“‘A podcast about the internet’ that is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.” – The Guardian. Hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman, from Gimlet.
A listener finds a UFO floating in the sky over a leather store, and Alex sets out to find the man who put it there.
Behind the Scenes of On the Inside (http://replyall.limo/ontheinside)
We celebrate Halloween by opening up the phone lines for your scary stories: Ghosts, Googling how to Seance, and the Mysterious Sax Man of Berkeley.
A legit question from a rural American.
This week, Yes Yes No returns with a raid on Area 51, and the very worst name you can call a New York Times writer.
Listen to the 1st episode of Mogul Season 2: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/mogul/z3hwzx/s2-part-1-the-walls-were-sweating
Further Reading:
The tweet from this week's Yes Yes No.
Bret Stephens' interview on MSNBC
Bret Stephens' column: 'World War II and the Ingredients of Slaughter'
One night, alone in his new apartment, Halen hears something unexpected — a set of footsteps in the dark, and an unfamiliar voice telling him “Moshi, moshi.” Super Tech Support returns, Alex investigates.
This week, a Super Tech Support: after Lizzie's Snapchat gets hacked, things start getting really creepy. Alex investigates.
Michael Bazzell's PodcastThe complete Security and Privacy Podcast
Steps Michael Bazzell Gave Alex to Protect HimselfHow to port your phone numberPassword ManagerGoogle AuthenticatorYubikeyWorkbook to freeze your credit and remove yourself from public records websitesSudo
Stories about Sim Swapping and OGUsers by Vice/Motherboard
By Lorenzo Francheschi-BicchieraiThe SIM HijackersHow to Protect Yourself From SIM Swapping Hacks‘TELL YOUR DAD TO GIVE US BITCOIN:’ How a Hacker Allegedly Stole Millions by Hijacking Phone NumbersHow Criminals Recruit Telecom Employees to Help Them Hijack SIM CardsAlleged 19-Year-Old SIM Swapper Used Stolen Bitcoin to Buy Luxury CarsCops Arrest Infamous SIM Swapper Who Allegedly Stole $14 Million in Cryptocurrency
By Joseph Cox'I Could Ruin Your Business Right Now': Listen to a SIM-Jacking, Account-Stealing Ransom
The Organization that Lizzie Donated ToByte Back
Alex agreed to let PJ hack his phone, giving him 24/7 uninterrupted surveillance over his life. This week, everything you can learn about someone who completely surrenders their privacy.
Further InfoJoseph Cox's FlexiSpy reporting
New York City cops are in a fight against their own police department. They say it’s under the control of a broken computer system that punishes cops who refuse to engage in racist, corrupt policing. The story of their fight, and the story of the grouchy idealist who originally built the machine they’re fighting.
This is the second part of a two-part series. For part one, listen to Episode #127 The Crime Machine, Part I.
New York City cops are in a fight against their own police department. They say it’s under the control of a broken computer system that punishes cops who refuse to engage in racist, corrupt policing. The story of their fight, and the story of the grouchy idealist who originally built the machine they’re fighting.
This is the first part of a two-part series. Be sure to follow this episode with Episode #128 The Crime Machine, Part II.
How a shy, queer Canadian woman accidentally invented one of the internet’s most toxic male communities.
This week, PJ and Alex open up the phone lines and try to solve your problems, big and small.
Read Joshua Rothman's story on printers here.
Carlos Maza started posting videos on YouTube, and ran afoul of a guy who reminded him of his high school bullies. He asked YouTube to intervene, and then things got extremely complicated.
Further Reading:
Carlos Maza's video series Strikethrough
Mark Bergen on how toxic videos became more common on YouTube
This week, we discover an invisible maze, designed to trick millions of people out of their money.
Pro Publica’s questionnaire for people who’ve worked at Intuit
Find a Free File tax product on the IRS site
Pro Publica’s reporting on Turbo Tax
Here’s How TurboTax Just Tricked You Into Paying to File Your Taxes
TurboTax Deliberately Hid Its Free File Page From Search Engines
TurboTax and H&R Block Saw Free Tax Filing as a Threat — and Gutted It
Elizabeth Warren and Other Senators Call for Refunds and Investigations of TurboTax and H&R Block
This week, the most humiliating, unfortunate and regrettable things on the internet that simply will not come down. Also: the father who scours the internet for lost memories.
This week, an epic Yes Yes No spanning an entire galaxy of internet fights. Plus, Alex Goldman reveals a dark personal secret. And an update on Sal’s quest to get into college in Canada.
See the tweet here.
Jamie Keiles is a writer who decided to photograph something that’s usually invisible. Plus, PJ discovers the secret code he’s accidentally been speaking, and learns about the people who created it.
If you’re feeling depressed or want to talk to someone, here are some resources:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1800-273-8255 (1800-273-TALK) The Crisis Text Line 7 Cups of Tea (an anonymous, 24-hour chat with trained professionals) Depression Tribe (a site with blogs, forums, and news)
Further Reading
Jamie Keiles on Instagram. Jamie Keiles on her depressiongrams.
Website of Jennie Livingston, Director of Paris is Burning
#41 What It Looks Like originally aired on October 4, 2015 and #69 Disappeared aired on July 7, 2016.
This week, a flood of mysterious orders plague Domino’s Pizza stores across America. Who is Adam Pisces, and why is he ordering so many cokes?
Domino's Responsible Disclosure to report any vulnerabilities on their app
Ben loves podcasts, but he has a problem. When he tries to listen to one podcast in particular, his car stereo completely breaks. This week, Super Tech Support takes on one of its strangest cases — Roman Mars versus a 2016 Mazda sedan.
