Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: Weird but true

Episode #8

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation I will be talking about some questions/brain twisters and weird facts about the world. These facts will make you laugh, will leave you puzzled, and make you question everything you know, hopefully at least.

Hello! So I have been wanting to do this episode for a while because I always have these facts in my back pocket and I like starting debates with the brain twisters because it spices life up! I always enjoy learning cool little pieces of trivia that maybe will help me win a game show some day, who knows

So these are some cool facts about the world that I have found over the course of my life and thought were really cool. I actually have a note on my phone where I put new ones whenever I find one. I also did a little research for this episode but a decent amount of these are facts that I have come upon randomly.

• Scotland's national animal is unicorn
• Australia is wider than the moon - moon is 2,113 miles wide and australia is 2,485 miles wide
• The eiffel tower gets taller in the summer because the iron heats up and thermal expansion occurs making it 6 inches taller when it is hot
• Human teeth are the only part of the body that cannot heal themselves
• Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur
• An 11 year old accidentally invented ice pops
• Warm water increases dopamine so we are more creative in the shower so if you’re struggling with a problem that involves thinking outside the box, take a hot shower
• Supermarket apples can be a year old!
• Wasabi paste is often actually horseradish instead of real wasabi because wasabi is expensive
• People used to say prunes when taking pictures - how did that change to cheese?
• Competitive art used to be an olympic event
• Cat pee glows under black light - ew but cool!
• J-lo is the reason we have google images in the search engine - so many people wanted to see pics of her 2000 grammys green dress that google added the feature
• British military tanks can make tea
• A blue whales heartbeat can be detected from up to 2 miles away
• Easter island heads also have bodies - what the heck happened to them?

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: Keeper of the Lost cities

Episode #6

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation I will be discussing the book series Keeper of the Lost Cities. I will cover why I love the series, my thoughts on the morals of the 3 main groups of people, and Team FosterKeefe vs Fitzphie.

I have been reading this series since I was about 8-9 years old and it has kept me hooked ever since. Keeper of the Lost cities is a fantasy book series that has some romantic drama - but it is not the main plot point, it has relatable characters, and it has a decent amount of representation. If you enjoyed Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan and Harry Potter by JK Rowling, you will probably like KOTLC. I have loved these books for so long that one could say that it is just a love and not a hyperfixation but every time I read one, I cannot stop, I just keep reading and reading and reading. My interest levels may go up and down but I still adore the series and will talk about it with anyone at any time. I love so many aspects of it and that is what I will be getting into next! ALSO SPOILER ALERT. I will be talking about everything that has happened in published books so far.

• The villains aren’t just villains, you can see that they are human and they aren’t really ALL bad
• The good guys aren’t all good either- they have done things wrong and they have mixed history with their actions also
• while the characters are fighting bad guys and have magic abilities and such, you can still tell that they are just teens also
• The love web - it isn’t just a triangle

• Neverseen
• Bad guys
• Lady gisela doing everything for her son - in a very twisted way
• They want to accomplish the same thing as the black swan but have different methods
• Black Swan
• good guys
• used to be a step ahead and now doesn’t know anything more than the kids
• keeping secrets - good or bad?
• the genetic stuff they did to Sophie
• Council
• sometimes good sometimes bad
• just trying to maintain an image
• want what is best for the elves

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: All About Hamilton: The Musical

Episode #5

 You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast, I will talk about the musical Hamilton and how it broke all Broadway standards. I will cover how it is different from every other Broadway musical, where it was historically accurate vs. when an artistic license was taken, and my opinion on some of the characters' decisions.

So we’ve got the music, the actors, and the politics in the show that are different from most Broadway musicals previously. We’ve got the creative license that Lin Manuel Miranda took because it made the story more interesting, it rhymed, or it was just easier to put in the show. And we’ve got the slightly controversial decisions of the characters like Burr shooting Hamilton and Washington serving the amount of time he did. 

• Music
• Rap
• Hip-hop
• R&B
• Soul
• Traditional show tunes
• Black and brown actors were on stage but the story doesn’t depict any slaves
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, the person who wrote the music, is Puerto Rican and wanted to incorporate the feeling of being sidelined into the music and Alexander Hamilton's character but also wanted to go against the white-washing of history. There is a musical with an all-white cast that is a show about a similar time that portrays the story in a much different and could be called racist, way.
• Having people of color play white historical figures flips the tradition of white people in blackface being on stage. 
• It showcases the good and bad things that these founding fathers did
• Sally Hemmings for example
• Say no to this
• The relationship between Angelica and Hamilton
• The politics/political stand that this musical represents
• Laurens especially being very for an all-black military force
• Black actors playing the all-white Founding Fathers
• The layers of the

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: Getting Another POV

Episode #4

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast, I will be interviewing one of my friends about her experiences with her hyperfixations, what they are, and how they impacted her life. 

