My Latest Fixation | Podcast on RSS.com

My Latest Fixation

My Latest Fixation

by My Latest Fixation

Season 1

God’s Perfect Clock: Carbon‑14, Crime Scenes, and Cosmic Spite

Carbon-14 dating, radiocarbon dating, half-life, archaeology, and crime scene science all come together in this episode of My Latest Fixation. Inspired by Castle Rock and its “God’s Perfect Clock” metaphor, this episode explains how Carbon-14 works, why scientists use it to date organic material, artifacts, bones, parchment, and bog bodies, and how calibration curves help turn radiocarbon years into calendar dates. We also dig into the science behind radioactive decay, the atmospheric carbon cycle, the bomb spike from nuclear weapons testing, and why Carbon-14 is one of the most important tools in archaeology, forensic science, and historical research. If you’re interested in carbon dating explained, radiocarbon dating for beginners, archaeology podcast episodes, forensic history, or spooky science with a sense of humor, this episode is for you. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Everyone’s the Villain in Obsession (Except Andy Richter): Toxic Romance, Cursed Wishes, and Horror Love Stories

Obsession (2026) looks like a love story, but it plays like a curse. In this episode, Joshua and his partner My dig into Curry Barker’s supernatural horror film about Bear, Nikki, and a One Wish Willow that turns “I’d do anything for you” into a literal nightmare. We talk about obsession, codependency, cursed romance, and why almost everyone in this movie is a villain in their own way—Bear’s pathetic insecurity, Ian’s snake‑energy selfishness, Nikki’s weaponized devotion, and Sarah’s quiet. Along the way, we compare Obsession to classic Monkey’s Paw–style horror, unpack how desire and control get dressed up as “true love,” and ask whether romance tropes and smutty fantasy can actually warp the way we see real relationships. We also get into fan theories about whether Nikki is possessed, how the wish rewrites reality, and whether Bear’s bloody breakdown might be a full psychological collapse instead of a simple curse. Content warning: Obsession earns its R rating with graphic violence, intense psychological horror, and disturbing relationship dynamics. If you’re sensitive to heavy horror or toxic romance, please take care of yourself and check content warnings before watching. Perfect for listeners who like horror that digs into toxic relationships, cursed wishes, and the thin line between “grand romance” and “actually this is a walking red flag.” If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

“Bless You”: The Death Wish We Say After Every Sneeze

What if “bless you” isn’t just polite… but a leftover survival reflex from a time when a sneeze could mean you were about to die? In this whimsical, eerie, and nerdy deep dive from My Latest Fixation, we trace the strange history of what might be the most automatic phrase in the English language—from the plague‑ridden streets of the Byzantine Empire to modern‑day grocery store aisles. Along the way: Pope Gregory the Great, medieval fear of sudden death, spiritual theories about wandering souls, and why different cultures respond to sneezes in completely different ways. It’s a story about germs, ghosts, etiquette, and the tiny rituals we repeat without thinking. Because the next time you say “bless you,” you might be echoing a centuries‑old moment of panic… disguised as manners. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Please Respect My Superstition

In this eerie, nerdy deep dive, My Latest Fixation explores the strange history and psychology of the “knock on wood” superstition—why we tap the table after saying something hopeful and call it “not jinxing it.” This episode traces the ritual from pagan sacred groves and Christian symbolism to old British children’s games and modern anxiety habits, showing how a tiny gesture became a global superstition about luck, protection, and fate. Along the way, you’ll hear about trees as powerful witnesses, wood as a zone of safety, and how small rituals help us manage uncertainty without ever admitting we’re nervous. If you’re into folklore, history of superstition, ritual psychology, or the weird ways humans try to control the future, this is the episode to queue up—preferably with a desk nearby, just in case. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Not My Monster: The Strange Rise of ...

Not My Monster: The Strange Rise of ... In this episode of MyLatestFixationPod, we trace how Kasing Lung’s mischievous character Labubu jumped from indie art books into Pop Mart’s blind-box machine and wound up everywhere—from TikTok unboxings to celebrity bags. We unpack the design language of “weird-cute,” the psychological pull of variable rewards and secrecy, and Pop Mart’s deliberate scarcity and resale dynamics that transform toys into trophies. Along the way we examine community rituals (unboxings, trades, and chasers), the vintage-beanie-baby echoes in modern collector culture, and why small, face-like objects are so easy to anthropomorphize. I share a mini blind-box puzzle, a soft take on competing Hirono designs, and one collector’s confession about what these figures mean when they stop being objects and start being characters. Whether you’re skeptical, curious, or already mid-collection, this episode explains how a little monster with teeth captured a global moment. Keywords: Labubu, Pop Mart, blind box, toy craze, designer toys, collectibles, unboxing, resale, kawaii, weird-cute. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

One Dad, One Story

Father’s Day Special: One Dad, One Story This Father’s Day special is different: no panel, just one dad—one life, one honest perspective on what fatherhood looks like every single day. Guest Brett (father of two and a lover of Christ) shares grounded, real-talk stories about bedtime chaos, how many times he’s said “no” today, and whether he’s ever hidden food in the car to avoid a lunch standoff. Shout-out: Brett’s friends’ band Penny Fountain is available on all streaming services—check them out! Perfect for dads, people who have dads, and anyone who thinks parenting looks “exhausting and also kind of amazing.” Happy Father’s Day from My Latest Fixation. I see you, dads. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Summerween

