Endless Thread

4.1 (2.6K)
TECHNOLOGY
UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.

4D AGO

Adrián and the Whale

There are moments that define each of our lives. Some we can predict: graduations, marriages, births, death. Others? Not so much. And in the year 2025, sometimes, if the stars align just so, you may find that moment explode online. That's what happened to 23-year-old Adrián Simancas. Last month, he was paddling the Straight of Magellan, with his father Dell, when the unimaginable happened: a humpback whale emerged from the water and engulfed him in its open mouth — and his father captured it all on video. Almost immediately, the video went viral. Simancas sat down with Endless Thread to discuss his whale tale, the deluge of attention that followed, and what he's learned from his intimate moment with nature. Show notes: Video of Adrián's whale encounter. We originally saw it on the Reddit thread: r/ThatsInsane Adrián Simanca's Youtube channel Dell Simanca's Youtube channel Did a whale swallow a kayaker? The truth behind the viral video (NPR)

24 min
6D AGO

Bonus: A conversation with Hasan Piker

Last week, we introduced you to the wildly popular, albeit controversial, streamer and self-declared socialist Hasan Piker — what he’s all about, how he’s delivering his message to millions of followers, and who he’s reaching and resonating with. When we talked to him in November, Hasan had a lot to say about the Democratic Party, about the streaming platform Twitch, and about what’s further dividing Americans right now. So here's more of our conversation with him.

54 min
MAR 14

The Stream is Up

Every day, seven days a week, for eight hours or more, Hasan Piker is live on the video game streaming platform Twitch. This is where he shares his political commentary with a dedicated community of viewers — many of whom fall into a particularly sought-after electoral demographic: young men. One of the dominant theories about the re-election of President Donald Trump in November 2024 was that it was aided by commentators like Piker: brash and bro-y. But Piker is a Socialist, considerably to the left of the mainstream Democratic Party. He gets into streamer beefs, but he also talks a lot about empathy and bringing a spirit of charitability to political discourse. What kind of affect does he have on his community and their political activism? Who's tuning in 50 hours a week to get their news from one guy (spoiler: it's not just twentysomething men), and really — who's that guy? Endless Thread talks to Hasan Piker and his fans. Credits: This episode was written by Ben Brock Johnson and co-hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson. It was reported and produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus.

36 min
MAR 7

Terminally Online

"Should I be joking at a time like this?" That's the question then 33-year-old Brooke Eby asked herself when she uploaded her first piece of TikTok comedy in 2022, about being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Brooke's since built an audience of hundreds of thousands of people who are rooting for, and laughing with, her. Sometimes it gets weird. Brooke talks to Ben and Amory about how facing death changed her relationship with social media and online community. Show notes: Brooke Eby's TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube ALSTogether When Your Terminal Illness Makes You a TikTok Star (The New York Times) This episode was written and produced by Grace Tatter. It was co-hosted by Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski.

31 min
FEB 28

Welcome to the Jam

Everybody get up, it's time to slam now! Yes, this episode is about the 1996 movie "Space Jam," starring NBA legend Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes. Rather, it's about the website for "Space Jam," which is still up and functioning nearly 30 years later. Amory and Ben talk to the hilarious team behind this digital artifact and hear the unlikely story of its continued existence. Show notes: The Space Jam website 'Space Jam' Forever: The Website That Wouldn't Die (Rolling Stone) The TIL post on Reddit Hollywood in Pixels SpaceJamCheck on X Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML in 14 Days Welcome to the Space Jam, Again (The New York Times)

33 min
FEB 21

Introducing On Point: The Internet Archive is in danger

We’re coming to you with a special offering today. It’s an episode about the internet… from our friends just a few cubicles over here at WBUR: On Point. Hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, On Point is a unique, curiosity-driven combination of original reporting, newsmaker interviews, first-person stories, and in-depth analysis, making the world more intelligible and humane. When the world is more complicated than ever, we aim to make sense of it together. We loved their recent episode about one of our favorite pieces of how the internet gets recorded and remembered — and we thought you might love it too. So kick back and take a listen. We’ll bring you the usual shenanigans next week. More than 900 billion webpages are preserved on The Wayback Machine, a history of humanity online. Now, copyright lawsuits could wipe it out. Guests Brewster Kahle, founder and director of the Internet Archive. Digital librarian and computer engineer. James Grimmelmann, professor of digital and information law at Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School. Studies how laws regulating software affect freedom, wealth, and power.

