Curmudgeon's Corner

So last week you heard Sam and Ivan's predictions for 2026. Now see how they ended up doing on the 2025 predictions they made a year and a week ago. Did they wrap themselves in honor? Or were they completely humiliated with their obvious errors? Now is the time to find out! Oh. Plus a bit on Venezuela.   Show Details: Recorded 2026-01-04 Length this week 2:14:29 0:01:09 - Venezuela 0:20:39 -...

What you have all been waiting for. The traditional annual predictions show. Sam and Ivan give their 2026 predictions for politics, international, technology, economy, and hodgepodge. How will they do this time? You'll know in a year...   Show Details: Recorded 2025-12-31 Length this week 3:20:07 0:01:24 - Politics 0:45:07 - International 1:41:43 - Technology 2:21:20 - Economy 2:42:56 - Hodge...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss spare tires, movies, Epstein, economic numbers, and the spiked 60 Minutes story on CECOT. Plus a few other things.   Show Details: Recorded 2025-12-23 Length this week 1:50:08 0:00:24 - But First Scheduling Spare Tires Movie: Wish (2023) Movie: Schindler’s List (1993) 0:41:38 - But Second Epstein Redactions Possibly Fake Epstein Letter Act...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan hit the Wiles interview, Trump's prime time speech, the need for all of you to add stuff to our predictions Google Doc, if bills and coins are still useful, the Epstein redactions, the tendency of bystanders to crimes to do nothing, Trump as lame duck, and lots lots more. So listen!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-12-20 Length this week 2:00:42 0:...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam get into it again. Topics include the upcoming ACA pricing cliff, the US's concentration camps, the situation for LEGAL immigrants, the escalations in Venezuela, the failure of redistricting in Indiana, Ivan's son knowing Japanese, the affordability crisis in Florida, and that's only half of it! Listen for ALL of it!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan's topics include Republicans in Congress considering leaving early, Ivan's experiences with COBOL, Godzilla, recession warnings flashing red, if we are in an AI bubble, and much much more. Worth every penny!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-12-06 Length this week 1:53:45 0:01:18 - But First Ivan does COBOL! Movie: Godzilla (1954) Movie: Riverworld...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss the great American melting pot, the Nuzzi story, Hegseth's war crimes, Presidential accountability, journalistic ideas, history repeating itself, and of course lots more! Tune in and enjoy!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-11-29 Length this week 1:54:11 0:02:10 - But First Make Money Fast Poverty Level AbulToDo Movie: Blade (1998) 0:50:03 - B...

Ivan is back! So he and Sam bounce all over the place to catch up. They've got the Comey case and the UPS crash. Trump's Ukraine peace proposal and a bit about Ivan's recovery. Plus Mandani and Trump. And lots more! Enjoy!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-11-22 Length this week 2:24:40 0:01:29 - But First Ivan Recovery TV: The Twilight Zone (1959-1963) Movie: Sunset Boulevard (1950) 0:34:40 - Bu...

This time Sam is joined by Todd as Ivan continues to recuperate, and it is just a smorgasbord of topics. We've got inflation and tariffs. We've got Election 2025 and progressives vs moderates. We've got ACA subsidies and the Epstein emails. And much much more. So get in there and listen!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-11-15 Length this week 2:16:59 0:00:24 - One Election 2025 Protest Effective...

Ivan is recovering from surgery, so Sam is joined by Ed and Bruce this week, and they pick the topics. We've got everything from tariffs at SCOTUS to advice for Sam to the situation in Venezuela, and lots of other stuff too. Enjoy!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-11-07 Length this week 1:58:01 0:00:33 - Segment One Advice for Sam Marjorie Taylor Greene 0:41:51 - Segment Two Government Shutdown...

Sam got laid off! So for the first half of the show he and Ivan talk about that, what Sam plans to do next, and all the related stuff there is to say. Then of course they do talk about the news of the week. Because that is important too! :-)   Show Details: Recorded 2025-11-01 Length this week 2:04:49 0:01:06 - Sam Laid Off! Long Expected News Company Motivations Generational Differences Retu...

