Episodes
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Episode coming later this week. For now: something meaningless.
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--Never Post's producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show's host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure.
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We respond to your comments!
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📧 Email us at theneverpost at gmail dot com
🌐 Leave a comment at neverpo.st
See what interstitials we need submissions for
--Never Post's producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show's host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure.
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Missing episodes?
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Georgia talks with communications scholar and privacy researcher Alice Marwick about “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” groups, and how hard it is to keep private communities private. Contributing producer Noah Hertz files a story about the best, smallest social network you’ve never heard of. Also: MIKE DIES??? 🎃 👻
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for access to extended and bonus segments, and our side shows like “Slow Post”, “Posts from the Field” and “Never Watch”
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Intro Links
Archive.org hackedAutomattic CEO quadruples down on WP Engine legal battleCracks in the Mr. Beast empire The AI restaurant problem on Instagram–
Are We Dating the Same Guy?
AWDTSG Wikipedia EntryFind Alice on bskyAlice’s website–
David Social
You can find Noah at noahhertz.comDavid Social is at davidsocial.com but don’t bother if you don’t already know DavidLily Alexandre is on YouTube and X, The Everything Website–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
when I first died, I stole a lock of your hair while you slept
Now I dip it in ink when the mood strikes
and the times you visit and kneel so pretty on the grass above me,
that’s not scratching you hear. It’s writing.
except of Poem to Line My Casket with, Ramona, by Josh Bell
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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We visit the funeral for CrowdTangle, a social listening app that was used by disinformation and human rights researchers. Mike talks with Dallas Taylor, host of the podcast 20k Hertz, about why podcasts sound the way they do. And also: videogame menu music!
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for access to extended and bonus segments, and our side shows like “Slow Post”, “Posts from the Field” and “Never Watch”
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions forand tell us about POSTS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE–
Intro Links
Brazil's top court says X paid pending fines to wrong bank – ReutersMusk's X paid $5 million in fines to the wrong bank, Brazil's Supreme Court said - Business InsiderAfter weeks of drama, SF tech CEO gives workers $30,000 to quit – SFGate159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO’s fight with WP Engine escalates – TechCrunchHow to Delete Your 23andme Data Amid the Company's Turmoil – MSNCalifornia enacts laws to protect child influencers' financial security – NBCDoNotPay has to pay $193K for falsely touting untested AI lawyer, FTC says – ArsTechnica–
CrowdTangle, We Barely Knew Thee
RIP CrowdtangleDavid KarpfKevin Roose’s Twitter Bot–
Why Do Podcasts Sound Like That, with Dallas Taylor
Dallas’ LinkedIn Post - LinkedIn20k HertzDeFacto Sound–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Having been taught by fools, how else could i have ended up but as I am? a man who panics at the sound of his own voice, a blusterer, afraid that within the five pointed maple leaf there lies another name he never knew; ready, always, to be found wrong.
Excerpt of ON FIRE by Andrew Feld
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Senior producer Hans Buetow leads a conversation with three makers and thinkers in the podcast space — Mia Lobel (Freelance Cafe, fmr. Pushkin Industries), Lauren Passell (Tink Media) and Ronald Young, Jr. (Weight For It). We perform a health check on the podcast industry, to see who it’s working for, and who not.
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for access to extended and bonus segments, and our side shows like “Slow Post”, “Posts from the Field” and “Never Watch”
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions forand tell us about POSTS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE–
Links:
Alex Goldman’s podcast economics TweetBuzzsprout’s podcasting industry statsIAB’s 2022 Podcasting Advertising Revenue Report–
Find Our Guests:
Mia Lobel — Freelance CafeLauren Passell — Tink MediaRonald Young, Jr. — Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Georgia talks to Cliff Lampe, Professor of Information at the UMich School of Information about how Find My has become indispensable technology of friendship in a hypergamified social-media landscape. Then, Hans talks with Dr. Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University, about the need to be vulnerable as an influencer. And also: [REDACTED]
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for access to extended and bonus segments, and our side shows like “Slow Post”, “Posts from the Field” and “Never Watch”
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions forand tell us about POSTS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE–
Intro Links
Elon Musk's X blinks in standoff with Brazil – Yahoo.comElon Musk’s X Backs Down in Brazil – NYTLionsgate Inks Deal With AI Firm to Mine Its Massive Film and TV Library – Hollywood ReporterRunway Partners with Lionsgate – runwayml dot comThree Mile Island to Host New Disaster in Exclusive Deal to Power Microsoft AI – Splinter.comMicrosoft deal would reopen Three Mile Island nuclear plant to power AI – WaPoAfter CEO’s arrest, Telegram says it will now turn some bad actors’ data over to law enforcement – CNN
Read Oldster!Find me on Something Rotten talking about Spec Ops: The LineJacob Geller’s Swordstream 2024 AnnouncementFind me on Jay Springett’s Experience.Computer on Sept. 26th–
Find My Friend Surveillance
Find Cliff on Google Scholar Gamification and Social Media–
Vulnerableposting
The politics of vulnerability in the influencer economy – SagepubFind Brooke @ brookeduffy.com–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Now I promise the shriek that the pressure of days, the pressure of days will be weapon. We drive and we drive, we blare music, we go on. On the highway of our lost intentions, all signs are strident, all exits goodbye.
