• BREAKING NEWS: Andrew joins Bumble BFF! How is matching with new friends online similar to dating?
• Is it worse to be ghosted by a potential date or friend?
• As summer approaches, we look at other countries’ travel advisories for visiting the United States. Unsurprisingly, they warn of increased risks of gun violence and terrorism. While staying safe is most important during your travels to the US, we have some general tips for visiting that will make your trip easier.
• We recommend avoiding Florida (she can’t sit with us), remembering to tip, watching out for our massive portion sizes, and paying attention to parking signage to avoid tickets!
• Pam provides our latest social media update: we begin with Montana, which has just signed a new bill that would ban TikTok in the state beginning in 2024. How would this be accomplished? Montana’s political leaders clearly don’t understand the internets.
• Instagram’s Twitter alternative could be up and running as soon as the end of June! You heard it here first folks – Andrew proposes it be dubbed “Textagram.”
• Speaking of the birthday boy, Andrew is one of the lucky(?) few to have received an invite to join Blue Sky. Does this scratch the Twitter itch?
• This week’s recommendations are a grab bag: Bumble BFF (Andrew), ‘Prehistoric Planet’ on Apple TV+, and Vinyl record sleeves (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts:

• ABC recently announced its “strike proof” fall TV lineup in light of the ongoing WGA strike. That is to say, we hope everyone is buckling up for a lot more unscripted television.
• On that note, we spend today’s After Dark talking reality TV horror stories: often, contestants come out after the fact speaking to unhealthy living conditions, emotional abuse, and other unsavory elements.
• Pam and Laura are big ‘Love is Blind’ watchers, and cover a recent expose where former cast members speak to living in squalled conditions and being forced to work 20 hour days to the brink of exhaustion.

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• Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk!
• Clusterfuck 2023 rages on with CNN platforming Orange Julius, Florida being a total Florida man, and George Santos living up to his “who the fuck is this guy?” reputation.
• Was there a public benefit to CNN’s Trump Town Hall, or was it a complete ratings whore move?
• Shortly after the town hall, Trump posted this deep fake of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, harkening back to our warnings a few weeks ago about the part AI will play in future election seasons.
• On the topic of AI, Chat GPT delivered an original Disney tune about Mickey’s impending destruction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
• We all agree overuse of cell phones at concerts is annoying – but how far are we willing to go to curb this annoying habit among concert goers?
• Bono and Garth Brooks are using Yondr cases, to create phone-free environments during their respective Broadway and Las Vegas residency shows. Guests will need to place their phone in a Yondr case, and can only unlock it upon exiting the venue.
• Not only do we see major health and safety risks to using something like this, it also takes away from the experience of concert-goers who want to share their own experiences at shows.
• From “I can’t even” to “I don’t have the emotional capacity for this right now”: how the internet has developed its own take on therapy speech, and why it’s annoying AF.
• Just like online discourse, we’re all susceptible to adopting certain ways of speaking based on the environments we spend the most time in. Being influenced by celebrities, or even our professional lives can do this!
• This week’s recommendations have no throughline: Pestie (Andrew), dog toys for mental enrichment (Laura), Chappell Roan (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts:

• Why do millennials and younger care much less about passing down family heirlooms than prior generations? JK, we know why: we can’t afford houses big enough to take all your shit grandpa.
• Are there any items we have been offered, or know we will be in the future? Do we want them, and should we feel guilty if we don’t?
• The family drama really kicks up when someone kicks the bucket – why are we fighting about who gets what things? We’re all gonna die anyway.
• Andrew’s last beer with his grandma.

