2 Girls 1 Podcast

Esperanto is a language invented 130 years ago with the goal of uniting the world under a simplified common tongue and creating everlasting peace. Spoiler alert: That never happened. But the Internet is rekindling the passion of the global Esperanto community, and millions of people are speaking and learning it through the power of language courses like Duolingo and online communities. Alli and Jen talk with Stela Besenyei-Merger, one of only 350 native Esperanto speakers in the world, and...

What if you could 3D print that new lamp, designed by an Internet stranger for free, rather than ordering it from Amazon? When 3D printing tech goes mainstream, it will almost certainly revolutionize ecommerce (and create a whole new kind of online piracy). But until then, we're observing a microcosm of that play out in the tabletop gaming space, where designers are modeling pieces and creating entirely new games that players can download, print, or play virtually. Alli and Jen talk to Arian...

When Oobah Butler was hard-up for cash, he found a gig writing fake reviews for London restaurants he'd never been to. He fell into an abyss of forgeries on TripAdvisor that gave him an idea. What if he invented a fake restaurant, powered by more fake reviews, to fool everyone? The performance art stunt took on a life of its own, and compelled him to have a fake grand opening of "The Shed," London's #1 restaurant on the Internet -- which served microwave meals in Butler's backyard. The...

Ghost stories around the campfire are as old as humanity itself, but spooky tales became memes unto themselves as the Web matured. Creepypasta (a derivative of "copypasta" which is derivative of "copy/paste") is the catch-all term and dominant wiki for the spooky stories that circulate and mutate on the Internet. Alli and Jen talk to Andrew Movitz (aka ClericOfMadness), the founder of the Creepypasta wiki, about why these stories tap our deepest fears, and the transformation of Creepypasta...

When Bryan Denny, a retired 26-year U.S. army veteran, started getting marriage proposals from strangers on Facebook, he knew something was up. Thousands of scammers were using stolen pictures of him in uniform to trick well-meaning Facebook users into sending money, iPhones, and gift cards overseas to a military hero with an honest face. Kathy Waters' family friend was among the victims. Denny and Waters now spend their free time busting fake accounts and pleading with lawmakers and...

Sex dolls have been around since at least the 17th century, but advances in AI and robotics are bringing them ever closer to meaningful companionship. Alli and Jen speak with Susan Pirzchalski, the chief robotics engineer of Realbotix, who is working to make the popular Real Doll sex toys come to life with sophisticated personalities. This week's episode is supported by Penguin Random House Audio, which publishes thousands of award-winning audiobooks every year, including your sci-fi and...

If you leave a toddler alone with an iPad long enough, YouTube's algorithms will guide her down a deep, dark rabbit hole of strange, low-quality, and often disturbing videos manufactured for kid consumption. These channels use recognizable characters (Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol) to draw kids into horrifying click-bait narratives they can't resist. Who is making these videos, and what is YouTube doing about it? Alli and Jen talk to K.G. Orphanides who has written extensively about YouTube's...

If you've ever sought a soundtrack for your home movies that wouldn't get removed by YouTube, chances are you've come across Kevin MacLeod's music. He's composed thousands of original tracks, in every imaginable genre, that he gives away under a Creative Commons license, on a variety of platforms, absolutely free. His music has been used in commercials, films, video games, and an uncountable number of YouTube videos and podcasts without any compensation. So, how does Kevin feed himself? Alli...

Way back in 2007 Tay Zonday uploaded the original song "Chocolate Rain" to YouTube, and nothing happened. Then Digg and 4chan found it. And then Zonday was on CNN and Jimmy Kimmel trying to explain his music on national television. His meteoric rise led to a 10-year journey of identity confusion, and eventually self-actualization. Alli and Jen have a long, deep talk with Tay about coping with viral fame and his new podcast about that very topic, called "Chocolate Pains." This week's episode...

