TRASHFUTURE

We are joined by Alex Press ( @alexnpress ), of Jacobin and the Primer podcast, to do some more Amazonology. This time, we look at the specifics of how HR operates at this company, how its shittiness ends up hurting workers, and how Amazon is gearing up to export more of its working practices to others. But first, we wonder at why and how it was the parties that finally turned the British establis...

Milo subjects Nate to yet another property-themed British TV show, except this one is about people buying derelict homes at auction and renovating them in order to (in most cases) rent them out at huge markup. We brought on Alice Caldwell-Kelly, who described this show as 'like a nature documentary about parasites,' and we have a delightful time. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www....

(This was going to be the first free episode of 2022, but we decided to go with the Dome story instead. So, apologies for it being slightly out of date, but we hope you like it). In which the full cast of TF discusses the BBC bringing on Alan Dershowitz to discuss the Maxwell verdict, and recent fawning coverage of Liz Truss that wants so desperately to make her the next Thatcher. Also, yet anothe...

Jathan and Ed from TMK ( @machinekillspod ) return to help us figure out exactly what “Web 3” is, and what people actually mean when they say “Web 3.” What we find when we look under the hood is a virtual series of colonia dignidads all layered on top of one another promising that only when we have interpreted Hayek correctly, will we find utopia. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes,...

In which we get into the specific zones of the Millennium Dome, their various corporate sponsors, and what they said about Britain c. 2000 and how New Labour saw its subjects' lives. We completely lost our minds doing this and we hope you enjoy. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/60698903 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displace...

This week, we have the full cast of TF together to review the history of the Millennium Dome, a New Labour attempt to create a modern exposition of Britain. It definitely became an exhibition of how weird the inner circle of Blair’s Labour was, but it’s largely regarded as a failure–and we learn about how it transformed a chunk of Greenwich from the Goop Zone into the Empty Luxury Flat Zone. Part...

We decided to review a different kind of Christmas movie: David Cronenberg's 2007 film EASTERN PROMISES, which is both a film about Britain, a film about Russians in London (featuring no Russian actors), and a film where you see Viggo Mortensen naked. We got Olga Koch ( @rocknrolga ) on to discuss this and, uh, she did not like it. To hear the whole thing, sign up on Patreon: https://www.patreon.c...

Why is it that this island in the North Atlantic has such shit buildings? What is the reason for slapping gravel on buildings and calling it an aesthetic? Why did Britain sell off most of it social housing and make it functionally impossible to replace it? All this, and more, explored on yet another Britainology -- this one featuring architecture critic India Block ( @indiablock ) If you want more...

You had questions, we had answers. This is normally on the $10 tier but we ran out of bonus content after Milo and Riley were felled by The Plague. Hope you enjoy! Get the whole thing on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/60272349 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: https://www.afghanaid.org.uk/ *WEB DESIGN...

For the holiday week, Nate and Alice speak to author Jane Pek about her debut novel THE VERIFIERS, a detective story involving online dating, the ever-present algorithm, the tech economy, and Alice’s long-standing dream to read about a lesbian private investigator. This was a lot of fun for us to record, and if you enjoy it, please reach out! We’re happy to try and make this an ongoing series. *NO...

Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg now works for Facebook to the tune of eight figures. He has some opinions about Facebook’s policy decisions. As you can guess, they sound like thoughts from a man who’s been hit in the head really hard–which is why Riley, Milo, and Alice analyze a recent Meta appearance in which his Nintendo Wii-looking avatar complains about his headset a lot, among other things....

This week, in the midst of Riley and Milo being struck with covid, we recorded an all-remote episode to discuss some recent Britain news, with a special emphasis on recent leaked texts from Daniel Kawczynski MP in which he's begging for a Saudi consultancy role in order to pay private school fees. There are a lot of other points covered in this episode (like the eternal career of Meg Whitman!) but...