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• Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real money talk!
• This week’s episode is all about money, honey!
• With continued concerns about inflation and the potential of a looming national default, what should American workers have in mind?
• NerdWallet has some recommendations for how you can best protect yourself in the event the US defaults on its debts.
• Laura has a financial boner for high-yield savings accounts, and the panel discusses how this is a great first step for anyone looking to build their wealth.
• Andrew is disappointed with his current portfolio given stock market losses – will he sign up for Apple’s high-yield savings account?!
• Inspired by this tweet, we discuss things we’ve bought that were a value add to our lives, and those things that were… not.
• We’ve got some themes to recommend: invest in items that make you feel good, like ergonomic chairs or massage guns! Patrons recommend good skincare, TSA pre-check, quality mattresses, and more!
• Our recommendations this week are money savers, educational, and organizational! Nintendo Switch Game Voucher (Andrew), ‘The Inflation Blame Game’ episode of ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ on Apple TV+ (Laura), and Zebra Midliner pens (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available to Patreon and Apple Podcast subscribers:

• Is moving to be closer to friends a good idea? Or should you temper your expectations?
• We’ve got some tea to spill on the topic of people moving for the wrong reasons!
• Is a member of the #Millennial team planning to move…?

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• Andrew and Pam hung out over the weekend and bankrupted the show on coffee expenses. #rip
• As predicted, the Hollywood Writers Strike HAS BEGUN!
• Is it just us, or does it seem like neighbor paranoia is increasing?
• Recently, multiple cases have occurred where people opened fire on others for innocent mistakes or even delivering groceries.
• What’s to blame for peoples’ increased paranoia of security in their neighborhoods? Is having a home security system a slippery slope for some?
• We share cases of our own paranoid neighbors and whether we think there is merit to their concerns.
• Last week the Texas State Senate passed a bill that would require every public school classroom in the state to prominently display the Ten Commandments. We wonder how educators will explain things like “adultery” to kindergarteners. 
• #Millennial provides podcast-approved messaging for Texas educators to explain the 10 commandments to their grade-school aged students, and a special guest joins us ~from above~ for the task.
• Is doxxing ever justified? Pam clues us into a story originating on TikTok, where a creator’s video featuring two women making fun of her went viral, resulting in the doxxing of the video’s bullies.
• If you get caught being a dick, do you deserve to have your family harassed, be fired from your job, or have your reputation tanked online?
• This week’s recommendations will secure your tech AND your skin! Google Authenticator (Andrew), Super Goop is available for FSA purchase (Laura), and Jack Black intense therapy lip balm (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available to all Patrons this week:

• #Millennial’s Life Pro Tips! Laura was recently inspired to bring this to the table after she pushed back on an expensive medical bill that should have been covered by insurance.
• What a time to be alive: slow closing toilet seats and voice assistants really do come in clutch and deserve more credit.
• Andrew’s life hack for getting off an annoying phone call guilt-free!

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• Our friends Eric and Micah join us from MuggleCast for a discussion all about reboots, inspired by the recent news of a Harry Potter TV series and a Twilight reboot in the works.
• But first: TUCKER. IS. OUT! LEMON. IS. OUT! Why did FOX and CNN fire two of their most popular on-air personalities on the same day? Andrew is wet.
• Dark Brandon also officially announced he’ll be running for re-election in 2024. Get ready for the campaign sequel no one asked for!
• Is the premise of a Harry Potter TV reboot exciting? Yes. Could they fuck it up? Also yes.
• Because there are no new ideas: Lionsgate is reportedly working on a Twilight TV show. Is there enough content to justify a multi-season show?
• How soon is too soon for a reboot or reimagining of a beloved series?
• Despite the opportunity for a Harry Potter series to expand on the wizarding world and deliver a fresh interpretation of the series, the failed Fantastic Beasts series and JKR’s shitty transphobic views loom heavy.
• We discuss how we balance the major JKR issues with continuing to podcast about Harry Potter, and the feedback we receive from listeners who aren’t happy with our stances.
• This week’s recs will keep you entertained, informed, and coffee-stain free! Folex Carpet Cleaner (Andrew), ‘Tetris’ on Apple TV+ (Laura), ‘MUNA’ album (Pam), ‘Stardew Valley’ (Eric), and NPR’s ‘Up First’ (Micah).
• Check out Eric’s podcast, Thank You For Spieling (which also includes episodes of The Last of Us)

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts:

• We continue the main show’s discussion and focus on the importance diversity will play in casting for all the TV reboots that are inevitably coming.
• Will the Harry Potter show stick with ‘Cursed Child’ canon and cast a black Hermione?
• How could a Twilight TV show right a very cringy wrong with the casting of its Quileute tribe?