Hello, y’all! Today is interview day! I will be asking a few questions about some of my friends' hyperfixations. She is a freshman in high school, like me, and I have known her since 4th grade. She likes dogs and cats but prefers cats and her favorite color is purple. Welcome Lola!

• Icebreaker would-you-rather
• Would you rather have the ability to see 10 minutes into the future or 100 years into the past? Why?
• What are some of your more recent hyperfixations?
• Share some cool information.
• What were your experiences with them?
• Did you experience time blindness? Falling behind on schoolwork? Spend a lot of money? Other stuff?
• Did you meet new people and make new connections because of these hyperfixations?

Now to sum it all up! Thank you so much for sharing Lola! I am so glad to have another point of view on my podcast. Next episode I will be talking all about the musical Hamilton! Stick around to hear all about the musical that broke all Broadway standards! I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation, hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all!

• @theHVSPN

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: The Impact of Dogs on Human Health

Episode #3

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast we discuss the impact that dogs have on human health. I will cover the impact on mental health and physical health, and the science behind it. 

First a quick overview, one person can have different experiences with different hyperfixations (like me), dogs are absolutely amazing and cute and they are scientifically proven to help human health, both physical and mental. The main reason for all of this is because serotonin stabilizes moods, helps with digestion and motivation, and social connections. There are other chemicals that help but serotonin has the biggest impact.

Ok so I learned all of this information because last year for school we had to choose a researchable topic to write a 10 page paper and do a presentation on and I absolutely love these cute little puppers, and the not so little cute puppers, so I chose this as my topic. As you can imagine, I learned a lot about it and I thought this information was really interesting so I wanted to share. This hyperfixation was different from all of my other hyperfixations because I was stressed to complete it since it was a school project. I know that it is a hyperfixation because before I did this project, I wrote many CER’s (Claim evidence reasoning science papers) and filled up notebooks to try and convince my parents to get me a dog. I would go on walks with my parents just so that I could talk to them about dogs and they couldn’t leave (they didn’t know this was the motivation lol). 

• The anxiety of a due date
• The pressure of other people in my class being farther along
• The hours of doing homework (looking for cute pictures of doggos for my poster board and researching)
• The happy chemicals I got from doing this battling the anxiety of starting

• Regular pet dogs
• Serotonin
• Sleep
• Anxiety/depression/illnesses caused by lowered serotonin
• Adhd
• Mood stabilization
• Therapy dogs
• Same effects as regular pet dogs plus more

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 101

Episode #2

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast we discuss: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the side quests/adventures (the ones related to stables), and exploring the depths. In addition to talking about some of the aspects of Zelda, I will be explaining what it was like for me while I am in this hyperfixation. 

First, a quick overview of the information being talked about this episode. I will talk about the stable quests - the ones involving Zelda and the newspaper. Next, I will let you know some tips and tricks about exploring the depths. There will be some spoilers but I will say the quest I am covering beforehand so if you do not want to hear a spoiler, you can skip ahead. I have beat the game (meaning completed the main quest all the way and fought the Demon King) so I have more hearts and weapons then I did when I was fighting those bosses but I will give information for people who were around the same place I was when fighting those bosses.

I wanted to explain a bit about my journey through this hyperfixation because while this podcast will be me talking about all of mine, it is also important to talk about the experience I had while learning all these things.

• Ups and downs of interests
• Restarting the game
• Watching my dad play vs. me playing
• Researching quests ahead of time

Ok ok quick overview of this segment before I get into it. I will be talking about the newspaper quests that you get from visiting the Lucky Clover Gazette house in the Hebra region, the great fairy quests, and the quests you get after you have done the Lucky Clove Gazette quests and where to find these places.

• Potential princess sightings (newspaper quests)
• Snowfield stable - Zelda’s Golden horse
• You need to go north towards an Ice Gleeok. Do not fight this unless you want a 3-headed dragon blasting ice at you and a fight of your life. Instead, you can go around the area where the Gleeok is and look for a golden glowing horse. You need to do some soothing when you catch it so be prepared for that. Make sure you crouch and are quite like you would with any other horse. After it is caught, ride it back to the stable and the quest will be done. You get to keep the horse if you want to register it at the stable.
• Gerudo Canyon Stable - The Blocked...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 101

Episode #2

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast we discuss: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including The big bad boss battles and their difficulty, The side quests/adventures (mainly the ones related to shrines and stables), and exploring the depths. 

