TLDR 313o7

What happens when you buy a magic spell on Etsy? Writer Jaya Saxena and her husband Matt Lubchansky recently tested one witch's wares, and they talk to TLDR about being careful what you wish for. Plus, TLDR hires our own spellcaster, a mystic named Melenia O'Breasal, to talk about how a person comes to cast spells, where all that incense comes from, and the difference between peddling magic online and off. To read Jaya's original Daily Dot piece, click here. To check out Melenia's Etsy store and personal website, click here and here, respectively. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.

Brian Droitcour is a professional art critic, and a Yelp . In 2012 he started using the popular review site to post his reactions to galleries and museums, using a distinctly un-art world-y voice. This week, Brian sits down with TLDR to talk about art, online criticism, parties and his unusual project. To read Brian's Yelp reviews, click here. To check out Fifteen Stars, Brian's project for the New Museum, click here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.

Brian Droitcour is a professional art critic, and a Yelp . In 2012 he started using the popular review site to post his reactions to galleries and museums, using a distinctly un-art world-y voice. This week, Brian sits down with TLDR to talk about art, online criticism, parties and his unusual project. To read Brian's Yelp reviews, click here. To check out Fifteen Stars, Brian's project for the New Museum, click here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.

CJ Philips and Charlie Rainwater bought JebBushforPresident.com back in 2008 -- but not because they're huge Bush fans or want to sell the address at a markup. With the 2016 election approaching, the pair have launched the site as a place for discussion, with a focus the URL might not suggest. This week, CJ and Charlie tell TLDR about what inspired their initial purchase, their plans for JebBushforPresident.com, and what a CJ and Charlie presidency would look like. To the discussion at JebBushforPresident.com, click here. To check out Santorum-2012.com, click here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.

CJ Philips and Charlie Rainwater bought JebBushforPresident.com back in 2008 -- but not because they're huge Bush fans or want to sell the address at a markup. With the 2016 election approaching, the pair have launched the site as a place for discussion, with a focus the URL might not suggest. This week, CJ and Charlie tell TLDR about what inspired their initial purchase, their plans for JebBushforPresident.com, and what a CJ and Charlie presidency would look like. To the discussion at JebBushforPresident.com, click here. To check out Santorum-2012.com, click here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.

The last episode of TLDR was titled "Quiet, Wadhwa." It concerned a man named Vivek Wadhwa, but we did not ask him for comment. The episode was later removed. This week we look at the controversy we've become a part of and our role in it. To read Amelia Greenhall's original blog post, titled "Quiet, Ladies. @wadhwa is speaking," click here. To read Greenhall's post-podcast removal follow up, titled "I wrote about Vivek Wadhwa and you'll never guess what happened next!," click here. To read Vivek Wadhwa's rebuttal of episode #45 on Venture Beat, titled "My response to the podcast that unfairly attacked me," click here. To read Vivek Wadhwa's other response to the situation on South Asia Mail, titled "Perils of becoming a public figure," click here. To read Gawker and Gizmodo's coverage of the situation, click here and here. [Update: The Cate Huston article referenced was co-authored by Karen Catlin, and is notably titled "Tech’s Male ‘Feminists’ Aren’t Helping. To read, click here.]  

The last episode of TLDR was titled "Quiet, Wadhwa." It concerned a man named Vivek Wadhwa, but we did not ask him for comment. The episode was later removed. This week we look at the controversy we've become a part of and our role in it. To read Amelia Greenhall's original blog post, titled "Quiet, Ladies. @wadhwa is speaking," click here. To read Greenhall's post-podcast removal follow up, titled "I wrote about Vivek Wadhwa and you'll never guess what happened next!," click here. To read Vivek Wadhwa's rebuttal of episode #45 on Venture Beat, titled "My response to the podcast that unfairly attacked me," click here. To read Vivek Wadhwa's other response to the situation on South Asia Mail, titled "Perils of becoming a public figure," click here. To read Gawker and Gizmodo's coverage of the situation, click here and here. [Update: The Cate Huston article referenced was co-authored by Karen Catlin, and is notably titled "Tech’s Male ‘Feminists’ Aren’t Helping. To read, click here.]  

Charlotte Shane writes a TinyLetter called Prostitute Laundry, writing frankly and lyrically about her feelings, her relationships, her body and her sex lives -- both personal and professional. This week TLDR looks into women writing personal, voice-driven newsletters, sitting down with Charlotte, as well as writer Meaghan O'Connell, to talk about the kind of writing that you want delivered straight to your inbox. To sign up for the Prostitute Laundry TinyLetter, click here. Meaghan O'Connell's birth story was published by Longreads, and you can read it here. "The Laugh of the Medusa," by Helene Cixous, here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.   

