Listener Mail: Chinese Spyware, The Amish, DC, and Letters From Home

More than 500 feet long and carrying missiles the size of small planes, the giant, nuclear-powered Kursk submarine was an apex predator of the high seas. At least, that is, until it was destroyed in one of the most catastrophic peacetime submarine accidents in history. The entire crew was lost and, decades later, some still believe this 'accident' was no accident at all.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Dec 56min

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ben, Matt and Noel have a special, spoiler-filled episode just for you, fellow Conspiracy Realists! You see, something strange happened over recent years: Santa, Rudolph and all the usual characters of Christmas have been joined by a new entity... a little Elf, hanging around your house from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, and reporting your behavior to Santa Claus every single night. At first blush, this is wholesome and delightful. But... why are so many parents, experts and journalists concerned about the Elf on the Shelf? Is the Elf normalizing an Orwellian surveillance state?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Dec 1h 17min

For most of modern history, the world has run on oil. In the US and abroad, the price of gasoline is often the subject of intense concern, and prices at the pump vary widely. The difference of a few dollars per gallon can incite widespread unrest. But there's a question rarely asked: How much should gas actually cost?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Dec 1h 1min

Remember when chatting about the weather used to be nothing more than small talk? Those days are long gone. As the climate becomes increasingly chaotic, powerful interests have returned to the controversial -- at times, conspiratorial -- concept of weather modification. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the bizarre, outlandish and occasionally dangerous plans to leverage science in a last-ditch Hail Mary to save civilization. Problem is, these same solutions may also end up destroying the planet. So... should humanity hold its breath and roll the dice?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Dec 1h 3min

In the wake of the death of Rob Reiner and his spouse Michele, Ben, Matt and Noel share some of their memories working with Rob and return to their classic interview with him, from 2023: Sixty years ago this week, US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. In tonight's conversation, Ben, Matt and Noel join the legendary director, actor, writer, and activist Rob Reiner to explore the assassination -- in his newest project, Rob finally answers the question: Who killed JFK?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Dec 1h 14min

In this week's strange news segment, Ben, Noel and Dylan explore how a human gut biome may predict linear future. Conversations about social media ephemera. Ben cops to his "missing: boomerang" posters, shouts out The Daily Zeitgeist, and asks Noel to explain "6-7." Dylan shares a weird story about returning to the United States as the U.S. asks to read your phone at the border. All this and more in this week's strange news segment -- tune in!They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Dec 59min

Tonight's episode: Ben, Matt, Noel and Dylan ask: How many planets exist? According to current astronomical research, a lot of speculation and tons of conspiracy theories, there may be more to the solar system.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Dec 58min

If you're not from Nova Scotia, you may have never heard of Africville -- it was a small community in Halifax. The larger government of Halifax seemed content to pretend Africville simply didn't exist. After the infamous Halifax Explosion of the early 1900s, the government changed their tactic, and aggressively conspired to erase Africville from history.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Dec 40min