TRASHFUTURE

This week it’s Milo, Hussein, Nate, and Alice, joined by special guest Mattie Lubchansky ( @lubchansky ), and we’re discussing the UK’s energy pricing woes. Which are solely related to privatisation. Which everyone can see coming and nobody is going to do anything about. We also discuss an app-connected water bottle that sometimes tells you to drink enough water to kill you if its sensors are off....

Pure riffs. Nothing but riffs. No preparation, no reading, no knowledge. We've got Tom Walker in the studio to talk about Kingston-upon-Thames and the idea of reshooting Psycho as a Carry On film. We've got it all. You will enjoy this. Get the whole bonus on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/balthasar-upside-70338808 *MILO ALERT* Here are links to see Milo’s upcoming standup shows: https...

There may be disruptions in the free-money-forever ecosystem of the tech industry, but that hasn’t stopped new ideas springing forth. For example: what if we made an AI chatbot but it had feelings? And we made it do spreadsheet-factory jobs? This is one of the propositions from a new startup we’ve uncovered called–and this is not a joke–Digital Souls. If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to dona...

We revisit some old friends, such as Wirecard's Jan Marsalek and THG's Matt Moulding, and then continue to look at the implications of the increasingly large and powerful strike wave reverberating up and down Britain. We end with a another kooky startup that has some very funny numbers attached. Get the full episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/jan-marsalek-in-70015050?utm_medium...

This week, we're talking the Metaverse, we're talking FB's valuation plummeting because iOS lets you improve your digital privacy by 1%, and we're talking the recent furore with drag queen story hours and how American fascists and British transphobes have been coalescing and continue to do so. If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve supported: https://www.rmt.org.uk/a...

This week, we've got friend of the show Tom Walker in from Australia to talk about Neom, our beautiful exemplar of a future city that will definitely get built. We also, however, have to talk about the Labour Party's current state. We hope you enjoy this. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69665300 If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we...

The Forde Report is out and has landed with all the impact of a feather in the febrile British media space. We discuss being right, what’s wrong, and what else. But first, we look at a new podcast that is teaching England’s prisoners about how to hustle a brand. If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve supported: https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/national-dispute-fund/ If y...

For this month's second Britainology, Milo makes Nate watch season 1, episode 1 of the Channel 4 teen comedy/drama 'Skins.' Nicholas Hoult is in demon twink mode causing chaos all around flip-phone-era Bristol c. 2007, and Nate marvels at the fact that a show like this would have been much harder to make for network TV in the US back in those days. Hope you enjoy! Get the whole episode on Patreon...

In this unlocked episode, Milo subjects Nate to the 2015 Tom Hardy film LEGEND and a wider discussion about the Krays. Why do British people still gravitate towards their story? Find out in this episode. If you like Britainology, you can get one a month on the regular TF Patreon at the $5 tier, or 2 a month at the $10 tier. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture If you’re looking for a...

Sociologist of Toryness Phil Burton Cartledge ( @philbc3 ) rejoins the gang to discuss the leadership election, and what the current state of the Conservative party means for democracy in the U.K. (Spoiler alert: the omens are not necessarily good). Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69352783 If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve su...

Paris Marx from Tech Won’t Save Us joins Riley and Alice to discuss the Uber Files - a trove of documents confirming Uber was doing what we were alleging it was doing the whole time. But first, we review a fight between a practitioner of the Reddit style and a master of the Page Six style. If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve supported: https://www.rmt.org.uk/about...

Gizmodo’s Shoshana Wodinsky joins the gang to discuss how the digital surveillance panopticon created to sell, among other things, AI generated t shirts, is also now a crucial tool in the states arsenal to prevent people from accessing abortions. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69051743 If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve suppo...

This is the day Boris Johnson finally became Prime Minister. If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve supported: https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/national-dispute-fund/ If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture *MILO ALERT* Here are links to see Milo’s up...

