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History is a wild and savage place. And one day that wild and savage place will be us. Will future societies cringe at our selfies, food shots and obsession with screens? Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/26/style/culture-regret-crocs-social-media-cringe.html Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Sorry! We accidentally uploaded MSP238 as 237. This is the real episode. Hope you enjoy it. Web3 promises to democratise the Internet, and return control to users at the expense of Big Tech. But is it a problem masquerading as a solution? Further Reading:  https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25734220-200-web3-promises-to-reclaim-the-internet-from-tech-giants-will-it-work/ https://www.adelphi.edu/news/could-blockchain-revolutionize-voting/ Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Bingbots, algo-cheating, taped-up batteries, aliens and Neanderthals are just some of the topics Mattsplained is weirding out with today. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/14/23599300/hyundai-kia-car-theft-software-update-free-tiktok-challenge https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/battery-power-laptop-phone-research-dalhousie-university-1.6724175 https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/14/23600358/elon-musk-tweets-algorithm-changes-twitter https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/its-not-aliens-itll-probably-never-be-aliens-so-stop-please-just-stop/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2359553-early-risers-may-have-inherited-faster-body-clocks-from-neanderthals/ https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/15/23599072/microsoft-ai-bing-personality-conversations-spy-employees-webcams Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt

Does the idea of shape-shifting T-1000 robots terrify you? Science create a robot that can shift from metal to solid, as this week’s Weird Science takes in comets, aquatic dairy farms and more ChatGPT.  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.iflscience.com/chatgpt-can-pass-part-of-the-united-states-medical-licensing-exam-67233 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.19.22283643v2.full https://gizmodo.com/twitter-elon-musk-algorithm-for-you-tab-1850026346 https://futurism.com/giant-asteroid-actually-swarm-particles-impossible-destroy https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/19/floating-dairy-farm-rotterdam-climate-crisis https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/24/us-electric-vehicles-lithium-consequences-research https://futurism.com/giant-asteroid-actually-swarm-particles-impossible-destroy https://www.newscientist.com/article/2356076-metal-robot-can-melt-its-way-out-of-tight-spaces-to-escape/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2356520-ai-legal-assistants-first-appearance-in-court-has-been-cancelled/ https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/travel-inspiration/greener-cities/article/floating-farm-in-rotterdam.htm Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

It’s the first Weird Science of 2023. Inside our almanack of insane ideas are an elixir of youth, an insulating superwood and a system that creates a 3D surveillance system from your WiFi box.  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://gptzero.me https://gizmodo.com/cnet-ai-chatgpt-news-robot-1849996151 https://www.cnet.com/tech/cnet-is-experimenting-with-an-ai-assist-heres-why/ https://www.engadget.com/scientists-gave-a-robot-a-sense-of-smell-with-locust-antennae-and-ai-234427753.html?src=rss&guccounter=2 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2355174-children-aged-5-are-better-at-switching-their-attention-than-chimps/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2354698-a-blast-of-ultrasound-waves-could-rejuvenate-ageing-cells/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3p7xj/scientists-are-getting-eerily-good-at-using-wifi-to-see-people-through-walls-in-detail https://www.newscientist.com/article/2353759-how-ai-is-shifting-the-limits-of-knowledge-imposed-by-complexity/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2352652-quantum-money-that-uses-the-mathematics-of-knots-could-be-unforgeable/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2353756-how-can-we-understand-quantum-reality-if-it-is-impossible-to-measure/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2353350-high-tech-wood-filled-with-air-cavities-could-insulate-your-home/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2354264-us-government-lab-is-using-gpt-3-to-analyse-research-papers/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2354223-short-breathing-exercise-lifts-mood-more-than-mindfulness-meditation/

Electric cars, lies and the metaverse. As far as Mattsplained is concerned, it’s all you need to know about 2023. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/technology/personaltech/new-tech-2023-ai-chat-vr.html https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/31/ai-assisted-plagiarism-chatgpt-bot-says-it-has-an-answer-for-that https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/02/america-social-recession-less-friends-sex-mental-health https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/04/apple-artificial-intelligence-ai-audiobooks https://www.riffusion.com/?fbclid=IwAR0J2sm3fwS_F8IxFyrFlqqZWv-aVJEcDpXSFBLjVAvv-8HrwaqdQCZrmIE https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/03/tesla-shares-price-value-decline-elon-musk https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/05/flutes-synths-a-human-voice-how-should-electric-vehicles-sound https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/03/why-a-67bn-takeover-could-make-microsoft-a-gaming-behemoth

Mattsplained went goblin mode in 2022. How else do you cope with Twitter warfare, quiet quitting and crypto collapses? Oh yeah, there was some good stuff about the year, too.  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/05/crypto-ftx-collapse-bankruptcy-companies/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/13/us-scientists-confirm-major-breakthrough-in-nuclear-fusion https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2022/12/13/4-mind-boggling-technology-advances-in-store-for-2023/?sh=48a58b5a1a40   https://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/11-incredible-uc-research-breakthroughs-2022 Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

ChatGPT, a chatbot from  OpenAI, has been creating headlines with its incredible ability to generate screenplays, write code and seemingly answer questions on any topic. Sage or snake oil: is it too good to be true? Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

If the Metaverse is the Internet, where does that leave VR? Exploring the Immersive layer of XR – extended reality. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.newscientist.com/article/2323682-working-in-virtual-reality-for-a-week-made-people-less-productive/ https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-metaverse-users-quit-month https://www.wired.com/story/extreme-fashion-metaverse/ https://futurism.com/the-byte/founder-oculus-zuckerberg-metaverse https://www.wired.com/story/china-threatens-splinter-metaverse/ Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Kulturpop Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

In part one of our simples guide to the Metaverse, we try to cut through the complexity and corporate clutter to delineate what the metaverse is, and when we’ll get to use it.  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

We're skipping ahead a couple of episodes because this story is about Elon Musk. Which means it will be out of date before you take your next breath: Mass layoffs, a financial crisis, growing voices of intolerance. And a kitchen sink. No, it isn’t the global economic crisis. It’s Twitter under its new owner, Elon Musk. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.ft.com/content/8db7e24b-5a15-4856-b81e-a2027157aaad https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/29/elon-musk-twitter-social-media-toxic-content https://www.statista.com/statistics/303681/twitter-users-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ https://johnnaughton.substack.com/p/monday-7-november-2022 https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-where-did-tweeters-go-twitter-is-losing-its-most-active-users-internal-2022-10-25/ https://fortune.com/2022/11/06/elon-musk-twitter-monetization-model-can-beat-youtube-longer-posts-videos-soon/ https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/elon-musk-says-twitter-will-soon-allow-users-monetize-content-make-long-form-posts https://gizmodo.com/musk-twitter-layoffs-1849751286 https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/tv/elon-musk-parody-twitter-actors-suspended-sarah-silverman-kathy-griffin-3344565 https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/04/musk-blames-activist-groups-for-major-advertisers-pausing-spending-on-twitter/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-recommends-voting-republicans-us-midterm-elections-tweet-2022-11-07/ Image by Kulturpop via MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow...

A Hot Wheels-looking centrifuge that fires projectiles into space, submarine-cloaking stealth rubber, the science behind bullwhips and a full menu of Musk feature on today’s episode. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.space.com/spacex-galaxy-33-34-intelsat-satellite-launch https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/08/banks-loss-elon-musk-twitter-takeover https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-07/morgan-stanley-led-banks-face-500-million-loss-on-twitter-debt?sref=fqqmZ8gi https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-tesla-semi-truck-pepsi https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-cybertruck-propeller https://futurism.com/the-byte/payload-nasa-spinlaunch-excavator https://futurism.com/the-byte/leaked-memo-facebook-metaverse https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-drone-robodog-huge-gun https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/science/whips-sensors-brain.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/2341416-metas-text-to-audio-ai-can-create-common-sounds-and-generate-music/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=technology https://www.newscientist.com/article/2340542-stealth-rubber-coating-could-make-submarines-nearly-invisible-to-sonar/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=technology https://www.newscientist.com/article/2339612-people-trust-ai-to-make-big-decisions-as-long-as-a-human-checks-them/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=technology

For up to a third of the population, sleep is a task that never seems to be completed successfully. Thankfully, a new generation of sleep science is creating individualized approaches to sleep therapy that could see millions of people nodding off peacefully at night.   Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://kulturpop.substack.com/p/roboelon https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25634063-300-insomnia-success-suggests-we-need-more-nuanced-mental-health-support/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25634063-300-insomnia-success-suggests-we-need-more-nuanced-mental-health-support/ https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-ai-text-into-3d-objects https://dreamfusion3d.github.io https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/oct/05/it-feels-like-fresh-air-to-my-ears-can-brown-noise-really-help-you-concentrate Photo by David Clode on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

