The Ungeniused Memorial


Ungeniused was a podcast dedicated to exploring how far down the rabbit hole one can go on Wikipedia. This often meant talking about things no one should know anything about.

I hosted it with Myke Hurley on the 70Decibels network from October 2011 to May 2012.

Episodes

034 – The Hindenburg Disaster (Part 2)

This week, Myke and Stephen wrap up their discussion of the Hindenburg accident.

- Wikipedia: Hindenburg Disaster

- Mythbusters: Hindenburg Disaster

- GOING DOWN IN FLAMES!!!

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033 – The Hindenburg Disaster (Part 1)



032 – Segways

This week, Stephen and Myke discuss those infamous two-wheeled vehicles.

- Wikipedia: Segways

- The Beta Segway

- Wikipedia: Jim Hesleden’s Death

- Wikipedia: Segway Inc

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031 – Boreholes

This week, Stephen and Myke discuss attempts to drill through the Earth’s crust.

- Wikipedia: Kola Superdeep Borehole

- Wikipedia: Project Mohole

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030 – London Eye

With both the boys in Memphis this week, talking about The London Eye was an obvious choice.

- Wikipedia: London Eye

- Myke’s First Pic

- Myke’s Second Pic

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029 – The Pyramid Arena

This week, Myke and Stephen talk about the Pyramid Arena, a distinctive feature of the Memphis skyline.

- Pyramid Arena – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- FedExForum – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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028 – The Principality of Sealand

This week, Myke and Stephen discuss Sealand — a land of dreams, freedom and the occasional mutiny.

- The Principality of Sealand – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- Data haven – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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027 – Irn-Bru 2



026 – Irn-Bru

This week, Myke and Stephen discuss the popular Scottish soda Irn-Bru.

- Irn-Bru – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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025 – Toilet-Related Injuries

This week, Myke and Stephen talk about the many ways a toilet can injure or kill you. Please note we talk about genitals and bowel movements in this episode.

- Toilet-related injuries and deaths – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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024 – Human Cannonballs

This week, Myke and Stephen talk about human cannonballs.

Sorry about the weirdness with Stephen’s audio this week. When using a Mac to record audio, always, always, always double-check your input settings.

- Human cannonball – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- William Leonard Hunt – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- The Human Cannonball: Is it a Trick or Is it Real?

- Frank “Cannonball” Richards – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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023 – Flying Squirrels and Sugar Gliders



022 – Leap Day



021 – Dreams (Sleep Part 3)

This week, Myke and Stephen wrap up their sleep mini-series, in a discussion about dreaming.

- Dream – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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020 – Sleep (Part 2)

In this, the second installment of the Ungeniused Sleep Mini-Series, Myke and Stephen talk about sleep debt, the functions of sleep, and how what we eat and drink can affect our rest.

- Sleep debt – Wikipedia

- File:Effects of sleep deprivation.svg – Wikipedia

- Sleep (Functions) – Wikipedia

- Sleep (Effect of food and drink on sleep) – Wikipedia

- Insomnia – Wikipedia

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019 – Sleep (Part 1)



018 – The Challenger Disaster



017 – The Sock Monkey

This week, Stephen and Myke talk about sock monkeys — those lovable creatures that have helped numerous children fall asleep soundly over the years.

- Allison’s sock monkey

- Wikipedia: Sock monkey

- Wikipedia: Sock Monkey (comic book)

- App Story: Sock Monkey Canon

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016 – Miracle Fruit

It may not feed the hungry or raise the dead, but miracle fruit has the power to seriously screw with your tastebuds. This week, Stephen and Myke get tongue tied talking about Synsepalum dulcificum.

Thanks to Joshua Schnell for the topic and Chris Comstock for Myke’s middle name this week!

- Wikipedia: Miracle Fruit

- Wikipedia: Synsepalum dulcificum

- Miracle Fruit USA — FAQ

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015 – Laserdiscs



014 – The Boston Molasses Disaster and London Beer Flood

This week, Myke and Stephen talk about the Boston Molasses Disaster and the London Beer Flood. These tragedies took the lives of innocent people on both sides of the pond.

