Don't Praise The Machine (DPTM)

When and why did we start naming every little niche - and defining ourselves in terms of -cores, vibes and aesthetics?

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Australia's much anticipated social media ban for under-16s is about to start. What can we expect? Will it work? And if it does work, will that be a good thing? 

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Music is uniquely vulnerable to A.I. destruction. But why? And does anyone care?

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For many, Tom Green is a relic of boundary-pushing 90s comedy. But Tom's innovations in podcasting in the early noughties may prove to be his most lasting and underrated legacy.

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Whoop whoop! Welcome to the Dark Carnival.

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On the eve of the wildly popular Melbourne Cup, we look at Australia's bizarre obsession with gambling. Just how bad is it? And why has it taken hold?

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This week, a look into the podbrothers' home town. Radelaide, or Badelaide?

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An exploration of the depravity of IRL streaming. We examine the methods and motives of Kai Cenat, IShowSpeed, and others. Is it really that bad? Yes. Yes, it is.

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Steve Irwin was beloved by millions. But not so much in his home country. Why? And have Australians finally learned to love the Crocodile Hunter?

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Comedy fans around the world have been left shocked and incensed by so many of their heroes jumping at the chance to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Are they just being naive? Or could this actually do lasting damage to some of stand-up's biggest names?

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False predictions of the apocalypse are not new. But Rapture Tok has shown that TikTok can fuel mass hysteria like nothing else. Which is worrying; but undeniably funny.

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A particular kind of reel is taking over social media: screaming, drooling, insanely overacting men with weird fictional narratives. What on earth is going on?

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Jack Kay has taken the internet by storm as the "Ibiza Final Boss."

We'll share the hidden ingredients that made his video the viral phenomenon that has shot him to overnight fame and potentially a fortune, if the Final Boss plays his Balearic cards right.

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The Hottest 100 Of Australian Songs Of All Time was packed with bangers, but some forgotten gems need their flowers.

John and AL take you through the top ten on Triple J's list, and AL reveals his top ten votes.

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Jojo Siwa is the queen of cringe. How did this happen? And who's profiting from her meltdown?

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Late-night TV is as old as television itself. Soon it will be gone. How did we get here?

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TikTok has totally transformed DJing. Is it a good thing?

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What is the mysterious 'pizza effect'? And how has it shaped centuries of culture - from food, to music and religious holidays?

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Italian brainrot is here, and nothing will ever be the same. We go through what it means, where it comes from, and what it signals for the future of memes.

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Recently, a seemingly average guy named Chris Smith proposed to his A.I. chatbot. Weird, yes. But in letting ChatGPT into our lives, have we all become more like Chris than we care to admit?

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Peter Andre's been in hot water for his role in 'Jafaican' (2025). But that got us thinking: just who is Peter Andre? How did he rise from a humble Aussie boyhood to become a staple of the British tabloids? Is there more to him than washboard abs?

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From overnight millionaires like Sophie Rain to established musical artists like Lily Allen and Kate Nash, OnlyFans offers eye-watering sums, often for minimal effort. But what's the real cost of this digital gold rush? We explore the societal shift around sex work, the normalization of adult content, and we help you explain to your mother what the "bop house" is.

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Hollywood's sequel obsession is real! Meet the Parents' surprising return, I Am Legend bringing back Will Smith (despite his death!), and Karate Kid's endless reboots. Why can't studios create new stories? They're even ignoring iconic character deaths for familiarity.

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SMAS or Deep Plane? The cosmetic surgery game has changed. Here are your options.

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What's behind the rise of online 'light language' practitioners? Who are they, what are they doing, and why is anyone into it?

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Journey through the decaying landscapes of abandoned online worlds and meet the small, dedicated communities who remain, clinging to memory and connection in these virtual ghost towns.

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How come the Met Gala hasn't been cancelled? We punch up at the celebs and media outlets that keep Anna Wintour's carnival of excess alive.

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From Chocolate Rain to Kony2012, our beloved cultural phenomenon celebrates a major milestone. Feel old yet?

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Griefbots are more complicated than we thought.

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Billionaire Bezos's Blue Origin baddies boondoggle bombs badly.

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Chiro ASMR will never die. We look at the cutting-edge crackmasters who've made a name for themselves, and the strange new subgenres vying for social media supremacy.

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Mentally mapping out urban spaces ("link ups"), plus aRachel Ray Gun update and the Baldwins let their masks slip on the red carpet

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Suddenly, Phil Collins has a legion of new fans.

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The anatomy of a Disney disaster. Plus: Justin Bieber's trend-setting downfall.

