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…

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 abou…

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, nafit…

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…

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 …

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…

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 v…

As you all know, I am a lizard, and through the power of 5G and the implants which have been secretly inserted into you via chemtrails and the covid vaccine, or possibly by a UFOnaut which was probing you, I can control your mind. Well, no. But conspiracy theories do exist, and a new book explores the Australian flavour of these beliefs. My guests …

There's been riots in Indonesia with at least nine people killed. And there’s political chaos in Thailand as the prime minister is sacked and 15 political parties scramble to form coalitions so they can choose a new PM. So who better to talk to than journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia? Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dar…

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, we’re half-way through the year, so let’s see how we went. You might want to follow along with this chart to see which ones we discussed. https://stilgherrian.com/essay/bingo-card-2025/ We also talk about a …

Any moment now, Donald Trump might cancel AUKUS, the massive defence agreement which among other things would see Australia buying eight nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS has become the big thing in Australia's defence procurement, but do we need it? Sam Roggeveen thinks not, and he's our guest today. Sam is director of the Lowy Institute's Interna…

With massive budget cuts to NASA, claims that we've found alien life, and an important anniversary coming up, it's time once more to talk about Space! My guests, therefore, are space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk, and astrophysicist Rami Mandow. In this episode we celebrate the anniversary of the first woman in space, Valentina Te…

Let's kick off the Edict's mid-2025 series with a look at Australia's relationship with Indonesia, because Jakarta was the first international city prime minister Anthony Albanese visited after his re-election. Our special guest is journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia. Erin produces the excellent newsletter Dari Mulut ke Mulut, …

With just days remaining until Australia's federal election, who better to talk with than Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous? Well, lots of people, but here we are. In this episode we do talk about the impending election, and quite a bit about sausages. But we also discuss important issues about transubstantiation, whether Princ…

The summer series is dragging on, and there's still so many things on our minds. So joining me for a bonus episode is my good friend Snarky Platypus. In this episode we talk about lego, trains full of boomers, the echidnapus, and the panic about a so-called Chinese Spy Ship. And of course there's a few rants about election discourse and political p…

There's a lot going on in The America. You may have noticed. So as the summer series grinds on — way behind schedule — we're joined by Associate Professor David Smith from the United States Study Centre. In this episode we talk, obviously, about the powers of POTUS and his Yalta 2.0 imperialist desires to annex Canada. And Greenland. And Mexico. We…

As the summer series grinds on we’re joined once again — well, after a gap of more than a year — by author and columnist John Birmingham. In this episode we talk, inevitably, about the nexus between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. But we also chat about Brisbane and the good old days, cancer, the Apple Vision Pro, World Expo 88, digital locks, physical…

Snarky Platypus and Stilgherrian return to that park in North Sydney park to record another uninformative trailer for their new podcast. Please ignore the squealing child. They’ll be recording two pilot episodes in the coming weeks, just as soon as the paperwork is done for the music license.Kirjoittanut Stilgherrian

The summer series continues, and it's more science. Today's special guest is infectious diseases physician Dr Trent Yarwood. In this episode we talk about infectious diseases, of course, from smallpox to long covid, and HIV to measles. But we also discuss the appendix, biological warfare, norovirus, poo, and the medical semiotics of bow ties. Full …

Snarky Platypus and Stilgherrian sit in a North Sydney park to record a brief and uninformative trailer for their new podcast. They’ll be recording two pilot episodes in the coming weeks, just as soon as the paperwork is done for the music license.Kirjoittanut Stilgherrian

Happy New Year. It's time for another look at space news, I reckon, so once more my special guests are space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk from Flinders University, and astrophysicist and founder of SpaceAustralia.com Rami Mandow. In this episode we talk about Mars, including its role as both a source of aliens and as a potential …

Back at the start of the year, my good friend Snarky Platypus and I created some bingo cards for 2024. Two sets of 25 things that might happen. Well, we’re now at the end of the year, so let’s see how we went. You might want to follow along with the original blog post. https://stilgherrian.com/essay/bingo-card-2024/ You might also want to listen to…

Our first special guest in the summer series is Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous, and we’re going to talk about everything that happened in 2024. Every single thing. Well, no. However we do have to talk about Donald Trump. Sorry, but we do. We also talk about the latest challenge to honesty on OnlyFans, the latest in adult dia…

The first summer series episode of the Edict features Stilgherrian telling a personal story, plus a few other bits and pieces. In this episode he talks about his recent injuries and related hospital visits, the history of those hospitals, content warnings, dildos in Texas, and some old anti-vaxxers. Full podcast details and credits at: https://the9…

It's the final episode of the spring series, finally. And with all the weird digital policy action in Australia in recent weeks, I figured we'd better chat once more with Justin Warren, "consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme". In this episode we talk about Australia's newly-l…