On this episode of My Latest Fixation, we’re diving into Summerween — the weirdly wonderful idea that started in Gravity Falls and somehow became a real seasonal internet tradition. From the original episode and its loser-candy monster to fandom, nostalgia, and spooky summer aesthetics online, this one is all about how a cartoon joke escaped into real life. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, share, and visit mylatestfixation.com for merch, the story behind the show, and more. Spend $50 or more for free shipping. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Mylatestfixation.com Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

The Uncanny Valley

Where do we go when the simulation becomes flawless? If you spend any time scrolling online, you’ve probably seen a thousand posts claiming that the "uncanny valley" was basically invented by Reddit to describe creepy CGI or weird plastic surgery. But the truth is much older, darker, and deeply biological. Long before anyone wrote a line of code, humanity was already mapping the precise psychological parameters of mechanical dread. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the architecture of the eerie. We trace the origins of the valley from 1906 German psychiatry and Sigmund Freud's existential theories on the doppelgänger, all the way to modern tech engineering. We dive deep into: The Auditory Valley: Why the real trigger in modern AI voice models isn't the tone, but conversational latency and accidental interruptions. The Intimacy Market: How the hyper-agreeable nature of AI companion apps triggers deep psychological rejection, and what the film Companion (2025) reveals about our fear of frictionless relationships. Weaponizing the Eerie: Why digital subcultures like Analog Horror and Weirdcore are intentionally building art at the bottom of the valley—and why a glitched, clunky flaw is the only thing a corporate algorithm can't fake. In a world drowning in synthetic perfection, discomfort might just be our final sanctuary. Let's get weird. Stay messy. Stay flawed. Stay human. Join the Conversation: What scares you more: a robot that looks fake, or an AI voice that sounds flawlessly real but cuts you off when you breathe? Hit follow and let us know your thoughts Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Visit my Beacons link for podcast updates and more. Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. mylatestfixation.com Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Eleven Year Echo

On a perfectly ordinary Tuesday morning, gravity won. My entire right side went completely dark—no signal, no communication from the brain. But instead of movie-style panic, my mind leaned into pure comedy: on my way down to the carpet, I instinctively grabbed a pillow to cushion my own stroke-like collapse. What follows is a journey behind the "glass wall" of sudden medical trauma, a six-day redline in a Neuro ICU, a midnight escape from hospital bureaucracy, and a deep dive into the brilliant, stubborn, backward-flowing biological plumbing that kept me alive. Key Takeaways & Chapter Previews The Glass Wall & Crisis Denial: An inside look at the terrifying psychological dissonance of feeling perfectly calm and witty inside your own skull while presenting an absolute medical emergency to the outside world. Behavioral Normalcy Bias: Why the human software defaults to treating a catastrophic system failure like a temporary, clumsy mishap rather than a life-or-death crisis. The 144-Hour Redline: The gritty logistics of surviving six days as a one-armed pincushion in the Neuro ICU, learning one-handed hospital physics, and weaponizing high blood pressure to keep a brain tissue stable. The Prison of Paperwork: What happens when a successful brain surgery meets the ultimate boss of the modern world—hospital administration—and why a stubborn podcaster decided to walk out Against Medical Advice (AMA). The 11-Year Biological Echo: Deconstructing the fluid dynamics of Subclavian Steal Syndrome. Discover how a survival workaround engineered by my own body over a decade ago created a microscopic whirlpool that finally collected its debt on a Tuesday morning. The Illusion of Control: A final, philosophical meditation on the absurdity of a $152,000 hospital bill, the friction of human-designed systems, and the beautiful, reassuring reality that our internal machines are a hell of a lot tougher than we give them credit for. Links & Resources: Stay Connected: Visit my Beacons link for podcast updates and more. Listen & Subscribe: Now available on RSS.com. Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

Third Spaces & The One Desk Paradox Pt.2

Is it actually possible to find a true "Third Place" behind a screen? This week on My Latest Fixation, Laura rejoins the show to help conclude our conversation on the modern architecture of connection. Last week, we looked at what happens when our physical spaces vanish. This week, we pivot to the digital frontier. While the internet promised us a global village, the reality of living, working, and socializing within the exact same square footage has created a strange new psychological landscape. Together, Joshua and Laura break down the "One Desk Paradox"—the modern phenomenon where the physical space where you earn your living and pay your bills is the exact same square footage where you are expected to relax, game, and find meaningful community. Can a Discord server, an MMO, or an online forum ever truly replicate the organic magic of a neighborhood pub or a local library when you never actually leave your chair? To close out this two-part arc, we aren't just leaving you with theories. We are issuing a direct challenge to you, the listeners, to break the digital loop, step away from the screen, and go out to get connected in the real world. In this episode, we cover: The Digital Third Place: Can online spaces ever truly fulfill our biological need for collective gathering, or are they just a temporary band-aid? The "One Desk Paradox": The psychological and social toll of blending labor, leisure, and community into a single physical location. The Shared Screen Experience: Exploring how digital spaces mimic connection, and where they ultimately fall short compared to physical proximity. Our Challenge to You: A practical call to action to step out of the digital loop and find your local anchor. Connect with the Show: Host: Joshua Guest: Laura Listen & Follow: Be sure to subscribe or follow My Latest Fixation on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. If this two-part series changed how you look at your routine or your community, leave us a review! Music by Tunetank from Pixabay

1 of 2