The Still Spinning Podcast - Episode 142

Dan and Nicole are back with a chaotic, tech-heavy episode that somehow turned into a meditation on how much the world has changed in a very short time. Despite a rough start with Facebook going sideways and a frozen video stream (blame Dan), they powered through with four solid topics.

First up, Dan dives into the story of Claude Mythos, a new AI model from Anthropic that the company has decided is too dangerous to release to the public. The model reportedly discovered thousands of previously unknown security vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers, and could allegedly turn anyone with access into an elite hacker. Anthropic is sharing it only with about 40 handpicked organizations under something called Project Glasswing for defensive cybersecurity work. Dan and Nicole debate whether this is a responsible move or a brilliant PR play, and things get philosophical fast: is any AI company really the "good guy" when every tool can be flipped?

That leads naturally into a broader AI conversation about how the different chatbots stack up. Dan breaks down the personalities: ChatGPT is an over-affirmative yes-machine, Claude is polite but also increasingly complimentary, and Grok will just straight-up call you an idiot if you ask it to. They also discuss the growing trend of people using AI as a substitute for friends and therapy, with one woman in a featured story described as preferring to "word vomit" into ChatGPT rather than talk to actual people. Dan raises a genuinely spooky point: while AI platforms are being used for emotional support, they're also quietly collecting all of that data and learning from it.

Then comes the RV bubble collapse. The used RV and van market is now basically a garage sale, and Dan had called this years ago. He explains why the pandemic van-life dream fell apart: RV manufacturers rushed out units with no R&D to meet demand, leaving people with technologically outdated rigs missing things like solar panels. Add in decision fatigue, the reality of Starlink subscriptions, and figuring out where to dump the tank, and full-time RV life turns out to be less of a golden-hour Instagram dream and more of an exhausting second job. Dan admits he's evolved on the topic and now just wants an RV as a show vehicle to skip hotel stays on gig trips.

Finally, the episode wraps up with the story of Pickle Fart, the TikTok hero you didn't know you needed. A TikTok user going by the name Pickle Fart (real name: Billie Jean Tuomi) has been scrolling through videos and leaving comments when she notices signs of thyroid problems in creators' necks. She's done this dozens of times, and at least four of those tips led to serious cancer diagnoses. One woman, a wedding baker from San Antonio, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after Pickle Fart's comment and was cancer-free within a year. Turns out Pickle Fart is a thyroid cancer survivor herself and is just out here doing the Lord's work in the comments section. Dan and Nicole debate whether a person named Pickle Fart should be taken seriously, and whether approaching a stranger about their health on the internet is helpful or overstepping.

What do a bankrupt airline, a DNA test that can't pick a dad, a broken space toilet, and one very lucky guy at a gas station in Ohio all have in common? They're all on this week's episode of The Still Spinning Podcast, and none of them will disappoint.

Dan's got the story of an airline so desperate to turn things around that they handed their flight attendants yellow cards -- yes, like a soccer ref -- to flag passengers mid-flight. And if you act up at the gate? Let's just say you might end up boarding after the luggage. Literally.

Then there's the paternity case that has scientists, lawyers, and probably a few twins sweating. A woman tried to find out who her baby's father was -- and the answer that came back might be the most jaw-dropping thing you've heard all week.

Nicole brings us a story straight out of Japan where apparently the only thing better than a 24-hour endurance race is doing it completely in an office chair. For rice. It's exactly as glorious as it sounds.

And we wrap up with an Ohio man who couldn't find his usual lottery ticket, grabbed a backup on a whim at a gas station, and walked out with a million dollars. His reaction when he found out? Perfection.

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Episode 139 opens with a special introduction to Hector -- the eye sty Dan has been ignoring for weeks that only becomes visible under studio lights. Classic Dan. From there, Nicole and Dan dive into four stories that somehow all feel deeply personal.

United Airlines has made it official: blast your phone audio without headphones and they can kick you off the flight and ban you permanently. Dan and Nicole are firmly pro-rule, with some thoughts on kids, the Sopranos, and what exactly you do if someone refuses mid-air once the plane is already up.

Then Nicole brings the Oscar nominee gift bags -- over $300,000 worth of stuff given to people who already have everything. Highlights include a luxury villa in Ibiza for sixteen of your closest friends, a liposuction experience, and a customized prenup. That last one sends Dan and Nicole down a genuinely great conversation about joint accounts, separate finances, and what it means to Venmo your spouse the phone bill.

Cornell University published a study this week confirming something every office worker has long suspected: people who love corporate buzzwords -- "synergistic leadership," "growth-hacking paradigms," that kind of thing -- score significantly worse on decision-making and analytical thinking tests. The researchers even built a Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale. Dan and Nicole have thoughts, and some personal corporate jargon horror stories.

