ballp.it

Snakes In The Ball Pit => Yay, I get to talk about me! => This Is A Thing I Made => Topic started by: chai tea latte on April 06, 2018, 03:18:28 pm

Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 06, 2018, 03:18:28 pm
Hi, folks! I've been working on a podcast for the last month or so and I'm finally ready to release it. The podcast is called Ephemera, and you should be able to find it on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Clicking on the podcast art below should open your podcasting app's subscribe button if you're on mobile. I recently launched a bare-bones website for the show: http://storiesfromtheinter.net.

Host Stephanie Bee uses primary sources to tell stories that could have only happened online.Quote from
(https://i.imgur.com/UJTKaitm.jpg) (http://feeds.feedburner.com/EphemeraPodcast)

Each ep is about 20 minutes, and I hope people here will think it's interesting. I wanted to find a way to both have a single narrator (clarity of focus, storytelling) while not just having a single voice (boringville USA) - the solution I landed on was to have other people read some primary documents, interspersed throughout the show. I think it worked out alright but I'm interested in what other people think about it.

The first episode, the one I've just released, is about bunny rabbits and a series of lawsuits. Episode 2 will be about a fake computer program that will torture you forever, and episode 3 will be about One Direction fans. I hope people like the show - I'm really enjoying making it. You can also listen to the show directly via Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/tell-me-about-the-rabbits-george-1).

Special thanks to a number of people from ballpit who were willing to read stuff in the inaugural episode(s).
(PS: I'm using a fake name.)

E01: Tell Me About the Rabbits, George (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/tell-me-about-the-rabbits-george-1)
E02: Here On Level One of Robot Hell (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/here-on-level-one-of-robot-hell)
E03: You Besically Killed 100+ Innocent People (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/you-besically-killed-100-innocent-people)
E04: De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bonum (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/de-mortuis-nil-nisi-bonum)
E05: just like lost but everyone is hurley (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/just-like-lost-but-everyone-is-hurley-1)
E06: Chesterton's #cockygate (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/chestertons-cockygate-1)
E07: The Corrupted Blood Incident (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/the-corrupted-blood-incident)
 SPL 01: Big Mama is Watching You (https://m.soundcloud.com/user-883034529/splinternet-1-big-mama-is)
E08: If Marty McFly Can Do It So Can We (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/if-marty-mcfly-can-do-it-so-can-we)
E09: EVE Online is Like Vegas for Nerds (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/181304515230/)
SPL 2: To Be a Journalist In Russia Is Suicide (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/182245681605/)
E10: if everybody drove motorcycles the government would collapse (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/183394263825)
E11: Emojigeddon (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/183957427550/)
E12: Swatting: Terrorism for Children (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/184427687135)
E13: The Life (and Deaths) of the WELL (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/185970040580/)
E14: i felt i should just go to japan and die there (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/186714920295/)
SPL 03: The GDPR and the Right to be Forgotten (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/187635435615)
E15: A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? The world's biggest graveyard.  (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/188387455070/)
E16: I FEEL SO LONELY // WE LIVE IN PUBLIC (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/189691958295/16-i-feel-so-lonely-we-live-in-public)
E17: The Other Nefertiti (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/611693027856187392/17-the-other-nefertiti)
E18: ** Paid Modeling Gig. ** (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/618061674009821184)
E19: unfortunately, as you already know, people (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/625561637594726400/)
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on April 06, 2018, 03:57:23 pm
Thank you for thanking me twice. And I already checked! it isn't [you ]!!

also i really like this format. it's neat
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Penultimatum on April 06, 2018, 07:14:33 pm
Episode 2 will be about a fake computer program that will torture you forever
chai tea latte, April 06, 2018, 03:18:28 pm

You’re doing an episode on Roko’s basilisk? If so, I’m looking forward to that one.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 19, 2018, 03:08:18 pm
Episode 2 will be about a fake computer program that will torture you forever
chai tea latte, April 06, 2018, 03:18:28 pm

You’re doing an episode on Roko’s basilisk? If so, I’m looking forward to that one.
Friend Anemone, April 06, 2018, 07:14:33 pm
Your wish is my command. (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/here-on-level-one-of-robot-hell) Don't forget to subscribe if you like the show!

Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on May 17, 2018, 03:21:07 pm
New episode out! Listen to it in your podcast app, or directly on Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/you-besically-killed-100-innocent-people). I think it's a good story, and I got it here, so I'd like to note for the home crowd that Psammetichus III tipped me off to the topic (https://ballp.it/index.php?topic=1319). Next month's ep will be about something that happened on Metafilter in 2001.

