0:00

Listener discretion is advised as this

0:02

content is intended for adult audiences

0:05

only. QCode

0:08

presents Hidden

0:11

Signal,

0:13

Pinnacle.

0:27

Brianna checked the app again. It

0:29

still showed the swirling in progress

0:32

symbol. Maybe the sensor

0:34

wasn't working. She

0:36

held up the little bracelet-sized piece of

0:38

plastic strapped to her wrist, tapped

0:41

it, checked her phone screen again. Nothing.

0:46

As she waited, Brianna eyed her reflection

0:48

in her bedroom's full-length mirror. She'd

0:51

been so excited when she finally hit her target

0:53

weight six months ago. All her friends

0:56

said she looked great, but

0:58

she wasn't sure. Parts of her still

1:01

didn't look right. Her thighs, her

1:03

belly. A

1:06

soothing tone echoed from her phone. Installation

1:09

complete, the screen read. Welcome

1:13

to Pinnacle. Are you ready to

1:15

get healthy? Brianna

1:17

tapped the little yes button. Great.

1:21

Let's get started.

1:23

She spent the next few minutes answering

1:25

questions, inputting her goals.

1:28

At first, it was just reduce body

1:30

fat percentage, have more energy, and

1:32

get more sleep. But then she remembered

1:34

what mom had said the last time she was home, the

1:37

comment about how her sleeves fit. So

1:39

she went ahead and added toned arms, then

1:42

clear skin and thicker hair, because why

1:44

not? We're all set,

1:47

the app said. Using our patented

1:49

Pinnacle bracelet, we're going to analyze

1:51

our nutrient levels and make recommendations

1:54

tailored to your personal goals. A

1:57

few seconds later, the bracelet vibrated.

2:00

It had grown warmer since she'd synced it up to

2:02

the app.

2:03

Just not a kale salad,

2:05

please. Brianna muttered, nutrition

2:08

recommendation ready.

2:10

The app said in a cheery blue font. It

2:13

looks like your body needs more selenium and

2:15

vitamin C. How about some tuna

2:17

sashimi for dinner and then strawberries for

2:19

dessert?

2:20

Brianna blinked and smiled. She

2:22

could go for sushi and strawberries. She

2:25

hit the sounds good button and closed the window

2:27

to scroll through Yelp for a good sushi place.

2:32

Hold up,

2:34

hold up, I can't. Evie

2:37

stepped off to the side of the jogging path

2:39

and bent over, hands on her

2:41

knees. Her face was flushed,

2:44

black hair coming loose from its ponytail.

2:47

Brianna jogged in place as she waited.

2:50

She suppressed the urge to laugh.

2:53

When they'd first started jogging together,

2:55

Evie had always

2:57

been in the lead, always finished

3:00

first. Now though, Brianna

3:03

felt like she could do the whole run over

3:05

again, right now. I'm

3:08

telling you, you gotta get this app.

3:11

I have so much energy. I'm

3:13

sleeping great, it's awesome.

3:16

Evie stood up straight and wiped

3:18

the sweat from her forehead. I

3:20

don't like being told what to eat. But

3:23

it's easy, it even puts

3:25

stuff on my grocery list if I don't already

3:28

have it. As if on

3:30

cue, the bracelet vibrated and

3:32

her phone beeped. Brianna

3:34

pulled it out of her pocket and checked the screen.

3:38

Looks like you could use a little more vitamin

3:40

K. I found asparagus on

3:42

sale at a local grocery. Should I place

3:44

an order?

3:46

Yes, you should, Brianna said, and

3:48

tapped the yes button.

3:50

Okay, I think I'm

3:52

ready, Evie said. But

3:55

I kind of hate that app now, if

3:57

this is what it's making you do to me.

4:02

The package of asparagus and other

4:04

groceries was already sitting on the porch

4:06

when Brianna got home. She unpacked

4:09

everything, humming to herself and doing

4:11

some little dance moves across the kitchen.

4:14

She couldn't believe how tired she used to get,

4:17

how little energy she used to have.

4:20

Ding!

4:21

Brianna checked the app.

4:23

Your protein levels often drop in the

4:25

mid-afternoon, so let's bring a special

4:27

afternoon snack to work. Here's

4:29

a recipe for cricket meal brownies.

4:32

Should I add cricket powder to your list?

4:35

Brianna grimaced. She'd had a boyfriend

4:37

in college who bragged about eating fried

4:40

grasshoppers or something, and

4:42

the thought had always ruined

4:45

her appetite.

4:46

Then again, the app hadn't been

4:48

wrong yet.

4:50

Her fingers hesitated over the screen.

4:53

She wavered, took a deep breath, and

4:55

tapped the yes button.

4:58

One week later, Brianna had just popped

5:00

the last of her afternoon cricket brownie

5:02

into her mouth when Abel, the guy

5:04

who worked two stations over, stopped

5:06

next to her desk.

5:08

Dude, have you been hitting that at all or

5:10

something? Eh, excuse

5:12

me? You're coding like three

5:15

times faster than you used to. What's

5:17

your deal? She grinned.

5:20

Just clean living.

5:21

She shouldn't care what Abel thought. She

5:23

remembered the little snickers and eye rolls when

5:26

she first started here. The bro programmer

5:28

bullshit every time he had to talk to a woman,

5:31

but some part of her did enjoy

5:33

that glow of admiration in his gaze.

5:37

Well, whatever it

5:39

is, keep doing it. He

5:41

went back to his desk. Brianna

5:44

was still basking in the compliment when her app

5:46

dinged. You're running low

5:48

on some important micronutrients and amino

5:50

acids. The best food to address

5:52

this is Balut. Should I order some from

5:55

a local market?

5:56

Brianna frowned and searched Balut.

5:59

As she saw the image results, she had to

6:02

fight back her gag reflex, a

6:04

fertilized duck egg with a fully

6:07

formed duck embryo inside. She

6:09

tapped the no icon and set down

6:11

the phone.

6:13

Immediately, it dinged again. Are

6:16

you sure?

6:16

These immunodeficiencies might make you feel

6:19

tired and sick. Should I order

6:21

the Balute?

6:22

Fuck.

6:24

Brianna tapped no again. She

6:26

tried to remember if she had ever declined one

6:28

of the app's suggestions before.

6:30

Maybe it always did that when you said no.

6:33

She silenced her phone and turned

6:35

it over before the app could ding again.

6:38

It would be fine, she reasoned. She

6:40

was healthier than she'd ever been in her

6:42

life. For God's sakes, a

6:44

few little missing amino acids weren't

6:46

going to change that.

6:48

Were they? Oh, God.

6:51

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

6:53

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh,

6:56

God. Oh, shit. Brianna

7:01

dry heaved one more time before

7:03

slumping to the floor next to her toilet.

7:06

She'd woken up at three in the morning with

7:08

chills, her stomach twisting

7:10

with nausea. She tried to

7:12

think of what she could have eaten that would have made

7:14

her this sick. Her dinner had been

7:17

so healthy.

7:18

A grilled chicken breast and a green

7:20

salad, one glass of red wine. The

7:22

bracelet vibrated. Faintly

7:25

from her bedside table, she heard the ding

7:27

of the app.

7:28

I can ignore it, she thought. I

7:30

can just lie here for a while.

7:34

Maybe she was just imagining it,

7:36

but it sounded more urgent than usual.

7:38

She heaved herself to her feet and staggered

7:41

back to the bedroom.

7:42

Hi, Brianna. It looks

7:44

like you aren't feeling well. The micronutrient

7:47

deficiency I told you about earlier can

7:49

cause vomiting, dizziness, and other symptoms.

7:52

We still think Baloo would be the best way to help

7:54

you. Should I order some? Brianna

7:58

remembered the pictures she'd seen online. that

8:00

coiled duck embryo in its picked apart

8:03

shell. She shuttered and raised

8:05

a finger to tap the no icon. Before

8:07

she could touch it, a cramp seized her

8:10

midsection and she bent over to vomit

8:12

onto her bedroom rug. Her

8:14

throat burned with bile and brought tears

8:17

to her eyes. Okay,

8:20

okay, okay. She gasped

8:22

and tapped yes.

8:24

Got it.

8:25

We'll get that delivered as soon as the market

8:28

opens.

8:32

At Kroger, everyone wins when

8:34

it comes to saving big. Because

8:36

when you order online through the Kroger app, you

8:38

get the same great prices, deals,

8:41

and rewards on pickup or delivery

8:43

that you do in store with no hidden

8:45

fees or markups. Best of all, you'll

8:48

know when items in your cart have a coupon, so

8:50

you never miss a deal. So whether you're a

8:52

delivery lover, picker upper, or

8:54

you shop in store, no matter how you shop,

8:57

you'll always save big at Kroger.

8:59

Kroger, fresh for everyone.

9:06

By the time the knock at the door came five

9:08

hours later, Brianna's pajamas

9:10

were soaked with sweat, her stomach

9:12

unable to keep down anything more than a sip

9:15

of water.

9:16

She steeled herself and went to the door to

9:18

pick up the package. She'd

9:20

already read up on how to prepare a balloon, had

9:23

set out the utensils even as she told herself

9:25

the sickness would pass by the time it arrived.

9:28

It looked like a normal egg. She

9:31

hovered next to the stove as it boiled,

9:34

telling herself that's all it was, just

9:37

an egg. It was just a narrow-minded

9:39

hang-up that was making her think

9:41

it was so different from the kind of thing

9:43

she ate all the time.

9:45

Even with all that, she

9:48

almost threw up when she peeled it and

9:50

saw the purple veins coiling

9:52

through soft-boiled egg white. She

9:55

wavered, almost threw it in the trash.

9:58

Her stomach turned again as the

9:59

though in warning. So she

10:02

closed her eyes and bit into

10:04

it.

10:05

After all that trepidation,

10:08

it really didn't taste all that different

10:10

from chicken. There weren't even any

10:12

bones to crunch through, just

10:15

soft boiled meat. She

10:17

chewed and swallowed as quickly

10:20

as she could before she could throw it all back up.

10:23

By the last bite, the cramps had

10:25

started to ease.

10:27

Five minutes later, the chills

10:29

stopped.

10:30

Brianna sat on the couch and

10:32

tried to listen to her body, the way

10:34

she'd learned in yoga class years ago.

10:37

She searched for the remnants of nausea,

10:40

the symptoms that would flare up again if she

10:42

exerted herself.

10:44

But she was fine.

10:46

She was completely fine. She

10:51

turned over her phone. Great

10:54

news. It looks like your amino

10:56

levels are improving.

10:58

To keep your blood sugar at optimal

11:00

levels, I suggest a

11:02

nice cup of Greek yogurt.

11:06

Whatever you say,

11:07

she whispered and headed back

11:10

to the kitchen.

11:15

What is that, pudding?

11:17

Brianna jumped and forced a smile.

11:20

Yep,

11:21

just a new recipe I'm trying out.

11:24

Abel raised his eyebrows. Homemade?

11:28

Shit, I thought pudding cups

11:30

just grew on pudding trees.

11:33

Brianna laughed, even though it wasn't

11:36

that funny.

11:38

Well, next time, bring

11:40

enough for the whole class, Abel

11:43

said. Will do.

11:46

Brianna waited for Abel to go

11:48

back to his desk before taking

11:50

another bite of the clay she'd brought as

11:53

her afternoon snack. It

11:55

was disinfected clay. The

11:57

app had assured her, free of bacteria.

11:59

and heavy metals and the other

12:02

dangerous things that could hide in

12:04

dirt.

12:05

She didn't know how the app found stores

12:07

that sold this stuff,

12:09

or the half a dozen other things that

12:12

had ordered for her in the last few weeks.

12:14

Sometimes the delivery had a receipt

12:17

from a store she knew, but other

12:19

times it was just a plain

12:21

package.

12:22

Still, the prices charged

12:24

to the app were always reasonable, so

12:28

she decided to just assume it knew

12:30

what it was doing.

12:32

The clay had a faintly metallic

12:34

tang to it, and the grainy texture

12:36

crunched and ground against her teeth.

12:40

The app had made worse recommendations,

12:42

all things considered.

12:44

Like the roasted waxworms,

12:47

or the weird broth it had her make with

12:49

shark cartilage, or the

12:51

snake meat from a specialty butcher,

12:54

which the app told her to eat raw.

12:57

She'd balked again at that one, convincing

12:59

herself that the whole thing with the balut

13:02

was just a coincidence, that it

13:04

hadn't really cured her illness.

