No Such Thing
No Such Thing
Podcast Description
No Such Thing is a new show that answers dumb questions by actually doing the research. Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph, are three friends and journalists who are desperate to move past emotional truths and get to the bottom of their petty arguments. Do audiobooks count as reading? Is momentum in sports real? Do horses like running? New episodes come out on Tuesday.For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show delves into a variety of light-hearted yet thought-provoking topics such as the impact of audiobooks on reading, dog happiness in suburban versus urban settings, the implications of movie-reviewing platforms like Letterboxd, and current social issues like the resurgence of slurs, featuring episodes that combine humor with academic interviews.

Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research.
Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.
NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.
New episodes on Wednesdays.
For more information, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show.
And if you have any questions you’d like us to get to the bottom of, email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail: (860) 325-0286.
This week we’re answering a question from a listener named Emma: What do those smiley-face customer-satisfaction buttons you see in airport bathrooms actually do?
We track down the Finland-based company behind them, HappyOrNot, and uncover a hidden world of analytics, cameras, and AI.
Our guest this week is Scott Erickson, HappyOrNot’s VP of US Sales and Global Channels.
For links to research and more, check out our newsletter.
Like this episode? Check out Is your phone listening to you … and should you care?
DEV-ITORS NOTE: After the interview, HappyOrNot clarified that cameras are standard on their touchscreen devices, but the button devices don’t have them.
ICYMI: Manny wrote a book and you can check it out here! It’s called Colored People Time: A Case for (Casual) Rebellion, and it’s a collection of essays about the ways that time wraps itself around our most personal moments.
Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (860) 325-0286
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.