INFLUENCE

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33 How They Beat All 800,000 Remaining "Mario Maker" Levels Before Nintendo Pulled the Plug | Team 0% Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

Happy Nude Year, one and all! I'm still on holiday break, but wanted to check in with out about the YouTuber(s) who exposed the Honey browser extension (owned by PayPal) as a massive scam, my upcoming guests, and sharing an encore episode from my other show, Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat, about a small but mighty video game community that did the impossible, just in the nick of time!

Exposing the Honey Influencer Scam, by MegaLag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc4yL3YTwWk

Original Show Notes from May 3, 2024

Since 2017, a small collective of "Super Mario Maker" enthusiasts have been trying to complete every single player-created level — a quest to truly "beat" a game with hundreds of thousands of uncleared stages.

But when Nintendo announced that the servers for Wii U games would be taken offline in April 2024, the urgency reached new heights. Team 0% began to grow from its humble beginnings of about 500 members, to 15,000+ players, committed to identifying and clearing the remaining levels before they were lost to time.

Playing the levels was only half the battle. Finding and cataloging the unbeaten stages using Nintendo's arcane databases was no simple task. But through some clever reverse-engineering and lots of spreadsheets, they had whittled it down to a handful of levels with just days until oblivion.

What remained were some of the hardest, most obtuse Mario monstrosities ever created. And one level in particular could only be beaten by a robot — until...

This week, we talk with MagicMason1000, a long time member of Team 0% who now manages the community's YouTube and social media. Mason walks us through the fascinating history of this monumental undertaking, the Team's massive popularity boom amid global headlines, what happens when Nintendo patches glitches in Mario Maker, the exciting (and then somewhat anti-climactic) final victory for the team, and the mysterious fate of all those levels now that the servers are gone.

If you'd like to pitch in to beat every uncleared level of "Super Mario Maker 2," you can join the Team 0% Discord here: https://discord.gg/team0percent

Check out the Team's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TeamZeroPercent

And watch henryst's The History of Mario Maker's Last 100 Levels video, as discussed in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUqUUXDmk40

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32 The Internet Has Been Searching for the Name of This '80s Song for 17 Years | The Most Mysterious Song Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

In 1984, a German teenager recorded a moody new wave song from the radio. The mystery song, with crunchy guitars and English lyrics, was preserved on a cassette and forgotten. That is until 2007, when his sister discovered the tape, and began a 17-year quest to identify it.

From Usenet groups, to music identification forums, a Discord server, a popular YouTuber, and a dedicated subreddit called r/TheMysteriousSong, thousands of Internet sleuths have been decoding clues and comparing notes for nearly two decades, in the hope that someone, SOMEWHERE would recognize the song.

Finally, in November 2024, one Redditor found the final piece of the 17-year-long puzzle. "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet" is now a passionate music fandom that has reunited the band after 40 years, and sparked media coverage around the world.

This week on INFLUENCE, Brandon, a moderator from the subreddit r/TheMysteriousSong, and Hans-Reimer Sievers, the drummer from the band FEX, join Matt to discuss this epic musical quest, how the puzzle was solved, what the members of the band were doing all this time, their reunification and newfound fandom, and the strange "discomfort" of unidentified media in a world where everything is Google-able.

Join the community: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMysteriousSong/

Listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGf4liO-KQ

The FEX Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FEXband-official

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31 WikiProject AI Cleanup: Why Humans and Bots Make Different Mistakes on Wikipedia | Richard Knipel Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

Wikipedia continues to be a modern miracle. Unlike social media platforms — which are rife with misinformation and grift — Wikipedia's openness and non-profit status are key to its two+ decades of value and accuracy.

But a new threat is looming. Generative AI now touches everything we read, watch, and listen to on the Web. And some Wiki editors have begun experimenting with it, with mixed results. Where do large language models fit into the pursuit of accurate, reliable knowledge, if at all? And what is the Wiki community doing about generative articles when they go horribly wrong?