This week, we speak with writer and friend of the show Trevor Strunk ( @hegelbon ) about recent developments in the smartest sector of our very real economy: the gaming/crypto convergence, in which powerful thinkers from Andreesen Horowitz have decided that the best way to develop jobs is to pay people in the developing world a pittance to do XP grinding on behalf of gamers in the developed world....

This might be one of the most inscrutably British things we've ever covered, and the fact is: Milo doesn't even know that much about it. So, to aid with understanding, we got Politics Home editor and cricket enthusiast Alan White ( @aljwhite ) to explain it to us. That doesn't necessarily mean Nate came away understanding it any more than before, but it was a fun discussion. Get the whole thing on...

Amelia Horgan ( @AmeliaHorgan ), author of Lost in Work and striking member of the UK’s higher education Union (UCU) talks about the decade of strikes in the sector, and why the demands are connected to a top level reimagining of what education can be. But first, we look at a few apparently unrelated goings on in Britain and peer into our scrying bowl to look at the outlines of this country’s poli...

Dan returns for another look at Spotify - in the last year have they paid artists more, or have they channelled excess profits into an investment in AI defence technology “for the defense of democracies” whatever that means. Also, a startup and a truly astounding article. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: h...

We spoke with The Athletic’s investigations writer Joey D’Urso ( @josephmdurso ) about the frenzied tie up between high risk, unregulated world of blockchain/crypto ventures. What is a “fan token,” why is Paul Pogba “the father of dragons,” and why does Manchester City need a “regional partner in decentralised finance” in the first place? Get the whole thing on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.co...

This week, we're joined by Becca Wilks ( @WilksBecca ) of The National Wales to discuss a confidence and supply arrangement between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, and how it relates to the history of Welsh Labour in general. Of course we also discuss a Wales-centric startup that plans to heat homes in the most annoying way possible. And yes, we also discuss The Peppa Pig Incident. Hope you enjoy! I...

Look, this is something of a loose episode because Milo was on tour while we recorded it. However, in an effort to satisfy our urge to explain Britain, we watched the 2016 film GANGSTERS, GAMBLERS AND GEEZERS which is a z-grade British knockoff of Harold and Kumar, features none other than Dave Courtney, and contains some of the worst shit we've ever seen.  Get the whole thing on Patreon at the $1...

It's time once again for Britainology, and this week Milo and Nate are joined by Phoebe Roy (who you have have heard on Masters of Our Domain and 10,000 Posts) to discuss British 9/11. Do we mean 7/7? The 2011 riots? No, we mean the death of the Queen of Our Hearts, Princess Diana Spencer, in August 1997. Never has a nation freaked out more, and we provide the key to understanding it all. If you w...

Riley has decided to subject Nish Kumar to yet another piece of writing from the inner sanctum of the British media-politico citadel. It’s Robert Peston’s thriller, The Whistleblower! If you want to hear the whole thing, get it on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59103903 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: htt...

Riley, Milo, and Alice are joined by our friend Séamus Malekafzali ( @seamus_malek ) for a Neom Status update. With the rollicking success of The Line leaving every industry the world over revolutionised forever, Saudi has added yet another dimension to the shape of innovation. But first, a reflection on the growth and role of vigilantism in the US and U.K., and a look at the dreams versus the rea...

It’s a chilled episode where Riley, Milo, and Alice talk about a fun startup, and then review a few bits of new information about old friends, as well as a truly cursed idiot banker that couldn’t keep himself out of trouble. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58834733 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider do...

This week, Nate and Milo discuss the phenomenon of remembrance poppies and the ways in which they've become a symptom of Britain's deeply unwell state. Solemn icons of the human cost of war? Hell no, slap that shit on a pizza and consume it, with honour. To hear the whole thing, get it on Patreon at the following link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58858238 *MILO ALERT* Check out Milo live dates h...

We speak to Phil Jones ( @philjones7771 ), author of Work Without the Worker, about microwork and how AI is fake, and most of it is just tiny tasks done by workers in the global south and dressed up as technology. We get deeper into how exactly how this practice developed, how its economics are rooted in overproduction, and how boosterish liberal institutions cheer-led the whole process. Get Phil'...