Life and Art from FT Weekend

This weekend, we learn about AI-generated art. Type any sentence, such as “Sea otter with a pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer” into a website, and you’ll get an uncanny visual approximation created entirely by AI — with no input from humans. Our gaming critic Tom Faber joins Lilah to explore what impact it could have on human creativity. Then, we talk about deep winter cooking with the chefs behind our food column: Honey and Co. Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer give us tons of ideas, from soup to shanks to citrus salads.-------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links: – Tom’s magazine cover, ‘The Golden Age of AI-generated art is here’, including AI-generated images: https://on.ft.com/3CIlY3V – You can make your own AI art at openai.com/dall-e-2. FT readers have submitted some great ones here: https://on.ft.com/3iztEOV – Honey and Co’s latest recipe, a delicious tomato and rice soup with basil oil: https://on.ft.com/3GDpg9w – Cabbage stuffed with beef, rice and prunes: https://on.ft.com/3W1xJZP – Winter jams, spreads and chutneys: https://on.ft.com/3kdK4ge– A collection of citrus recipes, from treacle-cured salmon to lemon fizz: https://on.ft.com/3X8zNk9 – Their cookbooks are called Honey and Co the cookbook, Honey and Co at home, Golden (which has baking recipes), and Chasing Smoke: cooking over fire around the levant– Tom is on Twitter @_TomFaber. Itamar and Sarit are on Instagram @honeyandco.-------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we learn about the secret lives of women spies. Our colleague Helen Warrell got exclusive access to the women at the top ranks of Britain’s MI6 agency. For the first time, they reveal what it’s like to be a woman in espionage, and how pop culture – from James Bond to John le Carré novels – has made it harder for MI6 to recruit a diverse team of spies. Then, we’re joined by behavioural economist and friend of the podcast Tim Harford, who – just in time for your New Year's resolutions – makes a compelling case for learning when it’s time to quit.-------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links: – Helen’s exclusive story trailing the women at the top of MI6: https://on.ft.com/3Im2962 – Helen is on Twitter @HelenWarrell – Tim’s column on why quitting is underrated: https://on.ft.com/3vEBVnx – Tim’s podcast is called Cautionary Tales and he’s on Twitter @TimHarford-------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our last episode of the year, and our annual predictions episode for 2023! Lilah is joined by FT Magazine editor Matt Vella to talk through listener call-ins, from dog trends to speed dating to what White Lotus says about the end of the world. Matt and Lilah also add some hopes, dreams and guesses of their own. Then, FT editors and journalists share their predictions for what will happen in art, fashion, music, tech and more.-------We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links: – Matt is on Twitter @mattvella. You also heard from fashion editor Lauren Indvik (@laureni), arts editor Jan Dalley, music critic Arwa Haider (@ArwaHaider), deputy arts editor Raphael Abraham (@RaphAbraham), and San Francisco correspondent Patrick McGee (@PatrickMcGee_)– Raph’s film recommendations are Aftersun (2022, out now), directed by Charlotte Wells. The Fabelmans (January 2023), directed by Stephen Spielberg and Alcarràs (January 2023), directed by Carla Simón–Here’s Raph’s interview with Aftersun director Charlotte Wells: https://on.ft.com/3Twlweq –A column from Jan on how rich bashing is back, onscreen, with White Lotus: https://on.ft.com/3UaFX18 –Lauren has a new excellent newsletter on the business of the $2.5tn fashion industry, called Fashion Matters. Subscribe here: https://on.ft.com/3Xa4Nk5 – A full list of FT columnists’ predictions for 2023 will be published on the FT’s website at the end of this month-------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco-------Clip courtesy of HBORead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk through the most compelling technology being developed to combat climate change, with FT business columnist and climate expert Pilita Clark. And there’s a big debate among scientists: should we focus on older technology, such as solar and wind, or the latest innovations like direct carbon capture and even nuclear fusion? Then, wine columnist Jancis Robinson gives Lilah her holiday drink recommendations, and discusses one of the year's most controversial trends: canned and boxed wine. According to Jancis, we should be taking it seriously. —----You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:– Listen to the latest season of Tech Tonic, hosted by Pilita here https://www.ft.com/tech-tonic, or wherever you get your podcasts– Pilita’s columns are https://www.ft.com/pilita-clark– the latest from Jancis at the FT: https://www.ft.com/life-arts/jancis-robinson– Jancis has her own very active website at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/. It features her brand new podcast: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/we-launch-podcast– Pilita is on Twitter @pilitaclark. Jancis is at @jancisrobinson. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk about the Benin Bronzes, a group of sacred artefacts stolen by British colonisers from the west African Kingdom of Benin. Guest host Lulu Smyth speaks to Aanu Adeoye and Josh Spero, who have been reporting on the efforts to trace thousands of them. For years western museums, which hold the bulk of the Benin Bronzes, refused to collect and share inventory, meaning they could not be returned to Nigeria. Now, a new digital project is doing just that. Then, it’s the first of our ‘boring topic’ challenges. We talk to author Benjamin Lorr about supermarkets and their secret – and not-so-secret – ways to lure us in.—----Tell us your cultural prediction for 2022! You can record a voice message here: https://sayhi.chat/jzdg3If you prefer, you can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:– Aanu and Josh’s story, ‘The Benin Bronzes and the road to restitution’: https://www.ft.com/content/1b32105e-428a-49e8-b2f2-d3ba381c4c65 – Digital Benin can be explored here: https://digitalbenin.org/ – The song we played is Egbo: The Song of Praise for Oba Eware, by Roseline Obogdu. You can listen to it here: https://digitalbenin.org/oral-history#filter_none&interview_7  – Aanu is on Twitter @aanuadeoye. Josh is at @joshspero. – Benjamin Lorr’s book is The Secret Lives of Groceries. – You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenjaminLorr.‘Egbo: Song of Praise for Oba Eware’ by Roseline Ogbodu, is courtesy of Digital Benin. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we return to one of our favourite episodes. We go searching for the Hum, a mysterious noise that has plagued the residents of Halifax, West Yorkshire. It’s an uncomfortable, low-frequency sound that has also been heard in towns across the world, from New Mexico to Ontario to Scotland. The FT's Imogen West-Knights tells us that it's mostly heard by middle-aged women. So is it a real noise, an imaginary illness, or both?-------Tell us your cultural prediction for 2022! You can record a voice message here: https://sayhi.chat/jzdg3 If you prefer, you can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:–Imogen West Knights on the mystery of the hum: https://on.ft.com/3pe43ve– The FT’s Best Books of the Year series is now available to read across the FT: https://www.ft.com/content/2dd61d03-13ac-4278-8214-678c1d9a33c1  -------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast -------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth and final episode of our special mini-series on travel, Lilah talks with Matt Kepnes, the creator of the popular travel blog Nomadic Matt. Matt has been traveling the globe for nearly 20 years, and he’s written about it in his books How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad. Over the years, Matt has amassed a knowledge of all the best ways to see the world without spending a fortune. And on this episode, he shares those tips and more.--------------Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.--------------Links:– Matt is on Twitter and Instagram at @NomadicMatt– The Nomadic Matt blog: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/ – Matt on how to earn points by paying your rent: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/bilt-rewards-review/ – 11 cheap places to travel on the US dollar: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-places-to-visit-on-the-us-dollar/ – The flight deal websites Matt recommends are Scott's Cheap Flights and Holiday Pirates -------------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50 per cent off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast--------------This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we learn why we love the music we love. Lilah speaks with Susan Rogers, who was a recording engineer for Prince on albums such as ‘Purple Rain’. Now she's a neuroscientist who has studied what music does to the brain. Her book, 'This Is What It Sounds Like', helps