New schedule: Ephemera releases on the third Thursday of every month.



Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on June 22, 2018, 12:34:37 am
I've just released episode 4, "De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bonum", which is about a blog from twenty years ago. It's live in the podcast feed, or you can listen to it directly on soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/de-mortuis-nil-nisi-bonum).

Episode 5 will be about an infamous :goonproject:. You'll have to wait and see which one.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on June 22, 2018, 09:42:56 am
i loved this episode! what a Blastoise from the Pastoise. for real. i had a friend in high school who told us all she was diagnosed with cancer. we were all shaken but tried to be supportive. it came out months later that she made it up in order to "find out who her real friends were."

she didn't have any friends after that confession
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on July 20, 2018, 12:42:32 am
Episode 5 is out!

It's called "Just like Lost, but everyone is Hurley". It's about maybe my favourite piece of SA goon drama. Also, it stars STOG! Everybody loves STOG.

Find it in your podcast app or listen to it on Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/just-like-lost-but-everyone-is-hurley-1).

EDIT: had to reupload to fix the levels. It should be good now.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Sauce on July 20, 2018, 11:37:18 am
Just discovered this and binged all the episodes so far. Really enjoying what I've heard, got a great tone and you've already made great strides on the quality front, can't wait to see where you take this (and if you need more readers give me a shout).
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on July 20, 2018, 12:28:40 pm
excellent episode yet again! every time i  listen i remember how much i love your approach
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on August 22, 2018, 10:14:49 pm
Episode 6: 'Chesterton's #cockygate' (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/chestertons-cockygate-1).

Next month: Corrupted Blood.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on September 27, 2018, 05:18:50 pm
Episode 7 ("The Corrupted Blood Incident") is out now! (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/the-corrupted-blood-incident)

Next month: a special report on the Great Firewall of China.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on November 02, 2018, 01:16:06 am
Hi! Here is a special report on internet censorship in China. I did a lot of research! I hope you enjoy. Find it in your podcast app or by clicking on the cover art below. Next month, Ephemera resumes as normal with an episode on stuxnet.

(https://i.imgur.com/DfK6l92_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium) (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/splinternet-1-big-mama-is)
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on November 29, 2018, 05:27:59 pm
New episode is out! Find it in your app or listen on soundcloud. (https://soundcloud.com/user-883034529/if-marty-mcfly-can-do-it-so-can-we) Starring STOG again! It's about a time travel bus powered by cryptocurrency. Next month: 3 stories from Eve Online.

PS new show website: http://storiesfromtheinter.net
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Eider Duck on November 30, 2018, 06:48:35 am
I can't believe that you didn't include this wonderful photo in the sample pics of Roberto TM

(https://i.imgur.com/Ygp66Ux.png)
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 21, 2018, 06:10:40 pm
New episode!

Ephemera 09: EVE Online is Like Vegas for Nerds

I'm hosted on Libsyn now. Your podcast app should have updated automatically, but in case it didn't, the new RSS is here (http://ephemera.libsyn.com/rss) and the direct link to this month's episode is here.  (http://traffic.libsyn.com/ephemera/eph_9.mp3?dest-id=936368)

Happy holidays! I'll return to EVE again soon, but in January we'll have a SPLINTERNET episode about the Russian internet, mostly looking at how it's become less free and open since 2012.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on January 23, 2019, 10:58:40 am
New SPLINTERNET! I really feel good about this one. Clicking the album art will take you to the RSS.

(https://i.imgur.com/LezQh4V_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)] (http://ephemera.libsyn.com/rss)
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Achilles' Heelies on January 23, 2019, 01:19:00 pm
Nice! Btw, I really like Ephemera, it is very well done.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on January 24, 2019, 05:31:20 pm
Nice! Btw, I really like Ephemera, it is very well done.
Achilles' Heelies, January 23, 2019, 01:19:00 pm
Thank you for the kind words.

