Topic: Domain Names

Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak share historical anecdotes about the early days of the internet and domain name acquisitions. Curry discusses his legal settlement over MTV.com and his decision to give Elvis.com to Priscilla Presley. Dvorak mentions John Markoff's acquisition of NYT.com and the story of how Anheuser-Busch traded a six-pack of beer for Bud.com.

A detailed anecdote describes how Anheuser-Busch acquired the Bud.com domain from a fan in rural Texas. Rather than a multi-million dollar settlement, the owner requested a six-pack of long-neck Budweiser delivered by August Busch. The story serves as a contrast to modern high-stakes domain name disputes.

The Onion won a bankruptcy auction for Infowars, leading to a parody takeover featuring Tim Heidecker. Alex Jones officially signed off from the original Infowars platform but has transitioned his operations to a new domain, AlexJonesLive.com. The transition involves shedding the legal baggage of the Infowars trademark while maintaining the same product lines and audience.

The ownership of the domain Diaries.com is discussed as a potential high-value asset. The conversation briefly touches on the history of early social blogging platforms like LiveJournal and Tumblr, and the hosts joke about selling the domain for Bitcoin as an "exit strategy."

Attorneys General from 19 states and D.C. are suing federal agencies over the firing of probationary employees, alleging proper procedures were not followed. This leads to a side discussion about purchasing the domain TrumpVP2028.com and the prevalence of wild theories on the social platform X.

The hosts examine a poorly executed AI-generated email request for SEO link-building related to an old episode titled "Laptop Bomb." This leads to a discussion on the historical value of domain names like art.com and broadcast.com, and Adam Curry's refusal to sell curry.com.

Updated CDC guidelines for schools suggest masking only in high-risk situations or high-transmission communities, specifically mentioning "wrestling games" as a high-risk activity. During the discussion, a host purchases the domain highqualitymask.com as a marketing gag to redirect to the show's website.

A host successfully registers the domain name "ultramagatard.com" during the live stream after discovering "magatard.com" was already taken. The segment highlights the frequent impulse to register domain names based on show jokes, many of which are never utilized for actual projects.

A host recounts a 1994 legal battle with MTV Networks over the registration of the mtv.com domain name. The story details the discovery process involving the retrieval of emails from floppy disks and the psychological pressure of being portrayed negatively by corporate prosecutors. The experience is used to illustrate how legal teams can manipulate facts to influence a jury's perception.

The "We Are The People March" in New York City was identified as an event organized by the Revolutionary Communist Party USA, led by Bob Avakian. One of the hosts revealed he registered the .com and 2020 .org versions of the march's domain names after the organizers failed to secure them.

A discussion on internet literacy emphasizes the importance of understanding the decentralized nature of the web rather than relying on platforms like Facebook or AOL. Recommendations for homeschooling include teaching children how to set up Linux boxes, run web servers, and register domain names. This technical knowledge is viewed as a necessary defense against the walled gardens of modern tech giants.

Gary Kaskel, an animal rights activist, contacted the owner of the domain Repeal2.org seeking a transfer for his 501(c)(4) lobbying group aimed at repealing the Second Amendment. The owner refused, stating the site would instead be used to explain the constitutional process and highlight political insincerity. Kaskel's persistent emails led to a suggestion that the domain be sold to him for $25,000 as a "true American" business transaction.

The artwork for episode 1003, titled "Doomsday Sandwich," is credited to a producer named Illuminati. The hosts also thank producers for forwarding domains like "goat.support" and "clinton2020.com" to the No Agenda website to assist with SEO and listener discovery.

A new smart home robot named "Kuri" (spelled K-O-U-R-I) was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show by Mayfield Robotics. The segment humorously explores the potential value of the "curry.com" domain name before realizing the robot's name uses a different spelling.

A host recounts registering MTV.com in the early 1990s and setting up a Gopher server before the World Wide Web became dominant. The University of Minnesota issued a cease-and-desist over commercial use of the Gopher software, which was settled by the host wearing a university T-shirt on-air at MTV.

The domain "jebbush.com" was found to be redirecting users to Donald Trump's official campaign website. This occurred because Jeb Bush's campaign failed to purchase the domain, allowing a third party to acquire it and set up the redirect. The incident is cited as evidence of Bush's lack of technical savvy and poor campaign management.

The hosts identify the ".science" top-level domain (TLD) as a primary source of internet spam. They describe finding thousands of junk emails in their inboxes originating from this TLD, covering topics from "sharp minds" to "copperware." They recommend that listeners block the entire TLD to significantly reduce spam volume.

LegitScript is identified as a company that pressures domain name registrars like GoDaddy to suspend the websites of online pharmacies without a court order. By citing ICANN's Registrar Accreditation Agreement, the organization—funded by major pharmaceutical interests—effectively bypasses the legal system to shut down competitors selling cheaper or generic medications.

A producer from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, mentions the 101st Airborne's involvement in Ebola relief efforts. The hosts briefly discuss the missed opportunity to register the domain "bitchit.com" as a parody of Bitcoin, noting that most "chit" related domains are already taken.

A listener discovered that the domain "islamic-youth.net," referenced in an old PowerPoint about the global war on terror, had expired and purchased it to forward to the show's website. Additionally, a new musical track titled "No Agenda Alpha Mix" was released on iTunes by a producer named Jonathan. A new merchandise campaign on Teespring featuring "Dude Name Ben" t-shirts is also promoted to the audience.