LISTEN TO 99 % Invisible!
Roman Mars' 99% Invisible podcast
Podcasts featured in this episode
iTunes:
^space^ - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/space/id1458545673
<~> - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/less-than-approximately-greater-than/id1458541805
100% Related? - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-related/id1458542752
88% Parentheticals - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/88-parentheticals/id1458545680
BONUS PODCAST!:
{Blank} + {Blank} = FUN - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blank-blank-fun/id1458544361
RSS:
^space^ - https://feeds.megaphone.fm/carrotspacecarrot
<~> - https://feeds.megaphone.fm/greaterless
100% Related? - https://feeds.megaphone.fm/100pr
88% Parentheticals - https://feeds.megaphone.fm/88pr
BONUS PODCAST!:
{Blank} + {Blank} = FUN - https://feeds.megaphone.fm/blankblankfun
This week, PJ and Alex open up the phone lines and try to solve your problems, big and small. Don’t type like my brother.
Further Reading:
Institute of International Education PEER
Michael Bazzel's workbook to remove your personal information online
We investigate the mystery of why parents across the world became convinced that a half-bird/half-woman monster was going to harm their kids over the internet.
And we answer the question of how robocallers are able to fake your telephone number when they call you.
Yes Yes No returns and Alex Blumberg takes us on a journey from secret celebrity love letters to the biggest, strangest rock band you’ve never heard of. Also, basketball.
The story of a person who wanted to change the world using the internet — by committing crimes on an unprecedented global scale.
Check out Evan's book on Paul Le Roux, The Mastermind, here.
This week, Alex investigates the rise of one of the most hated businesses: Robocalls. And Damiano tries to figure out if a robocaller is tracking his every move.
New Year! Alex Goldman’s audacious plan to get punched in the face, plus special guest Jason Mantzoukas returns for a very Azkaban Yes Yes No.
A small town in Wisconsin becomes the site of a completely unprecedented experiment.
This week, the return of YYN: from a deranged mascot to the top of the FBI
This week, a new Super Tech Support: after Lizzie's Snapchat gets hacked, things start getting really creepy. Alex investigates.
Michael Bazzell's Podcast
The complete Security and Privacy Podcast
Steps Michael Bazzell Gave Alex to Protect Himself
Michael's workbook to freeze your credit and remove yourself from public records websites
Stories about Sim Swapping and OGUsers by Vice/Motherboard
By Lorenzo Francheschi-Bicchierai
How to Protect Yourself From SIM Swapping Hacks
‘TELL YOUR DAD TO GIVE US BITCOIN:’ How a Hacker Allegedly Stole Millions by Hijacking Phone Numbers
How Criminals Recruit Telecom Employees to Help Them Hijack SIM Cards
Alleged 19-Year-Old SIM Swapper Used Stolen Bitcoin to Buy Luxury Cars
Cops Arrest Infamous SIM Swapper Who Allegedly Stole $14 Million in Cryptocurrency
By Joseph Cox
'I Could Ruin Your Business Right Now': Listen to a SIM-Jacking, Account-Stealing Ransom
The Organization that Lizzie Donated To
A 13-year-old girl builds a tiny world that she has complete, perfect control over. And then one day, that world forces her to make an impossible decision.
Episodes of The Nod you should check out:Cowboy of the West Village
New York City cops are in a fight against their own police department. They say it’s under the control of a broken computer system that punishes cops who refuse to engage in racist, corrupt policing. The story of their fight, and the story of the grouchy idealist who originally built the machine they’re fighting.
New York City cops are in a fight against their own police department. They say it’s under the control of a broken computer system that punishes cops who refuse to engage in racist, corrupt policing. The story of their fight, and the story of the grouchy idealist who originally built the machine they’re fighting.
We're back this week with a Yes Yes No. Alex takes PJ and Alex Blumberg through Alex Jones's visit to the Senate. And producer Anna Foley helps us unpack the scandal that's engulfed Beauty YouTube.
Taylor Nicole Dean was a self-described shut-in, a teenager who lived in her parent's home, surrounded by exotic pets. And then she started making videos on YouTube.
Vote for your favorite reply all episodes - we'll run the winners in August!
Sruthi asks a question “why does it seem like Amazon has suddenly gotten a lot sketchier?“ Alex investigates.
Further Reading:
Matt’s wife died a decade ago. Now, everywhere he goes on the internet, he can’t escape advertisements for clickbait sites with her picture on it. This week, Super Tech Support tries to help out.
This week, to celebrate Alex Goldman’s return from paternity leave, a Yes Yes No extravaganza. Alex takes PJ and Alex Blumberg through the internet’s most encompassing conspiracy theory to date, and then Gene Demby joins us to help unpack a very different kind of conspiracy.
Paris Martineau's Qanon explainer in New York Magazine
Paris Martineau's Reporting on Roseanne and QAnon for The Outline
Who was Wayne?
An ambitious plan to help people goes off the rails, and a man from Florida tries to fix things the only way he knows how: with prank phone calls.
Further reading:
Cat Ferguson's reporting on Google and Rehab (The Verge) - Part I
Cat Ferguson's reporting on Google and Rehab (The Verge) - Part II
David Segal's series on the business around addiction (New York Times)
Ryan Hampton's American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis
How a shy, queer Canadian woman accidentally invented one of the internet’s most toxic male communities.
Last month, the government shut down backpage.com, a site where people advertised sex with children. We talk to a group of people who say that was a huge mistake.
Trigger warning: sexual assault.
One day, Cayden received an email from their internet provider that said "stop pirating TV shows or we'll cut off your internet!" Cayden had no idea what they were talking about. So Alex decided to investigate.