I think radio (and by extension, podcasting) is the most intimate medium, and that legacy radio and most podcasts arent willing to meet the listener where they are when it comes to the medium of the Internet. It really means a lot to me that people around here have enjoyed it - I don't want to make Internet 101, but I also don't want to get so bogged down in the weeds or academic that I lose my target audience (people who either grew up online or are fascinated by the Web).
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on March 11, 2019, 10:43:48 pm
🚨new ep!🚨

E10 - if everybody drove motorcycles the government would collapse (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/183394263825)

Achilles Heelies was kind enough to star in this episode! Give the guy a hand. also I made a zine, which was a lot of fun. details here (http://storiesfromtheinter.net/zine)
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 05, 2019, 02:20:57 am
🚨🚨New episode!🚨🚨
💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃
💃💃💃💃💃💃E11: Emojigeddon (http://traffic.libsyn.com/ephemera/emojigeddon.mp3)💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃
💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

After a baker's dozen episodes of the pod (11 normal, 2 for SPLINTERNET), I feel confident that I'm doing something unique and interesting, and I think I'm doing it pretty well. The format has worked better than my wildest dreams. My deepest thanks to everyone here who's listened, or provided a voice for my greek chorus. The first episode of the podcast dropped off my libsyn feed, and I went back to fix up the audio a little and give it the new, much better theme song, and I was, like, blown away at the increase in quality. I think Ephemera is starting to mature into something I'm going to be really proud of.

Please enjoy.

PS: throw me a reply here, dog, it's dry as a bone.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 08, 2019, 01:52:37 pm
I'm happy to announce that as of today Ephemera
-turns one year old
-has a recording engineer so I can get back to doing the writing and talking stuff and not ripping my hair out because I always had an engineer at the radio station so I never learned how to edit audio

I think people will be very happy about the second thing! I'm pretty proud of the first one!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 24, 2019, 11:21:43 pm
New episode!
E12: Swatting: Terrorism for Children (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/184427687135). I tried to trace the history of swatting and its evolution into something that kills people, looking at a couple significant cases that I think act as inflection points for the harm swatting causes. Don't really know what swatting is? I explain that too!

I also updated the list of music used (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/music), so if you liked a track, now you can listen to it at your leisure. Enjoy!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: ClaraTinSoldier on April 27, 2019, 07:45:47 am
Love your show
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 28, 2019, 01:44:15 pm
Love your show
ClaraTinSoldier, April 27, 2019, 07:45:47 am
thanks for the kind words! I'd really appreciate if you could go into more detail about which parts you most enjoy, or if you think the show has a coherent aesthetic.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: ClaraTinSoldier on April 29, 2019, 05:29:14 am
thanks for the kind words! I'd really appreciate if you could go into more detail about which parts you most enjoy, or if you think the show has a coherent aesthetic.
chai tea latte, April 28, 2019, 01:44:15 pm

Wow, I've never had anyone ask me that about  anything after receiving a compliment. That is so cool. You're right, I know as an artist specific feedback is more helpful. The things I like about it: 

Choice of topics: The topics you pick are novel,  peculiar,  or inherently attention grabbing enough to be worth 20 minutes. 

Your clinical  tone: It  adds a lot to the effect hearing about weird, stupid, unusual, etc things hearing it presented objectively and flatly.  While, like you I'm  (obviously) a huge fan of the FPlus, I don't think  that style of mst3k riff fest would work for the topics you pick. It's impossible to tell a joke about Rocco's basilisk because it's already literally the stupidest imaginable idea.  Any attempt to present it in a more foolish manner would fall flat because it's less extreme than the actual content. You just reading off things like this reminds me a lot (positively, since I know the snakes here like to use vice as a punchline) of the vice reporters who interview weird dumb people. Rather than make snide comments when they talk to people who pour piss in their eyes or wear crowns made of bullets, they'll just hold the camera on them for a few seconds after they're done speaking to underline how stupid the person is. The show isn't putting words in anyone's mouth or editorializing, it's just letting the poop in the museum speak for itself. That's one thing that makes your show really funny.

Speaking voice: Even, smooth, I can't hear you breathe, and you're not too close to the mic, NPR style. Audio quality aside (which is pretty good) your evenness and natural pitch is perfect for podcasting. Unobtrusive if I have an ep on to cook or fold laundry,  but good to be the sole point of stimulus on a car ride.

Scope: Each episode is exactly as long as it needs to be. You do a good job of providing the necessary background for niche topics,  but don't assume the listener doesn't know anything. You know the people listening to this are nerds and know basics about computers and otaku shit, so don't spend too much time going over info I could just get off wikipedia. This is why when I see an article on an interesting topic like the kind of thing you might cover in Time or Newsweek or whatever other lamestream media outlet, I don't bother, because it'll be 200 words and 190 of them will be "So you see, a 'computer' is a box you can play games on. Crazy, I know, fellow boomer" You also don't drill down too fractally and get into minutae I don't care about, like in your emoji episode. You know I don't care about the coding or whatever, and focus on the aspects that will be appealing to someone without specialized technical knowledge.