It’s time to put your backpack on and join the cyber cockroaches as we look at insect cyborgs, robo-Vader, asteroid impacts, ETH mining and the return of Gawker. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/25/gawker-comeback-sued-closure-hulk-hogan https://futurism.com/the-byte/darth-vader-ai-voice https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/darth-vaders-voice-emanated-from-war-torn-ukraine https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/darth-vaders-voice-emanated-from-war-torn-ukraine \ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ethereum-completes-the-merge-which-ends-mining-and-cuts-energy-use-by-99-95/ https://www.pcmag.com/news/gpu-mining-for-ethereum-ends-as-the-merge-completes https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/09/the-end-of-ethereum-mining-could-be-a-bonanza-for-gpu-shoppers/ https://gizmodo.com/ethereum-bitcoin-price-plunges-sec-chair-merge-security-1849551695 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsZo1cxMqck https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-slams-spacecraft-slams-into-asteroid-to-test-earth-saving-tech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ugRQF_4nk https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-robot-hurricane-fiona https://futurism.com/the-byte/cyborg-cockroaches-remote-controlled https://futurism.com/the-byte/inventor-cyborg-cockroaches-rationale Photo by MidJourney Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: 

Are you quiet quitting or quietly doing your job? Do you need a WhatsApp group to tell you? Or is this simply the impact of a new generation on the workplace? Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Further Reading:  https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/09/quiet-quitting-trend-employee-disengagement/671436/ https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/09/13/1122059402/the-economics-behind-quiet-quitting-and-what-we-should-call-it-instead https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/02/how-quiet-quitting-became-the-next-phase-of-the-great-resignation.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/aug/19/whatsapp-group-chat-overload-have-we-reached-peak-whatsapp Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Are work notifications ruining your life? Do you spend more time reacting to pings than doing your actual work? Are productivity tools ruining your productivity? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Episode Sources:  https://robm.me.uk/2022/08/efficiency-movement/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/25/ping-phone-notifications-off-whatsapp-instagram https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/06/doomscrolling-linked-to-poor-physical-and-mental-health-study-finds https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/06/success/return-to-office-hybrid-mandates/index.html Photo by Ellen Qin on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

The secret laptop destruct sequence of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation, a lawn-mowing android, social media intrusion and chewing gum make for some very weird science.  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Episode Sources:  https://www.wired.com/story/janet-jackson-rhythm-nation-crash-hard-drives/ Photo by benjamin lehman on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Our minds are crying out for silence in an over-stimulating world. But is silence only for the wealthy? And can too much of it harm rather than help us? Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Episode Sources:  https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25533990-700-the-power-of-quiet-the-mental-and-physical-health-benefits-of-silence/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJsuUOuEZ9Q https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2452161304806914 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-51174-001 Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Headphones that lip read, mouse-rat chimeras, soap-based TV screens and a robot with feelings. With a list like that it must be weird science. Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Episode Sources:  https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/01/smart-glasses-allow-deaf-people-to-see-conversations-with-subtitles-17106685/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2332193-experimental-earphone-can-hear-commands-user-is-silently-mouthing/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2332016-mice-produce-rat-sperm-with-technique-that-could-help-conservation/ https://www.newscientist.com/section/news/page/3/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2332216-home-screening-test-for-oral-or-throat-cancer-has-90-per-cent-accuracy/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/08/whatsapp-opens-door-silent-exits-annoying-groups-privacy Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com

Is a smart city a place where digital technology tracks your every move and creates a de facto surveillance state? Or is it simply a place where we use the best of human technology and innovation to create liveable urban spaces?  Hosted by Matt Armitage & Richard Bradbury Produced by Richard Bradbury for BFM89.9 Episode Sources:  https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/29/1054005/toronto-kill-the-smart-city/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/toronto-quayside-smart-cities/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25533950-700-why-spending-time-near-water-gives-us-a-powerful-mental-health-boost/ Photo by Brandon Wong on Unsplash Subscribe to the Substack newsletter: https://kulturpop.substack.com Follow us: Tw: @kulturmatt In: @kulturpop & @kulturmatt W: www.kulturpop.com