Underunderstood podcast artwork

PODCAST · society

Underunderstood

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.

  1. 58

    Update + LIVE show!

    It's been a while! We have a quick update about our schedule, plus details about our first-ever LIVE SHOW! Underunderstood LiveTuesday August 1, 2023, 7pmCaveat, NYC (21+)Tickets (both live and virtual!) at Caveat's website

  2. 57

    Big Ideas Lost to Mini Rooms

    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 [email protected] 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

  3. 56

    Even If It's Fake, It's Real

    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 [email protected] 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)

  4. 55

    The Other Masked Magician

    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 [email protected] 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)

  5. 54

    What's the Deal With Airport Food?

    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 [email protected] 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)

  6. 53

    Hunting for Manhunt

    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 [email protected] 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)

  7. 52

    MTV Cribs or MTV Fibs?

    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 [email protected] 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)

  8. 51

    Did Daft Punk Record ‘Pee is Stored in the Balls?’

    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 [email protected] 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)

  9. 50

    Mail Time!

    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 [email protected] 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

  10. 49

    What happened to Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom?

    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 [email protected] 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

  11. 48

    Why Is It Called a Triscuit?

    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 [email protected] 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)

  12. 47

    Raisin Suspicion

    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 [email protected] 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)

  13. 46

    Tough Calls

    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 [email protected] 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)

  14. 45

    How Far Is Tattoo Far: Real or Fake?

    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 [email protected] 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 Screenshot of Darcy’s tattoo Darcy on HFITF – MTV on YouTube BDave on HFITF – MTV BDave’s tattoo visible on YouTube: June 2019, October 2020, January 2023 Connor and Trevor showing their tattoos, March 2019 – YouTube Darcy talking about her HFITF experience – YouTube MTV has not yet responded to our request for comment.

  15. 44

    I Want My MTV Dial Position Sticker

    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)

  16. 43

    One More Thing… Deodorant

    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 – Apple Has Increased Use of Cargo Ships - MacRumors 33:00 – Items under code 330720 with "personal effects" in the description - Zauba 35:52 – Why do Apple stores all smell the way they do? - Quora 36:35 – What is a fact that you know about Apple products that most people don't know? - Quora 38:48 – Packaging PD team job listing - Apple 45:46 – Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod

  17. 42

    Mystery Sounds + Some Personal News

    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.

  18. 41

    2-for-1: Pursuit and Pizza

    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

  19. 40

    Lou Pearlman Tried to Send a Boy Band to Space

    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

  20. 39

    California License Plate 2SAM564

    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

  21. 38

    Chief Laugh Officer

    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

  22. 37

    Who Is John, the Psychic Santa from The Circle?

    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)

  23. 36

    The Most Popular Snoopy Quote in Japan

    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

  24. 35

    Side Quests: Tampons, iCarly, and Fruit Snacks

    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 Teen Choice Awards in 2008 Mystery fruit snacks 28:24 – Betty Crocker Scooby Doo fruit snacks 32:20 – Surf’s Up Tutti-Fruit Fruit Snacks package 32:27 – Rollerblade Fruit Snacks package 36:18 – Rollerblade Fruit Snacks pouch

  25. 34

    A Conspiracy Theory About Area Codes

    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”

  26. 33

    How Cool Ranch Doritos Got Cooler

    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

  27. 32

    Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute

    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

  28. 31

    How Long Does Lipstick Last on a Dead Body?

    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 – Stability Testing Guidance for Product Safety and Shelf-life Insight 22:40 – Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics 27:00 – Microbes A-Z: Your Questions Answered 31:50 – Kalon Massage Cream

  29. 30

    Why Is This Sheriff Arresting Fire TV Sellers?

    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 – Full response from the Polk County Sheriff's office 42:34 – Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use 43:21 – ‘Star Trek’ and Dr. Seuss Mash-Up Not Protected, Court Rules - NYT 44:00 – The officially sanctioned reading of ‘Oh, the Places You'll Go!’ by Michelle Obama - YouTube

  30. 29

    Jeff Goldblum’s Secret Tattoo

    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 Support Underunderstood on Patreon and get access to our Discord community and bonus podcast, Overunderstood!

  31. 28

    Does Anyone Remember this Robot Vegetable Band?