I don't understand what you mean by "aesthetic" in a purely auditory medium. Could you explain? I'd be happy to answer. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like me to go into more detail on. I'd be happy to elaborate
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on April 29, 2019, 07:54:05 am
Wow! That is so much more than I was fishing for and I love it.

Re:aesthetic: Phoebe Judge of Criminal and This Is Love, who is definitely the person I'm trying to be when I make Ephemera, has said that her show Criminal always sounds "Criminalesque".

What I meant by that is 'do the episodes, even though they're about different topics and energies, feel like the same show?'

I've tried to make sure that's the case with consistent elements like the theme song/title drop, my tone of voice, and having closing music so the show always leaves you in the same place. The music at the end is something I try to do so listeners can just sit with an episode for a minute and really think about how it made them feel, but I also like the ability to just do a hard and fast ending (like in the most recent episode!) and then not make it feel like whiplash when your next show starts playing.

Thank you again for such a detailed response. Really blown away by it. Super helpful. I don't mind the VICE comparison - they can be good sometimes.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: ClaraTinSoldier on April 29, 2019, 06:51:03 pm
Wow! That is so much more than I was fishing for and I love it.
chai tea latte, April 29, 2019, 07:54:05 am
Great!

Re:aesthetic: Phoebe Judge of Criminal and This Is Love, who is definitely the person I'm trying to be when I make Ephemera, has said that her show Criminal always sounds "Criminalesque".

I'm familiar with her.  I know all podcasters want to be Phoebe Judge because she's the queen of the medium, but you and your method of presentation do specifically remind me of  Criminal.  When I  was writing up my post,  I checked your list of episodes  since I was planning to reference the episode on Edwin Rist and rare bird feather theft to make fishing lures to buy a golden  flute, but found it was actually an episode of Criminal, so you're successful enough at emulating Judge's style that I literally conflated you with her.

What I meant by that is 'do the episodes, even though they're about different topics and energies, feel like the same show?'
Yes, each episode feels like an episode of Ephemera. I don't feel like you are drifting. A heavy one like the suicide one and a light one like the emoji one still read the same because of your clearly delineated structure.

I've tried to make sure that's the case with consistent elements like the theme song/title drop, my tone of voice, and having closing music so the show always leaves you in the same place. The music at the end is something I try to do so listeners can just sit with an episode for a minute and really think about how it made them feel, but I also like the ability to just do a hard and fast ending (like in the most recent episode!) and then not make it feel like whiplash when your next show starts playing.
I find the end music helpful for a podcast  like this so  Iknow when  it's done, like Lemon saying "so FPlus what did we learn from all this?" I know i've got 3-5 minutes left and won't be surprised.

Thank you again for such a detailed response. Really blown away by it. Super helpful. I don't mind the VICE comparison - they can be good sometimes.
You're welcome. I'm happy to do it. Please feel free to ask me more questions if you're interested. Good.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on July 03, 2019, 02:39:10 pm
big money podcast time (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/185970040580/the-life-and-deaths-of-the-well), or use your phone. i'm not your real mom. PS big ups to Boots Raingear for being kind enough to record for me while he was getting ready to go on a trip!

this episode is about dudes bein dudes and also inventing internet communities maybe! next month SPLINTERNET about the european union .

Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on July 08, 2019, 11:13:43 am
hey there, listeners. Ghosts in the machine? It seems early to come up with a demonym.

Do you have a favourite episode of the show? If so, why? I'm talking to my old radio station and might hand them a couple episodes to play in any gaps they really need CanCon for. I'm thinking "just like lost but everyone is Hurley", the EVE online one, and then probably the emojigeddon and swatting ones.

More approachable to less 'online' types than you or I is good. Any suggestions?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Achilles' Heelies on July 08, 2019, 11:21:42 am
hey there, listeners. Ghosts in the machine? It seems early to come up with a demonym.

Do you have a favourite episode of the show? If so, why? I'm talking to my old radio station and might hand them a couple episodes to play in any gaps they really need CanCon for. I'm thinking "just like lost but everyone is Hurley", the EVE online one, and then probably the emojigeddon and swatting ones.

