Future Mending Radio

In the kick-off for Season 3, Matt examines fan culture and the weird netherworld between production and consumption where new meanings and social structures coalesce and then shape the world around them.

With references to philosophy and examples from previous episodes, Fanfare speculates about building a better world by doing things we enjoy and making generosity the new must-try trend.

This is an idea I've been kicking around in my head, and on this podcast, for ten years at least and I think I have finally put it down it plain language.

This episode includes clips from Episode 4: Buying Food with Buttons, Episode 17 Bike Party and Episode 20 Art is For Everyone if you want to go back and listen to the full episode. If you want to hear practical examples of participatory culture and generous celebration in action, go check them out.

NOTE: This episode makes some big claims about 'production being solved.'  They are at least partly rhetorical. There is still a lot of innovation and change happening in the world of production of course, I just want to make the point that we understand our economy too much in terms of production and tend to think about consumption as a blackhole of demand rather than as a complex social system.

Books:

The Practice of Everyday Life by Michel de Certeau.  Wikipedia

Textual Poachers by Henry Jenkins.  Wikipedia

The journal is called what sowhat nowhat.  It has no web presence.  It is physical and mysterious.

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

Serenade Op.12 by Felix Horetsky, performed by Karl Michener.  Used with permission of the artist.  Available on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1C18pX8E3N07nYunN1TH7G

If you're missing last season's closing music by the Union Guitar Trio, you can still listen to it on Spotify [ https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD ] or Apple Music [ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833  ].

The Well-Tempered Klavier. J.S. Bach.  https://musopen.org/music/43466-the-well-tempered-clavier-book-i-bwv-846-869/

Sound Credits:

The clip of Henry Jenkins speaking about participatory culture is from this creative commons video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZ4ph3dSmY

Leeeroy Jenkins is from this ancient meme video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLyOj_QD4a4

Pickaxe Mining Clank OWI by WolfOWI -- https://freesound.org/s/588306/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Digging with pick axe.wav by cameronmusic -- https://freesound.org/s/138412/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

250420_2898_FR_Bells_ringing_at_Notre_Dame_de_Paris by kevp888 -- https://freesound.org/s/800404/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Wouldn't it be cool if you could understand how your brilliant, stupid and traitorous brain actually worked?  And maybe nudge it towards being slightly less self-destructive?

Matt sits down with his long-time friend Dr. Norman Farb to talk about 'sense foraging' and how we can use it to toggle between different mental systems and sometimes even disrupt unhealthy mind states before they get locked in.

Norman is the co-author of Better in Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life.

Helping people manage their mental worlds and reduce stress is multi-solving on a very high level -- because all those people will go on to fix all sorts of problems in their own lives and in the world around them!

If you know someone who might benefit from a little sense foraging -- give this episode a share!

This is the last episode of Season 2 – it was a short season because I moved homes last fall – but I’ll be back in November and then I’ll try to get closer to aligning my podcast season with the school year for Season 3. 

Notes and Links:

Better in Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life. 

Norm's Website: https://radlab.zone/

The Myriad Study: https://mindfulnessinschools.org/the-evidence-base/myriad-what-misp-learned/ 

Music Credits:

 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 

Poseidon Above  by be-steele -- https://freesound.org/s/323053/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 

Sound Credits:

Tambourine by GR3AVE5Y -- https://freesound.org/s/149395/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 

You may have heard about the FIFA referees out in traffic in Toronto giving red and yellow cards to badly behaved drivers who are blocking the box or the bike lane. But what you probably don't know is that one of these referees, Martin Reis, is up to his elbows in all sorts of merry-pranksterism, including the lego tower on Harbourd Street.

Matt and Martin sit down for a fascinating (and funny!) discussion about pranks, protests and how to make a better city for everyone.