Except of [Now I promise…] by Karen Volkman
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Mike talks with Know Your Meme Editor-in-Chief Don Caldwell about the prevalence and decline of the Laser Eyes Meme, and the ever shifting place of internet memes in presidential election season; the staff then talks about posts that baffle and confound us. And also: fair play.
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/ for access to extended and bonus segments, and our side shows like “Slow Post”, “Posts from the Field” and “Never Watch”
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions forand tell us about POSTS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE–
Intro Links
EU top court ruling paves way for Apple to pay Ireland over €13bn in taxes – Irish Times Judge Rules $400 Million Algorithmic System Illegally Denied Thousands of People’s Medicaid Benefits – Gizmodo.comBrazil Blocks Musk’s X After Company Refuses to Comply Amid Feud With Judge – TimeElon Musk Has Backed Himself Into a Corner in Brazil – WIREDWhat to know about Elon Musk’s ‘free speech’ feud with a Brazilian judge – APWho are Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin? The 6 commentators linked to Tenet indictment – USA TodayWho Are Tim Pool And Benny Johnson? What To Know About The Six Right-Wing Commentators DOJ Alleges Were Funded By Russia. – ForbesYouTube Deletes Tim Pool’s Embarrassing Kremlin-Backed Videos – GizmodoMedia start-up from Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Dave Rubin was secret Russian influence campaign, indictment alleges – DailyDotcohost to shut down at end of 2024 – cohost–
Laser Eyes
Laser Eyes – KYMDark Brandon – KYMDark Brandon Explained – KYMFell Out of a Coconut Tree – KYMWhat Can Be, Unburdened By What Has Been – KYMFind Don:
https://x.com/doncaldhttps://x.com/knowyourmemehttps://www.instagram.com/knowyourmemehttps://www.tiktok.com/@knowyourmemehttps://www.youtube.com/knowyourmemehttps://www.snapchat.com/p/41102048-8d2d-4288-b54e-c9e89b1afa44/1147140847384576–
What Is Going On Here?
Twitter — runwildkianReddit — Celebrity Number SixReddit — The fabricGoogle Docs — Hugh’s workReddit — Hugh’s situationTikTok — fembasecon–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
All day we leave and arrive at the hive,
concelebrants. The hive is love,
what we serve, preserve, avowed in Latin murmurs
as we come and go, skydive, freighted
with light, to where we thrive, us, in time’s hum,
on history’s breath,
industrious, identical…
Excerpt of Hive by Carol Ann Duffy
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Georgia talks with marketing consultant Bryce Whitwam and takes us in and out and further in – maybe further in than any of us have ever wanted to go – to the TikTok shop; Mike talks with media studies professor Shannon Mattern about Drafts – writing while it is still in progress – and how it feels to POST them. Also: Audience participation!
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for–
Find the slides for this live performance on our website.
Intro Links
J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk Named in Cyberbullying Lawsuit Filed by Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif After Olympic Win (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety“it was so nice when you were following legal advice to shut the fuck up” – death angelSwifties for Trump? Not so fast-Taylor Swift fires back at Donald Trump's AI-generated endorsement – MarcaFans Suspect Taylor Swift Just Subtly Addressed Donald Trump's AI Image Scandal in New Statement – parade.comDonald Trump Shares Fake Taylor Swift Endorsement Using AI-Generated Images – StereogumTrump shares AI-generated images of Taylor Swift and her fans supporting him – NBCanyway here's the story of how i worked with a cafe (isshiki matcha) to import the olympic village muffins for a popup in nyc… – @kelin_online–
The Shop Zone
More of Bryce Whitwam:
The TikTok effectShanghai Zhan podcastSyracuse University–
Writing is Death
Find Shannon Mattern:
wordsinspace.netshannonmattern.bsky.social–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
It’s slow writing
on re-admission of the abyss
so if this body is sleepy-tired
please walk around
Suddenly there’s nothing
in the laws of the alphabet
that breaks open revealing
what buoyancy am I.