Further Reading
This week, the story of a man who made the extremely dubious decision to order a watch that he found in an Instagram ad. We explore the strange world that watch came from.
Further Reading
Jenny ODell's "There's No Such Thing As A Free Watch"
This week, we meet a dominatrix who dominates computers, instead of just people. Plus, the story of a man who hatches a plot to destroy a beloved NBA team, using the best advantage he has — the fact that he’s their general manager.
Further Reading:
Mistress Harley's Website (very NSFW)
Writer Jia Tolentino has a new case for Super Tech Support: where are all those bitcoin she bought six years ago?
Further Reading
This week: Yes Yes No returns and takes us to the brink of apocalypse.
Further Reading
Who Killed Captain Alex trailer
Logan Paul "Why 2017 was the best year of my life" video
Our finale for the year! We solve some unsolved mysteries, call up some of our favorite people, and answer questions about stories listeners are still wondering about. Plus many weird surprises.
After Andrea is attacked by a stranger in Mexico City, she just wants to figure out who the guy was. Investigating this question drops her right into the middle of one of Mexico’s biggest conspiracies.
After a secret breaks in the news, Reply All re-examines how Alex Blumberg's Uber account was hacked.
This episode is a follow up to #91 The Russian Passenger and #93 Beware All.
Further reading:
The return of YYN: The horrifying specter of November 4th and a very disturbing ice cream recipe.
Further Reading
Refuse Fascism announces the November 4 protests
An article by Krang T. Nelson about getting banned from twitter for his tweet.
Alex Jones warns of the Antifa uprising
This year we’ve gotten one question more than any other from listeners: is Facebook eavesdropping on my conversations and showing me ads based on the things that I say? This week, Alex investigates.
Further Reading
Our guide to keep Facebook from following you around the internet can be found at http://replyall.limo/donttrackme .
Facebook's official statement that it is not listening to users.
Facebook's Rob Goldman (no relation) denying the same thing.
This week, we help Alex Blumberg understand why a Google engineer ended up complimenting the KKK, and then Yes Yes No turns bizarro.
Further Reading
Links to all of the tweets or stories mentioned in Yes Yes No can be found at http://yesyesnos.tumblr.com
Article about Kevin Durant (includes screenshots of his tweets)
Phia helps a listener track down a mythical, vanished video game.
A woman in New Jersey is getting strange phone calls to her office from unknown numbers. Every time she picks up, she finds herself eavesdropping on the life of a different stranger. Unsure what else to do, she calls in Super Tech Support.
This week, Alex and Damiano take a trip. This is the conclusion of last week's episode, Long Distance.
Further Reading
Snigdha Poonam's story on tech support scams in the Hindustan Times
If you suspect you are a victim of a tech support scammer, you see a suspicious pop-up, or get an unsolicited tech support email, you can make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission by following this link, or by contacting the company that the call center was impersonating directly.
Microsoft did a global survey of tech support scams in 2016, and the results are pretty interesting. You can find it here.
This week, a telephone scammer makes a terrible mistake. He calls Alex Goldman.
Further Reading
If you suspect you are a victim of a tech support scammer, you see a suspicious pop-up, or get an unsolicited tech support email, you can make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission by following this link, or by contacting the company that the call center was impersonating directly.
Microsoft did a global survey of tech support scams in 2016, and the results are pretty interesting. You can find it here.
Oh, and don't be like Alex. Never let some stranger remotely connect to your computer.
A man takes on an impossible job: fixing the place you go before you die.
Further Info
An online diary used by American teenagers confronts a strange and terrifying enemy.
A mysterious thief has been using the internet to steal a bizarre array of items - watches, scooter parts, clown costumes. This week, Alex heads straight towards his hideout.
The last person on earth who has not heard about covfefe walks into a studio, and a strange journey begins.
This week, Phia wonders what kind of person falls for phishing attacks. Is it only insanely gullible luddites, or can smart, tech savvy people get phished, too? To find out, she conducts an experiment on her poor, unsuspecting coworkers.
Alex agreed to let PJ hack his phone, giving him 24/7 uninterrupted surveillance over his life. This week, everything you can learn about someone who completely surrenders their privacy.
A group of elite scientists prepare for the last conversation humans might ever have. Plus, we meet a corporate attorney who mediates family Thanksgivings.
This week, we debut a new segment designed to help you calibrate your anger in a changing world. Plus, how to cloak yourself from all the people who are now allowed to see your internet browsing history.
This week, we discover who was actually behind the hack of Alex Blumberg's Uber account. This episode picks up where Episode 91, The Russian Passenger, left off.
Further Info
In the United States, the idea of having a conversation with the President is pretty outlandish. But in Latin America, it’s a regular occurrence. The most accessible president on Latin American social media is Ecuador’s Rafael Correa. But what’s it like to get the attention of a head of state when you may not exactly want it? (NOTE: We first broadcast this story in 2015, but we have since gone back and added a new chapter.)
This story was originally reported by Silvia Vinas of the radio show Radio Ambulante. Listen to a Spanish language version of the story on their website.
Subscribe to the Reply All newsletter over at replyall.soy/newsletter!
Somewhere in Russia, a man calls for a car. Somewhere in New York City, a stranger's phone buzzes.
Email us at replyall@gimletmedia.com and use the subject "theory" if you think you can provide us additional information.
Further reading
Further listening
This week, one man has been warning the world about an impending disaster for years, but no one will listen. Also, Alex makes a dumb decision.