Links:
Mr. Peanut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndb74cEcdoQ https://westernfront.ca/events/peanut-for-mayor
Ms. Canadiana -- https://www.camilleturner.com/
Lewis Mallard IG: https://www.instagram.com/lewis_mallard/
Shamez Amlani: https://ismailimail.blog/2010/02/01/eco-warrior-profile-shamez-amlani/
Shari Kasman: https://www.sharikasman.com/bloordale-beach-overview
Michael Lewis Johnson: https://www.michaellouisjohnson.ca/
A Different Path Documentary: https://rabble.ca/columnists/different-path-charts-creative-ways-ditch-cars/ 

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 

Exciting Trip by Infraction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=640qE7YbmH8

Matt sits down with Cole Anthony Capilongo, from Hypha Coop, to talk about what it's like to work at a worker coop that does tech consultancy.  We talk about how Hypha makes decisions with a flat management structure and some of the projects they're working on -- including technology to verify photos from conflicts and war zones!

We also get a bit philosophical and discuss the relationships between trust, technology and social structures.

If you want to hear Cole's background cameo, it happens in this episode about Danu Social House: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2396702/episodes/16505473-a-bad-time-for-bars-but-a-good-bar-for-the-times

Links:

Hypha Coop -- https://hypha.coop/

1RG Space -- https://1rg.space/

C2PA -- https://c2pa.org/

Starling Labs -- https://starlinglab.org/

Maple Testimony -- https://www.mapletestimony.org/

Streamplace -- https://stream.place/

Credits:

Trust in Numbers.  Theodore M. Porter.  (1995)  

Music Credits:

The Well-Tempered Klavier. J.S. Bach.  https://musopen.org/music/43466-the-well-tempered-clavier-book-i-bwv-846-869/

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

To celebrate spring, Matt visits Toronto's brand new billion dollar park.  Biidaasige Park is beautiful, it's got birds, but it also solves a lot of long-standing problems.

Diverting flooding?  Providing housing?  Surfacing Indigenous histories?  We'll be talking about all those things in this episode about an absurdly well-designed public park.  Oh, and we'll also be time-travelling.  And books.

Books in this Episode:

Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don River Valley

Kayanerenkó:wa -- The Great Law of Peace

Indigenous Toronto: Stories that Carry this Place 

Toronto in 1810

Other Sources: 

https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-recreation/places-spaces/beaches-gardens-attractions/biidaasige-park/history-biidaasige-park/

https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/news/what-jelly-blob-tells-us-about-water-quality

Lytwyn, Victor P. (1997). "A Dish with One Spoon: The Shared Hunting Grounds Agreement in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley Region". Papers of the Twenty-eighth Algonquian Conference. 28: 210–227.

Plus the great and glorious Wikipedia.

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' and 'Lights' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

'In Time Like This' by DJ Kensei and DJ Quietstorm. (The full set is amazing!)

Sounds and Samples:

Naming the Island and Park in the Port Lands: Ookwemin Minising and Biidaasige Park.  City of Toronto.

Pigeons taking off.wav by Glaneur de sons -- https://freesound.org/s/104954/ 

DVP Traffic Under Bridge.WAV by jakobthiesen -- https://freesound.org/s/97933/ 

Plus the same samples from our birds episode 'Swoop There it is"

Matt speaks to Dan Chapman-Smith from Project Humanity.

Project Humanity's work is complex and their elevator pitch doesn't easily fit into our 10-second 2026 attention spans. They do Verbatim Theatre – I didn’t know what that was a few weeks ago – and they work in youth shelters, and they also do mentorship programs in any art form you can think of.  I didn’t understand how any of that fit together when I first started researching this episode, but a thirty minute interview with Dan was enough to convince me that not only did the vision make sense, it was solving tons of different problems in Toronto!
 
You can and should Donate or Learn More at: https://www.projecthumanity.ca/

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' and 'Lights' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

'The Moment You Heal' by participants in the Project Humanity mentorship program. Full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmbEDhGvi58

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

This episode also includes audio recordings from Freesound.org

We're back!

This episode combines some thoughts on the current moment (including Mark Carney's recent speech in Davos) with a quick look back on Season 1 and the Future Mending Project so far.

