For this week's bonus, we discuss the UK ending all COVID testing, the NYT/Serial 'Trojan Horse Affair' podcast making British columnists lose their minds, an update on Roku's hilarious financial peril, and a long rumination on what would happen if Keir Starmer took Julia Fox on a date. We hope you enjoy. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62964279 *LIVE SHOW ALERT* We will be doing a live show in London on Wednesday, March 2. Get your tickets here! https://www....
Feb 25, 2022•10 min•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Nate and Hussein speak with Brian Reed and Hamza Syed of the Trojan Horse Affair podcast, an investigation into a hoax letter in Birmingham in 2014 that–despite being known to be false–kicked off an intensification of surveillance and mistreatment of British Muslims. And everyone knew it was fake at the time! It is the official position of Trashfuture that you listen to the Trojan Horse Affair, which is available here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/podcasts/trojan-horse-aff...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast We speak with Q Anon Anonymous U.K. correspondent Annie Kelly about how, far from being fringe whackos, the lumpen petit bourgeois wingnuts that meet on telegram and gather outside Parliament are central to the right wing project. Also, we read Starmer’s baffling paean to NATO. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62691536 *LIVE SHOW ALERT* We will be doing a live show in London on Wednesday, March 2. Get your tickets here! https://www.designmynight.com/london/wha...
Feb 18, 2022•11 min•Ep 498•Transcript available on Metacast Gareth Dennis ( @GarethDennis ) of Rail Natter returns to our hallowed halls to talk about, among other things, the decision to put the capital’s transport network into “managed decline,” so we can enjoy the standards of infrastructure currently only available to exotic places like “Italy” or “Quebec.” Also, a Foxtons for the Metaverse. Check out Rail Natter here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzA-8fUrw2C5cRcP9gO5BwA If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free epi...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 496•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Nate and Milo are joined by Paul Ewart ( @paulewart23 ) of the University of Sussex to discuss Margaret Thatcher and how she changed Britain (pretty much solely for the worse!) And guess what: none of those effects are felt today, in any way. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62438141 *LIVE SHOW ALERT* We will be doing a live show in London on Wednesday, March 2. Get your tickets here! https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/comedy/trashfuture-...
Feb 14, 2022•10 min•Ep 497•Transcript available on Metacast In this special extra segment, Nate interviews Sam Asumadu from Media Diversified ( @WritersOfColour ) about the phenomenon of Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPPs), a now-banned sentence that has resulted in thousands of British residents effectively receiving life sentences for acts as minor as stealing a mobile phone at age 17. Sam’s written an article on the topic for OpenDemocracy, which is available here: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/families-plea-over-ba...
Feb 13, 2022•41 min•Ep 495•Transcript available on Metacast We speak with technology critic Evgeny Morozov about the history of ideas like “Web 2,” “Web 3,” and who these ideas serve and how - and what a better web may look like. Check out Evgeny's 'The Syllabus' project here: https://www.the-syllabus.com Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62393298 *MILO ALERT* Milo has a bunch of live shows this month in both London and Prague. Check them out here: https://www.miloedwards.co.uk/live-shows *WEB DESIGN ALERT* Tom Allen is...
Feb 11, 2022•11 min•Ep 494•Transcript available on Metacast We speak with Phil Burton-Cartledge ( @philbc ) about his book, Falling Down, about the sociology of the U.K. Conservative party. How is it to be understood? What are its weaknesses? But first, we look into a number of chickens that appear to have come home to roost in the Labour Party. Riley Quinn: And also, of course, we talk about a ludicrous Web3 Project. Buy Phil’s book here! https://www.versobooks.com/books/3851-fal If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free e...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep 493•Transcript available on Metacast Riley sits down for a discussion of the implications of the upcoming Health and Care Act for the NHS with Dr Allyson Pollock and Peter Roderick from Newcastle University, and tries to get to the heart of the question: what do we mean when we talk about “privatising the NHS.”