Further Reading
W3C Director, Tim Berners-Lee, posts "On EME in HTML5"
Mozilla's blog post "DRM and the Challenge of Serving Users"
Cory Doctorow's post "The World Wide Web Consortium at a Crossroads: Arms-Dealers or Standards-Setters?"
The unlikely rise of Lee O'Denat, the founder of Worldstar Hip Hop. Also, we reopen a cold case.
Further Listening
Q's interview on Shots Fired
Q's interview on The Champs
A new Yes Yes No, plus Sruthi meets her first fully-functional cyborg.
Further Reading
Eric Valor's Website
This week: Alex meets his hero, the thorn in the side of Dick Dale, GG Allin, and Alex Trebek.
Further Reading
For years, Dr. Richard Bedlack has hunted for a cure for ALS, a fatal degenerative disease. And then one day he builds a website called ALS Untangled. That's when strange things start to happen. Reported by Peter Andrey Smith and Reply All producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni.
Further Reading
Dr. Richard Bedlack’s ALS Reversals website
Nelda Buss wrote a book, You Can Walk, about her experience, and she originally appeared on Fox in 1992
Angelina Fanous’s reporting on VICE and The New York Times
This week, updates on some of the stories we’ve done over the past year, some bonuses and surprises, some breakbeats, a motorcycle ride, and we take a glimpse into the future.
Check out the amazing 2016 Reply All poster by Matt Lubchansky!
The Episodes
#64-67 On the Inside Parts I-IV
Lightning Round
Further Reading
Illustrator Matt Lubchansky’s website is OVER HERE
Singer/songwriter Matt Farley can be found on his website or on Spotify.
Our theme song is by the Mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.
Our ad music is by Build Buildings.
Everybody has that one Facebook friend who just won’t stop posting their political opinions. This week, we talk to one of those Facebook friends, someone whose opinions got her into an enormous mess.
A conspiracy theory, a pizza related map, and a website fighting for its very soul.
Further Reading
Bryan Menegus' great article, "Reddit is Tearing Itself Apart."
An interview with Edgar Welch, the Pizzagate gunman.
If you have a question about a story we've reported this year, please email a voice memo of 30 seconds or less to replyall@gimletmedia.com with the subject line "updates."
Alex and PJ take calls from anyone, about anything, for 48 hours straight.
Thank Yous
Adam Quinn (for setting up our phone system)
Peter Nelson (for his excellent horn playing)
The Mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder (for going above and beyond this week)
Jorge Just
Austin Thompson
Everyone who called
One man tries to unite America. One Frog threatens to tear it apart.
This week: a bitter Yes Yes No rivalry, and the return of 10 Minutes on Craigslist. Someone has gone missing.
Further Reading
Loss.
Thomas Oscar is an Australian teenager who tried to make the most boring Facebook group possible - a group where members pretend to be corporate drones in a non-existent office.
The Facts
Karen Duffin is a producer at This American Life. You can find more stories by Karen Duffin at her website.
Our theme song is by the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.
Our ad music is by Build Buildings.
Further Reading
You can check out the Stackswell and Co. Facebook page here.
Read a story about Stackswell and Co. from Fast Company here.
To reach a port, we must set sail.
Alex and PJ chase down the strangest tips from our Weird Ads hotline, and at the bottom of the rabbit hole they find the Mother of All AdWords Scams.
Futher Reading
David Segal's story on locksmiths
Form to give feedback on specific ads
Google's statement on our episode:
Our goal is to provide a great experience for the users, advertisers, and publishers that interact with our advertising products everyday. An important part of this work is listening to reactions—good, bad, and in-between—from our users about their experiences online. We appreciate this very much; it helps us make AdWords better. Bad ads are an industry-wide issue and we fight them with considerable fire-power: we’ve invested in best-in-class technology and built a global team of more than 1,000 googlers specifically dedicated to this effort. While this work has produced positive results—we disabled 780 million ads for violating our policies in 2015 alone—we understand this is an ongoing challenge for everyone and we’ll continue to battle it.
Forty servers full of lost photos, a secret plan, and an unexpected rescue. Also, a Yes Yes No about a frog.
Further Reading
Matt Furie (Pepe's creator) on Pepe
Smugmug's statement on Picturelife
Our Sponsors
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Liz lost her camera in a cab, so she went to the New York City Taxi website to submit it to their lost and found database. At least, that's what she thought she did. Alex investigates and finds a big business behind the success of a suspicious little website.
Further Reading
If you lose something in a cab in New York City, Call 311, or go to this website.
The Department of Consumer Affairs encourages anyone who feels they have been misled by yellowcabnyc.com to file a complaint with DCA online at nyc.gov/consumers or by calling 311.
Barry develops a small but very inconvenient health problem, which becomes so persistent and pernicious that it feels as if someone put a curse on him. Sruthi Pinnamaneni goes deep on a decades-long medical mystery.
Lisa Sanders’ book, Every Patient Tells a Story.
Lisa Sanders’ column, Diagnosis.
Become a Gimlet Member to join our Q&A this Friday at 12PM EST!
Listen to Reply All Executive Producer Tim Howard's latest release as Soltero!
This week, a story about people who start hearing voices in their heads. But, instead of trying to get rid of the voices, they try to make more. Reporter Laura Klivans has the story.
Our Sponsors
Mailchimp – Send better emails. Also visit Mailchimp’s new non-profit online store Freddieand.co.
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One twin decides to plug her internal organs directly into the internet so the other twin can monitor her. Plus, PJ and Alex talk to a listener whose heart was broken by last week's episode.
This week, a Yes Yes No about gorillas, conspiracy theories, and glitter.
Further Reading
See the original tweets on our Yes Yes No tumblr.
