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GamesAbout Tracy V. Wilson
Tracy's nerdiness was obvious by fifth grade, when she reveled in writing her first book report (subject: "Jane Eyre") and winning her first science fair (subject: mold growth). As a literature student at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, she finally found her people and spent lots of time watching "Star Trek" and playing D&D -- when she wasn't writing poems or reading feminist fiction. Today, Tracy has a house full of computers, consoles and cats, and her library spans everything from Jane Austen to Marion Zimmer Bradley. Tracy joined HowStuffWorks.com as a staff writer in 2005 and is now the site director. You can find Tracy on Twitter at @PopStuffHSW and on Facebook at the official PopStuff page.
Most Recent: Tracy V. Wilson Postings
It’s currently day two of PAX East 2012. This is my second PAX East, my third PAX overall and my first time officially attending as a member of the media. I’ve taken a completely different approach to it than I did at either PAX East or PAX Prime 2011. Other than Friday’s keynote address, I [...]
Holly and I are both a little foul-mouthed. For varying degrees of “little.” And, in a burst of insight, we decided to talk about swearing for an entire podcast.
Another listener request! Listener Mariana asked for this one by name. We complied and talked about Bugs and Mickey as characters, and Warner Bros. and Disney as studios — and global juggernauts of merchandising. Although that description only suits one of them
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 54: Manic Pixie Dream Girls
by Tracy V. Wilson | March 28, 2012
I have a closet (or not-so-closet) affection for manic pixie dream girls. Coined by Nathan Rabin, “manic pixie dream girl” is a term for those kooky, quirky girls in movies who enliven the worlds of brooding male heroes. Holly, on the other hand hates them.
So here’s a little back story. Holly and I have a huge list of episode topics on the white board in my office. Sometimes we come in here to figure out what to talk about and one jumps out at us. We jot it down for the next session and cross it off the list. Other times we stare and stare at the board like we’re scrolling through hundreds of TV channels going, “There’s nothing onnnnnnnnn!” Then one of us has a eureka moment and comes up with something we’re stupid excited about. This was one of those times. I was stupid excited to talk about prom. And I didn’t really enjoy my proms. It’s a mystery.
Another listener request! This one’s from one of our many listeners named Holly. The number of people named Holly who have gotten in touch with us makes me want to start a Holly army. Also, people keep asking us to talk about food, and we get into that subject a little in this episode, too. We also talk about the difference between a guilty pleasure and a plain ol’ pleasure, and what some of our own guilty pleasures are.
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 51: Violence in Children’s Media
by Tracy V. Wilson | March 19, 2012
I’m really excited about the forthcoming film adaptation of “The Hunger Games.” And I also know that it’s the sort of book that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to read “until I was older” because of its violent content. So in light of “The Hunger Games” and its target audience of young adults, we thought we’d look into the question of how violence in media affects children.
We think of St. Patrick’s Day as an Irish holiday, but the way we celebrate it in America is uniquely (and sometimes problematically) American. Green rivers, green beer, green food … it’s easy to go overboard on all the green. And some of the other stuff. (Also, thanks to listener Lissa for suggesting this subject.)
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 49: All of the Snow Whites
by Tracy V. Wilson | March 12, 2012
At least two listeners asked us to podcast about this subject, which made it extra serendipitous that we’d had it on our idea board almost since day one. Right now it seems like Snow White is everywhere. Including this episode. So here we go.
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 48: Making Books Into Movies
by Tracy V. Wilson | March 8, 2012
By listener request, Holly and I decided to spend some time exploring movies made from books, and what makes a good film adaptation. We both have the same thoughts about what makes a good book-to-movie translation: It should stay true to the book, but the filmmaker should be able to make some interpretations and take some risks. In our analysis, that’ll make a richer movie than one that just follows the book frame by frame.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
- Draw a Pretty Picture With Your Bike and Your Phone
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Nebula in a Box
- Blow Your Mind: Three Minutes Till Impact
- Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death
Stuff You Should Know
- Stuff You Should Know at SXSW
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Listener Mail: What’s the world’s largest engine?
- Listener Mail: What makes a “classic car” classic?
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
How-to Stuff
- How to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
- How to Travel the World in 4 Days
- How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 66: Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlists
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
- Good News from the Oldest Mayan Calendar
- One Year Later: Colony Collapse Disorder
- Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
