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A podcast where we talk about the things you should have learned in school but didn't learn, didn't learn fully, or didn't learn correctly. We also chat about about our cats, our haunted house, cryptids, and recent events. Hosted by a married pair, Mattie and Austin, who are a former teacher and a current librarian. We met when Mattie picked Austin out of the audience during a performance (which he was skipping class to attend), screaming at him for causing all her life's problems. It really set the tone for their 17+ years of friendship and, now, marriage.
Episodes
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Episode 119: Alchemy and St Olga of Kiev
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
This week Mattie and Austin spent most of the time watching Old Enough and wishing we lived in Japan so we could walk to do simple errands in our town without getting run over by a Land Rover. but we also managed to research and record a pretty good episode
Austin starts us off with a segment about Alchemy. it was absolute nonsense, but was it actually important? Did we discover the key to eternal life AND making things into gold? no. but we did find some other things that are pretty important.
The Mattie learned about a figure from history that kicked so much ass and did it in such a badass way that it was for sure the inspiration for one of the biggest characters in Fantasy literature and TV. She tells us about St Olga of Kiev and how amazing she was.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Episode 118: The Astor Place Riots
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
This week Mattie gets the entire episode to talk about the Astor place riots.
she hinted at this in a previous episode about Broadway, and neither of us were prepared for what she found.
Rivalry, nationalism, gang violence, riots, and an acting rivalry that makes Will Smith and Chris Rock look tame.
is that reference still timely? let's say yes. unless you are listening to this years in the future. then you might need to google some stuff about the 2022 Oscars.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Episode 117: J R Brinkley and the Philip Experiment
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
We start things off talking about our new reality show favorite: Is it Cake? you should watch it
Then Austin talks about probably the most Kansas history you are ever going to learn and teaches you about J R Brinkley, a doctor, and early radio pioneer that made his money the old fashioned way, by implanting goat glands into people.
Then Mattie answers the question we've all been asking. Can you make a ghost? I mean we all know how to make ghosts, but can you simply believe a fake person into existence? Mattie covers the time in the 70s when some researchers did exactly that and had some fascinating results.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
I may have exaggerated in the title, but Mattie does talk about grammar and punctuation and how court cases have been decided on typos and misplaced commas. it might not exactly save your life, but it has cost companies and governments millions of dollars.
Next Austin turns the clock way back. back before even Pliny the Elder. (that's right, Austin can research something without leaning on the genius that is Pliny) and talks about one of the earliest civilizations, The Indus Valley people in North Western India and Pakistan from back in 3000 BCE, and how surprisingly modern they were.
We also talk reality TV. so don't worry, it isn't all archeology and Grammar this episode. we have standards to uphold.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Episode 115: The Fall of The Berlin Wall
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
This week, Mattie and Austin are back to their old reality TV habits AND Mattie talks about her amazing birthday.
Then, Austin talks about the Berlin Wall. more specifically the things we think lead to it being torn down and the reality. ( I'll give you a hint, Austin relished his chance to tell us all yet again that Reagan was trash and you shouldn't like him.)
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Episode 114:Animal Testing and Emperor Norton
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
This week, Austin talks about medical animal testing. and does talk about bad things happening to animals. if you want to skip this segment and pet a cat he totally understands. Skip ahead to 34 minutes
Then to lighten the mood Mattie tells us all about Emperor Norton I. The totally legitimate recognized Emperor of the United States. during this episode listen for Mattie declaring herself a micro nation and Austin naming himself emperor of the Midwest and levying a hefty tax to be paid in cheese, or else he will organize the cats to make war.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Episode 112: Electric Cars and Murphy’s Ranch
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
This epsisode Austin talks way too much about Electric cars, and also what a tool Elon Musk is.
Then Mattie tells us about the Murphy Ranch, the headquarters of American Nazis in the 30s and early 40s, located right outside Los Angeles.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Episode 111: Piltdown Man and Pythagoras
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
This week Mattie is back! and she dives headfirst into evolutionary biology and one of the biggest hoaxes to ever involve parts of an orangutan. She tells us about the missing link hoax, why people fell for it, and the ongoing who done it about who is responsible for fooling the scientific community for so long.
Austin then talks about math. well, he tries to anyway. but his presentation on Pythagoras turned into him talking about yet another sex cult half way through his research. and yes, the two are related.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Episode 110: The Iroquois Theater fire
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
You ever get tired of your family around Christmas and go to see a movie or play to get away from them for a bit while also technically still spending time with them?
well, this is a story about a time when hundreds of people died doing exactly that in Chicago in 1903.
hear about the tragic Iroquois Theater fire, how it happened, and the wide sweeping negligence that caused this "absolutely fireproof" theater to burn down.
you also get to hear Mattie suddenly realize that she had in fact taught this very subject in her class and exclaim "The doors!"
it will make sense in context.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Episode 109: The Halifax Explosion and Toxic Positivity
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
This week Austin starts off by talking about Canada! they are right there to the north of us, we love them, they have amazing healthcare, and One of the deadliest accidents ever happened in Halifax when a ship exploded in 1917. it was really bad. so naturally this is the first thing Austin learned about Canada that wasn't strictly bigfoot related.
Then Mattie talks about why the poster of the cat hanging from a clothes line captioned "Hang in there" is actually evil. and not in a haunted painting way, but in a the psychology of positivity culture is really bad for you way. we also say bad things about Oprah, so if this is our last episode that means she got to us and only you know the truth!
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Episode 108: Jury Duty and Black Cats
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
after a little holiday break Mattie and Austin are back. back again. Tell a friend.
