Bill Hicks says:

Long time listener, first time caller….

Absolutely loved the time machine concept in Jack the Ripper podcast. Keeping it different and always good. Thanks for being there in podcast land.

Bill

JediWalker says:

One of your best podcasts yet. The exta use of the wayback machine really worked great for that topic. Keep up the steller sound design.

Sarah M says:

Hey, loved the Ripper podcast, but I have one small ‘complaint’ about the “Dear Boss” letter. It was read with an English accent.

As I understood it, the letter was written by a newspaper reporter (as you guys talked about it) to make big on a theory at the time that “the Ripper” was an American — using the term “Boss” and the name “Jack” were supposed to be indicative of an American.

But the likelihood of an American worker (with anatomical knowledge) committing the crime is slim — he would’ve stood out in Whitechapel. Besides, the “Dear Boss” letter suggests a level of informality that doesn’t necessarily follow along with the level of sophisttication seen in the murders.

Gordon says:

Hey, guys,

I’ve only recently discovered your podcasts and am listening to your older podcasts as well as your newer ones.

Listened to your “organic or local” podcast and I gotta tell you that you fell for the AG industry jargon. The word they are trying to get people to believe/use is “conventional” farming. Their, “conventional” farming is not conventional, but rather “chemical” farming -only popularized after WWII and the advent of the chemical industry. True conventional farming (prior to post WWII) was working with the land, cycles and nature. Conventional farming is not chemical based. What the Ag industry is now practicing should be called what it is, “chemical farming”. Then comparisons between organic farming and chemical farming are clearer.

I’m crazy about your podcast. Think you guys are brilliant, self-revealing, and truly comic geniuses. (geni?)

Thanks for all your work. I await your next podcast.

Gordon Huser
Minneapolis

William B says:

Hi guys,
I always enjoy listening to your podcast. Often, I like to browse the subject matter at HowStuffWorks.com or other web sites as I listen. Well, your Jack the Ripper podcast was one I should have listened to from my armchair. It seems a lot of web sites on this subject include an image of the “first crime scene photograph in the history of mankind”. That is an image that I did not need to see. That Ripper character was one very depraved and sick individual. To be fair, you gave full warning about how gruesome a scene it was and I should have listened. 121 year later, my heart goes out to poor Mary-Jane Kelly and her sister victims. As for Saucy Jack, I hope he met up with some harsh East-End street justice.
I liked the bit of sound-imagery you added to the segment. It was good, left me with nightmares though.

Ashley G says:

Why do you guys hate Tempe???

I am a recent SYSK fanatic and have been pushing the podcasts on everyone that I know, but I just listened to the witness protection podcast and heard you using Tempe as a place that no one would want to be! I am hoping that this is some type of error, because I don’t want to have to change my view of you guys as being completely awesome.

Tempe, AZ is an awesome college town in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the country. I don’t even know what bad could be said about it, except that it is hot.

I hope that this can be amended and I can quickly return to my Josh and Chuck adoration.

Thanks for all you do (besides making fun of my town)!

Sana Jamie says:

Hey hey josh and chuck,

loved this podcast as usual, you guys should come over here to London, we have a great tour here that is awesome value for money as its well over an hour, and takes you on a trail to where the ripper victims were found and over cool buildings where they think he might have lived and where they found clues, my mum took me on it as a kid and I remember refusing to walk to school the normal shortcut way because we had to go down an alleyway that reminded me of one of the murder sites!

keep rocking,
Sana – London

Nancy says:

Hello–I listen to and enjoy your podcast regularly but was dismayed during your witness protection episode to hear your comments about Italian-Americans. Would you ever say, “With a name like Abdullah Amir, he was born to be a terrorist?” No, I didn’t think so. Then why do you say, approximately, “With a name like Joey Barbaroso, he was born to be in the mafia?” And then proceed to cast aspersions on New Jersey and the sanitation system there–I don’t know where you lived, but every city/town I know of there has its own municipal trash pick-up. Yes, I lived through the dark era known as the Soprano years, but as an Italian-American from New Jersey, I think it’s all just so tired. And by the way, having lived in New Jersey, you may be aware that there are plenty of stereotypes up here in the northeast regarding the relative intelligence of those from the south. But of course, that could never be applied to our fine How Stuff Works podcasts hosts. They are way too savvy to make ignorant statements. Right?

Nancy says:

Maybe the next podcast can be called “How an apology works.” Josh can explain that this is not an apology: “I’m sorry if you are upset.” See, there’s no apology for your own behavior, no acceptance of responsibility. An apology looks more like this: “I’m sorry I upset you by [doing whatever, e.g., making a comment that negatively generalizes your ethnic group].” I’m disappointed.