Captive Audience

This week, a story made in partnership with 99% Invisible and The BBC as part of their project A History of the United States in 100 Objects. When Jan Brandt joined the marketing team of fledgling internet company America Online in 1993, she had to figure out how to sell a service that most people in the US had no idea how to use -- the internet. We talk to her about how she managed to use a small, unbiquitous physical object to help steer their virtual service toward the biggest corporate merger in history. Hyperfixed only exists because of your support. Please consider becoming a premium member. In addition to helping us stay afloat, you'll get bonus episodes, access to our discord, discounts on merch and live shows, and much more.LINKS:99% invisibleA History of the United States in 100 objects Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, the Villa Vie Odyssey, a 3-year-long cruise that hosted everyone from retirees to would be social media influencers, dramatically ended its voyage by forcing all its passengers to disembark in Cambodia, scuttling what was advertised as an endless cruise due to rising gas prices. So we are unlocking some of our reporting on the ship from when it was still on the water.Be sure to check out Joe Rhodes entire travelogue on his Substack, Unmoored. If you'd like to hear 2 more episodes on the Villa Vie, as well as nearly 50 other premium episodes, go to hyperfixedpod.com/join and become a premium member. In addition to bonus episodes, you will get access to our discord, discounts on merch and live shows, and more. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sanderson's podcast feed has been stolen. And so has his voice. And we're not being figurative over here! Whoever took it has cloned his voice with AI and is using it to make him say things he would never say in his real life. But is there anything he can do about it? We investgate.Hyperfixed is a completely independent podcast. If you like what we do, please consider supporting the becoming a premium member. You will get bonus episodes, access to our discord, discounts on merch and live shows, and much much more. Join us at hyperfixedpod.com/join.LINKS: The Lifefulness PodcastCraig Silverman's Open Source Intelligence Newsletter IndicatorScott Seligman's collected research on the theft of Sanderson's podcast Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, we answer a question we have gotten quite a few times since the show began: Why does every microwave have a "Popcorn" button, but nearly every popcorn manufacturer warns you not to use it? The answers are wilder than you ever imagined.Support Hyperfixed by becoming a premium member. You will get access to bonus episodes, the Hyperfixed discord, discounts on merch and live shows, and you will be supporting completely independent journalism. We don't exist without your help!hyperfixedpod.com/joinLINKS:Alec Watson's YouTube channel, Technology ConnectionsThe Popcorn Board Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A segment from our recent live show in Brooklyn! We investigate one man's obsession with an incredibly charismatic performer. Please consider becoming a Hyperfixed premium member - you will get bonus episodes and access to our discord and much more, in addition to supporting independent journalism. hyperfixedpod.com/joinLINKS: In Memoriam for "Minnie" Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, we're unlocking an episode from our premium feed: an interview with Kate Downey, Host and Creator of the CRAMPED podcast.Get tickets for the Hyperfixed live show!If you like this episode and would like to hear more like it, as well as join our discord and get discounts on merch, you can support us by going to https://www.hyperfixedpod.com/join. LINKS: CRAMPED podcast Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Alice was browsing the stock audio in Adobe premiere, when she found dozens of audio marked "prison." Were they actually recorded in prison? By actual prisoners? And if so, was it voluntary? We investigate.Reminder! There are only two weeks until Hyperfixed live in Brooklyn! Buy tickets HEREHyperfixed is completely independent and can only exist with the support of our listeners. Please consider becoming a premium Hyperfixed member. You'll get bonus episodes, discounts on merch and live shows, and much more. You can join by following THIS LINKLINKS: Watch Weeds on TUBI Max Cerda's Non-Profit, BUILD Latino Reentry Integration Services Space! The Game Show Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In 2022, Amber’s favorite podcast came to an abrupt and shocking end, and now, its archive of episodes has started disappearing from the internet. So she’s come to the Hyperfixed team to find out how to preserve what’s left, and answer a question that's been haunting her for years: is her favorite podcast host ok?LINKS: ReTell Pharmacy PodcastWe are doing a LIVE SHOW in Brooklyn in September, get your tickets herehttp://tickets.hyperfixedpod.com/Please consider becoming a hyperfixed premium member. Your support keeps our show alive.https://www.hyperfixedpod.com/join Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Three years ago, Becca was seeing double. Her hometown's hedge maze had an uncanny resemblance to a famous maze in England, but no one seemed to realize it except her. So Becca wants to know if the maze is, indeed, a copy. And if she's right, she wants credit where credit is due.LINKS:- Adrian Fisher's book: The Amazing Book of Mazes- Henry Eliot's book: Follow This Thread- Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow - Photo of the Longleat Hedge Maze - Photo of the Big Green Monster in Stow,  Massachusetts- Photo of the sign at the Big Green Monster at Honey Pot HillWe are doing a LIVE SHOW in Brooklyn in September, get your tickets herehttp://tickets.hyperfixedpod.com/Please consider becoming a hyperfixed premium member. Your support keeps our show alive.https://www.hyperfixedpod.com/join Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week we're cooking up a couple stories in the lab so while you wait, please check out Panic World, a fantastic podcast hosted by friend of the show Ryan Broderick.-----Why are cats so popular on the internet? It started with cat memes like I Can Haz Cheezburger and Keyboard Cat, then we became enamored with cat celebrities like Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, and Princess Monstertruck. And now, we’re witnessing the next evolution in cat internet content: “cute cat AI.”Our guest and host of American Hysteria, Chelsey Weber-Smith, calls it a “Kitty Horror Picture Show.” Chelsey joins Ryan and Grant to tell us about the explosion of really weird AI-generated cat videos depicting cat families that’s all over TikTok and YouTube right now — much like Elsagate once did in 2014. Then, Ryan takes us back even further, to cover an older cat-based moral panic: Bonsai Kittens. Together, we look at how though technology has changed, we’ve pretty much always wanted to show each other freaky stuff on the internet — whether real or fake.Our guest Chelsey Weber-Smith hosts American Hysteria, a show that explores the fantastical thinking and irrational fears of Americans. Check it out here or wherever you listen to podcasts. LINKSGarbage Day NewsletterPanic WorldAmerican Hysteria Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices