The very first time I heard search engine your question was should you drink the

coffee on airplanes and it's an incredible investigation I learned so much

about water international water regulations, cleaning on airplanes.

But the moment that made me pick up my phone and text you was a particular metaphor you chose to use to

describe something very disgusting. Do you remember the line? I remember you

text here it was I said that something was like a diaper full of COVID.

You were like try to evoke what could be the most disgusting thing and it was like,

I think it was dirty diaper full of COVID.

Oh a dirty diaper full of COVID, you're totally right.

I'm really glad that the part of my brain that disgusts me gets to travel out of my brain and disgust you.

PJ Vote is like me a middle-aged podcaster. He's someone I first got to know I think at a work holiday party when we both worked at

WNYC in New York years ago and since getting to know him as a co-worker a lot has changed. We don't work at the same place or live in the same

place, and so we're still friendly, but mostly I think of him these days as someone whose

work I really admire.

PJ started a new show in 2023 called Search Engine.

You may listen to it already, but if you haven't heard it yet, I think you should check it out.

It's ostensibly a detective show that answers your questions, mostly related to living in today's

internet era. But the spirit of the show, its curiosity, its humor,

this sense that you're watching as we figure out stuff in real time, it kind of feels like a cousin to death, sex, and money.

And when I say that, know that I mean it in an admiring, this is my hot cousin kind of way,

because there are things they pull off on search engine

in writing and reporting ambition that humble me as an audio maker.

...