us make sense of our own musical preferences. Susan joins us to listen to some music and explain how it affects us. Why is Despacito one of the most listened to songs of all time? Why does one person love techno, and another just not care? Then, ahead of the FT's Books of the Year special, our literary editors Fred Studemann and Laura Battle come on to share their personal favourite fiction books from 2022. -------Tell us your cultural prediction for 2022! You can record a voice message here: https://sayhi.chat/jzdg3If you prefer, you can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:– Susan’s book is called This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You: https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/ – Here’s the Spotify playlist, which you should listen to while reading the book: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5FwghDk8f8jgJdGPIF1RNM– Fred is on Twitter @frederick65. Laura is on Twitter @battlelaura– The FT Books of the Year will be published across the FT on 26th November Books mentioned by Fred and Laura:– Trust by Hernan Diaz. FT review: https://on.ft.com/3GkYZOW– Iron Curtain by Vesna Goldsworthy. FT review: https://on.ft.com/3OfuYBT– The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li. FT review: https://on.ft.com/3tCvtg7– Punishment by Ferdinand von Schirach– Grand: Becoming My Mother’s Daughter by Noelle McCarthy – A Sort of Life by Graham Greene, in Slightly Foxed Magazine– Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self by Andrea Wulf – An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong-------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco-------Clips courtesy of Universal Music, DFA/Virgin / Parlophone, and Warner Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third episode of our special mini-series on travel, Lilah talks with our travel editor, Tom Robbins. Tom is an expert on the tourism industry. We discuss the biggest trends in travel, and he gives us an honest account of where we are today: how social media has changed the places we visit, how governments are dealing with over-tourism, and how James Bond helped make Iceland cool.--------------Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.--------------Links:– Tom is on Twitter at @TRtravels– 2022 travel predictions: https://www.ft.com/content/f90a73bc-1dbb-472a-bb05-4977728dc3fe – Skiing the Dolomites in a day: https://www.ft.com/content/8b02efc0-45e6-42dd-96c5-ef9d82301df7– Deep in the woods, a ski retreat that’s straight from a fairytale: https://www.ft.com/content/868c1b97-ff9d-4502-8244-467dfb5677f1– Video: a pilgrimage to Europe’s highest hotel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT583c2E1Vc– This winter’s most exciting ski destination: Albania’s Accursed Mountains: https://www.ft.com/content/3f1e25cf-3aac-4c6b-9dc3-4952a02095d1– More on Bhutan’s tourist tax https://www.ft.com/content/9baed03d-ce88-4023-a656-52e772d7864d – One of the most remote places to visit in the world: https://www.ft.com/content/b88abb8d-6383-48f4-95db-3c0dda12ff7c– On overtourism: https://www.ft.com/content/fd66019e-d960-4187-968f-ca2206081f30 – Glamping in Greenland: https://www.ft.com/content/e5314b60-e1e9-11e8-8e70-5e22a430c1ad -------------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50 per cent off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast--------------This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we speak to legendary chef Eric Ripert on the 50th anniversary of his restaurant Le Bernardin, possibly the most consistently critically beloved restaurant in the world. Keeping a restaurant relevant over time takes work and constant change. More than 30 years in, he tells us what it takes to lead a lasting institution. Then, FT Weekend editor Alec Russell and senior editor Horatia Harrod join Lilah to talk comedy. As comedians navigate artistic expression, respect, and where to draw the line onstage, we explore what makes something funny today.-------Tell us your cultural prediction! You can record a voice message here: https://sayhi.chat/jzdg3-------Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:– Eric has a PBS series called Avec Eric and a delightful video series called Get Toasted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NefJDmTgX08– Eric’s three books are the cookbooks Vegetable Simple and the Le Bernardin Cookbook, and the memoir 32 Yolks– Lilah’s piece on comedy: https://on.ft.com/3G5WDmJ– Alec is on Twitter @alecurussell. Horatia is on Twitter @horatiaharrod-------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.