DAOC IS BACK, and this time, we have 3 HOSTS for the price of 2! Today our new Business Boy Armaan tests his hosting skills taking us through the history of the ill-fated video game publisher Acclaim Entertainment. Meanwhile, CT and Evan take vigorous notes, judging him harshly but fairly in three hosting categories: taste, plating, and use of the secret ingredient. 

NEW EPISODES WILL BE POSTED MONTHLY (FOR NOW)! BIG THINGS ARE COMING!

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Edited by Noah

"BIG THINGS ARE COMING" MERCH:
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Tumblr: https://desperate-acts-of-capitalism.tumblr.com/

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IG: @desperateactsofcapitalism

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/mar/15/games.advertising https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/sep/03/games.technology https://www.gamespot.com/articles/acclaim-back-from-the-dead/1100-6140923/ https://bleedingcool.com/games/new-announcement-teases-acclaim-games-revival-in-two-weeks/ https://www.vg247.com/change-name-to-turok https://kotaku.com/when-games-pr-stunts-went-mad-1670232280  https://www.vice.com/en/article/ne75xw/bmx-xxx-history-dave-mirra-acclaim https://www.fanbyte.com/games/features/failing-up-the-story-of-acclaim-entertainment/ https://www.cbr.com/acclaim-entertainment-publisher-shut-down-15-years/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-acclaim-boss-slammed-in-court-docs/1100-6132505/ https://www.thesportster.com/wwe-why-acclaim-video-games-are-hated-explained/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-acclaim-boss-slammed-in-court-docs/1100-6132505/

Music:

Music: Spirit Of Achievement [Full version] by MusicLFiles Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/11216-spirit-of-achievement-full-version License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Drums Effects Snare Roll (short) by Agnese Valmaggia Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6321-drums-effects-snare-roll-short License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Heavy Trailer 5 by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/455-heavy-trailer-5 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

45: Acclaim Entertainment

In another edition of SPOOKY ACTS OF CAPITALISM, we discuss the world's most iconic film of all time, and why it made $126 Morbillion at the box office. Prepare to be scared and also terrified.

Edited by Noah

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47: Morbius

"It's a new way of doing news. What could possibly go wrong?"

If we didn't do an episode on this one, and you're not from the UK, you probably never would have heard of GB News. Started as a British bootleg of Fox News, the company now faces multiple Ofcom investigations and stands to lose its license. But how did it all go so wrong in only two years?

Edited by Noah

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SOURCES
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/gb-news-fox-news-british/619210/
https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/piers-morgan-uncensored-talktv-gb-news-foxification-1235266461/
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2021-opinion-gb-news-is-brexit-britain-ready-fox-news/
https://news.yahoo.com/gb-news-investigations-laurence-fox-suspended-dan-wootton-show-144333125.html
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2023/ofcom-opens-investigation-into-gb-news-under-our-rules-on-offence
https://www.newsweek.com/gb-news-style-disastrous-results-fox-news-uk-1601670
https://www.businessinsider.com/britain-anti-woke-gb-news-ceo-interview-angelos-frangopoulos-2021-3?op=1

48: GB News

On this episode of DAOC, we delve into the bizarre crossroads of Youtuber drama and cryptocurrency scams to cover the financial escapades of one Logan Paul.

Edited by Noah

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Sources:

https://time.com/6252093/logan-paul-cryptozoo-liquid-marketplace/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2021/10/11/how-logan-paul-became-our-generations-greatest-showman/?sh=7ade8462a221 https://twitter.com/LoganPaul/status/1409595093263077382  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/technology/crypto-influencers.html  https://www.vulture.com/2023/01/logan-paul-cryptozoo-scam-coffeezilla-allegations-explained.html

49: Cryptozoo

Jeremy Renner superfans used to have an app to share their love of all things Renner. But then everything went wrong. Find out what happened on today's thrilling episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism!

