No Opt-Out

Season finale time! For the first time, Verena gets Conrad’s answering machine, and her response sets the tone for an episode full of banter and laughter. A Pinterest email claiming to “care” about Verena’s mental health sparks a discussion about what triggers automatic messages from apps and where algorithms overstep their boundaries. Therapy enters the chat, AI actress Tilly Norwood gets a menti...

Conrad and Verena reconnect as Verena surprises him with news that his Berlin postcard has finally reached Las Vegas, well ahead of Christmas this year. They talk about Verena’s whirlwind New York trip across four states and her cousin’s no-tech adventure in the Andes. The discussion shifts to ageing with technology, sparking the idea of a “peace of mind” concierge service. Somewhere in there are...

Creatives, pay attention. Conrad and Verena open this one in German before detouring into whether Verena is Conrad’s “favourite American” (spoiler alert: Gaga is). The chat turns to creativity and the widespread myth of not having “a creative bone in my body.” The dish : showing interest in others’ creative work matters, as does honest feedback and shared accountability. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

In this episode, the digital besties zone in on tech that actually connects, exploring specific apps and features that could support a new type of online community. Email, calendar and messaging apps plonk themselves down in the hot seat to be analysed. A fridge magnet gift to a colleague, Slack reactions, and the mystery of archived emails keep them diving deeper into the vast modern tech landsca...

On their fourth call of the season, Conrad and Verena open with a laugh before drifting into late-night Google searches and the calm of silent films. The conversation turns to how easily tone gets lost online (from passive-aggressive smileys to “silenced notifications”). They delve into how digital communication strains boundaries, share stories about unread messages and WhatsApp oversharing, and...

Verena opens the call with a theory that companies have stopped designing products to please customers. The pair returns to a discussion on why users shouldn’t bear the burden of protecting their own mental health when platforms don’t. Conrad argues that people still need to take responsibility for our wellbeing. From disposable tech to hidden digital harms, they explore accountability for both us...

Conrad calls Verena in a frustrated state, but what starts as a venting session turns into a fast-paced chat about digital miscommunication and how it affects relationships. Verena revives the discussion on digital community, and Conrad suggests it simply doesn’t exist. Together they unpack societal loneliness with a philosophical lens and explore the limits of connecting only through a screen (as...

The digital besties are back! Season 4 begins with a catch-up that covers a Berlin birthday and a family reunion in Jamaica. Conrad admits to five hours of doomscrolling the night before (eek!), leading to a deep dive into how tech affects focus and motivation. They also discuss what it means to create under pressure, why consistent effort matters more than perfection, and how sharing creative ene...

Season finale energy kicks in as Conrad shares he’s (hopefully) becoming a dog dad to a rescue called Enzo. Verena offers survival tips from her years of pet parenting and explains why she’ll never have or invest in a Robodog. The duo reflects on reaching their 24th recorded hour together (a full day, how?!) and explores how building a friendship online compares to doing so in person. Season 3 wra...

They did what? Verena and Conrad get reflective in the penultimate episode of the season, break the fourth wall by talking about the pod for the first time (!!), and revisit how the show and their friendship have grown. They also talk about dog (and human) SSRIs, visa wins, and the incomparable Kevin the dog. Community has long been a hot topic on the show, but have they built one by accident just...

Verena and Conrad question what future tools should *actually* do for us. It’s clear they’re less drawn to sleek features and more interested in how technology might offer real support, particularly in healthcare and transportation. This leads to a pivot into teleportation fantasies, pink garage drama and an appreciation shout-out for typos on handwritten notes (as seen often in their pen pal lett...

Conrad and Verena catch up after a week of contrasts: a job change with some spontaneous travel on one side, and tech frustrations and airport security checks on the other. The conversation shifts from childhood phone numbers to old usernames, from Sims escapism to philosophical questions about AI companionship, therapy and healthy disagreements. Expect a reflection on friendship too, along with a...

Conrad and Verena dive into the modern concert experience after the former admits he spent more time watching the screen than the actual performer at a show he attended recently. They also discuss disposable cameras (#throwback), the new book by the Facebook whistleblower (and its supposed scammer/gen AI copies), delve into AI literacy while pondering who might hear this conversation in 100 years,...

