Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Outlaws and Renegades: The Hells Angels

Part myth, part mayhem, and all leather-clad rebellion: welcome to the shadowy world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. 
In this week’s episode, Shane and Duncan explore the mystique and mysticism of a legendary biker gang, from the notorious riots and murders that publicly defined them to the fiercely-guarded code of honor that binds them. So grab a cup of coffee, or perhaps something stronger, and buckle up for an adrenaline-fueled ride through the turbulent history of the HAMC. 
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In this episode:  
Hells Angels: "Organized Crime Syndicate"
Recent Convictions
The Dutch Ban
The Apostrophe Debacle
Founding of the Angels Fontana, CA
Otto Friedly
The "Pissed Off Bastards"
Frank Sadilek and The Death's Head Insignia
Charters
Corporate Angels
Joining: "Han Around" to "Associate" to "Prospect"
Top Rocker, Bottom Rocker, Full Patch
One Percenters
Hunter S Thompson, The Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
81
The Culture of the Hells Angels
H.A. and Race
Ralph Hubert “Sonny” Barger
Altamont
Meredith Hunter and Alan Passaro
Harrah’s Hotel and Casino, Laughlin Nevada 2002
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After Midnight Livestream: The Top 5 Falls From Grace (SAMPLE)

Fame can be fickle. Sure, the public might love you today, but that doesn't mean they'll love you tomorrow...especially if you do something stupid that undermines your popularity. Something like, say, murder your wife (*cough* OJ) or betray your country (*cough cough* Nixon). 
 
Which celebrities, sports stars, politicians, and business leaders had the most dramatic falls from grace? Find out in this shameful, cancel-happy, zero-redemption-arc installment of After Midnight. 
Who's in your top 5? Tell us in the Discord...
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Instruments of War: Medieval Weaponry

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On this week's episode, Shane and Duncan delve into the dark and deadly world of medieval warfare to learn how people fought, killed, and survived in the Middle Ages. From the elegant and lethal longsword to the gruesome and gory morning star, explore the history and science behind some of the most fearsome and fascinating instruments of war ever devised.
 
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In this episode:  
The 3 Criteria: Effectiveness, Cost, and Status
Chain Mail
Plate Armor
The Water-Powered Triphammer
War Horses
Horse Armor: The Full Bard
Peytrals, Chanfrons, Criniere, Caparisons
The Helmschied Family
Pre-Swords: Spatha and Gladius
Knightly/Long Swords
Sword Anatomy: Blade, Fullers, Cross Guards, Pommels
Axes
Axe Anatomy: Eye, Cheeks, Toe, Heel, Beard, Butt
War Hammers
Maces
Lances
Spears
Bows: (Recursive, Long, Cross)
Shields
Seige Weapons: Trebuchets and Catapults
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Zombies and Incest: The Wild, Kinky World of Japanese Mythology (Shintoism)

Are you ready for a rousing tale of ghosts and gods and taboo brother-sister love? No, this isn't a new streaming series from HBO; this is MFFI's first episode covering the bizarre, freaky world of Japanese Mythology. Join the guys as they uncover the rituals, creation myths, and divine deities of Shintoism, an ancient religion that predates Japan’s recorded history.
**NOTE: THIS EPISODE BEGINS WITH AN EXTENDED UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS EPISODE. TO SKIP TO THIS WEEK'S TOPIC, JUMP TO 11:00**
 
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In this episode:  
AI Episode Update
The Two Japanese Religions: Shintoism and Buddhism
Kami (Spirits)
Kegare (Impurity)
Kiyome (Purity)
Animism
Shinkai (Shadow World)
Torii (Gate)
Priests and Priestesses
Kami-dana (home shrines)
The Four Affirmations: Family, Nature, Purity, Festivals (Matsuri)
Buddhist Funerals
The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki
The Imperial Family (The Yamato Line)
Takamagahara (The Plain of High Heaven)
Kotoamatsukami (The Five Gods, Original Kami)
The Zoka Sanshin: The High Creator, The Divine Creator, and the Central Master
The Kamiyo-nayo (Paired Gods)
Izanagi and Izanami 
Creation of Japan With Amenonuhoka (The Heavenly Bejeweled Spear)
Hiroku/Ebisu (The Leech Child)
Yomi (Land of the Dead)
Amaterasu (Kami of the Sun)
Tsukuyomi (Moon Kami)
Susanoo (Storm Kami)
Jimmu, the First Emperor
The Humanity Declaration
Yokai/Mononoke (Shapeshifting Spirits)
Nekomata (Cat/Demon Spirits)
The Oni (Demon Yokai)
Shuten-doji, King of Oni
Raiko the Hero
Hannya Masks
The Bancho Sarayashiki (The Dish Mansion at Pancho)
Okiku and Aoyama Tessan
The Ring
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AI 2050: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

What will AI look like in 2050? Will it solve all our problems, or create new ones? Will our future AI companions be more “Her” or “T1000"? In the latest chrome-plated, mechanized, fully sentient episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan discuss the possibilities and pitfalls of generative artificial intelligence, and explore all of the ways it might reshape media, society, economy, and culture.
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In this episode:  
The Swaggy Pope
The Dartmouth College Rockefeller-Funded AI Conference
John McCarthy Coins the Term "AI"
Deep Learning
NLP
The Data Age
Advanced Tamagotchi 
AI Tutors
Insurance
Autonomous Vehicles
AI Catfishing: Filters, Deepfakes
Bold Glamour
Coconut Kitty
Replika and the Emotional Connection
Robot Sexting
AI and the Economy
General AI
The Singularity
Alignment Research
Misalignment
Open AI Risk Assessment
AI Warfare
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(Full Episode) After Midnight with Mark Christopher: The 5 Worst Possible Careers

Comedian Mark Christopher joins the guys to determine the absolute worst career-choices of all time. 
 
