The Chris and Sam Podcast

Summary From our Fieldays 2026 coverage Sam talks to Elisa about her journey to make a biodegradable plant pot here in New Zealand. Discover how a teenage fundraiser became a full-time eco-entrepreneur, why dirty pots are such an issue, and what it takes to create a locally manufactured solution. There are awards, random questions, and some TikTok fame thrown in. All this and much more. Links eniv...

Summary This week, Chris gears up for field days while plotting an unusual Auckland road trip with a mystery driver, and Sam sets off 24 days of birthday surprises with the help of a 24-sided die. There's talk of AI stealing podcast voices, disembodied brains being used in biotech startups, and a Kickstarter cooling blanket that costs more than a night out. The discussion explored sky-watching gad...

Summary Sam loses a mouth guard in the night, while Chris navigates the aftermath of too much Captain Morgan. TEDx talks lead to surprise opportunities—and million-dollar phone calls—for a local speaker. A decades-old school rowing controversy resurfaces, Kickstarter projects get critiqued, and Sam reveals the wild world of the Enhanced Games. AI hijinks, swatted grandmothers, and blanket innovati...

Summary This week, podcast day moves to Wednesday and there’s plenty to catch up on. We hear about anti-snoring mouth guards that are life-changing, and the wild concept of launching bulldozers into orbit with a giant cannon. There’s a supermarket sending its freezer manager off in style (under the freezer), AI agents causing digital chaos, and a look at the latest in Kickstarter projects. Links L...

Summary This is a special announcement episode to say we will be moving to a Wednesday release schedule. You can find us on all good podcasting apps. We also cover to Kickstarter projects and try and work out if we would fund them or not. See you next Wednesday for a regular episode. Links Kickstarter - Flossr Kickstarter - BookScan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summary Chris faces a tough week with job woes and family health drama, while Sam brings back insights and swag from the final NZ Podcasting Summit—including debate over the best day to publish podcasts. We discover an overlooked artistic prank involving Telecom, talk about ultrasonic fire suppression tech, and hear about robots taking over warehouse shifts. FIFA ticket prices spark outrage, James...

Summary From butter chicken at the night market to robots beating humans at table tennis, plus sperm racing world championships, AI in the FBI, and a bizarre school fight club scandal. Links Tenants to keep paying rent after drug dealer goes to jail Steven Segal being a dick again Sony makes expert table tennis robot 2026 Sperm racing championship Teacher arrested over fight club FBI Using all of...

Summary We've got tales of cockroaches in rowing machines and a bizarre car insurance scam update. We hear about a woman weaponizing bees during an eviction, the world's biggest dinosaur costume gathering, and a deep dive into AI gone wrong with lost customer data. Plus, there's talk of rising condom prices, ridiculous Kickstarter gadgets, and the man who laughed himself into a lifesaving diagnosi...

Summary This week, Sam shares a real-life scammer story that hits close to home and reminds us how clever modern bank scams can be. Chris talks about a blind marathon runner using AI glasses and tech to run untethered, while Air New Zealand brings lie-flat bunks to economy class. We also laugh at FBI directors foiled by caps lock, high-stakes legal drama, warships tracked by Bluetooth, and some qu...

Summary This week, Chris and Sam dive into viral dog poo videos, Amazon dropping billions on satellites, and why Allbirds is pivoting hard to AI. There’s talk of chimpanzee civil wars, terrible passwords, and a CEO blaming his mum for a PR disaster, plus a look at the wild world of short content clips. Find out who’s buying GI Joe comics for thousands, the latest in Amazon warehouse drama, and wha...

Summary Chris forgets his wallet and has to brave the cyclone for baked beans, while Sam declines a Civil Defense Centre gig ahead of a stormy weekend. We dive into the KitKat heist, ponder the wisdom of homemade bird submarines and skydiving parrots, and laugh at improv mishaps involving Swedish twins. There’s talk of AI nonsense, including caveman hacks and chatbot congressional grilling, plus p...

Summary Chris battles tech gremlins while Sam revels in April Fools pranks, with AI-generated gags leveling up the mischief this year. Thieves make off with 12 tons of Kit Kats, black market cigarettes are on the rise, and the world's only NZ Black Hawk helicopter makes a cameo. AI gets it wrong in a shocking wrongful arrest case, a goldfish sets a bizarre world record, and Chris recounts birthday...

We hear about boombox nostalgia, mysterious AI gadgets, and a honey recall with a cheeky side effect, before things get weird with toe-sucking burglars and stalkery exes. Plus, news from the world of Meta’s AI CEO ambitions, suspicious market moves, and attempts to make future AIs nicer to humans. Links Professional Cornhole Player Charged with Murder Boner Bear Honey Recalled Kickstarter - BB-777...

