Send us a text 🧬 The man who (maybe) cured HIV Before ‘manifesting’ was a TikTok buzzword, Andrew Stimpson from London apparently manifested the impossible — curing himself of HIV. After testing positive in 2002, he shocked doctors three years later with a clean bill of health. No miracle drug, no experimental treatment — just vitamins, good vibes, and confusion. The world collectively said, “Wait, what?” while scientists scrambled to make sense of it all. Spoiler: they never quite did. 💿 Sony’s spyware surprise Remember when buying a CD came with actual malware? In 2005, Sony BMG decided music piracy was so bad they’d fight it by installing spyware on millions of computers. Their “copy protection” hid deep in Windows, opened backdoors for hackers, and made everyone’s IT guy cry. Once exposed, Sony’s PR team had to CTRL-ALT-DELETE the scandal — fast. Lawsuits, recalls, and a massive “our bad” followed. 🎤 New music on rotation It was a wild week for the charts — Kanye was digging for gold, Chris Brown was “running it” (literally and metaphorically), and the Black Eyed Peas were getting humpy. Meanwhile, Madonna’s “Hung Up” was a glitter-ball time machine and Carrie Underwood made her Some Hearts debut — proving Idol winners could go country and conquer. 📚 50 Cent: The literary hustler Not content with dominating music, Fiddy announced his next empire move — books. G-Unit Novels were coming to a street corner (or cellphone) near you, blending guns, cash, and redemption arcs. Basically, it was “In Da Club” meets English class. 🎬 Harry Potter grows up (Fast) At the box office, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had wizards, dragons, and a side of teen awkwardness. Cedric Diggory died, Voldemort rose again, and Harry officially entered his emo phase. The magic got darker — and so did our childhoods. 🔍 Kay Scarpetta gets weird Patricia Cornwell dropped another forensic thriller, Predator — all autopsies, hackers, and sadomasochistic murderers. Basically, CSI on espresso. Reviewers were split between “brilliant” and “Marino angrily digs angrily.” Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.
