The 9pm Edict

The spring series grinds on — and I do mean grinds — with friend of the pod, satirist Mark Humphries.In this episode we do talk about the thing that happened last week — the Trump thing — but we also talk about edible underwear, North Korean soldiers, British comedians Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, and Steve Coogan, whether straight people can do camp, and pixellated genitals.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00234/Please consider supporting this podcast through this season’s crowdfunder, The 9pm Summer Series 2024, by 5 December:https://the9pmedict.com/summer2024If you miss that deadline:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

As the spring series continues we're joined by Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous to talk about the thing that happened in The America this week — but also much more.In this episode we talk about Australia's plans to ban under-16s from social media,  a selection of animals to turn into jerky, Macaulay Culkin, British religious history, and why violence sometimes isn't wrong.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00233/Please consider supporting this podcast:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

As regular listeners to the Edict will know, I reckon Australians should know more about the other nations in our region. So our special guest today is journalist Erin Cook, who covers South-East Asia, and we're talking Indonesia and Thailand. Mostly.Erin produces the excellent newsletter “Dari Mulut ke Mulut”, an English-language summary of what's happening in the region.https://darimulut.beehiiv.comIn this episode we talk about Indonesia's soon-to-be president Prabowo Subianto and the nation's plans to move the capital from Jakarta to the new city of Nusantara. We attempt to give you an introduction to the complicated and often amusing politics of Thailand. And we take a side journey into the politics of Myanmar and two varieties of popular music.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00232/Please consider supporting this podcast:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

The spring series of the Edict kicks off properly with our first special guest and it's David Gerard, co-editor of the newsletter Pivot to AI. So guess what we talk about.Yes, in this episode we talk about artificial intelligence. Specifically, we test out Google's NotebookLM podcast creator, we discuss why the much-promoted AI utopia won't happen, we put the idea of a robot uprising into its cultural context, and much more.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00231/Please consider supporting this podcast:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It's more or less the start of the spring series as Stilgherrian vents about three more things that got on his wick this week. He also plugs his current crowdfunding campaign, because of course he does.In this episode he talks about the shoddy journalism of the US presidential campaign, the problems of artificial intelligence, and his disturbing dreams.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00230/Please consider supporting this podcast via the current crowdfunder:https://the9pmedict.com/spring2024If you miss the deadline of 19 September:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

With so much news about social media in Australia right now, I thought I'd wrap up the winter series by speaking with Professor Axel Bruns from the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology.In this episode we discuss whether anything can replace what was Twitter, Australia's News Media Bargaining Code and Meta refusing to pay for news content, age restrictions for social media, the arrest of Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov, and why filter bubbles really aren't a thing.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00229/Please consider supporting this podcast via the current crowdfunder:https://the9pmedict.com/spring2024If you miss the deadline of 19 September:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It's time for another podcast about space, so we're joined once again by astrophysicist Rami Mandow, founder of SpaceAustralia.com.In this episode we talk about what may be a new kind of pulsar, the cancellation of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, three ways in which the solar system is being a jerk, Japanese folklore (no really), those astronauts who are definitely not "stuck" or "stranded" on the International Space Station because NASA says they're not, and the ZWO Seestar S50 smart telescope.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00228/Please consider supporting this podcast with a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Victorian-era Melbourne had a thriving sex industry, and the flashiest of the flash madams was Caroline Hodgson, aka Madame Brussels. My guest today is Barbara Minchinton, author of the new book, Madame Brussels: The Life and Times of Melbourne's Most Notorious Woman.In this episode we talk about Madame Brussels' life in the context of Victorian-era Melbourne. We cover sectarian disapproval her so-called "mixed marriage", some of the myths surrounding her, and the do-gooders who tried to shut her down.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00227/Please consider supporting this podcast with a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Have you ever been a victim of cybercrime? I know I have. I bet you have too. So let’s talk about that now with Dr Miranda Bruce from UNSW Canberra, because she's been working on the World Cybercrime Index.In this episode we talk about the types of cybercrime and its different characteristics around the world, cybercrime factories and human trafficking, and how law enforcement agencies' views about their role all this  role seem to different those of us ordinary citizens.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00226/Please consider supporting this podcast with a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Finally the real special guests start hitting the Edict's winter series. It's Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous. We do touch upon the recent UK election results, but there's much, much more.In this episode we talk about Armando Iannucci, lacerated ears, magic shoes, serial killers, haggis smuggling from Kenya, the weight of a teaspoon of sugar. and other things.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00225/Please consider supporting this podcast with a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/