Rachel was a faithful user of a photo storage website called Picturelife, until one day all of her photos disappeared. As she investigated, she realized that every Picturelife user was having the same problem. Alex tries to find out if there's any hope of getting her photos back. Also, a preview of the new Gimlet show, Science Vs!
PJ dives into the world of military impostors and the vigilantes who hunt them. Plus, a dispatch from Dallas.
This week a man decides to sabotage the entire internet. Plus, PJ discovers the secret code he’s accidentally been speaking, and learns about the people who created it.
It’s an old story. Two people date, they break up, they both go on Tinder. And on Tinder, one of them stumbles across an incredibly creepy photo, taken inside the apartment they used to share.
Paul Modrowski is in prison for a murder he claims he didn't commit, and he says he’s been misunderstood because of his autism. This week, we bring you the conclusion of our story. Sruthi meets Paul in prison and explains what she thinks really happened the night of Dean Fawcett’s murder.
Blogger Paul Modrowski is in prison for a murder he claims he didn't commit. This week, producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni looks at his trial, and speaks to the one person who witnessed the murder.
Blogger Paul Modrowski is in prison for a murder he claims that he didn't commit. This week, producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni looks at Paul's life before his conviction, and the crime that landed him behind bars.
For years, Paul Modrowski has been writing a blog from inside a maximum security prison. Only thing is, he was arrested when he was 18 and has never seen the internet. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reaches out to him with one small question that alters the course of her next year.
Email Debt Forgiveness Day is April 30th. It’s the day when people around the world will send the emails they’ve been putting off, without guilt and without consequence (hopefully). To observe the holiday, we talk to three people with plans to send delinquent messages.
Link to our Email Debt Forgiveness Day page.
Reporter Rukmini Callimachi is always looking for new ways to eavesdrop on ISIS operatives online. Recently, she got a new look into how ISIS members might be using the internet to coordinate their attacks. Plus, a new Yes, Yes, No.
This week, Alex stumbles upon the weirdest gifs ever made, and goes hunting for their creators. Also, a new Yes Yes No.
Check out our website, http://replyall.diamonds for links to some of the gifs discussed in this episode, or to hear the alternate 'jif' version.
And you can vote for us in the Webbys here!
https://pv.webbyawards.com/2016/mobile-sites-apps/features-categories/best-podcast
This week, PJ helps a listener named Matt ask a very large company a very simple question. Are you telling me the truth?
Also! PJ & Alex are on Sampler this week. You can listen here.
This week, Alex tries to solve a problem and PJ insults him. Also the return of Email Debt Forgiveness Day.
If you’re thinking about sending an email, or if you receive an email for Email Debt Forgiveness day, tell us about it by emailing replyall@gimletmedia.com. We might end up contacting you to appear on the show! Together, we can all make our inboxes less stressful for another year.
This week we learn the truth behind Carl Diggler, the internet's most successful election forecaster. And a special Yes Yes No featuring comedian/actor/podcaster Jason Mantzoukas.
Further Listening
Jason Mantzoukas' How Did This Get Made Podcast
Further Reading
@SatelliteHigh's YesYesNo Tweet
Sponsors
There are parents in the US desperate for breast milk and others who have too much milk and end up pouring it down the sink. Reply All Producer Phia Bennin wades into the world of breast milk markets, and discovers a breast milk paradise, shady breastmilk scammers, and the surprising history of breast milk in the United States.
The Facts
Our theme music is by the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.
Our ad music is by Build Buildings.
Further Reading
This week we have a story about a big group of people with the same questions. Difficult, complicated, heartbreaking ones. These people all have one thing in common — they’re Mormons. Reporter Karen Duffin tells their story.
This week, we fix an embarrassing oversight.
Strangers keep coming to Mike and Christina’s house looking for their stolen cell phones. Nobody knows why. We travel to Atlanta to find out what’s going on, in our thorniest Super Tech Support yet.
Be sure to check out Kashmir Hill's story on Fusion.
Hi. We're off this week, but we have a little secret: We actually used to have another podcast about the internet for 38 episodes, called TLDR. So If you've already listened to all of Reply All, why not give TLDR a try? You can subscribe on iTunes or any other podcatcher, and here are links to some of our favorite episodes:
#11 RIP Vile Rat
#29 Olivia Taters, Robot Teenager
#36 The Mystery of Childish Gambino
Thanks for listening, and see you next week!
Leslie Miley went from being a college dropout to Twitter's only black engineer in a leadership position. So why did he quit? Also a brand new Yes Yes No.
Every night, Catherine Russell puts on a wig, picks up a gun, and ignores her critics.
Further Reading
Singer/songwriter Matt Farley can be found on his website or on Spotify.
Our theme song is by the Mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder.
Our ad music is by Build Buildings.
Sponsors
Amy and Ryan Green’s one-year-old son is diagnosed with cancer and begins an agonizing period of treatment.
And then, one night in the hospital, Ryan has a strange epiphany: this whole terrible ordeal should be a video game.
This week, updates on some of the stories we've done over the past year, some bonuses and surprises, and the most beautiful song ever written about ping pong balls and a clarinet.
On this week's episode, a new Yes Yes No, and we revisit our "Undo, Undo, Undo" segment to find out listeners most cringeworthy accidental messages.
Everybody has that one Facebook friend who just won't stop posting their political opinions. This week, we talk to one of those Facebook friends, someone whose opinions got her into an enormous mess.