First, a quick overview of the information being talked about this episode. I will be going into depth about the 4 boss battles at the 4 temples. There is more information to be shared about these, and other boss battles but I don’t want to spoil too much. There will be some spoilers but I will say the battle I am covering beforehand so if you do not want to hear a spoiler, you can skip ahead. This episode does not have information about the main quest that you do not know from the beginning except for a how-to guide for defeating the temple bosses. I have beat the game (meaning completed the main quest all the way and fought the Demon King) so I have more hearts and weapons then I did when I was fighting those bosses but I will give information for people who were around the same place I was when fighting those bosses.

• What order you should do them in 
• Colgera - Rito regional phenomena boss
• Sum of the battle 
• You are in the air and you need to shoot its 3 weak points. 
• You have to do it twice (all three for half health then all three again for full defeat)
• It shakes spikes at you that reveal its weak points
• Watch out for tornados (especially in the second half) - Tulin’s gusts are good for avoiding them
• ARROWS. YOU NEED ARROWS. 
• All in the air but stamina refills for you whenever you open your paraglider
• Have Kesse/Aerocuda eyeballs
• Use Tulin well
• Have basic refill-your-hearts food but no special food needed
• Getting the dive mobility outfit will help but it is not necessary (I fought it without it but when I went against it in the depths I had it and it was useful but you do not need it to win)
• You can shoot the weak points from the bottom but that has always been...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation

Episode Title: All About Hyperfixations

Episode #1

You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host(s) Blake.

In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast, we discuss: what it is like for someone during a hyperfixation, good and bad things about hyperfixations, and the differences between hyperfixations, special interests, and hobbies.

First I am going to define hyperfixations and give an example of them so y'all know some background information before I start talking about more details. 

• What are hyperfixations?
• Who gets them?
• What is the difference between hyperfixations and hobbies?
• My first hyperfixation (that I can remember) - Stardew Valley

Now, we get to go in depth about three main parts of talking about hyperfixations, what it is like, pros and cons, and differences between hyperfixations and other types of interests.

• What is it like for someone during a hyperfixation
• Time blindness
• What is it?
• Why is the term controversial?
• Should you use the term?
• Loss of bodily cues
• Becoming behind on other responsibilities
• Chores
• Homework
• Socializing
• Isolation from older friends and meeting new people that share the same interests
• Hyperfixation hibernation
• The money spent on topics (like merch if it’s a TV show or a telescope if it is space)
• Can neurotypical people get hyperfixations
• Yes but not very common
• Hyperfocus vs. hyperfixation 
• What happened to me during my first one (chaos)
• Pros and cons of hyperfixations
• Pros
• Mental release
• Brings joy
• The passion can bring focus to other areas
• Meet new people
• Sense of accomplishment is good for mental health
• Cons
• Not wanting to do anything that is not related to the topic
• Not eating for days
• Can annoy others because of only wanting to do activities relating to the hyperfixation 
• Neglecting health/hygiene (no showers)
• Messed up sleep (especially for screen-based hyperfixation)
• Forgetting daily duties (doing the dishes, washing your clothes, etc)
• I love hyperfixations but I can’t see their flaws while I’m in the heat of one
• Similarities and differences of hyperfixations and special interests and hobbies
• Hyperfixations - ADHD
• Why do people with ADHD get focused so extremely on something if they can’t focus?
• ADHD changes how your brain receives reward and gratification - ChEmIsTrY
• Only one at a time
• They come and go, often cycling through an assortment of some
• Hyperfixations can be on people, like crushes on celebrities
• Special interests
• Typically associated with people on the autistic spectrum
• Last extremely long/don’t go away
• Greta Thurnberg said that one reason she is so devoted to helping the planet is because it is one of her special interests
• You can have more than one at the same time
• Similarities between the 2
• Both happen more oftenly to neurodivergent people 
• Both are intense interests in certain topics
• They can both appear to take over the person
• Both can cause someone to forget about regular daily tasks so they can keep pursuing their interests
• Hobbies
• They do not usually take over an individual
• While they are fun, they do not usually make someone lose track of time or forget to do daily tasks
• Someone can have a hobby...