What's in your top 5? Tell us in the Discord...
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Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and the AI Apocalypse

Ready or not, here they come: the robots have arrived.
Artificial Intelligence has been under development since the 1950s, but viable AI didn't explode into mainstream pop culture until the introduction of ChatGPT in November of 2022. The chatbot has since rocketed in popularity to become the fastest-growing consumer application in history, and prompted an AI arms race that shows no signs of abating. Artificial Intelligence is now piloting cars, painting pictures, composing poems, writing term papers, passing the bar exam, and (presumably) plotting world domination. 
Join Shane and Duncan to explore the technological breakthroughs that made these latest versions of AI possible, and find answers to all of your most pressing questions, including:
What is ChatGPT?
How does generative AI work?
Which AI is the smartest: ChatGPT, Bard, or Bing (Sydney)?
Is there a chance that any current versions of AI are actually sentient? 
How long does the human race have left before the arrival of AI armageddon? 
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In this episode:  
Overview
ChatGPT
LaMDA
Blake Lemoine
Bing/Sydney
GPT-4
Jailbreaking
Sydney and the New York Times
How to Build a Generative AI
Large Language Models and Natural Language Processing
Generative Adversarial Networks (GANS)
Stable Diffusion and DALL-E
Open AI 
Peter Theil, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman
Capped For-Profit Model
RHLF
Bard
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Historical Figures (That Might Never Have Existed)

For millennia, characters like King Arthur and Robin Hood have captivated the masses, inspiring songs and books and films and Saturday morning cartoons, but their reality is obscured behind myth and legend. Prepare for history-bending revelations as Shane and Duncan uncover the truth behind famous figures who might never have existed.
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In this episode:  
Sun Tzu
Robin Hood
Tokyo Rose
King Arthur
Spokespeople: Betty Crocker & Aunt Jemima
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Government Coverups: The Iran-Contra Affair

In the first installment of MFFI’s Government Cover-Ups series, grab your New Coke and Trapper Keeper for a trip back to the 1980s to uncover the truth behind one of the wildest political scandals in American history: the Iran-Contra affair. It’s a saga of guns, drugs, hostages, and lies that shook the White House to its core. 
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In this episode:  
Ronald Wilson Reagan, the Actor
The Hollywood Blacklist 
President of the Screen Actor’s Guild
Ronald W. Reagan, Informant
Governor Regan
Candidate Regan
President Regan
Nicaragua in the ‘80s 
The Sandinistas 
Fall of the Samosa Dictatorship
The Contras (Counterrevolutionaries) 
Democrats Sweep Congress 
The Boland Amendments 
“The Enterprise”
Richard Secord
Oliver North
The Iran Iraq War
Operation Eagle Claw
Israel, Intermediary
Manucher Ghorbanifar, Sneaky Snake
National Security Adviser Robert MacFarlane
Shipments Commence
Hostage Release
John Poindexter
The Scheme Unravels
Eugene Hasenfus, Lucky Pervert 
Mehdi Hashemi
Fawn Hall and the Shredding Party
Cleaning House and the Tower Commission
Congressional Inquiry 
Oliver North, Celebrity Traitor
Repercussions 
George Bush 
The Cover-Up Complete 
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Old Wives Tales

Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? If you swallow your gum, will it spend years in your stomach? Can walnuts repair floor-scratches? (Spoiler alert: no, no, and yes.)
Everyone is familiar with Old Wives Tales, those dubious snippets of folk wisdom that have been passed down from generation to generation. But where do they come from? And are they all just harmless superstitions, or do any of them contain a grain of truth? Join Shane and Duncan as they explore the true stories behind some of the most enduring Old Wives Tales. 
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In this episode:  
Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?
Can you Catch a Cold From Having Wet Hair?
Should You Pee on a Jellyfish Sting?
Does an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?
If You Cross Your Eyes Will They Get Stuck Like That?
Should You Wait 30 Minutes to Swim After Eating?
Will Self-Love Put Hair on Your Palms?
Should You Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever?
If You Shave, Will Your Hair Grow Back Thicker and Faster?
If You Swallow Your Gum, Will it Stay in Your Stomach for Years?
Can a Penny on the Train Tracks Derail a Train?
Is There a Chemical That Can Detect and Reveal Urine in a Pool?
Can Sitting Too Close to the TV Make You Blind?
Can Spicy Food Cause Ulcers?
Will a Watermelon Seed Sprout in Your Stomach?
Do Cats Smother Newborn Babies?
Can Peanut Butter Remove Gum From Your Hair?
Can Walnuts Repair Floor Scratches?
Do Wooden Spoons Keep Water From Boiling Over?
Does Hot Water Cause Temporary Infertility? 
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