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Thumb Kind of Wonderful (ep 18)
Episode 186th May 2026 • Strange Coordinates • territorial
00:00:00 00:59:09

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In our newest episode of Strange Coordinates, we’re going back to 2009: the year of Kanye at the VMAs, the Miracle on the Hudson, and the 56% market share peak of the BlackBerry. But this isn't just a nostalgia trip. We’re digging into how a tactile email machine reshaped global politics, contributed to the 2008 financial crisis, and turned us all into rats in a digital Skinner Box. Are you using your phone, or is it using you?

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Show notes: A brief, ignoble history of the BlackBerry on Wall Street: https://www.marketplace.org/story/2011/12/13/brief-ignoble-history-blackberry-wall-street Wall Street’s ‘CrackBerry’ Withdrawal (Published 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/wall-streets-crackberry-withdrawal/ A Romance With Risk That Brought On a Panic (Published 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/a-romance-with-risk-that-brought-on-a-panic/ Clinton BlackBerry photo led to State official’s query about email account: https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/06/hillary-clinton-emails-probe-blackberry-224154 What's Behind BlackBerry Addiction: https://www.inc.com/hardware/articles/200610/blackberryaddict.html

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territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorial

Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinates


Want to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinates

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Show art & design by Chris Allen

Marketing by Billy Silverman

Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions

Editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

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