Excerpt of Puberty of Puck, by Mark Hyatt
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Hans talks with Lia Haberman of the newsletter ICYMI about the ostensible death of the hashtag; Georgia talks with media scholar Whitney Phillips about catching breaking news via internet memes. Also: Hit Em!
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for, like: SEND US YOUR DRAFTS–
Intro Links
Google has an illegal monopoly on search, judge rules. Here’s what’s next – MSN.comCrooked Media, Producer of ‘Pod Save America,’ Reaches Deal With Union, Which Withdraws Claim Company Engaged in Union-Busting Tactics – Variety.comAfter Walkout, Crooked Media Union Reaches Tentative Deal With ‘Pod Save America' Company – MSN.comSpotify is full of AI music, and some say it’s ruining the platform – FastCoCartoon Network Website Shuts Down, Warner Bros. Discovery Kicks Visitors Over to Max – Variety.com5 Podcasts for the Constantly Online – NYTXOXO 2024 Schedule!–
#DeathoftheHashtag
Find Lia:
ICYMI newsletterWebsiteTwitterLinkedIn–
Meming the News, Newsing the Memes
Find Whitney:
University of Oregon siteTwitterThe Ambivalent Internet book–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
The idea, the teacher said, was that there was a chaos
left in matter – a little bit of not-yet in everything that was –
so the poets became interested in fragments, interruptions–
the little bit of saying lit by the unsaid–
was it a way to stay alive, a way to keep hope,
leaving things unfinished?
as if in completing a sentence there was death–
– Excerpt of Ars Poetica (the idea) by Dana Levin
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
★ Support this podcast ★ -
We respond to your comments!
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
--☎️ Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mail
🗣️ Drop us a voice note via airtable
📧 Email us at theneverpost at gmail dot com
🌐 Leave a comment at neverpo.st
See what interstitials we need submissions for, like: SEND US YOUR DRAFTS
--Never Post's producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show's host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure.
★ Support this podcast ★ -
Contributing producer Victoria Dominguez attempts to understand the practice of digitally resurrecting deceased loved ones using artificial intelligence. Also: home movies.
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Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for, like: SEND US YOUR DRAFTS–
Intro Links
People searching X for updates on California's largest wildfire encounter torrent of porn spam – SF GateI Worked For MrBeast, He's A Fraud – YouTubeMrBeast employee hits back against whistleblower who called YouTube star a ‘fraud’ – MetroThe news about MrBeast 'Beast Games' is disturbing – Rosanna Pansino, TikTokMore 'Beast Games' Allegations Break My Heart – Rosanna Pansino, TikTokMrBeast 'Beast Games' Keeps Getting Worse… – Rosanna Pansino, TikTokHoarding Chocolate, Seizures, and Broken Bones — Messages Depict Bad Conditions on 'Beast Games' Project – Distractify via MSN‘Skibidi Toilet’ Film and TV Franchise in the Works From Michael Bay, Adam Goodman — Listen to the Exclusive Interview – Variety–
BRB AI Links
BRB2ME -- https://btwinai.com/bring-mom-backFind Tori:
Press Start Podcast (Episode 106, ft. Mike Rugnetta) Twitter: @Tori_as_alwaysWebsite: vdominguez.netFind Elreacy Dock:
Website: https://www.elreacydock.com/Find Elizabeth Schandelmeier:
Website: Howling Lion Grief Support–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
One winter, he held a rope, lowered me
by the ankles to the wells bottom.
I ascended upside-down through the dark thermometer
with a blood orange in my teeth. He had a beard
of new snow. I held cold to his pant leg
while our dog left and snapped at a sound
in the air only he could hear. When I fell
in love, he reached out to me and held me down
when she slinked away on our dirt road alone,
sheepish, depress. He held me as the constellations
mingled through the torn curtain.
– Excerpt of My Pietá by Thomas Heise
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Mike chats with EX Research about their new report which goes deep on Roblox, the massively multiplayer online game played by HALF of all American teenagers. Georgia takes a look at Love Island UK – as many people have over the last few weeks – and asks why so much of that looking is preoccupied with plastic surgery. Also: the sound of touching grass.
