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Hey guess what! Jess went first again! This week she talks about the urban legend of Polybius, an arcade game from 1981. Or was it? Rumors abound, men in black appear, stories of people vanishing after playing the game are spread and nothing is actually confirmed.

Hids takes on a listener submitted topic: Superstitions! They take a look at the psychology of superstitions and why so many of us are probably more than a little stitious. Did you know that superstitions can actually relieve anxiety and enhance performance?

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ADHD hit us hard this week and we were both struggling to focus on our topics. We decided to let our brains do their own thing and pick a random topic that they actually wanted to focus on!

So Jess has been wanting to get back into baking lately, and we just went to a meet & greet/book signing with B. Dylan Hollis (go check him out, he’s hilarious!) so baking is definitely on her mind! She dives into a brief overview of the history of baking, from the simplest process of making a mash and cooking it in the heat of the sun to molecular gastronomy!

Hids is definitely being influenced by the popularity of the new Netflix movie, KPop Demon Hunters. They dive into the symbolism of Derpy the tiger and Sussie the magpie, two side characters in the movie. We take a look at minhwa art, or ‘art of the people’, a form of art in Korea that was developed during the early years of the Chosun era.

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Don’t panic…but Hids kicks off the episode this week! Grab your dice and character sheet, a selection of snacks and your imagination! Hids is taking us on an adventure as we learn the history of Dungeons & Dragons! From humble beginnings and a $2000 start up budget to a $1.72 billion industry, the history of D&D has shaped the tabletop role playing industry.

Jess gives us a history lesson with a slice of murder! Learn about the murder of Duchess Francoise de Choiseul-Praslin, an event that was a tipping point that helped kick off the French Revolution!

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Hey, guess who started this episode?? Yep, it was Jess again! She takes us back to the 12th Century to meet an awesome woman who was a famous and recognized doctor of her time…and then was subsequently erased from history by male doctors and historians who studied ancient texts and thought, ‘this couldn’t possibly have been written by a woman!’ Fortunately, in the 2000s, more study was done and Trota’s name and history in medicine is becoming known once more!

Hids also does a bit of time travel to talk about another amazing woman whose work has occasionally been attributed to her husband, although we are fairly certain he would have championed her imagination and writing prowess. Mary Shelley is now well-known for her writing of Frankenstien, or The Modern Prometheus, and indeed may have even invented the science-fiction genre!

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We're taking another break from the usual format of our show and answering a few questions that our lovely listeners submitted!

Have a listen and get to know us a bit better!

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Jess dives into the fascinating world of ZOMBIE ANTS!!! It’s actually just a really cool fungus…maybe not super cool for the ants that it prefers to infect and take control of… Ophiocordyceps unilateralis has very specific tastes and we probably shouldn’t worry about it developing a taste for humans… probably…

Hids takes us back to the 15th century and we learn about King Charles VI of France and his belief that he was made of glass…The phenomena of the Glass Delusion lasted around 200 years and afflicted the nobility and royalty of the time, especially those that were already suffering from or were predisposed to mental illness.

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Things are back to normal and Jess starts off this episode with a Cryptid! (Hids was right, they must have ESP!)
Jess tells us about a local to us cryptid: The Mogollon Monster! This is a variation of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, but the Mogollon Monster tends to be a little more aggressive than Bigfoot.

Hids talks about time travel! Sort of, they discuss the strange case of Sergei Ponomarenko…not the famous figure skater. This Sergei went missing from Kiev, Ukraine in 1958 and showed up in 2006 looking exactly as he did when he went missing….We’ll go over the police notes and you can decide if this is a true story or something more. (Aliens, it’s probably aliens)

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In a rare turn of events, Hids kicks the episode off this week! They're sharing the possible urban legend of Black Eyed Kids! Are they just a viral story or are the reported encounters real? Are they aliens? (It's always aliens.) We take a look at the alleged original encounter in 1996, but also talk about some historical mentions of children with black eyes. You can decide if you think they're real or not, but whatever you do, if a strange child shows up and demands to be let inside your home or car...don't let them in!

Do you have ESP? Hids might... Jess did a little experiment to kick of her discussion of Extra Sensory Perception, and Hids got 3 of 5 correct!! Jess tells us about JB Rhyne, the person that coined the term and his 30-odd years of experimentation and study at Duke University. Jess also ended up yet again on the FBI website...seriously, we are visiting that site a lot lately....

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