Editing and Thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:
https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/9/4/20850069/jeremy-renner-official-app-shutting-down-trolls-fans-marvel-cinematic-universe-hawkeye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7P-RhLjLQ&ab_channel=DannyGonzalez
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7430119/Jeremy-Renner-shuts-app-two-years-trolls-posing-Casey-Anthony-OJ-Simpson.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/jeremy-renner-launches-new-app-fans-987835/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/actor-jeremy-renner-launches-free-mobile-app-for-fans-in-partnership-with-escapex-300427322.html
https://www.fastcompany.com/90330587/influencers-and-their-superfans-are-flocking-to-this-new-kind-of-social-media
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/jeremy-renner-app-trolling-career-hurt-locker-avengers
https://deadspin.com/i-broke-the-official-jeremy-renner-app-by-posting-the-w-1837804181
https://www.wired.com/story/jeremy-renner-app/
https://onezero.medium.com/the-sketchy-economics-behind-the-jeremy-renner-app-8dae94724ab1

50: Jeremy Renner Official

Al Dunlap was not an ordinary man: he was a verb. Across the country, his name was a byword for rapid corporate turnarounds and ruthless efficiency; at least, that's what he claimed on the jacket cover of his book. Known for walking into boardroom meetings in ostentatious outfits and firing half the company, there was a time when Wall Street believed that "the Chainsaw" really could turn bad companies into good ones with sheer willpower. But Al was playing a dangerous game, and in the end he flew too close to the sun.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Albert Dunlap et al., Civil Action No. 01-8437-CIV (Middlebrooks)(S.D. Fla.)
https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr-17710

Mean Business by Al Dunlap
https://archive.org/details/meanbusinesshowi00dunl_0

"Portfolio’s Worst American CEOs of All Time"
https://www.cnbc.com/2009/04/30/Portfolios-Worst-American-CEOs-of-All-Time.html?slide=16

"SEC Sues Sunbeam CFO Kersh, Dunlap, and Four Others"
https://www.cfo.com/news/breaking-news-sec-sues-former-sunbeam-cfo-kersh-dunlap-and-four-others/683301/

Book review: "Rambo in pinstripes. Chainsaw: The Notorious Career of Al Dunlap in the Era of Profit-at-Any-Price"
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/npr.4040190212?saml_referrer

"Memo to Al Dunlap: You're Fired!"
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/memo-to-al-dunlap-youre-fired/

"Al Dunlap Compared Himself to Springsteen, Then Came a Steep Fall"
https://www.wsj.com/articles/albert-j-dunlap-cost-slashing-sunbeam-ceo-known-as-chainsaw-al-dies-at-age-81-11548611699

"Michael F. Price, a Pugnacious Value Investor, Has Died at Age 70"
https://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-f-price-a-pugnacious-value-investor-has-died-at-age-70-11647621811

51: Al Dunlap

On this episode of DAOC, CT takes us through 10 years of gum advertising. 

Editing and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

https://productventures.com/work/5-gum-package-design/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZN5hqu7yPA

Music Credits:

Airwaves by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/79-airwaves
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Total Happy Up And Sunny by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/555-total-happy-up-and-sunny
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Prosecution, action, trumpets by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/19-prosecution-action-trumpets
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Leisure by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/207-leisure
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Uplifted by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/115-uplifted
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

52: How It Feels To Market 5 Gum

MoviePass is back, and it's better than ever. In our first SEQUEL episode, Evan gives us an update on what the ol' MoviePass company has been up to in the last 5 years.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/moviepass-will-shut-down-for-good-on-sept-14.html 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/moviepass-gets-takeover-offer-1240275/ 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/13/moviepass-resurrection-will-face-old-problems-and-new-rivals.html 

https://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-relaunching-details-how-to-sign-up-2022-8 

https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/moviepass-relaunch-waitlist-tiered-pricing-1234754345/ 

https://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-relaunching-details-how-many-movies-per-month-2022-9 

https://www.moviepass.com/

53: MoviePass 2

You've probably noticed it: flying on commercial airlines has gotten a lot worse. Covid didn't help, but if we're being honest it wasn't great before covid either. In fact, didn't flying used to be really fun back in the 60's and '70's? What happened to piano bars in planes, good food, and decent legroom? In this episode we will get into how airlines got so bad, and how what we see of the airline industry is the tip of an iceberg of rot and deregulation.