This week, the president of Wikimedia New York City Richard Knipel joins Matt to discuss WikiProject AI Cleanup, a volunteer effort to identify AI-generated content on Wikipedia and assess its value as community standards rapidly evolve. The solution to this challenge, as with most things, is way more complicated than we initially thought.

Richard explains how AI tools have been used for years to make Wikipedia richer and more inclusive, why humans and bots make different kinds of mistakes, the standards for accuracy that both must aspire to, why hot-button Wikipedia articles about politicians and current events are often MORE accurate than niche topics, and how you can contribute knowledge to Wikipedia in small but powerful ways.

Learn more about WikiProject AI Cleanup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_AI_Cleanup

Connect with Richard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardknipel/

This show is supported on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

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30 Skip the Script: How Karen Cassady Built an Improv Empire, One Wig at a Time Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Karen Cassady had finally made it. She was working full time as a comedy performer and teacher, with weekly shows at Atlanta's top improv theater. Then March 2020 happened.

She and her comedy cohorts tried to translate their shows to Twitch live streams, but the "lulz" in the chat just didn't cut it. Unemployed and painfully bored, she put on some wigs and began riffing other people's videos on TikTok. But it wasn't until she began improvising an original Rom Com (and playing every character) that her life completely changed.

Today, Karen is beloved by millions for her over-the-top characters and extremely relatable social media sketches - most of which are improvised. The "strict teacher" and "cool mom" now reach a global audience, and brands want in.

Karen joins Matt to discuss the trial and error that got her to the top of the For You Page, why online improv is finally having its moment, the fan messages that kept her going during the pandemic, why her video creation process never includes a script, and her involvement in one of the weirdest and most viral comedy videos in YouTube history.

Follow Karen:

https://www.tiktok.com/@karencassssss

https://www.instagram.com/karendcasss

This show is made possible by listener support: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

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29 Upcoming Episodes & Happy Thanksgiving! Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

Salutations, one and all! I'm taking this week off, but excited to share some episodes that are on the docket for the coming weeks, and a BRILLIANT piece of media theory that might explain what the world is going through at this political moment.

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28 My Doctor Fat-Shamed Me, but TikTok Knew It Was Colon Cancer | Amanda Lee, Patient Advocate Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

Amanda Lee was a passionate wedding photographer whose business was booming - that is, until, February 2020. Covid canceled her job and income, and to make matters worse, severe stomach pain was preventing her from eating (and pooping).

When she finally got an appointment to see a doctor at the height of the pandemic, instead of offering scans or tests, he said it was "a blessing" that she hasn't eaten solid food in weeks, since she could stand to lose a few pounds.

Distraught and in tears, she turned to TikTok to vent her frustration, then went to bed. She woke up to THOUSANDS of women in the comments, sharing similar stories dismissal and fat-shaming. They also urged her to get a colonoscopy ASAP. Turns out, a massive tumor was blocking her colon, and she immediately started treatment for Stage 3 cancer.

Amanda's extraordinary story about our broken healthcare system and the power of women supporting each other on the Internet has garnered her a huge following on TikTok and Instagram, and media appearances on The Today Show and other outlets.

She joins Matt to discuss how TikTok comments *literally* saved her life, fighting cancer with no income, her mom and friends who stood by her side, her innovative work with brands, and her new life's work as a patient advocate for women who need allies in the doctor's office.

Follow Amanda:

https://www.tiktok.com/@mandapaints

https://www.instagram.com/mandapaints/

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27 Whoopsie: These "Wicked" Dolls Have a Naughty Website on the Box Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

Mattel's movie tie-in dolls for "Wicked" are being recalled due to the greatest typo ever made. Bluesky adds 700,000 users in one week as Americans flee Twitter, and a new contender might be on track to surpass MrBeast as the most-subscribed YouTuber of all time.