(ALSO, be sure to check out the Radio Ambulante story this-a-way: http://radioambulante.org/audio/renunciaya)
Yik Yak is an app that allows users to communicate anonymously with anyone within a 10-mile radius. In the first part of this week's show, we revisit a story we did in January, about how the app brought out a particularly vicious strain of racism at Colgate University. And in the second half of the show - The past month has seen a flood of similar stories at colleges like University of Missouri, Yale, and Georgetown. So we go beyond Colgate and talk to Jamil Smith of the Intersection podcast to try to understand Colgate in the context of these recent events.
This week, Jade Davis loses her dog on the internet, and we go looking for it.
After you listen to the episode, here is a place to visit: http://rainbowpugs.limo
A website for people who are way too high. Plus, could LSD unlock our better selves? Does PJ even have a better self? We investigate.
You can find Tripsit here: http://tripsit.me.
The floating orb lives here: http://madebyevan.com/webgl-water/.
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is a law. It's been on the books for almost 30 years. And it makes totally mundane online behavior illegal.
Hope is a photographer. One day her body begins to betray her. It starts with her eyes.
Jamie Keiles is a writer who decided to photograph something that’s practically invisible. Her story plus a new Yes Yes No.
Read Jamie Keiles' article about Instagram here: https://medium.com/message/depressiongrams-7f22011d6113
Follow Jamie on Instagram here:
https://instagram.com/jamielaurenkeiles/
If you’re feeling depressed or want to talk to someone, here are some resources:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1800-273-8255 (1800-273-TALK) http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
The Crisis Text Line http://www.crisistextline.org/
7 Cups of Tea www.7cupsoftea.com/
Depression Tribe http://www.depressiontribe.com/
Ripoff Report is one of the original complaint websites. It’s basically the work of one person, a man whom the internet describes as a kind of mythical villain, a Keyser Söze who wields power from behind his janky website. Reply All producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni visits his bunker.
This week, one of our favorite podcasts, Song Exploder, takes over Reply All. Host Hrishikesh Hirway interviews the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder about coming up with our theme song. Then, we air one of our very favorite episodes of Song Exploder, an interview with Phil Elverum of the Microphones about his song "I Want Wind to Blow"
You can find our theme song here:
https://soundcloud.com/breakmaster-cylinder/reply-all-theme-song
You can find Song Exploder here:
http://songexploder.net/
On this week's episode of Reply All, we do a Yes Yes No with Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller of NPR's Invisibilia, and we discuss the one message you've sent across the internet you wish you could take back.
Email us a voice memo about the things you wish you could most undo at undo@gimletmedia.com
Subscribe to Invisibilia: www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/
Watch us in Cast Party: www.castparty.org
Follow Max Silvestri: www.twitter.com/maxsilvestri
Chris complained about his cable company on Twitter. He was surprised to get a phone call demanding he delete the tweets or else be banned from the service. PJ looks into the story, and things get much stranger. Plus, a new Yes Yes No.
Duck Army (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHc288IPFzk)
On this week's episode of Reply All, PJ and Alex go outside.
This week, 10 Minutes On Craigslist is back! Preston has posted the same ad to Craigslist over 300 times. He speaks to Sylvie Douglis about why he keeps posting.
And in the second half of the show: Barry Crimmins is an influential comedian, and a survivor of sexual abuse. In the mid-90's he embarked on a one-man crusade to stop child pornographers who were operating with impunity on America Online.
You can find tickets and showtimes for the Barry Crimmins documentary by going to http://www.callmeluckymovie.com
Sponsors:
Audible (http://www.audible.com/replyall)
Slack (http://www.slack.com/replyall)
Squarespace (http://www.squarespace.com)
Even though technology evolves at a rapid clip, US government agencies seem trapped about a decade in the past. PJ talks to technologist Clay Johnson about why the government is so unable to adapt, and what it would look like if it could keep pace with the rest of the world.
If you want to become a gimlet member, you can go here: http://gimletmedia.com/join. A year membership will get you a t-shirt, early access to pilots, and much more. Also, this Monday, August 10th, we'll be doing a live chat for members only. If you're already a Gimlet member, you'll find information about it on the gimlet page in the next couple of days.
Keith Calder is known in some circles for his work as an independent film producer. In other, much bigger circles, Keith’s known for having the same last name as Eleanor Calder. She’s a model who dates One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson. Hundreds of thousands of 1D fans maintain that Eleanor is a fake girlfriend, and that Louis is actually secretly dating his bandmate Harry. In today’s episode, we talk to Keith about what life’s like when you’re on the wrong end of a widely-held conspiracy theory, and we talk to some of the fans who believe it.
Also - we give an update about the amazing hold music in last week's show (episode #33 @ISIS)
Rukmini Callimachi covers Islamic terrorism for the NY Times, and she seems to have access that other reporters just don't have. Part of the way she gets that access is by communicating with Islamic extremists online. She talks to PJ about how she communicates with her sources.
Also - we debut a new segment that we're calling "Super Tech Support."
You can find Rukmini Callimachi on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/rcallimachi
You can also listen to an interview with her on the Longform podcast here:
http://longform.org/posts/longform-podcast-129-rukmini-callimachi-part-1
Don't forget! Next week you can see us live on stage performing a new story! Go to http://castparty.org for tickets and theater locations.
Also, if you want to become a member of Gimlet and get a Reply All T-shirt, you can do so by going here: https://gimletmedia.com/join-gimlet/
Sponsors:
Justworks (https://www.justworks.com/)
Touch of Modern (https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales)
Stamps.com (http://stamps.com)
On July 5th, a hacker leaked hundreds of gigabytes of information stolen from a company that sells surveillance software to some of the most oppressive regimes in the world. We look into what journalists have found so far.
Also, a new Yes Yes No!