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The 2025 Oscars is Hollywood's death rattle

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The first episode of TLC's 'The Baldwins' is masterclass in misdirection. But what's it all for? Plus: Meghan Markle's IP gaffe, and the Met Gala fiasco in the making.

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Eric Von Markovik, aka 'Mystery': the last of a dying breed.

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Hilaria tricked you into talking about her. Plus: Tom Arnold speaks to us.

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The 'most internet' story of 2025. Plus: Hans Zimmer scores the Saudi anthem.

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The insidious abyss of ChatGPT's voice mode, and the terrifying prospect of reanimated brains. 

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The pros, cons and nuances of Australia's ban on social media for under 16s.

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Did the short-lived TikTok ban unleash a geopolitical domino effect?

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Is Hilaria Baldwin latest 'Spanglish' gaffe actually a deliberate ploy? What's behind Meghan Markles' exquisitely cringey Netflix special? And how much of 2025 will we spend on our phones?

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Looking Back, Was 'Brat Summer' meaningless? Is Spotify Wrapped broken? And how did Bubba Gump Shrimp last this long? 

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Our Aussie breakdancing "icon" is back in the headlines after shutting down a comedy musical about her iconic kangaroo dance.

Did Ray Gun's lawyers really trademark the silhouette of a kangaroo pose? You bet they did!

Join us as we unpack Ray Gun's cringey attempts at damage control, her bizarre insistence that she's not in it for the money, and the Streisand Effect in all its glory.

Plus, we'll explore the internet's strange fascination with hot criminals and the fine line between anti-hero and straight-up bad guy.

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Is ChatGPT Better Than A Doctor? How Come There's A Guinness Shortage? What Is The Word Of The Year?

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Does the 'Wicked' press tour saga prove that people are finally fed up with Hollywood? Why can't anyone ask celebrities about their cosmetic procedures? And how do you 'hold space' for lyrics?!

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John recounts a LinkedIn debate with some "beef boys" from the Australian cattle industry where things escalated quickly.

Big AL talks about his 3 "Can't Live Without Gadgets", and the boys discuss the items they are trying to save money on in this year's Black Friday Sales.

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The podbrothers unpack the bizarre events leading to athlete Camille Herron's downfall, and the psychology of being caught in a lie. Plus: ChatGPT knows all about your life.

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We talk the return of Raygun. What's her strategy? Will it work? How do society and the media come to grips with celebrity meme born of failure?

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- Go deep on Lily Allen's OnlyFans feet pic fortune. What are the economics, ethics and implications of a musician making an income from images of her toes?

- Take a swig of Soylent, Silicon Valley's iconic meal replacement drink. How did it come to be, and where's it at these days?

- Profile the tech-savvy rizzler of the Trump family, Barron - and his soon-to-be sister-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle.

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This week, the podbrothers tackle A.I. vs artists - from the recent petition signed by over 10k creatives (including some Hollywood heavyweights) to the dilemma of '10 Drunk Cigarettes'. Plus, Alexander's encounter with the McDonald's kiosk screen.  

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This week, John and Al take in a monster truck rally, remember a Rob Reiner/Stephen King classic and get scammed by Tibetan throat-singers.

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The podbrothers wonder about memory and forgetting, airplane R 18+ film mishaps and the sudden cheugy-ness of Google.

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Get ready to say goodbye to airplane boredom (and maybe your privacy) as Elon Musk's Starlink promises internet EVERYWHERE! 🤯

In this episode of Don't Praise the Machine, your hosts Alex and John unpack the wild world of satellite internet and the implications of a constantly connected world.

• From Amazon tribes to airplane cabins, Starlink is poised to revolutionize how (and where) we use the internet. • What happens when even the most remote corners of the world have access to high-speed internet? • The hosts discuss the ethical considerations of bringing the digital world to uncontact...

This week, the podbrothers cover Google's new A.I.-generated podcast tool, the AFL Grand Final, Diddy's downfall, the Berlin Marathon, Frankie Valli's spate of unsettling performances and Five Guys' ingenious marketing.

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This week, the podbrothers discuss the mysterious explosion of fast food prices, Australia's possible claim to auto-tune history, and a midlife marketing crisis.

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This week, the podbrothers address some key differences in boomer vs younger generation phone use; get nostalgic about famine events and share some huge news. 

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This week, the podbrothers investigate the scary/fun potential of new satellite technology, analyse Raygun's latest moves and try to remember a time before ChatGPT.

