Scrolling on instagram it’s impossible to avoid people giving their unsolicited advice - about fashion, the news, or the latest food trend. But with the rise of the hot take, comes the people trying to monetise this advice in the form of life coaching… and unfortunately a lot of people looking for real help are falling into the trap.Guest: Kellie Scott for ABC OnlineThis episode was originally published in November 2023
Death is something we don’t really like to think about. But when you or someone you love becomes ill, it’s important to be able to have a conversation about end of life care in a respectful and informed way. Despite being legal, there are still obstacles to accessing voluntary assisted dying or VAD, and because no one likes to talk about it, these issues are often discovered when it’s too late. So how can we ensure those who want to make the choice to end their life can do so with safety and dignity?Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing
Australians have been in the midst of a cost of living crisis for a while now. Groceries are more expensive. Petrol is more expensive. Rent is more expensive. We're all in the same boat, so why is talking about money still so taboo? And what can we do to feel more in control of our finances?Guest: Maani Truu from ABC Online
Banning books feels like a thing of the past. A humble past-time of authoritarian leaders and churches trying to control the way people think. These days; thanks largely to our streaming services, it seems we’re reading much less than we used to. But in the last few years 10,000 books have been banned in the US alone. So why is the number of banned books sky rocketing?Guest: Sarah L'Estrange for The Book Show
We spend more of our waking hours at work than anywhere else – and by extension, a lot of time with our colleagues. That might explain why up to half of us have been in a workplace relationship. So is it true a successful office romance can make you a better worker? And what about if it's your colleagues who are involved in not-so-subtle flirting while you’re just trying to get your job done?Guest: Zoe Ferguson for This Working Life
TikTok has over a billion users and counting. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the national security threat that such a large user base owned by a Chinese company poses and now the US government has just passed a bill banning TikTok all together. So how did TikTok turn videos of synchronised dancing and lipsyncing into a multi-billion dollar business? And is the company’s Chinese ownership really as dangerous as governments would have us believe?Since this episode was recorded US President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok unless it was sold within a year. The measure formed part of a bill providing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and stipulates that the parent company ByteDance must sell its stake in TikTok in 12 months under the threat of being shut down. Guest: Jen Leake for Rear Vision
AI is already impacting the way we work, the way we design and the way we think but there’s a growing concern that soon it’s going to start impacting the way we vote. And it’s got governments and regulators scrambling. So with AI-generated images and videos flooding the internet, how can voters know what’s real and what’s a deep fake? And what regulations might help control AI without stifling the industry or sending people underground?Guest: Hamish Macdonald for Global Roaming
With more Australians working from home than ever, the lines between work and leisure time have really blurred. With so many huge advances in technology why does it sometimes feel like we're working more not less than peasants in Medieval times, and with our always on lifestyles have we actually forgotten how to stop and smell the flowers?Guest: Anna Kelsey-Sugg for ABC Digital
Outside of the Olympics or the driveway to the United Nations, how often do you think about flags? Countries and states have them but Australian cities have them as well. And unsurprisingly for something that was created largely during colonial times, nowadays these flags can feel a little problematic. So what’s the history behind our city flags? And is it about time we gave their tired old designs a bit of a refresh?Guest: Nick Baker for ABC Digital
When it comes to finding and sharing news, one third of Australians use Facebook. But that’s about to change because Facebook’s owner Meta has decided to stop paying Australian news outlets for their news. So what impact will Meta’s decision have on the way news is shared in this country? And will the news vacuum lead to an uptick in misinformation?Guest: Technology reporter James Purtill for ABC Science
The Royal family has a knack for being the centre of controversy. And over the last few weeks - rumours about the health and location of Kate Middleton have reached a fever pitch. So is she actually recovering from an operation or is it something much more sinister? What is Kate’s media team trying to hide? And what does the Royal family owe the public in terms of transparency about their health?Guest: Lucia Stein for ABC Online
There’s nothing wrong with a healthy celebrity obsession - but throughout pop culture history, fan girls have had a bad rap. While being an expert on a topic is seen as intellectual being a fangirl is often portrayed as hysterical, immature and downright creepy. So why aren’t the same judgements made about male-centric fandoms? And why do we care so much about what women do with their spare time?Guest: Anna Levy for ABC Digital
In the early 2000s the Christian rock scene was a billion dollar industry, there were huge international acts, massive multi-day festivals and thousands of album sales - but with the growing popularity of music streaming and TikTok that's all coming to an end. So just how much longer does Christian music have left?Guest: Rohan Salmond for Soul Search
Cheeseburger, roast duck, grapefruit, sizzling steak and cucumber are flavours you expect to find in a supermarket, but perhaps not in the potato chip aisle. But due to huge leaps in food science, there are now 1400 chip flavours and that number is rapidly increasing. So, is there a limit to how many different flavours we really want on our chips? And what sort of broader benefits are there from scientists breaking down new chip flavours?Guest: Bel Smith for ABC Science
Taylor Swift just set the record for the biggest crowd of her career in Australia. And while the most successful female artist playing to half a million people should be the biggest story right now - she’s found herself at the centre of conspiratorial fantasies sweeping American right-wing politics. So why is the far right so obsessed with Taylor Swift? And now that Joe Biden has been pulled into the drama could the conspiracy theories be true?Guest: Lucia Stein for ABC Online
In November Americans will head to the polls to vote for their next president. And it’s looking like the contenders will be Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The catch is, while running for president, Trump is also facing 91 charges. So can he still run for the top spot if he’s in jail? And why this particular election is so important to people around the world.Guest: Matt Bevan for If You're Listening
In the last few months there have been some very close calls with planes. In Japan a plane burst into flames on the tarmac, and a plane in Alaska lost a door mid flight, so just how safe is air travel really? And are all the recent technological advances improving flights or creating more room for malfunction?Guest: Lucy Sweeney from ABC Digital
For most of history believing in UFOs and aliens has been considered pretty fringe… that is until now. In the last few years talk of UFOs has become so mainstream that it has been the topic of debate in the US Congress, and now NASA is doing its own research. So was the X Files actually factually accurate? And could aliens have been watching us this whole time?Guest: Taryn Priadko for Rear Vision
Despite how true personality tests might feel, a lot of them are pseudoscience. But it turns out there is science behind at least one of the big personality factors: introversion versus extroversion. So what makes someone an introvert or an extrovert? And is one innately better than the other (because it turns out one is on average happier!)Guest: Sana Qadar for All in the Mind
The harsh reality of being an adult in Australia is spending a huge chunk of time talking about house prices! So what’s the deal with our housing obsession? Is it possible to afford a home anymore without getting help from the bank of mum and dad? And how is the housing crisis further entrenching our growing class divide?Guest: Richard Aedy for the Money