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for, like: SEND US YOUR DRAFTS–
Intro Links
War Thunder does it again, this time with classified documents relating to 3 Russian tanks, cyberdaily.auIt’s happening again: War Thunder players continue to leak classified military documents, dotesports.comCommission sends preliminary findings to X for breach of the Digital Services Act, europa.euMusk says EU wanted “secret deal” to “censor free speech” after fine threat, msn.comChasing YouTube, Spotify adds comments to podcasts, techcrunch.comAn Illinois law requires parents to give 15% of earnings to children who star in their videos, tubefilter.com–
Once Day, We’ll All Be In There
What’s the deal with Roblox? An EX Special Report – exresearch.coRoblox fruit jumpscares, x.comThis Brokkhaven Roleplay In ROBLOX Be Weird…, tiktok.comPretending to be a spying christmas tree in roblox, youtube.comROBLOX DOORS BUT IT'S ME, youtube.comRoblox is down.., youtube.comROBLOX DIFFICULTY CHART, youtube.comThe nuggets gonna get ya, tiktok.comThe Strange Origins of "Old ROBLOX Music", youtube.com–
Love Island Face
https://www.tiktok.com/@jackmacbarstool/video/7379780711802309930https://www.tiktok.com/@barrettplasticsurgery/video/7380161281510231326https://www.tiktok.com/@anniereneau3/video/7205726511478115630https://www.tiktok.com/@boldglamour/video/7206238027528637742https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb6CKuD1GTkhttps://www.tiktok.com/@drgarynyc/video/7384530805407829294–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
What can I tell you? It was a summer that seemed to be
making history — their personal history — almost before
it began, and they stood back slightly, still in it, but
observing it, saying “the summer this,” “the summer that,”
all the while it was going on. They became obsessed with
a fountain, for example, one they walked past each day,
how abundantly it would reach upwards and yet be pouring
back down itself the whole time — all winter this fountain
had been dry, not saying a word. What more can I tell you?
Oh, everything…
Excerpt of No Name by Emily Berry
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Mike talks with unsung internet pillar DylanPDX, steward of vxTwitter and others, who single-handedly does what Big Social doesn’t want - keeping your embeds working. Senior producer Hans gets the ambrosia from Tallulah Trezevant, an antiquities scholar who ran an experiment to see how fast she would get flushed down the alt-right pipeline when expressing an interest in ancient history online. Also! Some of your favorite hidden corners of the internet.
Show Notes:
Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for–
Intro Links
Canada demands 5% of revenue from Netflix, Spotify, and other streamers -- Ars TechnicaThe Spotify conspiracy theories about “Espresso,” explained -- VoxMTV News Website Goes Dark, Archives Pulled Offline -- VarietyParamount Axes Comedy Central Site, 25+ Years of Daily Show Clips Gone -- LateNighterWhy Major Labels Are Suing AI Music Startups Udio and Suno For Mass Copyright Infringement -- ForbesSuccor borne every minute -- FTC–
vxTwitter with Dylan
Find Dylan:
GitHubTwitterKo-fi–
Antiquity to Alt-Right Pipeline, with Tallulah Trezevant
Find Tallulah:
The Antiquity to Alt-Right Pipeline -- workingclassicists.comOther Sources of hope in Antiquity:
Dan-el Padilla PeraltaSarah DebrewKy Merkley–
Favorite Corners of the Internet
Rad Pro CalculatorSerebiiSporcle Geography Quizzescrouton.netThe Academic Family Tree–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.Excerpt of “Burning the Old Year” by Naomi Shihab Nye
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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An episode-long staff round-table about music library management with special guest Meghal Janardan.
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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We respond to you!
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LINKS!
Angelmamii7 in LimeranceBurnt toast about burnt toast HEADPHONE USERS BEWARE–
Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Moss’ Email
Hi Never Post!
My name is Moss (she/her) and I am trans.
Your recent segment on before and after pics got me thinking about the particular variety of before and afters that are shared online in the trans community. I think that this became a lot more visible to me after being witness to the early chaos of unconstrained trans horniness and wild openness in the early formation of Bluesky last year, which is a whole fascinating bit of platform ecosystem history, especially seeing how much Bluesky has leveled out into something much more "presentable" and twitter-like now that it's operating at scale—but I digress.
