner, and to Sarah Southerland from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, whose delightfully outrageous social media presence has captured the hearts and funny bones of hundreds of thousands of people. 

If there is an OG meme in which a human is the star, Scumbag Steve is it. He spread across the internet like wildfire in 2011 as a universal representation of dudes who are the worst. And, like any person grappling with immediate internet fame, Blake Boston — the man behind Scumbag Steve — tried to capitalize: merch, rap songs, public appearances. But the full story of what happened to Blake — and his family — has never been told. The Scumbag Steve meme became a bargaining chip in a custody battle, a complicating factor in meeting his birth mother, the cause of fights with extended family members, a source of anxiety attacks, and an echo of trauma. In this episode, we go past the origin story of Scumbag Steve and learn about Blake’s real struggles with PTSD and abuse — and how trauma has brought him and his mother, Susan Boston, even closer. 

In times like these, you've got to take joy wherever and however you can get it. Amory and Ben swap unexpected sources of joy they've bumped into recently — from a goblin-themed Reddit post, to the scariest toe talons on the internet, to a funky 1980's little-known bop about going to the beach on Massachusetts' North Shore.