isitjustme

“Is It Just Me with LaylaK and MJ” is BACK after taking a proper summer off. We are having none of this “Summer ends mid-August” nonsense.

 

In this premiere episode we recap a few stories you might have missed over the summer and preview what to expect in Season Three. Spoiler alert: we're bringing back more lighthearted takes on the topics you are talking about - or want to talk about! And we’ll also introduce you to some of the fascinating people we’ve crossed paths with.

 

Have an idea for a pod? Drop us a comment on X, Instagram, Facebook or here. Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc to never miss an episode! Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

 

And remember, it may not be just you... but it could be!

 

Links:

Released 50 years ago, "Soylent Green" is an eerie prophecy (The Economist)

"A Modest Proposal", Jonathan Swift (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Ryan Graves's claims about '100 yards sided red square" (HITC)

Spiraling in San Francisco's Doom Loop (Curbed)

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers (KQED)

Layla K and MJ have been busy celebrating birthdays, so naturally the question came up: "why do we do these things?? And what do other people do?"

It may not just be you who throws flour (not a typo!) at friends. Or… maybe… it IS. Any interesting birthday traditions we missed? Drop us a comment below, maybe we'll do a "part 2"!

Be sure to follow Is It Just Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc., to never miss an episode. Fresh ones drop every two weeks.

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Drop us a comment here or let us know on on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

And remember, it may not just be you, but it could be!

Show notes:

Birthdays (Encyclopedia.com)

Life Has Gotten Sweeter - Literally! (Human Progress)

Who Really Wrote The Happy Birthday Song (Grunge)

Weird Birthday Traditions From Around The World (Serenata Flowers)

Usain Bolt Gets "Floured" (Daily Mail Online)

Fascinating Birthday Statistics (Serenata Flowers)

 

Doomscrolling,  actually a “thing”, is defined by Merriam Webster as “referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.” And MJ is over it. Moreover, she’s over the just-sharing bad news! Have an “Is It Just Me” idea? Thoughts on today’s conversation? Join us on Twitter or Instagram. And be sure to follow us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, etc to never miss an episode! Fresh pods drop every two weeks.

Show notes and links (if links don't appear in your media player, please see our website: isitjustme.libsyn.com ):

Last Ep (including Billionaires in Space convo)

UN Climate Change Conference - Glasgow 2021

Steven Pinker makes the case that the world is getting better

Human Progress: The “good old days” (scroll to “History of Progress”)

Rep. Pramila Jayapal claimed in a since-deleted tweet that the US has 1/3 of the world’s billionaires and the 4th highest poverty rate in the world.

18 spectacularly wrong predictions made around the time of first Earth Day in 1970 

Your Mobile Phone vs. Apollo 11's Guidance Computer

Bren donates $100 million to Caltech project that aims to generate solar power in space and beam it back to earth

UPDATE: Beaming Clean Energy From Space (CalTech)

Voltaire’s Candide (including Dr Pangloss) and Leibniz

HumanProgress.org: Light has turned from something too precious to use into something everyone can afford.

Gun Control In The Hood