It's a familiar problem for podcast listeners: a host vaguely references a picture or a video or something in their recording booth, but you can't see what it is this person is talking about. This happened recently on Vergecast 214. Yeah, a video would solve this problem, but you're standing on the train sandwiched between strangers or driving a car or jogging. Isn't that what you listen to podcasts for? You can't spend that time on Google, Reddit, or Tumblr, you can only rely on your ears.
That's where this experimental podcast comes into play. Meet 1,000 Words. The Verge Extras podcast, hosted by editor of Circuit Breaker Paul Miller and social media manager Dami Lee, is dedicated exclusively to describing pictures from the internet.
"We're bringing pictures to a place where pictures previously weren't" – Paul Miller
To make the experience as realistic as possible, we recorded the show with a binaural microphone. We placed the mic at the head of the table, with Paul to the left and Dami to the right, to make it seem as if you are sitting down with them while they see these pictures for the first time. (The best way to listen to this would be with a pair of headphones.)
About to record "1000 Words" with @dami_lee ... the thumb drives have the pictures on them! pic.twitter.com/k2udetLRBY
— Paul Miller (@futurepaul) August 5, 2016
Sure, this is probably a bad idea. But some people must have said electricity and flight were bad ideas. And look where we are today: watching Vanderpump Rules 36,000 feet in the air!
Below is each picture discussed on the show with its appropriate time code. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND listening to the show before you look at the pictures.
Bungee cord – 1:40
Fish lady – 3:02
Obama / Mario – 4:52
He's cured – 5:29
Color chart – 9:27
Fingernails – 10:08
You want some of this? – 11:04
On a date – 12:05
Wedding – 13:05
Why is he smiling? – 13:54
Horses – 14:55
Jurassic Park – 15:52
Gingerbread house – 16:52
Bird model – 17:22
Paul's "Google this" – 19:11
Dami's "Google this" – 23:23
Too Weird section:
Powerade – 24:36
Spray bottles – 25:08
Line of men – 25:41
Cranberry sauce – 26:34
Cornucopia – 27:18
Keys – 27:53
Frozen food – 28:38
Food table – 29:05
Jello – 30:00
Cake – 30:44
Bring your own picture section:
Pope dog – 32:00
Corgi gif – 32:36
Waffle dog – 33:31
Let us know what you think of the show! We love your feedback and suggestions on how to make our audio entertainment better and more fun. And of course, we'd love it if you subscribed to the show on iTunes, along with The Verge's other great podcasts like Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Verge ESP, What's Tech, and Vergecast. You might also want to check out Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher, and Too Embarrassed to Ask, featuring The Verge's Lauren Goode.
A picture of moi is worth a thousand words... and most of them are synonyms of "flawless."
— Miss Piggy (@MissPiggy) August 10, 2016