Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Backlighting & Friction Maxxing"

iHeartPodcasts | January 28, 2026

Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand explores two timely lifestyle trends: "TV backlighting" and "friction maxxing." The hosts—Michael, Joe Getty, and Katie—kick things off with a lively discussion about the surprisingly immersive effect of LED TV backlights, then segue into a deeper conversation about modern convenience, technology-induced stress, and the intentional embrace of "friction" in daily life to build resilience and human connection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. TV Backlighting: Immersion on a Budget (00:14–03:36)

• Michael introduces a New York Times article lauding TV backlighting as a "powerful upgrade” to home entertainment experiences.
  • LED light strips, especially popular since the pandemic, are now cheap and easy to install.
  • “They burn out… we went and got brand new ones for a total of like $11. I mean, they're just so cheap. And you can really make your room look cool… you can run it off your WiFi and change the colors from your phone” – Michael (00:45)
• Katie shares her practical experience setting up backlights for her partner:
  • “It sticks to the back of the TV, and then it has this little contraption… it’ll do this light sequence that lights up the whole wall behind the TV along with what's happening. And it is so cool.” (01:49)
• Joe Getty remains skeptical but starts to come around:
  • “It could be something like... it includes what you're seeing in front of you in your more peripheral vision, which is the way we perceive the world...” (02:58)

Notable Moments & Quotes

• “All I know is now this reviewer and you. That's two people that say you can't believe how cool this is. So I'll just kind of take their word for it and get it myself. And it's cheap.” – Michael (02:43)
• “I don't think I get the appeal exactly… Are you on mushrooms right now?” – Joe Getty (02:10)

2. Friction Maxxing: Rediscovering Inconvenience (03:39–13:29)

What is Friction Maxxing? (03:47–07:10)

• A social media trend encourages people to intentionally embrace life's minor inconveniences, such as not sharing locations, buying physical cookbooks, or inviting friends over without tidying up.
• “Friction maxing is the process of building up our tolerance for, quote, inconvenience. One way is to stop sharing your location… stop using ChatGPT… buy a cookbook… invite people over without cleaning…” – Podcast Host (03:47 & 06:47)

The Case Against Hyper-Convenience (07:10–12:10)

• Joe Getty draws parallels to the "slow food" movement, urging people to experience ordinary tasks—like grocery shopping or ordering takeout—without technological shortcuts.
  • “Don't order your groceries and have them delivered. Go to the grocery store and walk around and get them.” (07:10)
• Katie is wary of some suggestions (like turning off location sharing or not cleaning before guests), especially regarding safety and practicality.
  • “If someone asks, where are you? And I have been murdered and no one knows where I am, it's going to be hard for me to answer. So I'm not turning off my location.” (07:44)
• Michael relates with examples from his own life: washing the car by hand as friction maxxing, using a map instead of GPS, and the strange discomfort modern people feel over phone calls.

Phones, Social Stress, & Lost Communication Muscles (09:16–13:21)

• The hosts riff on the modern aversion to phone calls, with Michael admitting he feels "attacked" when someone calls instead of texts:
  • “Somebody called me... I had the reaction, but it's—oh, my God... Am I in a position to take a call here?... It was obviously better... The fact that we were going to continue to text over this is insane.” (08:42–09:16)
• Katie finds unsolicited calls intrusive and stressful:
  • “If you're just having like a random conversation and then all of a sudden your phone rings... That's mean. You've cornered me. I feel trapped.” (09:25)
• Joe Getty laments generational changes:
  • “The phone used to ring, and you'd go pick it up... there was zero, zero nervousness or anticipation about it. Like zero.” (10:40)
  • “We have let the muscles of this will be fine go completely lax.” (10:40)
• The group agrees that modern tech is making people less comfortable with basic social tasks, from ordering food in person to having phone conversations.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• “It's annoying [when people aren't watching the show with you]. You're supposed to be having a communal experience, a shared experience, and they've opted out in front of you.” – Joe Getty (05:50)
• “Nobody is ever invested in what they are doing entirely, which is where the joy is. But you know what, you people, good luck. It's me and Joe Getty's in woods mellowing the F out commune. If we're doing one thing, we're doing that thing.” – Joe Getty (06:06)
• “The absolutely inescapable unhealthiness of the whole smartphone thing is making an impression on people and they're realizing it.” – Joe Getty (12:10)
• “These poor kids will never know what it was like to make a good crank call.” – Katie (13:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On TV Backlighting:
  “You can't explain until you have seen it how magical it is and what it does to the whole immersion TV experience…” — Michael (01:41)
• On Friction Maxxing:
  “These are just like things that we used to do all the time but that now we have really tried to replace with technology.” — Podcast Host (07:02)
• On Phone Discomfort:
  “It's so strange. I don't even know what's going on in my own brain, but it was some sort of apprehension.” — Michael (11:20)
• On Social Flexibility:
  “We have let the muscles of this will be fine go completely lax.” — Joe Getty (10:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:14 – TV Backlighting introduction and personal experiences
• 02:58 – Joe Getty theorizes about the immersive effect
• 03:39 – Transition to friction maxxing
• 03:47 & 06:47 – Definitions and examples of friction maxxing
• 07:10 – Parallels to the slow food movement
• 09:16–10:14 – Phone anxiety and generational shifts
• 12:10 – Hopeful note on younger generations putting down phones
• 13:21 – Nostalgia and “crank calls” punchline

Tone and Style Notes

The episode is filled with characteristic Armstrong & Getty banter: skeptical, self-aware, and irreverently humorous. The hosts mix cultural criticism with personal anecdotes, all while maintaining an informal, conversational style that lets listeners feel like part of the discussion.

For anyone curious about backlit TVs, frustrated by modern tech's impact on human connection, or interested in lifestyle trends that push back against convenience culture, this episode is a punchy, insightful listen with plenty of laughs along the way.