More approachable to less 'online' types than you or I is good. Any suggestions?
chai tea latte, July 08, 2019, 11:13:43 am

"Just like lost but everyone is Hurley" is a good choice because I think it is easy to understand, and inherently funny. That is probably my favorite episode, just ahead of the Eve Online episode. I think cockygate would work as well because the average person should be able to understand copyright disputes.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on July 08, 2019, 01:22:11 pm
hey there, listeners. Ghosts in the machine? It seems early to come up with a demonym.

Do you have a favourite episode of the show? If so, why? I'm talking to my old radio station and might hand them a couple episodes to play in any gaps they really need CanCon for. I'm thinking "just like lost but everyone is Hurley", the EVE online one, and then probably the emojigeddon and swatting ones.

More approachable to less 'online' types than you or I is good. Any suggestions?
chai tea latte, July 08, 2019, 11:13:43 am
Honestly I think The Well, though entirely about internet community, is more about the human element, which is highly relatable.

ETA: Is Splinternet being considered as well? Because the one on China's internet security is VERY good.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on August 02, 2019, 12:02:21 am
E14: i felt i should just go to japan and die there. (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/186714920295)

SPLINTERNET is delayed until mid-August (i'm not kidding, two a year is almost too many), so I dug deep into my show ideas archive and pulled out a real doozy; I won't spoil it too much but obviously the title (a direct quote from my research, like many of Ephemera's titles) gives away some of the story, but just who "i" is, and why he wants to die in Japan, are kind of a slow burn that I think is audacious in its scope.

NB: incels ahead. you have been forewarned
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Wrought on August 02, 2019, 04:12:57 pm
Jesus christ. He's like...Incel Hunter S. Thompson.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: ClaraTinSoldier on August 03, 2019, 09:24:59 pm
E14: i felt i should just go to japan and die there. (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/186714920295)

SPLINTERNET is delayed until mid-August (i'm not kidding, two a year is almost too many), so I dug deep into my show ideas archive and pulled out a real doozy; I won't spoil it too much but obviously the title (a direct quote from my research, like many of Ephemera's titles) gives away some of the story, but just who "i" is, and why he wants to die in Japan, are kind of a slow burn that I think is audacious in its scope.

NB: incels ahead. you have been forewarned
chai tea latte, August 02, 2019, 12:02:21 am
Pretty interesting episode.  Until you  mentioned  you posted  pics, I did assume anon was making all that shit up,  but now I  guess I  don't. You did a great job feigning sympathy for this  assclown during the narration.  What's your secret?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on August 03, 2019, 09:50:16 pm
E14: i felt i should just go to japan and die there. (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/186714920295)

SPLINTERNET is delayed until mid-August (i'm not kidding, two a year is almost too many), so I dug deep into my show ideas archive and pulled out a real doozy; I won't spoil it too much but obviously the title (a direct quote from my research, like many of Ephemera's titles) gives away some of the story, but just who "i" is, and why he wants to die in Japan, are kind of a slow burn that I think is audacious in its scope.

NB: incels ahead. you have been forewarned
chai tea latte, August 02, 2019, 12:02:21 am
Pretty interesting episode.  Until you  mentioned  you posted  pics, I did assume anon was making all that shit up,  but now I  guess I  don't. You did a great job feigning sympathy for this  assclown during the narration.  What's your secret?
ClaraTinSoldier, August 03, 2019, 09:24:59 pm
just kind of a good person
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: ClaraTinSoldier on September 07, 2019, 12:29:02 am
Can  you do an episode about the  Jeremy Renner app? 
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on September 07, 2019, 01:20:16 pm
Can  you do an episode about the  Jeremy Renner app?
ClaraTinSoldier, September 07, 2019, 12:29:02 am
other people are already doing it and I think it's not really in keeping with the archival focus I'm trying for. May I suggest:
Chapo did an interview with my boy Stefan Heck about how he killed the Renner app
Stefan also did a good breakdown on his very good podcast Blocked Party, which I really like, and not just because it's chock full of local Vancouver talk. If you want a more freewheeling discussion I think the chapo one is for you and if you want comedy and a more detailed breakdown I would listen to the most recent blocked party ep, with Guy Branum as the guest.

I'm sure Reply All will do an episode about it in like a month once they hear about it, too
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on September 07, 2019, 01:21:20 pm
Ps Splinternet this weekend and the regular ephemera by the end of the month. The next regular episode is about graveyards and mourning!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on September 10, 2019, 10:44:49 pm
It's finally here! It's finally here! Click the image below to listen in your browser, or refresh the feed wherever you get your podcasts.

