It’s All in How You Play the Algorithms

On today’s show we chat with TLR and Jack Squires about L.A. Zinefests PlayDate 2016 and their indie video game, Tonight You Die. Steve Howard interviews Mike Andersen and we hear a song from Mike’s peroemance on Asheville FM’s The Lost Cause. Emil Brown explains yo-yo culture. Alan Ranta prasies Prince Rama’s new album, XTREME NOW. Ryk McIntye reads us a poem about his experience with OKCupid. Brent plays us a Vaporwave mix.

L.A. Zine Fest‘s PlayDate 2016
Zines
Tonight You Die video game
Your Network is Your Net Worth video game
Mike Andersen live on The Lost Cause on Asheville FM

Mike Andersen “Every Day”

Daniel Johnston
Yo-yo culture
National Yo-Yo Museum
Redondo Beach Pier Yo-Yo Contest
Prince Rama’s new album, XTREME NOW
Glam rock
Now Age Manifesto

Prince Rama “Your Life in the End”

OkCupid
Tinder
PennySaver
Ryk McIntye’s “OkCupid is To Dating, as Salmon is To…”

I posted a new profile on OkCupid recently,
figuring it’s like playing cash lottery, but
more “It’s just so crazy it might work!”
as opposed to odds of lightning strikes.
“It’s all in how you play the algorithms”,
friends offer, the same way Math teachers
explain things to people who have allowed
themselves to be born as Poetry students:
ar-tic-u-late-ing “al-go-rih-thim” as if
it might better take root, the knowledge
sinking deeper into my hopeful imagination.
I expected personal questions, and receive
questions better suited to astronomers-
“Which is bigger- the Sun or the Earth?”
it asks, then asks me what is acceptable
for a possible match to answer, and to rate
that importance, using the three-finger metric:
“A Little”,”Somewhat” or “Very”. So, I answer,
“the Sun”, make it clear I’d want my match
to also answer “the Sun”, stress it is “Very”
in its importance, explaining “I need to know
that you come from the same Galaxy as me.
Long-distance relationships suck.” Satisfied
I am being as specific as possible, I go on.
OkCupid asks, “When it comes to pubic hair,
do you make a regular effort to maintaining
its appearance?” Well, I’ve stopped picking
out the grey ones… does that count? I have
no particular opinion on how or if a match
needs to answer that one, assume it’s the same
sort of thing as “What noises would she make?”–
things I’d find out if a match is found; the first
date gone so well, that she asks me to drop her
off, circle the block, and ask her out again, but
this time, she says, “Park the car… lose the keys…”
…and this fantasy is interrupted by the next
question, which asks me to describe my life
by what stage of Salmon I would describe me
as being at? The metaphors are not even subtle:
a.) Fry (youth), b.) Smolt (young adult), c.) Adult
fully developed) and d.) Spawner (has kids/dead).
My Life in Dating as sad coda to nature documentaries.
This is where my perfect match would say “e.) Sushi-
now shut down the computer. Let’s get to eating.“
I would mumble glad praise to algorithms, and join her.