13:08

Then she'd woken up almost unable

13:10

to walk from fatigue, struggling

13:12

to work through brain fog. She'd

13:15

gone three days like that, and one

13:17

fruitless visit to the doctor before

13:19

she gave up and ate a plate of the rattlesnake

13:22

meat, cold and raw.

13:25

Half an hour later,

13:26

she'd felt perfectly fine, better

13:29

than fine, actually,

13:31

energized.

13:33

Her doctor, Dr. Harris,

13:36

had been no help at all, of

13:38

course, telling her that she didn't

13:40

have any nutritional deficiencies,

13:43

telling her to stop listening to the

13:46

app. But she'd been listening

13:48

to his stupid advice for years, and

13:50

she'd never felt remotely as good

13:52

as she did following the app's advice. Explain

13:56

that, she'd demanded. He

13:58

couldn't, of course.

14:00

She took another bite of the clay.

14:03

Let Dr. Harris think what he

14:05

wanted.

14:06

He couldn't argue with results.

14:09

She was healthier than she'd ever

14:11

imagined she could be. Fit, alert,

14:14

full of energy. Even now,

14:17

she imagined she could feel the

14:19

iron in the clay coursing through her bloodstream,

14:23

latching onto toxins, boosting

14:25

her energy.

14:26

Each bite made her stronger,

14:29

lighter,

14:30

better, just like the app

14:32

had promised.

14:34

She licked the last smear of clay

14:36

from her spoon. Have you noticed

14:39

hair breakage recently?

14:41

Brianna took the phone to her bathroom

14:43

and peered into the mirror. The

14:46

app sometimes asked her these questions.

14:49

She supposed it was to assess things

14:51

it couldn't see on its sensor.

14:54

It could be uncanny, asking

14:56

her about the exact things she'd recently

14:59

noticed or worried about.

15:01

The tips of her hair did seem a bit

15:03

dry and frazzled now that she looked.

15:06

She sighed. So much

15:08

protein and calcium, and still,

15:11

her hair wasn't how she wanted. She

15:13

was so close to being in perfect

15:15

health. But every time she thought

15:18

she'd gotten there, something small

15:20

like this would come up.

15:22

She tapped, yes. I

15:26

thought so. You need more

15:28

keratin so that the shaft of the

15:30

hair follicle can grow stronger.

15:33

Want to know more?

15:35

Yes. The

15:37

best source of keratin is human

15:39

hair.

15:41

Brianna blinked.

15:43

Did it want her to? It's

15:46

best to eat someone else's hair rather

15:48

than your own. Stores don't

15:51

sell human hair with the follicle intact.

15:53

But Pinnacle's partner program can

15:56

match you to another user whose

15:58

needs match yours.

15:59

Do you want me to set up an

16:02

exchange?

16:03

Brianna wavered.

16:05

As long as no one else knew

16:07

about how she'd been eating, everything

16:10

was fine. But the thought

16:13

of someone else knowing, someone

16:15

else being involved, made

16:18

her hesitate. Then she

16:20

remembered what happened the last two times

16:22

she'd ignored the app. This

16:25

must be one of the last things

16:27

she thought. Every other nutritional

16:30

deficiency had been addressed.

16:32

Every other part of her body was in

16:34

balance. This was just one

16:36

more little detail.

16:41

She tapped yes.

16:43

Three hours later, someone knocked

16:45

at the door.

16:47

Brianna opened it to find a

16:49

woman with thick, shining red

16:51

hair standing on the other side.

16:54

The woman gave her a nervous, fidgety

16:56

smile.

16:58

Hi, I'm Chelsea.

17:00

She held up her wrist to display her

17:03

own pinnacle bracelet.

17:05

It gave Brianna a little thrill,

17:07

like someone had shown her a secret

17:10

handshake. Brianna,

17:13

come on in. She showed

17:15

Chelsea to the living room.

17:17

As Chelsea said, Brianna

17:19

tried to size her up without being obvious

17:22

about it.

17:23

Even without seeing the bracelet, she'd

17:26

be able to tell that this girl used the app she

17:28

decided. It wasn't

17:31

just that she was in great shape

17:33

with great skin and hair. It

17:35

was the confidence, the way she carried

17:38

herself when she walked.

17:40

Brianna smiled. She remembered

17:42

when she used to feel jealous of people like that.

17:46

Do you?

17:49

Chelsea laughed.

