American politics had a spectacular week to kick off the month of February with President Trump being acquitted in his impeachment trial shortly after his reality TV show performance at the State of the Union address. Meanwhile, the Democrats handed the Republicans a hand grenade to use against them in the coming election cycle with the debacle of the voting systems in the Iowa Caucuses failing to produce results as they should have due to the implementation of ill-advised and poorly tested technology that was potentially unnecessary given the live debate over the integrity of elections in the US political system. Steve and Ben examine this landmark week in American politics and what it says for the remainder of 2020 and the lead up to the US Presidential Election in November.

The novel coronavirus has caused widespread concern throughout the world since it first spread out from Wuhan in China in late 2019. With approximately ten thousand people infected so far, the majority of which are in China, health authorities are working diligently to try and isolate and contain the virus to stop it from spreading, including quarantine lockdowns of the cities in China that are at the epicentre of the outbreak. This outbreak has led to widespread coverage and is having impacts on everything from tourism to diplomatic relations, particularly between China and the rest of the world. Steve and Ben examine the story of the outbreak of this virus, as well as the various reactions to it in the media, the authorities and the public.

Australia ended 2019 and opened 2020 experiencing one of the earliest and deadliest bushfire seasons on record. With reports of over 12 million acres having burned, a billion animals being killed as well as widespread destruction and the generation of the worst air quality in the world, the current Australian bushfires have reignited the debate, if there ever was one, on the imperatives of dealing with climate change and how such a seemingly obscure topic that many still do not take seriously is having a very real impact on the lives and environment of a nation. Steve and Ben discuss the recent bushfire crisis and its potential implications in relation to climate change, and they also discuss Microsoft's new version of Edge based on Chromium.

Welcome to 2020! President Donald Trump kicks off the year with a surgical strike taking out General Soleimani, Iran’s top military official, and Iran struck back at American sites in Iraq. Thankfully the crisis has now been averted thanks to Trump deciding to enforce economic sanctions rather than pursuing further military retaliation, but it proved to be an explosive start to Season 4 of the Trump Presidency following the cliffhanger ending of Season 3 with Trump’s impeachment in the House. Steve and Ben discuss the latest in Trump world, as well as an intriguing story about Israel’s food tech scene experimenting with insects and computer designed sweeteners in an attempt to solve the medium term problem of how to feed the world’s population as its projected to hit ten billion by 2050.

2019 has been quite the year. Steve and Ben recap the topics they covered in this tumultuous year including Donald Trump’s continually escalating outlandishness while being the US President culminating with his impeachment, Apple saying goodbye to Jony Ive and re-embracing their pro roots, how social media has changed the substance of conversation and everyday behaviour, and how technology has changed the way we behave and go about our daily lives. Steve and Ben also spend some time reviewing the latest movie in the Star Wars sage, The Rise Of Skywalker.

Apple has finally announced pre-orders for its new Mac Pro, the machine intended to address criticisms from the Pro market that Apple had forgotten its core constituency in recent years in favour of the mass market, but it comes at an extremely hefty price tag and is definitely not for the average person in the street looking for a computer. Steve and Ben discuss the expense of the new Mac Pro and a brief history of Apple pricing from their perspectives of buying and using Apple products over the years. They also discuss the recent news of a Pac-Man satellite that has been designed to address the issue of the vast multitude of space junk in Earth’s orbit that humans have placed there over the past seventy years, with a unique method of gobbling up that space junk in order to make space in low-Earth orbit safer to travel through.

The online world is a haven for anonymous creatives who may want to express their talents without necessarily gaining specific personal recognition for their efforts, aside from positive reinforcement and feedback from the online community. Steve and Ben examine the world of anonymous online creative expression, discussing the user and subreddits related to the user Poem For Your Sprog who responds to questions and comments online in the form of exquisite poetry.

Life in space has been a practical consideration for scientists since the 1960s, with popular culture focusing on the more sensational aspects of life in space such as the incredible vistas, the apparent fun of zero gravity situations, and the sensational and riveting dangers of life off this planet. But what about the mundane? A recent news story regarding toilets on the International Space Station failing and the contingency plans and complexities for astronauts to take care of their business during the repair work, it is important to also remember that much thought has been dedicated to taking care of all the day-to-day aspects of life in outer space that has not been as widely discussed. Steve and Ben examine the mundane of life in outer space and how it can be just as significant as dealing with the dangers of such a hostile environment.

Nicotine has historically, and still to do this, been associated with smoking, cigarettes and now e-cigarettes and vaping. The association has led it to be linked with the harmful effects on health of smoking in the minds of the public, but is nicotine on its own really as harmful as the consumable products it has been used with? Steve and Ben examine nicotine and its effects on the human brain and body, and whether or not the substance has been given a fair or unfair wrap given its uses over time.

The Joker is arguably the most celebrated and infamous comic book villain, if not outright villain, in all entertainment history, with the character attracting some serious acting talent to portray him cinematically from Jack Nicholson, to Heath Ledger and now to Joaquin Phoenix whose current portrayal in the film Joker has been lauded as brilliant and the film itself a masterpiece. The film has also courted controversy amid its themes of lone wolf violence associated with mental illness, and the overall dire statement of the corruption of society that the film leaves the audience with as they exit the cinema. Steve and Ben examine Joker and its current impact on the world, and discuss the film against the age-old debate of whether or not a film can actually inspire the right type of person to follow the ideas it presents in the real world.