Phew! Talk about a rollercoaster of an episode. Verena and Conrad get philosophical to the point that he brings up “Tech-crates” and “AI-ristotle”. The conversation covers the state of ethical tech as we approach 1,000 days since generative AI went mainstream, being the “service dogs” of society, 100-year-olds living their best tech life with packed email inboxes, and a tender moment where both sh...

If you are intrigued by the phrase, "It doesn't sound that bad to be a ghost shark," this episode is for you. Conrad and Verena show just how much their friendship has grown over the last two years by discussing a little bit of everything and nothing all at the same time, shooting the breeze, having a laugh, and trying to avoid too much doomsday prepping. The episode ends on a heartwarming note, s...

Conrad and Verena are back for a new series of calls in a world that feels even more chaotic than when they spoke last time. Verena kicks things off with a lovely surprise, digital literacy is a hot topic once more, and there is much debate about the state of generative AI. Could such a fresh-faced technology have already committed the cardinal sin of anything on the societal hype train: be boring...

In the final episode of the season, Conrad and Verena do a deep dive into building their dream digital hangout, which they’re calling The Treehouse . It’s not just about setting up another online space—it’s about creating a community where quality time, shared experiences, and a sense of integrating (and constantly re-integrating) comes first. As they sketch out their vision, the duo turns nostalg...

In this episode, Verena gives Conrad a surprise update: she’s accidentally become a dog mum somehow! A mystery pup showed up in her neighbourhood, so now she’s navigating social media like a pro (well, sort of) to find him a new home if needed. Spoiler: He’s “nutty”. Sorta. Quite literally. Conrad dives into his recent No Tech Retreat, where boredom lead to poetry and—gasp—fun. They also brainstor...

In this episode, Verena kicks things off with a family reunion update before claiming victory in the "Postcard Olympics." Spoiler alert: her Christmas postcard to Conrad showed up three months early. They dive into the joys of letter writing and ponder whether snail mail offers less pressure than the rapid-fire world of digital messaging. Things get hilariously off-topic as they swap stories about...

Conrad and Verena explore the evolving dynamics of relationships, connection, and digital communities in this episode. The conversation kicks off with reflections on their time-zone-driven chats and the increasing trend of people "hitting pause" on tech, leading to better self-awareness and relationships. They delve into the role of AI, with Conrad sharing a quirky experience using GPT to defuse a...

In this episode, Verena and Conrad dive into how modern technology shapes how we communicate and connect.  They share personal stories—from using AI for meal ideas to navigating miscommunication through text. The conversation explores the pros and cons of tech in relationships, whether we can resolve conflicts digitally, and how tools like ChatGPT or Friend AI (do and could) affect our sense...

Conrad kicks things off with a playful stint pretending to sell a cellphone plan, while Verena shares a story about an impressively helpful internet repair guy, leading to a chat on the value of in-person customer service (and general human-to-human connection).  They quickly dive into the quirky world of generative AI. Verena addresses rumours that she might be a bot (!) and discusses her re...

In this episode, Conrad and Verena peel back the layers of the generative AI hype, questioning whether clever marketing has led us into a trap. As they discuss the real impact of AI on daily life, they ask the tough question: has AI truly improved our quality of life, how we learn and our productivity at work? Conrad shares a personal story about a childhood public speaking competition, reflecting...

Verena and Conrad are back from a break, and there's a lot to chat about! They’re amazed at just how much tech was woven into the Paris 2024 Olympics—everything from ‘Victory selfies’ and ‘Athlete moments’ to the surprising tech behind those controversial Olympic village beds.  It got them thinking, though: do we really need to commercialise *everything*?  Plus, they kick off their very...

Conrad and Verena discuss recent events in their lives, the role of technology in facilitating mourning and grief, and concerns about the potential for AI technologies to interfere with the process of closure and letting go. They also share their experiences and emotions in the aftermath of a traumatic event, emphasizing the power of community and empathy in overcoming adversity. Hosted on Acast....