(https://i.imgur.com/T2VWnj1.png) (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/187635435615)

I'd love to hear any and all of y'all's feedback. xoxo chai
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on October 16, 2019, 11:14:16 am
E15: A million dead people isn't cool. You know what's cool?  (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/188387455070/)

This one is about death and social media. I think it's a really interesting and distinct look at a universal experience, which is where I'm happiest for ephemera to exist. Please let me know what you think!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on October 23, 2019, 02:59:07 pm
Scott Malcomson, author of the book Splinternet, from which I've taken the name of my series, reached out to me to do an interview about an update (of sorts) he's writing of the book.

Feels good, man!

Devoted SPLINTERNET listeners: is there anything you'd particularly like me to ask him?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on October 23, 2019, 03:07:16 pm
Scott Malcomson, author of the book Splinternet, from which I've taken the name of my series, reached out to me to do an interview about an update (of sorts) he's writing of the book.

Feels good, man!

Devoted SPLINTERNET listeners: is there anything you'd particularly like me to ask him?
chai tea latte, October 23, 2019, 02:59:07 pm
Chai that's awesome! I wish i were literate enough in the topic to compose a question.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Wrought on October 23, 2019, 07:25:03 pm
how do you get mew in pokemon red
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 15, 2019, 05:39:11 pm
16: I FEEL SO LONELY // WE LIVE IN PUBLIC (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/189691958295/)

I'm pretty happy with this one, and the one I'm putting out just before Christmas (this was properly to be November's episode but Events Conspired to Prevent That) I think is going to be my new favourite and suggested intro episode.

But I'll post about that later. This time, I look at the VERY FIRST CAMGIRL EVER, what she meant to the Internet, and what I think Twitch style 'lifestreaming' does to the human brain (mostly very bad things).
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on December 19, 2019, 11:32:05 am
I'm always sucked into these. They're strangely cozy considering the content.

Great work as always!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 19, 2019, 12:40:27 pm
I'm always sucked into these. They're strangely cozy considering the content.

Great work as always!
Shell Game, December 19, 2019, 11:32:05 am
thank you! "cozy" is an almost perfect compliment.

What were your takeaways from this ep?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on December 19, 2019, 01:03:45 pm
Women invent enduring things all the time and we super take it for granted.

Also the notion of living on display online has changed shape though i don't think people's opinions of it have matched step.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on March 04, 2020, 03:16:25 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/360812970315481098/684869963361550366/3rf71f.jpg)

I think this might be my best one yet! Check it out.
E17: The Other Nefertiti (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/611693027856187392/17-the-other-nefertiti)

Also:
-storiesfromtheinter.net has a new favicon
-I'm working on pitching ephemera to CBC podcasts as either an application to the Docs Project show for mentorship, or in my wildest dreams, as a genuine CBC Podcast, available through the government CBC Listen app. Insha'Allah!
-I mention it at the end but this was last month's proper episode - there'll be one about revenge porn and doxxing in a few weeks.
-I love this community and the early encouragement it gave me. Thank you.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on March 11, 2020, 05:47:02 pm
Here's my tentative six-episode pitch to the CBC, which I'm feeling pretty good about (I sent it to a CBC freelancer I admire and he had very nice things to say). I'm going to submit my official pitch once I hear back from one more trusted acquaintance, and I feel pretty good about the season I'm pitching (feminism, the internet, ephemera stories).
--------
Ephemera is a cool glass of lemonade on a summer day. Each episode tells a compelling human story and then segues into a meditation on art, culture, or society. I narrate each episode, accompanied by audio clips.

1)    the Kaycee Nicole hoax

In 1999, when we still trusted internet strangers, a mom with Munchausen's syndrome blogged as a teenager dying of cancer. The hunt for the truth involves a Canadian living in Hong Kong, a crew called the Scooby Doos, and an exploration of what makes people seek attention online.

2)    so u besically killed 100+ fangirls [sic]

Did over a hundred teenage girls really commit suicide over a made-for-TV documentary? How do rumours spread and morph online, and what difference did the internet make between Beatlemania and One Direction fandom?

3)    Jennicam, the first camgirl, and an intimate betrayal

In 1996, an American teenager invented "lifestreaming", the word "camgirl", cyber-exhibitionism, and betrayed her best friend, another camgirl, with astonishing cruelty.

4)    Women on the WELL

Could this have been the first online women's community? Parenting advice, sisterhood, and community stand in contrast to a site defined by two men who hated women.

