With Thailand's general election just over a week away, I figured it's time once more to chat with journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia. But as always we talk about much more than just Thailand.

Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dari Mulut ke Mulut, an English-language summary of what's happening in the region, and an occasional newsletter specifically on the Australia-Indonesia relationship, Flat White, Kopi Susu.

In this episode we discuss what to look out for in Thai politics over the coming weeks. We also talk about the elections in Myanmar, the latest deadly landslide in Indonesia, a couple of events in the Philippines, the Cowra prisoner of war camp, making excuses, the Crying Horse, and Donald Trump's body odour.

Full podcast details and credits:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00262/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Don’t let the title put you off, nor attract you too eagerly. The 9pm Summer Series 2025 continues with philosopher, reprobate, and all-round cleverthinker Patrick Stokes, and a conversation about many, many things. He’s also half of The Fake McCoys.

In this episode we talk about the philosophy of AI and technological determinism, certain aspects of ICE, how sex drives innovation, teleportation, Erich von Däniken and his ancient astronauts, pigs, bats, wine moms, deathbots, the nature of memory and the extended mind thesis, and a “wonderful word” that was invented by J R R Tolkien.

Full podcast details and credits:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00261/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Back at the start of the year, my good friend Snarky Platypus and I created a bingo card for 2025. A set of 25 things that might happen. Well, it’s now New Year’s Eve, so let’s see how we went. And let’s create a 2026 Bingo Card.

You might want to follow along. We’ll skip over the ones we’d already discussed back in July.

We talked about Taylor Swift, Chris Minns, weight loss drugs, rugby, AUKUS, Myanmar, Thailand, Glasgow, the Sydney Metro, and of course TikTok — and much more.

Full podcast details and credits:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00260/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

I like food. My good friend Snarky Platypus also likes food. And we also like wine. But we also have opinions. So in this final episode of the spring series we bring you some of those opinions.

In this episode we talk about the magical world of slop bowls, the foods of Italy and Indonesia, grilled chicken, rending, tempeh, duck, parrots, steak, and the price of wine.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00259/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It's just one week until Australia's controversial social media age restrictions come into force, so I decided to chat with Justin Warren, noted “consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme”.

It’s the first time he’s been on the pod this year!

In this episode we do indeed talk about the age restrictions which come into force on 10 December. But we also discuss robots, secretive intelligence organisations, the Bureau of Meteorology's website budget overrun, and how Microsoft Windows has become unreliable at the same time as more of the company's software is written by AI. Coincidence?

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00258/

Please consider supporting the podcast by pledging to our seasonal crowdfunding campaign by 10 December 2025.
https://the9pmedict.com/summer2025

If you miss that deadline then please go toL
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Earlier this month I saw several news stories about new antibiotics, some even developed with AI. Miracle medical breakthrough, or not? Why not ask infectious diseases physician and overall medtech nerd Dr Trent Yarwood.

In this episode Trent and I talk about antimicrobial resistance, the new antibiotics including premethylenomycin C lactone, nafithromycin, and a couple developed using AI, a potential cure for HIV, the problem with relying on electronic health records, and the word “moist”.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00257/

Please consider supporting the podcast by pledging to our seasonal crowdfunding campaign by 10 December 2025.
https://the9pmedict.com/summer2025

If you miss that deadline then please go toL
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

I know nothing about cars. I don’t even know how to drive. So obviously my guest today is freelance motoring journalist and editor of The Redline, Peter Anderson — because a lot has been happening in the auto industry, right? I might learn something.

In this episode we talk about cars. Obviously. Especially about the gradual but inevitable shift to electric vehicles. There’s the rise of China’s auto manufacturing industry, and other countries too, and of course that man and his electric car company and his $1 trillion compensation package.

We also discuss contentment and what it means for us, as well as the joy of minimalism, and even bipolar II disorder.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00256/

Please consider supporting the podcast by pledging to our seasonal crowdfunding campaign by 10 December 2025.
https://the9pmedict.com/summer2025

If you miss that deadline then please go to:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

No one under the age of 25 has ever known a time when there haven't been humans in space — although to be fair, not many humans. To mark the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station's inhabitation, and other space news, we chat once more with Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk and astrophysicist Rami Mandow.

In this episode we talk about the ISS and other space stations, including China's Tiangong station. But we also discuss whether we should colonise space, poetry, cutbacks at NASA, and two recent examples of objects arriving from space. Allegedly.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00255/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

We’re halfway through spring and this, finally, is the first episode of the spring series. In the Philippines, there’s typhoons and floods and earthquakes and political protests. So to look at what’s happening in that country, we’re joined by journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia.

Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dari Mulut ke Mulut, an English-language summary of what's happening in the region, and an occasional newsletter specifically on the Australia-Indonesia relationship, Flat White, Kopi Susu.

In this episode we talk about events in the Philippines and provide some background on its politics, both domestic and international. We preview the upcoming ASEAN Summit. And we ask whether fridge magnets are the new souvenir spoons.

There's an update on Thai politics, and even a side-trip to talk about Myanmar.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00254/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Weeks late, the mid-2025 series finally draws to a close. Our special guest today is Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous, and we cover a lot of different topics.

In this episode we talk about K-pop and plate tectonics, the naming of cats, Oasis and AC/DC, the trickiness of venomous snakes and drug-addled spiders, Donald Trump's visit to the UK, defamation, the nature of community, Nepal's Gen Z protests — and we even get our Barlows confused.

This episode was recorded back on Friday 19 September, which explains some of the date references.

Full podcast details and credits at:
https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00253/

Please consider supporting the podcast:
https://the9pmedict.com/tip/
https://skank.com.au/subscribe/