Robots have a long way to go before they replace artists and writers...but they're getting closer. A collective known as Botnik is using algorithms, predictive text, and machine learning to challenge our traditional notions of art, and create some hilarious TV Guide show synopses in the process. Alli and Jen speak with Jamie Brew, the creator of Botnik, about his ambitions to build new creativity tools for the digital age. This week's episode is supported by Penguin Random House Audio,...

Rule 34 is alive and well on the Internet, but the enterprising sex toy company Bad Dragon has taken it even further with their epic dildo designs that imagine what kind of heat our favorite high fantasy creatures might be packing: dragons, aliens, elves, and even a demogorgon. Turns out there's a huge market for fulfilling sexual fantasies, Tolkien-style. Alli and Jen speak with Derek "Tsukaza" Young, a representative of the toy company, about the evolution of these products, what customers...

Kids today have it easy, with their "swiping right" and their "J-dates." Back in the early '90s, you could barely send a profile pic to your crush. Gary Kremen wanted to change that. He co-founded Match.com, disrupted the personal ads industry, and forever changed how humans fall in love. Alli and Jen ask Kremen about the tumultuous early startup days, the data behind lasting relationships, and why they're still single after countless Tinder matches. Support 2G1P on Patreon!...

Porn is typically made by men for men, but women have needs, too -- and traditional porn doesn't always meet them. Alli and Jen talk with Michelle Shnaidman, founder of Bellesa.co, which creates porn videos, erotic fiction, erotic audio, and sex toys with a focus on female empowerment. Shnaidman also addresses the site's rocky beginnings and the common misconceptions about the porn industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Move over, food porn. Competitive eating is about slamming as many calories as possible, and there's a massive YouTube community around it. Erik the Electric's food challenge videos have been viewed 80 million times. Alli and Jen talk to him about approaching this extreme lifestyle in a healthy way, and his personal battle with anorexia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Porn is typically made by men for men, but women have needs, too -- and traditional porn doesn't always meet them. Alli and Jen talk with Michelle Shnaidman, founder of Bellesa.co, which creates porn videos, erotic fiction, erotic audio, and sex toys with a focus on female empowerment. Shnaidman also addresses the site's rocky beginnings and the common misconceptions about the porn industry. Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join us on Discord:...

Most people think of emoji as trivial text message pictures. But creating them is a complex process debated by a consortium of tech giants. And as emoji become more widespread, so too does their cultural and linguistic importance. Alli and Jen talk to Jennifer 8. Lee about her campaign for multi-racial emoji, and whether emoji might evolve into a true language with grammar and identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Move over, food porn. Competitive eating is about slamming as many calories as possible, and there's a massive YouTube community around it. Erik the Electric's food challenge videos have been viewed 80 million times. Alli and Jen talk to him about approaching this extreme lifestyle in a healthy way, and his personal battle with anorexia. Subscribe to Erik the Electric on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/eriktheelectric Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1P Join us on...

Thousands of "Preppers" are amassing food, water, tools, batteries, and other essentials in their basements and bunkers. But for what? Alli and Jen speak with Todd Reynolds, AKA The Dynamic Prepper, about survivalist culture, YouTube, knives, aliens, and why a "Go Bag" is a smart idea, whether you think the apocalypse is coming or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think of emoji as trivial text message pictures. But creating them is a complex process debated by a consortium of tech giants. And as emoji become more widespread, so too does their cultural and linguistic importance. Alli and Jen talk to Jennifer 8. Lee about her campaign for multi-racial emoji, and whether emoji might evolve into a true language with grammar and identity. Check out Emoji Nation: http://www.emojination.org/ Support 2G1P on Patreon!...

For countless historical and social reasons, most of the people editing Wikipedia are white men. This has led to broad bias across the world's de facto repository of online knowledge. But a loose affiliation of women are making up the ground by writing and editing the biographies of historically significant women and minorities who might otherwise be overlooked by academic or popular culture. Alli and Jen speak with Rosie Stephenson Goodknight, a lauded Wikipedian with more than 4000...