Mark Carney is right that the old world order is crumbling. 'Middle Powers' must build new alliances to avoid being bullied by global superpowers, but why doesn't Prime Minister Carney see that ordinary people also need to build new alliances to avoid being bullied by banks, grocery giants and tech companies and all sorts of other toxic super-powers?

If you're new to Future Mending Radio, this is a great place to start.  If you're a long-time listener, think of this as an extended trailer for Season 2.

Links:

Never Too Small: https://www.youtube.com/c/NEVERTOOSMALL

Imperfect Eats: https://imperfecteats.ca/

She Grows Coffee: https://shegrowscoffee.com/

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

Bela Bartok. 'String Quartet 1' recorded by the Borromeo quartet.
https://musopen.org/music/43254-string-quartet-no-1-op-7-sz-40/

J.S. Bach. Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor recorded by the Alsace Baroque Orchestra: https://musopen.org/music/3515-concerto-for-violin-and-oboe-in-c-minor-bwv-1060r/ 

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

Do grown-ups also need a 90s kid summer?

Matt delves into nostalgia for a world before the internet, a world that felt more uncertain and open, but also more full and resonant.

The internet isn't all bad of course -- that's how I share these episodes -- but turning off the wifi for 24 hours every Saturday has been a luxurious indulgence. This episode explores why and how we've been appreciating Slow Saturdays for the past few months and includes plenty of space to think and feel and breathe...

I'm taking August, and probably September, off and will be back with Season 2 of Future Mending Radio in the fall.  In the meantime, I urge you to slow your summer down by participating in Slow Saturdays.

Slow Saturdays Resources:

I'm so into this new ritual that I went so far as to put up a blogpost and some shareable graphics in case you want to spread the word.  Or just post on your own social media in your own style to give your mutuals a gentle nudge.

Credits and Notes:

The 90s kid summer audio clip is from tiktoker and youtuber 'The Nomad Dream.'  The full clip is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkojK_HLssk

The term 'Great Mystery' is one proposed translation for the Lakota phrase 'Wakan Tanka', which is also translated as the 'Great Spirit.'  Other North American Indigenous groups refer to a similar all-powerful creator, such as the Objibwe 'Gitchi Manitou.'

Music Credits:

Nothing gives me nostalgia for a 90s summer quite like 'Fluffy Little Clouds' by the Orb. I only used a few seconds, but please go Listen to the full song on Spotify or whatever music provider you prefer.

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

Find out how and why hundreds of people are cycling around Toronto on mystery routes with big, booming beats.

Matt attends Bike Party Toronto and interviews one of the co-founders and they discuss the difference between attending an event and being the event, something we have nearly forgotten how to do in our culture of consumption.

Bike Party Toronto Links: https://linktr.ee/bikepartytoronto

Drum and Bass on the Bike: https://www.youtube.com/@DomWhiting

Toronto Cruisers: https://linktr.ee/torontocruisers

Bike Pirates: https://bikepirates.com/

Hamilton Glow Riders: https://www.instagram.com/hamiltonglowriders/

Denver Cruisers: https://denvercruiserride.com/

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

'Everyday' by Ripple. Released under a creative commons license.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

If you're looking for our secret episode, it's here: https://www.futuremending.com/topsecret

How much food is wasted in Canada?  Where does food waste happen and why?  What are some potential solutions?

This episode takes a quick look at two for-profit solutions to food waste – the Odd Bunch produce delivery box and Sobey’s Food Hero app -- and concludes with an inspiring interview with Mike Layton of Second Harvest, a food rescue charity in Toronto that turns every dollar in donations into five meals for hungry people.

Donate to Second Harvest Here: https://www.secondharvest.ca/donate

Plan a party with Echoage: https://echoage.com/charities/secondharvest

Download the Food Hero App: https://www.foodhero.com/en/download

Order a box from Odd Bunch: https://www.oddbunch.ca/pages/boxes

Second Harvest Report on Food Waste in Canada: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6618114bae6895cc12d3dc1d/678fef92d23e957f68c00aee_ACFW_Roadmap2024_Digital_compressed.pdf

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833