Corporate investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure reaches $1.4trn by some estimates. We ask what might threaten the expected windfalls that justify the spending. A Japanese mine’s bid to be listed by UNESCO was made harder because it ignores South Korean wartime forced labour (10:49). And why a nicotine pouch has so many fans on America’s right (18:03).
Never before have people felt more comfortable weighing in on other people’s lives.
What diet to do, what to wear, how to make yourself attractive to the opposite sex, whether or not you should put money into that new crypto coin, if you should let your kids self-soothe, and on and on—but most of it, this endless supply of advice, is actually pretty bad.
Weekly popular advice columns, like Dear Abby and Ask E. Jean, have vanished. And in their place is finger-wagging, political posturing, and straight-up bad tips.
A New York Times reader sought advice on how to deal with her daughter, who is in a polyamorous relationship with a married man. She wrote, “My daughter tells me she would like to bring this man on our family trip to Greece this year. It may be petty, but I don’t want to foot the bill for another woman’s husband. And I don’t see any way this relationship can lead to my daughter’s happiness. Should I lay out my boundaries and risk my daughter not joining me on vacation?”
Instead of saying what any sane person would, which is: “Get this man as far away from your daughter as possible,” The New York Times advised the mother to shut up and do better. “This is about respecting your adult daughter’s choices. As a show of respect, read up on polyamory before you broach the subject with her.”
The thing is, we’re in an advice desert, but we’ve never been in greater need of good advice.
Some people consult friends, therapists, or tarot readers when they need direction in life. Other people pray or go to confession. Many people seek the advice of a mentor.
But at The Free Press, we like to visit this woman who lives on a hill in Pasadena and makes a mean onion dip. Her name is Caitlin Flanagan. You may have read her writing in The Atlantic, or you may have read her book Girl Land or On Thinking for Yourself. Caitlin is someone who has her finger on the pulse. Whether you’re reading her essays, her books, or her Twitter feed, she is just always right.
So today, Free Press reporter Suzy Weiss and Atlantic writer Caitlin Flanagan are here to answer your questions about. . . everything, from relationships to politics to children to animals (yes, animals)!
If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to thefp.com and become a Free Press subscriber today.
Header 6:The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article.
In this episode, the Goods from the Woods Boys are all by their lonesome at Disgraceland Studios. We test out a hippie-dippie energy drink for women called "Gorgie" and then talk about the recent revelations involving Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a dead bear. We also do a round up of some recent chaotic news stories that involve two brothers having a sword fight and a pack of wild children being encouraged to destroy a library in Iowa by a disgruntled librarian. Limp Bizkit's "Faith" is our JAM OF THE WEEK! Give us a listen, folks! Follow our show @TheGoodsPod on absolutely everything! Rivers is @RiversLangley Sam is @SlamHarter Carter is @Carter_Glascock Subscribe on Patreon for an UNCUT video version of the show as well as HOURS of bonus content! http://patreon.com/TheGoodsPod Pick up a Goods from the Woods t-shirt at: http://prowrestlingtees.com/TheGoodsPod
Across the world, algorithms are changing the nature of work. Nowhere is this clearer than in the logistics and distribution sectors, where workers are instructed, tracked and monitored by increasingly dystopian management technologies.
In Cyberboss: The Rise of Algorithmic Management and the New Struggle for Control at Work(Verso, 2024), Craig Gent takes us into workplaces where algorithms rule to excavate the politics behind the newest form of managerial power. Combining worker testimony and original research on companies such as Amazon, Uber, and Deliveroo, the cutting edge of algorithmic management technology, this book reveals the sometimes unexpected effects these new techniques have on work, workers and managers. Gent advances an alternative politics of resistance in the face of digital control.
Louisa Hann attained a PhD in English and American studies from the University of Manchester in 2021, specialising in the political economy of HIV/AIDS theatres.
On Monday, The FBI confirmed it's investigating claims that Iran hacked the Trump campaign. The agency did not publicly release additional information. However, according to The Washington Post, the agency has been investigating suspected Iranian phishing attempts that targeted both U.S. presidential campaigns since June. Sam Sabin, cybersecurity reporter at Axios, explains the growing risks of foreign interference in the upcoming election.
And in headlines: The U.S. defense secretary ordered more military vessels to deploy to the Middle East amid fears that Iran will soon launch a retaliatory attack on Israel, Ukraine's top military commander said his forces had taken control of more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, and MTV moved the annual VMAs back a day to avoid a conflict with ABC's September presidential debate.
Kamala Harris pulls ahead in three key swing states as Donald Trump continues to flail and fume to donors and supporters. JD Vance tries to go on the attack in a trio of network interviews on Sunday, but things don't go quite as planned. Then, as Harris starts laying out her own policy agenda, the officially defunct Project 2025 ends up back in the news, this time with a series of leaked training videos offering a bleak, and bizarre, picture of a second Trump term.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
We'll tell you what the FBI has learned about attempts to hack both presidential campaigns and what happened during an unusual interview between former President Trump and the world's richest businessman.
Also, we have the latest track of Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Plus, what to know about a possible subscription crackdown, the latest feature that makes TikTok more like Whatsapp, and changes Taylor Swift fans may notice at her next five shows.
Those stories and more news to know in about 10 minutes!
