trashfuture

Schrödinger's Pervert feat. Becca Wilks

For this week's TF bonus, we're speaking with Welsh journalist Becca Wilks about the Welsh government's usage of automatic facial recognition, the privacy nightmare it creates, and their frankly bonkers justifications for why they want to use it everywhere. Don't worry, it won't cause any.....actually we're just getting an update that it's already being used to stifle protests?

A note from Becca: "Myself and Devon are currently supporting Ahmed, a dad of four in Gaza, to raise money for...

NOW FREE - Left on Read: Master and Commander

We've unlocked our discussion of Master and Commander to the free tier, and we've unlocked the sequel, Post Captain, to the $5 tier... so check them out, and if you like them, you can check out the next instalment - HMS Surprise - now on the $10 tier!

November and Riley read the first in Patrick O'Brian's Aubery-Maturin series, and what follows is just under an hour of November and Riley loudly loving the first novel in Patrick O'Brian's Aubery-Maturin series for its painterly writing, ...

UNLOCKED! Left on Read - Post Captain

We've unlocked our discussion of Post Captain, the second in the Aubery Maturin series, to the $5 dollar tier, so you can check it out. If you like this, check out the next instalment - HMS Surprise - now on the $10 tier!

November and Riley are back at it again, swashbuckling on the high seas. While talking about this book we both loved, we found ourselves talking about comic writing in books that aren't necessarily comedies, the tangled and often at odds state institutions of regency B...

Left on Read: HMS Surprise!

Riley and Nova have once again read a Patrick O'Brian novel and the main thing about the two of them is that they love Patrick O'Brian novels. HMS Surprise feels like the work of a more developed author who explores oafery, the dynamics of a regency incel relationship, and the useless governance of the world by Britain's most unremarkable men.

Britainology 85: Celebrity SAS—Who Dares Wins

For this month's first Britainology, we've watched the season of the military-themed and emphatically strange UK reality TV show "Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins," featuring....Matt Hancock. It's exactly what you think it is.

Farage Bonking Fanfic

It's the free one!

For this week’s free one, we’ve Riley, Milo, and November discussing the Reform manifesto, which reads like a handful of Volk-centered social democracy policies with a lot of what you can only called overt fascism. Great to know that this will be “sensible politics” in about five years. We also read a paean to Nigel Farage’s f**kability. Of course it’s in the Spectator, but you are simply not prepared for it.

If you want access t...

The Reverse Kennedy feat. Ciarán Dold

For this week's bonus, we're talking EU elections and weird European politics with Corner Späti's Ciarán Dold. Learn about Ursula Von Der Leyen's anti-wolf vendetta, Cypriot Mr. Beast somehow getting a parliamentary seat, the hypothetical return of François Hollande in a move they're calling Opposite Day PASOK, and Riley's conjecture about a maneuver known only as the Reverse Kennedy. It's a whole lot!

Check out Corner Späti at their website, which has the best URL in history: 2024-06-19 23:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Montessori Arms Company feat. Priyanka Raval

It's the free one!

For this week’s free one, we’re talking about a Thiel-funded startup to invent future guns that is apparently run by a 9-year-old. We’re also talking about AI Steve, the strange but 100 percent not made up story of a guy who’s claiming he’ll make an AI chatbot and represent its views in parliament if elected. However, we’ve also got an interview segment where Riley speaks with Priyanka Raval of the Bristol Cable about the parliamentary sea...

Another Something is Possible feat. Ettingermentum

For this week's bonus, we're joined by US politics observer Josh (@ettingermentum), who runs the Ettingermentum newsletter. We're talking Bidenism, Starmerism, Bidenism Without Biden, the UK now having two parties who refuse to govern, Third Way guys advising the Labour Party on how to be more right-wing, and much more.

Check out Josh's newsletter here: 2024-06-13 22:57:41 +0000 UTC View Post

All That Is South Melts Into Park ft. Josh Boerman

Josh (@Boshj) from The Worst of All Possible Worlds joins the gang to discuss the Humane AI Pin's latest new feature (gets really hot), Lars Windhorst's latest personal update ("I am not on the run"), and the return of Nigel Farage to frontline politics. Then, for our main discussion - a hot new company that intends to be the Netflix of AI, but that so far is only able to make different iterations of South Park.

Check out The ...

The Half Lives of Others

We continue to follow the election with stony faced horror, as the decision is put to the country: “which group of sociopathic bigots do you want to be in charge of pushing the nuclear button, which they have promised to push”? Then, a reading from the Tony Blair Institute on their plan to circumvent the need for democracy by creating a new, digital England entirely under their control.

EDINBURGH LIVE SHOW ALERT We're going to be live at Monkey Barrel ...

Fire Sale at the Accountability Store feat. Dan Davies

It's the free one!

For this week’s free episode, we’re joined by returning guest and author Dan Davies, whose recent book “The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind” inspired a discussion of bad AI getting used at the DWP, the post-1970s shareholder revolution, and an incident involving Dutch airport cargo handlers managing to somehow deliver a horrible fate to a box full of squirrels. We very muc...

Britainology 84: Fred Dibnah (feat. Gareth Dennis)

For this month's second Britainology, we brought on friend of the show Gareth Dennis to talk about Fred Dibnah, a man out of time. We watched the 1979 BBC short film FRED DIBNAH, STEEPLEJACK and regaled in its weird ambiance. This may be the most concentrated shot of Britainology we've ever encountered.

Check out Gareth's show Rail Natter here! https://www.youtube.com/c/GarethDennisTV

American Herstory X feat. Jathan Sadowski

Jathan Sadowski of This Machine Kills podcast joins the gang to talk about the “new” generation of AI models announced by Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and others - all of which seem to want to imitate the movie Her. The value proposition of this to a normal person is unclear.

EDINBURGH LIVE SHOW ALERT We're going to be live at Monkey Barrel comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe on August 14, and you can get tickets here: 2024-05-30 18:45:47 +0000 UTC View Post

Shrimp Jesus the Redeemer feat. Jason Koebler

It's the free one!

The cast joins guest Jason Koebler of 404 Media to discuss the recent downward spiral of Facebook, a platform currently being destroyed by AI and a total lack of content moderation that cannot admit the causes of its crisis because it, too, is dumping money into AI. And yet it is among the notionally most valuable companies on earth. But don’t worry—if you die, your account can be hacked and used to post spam bot comments on the worst art you’ve...

Blood Boy Jail Island

For this week's bonus, it's Riley, Milo, Hussein, and November discussing the recent news about ICC arrest warrants (and US/UK politicians statements about wanting to bomb the Netherlands as a result), but we're also discussing a very strange UK business claiming it's going to build a sort of British Neom in a Napoleonic-era fortress in Dover. That was also a borstal and a refugee deportation centre. You can't deny it's on-brand for this sceptered isle.

EDINBURGH LIVE SHOW ALERT...