CtrlAltBrief - Dont Know If This Episode Is Just OK or Kinda Great
Release Date: 09/22/2025
Don't know why No Fap is All Fap
Don't Know, Do Care
In this episode, we (unfortunately) find ourselves talking about NoFap, the online movement that claims giving up masturbation will give you laser focus, superhuman testosterone levels, and somehow make you irresistible to women through sheer… restraint? We explore how a random Reddit post snowballed into a full-fledged website, brand, and cult-like following with terms like “fapstronaut” and “femstronaut” that somehow exist unironically. Along the way, we unravel the pseudoscience, the YouTube bros shouting about “discipline,” and the very real overlap between NoFap, toxic...
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Don't know why Big Doug is lonely
Don't Know, Do Care
Meet Big Lonely Doug, a 70-meter-tall tree left standing in the middle of a giant Canadian clear-cut. Why? Because one logger randomly decided Doug deserved to live. And now Doug’s just… there. Lonely. Iconic. A little awkward. Kind of like us. In this episode, we spiral into a surprisingly emotional rabbit hole about famous lonely trees; from Doug’s solo forest vigil to India’s own Great Banyan Tree (which has 3000 branches and no trunk because… why not). We also talk about the Tree of Ténéré, the world’s most isolated tree that got taken out by a truck, and somehow land on...
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Don't know about the Nobel Prize's weird cousin
Don't Know, Do Care
What do levitating frogs, poop timers, dead spiders turned into robot claws, and pizza-based healthcare in Italy have in common? They’ve all won an Ig Nobel Prize; the award for research that first makes you laugh, then makes you seriously question your life choices. In this episode, we dive into science’s weirdest awards ceremony, where Nobel laureates hand out trophies for studies on duckling aerodynamics and punch-absorbing beards. Yes, it’s real. Yes, someone got a PhD out of this. And no, we still haven’t won one, but we’re working on it as we speak. Join us as we celebrate the...
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Dont know why Careless People Zuck
Don't Know, Do Care
Facebook is evil. That’s not new. What is new is a “tell-all” book from a former public policy director… who apparently did nothing wrong and knew nothing shady while working there. In this episode, we dissect "Careless People", a memoir that claims to be brave but forgets to hold the mirror up. From a genocide in Myanmar to creepy China deals to logging in mid-childbirth, we go through the rage, the receipts, and the ridiculousness, one shark attack at a time. Important links: 1. Wikipedia on Sarah Wynn-Williams: 2. When Facebook coughed up $65M for stealing (2009): 3....
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CtrlAltBrief - Dont Know If This Episode Is Just OK or Kinda Great
Don't Know, Do Care
Ever stopped to wonder why we say “OK” 30 times a day? Or where it came from? In this episode, we dig deep into the surprisingly unhinged history of the most boringly useful word in the English language. We uncover petty newspaper rivalries, prank spellings of “all correct,” and one very meh presidential campaign that accidentally made “OK” go viral. From telegraph commands and military myths to Greek, German, and Haitian red herrings, this is the chaotic etymology lesson you never knew you needed. Also featuring: stand-up shows in government auditoriums, British museums stealing...
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Don’t know what’s in Mario’s mushroom!
Don't Know, Do Care
You’ve seen it in Mario, fairy tales, and weird Christmas merch - the iconic red mushroom with white spots. But did you know it’s a real thing? And also a psychedelic? And possibly a religious relic? Oh, and people used to drink shaman pee to get high off it? Yeah. In this episode, we deep-dive into the strange world of Amanita muscaria (aka fly agaric), the real mushroom that inspired Mario’s power-up. From Viking berserker legends to Siberian funeral rituals, Santa conspiracy theories, and shoutouts in the Rig Veda, this mushroom has… range. Also featuring: Bear Grylls slander,...
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Dont know why America still measures in bullshit!
Don't Know, Do Care
Ever wondered why Americans still use inches, feet, and Fahrenheit while the rest of the world moved on to the metric system decades ago? Spoiler: pirates are involved. So is Ronald Reagan. And also… vibes? In this episode, we unravel the chaotic history of how the U.S. got stuck with the imperial system. From French nerds inventing the meter during a revolution to a platinum prototype that got literally kidnapped by Caribbean pirates (seriously), we explore why the transition to metric never quite stuck. We also dig into why Thomas Jefferson was a bougie Francophile, what Reagan did (again)...
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Don't know who turned Mayong into India's Hogwarts!
Don't Know, Do Care
Mayong, Assam: A beautiful village with rhinos, riverbanks… and apparently, shape-shifting sorcerers who turn bullets into fish. That is, if you believe the truly unhinged travel blogs and SEO clickbait out there.
In this episode, we unspool the myth of “India’s land of black magic” and how a small village got buried under internet nonsense, why mainstream media couldn’t be bothered to fact-check, and how bad tourism copywriters turned folklore into fantasy fiction. Spoiler: th
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Don't know why protein is hard to digest (not literally)!
Don't Know, Do Care
Whey, dal, sattu, tofu, (insert anything else you want here) - in this episode, we try to figure out if we’re doing protein the whey we should. Spoiler: we’re probably not.
We talk desi diet myths, gym bro science, and the rising panic of hitting protein goals in your 30s without turning into a spreadsheet. Is sattu legit? Is pea protein just vibes? Why does everyone suddenly care about macros?
If you’ve ever Googled “high protein vegetarian diet” and immediate
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Don't know who (not Ed Sheeran) made these symbols up! (Hinglish)
Don't Know, Do Care
Why does “+” mean add? What even is “@”? And why did school kids accidentally name the ampersand?
In this episode, we deep-dive into the bizarre origin stories of the everyday symbols we type, tap, and totally take for granted, from ancient math hacks and monk scribbles to the merchant roots of the @ sign and the absolute chaos behind the humble equal sign.
Also featuring: toddler mispronunciations, Alan Tudyk appreciation, and an asterisk that might just represe
info_outlineEver stopped to wonder why we say “OK” 30 times a day? Or where it came from? In this episode, we dig deep into the surprisingly unhinged history of the most boringly useful word in the English language.
We uncover petty newspaper rivalries, prank spellings of “all correct,” and one very meh presidential campaign that accidentally made “OK” go viral. From telegraph commands and military myths to Greek, German, and Haitian red herrings, this is the chaotic etymology lesson you never knew you needed.
Also featuring: stand-up shows in government auditoriums, British museums stealing everything, and a heartfelt plea for likes on Instagram.
If you’ve ever said “OK” without thinking about it (so… everyone), this episode is for you.
Important links:
- How One Man Discovered the Obscure Origins of the Word ‘OK’ - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-one-man-discovered-the-obscure-origins-of-the-word-ok-180953258/
- What's the Real Origin of "OK"? - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/50042/whats-real-origin-ok
Don’t Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who’d rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.
Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don’t know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week.
Don’t Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!