Episode 97: The internet is still weird, with Vinny Thomas

Vinny Thomas plays a Federation representative who is alternatively repulsed and amused by Earth’s pathetic application for membership in the Federation.

Sometimes the internet feels like a bubbling cauldron of scum, but it can still make us laugh. Joining us to talk about humor in the social media age is comedian Vinny Thomas, whose video bits skewering science fiction and animal biology are wildly popular on Twitter. We talk about internet humor fails, why comedy is always political, and which non-human animals are secretly mocking us. Also, in our Research Hole segment, we talk about Marvel Studios and Cold War science.

Notes, Citations, & Etc.

Vinny Thomas on Twitter and his website (he’s also a writer for Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me on NPR)

Condor “Virgin Birth” is another way birds are like reptiles (via the Audobon Society)

The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry

Freedom’s Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science, by Audra Wolfe