Charlotte Shane writes a TinyLetter called Prostitute Laundry, writing frankly and lyrically about her feelings, her relationships, her body and her sex lives -- both personal and professional. This week TLDR looks into women writing personal, voice-driven newsletters, sitting down with Charlotte, as well as writer Meaghan O'Connell, to talk about the kind of writing that you want delivered straight to your inbox. To sign up for the Prostitute Laundry TinyLetter, click here. Meaghan O'Connell's birth story was published by Longreads, and you can read it here. "The Laugh of the Medusa," by Helene Cixous, here. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter.   

"Sweepers" are people who spend their free time entering hundreds of online sweepstakes -- the contests most of us skip because we're sure they're all scams. It turns out, we're wrong. Some people win big. Sandra Grauschopf is About.com's Contests and Sweepstakes Expert. You can visit her website, http://contests.about.com, to learn all you need to know about sweepstakes, and to check out what other sweepers have to say in About.com’s contests and sweepstakes forums. You can order Don Cruz's book "Life of an HGTV Dream Home Winner" at his website, DonCruz.net Thanks for listening. If you like the show please follow TLDR on Twitter and subscribe to us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.

"Sweepers" are people who spend their free time entering hundreds of online sweepstakes -- the contests most of us skip because we're sure they're all scams. It turns out, we're wrong. Some people win big. Sandra Grauschopf is About.com's Contests and Sweepstakes Expert. You can visit her website, http://contests.about.com, to learn all you need to know about sweepstakes, and to check out what other sweepers have to say in About.com’s contests and sweepstakes forums. You can order Don Cruz's book "Life of an HGTV Dream Home Winner" at his website, DonCruz.net Thanks for listening. If you like the show please follow TLDR on Twitter and subscribe to us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you've ever been a bridesmaid, in a sorority, or just been friends with two or more women, you have probably received an off-the-wall planning email or two. Caroline Moss and Michelle Markowitz have been parodying these chains for The Toast since August 2013, in a series called Hey Ladies. This week on TLDR, the cast of Hey Ladies Live comes together to show us how much effort goes into organizing one, simple St. Patrick's Day on the town. Thanks for listening. You can find Caroline and Michelle on Twitter, as well as the rest of the cast. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

If you've ever been a bridesmaid, in a sorority, or just been friends with two or more women, you have probably received an off-the-wall planning email or two. Caroline Moss and Michelle Markowitz have been parodying these chains for The Toast since August 2013, in a series called Hey Ladies. This week on TLDR, the cast of Hey Ladies Live comes together to show us how much effort goes into organizing one, simple St. Patrick's Day on the town. Thanks for listening. You can find Caroline and Michelle on Twitter, as well as the rest of the cast. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

When Will Rogers discovered GodTube.com, he was bothered by the idea of Christians segregating themselves from the larger cultural conversation. So he set out to start a dialogue. Meredith talks to Will about his GodTube.com videos, what he wanted to communicate, and the people he met. Thanks for listening. You can read Will's essay about Godtube at The Kernel. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

When Will Rogers discovered GodTube.com, he was bothered by the idea of Christians segregating themselves from the larger cultural conversation. So he set out to start a dialogue. Meredith talks to Will about his GodTube.com videos, what he wanted to communicate, and the people he met. Thanks for listening. You can read Will's essay about Godtube at The Kernel. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

Susan Miller, proprietor of Astrology Zone, is the biggest name in internet astrology. Her fans are many and devoted, and among them are both Meredith and Laura Mayer (this week's co-investigator). This week marks Miller's 19th year reading the stars online. Meredith and Laura look into her enduring appeal with the help of Emily Gould, Jon Methven, and Kate McKean.   Thanks for listening. Emily, Jon, and Kate are all on Twitter. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Laura, Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

Susan Miller, proprietor of Astrology Zone, is the biggest name in internet astrology. Her fans are many and devoted, and among them are both Meredith and Laura Mayer (this week's co-investigator). This week marks Miller's 19th year reading the stars online. Meredith and Laura look into her enduring appeal with the help of Emily Gould, Jon Methven, and Kate McKean.   Thanks for listening. Emily, Jon, and Kate are all on Twitter. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Laura, Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

The first message you send to a Tinder match can determine the rest of your relationship. To ease this pressure, some men on the internet have taken to their favorite forums to crowdsource the perfect opening line. Meredith evaluates their results.   Thanks for listening. You can see the article this episode was based on at The Daily Dot. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

The first message you send to a Tinder match can determine the rest of your relationship. To ease this pressure, some men on the internet have taken to their favorite forums to crowdsource the perfect opening line. Meredith evaluates their results.   Thanks for listening. You can see the article this episode was based on at The Daily Dot. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. 

For the past three years Alanah Pearce has been reviewing video games on YouTube. Like other women doing just about anything publicly online, she gets harassed, and in the past she just hasn't replied. But recently Alanah got fed up with not responding at all, and did some digging, which led her to a whole new way to deal with her harassers.