Editing and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

Ryanair abandons controversial Afrikaans test for South African travelers

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ryanair-drops-controversial-test-for-south-african-travelers/index.html

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary accused of racism for saying terrorists are 'generally Muslim men'

https://news.sky.com/story/ryanair-boss-michael-oleary-accused-of-racism-for-saying-terrorists-are-generally-muslim-men-11940064

US airline passengers are getting increasingly frustrated. Here’s why

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/jd-power-2023-north-american-airline-satisfaction-survey-results/index.html

Summer air travel could be expensive and chaotic. Here's how to avoid trouble

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/14/1104820079/summer-air-travel-could-be-expensive-and-chaotic-heres-how-to-avoid-trouble

Why is air travel so miserable? - Transcript

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/why-is-air-travel-so-miserable-transcript-1.7140847

Why Flying Is Miserable: And How to Fix It

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Flying-Miserable-How-Fix/dp/B0BW661PMJ

How United Became The World's Most Hated Airline In One Day

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2017/04/11/how-united-became-the-worlds-most-hated-airline-in-one-day/?sh=66e70e3561f2

Spirit Airlines to Charge New Fee for Carry-On Luggage

https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/spirit-airlines-charge-fee-carryon-luggage-bag-surcharge/story?id=10298802

The Ballsy History Of Extremely Crude Ads For Spirit Airlines

https://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-airlines-ads-2011-6?op=1

The facts and figures behind Michael O'Leary's horse racing empire

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/horse-racing/facts-figures-behind-michael-olearys-23354749

Hard Ryanair landing

https://youtube.com/shorts/ltkIWkUz0dk?si=iGfpgFlZAgLpbGse

Pilot Destroys Plane Wing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tur3-W6-q6o

54: Airline Shenanigans

In the mid to late 2000s, we gathered around our television sets to watch a heartwarming reality show where struggling families got their homes renovated into much nicer, bigger homes. A much nicer, bigger home couldn't possibly have any unintended consequences down the line, right? Right?? How did the lizards get into the duct tape room???

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/abcs-extreme-exploitation

https://www.thelist.com/35201/untold-truth-extreme-makeover-home-edition/  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ffFtPvdhs&ab_channel=PatrickCc%3A 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/05/26/extreme-makeover-home-foreclosure/346131001/ 

https://www.thewrap.com/ty-pennington-extreme-makeover-home-edition-backlash/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20101105124200/http://defamer.gawker.com/163321/the-extreme-makeover-home-edition-tragedy-wishlist

56: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

First they were weird. Then they were fun. Now, they are tired, played out, and full of catfish. In this episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism we wade into the sordid world of modern dating apps, exploring how one of the most defining elements of modern dating culture got so bad.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah


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Sources:

Tinder: CEO Renate Nyborg to leave dating app after one year

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62402874?utm_id=8562679&orgid=128&utm_att1=

How to date right: Romance is in the air with a former Trump aide’s new app for conservatives

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-features/2977090/how-to-date-right-romance-is-in-the-air-with-a-former-trump-aides-new-app-for-conservatives/

The Right Stuff users claim they were contacted by FBI after using the conservative dating app

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/conservative-dating-app-right-stuff-fbi-b2195668.html

Dating Apps Have Hit a Wall. Can They Turn Things Around?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/business/dating-apps-tinder-bumble.html

Bumble’s Anti-Celibacy Campaign Is Not Going Over Well

https://www.thecut.com/article/the-controversy-around-bumbles-anti-celibacy-billboards.html