31 min
FEB 14

Love in 60 Seconds

Wanda Brewer was grieving. After losing her brother, she found comfort in an unexpected place: a soap-opera-esque story on Instagram told in 60-second increments. The story? A mafia boss torn between power, family and love. Wanda’s not alone. Millions are bingeing these bite-sized, ultra-dramatic vertical shorts, where sexy werewolves, ruthless billionaires, and love triangles unfold one minute at a time — hooking viewers with cliffhangers and high-stakes drama. From China’s multi-billion-dollar booming industry to your TikTok feed, these soapy, over-the-top dramas are changing the way we watch — and pay for — entertainment. This Valentine’s Day, Endless Thread explores the rise and Americanization of vertical short dramas. Show notes: “Werewolf Billionaire CEO Husbands Are Taking Over Hollywood” (Rolling Stone) “Minute-Long Soap Operas Are Here. Is America Ready?” (The New York Times) “2024 Short Drama Overseas Marketing White Paper” (TikTok) Credits: This episode was produced by Cici Yu. It was co-hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski and Paul Vaitkus.

34 min
FEB 10

DeepSeek's Diss Track

In 2022, people around the world freaked out at the advent of ChatGPT, OpenAI's chatbot. In under three years, artificial intelligence has been incorporated almost everywhere in our online lives. But training the large language models, or LLMs, that power these AI assistants is hugely expensive. Or is it? Last month, a Chinese startup called DeepSeek released their own AI app for much less money, potentially with huge economic and geopolitical implications. Endless Thread hosts a rap battle to help you understand why these AI companies are beefing. Show notes: "Trying to get Deepseek to talk about 'Tank Man'" (Reddit) "DeepSeek Doesn’t Want to Talk About Tiananmen Square. Here’s What to Know" (Bloomberg) "DeepSeek is giving the world a window into Chinese censorship and information control" (CNN) Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly identified the brand of specialized chip used by DeepSeek. This episode now includes an update explaining the error. Credits: This episode was produced by Ben Brock Johnson. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus. It was hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson.

28 min

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4.1

out of 5

2,576 Ratings

Love this show!

12/20/2024

Dels95

I’ve been listening to endless thread for years now, I was especially invested after listening to the kindness episode in the car with my parents and we were all sobbing haha. Anyway, I just listened to the meat episode and had to come on here to appreciate that endless thread includes all different voices and perspectives, including voices from people like Saladino who take simple questions as personal attacks lol. Well if anyone convinced me about how NOT to eat and how science doesn’t work it’s him. Anyway, if you appreciate honest reporting from podcasters that include humor and real stories and real data, this one’s for you! PS I love Amory’s giggle! Pure joy
Done listening after Piker episode

6d ago

Carrie Kroger

You can’t seriously be falling into the trap of platforming this guy… he is the Trump of the left. No real ideas, just streams of buzzwords. Constant inflammatory hateful speech towards “leftists,” “liberals,” and anyone interested in a 2-state solution for Israel/Palestine. He claims to be a socialist but on his own streams can’t define what it means or how it would be implemented in modern society or the US. People put him on their shoes cause they think he’s handsome. But inside he is rotten, and watching his channel makes that obvious. Do your research before putting on a pretty face because they’re a rising internet star.
Another podcast that could have been a tweet

Mar 17

Skeuuurt

Was genuinely curious about the meme that Americans lean on things. Took 20 mins out of my day to learn it came from a book written by a cia person. No other value or interest added. Respectfully, tell a story with substance or make it a tweet.
Is NPR biased?

Jan 29

Bradlee_

It can be debated whether NPR has a liberal bias, but the bias of this show is quite clear. Amory is delightful but I feel that Ben Brock Johnson performs his beliefs continuously in many forms from episode to episode. A good show, but it could be better.

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.