5)    The invention and evolution of SWATting

Invented to terrorize a young woman, SWATing combines the Internet hate machine with America's militarized police. I'll trace its evolution and first attributable death.

6)    Non consensual porn distribution ('revenge porn', leaked/stolen nudes) and what victims can do about it.
--------
Of these, only #6 is wholly new; the others are retreads of episodes I've already released, which I would theoretically add to and re-style with regards to my new focus (internet herstory). Actually, #6 is also based on this month's upcoming Ephemera, but with a different focus, so I see this as being a way to reinterpret my earlier episodes as something that makes me $$$ (gotta love those government employee rates, eh bud). Anyway, let me know what you think! What did you learn from the #NefertitiHack episode???

Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on May 13, 2020, 11:45:16 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/360812970315481098/710349926692814848/41dkjf.jpg) (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/618061674009821184)

This is about as close as ephemera is gonna get to true crime, I think.
E18: ** Paid Modeling Gig. ** (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/618061674009821184)

Also, while I'm talking about misogyny, I guested on a recent episode of the IMO very good Weird Web podcast Homo Vulgaris (https://soundcloud.com/hvulgaris/7170-i-got-a-broken-face), talking about likeness rights, deepfaked VR pornography, and the growing trend of young women getting cosmetic surgery to look more like their selfies. It's a fun show with a good dynamic, and if you want to hear me talking about the Internet and misogyny in a conversational/unscripted setting, I recommend the new episode.
(if you REALLY liked homo vulgaris, I am a five-time returning guest and all of those episodes are pretty good imo.)

I hope to ALSO publish #19 this month to make up for my (COVID-related) delay in publishing. Thanks! As always, I really would love to hear from you about your reactions to this episode.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on August 04, 2020, 06:09:49 pm
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/360812970315481098/740344218953711746/unknown.png)

E19: unfortunately, as you already know, people (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/625561637594726400/)


More than ever, I want this episode to prompt a discussion among its listeners. I have an opinion, like I discuss at the end of the episode, but I'm far softer on whether or not my opinion is correct than usual. What do y'all think horse_ebooks was?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: GirlKisser420 on August 06, 2020, 04:22:07 pm
Horse ebooks was ultimately pretty disappointing, having a bot produce interesting stuff is more meaningful than someone trying to spice it up to make a vague point. It’s a weird microsm of the Internets desire to ruin itself.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on November 26, 2020, 03:47:21 pm
oh man somehow I didn't even update the thread last episode so now I have two episodes to share!!

E20: America Is The Dark Souls of Things You Can Walk Across (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/628458057565863936)
and the new-as-of-today, surprisingly personal and intimate (but hopefully not preachy),
E21: An Outward Expression of an Inward Faith (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/635884756684472320)

E20 examines another infamous goon story, of the goon 'Muerte', who tried to walk across America to raise awareness for mental health, and made it a pathetically short fraction of that distance.
E21 discusses and examines the concept of a 'virtually-mediated religious space', 'virtually-mediated religious congregation', and the symbolic nature of certain Christian sacraments (particularly baptism).

Find them wherever you find podcasts. Thank you!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Salubrious Rex on December 17, 2020, 06:35:46 pm
So after adding it to my podcast list a whole gosh dang while ago I finally listened to Ephemera. I started with The Other Nefertiti and listened to every episode that came after that, then jumped back to the beginning and have been listening from there. I'm currently poised to listen to E14: i felt i should just go to japan and die there when I get the chance.

I gotta say, I love the podcast. It's exactly the kind of web documentary stuff about the kind of things I like to hear about but with an appropriate amount of humour and personal touch thrown in. The whole format works really well and the topics are great.

I'm not sure what my favourite episode so far is but I'd say it's pretty close between Swatting and The Well.
I don't know what it was about the swatting episode but it really gripped me. Maybe because its subject matter was so grim and senseless, and I'd never really thought about it until now. It's all kind of chilling.

The Well on the other hand was really interesting to see the fossilised bones of internet communities. I think the bit that really struck me was the one woman (I think speaking on the Women of the Well meet) who explained just how much this thing had impacted her life and meant to her. She found that sense of belonging in an internet community that is pretty common nowadays, we've all felt that and it's nothing out of the ordinary, but it wasn't to her. It wasn't something that had really existed before then. That really struck a chord with me, but the whole episode was fascinating.