Sam and Ivan discuss the Maine Senate race as their big newsy topic this week. They also hit on the Virginia Giuffre book, Trump's attempt to pay himself, and of course the destruction of the White House East Wing on the news side of things. Plus a coworker retiring, some movies, and the CC online presence gets some upgrades!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-10-25 Length this week 2:08:59 0:03:3...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan is away, but Sam bumps into Emily at No Kings 2, and she joins him for the rest of the show. They talk about movies and TV before jumping to discussion of what makes an effective protest movement, what the options are for those in opposition, and how the next few years are likely to play out. Plus a bonus discussion explaining "Abulsme" after the end!  ...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam revisit a prediction Sam made about self-driving cars 10 years ago on this very show. Sam was wrong. Ivan was right. Ivan takes great joy in this. They will revisit the issue here in another ten years. Oh, and they also talk about a bunch of other things, including all the main news stories of the week. Because that is what they do.   Show Details...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam talk about the US government shutdown, as well as Trump and Hegseth's speeches to the Generals and Admirals along with related issues. But before that, health and travel updates, and a discussion of a movie about homelessness. And that be that!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-10-04 Length this week 1:43:55 0:00:28 - But First Ivan Health Ivan Guya...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam do a lightning round of current events in the second half of the show. Comey. Russian drones in Europe. The impending Government Shutdown. More tariffs. All that sort of thing. But first, Ivan is tired and busy, and Sam talks about meeting other local podcasters at the Snohomish Podcast Network. Plus something about coconuts.   Show Details: Recor...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Sam goes solo. First up, iPhones and birthdays and movies. But then the more serious stuff, with a segment on all the signs of accelerating down the slippery slope with all of the Trump administration's recent abuses of executive power. Then a little bit of a follow up on the killing of Charlie Kirk. And that's a show. Woo!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-09-2...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk travel and coincidences and movies before they start getting into the serious stuff. The big one was the killing of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent reactions. Then Epstein's book, the Fed Governor's mortgages, Trump's health, security for politicians, some international coverage, and a bit about the revival of some old defunct companies. Woo! &nb...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss tariffs, immigration raids, the Venezuelan boat, deterioration of the rule of law, damage from RFK Jr, Trump/Epstein, and triggered by all this, Ivan's possible escape plan from the US. Before that though, on the lighter side, some movies and Alex's suggestions on how to monetize this podcast. And a song triggered by technical difficulties! &...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam goes solo while Ivan enjoys the holiday weekend. Sam talks about movies, the feeding frenzy around Trump's health, and the general descent into authoritarianism we are right smack in the middle of. Plus some stories about going to the fair, and moving a car over a few feet. And that is that.   Show Details: Recorded 2025-08-30 Length this week 1:47:40 0:00...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan are joined by Pete, who has been begging for weeks to talk about Superman. So they talk about Superman. Specifically, the intention is to talk about the 2025 Superman movie, but to get there, they talk about lots of older Superman too. And then, yes, after that, they do move on to the news of the week for the second half of the show.   Show Det...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan do hit the main news and politics of the week. That is of course the Trump/Putin summit, the Feds in DC, Gerrymandering, Newsom stepping up, Dem leadership failing to meet the moment, and all that stuff. And before that, long names, cars, and of course a movie. Woo! You can't want more than this, can you?   Show Details: Recorded 2025-08-16 Length...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam talk about all the latest crazy news from the Trump administration, and their latest thoughts on AI in the wake of the release of GPT 5. But also movies, and dialup internet, and the trauma of shopping for suits, and Sam's, um, interesting, ways of maintaining to do lists. Fun all around!   Show Details: Recorded 2025-08-09 Length this week 1:44...

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss the crazy week in economic news we just had, the Gaza situation, and the Trump/Epstein situation once again. But also, adventures with going through immigration, some movie reviews, and a discussion on the flavor of batteries. Could you ask for anything more?   Show Details: Recorded 2025-08-02 Length this week 1:37:55 0:01:26 - But First...

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, another personal story heavy episode as Ivan and Sam start with more of Sam's adventures with cars and health. Then they settle in and hit the newsy stuff for the last half of the show. Hunter Biden. Inflation. All the Trump stuff you could possibly want. Depending on your proclivities of course. You can never guess just how much Trumpy stuff people will want. &...