After years of mediocre negotiations on an international agreement to limit future climate change, it is easy to be cynical about the viability of a global strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. What do these large conferences really mean for the future of the planet? Our correspondent reports back from the December 2015 COP21 meeting… Continue reading
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The Deliveroo drivers Strike
What does the Deliveroo drivers’ strike mean for the future of the sharing economy – and the future of work? A Podcast conversation on last August’s Deliveroo strike, from the New Economics Foundation’s always excellent Weekly Economics Podcast. Last week, Deliveroo drivers in London went on strike for six days in opposition to new contracts… Continue reading
Betrayal and Solidarity in Greece – An Audio Documentary
The Upstream Podcast is at it again, with a documentary produced in Athens and focused on the Greek debt crisis. Greece was all over the news in 2014 and 2015. You might remember hearing about the new radical left party Syriza, the referendum, the demonstrations and violence in the streets, the German banks, or the flamboyant Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis…. Continue reading
Welcome to Frome: A new cultural vision – Part 3
In the last two weeks, we introduced Episode 1 & Episode 2 of Welcome to Frome, the new audio documentary series produced by the Upstream podcast. Episode 1 explored the mini-revolution that took place recently in Frome, a small town in the sleepy western countryside of England. It also looked at some of the radical new initiatives… Continue reading
Frome, a town divided: Part 2 of a 3 part podcast series
Last week we introduced Episode 1 of the new audio documentary series Welcome to Frome, produced by the Upstream podcast. Episode 1 explored the mini-revolution that took place recently in Frome, a small town in the sleepy western countryside of England. It also looked at some of the radical new initiatives developed and supported by the new… Continue reading
Revolution, Division, and Happiness in the small town of Frome
What happens when a group of frustrated and ambitious residents take over their town council and begin running things in a radically different way? What kinds of new economics and politics begin to emerge? And what happens to those who feel like they don’t belong to this new movement? What are the scars left from thirty years of… Continue reading
Rachel O’Dwyer on Bitcoin, Blockchain and the Digital Commons
They look at the historical origins of the commons, the role of money in human society, the problems with bitcoin and the creation of blockchain governance systems. You can download the podcast at this link. This podcast was originally published here. Show Notes 0:00 – 0:40 – Introduction 0:40 – 9:00 – The history of… Continue reading
Seeing Wetiko
Wetiko is an Algonquin word for a cannibalistic spirit or thought-form driven by greed, excess and selfish consumption. It deludes its host into believing that consuming the life force of others for self-aggrandizement or profit is a logical and morally upright way to live. In this interview presented by the Upstream podcast, Martin Kirk – founder… Continue reading
Michael Hudson: The Slow Crash
The following podcast and transcript of an interview with Michael Hudson were originally published on Naked Capitalism. An interview by Guns and Butter with Michael Hudson. His latest book is KILLING THE HOST: How Financial Parasites and Debt Bondage Destroy the Global Economy If you do not see the podcast player below, you can listen… Continue reading
Podcast: Bruce Sterling on the Casa Jasmina project and the IoT
“World traveler, science fiction author, journalist, and future-focused design critic Bruce Sterling spins the globe a few rounds as he wraps up the Interactive Conference with his peculiar view of the state of the world from a global perspective, as one who lives in Turin, Belgrade, and Austin. Most recently, Bruce has been an instigator… Continue reading
Greek Financial Crisis Explained in 7 Minutes
“As citizens, we have to decide where we stand. Do we stand with the old system that’s dying? Or do we stand for a new system that we [ourselves] have to birth?” (Maria Scordialos) Upstream, a podcast about economics that might make conventional economists a little uneasy, presents a sneak peak from their upcoming episode on… Continue reading
Inventing the Future: a Conversation with Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams
“We actually want automation. It’s not that automation is going to happen and we’re worried about it – we’re advocation for automation” This is the second in a series of podcasts from New Economics Foundation on what they dub the Economics of the Future. It features Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams talking about their latest… Continue reading
Are we Reaching an Age of Stagnation?
The common political conversation about our shared economic future focuses on achieving an escape velocity where the post-war growth boom can return as usual. While years of lackluster economic performance mount, a rapidly growing global economy is still discussed like it is readily just over the horizon. Can the factors creating a slower growth world… Continue reading
Fully Automated Luxury Communism
“There is a tendency in capitalism to automate labor, to turn things previously done by humans into automated functions. In recognition of that, then the only utopian demand can be for the full automation of everything and common ownership of that which is automated.” This podcast, featuring a conversation between Aaron Bastani and Kirsty Styleslwas forwarded to… Continue reading
Decrypting Cryptocurrency
Digital communication technologies hold the possibility of re-orienting the way we exchange value and think about money. Do digital currencies like Bitcoin have the ability to change the global economic order? Can machine learning, automation, and cryptocurrencies unleash exponential innovations that unseat the financial institutions at the top of the monetary pyramid? In Extraenvironmentalist #92 we first… Continue reading
The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World
In our highly connected world of cell phones, ever expanding inboxes and regular social media updates, it is easy to be constantly immersed in the rich and dynamic worlds created by our technologies. While the internet gives us so much, it also changes our social relationships and mental environment in many subtle ways that can… Continue reading