Summary We dive into a wild story where a pothole actually saves a life, plus talk about cutting-edge cancer treatment for dogs, scams involving counterfeit cash, and how an app helps volunteers assist blind people across the world. There's plenty of tech, laughs, and unbelievable news peppered throughout. Links Be My Eyes App Hit Pothole Brought Woman Back to Life Man Saves Dog with Science May p...

Summary Chris gets a cane and shares his hospital saga, Sam catches a “disease” at IKEA, and the hosts discuss Homegrown, butter-churning while running, Girl Scouts at dispensaries, and brain cells playing Doom. Links Homegrown Pokemon Trap Tough Cops in US Entrepreneurial Girl Scouts Running for Butter Brain Computing Mechanical Rhino for Sale Half Marathon Chaos Man Dies in the Exact Same Spot a...

Summary Chris recounts his Auckland trip, while Sam has a weird mail request. The episode dives into stories of robot vacuum cleaner hacks, AI mishaps—including priests using AI—and awkward burger CEO moments. Plus, there's talk of move-on orders, missing CIA data, and aliens. All this and much more in this week's episode! Links Move On Orders for Rough Sleepers Man Ends up Controlling 6700 Robot...

Summary We're tackling everything from funeral insurance frustrations in South Africa to over-engineered foldable beds and Pilates reformers on Kickstarter. We hear about radioactive pigs in Fukushima, chemtrail bans in the US Congress, and an Irish family’s creative attempt to skip a restaurant bill. There's also a disgruntled group of Chinese gold-diggers, fake prescription pills, and more. Link...

Summary Chris battles neighborly woodchippers and errant wasps, while Sam takes us inside a creative doco screening (and a memorable car-art project). We learn about wild Olympic helmet controversies, an AI safety exodus, and the Kickstarter craze for "tree"-flavored pocket sodas. Links Creative Waikato Doco - Creativity in Community Ukrainian athlete banned Kickstart or Dropkick - Pocket Soda Kic...

Summary Chris survives a mind-draining work retreat, while Sam juggles pumpkin sourcing for a mysterious film and fields rabid newsletter replies. We hear about Bad Bunny’s halftime show backlash, penis injections at the Olympics (sort of), and infrastructure fails both at home and in the US. Plus, Sam spotlights bizarre Kickstarter projects, and Chris breaks down a massive Bitcoin giveaway blunde...

Summary Ducks turn dodgy and start hunting other birds, a man survives being crushed twice in a garbage truck, plus finger-ripping hydroslide accidents and teetotal sailors in the Royal Navy. Links Whangarei Lawyer with Ultra Marathon World Record Man survives being crushed by garbage truck, twice Man loses finger on hydro slide NZ Rural Games Ducks killing other birds Safety at the British Royal...

Summary In this episode we cover AI being used with Google Health summaries and being inside Kindles. A beloved rock was returned, while the worlds best rock climber tries not to die on live TV. We have kickstart or dropkicks this week, a great podcast to check out and more. Links Google health AI Summary AI in Kindles Alex Hommel on Netflix Beloved Rock Returned Kickstart or Dropkick - Nisplay Y1...

Summary We chat about the fancy new Waikato Regional Theatre, take a look at stone skimming champs and a French tourist picking up rubbish across NZ, and dive into weird scam emails and even a company offering moon hotel bookings. There’s also some questionable Kickstarter gadgets and a classic dose of randomness along the way. All this and heaps more in this week’s episode! Links BNZ Theatre NZ S...

Summary Chris is back at work—sort of—and Sam uncovers the curious tale of a grave robbing hobbyist in Pennsylvania. We hear about Facebook fan pages gone astray, the challenges of modern computer upgrades, and monkeys causing chaos (real or AI-generated) in St. Louis. There’s also a Cybertruck deer incident, and a Kiwi mountain biker pulling a 24-hour McDonald’s drive-thru ride. All this and plen...

Summary Chris and Sam are back from their summer holidays, swapping bus and plane stories, including a YouTuber’s wild airport adventure and the mystery of “Coronation Gate.” We hear about solar farms at Christchurch Airport, fake cops causing trouble, and questionable hydrogen water bottles. There’s bonus content on AI paperwork headaches, self-landing planes, and Sam’s uncanny knack for winning...

Summary Sam shares highlights from two long-awaited work parties, while Chris gears up for a virtual Christmas bash and reveals some news about his new job. We learn about ground screws revolutionizing building foundations, a dash of TV troubleshooting for the older generation, and the strange world of maple syrup sneakers. There’s chat about heroic acts in Australia, OnlyFans and the IRS, Latvian...