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• Is Andrew uncanceled this week? Only time will tell.
• It’s protest week here at the show! What kinds of resistance are we seeing across the country and across industries?
• One of Andrew’s faves, Orville Peck, recently announced that he would not be canceling shows in Tennessee due to current legislation restricting gender affirming care and drag shows. “You are not sticking it to these governments by not showing up, you are only hurting the communities.”
• Orville Peck isn’t the only artist to be confronted with sociopolitical conflicts of interest: KORN, My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Green Day, and The Killers have canceled shows in Russia over the last year in protest of Putin’s war.
• Should artists take a firm stance and NOT perform in states pushing anti-LGBTQ agendas?
• Republicans are finding themselves painted into an electoral corner after recent moves from a federal judge to retract FDA approval for the abortion pill, mifepristone. In the meantime, what can people who live in states with restricted access to abortion do?
• Does protesting make a difference in America? What does the act of protesting do for the cause and for the individual?
• People in affected states can consider community support opportunities, supporting organizations expanding access to contraceptives, consider employment opportunities with companies that have pledged to help their employees circumvent anti-abortion laws in their states, pursue obtaining a vasectomy, or if all else fails, look into moving.
• The resistance doesn’t end there, y’all! The Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike this week, and the effects in the coming weeks and months could heavily impact our entertainment options.
• If such concerns as minimum pay, better residuals, and contributions to health and pension plans aren’t addressed satisfactorily by May 1st, the writers strike will officially kick off.
• We reminisce about the last writers strike in 2007, when it felt like reality TV was the only TV. There’s a reason for that!
• If the strike happens, viewers will feel the first impacts on late night talk shows, but scripted television will also suffer once it runs out of scripted content to shoot.
• This week’s recommendations will keep you entertained and looking fly: Greta Van Fleet (Andrew), Resident Evil 4 Remake (Laura), and Wet N Wild breakup proof liner (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts:

• Trigger Warnings. After Cornell University recently vetoed efforts from the student body to require trigger warnings on course syllabi, we discuss the pros and cons of trigger warnings, and whether we think they are useful.
• Do trigger warnings infantilize students in an academic context? How can college professors exercise better sensitivity in the classroom?
• Are we now the olds that the kids talk about being out of touch?

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• Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk!
• We’re Andrew-less this week, but it’s ok, Pam and Laura canceled him temporarily.
• We chat about the new Barbie trailer that took the world by storm, and use this as a jumping off point to talk childhood nostalgia and what it means to see it represented on the big screen.
• But first, some men are triggered by the viral marketing highlighting all the Barbies’ high-profile jobs and noting that all the Kens are “just Ken.” Cry about it!
• How did we play with Barbies as kids? Confessions of orchestrating Barbie sexy time.
• Everyone had a jank Barbie they colored on and gave haircuts to, right?
• In light of our girls’ episode this week, we host an AMA for our Patreon supporters, and answer questions about best and worst dating experiences, favorite makeup and clothing brands, and how we feel about aging (spoiler: we’re leaning into it).
• How have Pam and Laura handled workplace misogyny?
• We’re also hype about the crew announcement for the upcoming Artemis II mission – the first woman and black man will be making a trip around the moon in 2024!
• This inspires us to chat about our first childhood dream jobs.
• This week’s recommendations will keep you fresh! Lume Deodorant (Laura) and Raw Sugar’s multi-miracle leave-in conditioner & heat protectant (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon:

• Spoiler warning! Love is Blind season 4 finale predictions and reactions to the current season’s cast. (Mostly trash.)
• And we’ve got some questions from our AMA we saved to cover because they’re a little ~spicy~ for primetime.
• If Andrew were straight, would we date him?!

