Worm Wars: Invasive species and the stories we tell about themA new creepy crawly is wriggling into The Pine Tree State, and fast. In this episode, co-hosts Ben Johnson and Nora Saks tunnel down a wormhole into the complicated world...PlayEndless Thread34:15Jan 27, 2023
'Sinbad Smith' and the troll pole: Two tales of things that are not as they seemIn this episode, Amory shares a 10-year-old Reddit post with Ben showing a photo of a college student with an epic-looking wooden staff and a caption that baffled the photo's...PlayEndless Thread25:21Jan 20, 2023
'You are powerful': Missing and remembering Aaron SwartzIn this episode of Endless Thread, co-hosts Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson honor the legacy of internet activist Aaron Swartz with two people familiar with his life and work:...PlayEndless Thread30:41Jan 13, 2023
Encore: Llama at a wedding“What are the dimensions of an adult llama?” asked a Redditor called Mrs. Sam Handwich in the "No Stupid Questions" community. "I've been hired to make a tuxedo for a...PlayEndless Thread18:31Jan 6, 2023
Encore: Unsent LettersThe unsent letter. We all have one, half-composed in our heads or fully-formed as an email draft. Whatever form these letters take, they go unsent because they might be better...PlayEndless Thread28:59Dec 30, 2022
R.L. Stine, the giver of 'Goosebumps,' on 30 years, countless nightmares, and a lot of luckOur most recent episode on 'Goosebumps The Musical' featured R.L. Stine, author of the wildly popular 'Goosebumps' book series, which turned 30 this year. In this bonus, we share more...PlayEndless Thread15:10Dec 24, 2022
Listener beware… it’s ‘Goosebumps The Musical’“Goosebumps” book fans and musical theater fans, unite! In this episode, Amory and producer Quincy introduce you to “Goosebumps The Musical” and find out what it might take to get...PlayEndless Thread38:29Dec 23, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part VI: The quest to build machines like usCan a machine think like a human? Can it be conscious? For decades the answer was clear: nope. But artificial intelligence today is challenging that notion. Endless Thread visits Google...PlayEndless Thread40:27Dec 16, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part V: Bots that speak the language of love better than you doIf you've ever used a dating app, chances are you've encountered a bot, most likely a fake account or a scammer. But this week on Endless Thread, we investigate a...PlayEndless Thread36:06Dec 9, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part IV: The toxicity of TayNext up in our bots series, we bring you the tale of Tay, a Microsoft AI chatbot that has lived on in infamy. Tay was originially modeled to be the...PlayEndless Thread28:14Dec 2, 2022
Encore: ShrinkflationFrom the supermarket to the housing market, products are getting smaller but prices are not. Why is this happening? And can it be stopped before the toilet paper roll disappears...PlayEndless Thread29:34Nov 25, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part III: Life, death and AINext up in our bots series, we explore a growing field of AI: immortalizing the dead through predictive AI text. PlayEndless Thread34:39Nov 18, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part II: The future of bots in governmentHow can bots increase transparency and shine a light on corruption, such as insider trading, among our elected officials? Will bots be put on the ballot in the near future?...PlayEndless Thread29:24Nov 11, 2022
Good Bot, Bad Bot | Part I: Mental Health and Bot TherapyFor the next few weeks, the Endless Thread team will be sharing stories all about the rise of bots. How are these pieces of software influencing our daily lives in...PlayEndless Thread32:55Nov 4, 2022
Encore: Haunted House, Holy WaterWhen Alex was in high school, he and his best friend used to break into abandoned houses. Alex was a tough guy, giving people hell. Until one night, in one...PlayEndless Thread26:37Oct 31, 2022
Encore: The Murderous, Medieval Olga of KievOlga of Kiev executed one of the most bone-chilling revenge tours in history after her husband, Igor, was murdered. Then, with a burning city in her wake, she converted to...PlayEndless Thread30:36Oct 28, 2022
Encore: When Your Daughter's Imaginary Friend Might Not Be So ImaginaryWhen Kellie's 3 year-old daughter told her about her new imaginary friend, Kellum, she didn't think too much of it. But gradually, Kellum started to feel less and less... imaginary....PlayEndless Thread27:52Oct 27, 2022
Caroline Calloway, anti-fans, and why some people love to hateThis week, we investigate the rise and fall of online influencer Caroline Calloway and the bigger question: Why do some people love to hate? PlayEndless Thread45:33Oct 21, 2022
Lazy foxes, bold mice: How wildlife personalities shape the worldA Twitter thread about a fox named “Lazy Geoff” drew the attention of thousands online. But can a fox really be lazy? Our search for an answer revealed a surprising...PlayEndless Thread33:25Oct 14, 2022
Tales from the Crypto | Listener Response: Crypto in the Gaming WorldAn Endless Thread listener sends their response to our Tales from the Crypto series. They make the case that crypto and NFTs could improve the video game industry. Ben and...PlayEndless Thread16:06Oct 7, 2022