Feb 04, 2022•32 min•Ep 492•Transcript available on Metacast We review the further state of institutional rot in the U.K., where a lot of our most prominent dunces are feigning surprise that the met police, EHRC, etc., may simply have been rotten all along. Also, we review Ark’s Big Ideas Summit, which is essentially a kind of Autonomous Cars for Christ pamphlet. Get the whole thing on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62033688 *MILO ALERT* Milo has a bunch of live shows this month in both London and Prague. Check them out here: https://www.milo...
Feb 04, 2022•13 min•Ep 491•Transcript available on Metacast We look at the shape of the (contracting) frontiers of politics and (expanding) frontiers cooked up in the minds of our most addled billionaires. Let Mark Zuckerberg make a skinwalker out of you, let Elon Musk put your brain into a tunnel, but try to work a little less and - as the British state always does - then "we got problems." 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* Milo...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep 490•Transcript available on Metacast Our politics and economy has once again found itself hitting the bottom of a large hole - and their solution is to dig up! We revisit some troubling developments at our old friends Netflix, Peloton, and THG, then we read an article about sending in a hot British general to fix up Downing Street. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61694831 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: https:/...
Jan 28, 2022•11 min•Ep 489•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve brought on Jonathan Bernhardt ( @jonbernhardt ) of Patch Notes podcast to discuss Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We discuss Activision’s super-villain CEO, the dismal state of its business at present, and what ‘metaverse’ fixations mean for the future of gaming. We also discuss a terrible security-state startup and subject Jonathan to Britain. Enjoy! If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign ...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep 488•Transcript available on Metacast We retvrn to tradition (we unwound by watching a recent-era Guy Ritchie movie). Geezer Hugh Grant, Eddie Marsan gets romantic with a pig, and everyone is really upset about… dealing weed? Journey with us into the mind of a confused old man, as we review THE GENTLEMEN. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61387407
Jan 21, 2022•10 min•Ep 487•Transcript available on Metacast 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 establishment against Boris Johnson. If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of fre...
Jan 18, 2022•59 min•Ep 486•Transcript available on Metacast 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.patreon.com/posts/61171998 If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internally displ...
Jan 15, 2022•10 min•Ep 485•Transcript available on Metacast (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 another terrible start-up. Get the whole episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61083621 I...
Jan 14, 2022•11 min•Ep 484•Transcript available on Metacast 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, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep 483•Transcript available on Metacast 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 displaced people, consider donating to Afghanaid: https://www.afghanaid.org.uk/ *WEB DESIGN ALERT* Tom Allen...
Jan 04, 2022•11 min•Ep 482•Transcript available on Metacast 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 2 of this episode is available now on the Patreon—get it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/6069890...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 481•Transcript available on Metacast 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.com/posts/60399655 You can also now hear the Grand Designs episode (featuring Alice) on the $5 tier: ...
Dec 29, 2021•11 min•Ep 480•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Britainology, (1 episode a month on the $5 tier, 2 a month on the $10 tier), sign up here: https://...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep 479•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ALERT* Tom Allen is a friend of the show (and the designer behind our website). If you need web desi...
Dec 27, 2021•10 min•Ep 478•Transcript available on Metacast 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. *NOTICE* If you enjoy this episode then you should run, not walk, to pre-order THE VERIFIERS here: http...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 477•Transcript available on Metacast 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. We also talk about the recent byelection in North Shropshire. Hope you enjoy! If you want access to ...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 476•Transcript available on Metacast 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 part really captures something ineffably British. Hope you enjoy! Get the whole episode on Pat...
Dec 17, 2021•10 min•Ep 475•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Sounds great to us! We also address the British politics moment surrounding the 2020 Christmas part...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep 474•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59754709 *WEB DESIGN ALERT* Tom Allen is a friend of th...
Dec 11, 2021•11 min•Ep 473•Transcript available on Metacast 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 political future. Buy Amelia's book here! https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745340913/lost-in-work/ Get the...
Dec 10, 2021•11 min•Ep 472•Transcript available on Metacast 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: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture If you’re in the UK and want to help Afghan refugees and internal...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 471•Transcript available on Metacast 
