We've found another terrible startup: a billion-dollar-valuation 'plastic recycling' venture that is too dangerous to actually work (but would absolve the oil industry of any need to change its business model). It operates via a concept called shuggling. It also has yet again involved a promised factory in Ohio that will never exist. Prepare to get shuggled. If you'd like to hear the full episode, get it on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56489822 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afgh...
Sep 23, 2021•11 min•Ep 440•Transcript available on Metacast Ciaran ( @ciarandold ) and Nick ( @sternburgpapi ) from Corner Spaeti ( @cornerspaeti ) join the gang to discuss the upcoming federal election in Germany, and then we go deep on Europe's most embarrassing party of nerds: "Volt!" If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Af...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep 439•Transcript available on Metacast This month's $5 Britainology involves Milo forcing Nate to watch an incredibly awkward episode of I'm Alan Partridge and then helping him talk him off the ledge. We also explore how Partridge is not all that exaggerated a version of a British radio DJ, replete with some Richard Madeley and Jeremy Vine all-time classics. If you want to hear the whole thing, sign up on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56356365 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced peop...
Sep 19, 2021•11 min•Ep 438•Transcript available on Metacast For this week's bonus, Milo, Nate, and Alice watched the 1995 Kathryn Bigelow film STRANGE DAYS, in which Ray Fiennes is a lovelorn memory-salesman hawking minidiscs that let you experience other people's consciousness. It's a bizarre document from the time in which its made, it's a film with cult status in certain quarters, and it posits the notion that to get over your problems, you need Angela Bassett to kick your ass. Hope you enjoy! Get the full episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon....
Sep 16, 2021•11 min•Ep 437•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’ve got a real doozy for you: a bad startup, some Labour kremlinology, and an examination of supply chain shortages in the UK because our government are some of the dumbest people to ever breathe air. Did you know that when your taxes go up to fund privatization and pocket-stuffing, that’s actually communism? You heard it here first. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/t...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep 436•Transcript available on Metacast We're back. Yes, we did another live show at Vauxhall Comedy Club in London, and we discussed a startup that wants to make a mattress that can do DDOS attacks. We also read a Telegraph article about the decline of the West. It's Riley, Milo, Hussein, Nate, and special guest Phoebe Roy. You'll love it! Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55930664 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: https://www.afgh...
Sep 09, 2021•11 min•Ep 435•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we learn the story of the Diapers dot com billionaire who wants to build a utopian city in the desert based on the principles of Georgism. Does this sound like The Line? Well, it’s been compared to it by the same credulous weirdos who love that, too. Also, a startup! If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and in...
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep 434•Transcript available on Metacast Bill Corbett ( @BillCorbett ) of Rifftrax and MST3K joins the gang to discuss a strange film - the documentary made by failed London mayoral candidate and three time piss drinker, Brian Rose. It's all about how Ayahuasca can motivate you to save the world with the perfect conference of youtubers. Get the whole thing on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55692104 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: https://...
Sep 02, 2021•11 min•Ep 433•Transcript available on Metacast We spoke with OnlyFans creator Carta Monir ( @CartaMonir ) about the platform's decision (and subsequent reversal) regarding explicit content, and the American Evangelical Right's "not so long" march through the institutions of culture. But first, a startup! If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced p...
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep 432•Transcript available on Metacast What if Black Mirror did This Is Us? What if your kid wanted to upload themselves to their dang phone? What if a Lib Dem wrote one of the worst TV dramas to ever exist? All of this, and more, in the TF review of Years and Years (episodes 1 and 2). We hope it doesn't count as a spoiler alert to say it is bad. We've reviewed episodes 1-5 on the Patreon, and they are available here if you want more of this series. Episodes 3-4: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52033425 Episode 5: https://www.patreon.c...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 431•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Alice joins Nate and Milo to discuss the British reality TV show 'Grand Designs,' in which insane people decide to sacrifice it all to build the house of their dreams. Does it sometimes go okay? Sure. But most of the time, it's a slow-motion wreck with dyspeptic commentary from what we might describe as architecture Jeremy Clarkson. Enjoy! Get the full episode on the $10 tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55341043 Our Falklands episode of Britainology has been unlocked to the fr...