Don't forget to go to your local movie theater and check out Cast Party! You can see Reply All, Invisibilia, Radiolab, and more, LIVE ON STAGE! www.castparty.org
Sponsors:
Hover www.hover.com (offer code "discrection")
Stamps.com www.stamps.com (offer code "reply")
Mailchimp www.mailchimp.com
We meant to take a week off, but we just couldn't help ourselves. Our entire episode this week is a Yes Yes No about the recent (and massive) dustup on Reddit.
Note: This episode has been updated to include a correction
When successful internet entrepreneur Robert Hoquim died, the people who knew him found out they actually didn't know him at all.
For more about John Aleshe, go here:
http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/library/CONTROVERSY/PERSONALITIES/ALESHE/
For tickets to Cast Party, go to www.castparty.org
Check out Death, Sex & Money at www.deathsexmoney.org
Sponsors:
The Outlook app for iOS and Android
Mailchimp (www.mailchimp.com/replyall)
Harry's Razors (www.harrys.com/reply)
Thomas Oscar is an Australian teenager who tried to make the most boring Facebook group possible - a group where members pretend to be corporate drones in a non-existent office.
This week's episode was reported by Karen Duffin (www.karenbduffin.com).
Sponsors:
Xero (www.xero.com/podcasts)
Stamps.com (www.stamps.com, offer code 'reply')
Squarespace (www.squarespace.com, offer code 'reply')
An email to the wrong address sends us hurtling into the world of professional cookie advisors.
Leopold's website:
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org
Cast Party Tickets:
http://castparty.org
Sponsors:
Mailchimp http://www.mailchimp.com
Stamps.com http://www.stamps.com
This week, producer Stephanie Foo tells a story about dating online that is unlike any we've ever heard before.
Sponsors:
Xero (http://www.xero.com/podcasts)
Mailchimp (http://www.mailchimp.com)
Stamps.com (http://www.stamps.com, offer code "reply")
Craigslist is the internet’s classifieds section, but it’s also one of its more shadowy corners, where the ads are anonymous and ephemeral. So we found ourselves wondering - what would we find if we replied to a couple? This week, we track down the people behind two intriguing ads.
And in the second half of the show - Neal Horsley was an anti-abortion activist who created a website called "The Nuremberg Files," a website that listed the names and addresses of abortion providers around the country. He died last month, but the legacy of his website lives on. We talked to Jennifer Boulanger, a woman who works at a number of abortion clinics, and whose name ended up on Horsley's website in the 90's.
Reporter Bianca Giaever is a filmmaker and radio producer in New York.
http://www.biancagiaever.com/
Sponsors
Highfive (http://www.highfive.com/reply)
Outlook for mobile devices (download for free for iOS or Android)
Mailchimp (http://www.mailchimp.com/replyall)
In the United States, the idea of having a conversation with the President is pretty outlandish. But in Latin America, it's a regular occurrence. The most accessible president on Latin American social media is Ecuador's Rafael Correa. But what's it like to get the attention of a head of state when you may not exactly want it?
This story was adapted from a Spanish Language version that originally appeared on the radio show Radio Ambulante. Listen to that here: http://radioambulante.org/en/audio-en/correa-vs-crudo
SPONSORS:
Framebridge: http://framebridge.com (offer code "reply")
Stamps.com: http://stamps.com (offer code "reply")
Animoto: http://animoto.com (offer code "replyall")
This week, we conclude Shulem Deen’s story. In part I, we heard how the internet led him on a path where he was exiled from his community and separated from his family. In part II, Sruthi Pinnamaneni tells the story of how the Hasidic community has tried to block off a corner of the internet for itself, and how this new, informal Hasidic internet might offer Shulem a way back.
Thanks for listening! Subscribe to our podcast at www.itunes.com/replyall!
Sponsors:
www.framebridge.com (offer code 'reply')
www.stamps.com (offer code 'reply')
www.mailchimp.com
Shulem Deen was a 22-year old and ultra-religious, a Hasidic Jewish person, when he bought a computer and signed up for America Online in 1996. Until then he'd never had a real conversation with someone outside his community. Sruthi Pinnamaneni tells the story of how the internet ruined his life and how it might save it.
Thanks for listening! Subscribe to our podcast at http://www.itunes.com/replyall!
Sponsors:
Mailchimp (http://www.mailchimp.com)
Blue Apron (http://blueapron.com - coupon code 'reply')
Harrys Razors (http://harrys.com - coupon code 'reply')
A special bonus Email Debt Forgiveness Day themed episide! First, PJ talks to Buzzfeed San Francisco Bureau chief Mat Honan about his decision to abandon personal email entirely, and his agonizing fear that it makes him seem like a douche.
Then we listen to some of the voicemails people left us on our Email Debt Forgiveness Day hotline.
Thanks for participating in the inaugural email debt forgiveness day! We can't wait until next year.
Check out this great New Yorker article about Email Debt Forgiveness Day by Reeves Weideman: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/every-day-should-be-e-mail-debt-forgiveness-day
Sponsors:
Mailchimp: http://www.mailchimp.com
Squarespace: http://www.squarespace.com (offer code reply)
In 1996, 19-year-old Jennifer Ringley started the Jennicam, a 24-hour online chronicle of her life. Seven years later, she disappeared entirely from the internet. But why?
Also, PJ and Alex discuss how even in the past five months, the landscape of "lifecasting" has changed. And PJ puts Alex on Meerkat and he gets very uncomfortable.
Don't forget! Tomorrow is Email Debt Forgiveness Day! Leave us a voicemail at (917) 475-6668 about your most anxiety inducing unanswered email. We will post a special mini-episode that is Email Debt Forgiveness Day-themed this weekend.