Forbes Health Survey: 79% Of Gen Z Report Dating App Burnout

https://www.forbes.com/health/dating/dating-app-fatigue/

57: DATING APPS

Movies: Are they good or are they bad? It's impossible to say. But what about the folks who make 'em? Hollywood makes plenty of flops and failures, but on this episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism, we cover the golden age of Hollywood, and how it all came crashing down.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/hollywood-strike-history-sag/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Inquisition-Hollywood-Politics-Community-1930-60/dp/0252071417 

https://archive.org/details/forbiddenanimati0000cohe/page/n9/mode/2up 

https://filmstarfacts.com/2017/09/26/studio-system-collapsed/ 

https://www.history.com/news/how-tv-killed-hollywoods-golden-age 

https://retrospectjournal.com/2020/11/29/raising-the-curtain-hollywood-and-american-politics-1920-60/ 

https://books.google.com/books?id=Nz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA146#v=onepage&q&f=false

58: Hollywood Studio Collapse

Have you ever been watching a movie, and desperately wanted to SMELL the action? Like literally SMELL what was going on in the film? Well, turns out, Hollywood has tried to make that a reality several times. Today we'll examine the bizarre and complicated history of attempting to add scents to the silver screen.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

"Another Early 'Smellie'". Variety. January 6, 1960. p. 35. 

Gilbert, Avery N. (2008). "Hollywood Psychophysics". What the Nose Knows. Crown Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4000-8234-6.

 "'Smellies' Back in 1916?". Variety. November 27, 1940. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-01-04 – via Internet Archive. 

Fowler, Albert E. (January 13, 1960). "Fragrance of Long Ago". Variety. p. 6.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-tm-oops6feb05-story.html

 "Swiss Inventors' 'Smellie' Adjunct To Pix; Other N.Y. Airport Items". Variety. September 11, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-01-04 – via Internet Archive.

Robertson, Patrick (1993). The Guinness Book of Movie Facts & Feats (5th ed.). Abbeville Press. p. 168. ISBN 1558596976.

https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/17/archives/todd-smell-film-may-be-scooped-reade-rushes-own-picture-to-beat.html 

Hift, Fred (October 14, 1959). "War of Rival Film 'Smellies'". Variety. Vol. 216, no. 7. p. 1.

Kirsner, Scott (May 15, 2008). Inventing the Movies. Createspace. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-1-4382-0999-9.

https://www.nytimes.com/1959/12/10/archives/smells-of-china-behind-great-wall-uses-aromarama.html 

Sragow, Michael (November 17, 2006). "Be forewarned: It's 'Waters' World'". Baltimore Sun Times. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-04-06. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20201021044003/https://www.ntt.com/release_e/news06/0004/0411.html 

https://www.firstshowing.net/2011/spy-kids-4-hitting-theaters-with-an-all-new-form-of-smell-o-vision/ 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8077455/Smell-O-Vision-TV-developed-by-Japanese-scientists.html 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729105-900-smell-o-vision-screens-let-you-really-smell-the-coffee/

59: SMELL-O-VISION

The social internet could have been Myspace. Modular, user-centered, infinitely customizable. Like so many sites on the early internet, it was more accident than design, ballooning to enormous size and popularity much faster than its scam artist founders could keep up with. Join us as we find out how Myspace failed its way into success, and finally into catastrophe.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

Intelligencer

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2009/11/myspace_is.html

Financial Times - The rise and fall of MySpace

https://www.ft.com/content/fd9ffd9c-dee5-11de-adff-00144feab49a

MySpace: We'll Crush YouTube

https://mashable.com/archive/myspace-well-crush-youtube

The Atlantic - Why We’re Nostalgic for MySpace

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/08/top-eight-how-myspace-changed-music-book-review/675096/

Stealing Myspace by Julia Angwin

https://www.amazon.com/Stealing-MySpace-Control-Popular-Website/dp/1400066948

60: MYSPACE

Starbucks has been struggling as of late. On this episode, we explore what could give one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world a run for its money.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://www.joc.com/article/starbucks-coffee-co-sold-5642744 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP4NL6evnD0 https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/a-grande-deal-for-starbucks-1112460.php https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-15-fi-diedrich15-story.html https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/lbs-case-study/story/how-starbucks-survived-the-financial-meltdown-of-2008-136126-2014-09-22 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/mar/24/netbytes.starbucks https://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2008/07/31/starbucks-what-went-wrong.html https://abcnews.go.com/Business/Story?id=5288740&page=1 https://www.thestar.com/business/starbucks-to-cut-1-000-jobs/article_41108cfa-acc6-55da-9849-fdfeaca69f28.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160104212729/http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/coffee/2009/03/03/no_more_layoffs_at_starbucks_s.html https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/mobile-payment-at-u-s-starbucks-locations-crosses-10-as-more-stores-get-wireless-charging/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/its-almost-comical-starbucks-is-blatantly-trying-to-crush-its-union/ https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60312013

61: Starbucks

Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of abuse, injuries, and deaths.