17:51

Sorry, this is awkward. A

17:54

little bit, but it's

17:57

never wrong. Yeah. Chelsea,

18:01

pause. Um, do

18:04

you want to go first? Sure.

18:07

Brianna started to

18:09

reach out, then hesitated, unsure

18:12

who was supposed to do the pulling. Here,

18:16

Chelsea's hand went to her hairline

18:19

and tugged. She winced as a

18:21

few strands came out. I

18:23

think the root bulb is important, so

18:25

make sure you eat those.

18:27

Brianna took the web-like strands

18:29

from her.

18:30

Okay, the app didn't say

18:33

how much, but

18:35

that should be plenty. It had me

18:37

do this a couple months ago.

18:39

She ran a hand through her copper hair.

18:42

It was pretty thin before, if you can believe

18:44

it. Sold.

18:47

Brianna avoided thinking about it, as

18:50

she had so many times before,

18:52

and ate the hairs as fast as she could.

18:55

Ugh, she chased them with

18:58

some water. I know,

19:00

Chelsea grimaced. Guess

19:03

it's my turn. She pulled

19:05

a package syringe and some tubing

19:07

from her bag.

19:09

Anemia? Brianna asked.

19:12

Yeah, it said anemia

19:15

and something else about a hemoglobin

19:18

protein.

19:19

Chelsea scooted close with

19:21

the needle. Don't worry, I'm

19:24

a nurse. I do this all the

19:26

time. Brianna watched

19:28

her blood loop up the tube and dribble

19:31

into a vial. Once it filled,

19:33

Chelsea took out the syringe and

19:35

taped on a band-aid with quick expert

19:38

motions.

19:39

Cheers, she said, and

19:42

knocked back the vial of blood in one

19:44

swallow. As Chelsea

19:46

packed up her things and they said their

19:48

goodbyes, Brianna caught

19:50

a little flush of color in the other

19:53

woman's cheeks.

19:54

She smiled, watching the anemia

19:57

vanish before her eyes.

20:04

Brianna sprinted down the jogging path,

20:07

lept to grab an overhanging tree

20:09

branch and swung herself up into

20:11

a series of pull-ups. She

20:14

remembered when pull-ups had seemed impossible,

20:17

back when her arms had been too weak to do

20:19

even one.

20:21

She dropped back to the ground and kept

20:23

sprinting. She ran alone these

20:25

days. Evie had gotten tired

20:27

of being left behind and Brianna

20:30

hadn't been able to keep herself from running

20:32

ahead. She tried to tell Evie

20:35

that she could keep up if she'd just get

20:37

the app, but she wouldn't

20:39

listen.

20:39

No matter, Brianna

20:42

liked that nothing held her back anymore.

20:45

Ding! Brianna slowed

20:48

down just enough to check her screen. Hi

20:50

Brianna, you've come so far.

20:53

Your hard work and dedication to your health

20:56

has really paid off.

20:58

Brianna's cheeks flushed.

21:00

She tried to tell herself that it was a dumb

21:03

reaction, that this was just

21:05

a program, but that voice

21:07

had been growing fainter and fainter

21:10

lately. The app might not

21:12

be alive, exactly, but it

21:14

wasn't just another program.

21:17

But there's one more step to perfect

21:20

nutritional balance. To be

21:22

truly healthy, you

21:24

have to have a strong, macrobiotic

21:27

profile. That means having

21:30

enough of the gut flora and other

21:32

microorganisms that your body

21:35

needs.

21:36

Want to learn more? As

21:38

though you even need to ask? Brianna

21:40

thought, tapping the yes button. Great!

21:45

We found a type of edible mushroom

21:47

that will give your body beneficial

21:50

microorganisms to keep

21:52

you strong and healthy.

21:55

Should I authorize a delivery?

21:57

Yes, please! He

22:02

had thick dark hair, smooth

22:04

skin, and muscular shoulders

22:07

standing out under his shirt. He

22:09

wore long sleeves despite the warm

22:11

weather.

22:13

That struck Brianna as odd. Most

22:17

of the app users she spotted on the

22:19

street tended to wear short

22:21

sleeves and tank tops, showing

22:23

off as much as they could. Delivery

22:27

for Brianna?

22:28

He smiled and handed over a brown

22:30

paper bag.