On sites like Twitter and Bluesky (and surely elsewhere...) there is an established trend of trans beings (queer beings) sharing before and after pictures of themselves. These are occasioned by trans holidays, like Transgender Day of Visibility, by personal events like transition anniversaries, and by quote chains of such pics (not to mention special occasions of steps taken towards transition). I think it's important to mention these not only as a queer phenomenon, but as something that illuminates how before and afters work for everyone in a variety of situations (as is the case with many things related to transness—it's not [only] about being trans: it's about living more freely). The trans case highlights a few aspects that I want to explore here:
1) The pics, by virtue of being in a trans discourse, would seem to point to something deeper about how life is structured—an identity, a gender—rather than merely an aspect of life—weight, appearance, dwelling, &c.—not of course that identity and gender are not merely aspects of life nor that what seem to be mere aspects are not structuring, but thinking about the weight these are given culturally. What does it mean to see one photo and then another and think, and be encouraged to think by the poster, to see the second as more in line with their gender, as "more woman," "more animal," "more thing," "more man," "more..."? But perhaps above all "MORE THEMSELF." I think we can reasonably be quite ambivalent about this: as your segment points out, the after of the before and after is actually a changing state, and that perhaps it's harmful to over-fix (and that it might fix norms that should be taken as fluid and contextual), but, on the other hand, the fixing function of the before and after photo may be precisely the point for the trans poster—a trans performance to reinforce self. We might further ask, what is visible and what is invisible about transition—does the before and after pic over-reinforce the visible (and how does it then interact with the endless discourse of "passing")? There is also of course a great potential for rupture with norms with queer people—the after often completely rejects standard norms (but then is it rejection or creation...? and so on and so on and so on).
2) The before pic is possibly quite contentious for trans beings, when it is understood to be a pre-transition pic (and not say, both before and after being after the start of transition). This is because there are a ton of frameworks for understanding what one was before transition, and—rightfully—everyone has a different approach: Shall I define myself in opposition to my past? Shall I cut the past off and build myself in the now? Should my transition be understood as an attempt to work with my past, to heal my past, and to continue what is good from it? Is transition not at all a dividing line between me and my past—is it simply an event in a continuous life? Is transition not an event but a continuous process that has been operating since the very moment of my birth? (How many of these are at play at once!?) This makes understanding what is conveyed by the after very difficult. There's a sense in which the before and after flattens all these possibilities into the idea of CONTRAST, of cutting off, of opposition, without precisely exploring what kind of contrast is meant, or whether it is meant at all. There's also a tendency that I've noticed in the commentary (from both the original poster and commenters) on these posts to read them in terms of well-known transition narratives, where before the being was miserable, and after the being is happy and thriving. There's kind of an assertion that this is somehow visible in the picture—that a moment of photography can capture years of pain, years of pleasure—when, of course, life is so complicated, so variegated, even when transition does mark a huge change for the better (and it really does).
3) There is a pretty complicated interaction between the before and after pic and the values of the audience, when the audience is trans (I could also talk about the beings trying to figure out whether they should transition, but I don't want to make this too long). If I come across a before and after pic displaying a change in weight, I might (will) have a complicated emotional reaction, but I myself may not have committed to changing that aspect of myself, and there's a sense that a weight before and after is aimed at a pretty broad swath of the poster's community. But if I come across a before and after transition pic, not only does the pic feel in some sense aimed at me as a member of the trans community, but I in fact have as a trans being already accepted the underlying goals and values of this by committing myself to transitioning—it is something that I myself am trying to accomplish (but of course, not necessarily by the same methods as the being in the pics, and not the same goals). This is not to say that this kind of in-community targeting of before and after pics is unique to the trans community—think for example of before and afters shared in a weight-loss subreddit vs. ones that show up from a friend on your general feed. However, there's a kind of weird way in which being connected to trans people on social media, just as your friends and peers, puts one into a community rather than general discourse.
In any case, I think I have rambled enough—it's a big can of worm spaghetti. Hopefully there's enough wiggle room and questioning here that all beings might find a place to be nurtured from it. Thank you all for your wonderful work on this enjoyable podcast, and thank you for encouraging community input. Keep it up!
Moss
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Georgia chats with Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter Hilke Schellmann about the job market, and the increasing prevalence of Artificial Intelligence in hiring. Mike talks with comedian, writer and podcast host Jamie Loftus about her show Sixteenth Minute (of Fame), and the curse of becoming an Internet Main Character. Also! Every YouTube video the team watched in the last two weeks.