Disney theme parks are beloved by countless people around the world. But as Evan found out when he was a child, they contain a dark history of tragic, horrifying, and bizarre incidents within their walls. Today we'll explore that history, and discover an unsettling pattern that reveals how much Disney really values their guests.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

Koenig, David (1994). Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland. Irvine, CA: Bonaventure Press. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-0964060562.

https://web.archive.org/web/20041011200218/http://www.local6.com/news/2971289/detail.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20070111190916/http://www.local6.com/news/3752684/detail.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20070109011729/http://www.local6.com/news/10685989/detail.html

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/naked-guy-spotted-on-iconic-disneyland-ride/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20070321005056/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney0407mar04%2C0%2C4407309.story?coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2004/02/12/disney-worker-killed-in-parade/ 

https://www.foxnews.com/story/disney-world-stuntman-dies-rehearsing-for-show-in-theme-parks-third-fatal-accident 

https://web.archive.org/web/20121104092943/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/1834837141.html?FMT=ABS 

https://web.archive.org/web/20071202134048/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-metcfbriefs29x_0207nov29%2C0%2C7938238.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout 

https://web.archive.org/web/20080528122159/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2008/05/osha-cites-fine.html 

https://www.ocregister.com/2008/05/05/authorities-id-man-who-jumped-from-disney-hotel/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-08-me-22171-story.html  

https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/us/florida-disney-death/index.html 

https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/disney-amusement-park-accidents-and-deaths-a-complete-history/ 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-08-me-32412-story.html 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disneyland-deaths/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/us/alligator-child-florida-orlando-disney.html 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-alligator-child-idUSKCN0Z10I4/ 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-olds-death-disney-world-214000363.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALKerRqVJIPGLTQFQm3UpJEHIaVUOvRua9B5Pn_ypk1BXzE2Y294jq6KV7kQ6JFSZ9IUk1imAiWk_N8dBJ54OvjBecRyM2YDjIorc0t9pyskoDizN7yDujW0t7kRIbVAR5fS9JmMXUK7xSs22AySD_R-a-YMrIlKH48DvObE2BrD 

https://web.archive.org/web/20221202091228/https://www.today.com/news/disney-world-unveils-lighthouse-sculpture-honor-2-year-old-boy-t114804 

https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225916/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61252422.html?dids=61252422:61252422&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+28,+2000&author=MEG+JAMES&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=9&desc=Police+Say+Boy+Fell+From+Open+Side+of+Disney+Car 

"Disneyland Changes its 911 Policy". Daily News (Danielle Herubin and Tony Saavedra). October 21, 2000. Retrieved May 4, 2007.

https://pantagraph.com/news/article_9e3a0050-3141-5e82-acce-6f226fb5c07e.html 

https://www.ocregister.com/articles/changes-disneyland-orange-2291262-suffered-zucker 

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/disney-world-food-allergy-death-lawsuit-long-island-doctor/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/nyregion/disney-wrongful-death-lawsuit-arbitration.html 

https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/borders-on-the-absurd-dead-womans-estate-rejects-disneys-claim-that-widowers-disney-membership-means-wrongful-death-lawsuit-must-be-arbitrated/

62: Disney Injuries

Sabotage. Intimidation. Disinformation and junk mail campaigns. These were the four horsemen of John H. Patterson, the mad king of Dayton, Ohio. As founder of the National Cash Register Company in 1884, he contributed little to the design of the world's first cash registers. As a marketer and ruthless monopolist, he revolutionized sales practices in the United States, building a sprawling empire that went out of its way to gobble up even the most marginal competitors. In time, his monomania and eccentricities led to his own demise, but his legacy as an industrialist was nothing if not complex.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