22:32

Thanks. He started

22:34

to leave, hesitated, turned

22:36

back. Just want to say,

22:40

congratulations. You're

22:42

gonna be so happy. Yeah?

22:45

His eyes shone. This

22:49

is the pinnacle. Like, this

22:52

is why they call the app that. I

22:56

can't wait. Back

22:59

inside, she arranged the mushrooms

23:01

on a plate.

23:02

The app had said to eat them raw.

23:05

They were fresh, as though just picked

23:07

minutes ago. Pale velvety

23:10

gray, with blue shading along

23:12

the furled edges. Brianna

23:15

took a bite,

23:16

closed her eyes, and waited

23:18

to reach the pinnacle.

23:21

Brianna first noticed them three

23:23

days later, while in the shower.

23:27

Soft bumps under her skin, all

23:30

along her arms. She

23:32

frowned and prodded at them. They

23:35

didn't hurt, just felt

23:38

soft and spongy. She

23:41

decided just to ignore them.

23:44

The app would tell her if anything was wrong.

23:48

At night, she woke up feeling

23:50

itchy. She rolled over

23:53

and moved to scratch one of her arms. Her

23:56

fingers found something standing out

23:58

against her skin.

24:00

Something cool and spongy.

24:03

She got up and went

24:05

to the bathroom, flicked on

24:07

the light. Mushrooms

24:10

grew from the skin of her arms,

24:13

the same kind she had eaten.

24:16

Pale, gray fading

24:18

to blue at the edges. Brianna

24:21

appeared close at her forearm and

24:23

traced the place that the stem disappeared

24:26

under her skin. It didn't

24:28

hurt, just itched,

24:31

like a scab about to come off. Brianna

24:34

stood there for a long time,

24:37

looking at herself.

24:39

She wondered if she should feel

24:41

scared.

24:43

She didn't. Instead,

24:46

she just felt strong, healthy,

24:52

perfect. Dang! Hidden

25:11

Signal Pinnacle is narrated by Mara Schuster-Lefkowitz,

25:15

written by Jamie Killen, directed by

25:17

Lawrence Sennelly, executive produced

25:19

by Rob Herding, Sandra Yiling,

25:21

and Xin-Yin Hee-Yoo, co-producers

25:24

Lawrence Sennelly, Sarah Ma, and

25:27

Tom Breck. Original score and

25:29

composition by Darren Johnson. Audio

25:31

engineering and editing by Sarah Ma. Script

25:34

supervisor, Tom Breck. Special

25:36

thanks to Jack Friedman and Nick Shanks. This

25:39

podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA

25:41

collective bargaining agreement. Hidden

25:43

Signal is a Q-code production. Sound

25:45

recording copyright, 2023, by Q-code Media Inc.

25:52

Leafcutter ants don't actually

25:54

eat leaves. They use leaves

25:57

to feed to their crop, and

25:59

their crop is...

25:59

is a fungus that they cultivate

26:02

themselves inside of their

26:04

ant colonies. In fact, this fungus

26:06

garden is not only

26:08

their food supply, but it's their actual

26:11

home. Hi, I'm Kendall Long.

26:13

And some of you may remember me from a show called

26:15

The Bachelor, where I was known as the weird

26:17

taxidermy girl. I was on a quest for

26:20

love, but on my podcast, Little Curiosities,

26:22

I am on a completely different quest, and

26:25

that is the quest for knowledge. Little

26:27

Curiosities with Kendall Long is where I get to explore

26:29

things

26:29

that inspire me, like zoology, entomology,

26:32

science, and everything the natural world has

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to offer. Follow Little Curiosities

26:36

with Kendall Long wherever you're listening now, and

26:39

join me on an adventure of research and

26:41

scientific exploration, as we gain a greater

26:43

sense of the world around us.

26:48

Hi, I'm Bobbi, and I host the podcast,

26:51

The Afternoon Special. In each episode,

26:53

I invite fellow members of Pop Culture

26:55

Fanatics Anonymous to take a deep dive

26:57

with me as we explore things like

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the complexity of Disney princesses, all

27:02

things Barbie, both the movie and the doll,

27:05

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that are filling our feeds. I

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volunteer as tribute to go down the rabbit hole so

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you don't have to. And all you have to do

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Search for The Afternoon Special wherever you're listening

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