Mattie starts off by talking about jury duty. and mostly about all the problems we have with every step of the process.
Austin talks about black cats. why are they bad luck? how many witches are involved? what exactly is the kiss of shame?
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Delay Announcment
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
We were unable to record an episode this week, but we will be back!
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Episode 107: Benedict Arnold and Banned Books
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
This week Mattie got her Covid booster and it knocked her out for about 8 hours, but Austin propped her up in front of a microphone, gave her a can of redbull and we got an episode hot of her!
Mattie tells us about famed American Traitor Benedict Arnold. We never learn exactly what he did or anything else about the man. or that he had some very relatable reasons for doing the things he did.
Austin tells us about banned and challenged books. mostly because for the last month he has seen a pretty intense uptake in Karens getting mad about things. so he talks about some books that were banned in the past, the ones he is seeing challenged right now, and how some public libraries handle complaints about their collection.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Episode 106: Charles Guiteau and the Ethics of Collecting Human Bones
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
After going out and partying too hard last week Mattie and Austin recover just in time to bring you a new episode!
James Garfield's assassination gets overshadowed by Lincoln and JFKs deaths. but it really shouldn't be. and Austin tells you why this week by covering the insane life of presidential assassin, thief, street preacher, poet, and sex cult reject Charles Guiteau. this topic just goes in 1,000,000 different directions and was just a wild ride to research.
Then, Mattie delivers her in depth research on the legality, morality, ethics, and practical concerns of the hobby of collecting human skulls. you can hear Austin's jaw hit the floor a few times. (This is an expression. his jaw is fine and he did not purchase a human jaw to drop during Mattie's segment. He has some taste.)
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Episode 105: Claudette Colvin and Wendigos
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Happy Halloween Listeners!
Well, I guess this is coming out a few days after Halloween. we have never been good at scheduling things ahead of time. We did record on Halloween so it counts.
Mattie talks about an less well known teenaged civil rights pioneer, and why we don't learn as about her as we do Rosa Parks. and we also talk about the variety of injustices she has suffered and is still experiencing as a result of her civil disobedience in the 1950s.
Then, in celebration of spooky season Austin tells the tale of an Algonquin evil spirit that drives people to extreme gluttony and cannibalism. The Wendigo. He also uncovers a previously unnoticed anachronism in a beloved Halloween movie and gives the pedantic explanation that literally nobody asked for.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Episode 104: Ancient Aliens and Travel Tips With Mattie
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Mattie and Austin are back from a whirlwind to the greatest city in the world, New York City! And because we can't do anything normal we spent a large chunk of it at disaster sites, a graveyard, an abandoned small pox hospital, and an old lunatic asylum. you know, the usual tourist stuff. We also saw the Olsen twins.
Austin starts us off by talking about an 11 year old meme you might remember as the Ancient Aliens guy. So why and when did we start to think space aliens built the pyramids? Austin found out and also learned an important lesson about messing up your YouTube algorithm. seriously, all the Critical Role content he loved is gone and replaced by flat earth conspiracy videos.
Mattie loves travel and also loves to travel alone, well at least when there isn't a global pandemic ruining things for her, and she gives some travel advice that she has learned from experience and some that she learned from the web. Like, that despite what some true crime Facebook fan groups say very few people are hunting you like a wounded gazelle, and the hotel clerk who talks about his mother way too much probably isn't going to stab you in the shower.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Episode 103: Broadway and The Sargasso Sea
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
This week Mattie and Austin gave it 110% and watched all the entire Halloween franchise. Shout out to Kansas' greatest export Paul Rudd, Star of Halloween 6. We are absolutely going to see Halloween Kills soon and we will report back to you.
Mattie starts us out by telling us all about The Great White Way (don't worry, its not related to racism OR sharks.) and how Theater changed and traditions developed over the centuries we have had just a ton of theaters there. She also explains what Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway are. We also tried to create an Off Off Off Broadway, but we went too many layers deep and tore a hole in reality.
Then Austin covers a listener suggestion. well, kind of. He talks about the Sargasso Sea. a unique Ecosystem that we don't hear a lot about and how Christopher Columbus didn't discover it (shocking,) how it relates to the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, and how little we know about where baby eels come from. He also goes on a brief environmentalism rant and accuses Christopher Columbus of a lot of things.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Episode 102: The Palmer Raids and Ebooks vs Audiobooks vs Print Books
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
after a week spent fighting back pain because we old Mattie and Austin are back to blow your mind with some facts and stuff
Austin starts off by telling us about the Palmer raids. the time when Federal law enforcement overstepped their bounds so much the American people actually took action. he also talks about what an asshole J Edgar Hoover was. (Seriously. Austin thinks he might've done more harm than Ronald Reagan.)
Then Mattie goes into a debate that has been dividing households for years. What is better print books, eBooks, or audio books? We all have our opinions, but what are the facts? prepare to be amazed as Mattie dives in and gives us the actual facts on how the medium we use affects how we learn.
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Episode 101: Why Arts Education is Important and Jackie Mitchell
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
We are back! after 2 weeks off we are back better than ever! and by better than ever I mean we watched reality tv and horror movies for 2 weeks. Austin says that counts as research.
Mattie tells us why the arts are important and, specifically, how theater has given her most of her important life skills.
Austin bores Mattie with some sports facts, but he thought it was cool. especially since it involves a 17 year old girl striking out the New York Yankees and why women were banned from Major League Baseball for decades.
We also have a new theme song!
Check out https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer
She is spectacular
Twitter: @onthetestpod
Facebook: Facebook.com/onthetestpod
Insta: @onthetestpod
theme song by https://www.fiverr.com/nilgunozer