John H. Patterson–John Patterson rang up success with the incorruptible cashier

By Mark Bernstein

https://www.daytoninnovationlegacy.org/patterson.html

John H. Patterson and the early sales practices of NCR By Jon M. Hawes

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349697991_John_H_Patterson_and_the_early_sales_practices_of_NCR

Successful Monopolization Through Predation: The National Cash Register Company By Kenneth Brevoort and Howard P. Marvel

https://ideas.repec.org/h/eme/rlwezz/s0193-5895(04)21003-x.html

6 things you didn’t know about NCR’s John Patterson By Allegra Czerwinski

https://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyles/things-you-didn-know-about-ncr-john-patterson/K65i9ONHk46rKchxEUN2BN/

63: John Henry Patterson

On this episode of DAOC, the gang goes back in time. Join us as we venture to the invention of speculation markets itself to explore one of history's first desperate acts of capitalism: The South Sea Bubble.


Edited and thumbnail by Noah


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Sources:

Great Bubbles, Ross B Emmett, The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble by Malcom Balen, The South Sea Bubble by Helen J Paul

64: The South Sea Company

Last year, advertisements began appearing online for a strange Willy Wonka-inspired popup exhibit in Glasgow. They promised a magical experience for the whole family, full of whimsical sights, sounds, and treats. But what families got when they arrived was... not what they expected. Join us as we dive into the strange history of Willy's Chocolate Experience.  

Edited by Noah  

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Sources:  

https://www.vulture.com/article/glasgow-sad-oompa-loompa-interview.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20240301025857mp_/https://willyschocolateexperience.com/#faqs

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/willy-wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-outrage-rcna140726

https://www.ign.com/articles/willy-wonka-experience-promoted-using-suspected-ai-art-was-so-bad-that-customers-called-the-police

https://ew.com/chocolate-fyre-festival-willy-wonka-event-infuriates-guests-8601369

​​https://www.thecut.com/article/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-fyre-fest.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/world/europe/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow.html

https://www.whatsonglasgow.co.uk/event/131453-willy-wonka-experience/

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/willys-chocolate-experience-nightmare-what-went-wrong

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68431728

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/willy-wonka-event-glasgow-billy-coull-ai-vaccine-conspiracy-books-1234976876/

65: Willy's Chocolate Experience

For decades, Silicon Valley has used pizza as a testing ground for new business models. Pizzerias were the first brick-and-mortar businesses to use Bitcoin. So why hasn't big tech captured the business of pizza-making itself? Well they tried, and this is the story of how they failed.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/XnK6BYG4

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66: Zume Pizza

Genius economist and con artist, or genius economist con artist? The legacy of John Law is the invention of modern financial policy, for better and for worse. Join us as we go historical, to the birth of paper money itself.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/kpUKLZgU

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67: The Mississippi Company

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault and racism.

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing.
Today we explore the strange and often controversial history of Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known as Katy Perry, and examine her legacy both on earth and beyond.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/TfTXt8UD

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68: Katy Perry

His grease stains menaced warehouse shelves from Brazil to Calcutta. He was elusive man, an oil man, whose mob ties were debated in hushed tones in New York country clubs. This is how Anthony "Tino" De Angelis swindled America to the brink of recession.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/ixvnrcSZ

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69: The Salad Oil Scandal

In a world where hot dogs are harder to buy, and brands drown in the muck of online retail, a hero rises from the ashes to offer predatory unsecured loans through an app. That hero's name? Klarna.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