Plus: I'm now obsessed with finding the Reddit sleuths who solved one of the oldest musical mysteries on the Internet.

This show is made possible by listener support: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

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Call the show and leave a message: (347)-871-6548

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26 From Immigrant to Icon: How Yaya Han Built a Cosplay Empire Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

There was no Internet when Yaya Han first discovered manga and anime in the early '90s. Born in China, she fell in love with this media (which was mostly imported from Japan) at a young age. But when her family unexpectedly moved to Europe, she became an outsider overnight - culturally and linguistically. That is, until she discovered a German anime magazine and started submitting her artwork. That's where she found thousands of obsessed fans just like her.

But it wasn't until she attended a U.S. anime convention in 1999 that her mind was blown by the power of cosplay - super fans who sewed elaborate costumes and dressed up as their favorite characters. Yaya's focus immediately shifted from drawing to fabrics, and she never looked back.

Today, her stunning costumes from anime and video games are adored by millions online, and she appears regularly as a speaker and contest judge at fan conventions around the world. She's partnered with global brands to release cosplay fabrics, sewing patterns, and even her own sewing machine.

Yaya joins Matt to share her inspiring immigrant story, why online fandom is so powerful, her creative process, building her business in the early days of social media, the difference between re-creation and inspiration, how anime (literally) saved her life, and how she deals with online haters. She also takes the trivia challenge about some cinematic costume history!

Follow Yaya: https://www.instagram.com/yayahan/

Check out her website: https://www.yayahan.com/

And buy her book! https://www.amazon.com/Yaya-Hans-World-Cosplay-Costume/dp/1454932651/

This show is made possible by listener support: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

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Call the show and leave a message: (347)-871-6548

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25 How Patreon Fosters Creative Diversity in an Algorithmic World | Hayley Rosenblum Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

Before becoming Patreon's Head of Online Community, Hayley Rosenblum was no stranger to fan funding. She had worked closely with musicians in their pivot away from record labels, and toward the Internet - where fandom reigns supreme.

These days, she helps creators large and small by listening to their needs and communicating pain points back to the Patreon mothership. Many artist conversations have changed the platform, often in subtle and unexpected ways. But even when her work seems "invisible," she takes great pride in empowering creators to do what they do best: make more amazing stuff for the people who love it.

This week, Hayley and Matt chat about her sage advice for starting a Patreon, the surprising ways educators use the platform, the "death of the follower," why she sometimes feels like an Internet "piñata," and that time Neil Young convinced her dad that she's pretty cool.

If you're a Patreon creator, join their official Discord community! https://discord.com/invite/patreon

This show is made possible by listener support: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

Listen & subscribe wherever you get podcasts:

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Join our Discord community! https://discord.gg/influencepod

Call the show and leave a message: (347)-871-6548

Email me with guest & trivia suggestions! influencepod69@gmail.com (NOICE)

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24 Is Ethical AI Even Possible? Adobe Has Entered the Chat Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

Two very interesting announcements from the Adobe Max conference connect directly back to last week's conversation about digital rights attribution. The company is launching their AI image and video generation model called "Firefly," which has only been trained on licensed and public domain imagery. So: If tools like this could be vetted, would artists and regulators be comfortable with them?

Links from this week's discussion:

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/10/adobe-unveils-ai-video-generator-trained-on-licensed-content/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/16/24271338/adobe-sneaks-project-know-how-content-credentials

https://www.theverge.com/c/24238422/podcast-etymology-term-history-tech-vergecast

This show is made possible by listener support: https://www.patreon.com/influencepod

Listen & subscribe wherever you get podcasts:

🍎 https://apple.co/44FeACS

🟢 https://spoti.fi/3UGQjrN

⏯ https://amzn.to/3wCdueF

Join our Discord community! https://discord.gg/influencepod

Call the show and leave a message: (347)-871-6548

Email me with guest & trivia suggestions! influencepod69@gmail.com (NOICE)