Wow If True

129: We haven't done any fraud :)

It's holiday time! That means you get a stocking stuffer worth of an episode -- a handful of topics we wanna chitchat about but aren't big enough for their whole episode (Is this how stockings work? Amanda is writing this). So, tune in for: we didn't get 30 under 30 because we didn't do fraud; what do Elon Musk, Luigi Mangione, and Isabel J. Kim have in common; 'Extremely kidpilled' Sam Altman; random tangents about baseball?; and Amanda's embarrassing temptation to buy an AI wearable. Also Isabel is on a train at one point. But at no point do either of us do fraud. If you're wondering, you can indeed hear the "secret sauce" on our Patreon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

128: Don't Die (Do Shrooms)

We finally give Mr. Don't Die himself, Bryan Johnson, his own episode, on account of him doing some seminal college student activities. You know, like doing drugs while listening to a Grimes set. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

127: ChatGPT goes weird

TW: we talk about suicide induced by ChatGPT and lawsuits related to these suicides in this episode! We talk about the lawsuits that Social Media Victims Law Center brought against OpenAI and the ways in which ChatGPT and other AI products can super negatively impact mental health, to deeply worrying degrees. We also talk about the patterns in AI "chosen one" and "religion" narratives—have you heard the good word of Spiralism? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

126: Gooning and Heterofatalism

We read a bunch of articles about the state of dating/dating apps and yes, THAT gooning article, and talked about them. It's like English class where you read a bunch of stuff and talk about it except you haven't done the reading!!! But you can do the reading. It's right here. This is the reading. Reading The Goon Squad [https://harpers.org/archive/2025/11/the-goon-squad-daniel-kolitz-porn-masturbation-loneliness/] (Harper's) "But PornosexualGooner101 Died 35 Years Ago...This Very Night!" [https://www.thechatner.com/p/but-pornosexualgooner101-died-35] (The Chatner) The Trouble With Wanting Men [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/magazine/men-heterofatalism-dating-relationships.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zk8.XTzh.nQdZ4DZdFjbY&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare] (NYT) Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? [https://www.vogue.com/article/is-having-a-boyfriend-embarrassing-now](Vogue) Other Stuff Follow-up interview w/ Goon Squad writer [https://harpers.org/2025/11/general-interest-daniel-kolitz-gooning-internet-matthew-sherrill/] Wait, people actually use Facebook Dating? [https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/03/wait-people-actually-use-facebook-dating/] The best dating apps aren't even dating apps [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/31/the-best-dating-apps-arent-even-dating-apps/] Meet the goonettes [https://www.inverse.com/input/culture/goonettes-gooning-women-porn-sex-addiction] About Us  Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim [http://isabel.kim/] and Amanda Silberling [http://amandasilberling.com/]. Our editors are Allison Mills and David Newtown. Wow If True is a member of Multitude [https://multitude.productions/], a podcast collective, production studio and ad sales provider. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

125: The Moflin

Amanda went viral on Tiktok for having an AI pet. Really, this is the apex of our journey on this podcast. The Moflin is an AI-enabled pet that retails for $430 dollars, and Amanda has just spent a month living with it in her home. Also, we talk about Grimes' new music video. (Behind the scenes supplementary moflin content on Patreon!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].