To close things out, Nicole drops a germ bomb: the dirtiest item in your bathroom isn't your toilet. It's your toothbrush holder. The kitchen sponge holds the overall crown. Mythbusters apparently proved this and Dan has been moving his toothbrush holder ever since. You're welcome.

New episodes drop every Wednesday. Catch up on past episodes, grab some merch, and find everything you need at stillspinningpodcast.com. Keep spinning.

Nicole survived the Hot Ones Challenge. Dan did not participate, and based on the aftermath, made the right call. That's just the warmup for Episode 140, which covers delivery robots crashing through Chicago bus shelters, an AI school with no teachers opening this fall for $55,000 a year, a New York bank robber whose six-crime spree netted him $605, a pro cornhole player whose story takes a sharp left turn, a stolen truckload of 400,000 Kit Kats somewhere in Europe, and a French mayoral race between a man named Hittler and a man named Zelensky. Dan and Nicole keep spinning every week -- catch new episodes Wednesdays at stillspinningpodcast.com.

Episode 138: Graves, Chores, and a Robot With a Fence Problem

138 episodes in and we still haven't run out of things to talk about. Which is either impressive or concerning, depending on your perspective.

This week, Dan and Nicole cover the man who accidentally became a gravedigger in 1952 and just... never stopped. 73 years, 5,600 graves, and a retirement so quiet he didn't bother telling his own kids. Meanwhile, science has some bad news for anyone who takes their phone into the bathroom (spoiler: that's all of you), and a delivery robot in East Hollywood went full-and-run -- dragging a woman's garden fence down the street while she chased it through traffic, screaming at a machine that absolutely did not care.

Also: Dan's 3D printer has been off for a combined six hours since he got it, he made a tomb tea light holder for Easter (it's fine), and "chore-mancing" is apparently the hot new dating trend, which is just... going to Costco with a stranger. We have questions.

New episodes drop every Wednesday. Or on Monday nights if you want to watch us figure it out live. Either way -- we're still spinning.

Welcome to episode 137 of the Still Spinning Podcast! It finally happened, Dan got a 3D printer so we get an update on how long it has been running AND how often he left his house since it was unboxed.

There is a new app out there that tells you if there are Smart Glasses nearby and Nicole and Dan talk about the pros and cons of those glasses AND this app. In case you are unfamiliar, these are glasses from Meta that allow you to take pictures/video of folks you are talking to. Nicole also has a more personal story of someone using them in her presence.

Dan shares a story of how we have all been manipulated every time we step into a grocery store and shopping habits may never be the same! We also talk about the item or store area that are “traps” for Dan and Nicole and Dan’s may surprise you.

Doctors are writing prescriptions, literally, that just say “go outside” or “go to the park.” Why? Tune in to hear the reasoning behind this newest trend.

All of this and oh-so-much-more on this episode. Some news for our listeners, we have retired the spinner level of our fandom and have decided that all the content we make moving forward will be available to everyone! So good news if you never decided to sign up, now you will not need to!

We will be back next week, until then stay safe!

Welcome to episode 136 of the Still Spinning Podcast! Next week we will return to our “normal” love recording of the podcast on Mondays at 7 PM CT on all the socials with the regular drop still on Wednesday mornings. Things have been busy for the team so we apologize for the lack of LIVE we have had. Speaking of busy, Dan was traveling this past week and came across something in the Kansas City airport that he really loved and it was gender-neutral bathrooms! You read that right, Dan LOVED the experience. He tells us all about the pros of these in particular and we find out what Europeans hate about bathrooms in the US.

They say everything old becomes new again and the most recent trend we see coming back? LANDLINES. That is right, dust off your rotary phone folks, landlines are making a comeback. The reasons have more to do with child safety and limiting social media but regardless of the reason, we are intrigued by their return.

And finally, Dan was in a few Ubers this week and the smell really got to him. So he has some advice for Uber and we would love to know what you think as well so check us out!

Thanks for joining us on week 136! We will see you next week.

Welcome to episode 135 of the Still Spinning Podcast, the last one of February! Dan has a lot of travel coming up for his job and so the topic of hotel stays is high on his list. There are a few things that both he and experts have noticed. First off, the days of the cheap hotel room are gone. No longer are you likely to find a $125 room in a nice hotel. Second, say goodbye to the free breakfast! There are some reasons behind that, and the team discusses them during the podcast.

There have been a few recent studies on workplace burnout and apparently the act of hiding your true feelings and/or “reacting” in a work moment the way you feel are expected to react is causing folks to lose steam by the end of the week. Is that amount of “acting” sustainable? We discuss.

I know Dan went on a late tangent but even I cannot remember what it is about so you will have to tune in to find out!

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