Our Sponsors:
http://www.framebridge.com (offer code 'reply')
http://www.stamps.com (offer code 'reply')
http://www.mailchimp.com
When Higinio Ochoa got out of prison for hacking in September of 2014, one of the terms of his parole was that he is not allowed to use any internet connected device. We went to his home in Austin to find out how he got caught and what it's like - in 2015 - to go from living online to not having any internet access.
Next week we celebrate Email Debt Forgiveness Day! Leave us a voicemail at (917) 475-6668 about your most anxiety inducing unanswered email. All will be forgiven, we promise.
To see a written version of this story, go to http://digg.com/tag/reply-all
Check out our sponsors!
https://www.dropbox.com/business
http://stamps.com (offer code reply)
http://mailchimp.com/replyall (get a free freddy!)
Yes Yes No returns, and the story of two people who created a company designed to ghostwrite people’s emotionally difficult emails.
Don’t forget to participate in Email Debt Forgiveness Day! Leave us a voicemail at (917) 475-6668 about your most anxiety inducing unanswered email. All will be forgiven, we promise.
Marnie the Dog is one of the most famous dogs on Instagram. Two years ago, she was near death at an animal shelter in Connecticut, now she has 1.2 million followers and hangs out with human celebrities.This week, we investigate the formula for internet dog fame, and look at how having a famous dog will completely upend your life.
Thanks for listening. Subscribe to the show at www.itunes.com/replyall, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Help us with Email Debt Forgiveness Day by telling us about your email anxieties! Leave a voicemail at 1 (917) 475-6668. Also, to see an article about this episode on digg.com with tons more cute dog content, go to http://digg.com/2015/how-a-dog-goes-from-0-to-1-2-million-instagram-followers-in-a-year
In 2012, a woman named Lindsey Stone posted a picture she took as a joke to her Facebook page. A month later, she was under attack from all corners of the internet, out of a job, hounded by the press. The internet had targeted her for a public shaming. Jon Ronson, journalist and author of the new book "So You've Been Publicly Shamed", walks us through Lindsey's story and introduces us to the sometimes sketchy world of online reputation management.
In 1997, John Silveira wrote a joke classified ad in a tiny publication called Backwoods Home Magazine asking if anyone wanted to travel back in time with him. A lot of people took him seriously. What do you do when everyone wants you to fix the worst mistakes they've ever made.
For Jonathan Goldstein, YouTube offers endless nostalgia, but he always finds himself returning to the same subject - a precocious child actor from the early 70’s named Mason Reese. And then a few months ago, new clips of Reese began popping up on YouTube. What's more, they appeared to be uploaded by Reese himself. Jonathan sets out to discover why - and why now, after 40 years.
Blair Myhand is a police officer in the sleepy, 42,000 person town of Apex, NC. One night, he received an unusually disturbing phone call where a person claimed to be holding a woman hostage after murdering several people. Myhand assembled his team, and went to the house, but what they ended up finding was much more bizarre.
A social media mistake for the record books, and a quiet saint of Wikipedia.
A woman starts dating again at 60 after her marriage falls apart. We follow her into a world of millionaire import/export moguls and fifteen-year old internet scammers.
What happens when a woman sends a stocky blond stranger to tell her ex she loves him. (Updated with a new interview!)
The entire internet decides to look at one famous butt at the same time. One man has to ensure that the website hosting Kardashian butt pictures doesn't crash. The sheer terror and joy of solving that problem. (Plus, a new Yes/Yes/No.)
There was a lot that Errol Morris never knew about his brilliant, distant older brother Noel. Decades after Noel's death, Errol read an internet comment that said his brother had invented email. So he launched an investigation to find out if it was true.
In the early 80's, way before the world wide web existed, the French government shipped a $200 terminal to every home with a phone line, and created a service that for decades ran alongside the internet. It was called The Minitel. Producer Carla Green speaks to reporter Jean-Marc Manach, who, in the early 90's, made a living posing as a woman in sex chat rooms on Minitel.
Yik Yak is a an app that allows users to communicate anonymously with anyone within a 10-mile radius. At Colgate University in upstate New York, the anonymity brought out a particularly vicious strain of racism that shook the school.
Sometimes, on his way to work, a feeling of pressure begins thumping in Paul Ford’s chest. His breaths shorten. They speed up. And sometimes, in those moments of extreme anxiety, Paul’s phone talks to him. It tells him everything that’s wrong with him.
This week we enter the mysterious, Byzantine underworld of domain sales, where people make money speculating on the website naming market. A few years ago, the owners of the popular journalism website longform.org blundered into this world when they innocently tried to procure longform.com. In this episode, we find out about their misadventures, and we hear from the Derek Jeter of URL purchases.
Depending on who you ask, Keith Calder is either a 35-year old film producer, or one of the players in a vast international conspiracy designed to conceal the greatest love story never told.
In 1996 Jennifer Ringley started Jennicam.org, where she recorded and broadcast her entire life, 24/7. It made her famous. And then, one day, she disappeared from the internet entirely. What'd she figure out about the perils of living publicly before the rest of us did? Alex Goldman tracks her down.
Writer Chiara Atik has a hobby -- spying on the financial transactions of friends and strangers. She thinks that Venmo, more than any other social media site, is the place you can find actual, accidental truth online. This week we investigate that claim.
Twenty years ago, Ethan Zuckerman did something terrible on the internet. And he's still living with the consequences.
An app called Figure One wants to be Instagram, but for doctors. Why would doctors need their own Instagram? We spy on the secret & disgusting medical internet, plus we speak to one of its residents.
What happens when a woman sends a stocky blond stranger to tell her ex she loves him.