Honourable mention 2nd/3rd place goes to An Outward Expression of Inward Faith. I found it really fascinating, the way that religion is having to adapt to a socially distanced world. I found it especially interesting as I am not religious and there has never really been any people who were in my life. The closest there's really been is my best friend who was Catholic and had moved to Australia from Northern Ireland in highschool. By the time I met him he was on his way out of Catholicism though and on his way to becoming a radical teenage atheist for a bit before becoming just a regular atheist. Despite this lack of religion in my life, my parents always signed me up to attend scripture at school, my mother once saying, when signing up for a new school "Obviously we're not Christian, but I think the kids who don't go to scripture always end up pretty dumb" (she's a school teacher!)  so Christianity at least has always been this thing that is kind of there but I don't interact with or learn anything about the people within it, just its beliefs, and I've never really had much of an understanding of what belief in this context is, or what it and the practises of faith really mean to people. This was a really nice window into that world as well as how it's changed.

Also, Splinternet is good. Not to give it any more gravitas than it deserves, but it's important. I feel people need to be aware of the things you cover on it.

Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Great podcast, keep it up! 10/10! Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 19, 2020, 06:23:03 pm
Thank you so much for the kind words. I was quite nervous about doing the VR baptism episode, and kept kicking it down the road and focusing on other stories, but the reactions I've received, largely from secular people, have been extremely validating and heartwarming to hear. Like I mention, the story came to my attention before COVID, but everyone's reaction to it has been coloured by the pandemic, and I think that speaks to the validity of the VR religious space and experience.

I've thought about a fourth SPLINTERNET ep but I don't have the clarity of topic yet I don't think. My closest idea is to look at the US and basically just turbo-quote Yasha Levine's book Surveillance Valley and talk about the military-industrial complex. It's worth investigating but it lacks a connection to a recent current event that I think would ground the episode as timely.

PS: I'm aiming to put out this month's episode between Christmas and NYE. I don't want to give too much of it away, but it's about high frequency trading and also kind of about time travel. I'm excited about it!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on January 07, 2021, 06:13:55 pm
📉

E22: Basically, no-one knows if HFT is good or bad.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/569327884850692107/796893750965174292/4szlip.png) (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/639697601482063872/22-basically-no-one-knows-if-hft-is-good-or-bad)

Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on January 12, 2021, 10:00:01 am
Any feedback? Was this one too dense? My mom said she listened to it in the car and couldn't follow it. Bless her heart, aww, but.......how'd you find the ep?
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: GirlKisser420 on January 12, 2021, 04:57:55 pm
It's a good episode, its pretty dense but it's just a very complex subject. Not much more you can really do to simplify it
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 01, 2021, 11:38:45 pm
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/82b4f0589e5a53d9dc1329279bae4918/aa0baa3601a0f3e9-93/s1280x1920/f71ac7dbeedff363cccdef4557cfcbb2862e80d7.png)
🦠
E23: viral (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/post/669435254185082880/23-viral)

I'm back, bitch
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on December 27, 2021, 07:22:07 pm
🧏
(https://i.imgur.com/mFLLs2K.png)

E24: TALKING ANIMALS
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on May 26, 2022, 05:53:31 pm
⛏️
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/e515cc2bffa6e4bf31f69d2495b32763/558c8a64600c0f2d-88/s540x810/b73e04ebcefd75fc3cd68aa6f347f10e7f8df92e.pnj)

This month I’d like to talk about Minecraft, about a famous library that’s actually a museum, and commit criminal acts, comma, in minecraft, - or at least whether or not that’s a sound legal defense.
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: Shell Game on May 27, 2022, 01:22:49 pm
Chai, your passion for the sharing of information and interaction online is always quite moving. Your footing is so equally in the theoretical and the real and it really sets the transcendent tone I believe you're going for: the feeling of crossing over into a world that is bewildering but completely of our own design.

kudos!
Title: Ephemera - short stories that could've only happened online.
Post by: chai tea latte on May 27, 2022, 04:27:37 pm
Chai, your passion for the sharing of information and interaction online is always quite moving. Your footing is so equally in the theoretical and the real and it really sets the transcendent tone I believe you're going for: the feeling of crossing over into a world that is bewildering but completely of our own design.

kudos!
Shell Game, May 27, 2022, 01:22:49 pm
thank you! This is very kind, and I excepted a section for  my "reviews" page. (https://storiesfromtheinter.net/reviews)

We had a little follow-up convo on discord and I genuinely super appreciate your notes about the familiarity (or not) of the COVID science metaphor. I appreciate this, as well, enormously. xoxo