Aug 28, 2021•11 min•Ep 430•Transcript available on Metacast On this unlocked Britainology we are joined by Alice to discuss the 1982 Falklands War. Why has it permanently lodged in the psyche of the Boomers? Why do people care about these rocks in the middle of the South Atlantic? Why did a British task force commander decide to explode himself in order to dislodge a machine gun position? You will be able to learn all of this and more by listening. If you want more Britainology, you can get one per month (along with regular bonus episodes) for $5 a month...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep 429•Transcript available on Metacast Our friend @idahobones joins the gang for a discussion of how tech-inflected insurance companies dream of a heavily surveillance life for all, and also to revisit an old friend of the show, Softbank’s very own Lemonade! Prepare yourself for the revelation. Get the whole thing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55340989 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/ *MILO ALERT* see Milo pe...
Aug 26, 2021•11 min•Ep 428•Transcript available on Metacast Alice and Riley speak with returning guest, journalist Arron Merat ( @a_merat ), reflecting on twenty years of cruelty and institutional failure on the part of the British state and its bloody imperial adventure in Afghanistan. We look deeper into the domestic pressures, economic and psychological, that made this all happen, and look at some of the attempts to actively forget what we have been doing If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful D...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep 427•Transcript available on Metacast This week we explore the phenomenon of 2000s Indie Rock (and the endless succession of bands that seemed to go nowhere) with two long-suffering veterans of the scene: Fred Macpherson (of the bands Spector, Les Incompétents, and and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man ) and music journalist Oscar Rickett. It's a lot of bad memories but it wouldn't be Britainology if we didn't dredge them up! To hear the whole episode, sign up to the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55141246 Please consider donating to charit...
Aug 20, 2021•10 min•Ep 426•Transcript available on Metacast It's time for episode 5 of the series we're un-affectionately calling Lib Dem Children of Men. That's right, it's Russell T Davies' populism dystopia 'Years & Years,' and we've brought on Devon from Da Youtube Zone and the Kill James Bond podcast to discuss. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55067991 Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian people here: https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/palestine-emergency-appeal/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3oja5NbR8AIV...
Aug 19, 2021•10 min•Ep 425•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Nate, Milo, Alice, and Hussein speak with journalist Alex Yablon ( @alexyablon ) about a US program in 2020 where the Federal Reserve leant money to municipalities --and the possibility of cutting out market-based austerity, if we want it. We also check in on Lordstown Motors and read a deeply insane ‘philosophy’ piece about why we should welcome a meteor. Sign up to Alex’s newsletter on Ghost here! https://alex-yablon.ghost.io If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early r...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep 424•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we've brought on Noah Suarez-Sikes ( @noahpasaran ) from the DSA Los Angeles-Hollywood Labor group. We discuss unionisation drives in Hollywood, why capital concentration is making films worse, the conditions for non-star workers in the US film industry, and an app that's going to redefine your biological age. It is a good time! To hear the entire episode, get it on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/54803790 Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian people here: h...
Aug 13, 2021•11 min•Ep 423•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Riley, Milo, Alice, and Hussein join special guest Alex Press ( @alexnpress ) of Jacobin magazine and the Primer podcast ( @primerpod ) about the Stratford Orb, another union-busting app, and the news that the Amazon union election has to do a re-run (and the Teamsters are getting involved!). You will enjoy this. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture Please consi...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep 422•Transcript available on Metacast We brought on Dan Boeckner, musician from the bands Wolf Parade and Operators, podcaster with Riley from the show Bottlemen, to discuss a 1977 spy thriller called 'Cumbernauld HIT' set in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Except it was funded by the local council to promote Cumbernauld, using the film as a promo for the New Town and all its drab concrete labyrinth glory. Here is the spirit of Labourism, a new model community where society is building a new man who, crucially, does not jack off. Watch the f...
