trashfuture

Tradecraft in the Doha Panda Express

For this week's bonus, Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Alice discuss an offshore oil rig theme park that Saudi Arabia is building (it just sounds like an oil rig). We also discuss the recent ICJ proceedings, and examine the contradictions in what liberal democratic states say about international law wh...

Information Flamewar-fare

It's the free one!

This week, we’re talking about a terrible surveillance startup, an anti-DEI Ackman guy running to primary Joe Biden (he also sucks), and the recent news that the Israeli government is using what you might call Combat Tweetdeck to try to suppress or over...

Parallel Hooniverse feat. Dan McQuillan

*SORRY FOR THE LATE BONUS*

Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Alice speak with Goldsmiths researcher Dan McQuillan, the author of 'Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence' regarding the breathless optimism of politicians in the UK and elsewhere (particularl...

Britainology 78: Da Ali G Show

*UNLOCKED TO THE $5 TIER BECAUSE NATE IS EXHAUSTED RIGHT NOW AND THE BONUS IS LATE*

For this month's second Britainology, Nate and Milo discuss Sacha Baron Cohen's 2000s comedy program Da Ali G Show, its appearances in America, the type of guy it's supposed to be making fun of, and what...

As A Large Language Howitzer,

It's the free one!

For this week’s free episode, Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Nate discuss the recent news that ChatGPT has both dropped its official guidelines around working with weapons systems and also entered into a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. This ...

Shrinkflation for the Arts

For this week's regular TF bonus, Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Alice discuss a startup from Brisbane, Australia that sees a way forward for video game voice actors: make AI do it, but worse. We also discuss a recent announcement that you can get NFTs inside your Mercedes for some reason.

Left on Read: When We Cease to Understand the World

Riley and Alice read yet another piece of South American literature in translation, this time it’s Benjamin Labatut’s fictionalised historical account about the unravelling of certainty that came with the discovery of quantum mechanics. Think “scientific horror.”

Britainology 77: Save Our XL Bullies feat. Hussein Kesvani

For this month's first Britainology, we bring on Hussein Kesvani—our special guest with whom we've never done another podcast—to discuss the recent UK Government ban on XL Bully dogs, British dog ownership culture in general, kissing your dog on the mouth, and much more. 

Please en...

Things Can Only Get Sensible

It's the free one!

This week, we’ve got Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Alice discussing a bathroom-related AI startup, the impending election year in the UK, new Government policy facilitating the sell-off of all local council assets and properties, and a recent speech by Labo...

700 Miles an Hour Into Your Ass feat. Justin Roczniak

For this week's bonus, Justin Roczniak of the Well There's Your Problem podcast joins the assembled cast of Riley, Milo, Hussein, and Alice to discuss the formal and total shuttering of HyperLoop. Because it was never a real thing, but it sure did make a lot of annoying people and related billion...

Just One More Front ft. Seamus Malekafzali

It's the free one!

Alice and Riley talk with Seamus Malekafzali about Israel’s ever-expanding war with Palestine, and the ramifications on its neighbours near and far.

If you want to read Seamus' work, check out his newsletter here: 2024-01-08 22:27:08 +0000 UTC View Post

Left on Read: A Confederacy of Dunces (ft. Min Straussman)

Friend of the show Min joins Riley and Alice to discuss John Kennedy Toole's strange and only book, A Confederacy of Dunces.

Balthasar Speedboat: Australian Spider-Man feat. Tom Walker and Demi Lardner

It's all riffs and no theme. It's Tom and Demi joining us to discuss z-grade robot toys, counterfeit Spider-Man, reinterpreting Goatse for the modern age, and much more. We hope your enjoy.

Honk If You’re Honu feat. Dr Gareth Fearn

It's the free one!

This week’s episode is the first free one of 2024 and was recorded before the new year; it features Riley, Milo, and Alice discussing the UK government’s attempts to make schools officially practice cruelty to trans kids as a matter of policy. Also di...

Q&A December 2023: Oxygenated Wine Edition

For this week's bonus, we gathered the entire cast of Riley, Milo, Hussein, Nate, and Alice, and responded to the questions that you submitted. Needless to say, we had to ask food-related ones that would get Riley talking about his passions.

Woslam’s Reverse Hierarchy of Needs feat. Mattie Lubchansky

It's the last regular episode of the year and we've brought on friend of the show and premium points member Mattie Lubchansky to discuss...well, a lot of things: Adam Neumann's new sensitive landlord venture that's totally not a cult, the sentencing statement of Nikola electric truck company CEO ...

Britainology 76: Christmas Songs (and Number Ones)

For this month's second Britainology, Milo introduces Nate to the hermetically sealed world of British contemporary Christmas music, and Nate gives recorded-live reactions to his first time hearing Wizzard perform "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday." A lot of music-talk digression follows as ...

Q&A Question Form

In preparation for our upcoming Q&A episode, please ask your questions using the attached form. We'll sort through the responses and read the questions on the episode recording later this week.

The Ackman-aniacs

We revisit our old pal Bill Ackman, who was one of Wall Street's most notorious activist investors, to become the SPAC king, to finally settling into his new role as a billionaire culture warrior. Also, we discuss the suspension of a delightfully moronic Tory MP, and check out how Neom is finally...

Britainology 75: Love Actually (2003)

For this month's first Britainology, Nate and Milo discuss the now-timeless 2003 Richard Curtis film LOVE ACTUALLY, and what it says about Britain. Milo loves it, Nate's wife loves it, Nate is lukewarm on it but it did make him laugh, and Boris Johnson Voice makes an appearance.

L'histoire de Melody McClurg

For this week's bonus, it's full-court press of useless tech: reactionaries' trying and failing to turn Elon Musk's ultra gen X large language model transphobic; Wes Streeting getting dazzled by an app in Singapore, and a surveillance tech company riding the wave of teen vape interdiction and kic...

National Gooning Database

The gang talks about the upward spiral of xenophobia that the UK's moderates think they can keep riding to stay in power - the Rwanda Bill, new immigration restrictions, and so on, before moving onto the new Online Safety Bill and its potential to create a kind of AI overmind of British goons. Ho...

The Ballad of George and Tommy

We meet a bevy of new Guys using strategic litigation to undo the United States federal regulatory system. This one is a "preserved in amber" 2011 era Tea Party radio host! Also, we look at Israeli's AI and QR code systems and think about what the *real* purpose of those systems is, as well as ch...