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• Uncork the champagne: we have a Trump indictment just in time for this week’s show!
• Time to CONFESS! Listeners write in for this week’s episode using our anonymous Confessional to detail their deep, dark, dirty secrets!
• Is there a nuanced interpretation to the ongoing debate about the national security risks Tiktok presents?
• It’s ok to not love everything about Joe Biden – we don’t believe in turning politicians into our entire personality.
• How do the hosts approach diet and fitness from a sustainable, healthy perspective?
• Is it normal for our sex drive to reduce as we get older?
• Managing expectations with family can be hard, especially when coming out.
• Should people feel guilty about taking advantage of working from home to sneak in a quick nap?
• We receive an update about a previous Confessional submission!
• This week’s recommendations are practical with a side of entertainment: ‘Did you know’ that alarm clocks only snooze for 9 minutes because original clocks mechanically couldn’t snooze for 10? (Andrew), don’t forget your sunscreen! (Laura), and Showtime’s ‘Yellowjackets’ (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon:

• A new poll conducted by real estate advice website Home Bay inspires us to talk about our respective cities, and why people may (or may not) want to live there.
• It’s “Atlanna” not “Atlanta.”
• Dallas being in the top list of cities people want to move to seems wild.
• Why don’t people want to move to Pam’s home city of San Francisco?!

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• Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real cybersecurity talk!
• On this week’s episode, we are joined by cybersecurity professional Voldimmoral!
• If you’re looking for tips to remove your personal information from the internet, check out her Medium article!
• Your digital footprint can be left even if you’re not intentionally disclosing information. Voldimmoral details how in her line of work, digital footprints have enabled her to help solve crimes!
• Even the most security conscious among us can be vulnerable to personal information getting out online: this is why it’s particularly important to help the less web savvy in your life be protected online.
• On a related note, 2-factor authentication has been in the news a lot lately, with Twitter announcing they would no longer support SMS (text message) 2-factor. What are some more secure 2-factor authentication options? We recommend Google Authenticator or using a Yubikey.
• Voldimmoral also chats with us about the pros and cons of password manager apps – and the upcoming Passkeys authentication method.
• This week’s recommendations are a real grab bag! Cut resistant gloves (Andrew), Making a donation to Everytown for gun safety (Laura), and Lazarus Naturals (Voldimmoral).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts:

• Voldimmoral hangs out with us to talk cybersecurity fails!
• We love our parents, but the boomer really does show sometimes…
• How to dupe Nextdoor into sending hundreds of invitations to an ever expanding radius of neighbors.
• How to spot a phishing or social engineering scheme.

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• Are the rumors of an impending Trump arrest fake news? Either way, we’re ready to pop open the champagne! Here’s some AI artwork of Trump being dragged away, in case you can’t wait to see the real thing.
• Are Americans prepared for a potential national ban on TikTok? And could this actually happen?!
• Since Pam and Laura swipe so many of their hours away on TikTok, where will they turn if it’s no longer available?
• Shameless plugs for our TikToks while they still exist: @AndrewInTheAir, @PamelaG, @BasilyBoy, and of course @MillennialPod!
• Are most of us fatalistic about our online privacy at this point? Is it valid to not care that the Chinese and U.S. governments are spying on us?
• Following the enormous success of HBO’s ‘Last of Us’ video game to show adaptation, we explore other game titles and the opportunities for studios to cash in on more GOOD content.
• Accessibility in gaming is still an area where there is a ton of room for growth, and we argue that good adaptations make these stories more accessible for everyone.
• Gatekeeping ain’t it though y’all: stop the game fan/show fan wars!
• If your social media has been taken over by videos of AI President voices, you’re not alone.
• These are a riot to listen to, but some of the AI voices are so spot on there is potential for fake scandals during elections.
• A special guest joins #Millennial to give us his endorsement. Get it together and listen to #Millennial!
• This week’s recommendations will keep you organized and calm: Dot Card for networking (Andrew), remember to get your fur kids in for their annual wellness checks (Laura), and Legacy Box for digitizing your old home movies and photos (Pam).

And in this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and for Apple Podcast subscribers:

• MuggleSuck is back: this time we confront our moody email alter-egos from the early 2k’s.
• Why did we use email as a primary form of communication? Were other teens doing this, or were we just weird?
• WE HAD SO MANY FIGHTS OVER EMAIL OMG.

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