The 9pm Edict

No, we're not really on ketamine. But as the spring series continues we're going sideways with a bonus episode featuring my good friend Snarky Platypus and many, many topics.In this episode we talk about robot whales, the secrets of Dinosaur Club, Australia's proposed social media age restrictions (again), the truly horrible side effects of ketamine addiction, how Donald Trump and Elon Musk might change our world, the problem with our news media, and premix drinks.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00235/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/

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/

Back at the start of the year, my good friend Snarky Platypus and I created some bingo cards for 2024. Two sets of 25 things that might happen. Well, we’re half-way through the year, so let’s see how we went.You might want to follow along with the original blog post.https://stilgherrian.com/essay/bingo-card-2024/In this episode we talk about Thai politics, the ongoing myth of a Melbourne airport railway, Rupert Murdoch and the nature of marriage, music created by AI, Nirvana, The Veronicas, the ongoing battle against HIV, mental illness, the South Pacific nations, Peter Dutton, and much more.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00224/Please consider supporting this podcast with a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It's more or less the start of the winter series as Stilgherrian vents about three things that got on his wick this week.In this episode he talks about some stupid political reporting from Canberra about Labor's equally stupid response to Senator Fatima Payman, a stupid law that will change nothing, and a stupid event that kicked off in Kuala Lumpur.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00223/This season’s crowdfunding campaign has mere hours to run. Please click through and pledge your support. You have until 9pm AEST tomorrow, Thursday 4 July.https://the9pmedict.com/winter2024If you miss this deadline, please consider throwing in a tip at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

The autumn series of the Edict concludes with a returning special guest, Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous, to chat about the UK election campaigns and much, much more.We discuss cocaine and koalas, Scott Morrison's post-parliamentary career, Elon Musk's $56 billion package, the King's Birthday, and an encounter between an echidna and a tiger shark.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00222/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

The last couple of weeks have been full of online safety news, from eSafety Commissioner v X Corp in the Federal Court to AI to deepfakes. So my guest this time is. Zoe Jay Hawkins, head of policy design at ANU’s Tech Policy Design Centre.In this episode we talk about the way AI and deepfakes might influence this year's many elections, the polarisation of the online safety debate, free speech, content classification, and much more.This conversation was recorded on 6 June 2024.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00221/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

As the autumn series of the Edict overflows into Official Winter, we go arty with Esther Anatolitis, editor of Australian literary journal Meanjin and a colossus striding the Melbourne arts scene and beyond.In this episode we discuss the controversy over Vincent Namatjira's portrait of billionaire Gina Reinhart, and why Melbourne is so arty and, allegedly, so liveable. We touch upon Cole's Book Arcade, Melbourne being a UNESCO City of Literature, being Greek — her not me — and much more.This conversation was recorded on 20 May 2024, so listen all the way to the end for some updates.Disclosure: Meanjin is a client, though I am not being paid for this and it was all my idea.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00220/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

In recent weeks the Australian government has opened multiple fronts in its war against the social media giants. So who better to speak with than Justin Warren, “consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme”?In this episode we discuss the MediSecure data breach, Australia's new Digital ID laws, the pilot of online age assurance technology, plans to ban young people from using social media, how socialisation puts a little police officer in your head, the concept of Reward Cheese, the problem of apostrophes, eSafety Commissioner vs X Corp in the Federal Court, censorship more generally, and why farmers are complaining about space weather.This conversation was recorded on 21 May 2024Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00219/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It may come as a shock, but it turns out the climate crisis has not yet been solved. So joining me for an update is Ketan Joshi, a researcher and communications consultant who works on climate-focused comms.We discuss why the atmosphere is a bathtub, why bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is absurd, and why more rain and snow doesn't mean things aren't warming up. We also talk about some dodgy statistics relating to hybrid vehicles, and Earth Day.And, sad to say, we riff off one of Ketan’s blog posts to talk about Elon Musk and X — but trust me, it's interesting.This conversation was recorded on 22 April 2024Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00218/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

A chicken shop in New York leads into a commentary on the correct use of capital letters in a podcast of a slightly different style.This mini-episode was commissioned by Jamie Morrison as part of his reward for supporting The 9pm Autumn Series 2024 crowdfunding campaign.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00217/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

A comet! An eclipse! Everything is happening in space! To kick off the autumn series, my special guests are space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk from Flinders University, and astrophysicist and founder of SpaceAustralia.com Rami Mandow.In this episode we talk about the plurality of worlds controversy, comets and eclipses, Irish astronomer Agnes Mary Clerke, and what it might take to keep the Moon nice — and much more.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00216/Please support this podcast by considering a tip:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/