Episode 43 - The Small Pencil Manufacturing Trade Association Has a Grievance

Do you have it?

Can you feel it?

Election fever has gripped Ontario!  OK, look, I'm not so sure I have election fever, it might just be some bad clams.  As I write this it looks like it'll be four years of bad clams.

Oh for the first time we had voting machines!  The company that made them is Canadian and has no ties to Russia, that we know of....

However, elections are a great podcast topic.  So, that's what we did.  Ancient Greece, Rome, the Polish monarchy, the Galactic Senate, me quitting as AU Senate speaker, the Federation, the Klingon High Council, all great stuff.  OK, when I quit as senate speaker it might not have been my finest hour.


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Episode 8 - Between Democracy and Dystopia

For Episode 8 we invited along Guest Hosts Robin and Christine to comment on the elections in Canada and the United States. We discussed election processes from a historical perspective as well as introducing some well worn speculative fiction memes about corporate and/or technological dystopias. We had at least one Ingsoc reference and Huxley got dragged in. Robin brought his experiences as Canadian librarian working in The Republic of The Gambia [for propaganda click here] [for the BBC's take click here] in the IT/ISP/networking sector; Christine had some pungent comments about the Liberal Party in Canada. Dave asked us all for election predictions in both countries; the Psychology PhD amazed the two history guys when he gave precise numbers in his predictions; Ken had a chance to rag on voting machines while asking why we trust the humans who are the "machine" now to do it – before completely his voice entirely to laryngitis.

All hail Lieutenant President Yahya Jemmah!

Enjoy episode 8