For this month's first Britainology, Milo subjected Nate to the early-2000s hit sketch comedy show 'Little Britain,' the brainchild of Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Has it aged well? No. But was it at least funny? Also no. Prepare your body for the literal worst bit of content we may have faced yet. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68838113  

This week, we examine Tony Blair's bizarre Future of Britain Conference and its obvious hang-ups: austerity and--you guessed it--ID cards. The man simply will not quit. Hope you enjoy! Get the full episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68753568 If you’re looking for a UK strike fund to donate to, here’s one we’ve supported: https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/national-dispute-fund/ *WEB...

We continue to follow the incipient strike wave in Britain now spreading to other industries, and think about how the veil between ourselves and a more liveable, dignified existence is once again at its thinnest. We also discuss Labour’s manifest inability to rise to the moment… and then we delve into the mountains of madness with an article about how Glastonbury should be replaced with a Ukrainia...

Rebecca Wilks ( @WilksBecca ) returns to the podcast to talk about Wales, the international arms trade, and creating the refugees you proclaim to welcome. Also, a reading from Neom and a startup! Please check out Becca’s article on this topic here! https://www.thenational.wales/news/20213605.welsh-government-partner-thales-accused-yemen-war-crimes-complicity/ Get the whole episode on Patreon here:...

Rail Natter's Gareth Dennis joins the gang to discuss the RMT's strike action. We look at what made striking necessary, what striking does for everyone (not just the strikers!), and - of course - we run down the Mick Lynch daytime TV hit list. Gareth mentions a strike fund in the episode, which you can access here: https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/national-dispute-fund/ If you want access to our Patre...

This month we've spoken with friend of the show and knower of medieval history Dr Eleanor Janega ( @GoingMedieval ) on the topic of the British monarchy. Not just the current state of affairs (although we do get into that), but also the unbroken lineage all the way back to 1066. Why is it that we've simply put up with it for so long? Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/p...

The gang talks to Ben Tarnoff about his book “Internet for the People,” which looks at the present miserable state of the internet “as public utility,” and how it can be made better. But first, we look at a startup back from the dead, think about the on-purpose recession that the global north is about to tip into and (thinking about other recessions), what we can expect, and how the IMF created po...

This week, Riley, Milo, Nate, and Alice react to new developments from UK politics (it’s wedge week!) and the crypto world, where discussions are taking place to encourage central banks to help unwind stablecoins. What does that mean? Well, it means free money, more scamming, and no time spent on explaining the actual use case–there isn’t one. As mentioned in the show notes, there’s a fundraiser f...

This week, Riley, Milo, and Alice speak with FT reporter and author Dan McCrum ( @FD ) about his forthcoming book 'Money Men: A Hot Startup, a Billion Dollar Fraud, a Fight for the Truth.' It is of course about Wirecard, and it's got some amazing details that we simply lose our minds about as Dan recounts them. Hope you enjoy! Buy Dan's book here ! Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://ww...

Riley is out this week, and in his stead we’ve convened a special episode of Trashfuture featuring Milo, Hussein, Nate, and Alice on the topic of a failing ‘AI’ startup called Nate. Yes, it’s called Nate. And it’s a pure, concentrated example of ‘what if your robot was just a guy.’ We draw heavily from Malique Morris’s article from The Information, and you should read it https://www.theinformation...

In this special edition of Britainology, Nate and Milo traveled to BBC2 Studios to interview the man himself, Jeremy Vine, in order to discuss how he keeps a straight face when asked to arbitrate questions such as 'should a panel of mums decide all criminal punishment in the UK' and 'is your tea kettle as loud as your lawn mower (please bring the lawn mower into your kitchen for a comparison).' Ho...

We're back with pure riffs and no topic, and we're joined by Joel, Joel, and Jackson from the popular Australian podcast Plumbing the Death Star. We recorded this back in March and now it's out. Please enjoy us rejoicing in the class system of car park sausages in Australia, the wonder of Bob Katter pointing a gun at a knife, and a story about a little boy who wanted a pet pig. Get the whole episo...