Show Notes:
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Intro Links
Google Cut Back AI Overviews in Search Even Before Its ‘Pizza Glue’ Fiasco – WIREDIkea is hiring UK workers for its new store in Roblox – EurogamerHow 7 Brands Are Engaging Gen Zers with Roblox Experiences – ObsessarNebula Strikes Deal With Spotify to Stream Video Content (EXCLUSIVE) – VarietySpotify demonetises all tracks under 1,000 streams – MusictechSpotify Announces New Price Increases for Premium Plans – Yahoo TechSpotify raising prices by up to $3 as frustrated subs beg it to “just do music” – Ars TechnicaA New Lawsuit Accuses Spotify of Cheating Songwriters Out of Royalties – TimeWe'll Miss You: Pioneering instant messaging program ICQ is finally shutting down after nearly 30 years – PC GamerInternet Sleuths Finally Find Origin of 'The Backrooms' Creepypasta Image – 404 MediaBackrooms Research Doc–
Why Is It (Hiring) Like This? with Hilke Schellmann
Find Hilke:
hilkeschellmann.comThe Algorithm: How AI Can Hijack Your Career and Steal Your FutureOther Sources:
OpenAI GPT Sorts Resume Names With Racial Bias, Test Shows – BloombergAI Bias In Recruitment: Ethical Implications And Transparency – ForbesAI in Hiring and Evaluating Workers: What Americans Think – PewAI hiring tools may be filtering out the best job applicants – BBC–
Main Characters, with Jamie Loftus
Find Jamie:
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)jamieloftus.xyzInstagramTwitter–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Others were more economical than I, but I
had my red marble. I had action
figures weighing down the drapes
on tiny threads. That twisted, and got smaller.
One door led
to a more economical room
Perhaps a more economical view. The girl
across the hall was the same girl
Except, “Persuasion” by Joyelle McSweeney
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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Georgia digs deep into the enshittification of dating apps, and pays dearly as a result. Mike talks to Aftermath co-founder Luke Plunkett about recent, massive changes to Google’s Page Rank algorithm, and the risk of reconfiguring entire industries to pander to search traffic. And also: An AI Voice Clone of Mike is set to *maximum chaos*.
Show Notes:
Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for–
Intro Links
Belle Delphine earned over $90K selling jars of her bathwater in 2019. PayPal only released her money this week – Katie Notopulous, Business InsiderSlack has been using data from your chats to train its machine learning models – Will Shanklin, EngadgetIt’s the End of Google Search As We Know It – Lauren Goode, WIREDUber and Lyft agree to deal with state lawmakers on minimum pay rates for drivers – Max Nesterak, Minnesota ReformerIGN Entertainment acquires Eurogamer, GI, VG247, Rock Paper Shotgun and more – Christopher Dring, gameindustry.bizIGN buys Eurogamer, VG247, and Rock Paper Shotgun – layoffs have already started – Game Central, Metro.co.ukNever Post at XOXO 2024 12 Best Podcasts of 2024 (So Far) – Lauren Passell, Lifehacker Mike on Blocked Party–
Dating Apps (derogatory)
Dating Apps: The Uncertainty of Marketised Lovehttps://www.tiktok.com/@officialbrept/video/7028325781537393925?_t=8lrDLmaKbTa&_r=1https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahgraser/video/7117094997484309806?_r=1&_t=8ly4uYqQrPDhttps://www.tiktok.com/@harmonythread/video/7262952885158235435?_t=8lwOVY3O0LP&_r=1https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahgraser/video/7125991346489314603?_t=8lwOSDK1l3H&_r=1https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanzhang13/video/7036251495951535366?_t=8m88ojNTm3y&_r=1–
Google Scruples
Find Luke at Aftermath.siteGoogle Kneecaps Loads Of Very Big Websites After SEO ChangeWorkers At The Gamurs Group Of Video Game Websites Describe It As ‘Hell’The Perfect Webpage: How the internet reshaped itself around Google’s search algorithms–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
Foot, how you press
me to keep that
old contact alive
the repeated daily sentiment
of pace so
grim, always that
untrusting silence
untitled, by JH Prynne, from The White Stones
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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The second and final installment of our two part collab with Slate’s ICYMI! Mike talks with mis- and disinformation researcher Joan Donovan about the line between gossip and conspiracy; then ICYMI’s Candice and Rachelle join us to talk about what it feels like swimming in the wide open sea of monocultural event discourse. Also: C-SPAN’s earliest internet memories!