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Spotify decides what cheesy music is on your behalf, the ISS stranded astronauts facing space madness and who has joined the 250 miles high club? 🛰️

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This week, the podbrothers do a deep dive into celebrity clone theory, and mourn Bennifer's divorce.

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This week, a final deep dive into the Olympics, from Raygun's legacy to the ultra-weird sport of racewalking.

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This week, Dr Raygun breaks the internet. The podbrothers explore the performance seen round the world; Dr Raygun's academic career; and the way we've come to deal with public misfires.

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This week, a DPTM Olympic deep dive - the decline of the Games, defunct sports, breakdancing and Olympic animals, Nikki Webster, Kraftwerk and John's Paralympic dream.

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This week, the podbrothers talk humans vs robots in the arts; a leaked pic feud; Australian childhood fame, and telltale signs that ChatGPT wrote the scientific paper.

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This week, the podbrothers puzzle over the hits and misses of A.I. language modeling and the persistence of old tech.

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This week, the podbrothers discuss Elder (Brandon) Flowers, the rise and fall of Nespresso and 90s slang.

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This week, John goes to Singapore to contemplate the future of caning technology; and the podbrothers contemplate Will Smith's attempted comeback, the reappearance of Axel Foley and the romantic repurposing of facial recognition platform PimEyes.

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This week the podbrothers investigate the music mafia's campaign against A.I.-generated tunes; North Korea's smelly campaign against its southern neighbours; and the untapped wealth of their own vintage sporting apparel.

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This week, the podbrothers discuss the impending demise of Coldplay, women who fly planes, bad movies with a huge cultural footprint and a superfan's AI-generated tribute song.

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This week, the podbrothers delve into the Met Gala reckoning. What does the recent push back against the Met set mean for our beloved celebrity overlords? And could Anna Wintour, the Prada-wearing devil, be banished to the underworld? Plus: John’s accidentally cool threads, and Alexander’s conversational icebreaker.

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This week, the podbrothers celebrate the first millennial saint, big changes in airport security and Alexander's foray into A.I. songwriting. 

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This week the podbrothers contemplate the imminent demise of ICQ, and the history of instant messaging; marvel at the enduring popularity of Australia's 'bad taste bards'; and revisit the bagging area.

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This week, the pod brothers ponder the failings of the New York/Dublin 'Portal'; new additions to the Gen Alpha lexicon; and reality TV for the LinkedIn crowd.

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This week, the podbrothers contemplate A.I.'s radical impact on how we value images, and John opens up his Bing Copilot Designer vault to share some disturbing content.

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This week, the podbrothers talk mayonnaise marketing, and stand in line at the currency exchange.

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This week, Alexander does a great Danish dash in the Copenhagen Marathon, and John tests out an Aussie's guide to Germany. 

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This week, John 'Junior Boost' Maloney and Alexander 'Apricot Pepsi' Holland unwrap the recurring trope of the miraculously preserved burger, and illustrate a new and important way to show respect to your peers.

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This week, the podbrothers ponder AI's strange and sudden invasion of Facebook.

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Why did you reach for that Snickers in the checkout area? That's a 6 BILLION dollar a year industry at work and we break down how it all works.

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This week, the podbrothers once again find themselves ahead of the news cycle, and John goes to Sydney on a very special mission. 

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This week, John and Al are stunned by new generation tech, and scan some developments in the supermarket checkout. 

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This week, the podbrothers query how slang has evolved since DPTM began, and marvel at a magnate's quest for marital bliss.  

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This week, the podbrothers dive into the high-stakes world of Superbowl ads, and ask: is brand recognition worth dying for?

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This week, John invents a new piece of furniture and Al gives you the tools to resist a troubling twist on the phone snub.

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This week, the podbrothers shower for a cause, and follow a dog-eared star map to the queen of stock photos.

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This week, a sesquicentennial spectacular like no other.

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This week, the podbrothers take a look back from the future at the here-and-now, puzzle at a fishy lyric, pause for some show-and-tell and reflect on John's tech bro transformation.

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This week, John and Al broach the boundaries of therapy culture, the lure of laziness and some surprising truths about what matters most in life.

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This week, John and Al deconstruct Mattel's new cinematic juggernaut and foresee an ethical minefield in virtual reality. 

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This week, the podbrothers profile a champion of hyper-irony, and return to a nagging question: was Arnie the only actor with a truly universal catchphrase?

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This week, the podbrothers take stock of the water bottle wars, and the astounding rise of chessfluencers.

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This week, John and Al ponder the history in-flight entertainment, and make plans for cosmetic transformation.

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