Hyperfixed – Details, episodes & analysis

Maybe it’s just a quiet annoyance you’ve grudgingly learned to put up with, or a life defining issue that makes it hard to move forward. Whatever it is, Alex Goldman — reporter, radio producer, and overconfident idiot — will get to the bottom of it (if there’s a bottom to be found. Results may vary). Follow Alex as he figures out not only the vast hidden mechanisms that create these problems, but works with you, the listener, to find a solution. Or at least enough of an explanation that you’re ok with the annoyance. He’s not perfect. Hyperfixed is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent and listener-supported podcasts. Discover audio with vision at radiotopia.fm.

This week: Eva lives in the UK, loves to bake, and frequently tries to bake American recipes. But Americans measure by volume and everyone else measures by weight — and converting those measurements is complicated, for complicated reasons.

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Do you have problems you'd like Alex and the gang to solve? Get in touch with us at http://hyperfixedpod.com by clicking the "Submit a Problem" button.

Links: 

The National Institute of Standards and Measures

Le Grand K

Beyond Measure by James Vincent

This week: Gwen was born and raised in New York, and never felt like she needed to learn to drive. Now that she's turned 30, she's scared she's too old to change that. Alex stands around with a microphone and tries to help.

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https://hyperfixedpod.com/join

Do you have problems you'd like Alex and the gang to solve? Get in touch with us at http://hyperfixedpod.com by clicking the "Submit a Problem" button.

On this episode, Dylan is concerned about something going on at the grocery store, but he's not quite sure how concerned he should be. That's where we step in.

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LINKS:

Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe Podcast

Paco Underhill's Why we Buy: The Science of Shopping

Jamie Loftus's 16 Minute Podcast

If you would like to call your grocery store about the energy they're wasting

Contact Walmart (and Sam's Club)

Contact Costco

Contact Kroger

(they also own: Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C Food Store, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, Pick’n Save, QFC, Ralphs, Ruler, Smith’s Food and Drug)

Contact Albertsons

(they also own: Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers)

This week - Casey has been chasing the origin of a very specific piece of ephemera for years. He came to us for help.

If you like this episode and want to hear more, please sign up for our premium feed here!

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If you would like to join at the $60 yearly level and receive your very own Big Chub Chet's button, you can do so here:

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There are a limited number so get them before they're gone! 

LINKS:
Busy Beaver Button Museum

The Button in Question (Spoilers! don't look until the episode is done!)

This week - Kristin asks us for help on one of the most difficult decisions she'll ever have to make. 

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If you would like to get the button featured in the "Casey Wants to Believe" episode of Hyperfixed, you can get one at hyperfixedpod.com/button (while supplies last!)

Dylan Matthews: 23 charts and maps that show the world is getting much, much better

Our World in Data 

Robert De Neufville's substack "Telling the Future"

How to become a Superforecaster

This week, Kyle asks us whether a bit of folk wisdom, passed down through generations, is actually true, and once again we end up in a big philosophical discussion about the nature of knowledge and stuff.

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There are still buttons available from our episode "Casey Wants to Believe" but they're going fast! Get one at

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LINKS:

Adam Savage's YouTube Channel Tested

Adam Savage's own Savage Indusries tape measure 

The Lufkin Night Eye Tape Measure (again, this is not a sponsorship -- just what Adam recommends)

We've had maybe a dozen submissions from people who reached out to us with questions about public restrooms. Specifically: why are they designed so poorly? And how gross are they actually? Alex and Hyperfixed Producer Amor Yates investigate.

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LINKS:

Toilet: The Public Restroom and the Politics of Sharing.

The American Restroom Association

The Germ Files: The Surprising Ways Microbes Can Improve Your Health and Life (and How to Protect Yourself from the Bad Ones)

Joe Rhodes is a former journalist that is writing about his experiences on the Villa Vie Odyssey, a cruise ship that has just embarked on a 3 & 1/2 year voyage. It hasn't all been smooth sailing. We talk to him about his experience. This is part one of a multi-part series we are running on our premium feed -- part II comes out next week!

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LINKS:
Joe Rhodes' Substack 

Jack has noticed something weird about some license plates. It could be a conspiracy. We investigate.

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LINKS:

The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association