Special thanks to Candice, Rachelle, Se’era, Daisy and the whole ICYMI team! Please listen to them on slate.com and wherever you get your podcasts.
Become a Never Post member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot comSee what interstitials we need submissions for–
Everyone is a Journalish
Find Joan at her websiteand at publicinterestinter.net–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
vertigo of too many nuances
don’t drown in their rapidity
choose the nuances you love
and settle down with them
Excerpt of #45 - butter colored slacks and rubber rum balls by Wayne Koestenbaum
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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This week, we got TWO episodes coming at you - one today and one on Saturday. Both are a collaboration with the incredible team at the Slate Podcast ICYMI.
In today's episode, the first of our collaboration, Mike guests on ICYMI, where they break down one of 2024’s biggest internet stories and ask: what's the recipe for a rare monocultural event?
It's been more than a month since Kate Middleton announced she'd started preventative chemotherapy treatments following a cancer diagnosis. Which means it's also been just over a month since conspiracy theories about the princess ran rampant across the internet. As an increasingly algorithmic internet silos us further into our own little content niches, all-consuming events like Kate Middleton's disappearance are fewer and far between. So what does it take, in 2024, to capture the internet's attention and create these rare monocultural moments?
ICYMI is produced by Se'era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.
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To get ahold of the Never Post team:
- Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mail
- Drop us a voice memo via airtable
- Or email us at theneverpost at gmail dot com
- See what interstitials we need submissions forNever Post's producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show's host is Mike Rugnetta.
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
★ Support this podcast ★ -
Senior producer Hans Buetow investigates the transit vacuum that’ll be left when Uber and Lyft leave the Twin Cities; Mike looks at how the car has become a default setting for vertical, short form video. Also: PLANES, TRAINS… BIKES
Become a member at https://www.neverpo.st/
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Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voice mailDrop us a voice memo via airtableOr email us at theneverpost at gmail dot com–
Intro Links
The House just voted on a potential TikTok ban (again). Now what? – CNNBiden signs a bill that could ban TikTok — after the 2024 election – NBC NewsSteve Mnuchin seeks AI partner to rebuild TikTok’s algorithm in takeover bid: sources – NY PostGoogle blocks California news in response to bill that would force tech giant to pay – NPRWhen Facebook bans the news – Matt PearceNvidia drops 10% as investors see risk in Big Tech shares – FTSuper Micro And Nvidia Stock Woes Could Mean Trouble For Generative AI – ForbesAuthorJMac TweetMike on The Eurowhat PodcastIf You Love Podcasts, Dump Spotify – Alex Sujong Laughlin, Defector–
Twin Cities Transit Vacuum
Minnesota Reformer Uber ArchivesMax Nesterak is on Twitter–
The American Car
Garlic Naan And Butter Chicken Fountain?! – TiktokDavid After Dentist – YouTubeTaco Reacts – TiktokThe American Room – Paul Ford, MediumIt is NOT My day – Tiktokforget a rage room, ima just rent out my car so y’all can scream in it – Evelyn, TiktokShanin Blake – TiktokDear single parents ~ when I was 18 I got pregnant with my daughter and her dad went to prison right after she was born, so I was on my own. – Shanin Blake, InstagramThis is our home her name is Nancy 🚐 – Shanin Blake, InstagramGood morning! I love living in a mom van!!! – Shanin Blake, Instagram–
Never Post’s producers are Audrey Evans, Georgia Hampton and The Mysterious Dr. Firstname Lastname. Our senior producer is Hans Buetow. Our executive producer is Jason Oberholtzer. The show’s host is Mike Rugnetta.
To understand what was going on it is perhaps necessary to have participated in the freeway experience, which is the only secular communion Los Angeles has. Mere driving on the freeway is in no way the same as participating in it. Anyone can “drive” on the freeway, and many people with no vocation for it do, hesitating here and resisting there, losing the rhythm of the lane change, thinking about where they came from and where they are going. Actual participants think only about where they are. Actual participation requires a total surrender, a concentration so intense as to seem a kind of narcosis, a rapture-of-the-freeway. The mind goes clean. The rhythm takes over. A distortion of time occurs, the same distortion that characterizes the instant before an accident.
Except from The Bureaucrats, by Joan Didion
Never Post is a production of Charts & Leisure
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