- Wikipedia: Boston Molasses Disaster

- Wikipedia: London Beer Flood

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013 – Christmas Lights

This week, Myke and Stephen learn about Christmas lights, and Stephen fires back at Brett Kelly for criticizing the Toilet Paper Orientation episode.

- Wikipedia: Christmas lights

- Wikipedia: Christmas lighting technology

- Bridging the Nerd Gap

- Cooking with Brett and Myke: S01E04 – Turkey Curry

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012 – Toilet Paper Orientation

On this, the 12th episode of Ungeniused, Stephen and Myke discuss a topic that has torn civilization apart for years: Should the toilet paper roll go over or under?

Thanks to @maximharper for the subject!

- Wikipedia: Toilet paper orientation

- Jimmy Wales

- The Tilt-A-Roll: Just $19.95!

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011 – Kangaroos



010 – Lumber

In episode 10 of Ungeniused, Stephen and Myke discuss lumber — the material that is literally keeping you alive right now … if you’re in a building built with wood.

- Wikipedia: Lumber

- Wikipedia: Hardwood

- Wikipedia: Softwood

- Wikipedia: Old-growth forest

- Wikipedia: Forest plantations

- Wikipedia: Engineered wood

- Wikipedia: Wood preservation

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009 – Loch Ness Monster (Part 2)



008 – Loch Ness Monster (Part 1)

In episode 8 of Ungeniused, Stephen and Myke discuss the Loch Ness Monster. This is part one of two-part series on the beast.

This week’s topic was suggested by @epilnivek

- Nessie Drawing

- Wikipedia:Loch Ness

- Wikipedia: Cryptid

- Wikipedia: Loch Ness Monster

- Wikipedia: Plesiosauria

- BBC One: Planet Dinosaur

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007 – Spontaneous Human Combustion

In episode 7 of Ungeniused, Myke and Stephen discuss the phenomenon known as “spontaneous human combustion.” It’s a little gory, so this one might not be great for the kids. However, if you love bizarre causes of death, this episode is for you.

- Wikipedia: Spontaneous human combustion

- Wikipedia: Fire

- Yahoo News: Coroner rules Irish man died of spontaneous combustion (Sept 23,2011)

- Wikipedia: Wick effect

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006 – Roller Coasters



005: Supermax Prisons



004: Bat Bombs & Pigeon-Guided Missiles



003 – Teflon

In this episode of Ungeniused, Stephen and Myke talk about frying pans, Teflon and its nerdy creator, Roy J. Plunkett.

- Wikipedia: Frying Pan

- Wikipedia: Teflon

- Wikipedia: Deglazing

- Wikipedia: Roy J. Plunkett

- Plastics Hall of Fame

- Plastics Hall of Fame: Roy J. Plunkett

- Wikipedia: Teflon

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002 – Three-Wheeled Cars

In the second episode of Ungeniused, Myke and Stephen discuss three-wheeled cars. Which are as dangerous and ridiculous as they seem. Seriously, these things will kill your family.

- Wikipedia: Three-wheeled Cars

- Wikipedia: Reliant Robin

- Top Gear: Jeremy drives a Reliant Robin

- Top Gear: James and Richard convert a Reliant Robin into a space shuttle

- Wikipedia: Bond Bug

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001 – Reality TV Gone Wrong

In this — the inaugural episode of Ungeniused — Myke and Stephen discuss reality TV’s history, and some simply terrible examples of what can happen when it all goes wrong.

- Wikipedia: Reality Television

- Wikipedia: Candid Camera

- Wikipedia: Beadle’s About

- Wikipedia: Trigger Happy TV

- Wikipedia: Space Cadets

- Wikipedia: Superstar USA

- Wikipedia: Jamie Foss

- Sarah Palin’s On-Hand Notes

- Jamie Foss singing “My Heart Will Go On”

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