    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

  32. 27

    The Case of the Blah Blah Blahs

    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)

  33. 26

    Closing the Loop on China's Mystery Seeds

    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 website for Amazon sellers and Moss on Zhihu. 34:07 - Honest Buyers Club on Facebook is an example of one of these groups. Once you get involved, you’ll start to get one-on-one messages from sellers. To clarify, I (Adrianne) have never actually ordered anything, I just lurk and try to harass people into doing an interview (100% failure rate). I’m definitely not endorsing giving your address out to strangers on the internet, but I think these guys are mostly legit. So, maybe you could give them, like, a PO box? 36:06 - ”Evaluation blacklist” — a crowdsourced list of people who accept free gifts without providing the requisite review

  34. 25

    The One About the Masked Singer

    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 Underunderstood on Patreon to hear twice as much of us every week or leave a (nice) review on Apple Podcasts

  35. 24

    Justice for Jocko

    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." New York City, 1974. (Photo by Jill Freedman/Getty Images). 29:37 - The Wildlife Conservation Society told me they had no records, but stuff like this and this seems promising. 30:24 - CORRECTION: I said University of North Carolina in the episode, but I meant North Carolina State University. Ugh. 31:34 - Angry Keeper Stages Monkey House Lock‐In And more stuff here.

  36. 23

    Tom and Gerry

    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 - hereGeraldine 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," written by Elisabeth Bumiller and published by The Washington Poston April 29, 1984 19:05 - Here are the details for Caroline's article, published in 2015. 20:46 - Some of the great research Caroline is referencing can be found in these research study results from Celinda Lake for Name It Change It with the Women's Media Canter and She Should Run. 23:07 - "Cosmetic Coverage," by Jennifer L Pozner 24:47 - The Representation Project. 34:39 - Check out our patreon to sign up and get access to Overunderstood as well as our Discord channel!

  37. 22

    The Guacfather

    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

  38. 21

    May Contain Up To 60% Peanuts

    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 - <a href=" https://twitter.com/nicholasadeleon">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.

  39. 20

    Amazon's Next Top Model

    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

  40. 19

    The One About The Circle

    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

  41. 18

    The Pittsburgh Potty

    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

  42. 17

    A Tale of Two Billies

    Is H&amp;M using Billie Eilish to greenwash? 01:19 - H&amp;M Now Sells Billie Eilish Merch — &amp; It's Sustainable - Refinery29 03:05 - Sustainable Fashion on Wikipedia 04:29 - A copy H&amp;M's press release 05:15 - Greenwashing on Wikipedia 05:49 - H&amp;M's Billie Eilish collection 05:53 - H&amp;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&amp;M sustainable?" - Google 12:56 - Greenwashing Alert: H&amp;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&amp;M called out on "illegal" sustainability marketing - Ecotextile 24:40 - H&amp;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&amp;M Menlo Park 27:40 - H&amp;M Woodbridge 31:00 - Sunrise Movement on Wikipedia 31:30 - Alex O'Keefe 36:53 - Sunrise Movement is asking people to hold 2020 launch parties on January 29. You only need gather a few friends, and it's a great way to get started in collective action.

  43. 16

    Toilet Seat Blues

    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

  44. 15

    Grab Bag

    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

  45. 14

    The Incredible Shrinking Cap’n

    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 - Gabe eating Cap'n Crunch from the 90s on YouTube 28:19 - Screenshot of Gabe holding old Cap'n Crunch up to the camera 29:46 - Gabe's measurement on the vintage Cap'n Crunch box 30:16 - Billy's photoshop to determine the size of 90s Cap'n Crunch 34:45 - Official written statement from Cap'n Crunch Episode artwork by Phil Robibero

  46. 13

    43 Years in Biscuitville

    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

  47. 12

    Brave Dot Com

    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"

  48. 11

    What Happened To the McFlurry?

    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

  49. 10

    Endless Thread: The Deadly Double

    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

  50. 9

    What To Do With Fake Money

    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 [email protected]. We'll be dropping some bonus material, so stay subscribed for updates.

Type above to search every episode's transcript for a word or phrase. Matches are scoped to this podcast.

Searching…

We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.

No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.

Showing of matches

No topics indexed yet for this podcast.

Loading reviews...

ABOUT THIS SHOW

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.

HOSTED BY

Select Works

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Underunderstood have?

Underunderstood currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Underunderstood about?

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...

How often does Underunderstood release new episodes?

Underunderstood has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Underunderstood?

You can listen to Underunderstood on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Underunderstood?

Underunderstood is created and hosted by Select Works.
URL copied to clipboard!