Aug 05, 2021•11 min•Ep 421•Transcript available on Metacast A great happening has come to London. A marker of power has arisen. Fell deeds awake as we enter the era of the Mound. Also, James Meadway ( @meadwaj ) returns to discuss the fading of the neoliberal paradigm and it’s replacement with something different and worse. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian people here: h...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep 420•Transcript available on Metacast This is perhaps something of a combination of Britainology and a regular TF episode in which we've brought on Matt Edwards, Milo's (much) older brother, who worked as a foreign exchange trader in London brokerages in the 1990s. We learn about the geezer-rific work environment of a bunch of guys yelling into a phone about numbers, some of the antics they got up to, what's changed since, and--perhaps on a more serious note--Matt's personal experience with what happened in Greece post-2008, a count...
Jul 31, 2021•10 min•Ep 419•Transcript available on Metacast We're at it again. Nate and Milo have reviewed the 1968 film CARRY ON UP THE KHYBER for yet another Britainology, and this one is a real laser-focused look at this absurd island. Why is it so horny? Why is everything a double entendre? Is this really the nation that once ruled the waves? You be the judge -- hope you enjoy! If you want more Britainology, you can get 2 episodes a month on the $10 tier, or one episode a month on the $5 tier. Sign up on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfut...
Jul 31, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep 418•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we're speaking with Dwight Rhinosoros ( @rhinosoros ) of the Eat the Rich podcast ( @eattherichpod ) about the Bezos/Branson 'space race,' all the fawning coverage surrounding it, and an app that wants to give you helpful reminders at work. You will enjoy this. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/54233474 Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian people here: https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/palestine-emergency-appeal/?gclid=EAIaIQobCh...
Jul 29, 2021•11 min•Ep 417•Transcript available on Metacast We chatted to two riders with the German grocery delivery app Gorillas all about their unionisation drive, and their boss’s strange obsession with fire magic. Also, Maureen Dowd is a tech writer now and she’s been buffaloed by Silicon Valley’s resident “dad CEO” Dara Khosrowshahi. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture Follow the Gorillas workers here: https://twitter.com/Go...
Jul 27, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep 416•Transcript available on Metacast We sat down with Jason Prado from the Drivers Cooperative in New York City to talk about how rideshare drivers are taking matters into their own hands in the fight against Uber, and have created a competing worker owned platform. But first, we have a ludicrous startup and a few fun news items to cover (including yet another supposedly "driverless" car, where it turned out to be just a guy in there). Support the the Driver's Co-op here! https://wefunder.com/driverscoop To hear the full episode, s...
Jul 22, 2021•11 min•Ep 415•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Riley, Milo, and Alice join special guest Owen Hatherley ( @owenhatherley ) of Tribune Magazine to discuss Barratt Homes: what is the deal with new-build housing in the UK? Why is it of such uniformly bad quality? And why has this become pretty much the only real new construction of homes in this country? Also in this episode: another re-discovered song from Johannes Vonk and the Clogheads. Owen’s new collection Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances: Finding a Home in the Ruins o...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep 414•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that the City of London, the small mini-enclave that dates back to Roman times, is a separate state entity that predates the United Kingdom by hundreds of years? And that its special status makes it basically immune to disclosure rules and financial oversight? Well, sort of. Riley steps in to explain The Land of the Weird Bollards and much more. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53771038 Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian peo...
Jul 16, 2021•10 min•Ep 413•Transcript available on Metacast All riffs, no plot, no prior planning, and a long digression about a dog with a huge dick. It's Balthasar Speedboat yet again, this time featuring Riley, Milo, Olga, and friend of the show Nish Kumar. You will enjoy it! And you will learn a lot about Canadian malls. Get the full episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53697681 Please consider donating to charities helping Palestinian people here: https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/palestine-emergency-appeal/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3oja5NbR8A...
Jul 15, 2021•11 min•Ep 412•Transcript available on Metacast This week, it’s Riley, Milo, Alice, and Nate discussing a startup that will make it even easier for you to not own a home, the dreaded ‘football situation’ in England, the UK government’s plans to end all COVID distancing measures, and a dicey situation in the US state of Maine involving self-declared MILFs. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture Please consider donating to ...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep 411•Transcript available on Metacast 