1) https://www.expressen.se/ekonomi/klarna-miljardaren-berattar-om-de-skakande-anklagelserna/
2) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8428669/Start-Up-100-A-Z.html
3) https://owp.klarna.com/legacy/assets/sites/15/2021/05/28054804/Financial-Update-Q1-2021.pdf https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/04/as-buy-now-pay-later-startups-keep-raising-capital-a-dive-into-klarna-afterpay-and-affirms-earnings/
4) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/11/klarna-sees-its-value-slashed-by-85-in-latest-round-of-fundraising https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/klarnas-valuation-slumps-67-bln-with-800-mln-raise-2022-07-11/
5) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/04/klarna-to-start-reporting-uk-customer-debts-to-credit-agencies
6) https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/nov/17/klarna-buy-now-pay-later-system-that-is-seducing-millennials
7) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
8) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
9 ) https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/cfpb-buy-now-pay-later-bnpl-use-debt-research-report/737285/

70: Klarna

Content warning: This episode contains a couple brief sections discussing sexual assault and rape, so listener discretion is advised.

As you stand in the 100 degree heat, finishing the last sip of your $28 water bottle, covered in mud and suffering from trench foot, the music of Limp Bizkit echoes in the distance. "Am I in hell?" You ask yourself. No, you're at Woodstock '99. And the chaos is just getting started. Today we'll explore the insane history behind one of the most infamous music festivals of all time.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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71: Woodstock '99

What happens when you give 3,000 Magic the Gathering nerds billions in capital, a dream, and a poorly regulated options market? Crime. This episode is about Jane Street.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

Why Jane Street, a US trading giant, is in trouble in India https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0zgrevl1o Jane Street invested in start-up turning China’s noodle shop sales into securities https://www-ft-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/112bd653-35c0-4d12-b9af-2c1d38d0e90d Jane Street Strategy and Product Internship, May-August https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/position/7828490002/ How the hell did Jane Street alumni end up creating FTX? https://www.ft.com/content/679d0fa9-8491-44f5-8336-f390d6c877fe Jane Street: the top Wall Street firm ‘no one’s heard of’ https://www.ft.com/content/81811f27-4a8f-4941-99b3-2762cae76542 Jane Street is big. Like, really, really big https://www.ft.com/content/54671865-4c7f-4692-a879-867ef68f0bde Wealthy Wall Street recluse claims he was duped by Harvard fellow into funding weapons for alleged coup in South Sudan https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/south-sudan-coup-peter-ajak-b2777162.html

72: Jane Street

Radical dude! On this week's episode we dive in to the world of crooked IPOs, the birth of retail investing, and explore the second most famous stock market crash in recent history.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://companiesmarketcap.com/cisco/stock-price-history/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnazfW1T-ks https://archive.org/details/digitalphoenixwh00abra


73: The Dotcom Bubble

What if there was an amusement park where management literally did not care about safety? What if the danger of dying was part of the allure? What if millions of people flocked to the park to experience a culture of lawlessness, free from the harsh rules and draconian safety precautions of most theme parks? Today we’re going to explore the history of Action Park.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park 

Class Action Park Directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III, HBO Max, 2020.

74: Action Park

Today we dive into the history of the most extreme dining experience of your childhood, Rainforest Cafe, and we investigate the mind-boggling business decisions that brought an end to RadioShack's retail dominance. 

Desperate Acts of Capitalism is a comedy podcast about money, marketing, and how it all goes wrong. Join us on our magical journey through a world of burning money!

Email us at desperateactsofcapitalism@gmail.com with story ideas, questions, or comments. We'd love to hear from you, and thanks for listening!

4: Rainforest Cafe/RadioShack

Today we dive into the labyrinthine madness of the WeWork corporation. We aren't able to contain it to one episode. 

Desperate Acts of Capitalism is a comedy podcast about money, marketing, and how it all goes wrong. Join us on our magical journey through a world of burning money!

Email us at desperateactsofcapitalism@gmail.com with story ideas, questions, comments, or anything that comes to mind. Also, if you like the show, leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe!

WE'RE ALSO NOW ON INSTAGRAM! Follow us @desperateactsofcapitalism for updates, fun facts, and more!

7: WEWORK (PART 1)

Desperate Acts of Capitalism is a comedy podcast about money, marketing, and how it all goes wrong. Join us on our magical journey through a wonderland of burning money!

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