INFLUENCE

Alli and Jen talk with Jack Rhysider, the creator and host of the hit podcast Darknet Diaries which tells “true stories from the dark side of the Internet.”Or as Matt likes to call it, This American Life for hackers.Rhysider worked in information security (infosec) and was searching for a podcast that tells the stories of hackers and digital heists. It didn’t exist, so he made his own. These days, thousands of listeners love his meticulously crafted stories about penetration testers, video game hacks gone very wrong, and how digital activists take down the corporations and politicians they despise.Rhysider tells us about the fascinating worlds of botnet rentals, discount internet pizza, ’90s Web art, and drone warfare over Chinese pig farms.Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Screenwriter and games journalist Gary Whitta joins Alli and Jen to talk about his experimental late night celebrity talk show "Animal Talking," which is live-streamed entirely inside of Nintendo's "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," and why a world in quarantine can't stop watching.Whitta discusses the show's impromptu beginnings, its technical complexity, what it's like sitting on a virtual couch with Elijah Wood and Danny Trejo, and what happens when Sting wants to be on your "Animal Crossing" show, but doesn't own a Nintendo Switch.Follow or subscribe to "Animal Talking!"https://www.twitch.tv/garywhittahttps://www.youtube.com/c/GaryWhittaSupport 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548Join us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbugger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt is still on vacation, but we have a great encore episode for you. How Tay Zonday survived being 'Patient Zero' of viral YouTube.Originally Published: October 15, 2018Way 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."Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt is on vacation this week, so we're re-sharing one of our favorites from last year. Enjoy!Bird watching probably conjures images of an old, retired guy sporting binoculars behind his country home. But Jason Ward is rapidly dispelling that stereotype. He's been an avid birder since his childhood growing up in The Bronx, NY, and has brought his passion to social media. His #TrickyBirdID Twitter threads challenge people to snap photos of unknown neighborhood birds so the global community of birders can identify them. His enthusiasm led him to make the popular webseries Birds of North America with Topic, where viewers can follow Ward on his adventures in urban birding. The beautiful and informative show proves that cities are in fact a great place for bird watchers, and that the hobby is an accessible way for everyone to reconnect with nature, regardless of class, color, or location. Alli and Jen talk to Ward about his love of birds, his journey from enthusiast to science communicator, his trepidation about making a show, and the modern tech that makes bird watching in 2019 so much fun.Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cybersex is as old as the Internet itself. But as virtual spaces become more sophisticated, so too has sex work. Second Life is more of a "technology playground" than a video game -- a place where your digital skills can be traded for real money. Many players make a healthy living by providing custom goods or services, including sex work.This week, Alli and Jen speak with Meela Vanderbuilt, the creator and owner of The Mondarchy, the most expensive brothel in Second Life. She's also joined by Reyna, the club's general staff manager. Together, they explain the culture of Second Life (which began way back in 2003), why Meela's brown-skinned avatar was rejected by other clubs. the inspiration for starting her own, and how sex work...works in a virtual world.Special thanks to Quintin Smith for help with this episode. His outstanding video about The Monarchy and Meela's story can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR94zlsHFdcSupport 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two bad people play a joke on one good and beautiful person.Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PTalk to the hosts (and each other!) in our secret Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alli and Jen talk with Elizabeth Finkelstein, a preservation expert and the creator of Cheap Old Houses, a wildly popular Instagram account that shows the dream of home ownership may not be as hard as we think, depending on your priorities.Finkelstein explains the inspiration for the account, her love of DIY home repair, the history carried in old houses (and why we should preserve them), the passionate community around Cheap Old Houses, and whether internet-powered jobs can save the middle class from the real estate squeeze.Follow Cheap Old Houses: https://www.instagram.com/cheapoldhouses/Editor's Note: This episode was recorded on April 24, 2020, some weeks before the additional COVID-19 and political developments of May and June. 2 GIRLS 1 PODCAST (its hosts, producers, and collaborators) supports Black Lives Matter and the protests for racial justice in the U.S., and we have made personal contributions to the following organizations. We hope you will consider doing the same:The ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/blacklivesmatterThe Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/NAACP Legal Defense Fund :https://www.naacpldf.org/Reclaim the Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home-----------Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With more than 14 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, WeRateDogs is on a mission that everyone on planet Earth can get behind: Rating cute doggos from the internet on a (dubious!) 10-point scale.This blend of adorable dog pics, comedic captions, and obsessive fan-submitted content has catapulted the novelty account (and its creator, Matt Nelson) into a massive online brand, which uses its influence to entertain millions, sell merch, and help dogs in need.Alli and Jen talk with Nelson about the inspiration for the account, how its explosive popularity changed his life, the serious inflation problem in the Dog Rating Economy, that time J.K. Rowling and Lin-Manuel Miranda followed him, why everything's political on Twitter, and his perfect response when Arnold Schwarzenegger asked him to rate his donkeys.You're already following WeRateDogs, so what's the point of even linking? https://twitter.com/dog_ratesSupport 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sydney Malloy, one of the group's top "Ant-mins", discusses the Facebook group where people pretend to be ants. They explore the fascination with ants, including their global presence, complex cities, and social behavior. They also touch on linguistic displacement abilities and the concept of a queen in an ant colony. The speakers share their experiences with pretend groups on Facebook and the limitations of other platforms. They end with a discussion on memories and a promotion of the Discord server and Patreon.

There's a lot to laugh at on the Internet, but standup comedy — a distinctly in-person art form — is facing challenges in a time of self-isolation. But "virtual" comedy clubs, powered by Zoom, Twitch, and YouTube, are increasingly popping up in quarantine. But as expected, the tight 5 that kills on stage may need adjustments for an audience that can only laugh in emojis.This week, Alli and Jen talk to standup comedian and writer/producer Josh Gondelman about how the standup world is adapting to the Internet, what makes a set work online, and the difference between IRL and virtual heckling.Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshgondelmanAnd check out his new game show podcast, Make My Day: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-my-day-with-josh-gondelman/id1507871978Support 2G1P on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/2G1PJoin us on Discord: discord.gg/2g1pEmail us: 2G1Podcast@gmail.comTalk to Alli and Jen:https://twitter.com/alligoldhttps://twitter.com/joonbuggerCall the show and leave a message! (347) 871-6548   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices