🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE

Episode 143 – Piracy

Andy and Roger go full nostalgia this week, sailing back into the murky waters of digital piracy—from LimeWire and Napster to South-East Asian market stalls and dual-VCR bootlegs. The episode opens with Roger’s traumatising trip to Luna Park and Andy’s vivid memories of his dad recording classical music from the local library, before the pair launch into a discussion about how pirating culture shaped their youth.

They explore the evolution of music and movie consumption, from mixtapes and VHS dubs to torrents and streaming, reflecting on how piracy transformed not only access to content but the culture around it. There’s also a very candid look at the ethics of pirating, the blurred lines between rebellion and theft, and how shifting technologies—from MP3s to AI—continue to challenge old business models. And yes, porn gets a mention too.

Whether it’s the death of the album, the economics of Taylor Swift’s re-recordings, or why Game of Thrones was the last true watercooler moment, Andy and Roger ask: was it wrong, or just inevitable?

Hashtags:

#DigitalPiracy #Napster #LimeWire #Torrents #OldInternet #VHS #BootlegCulture #LunaPark #AndyAndRoger #MusicStreaming #CopyrightDebate #AIandArt #TaylorSwift #Spotify #MoviePiracy #AlbumCulture #TechNostalgia #StreamingWars #MediaConsumption #CivilDisobedience #DigitalRevolution

Engage with us on social media:

Website:

http://themiddle.site/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_middle_podcast/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@themiddlepodcastandyroger

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Middle-Podcast/100089236832534/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheMiddlePC

Email:

the.middle.podcast.au@gmail.com

Sign up to our subscriber email list:

Visit our website: http://themiddle.site/

Or click: https://forms.gle/4qATmU2yiHgjZrej8

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE

Episode 142 – Forty years

Roger’s recovering from a throat infection, Andy’s just turned 40, and both are contemplating how it all went so fast. In this episode, Andy and Roger embark on an ambitious year-by-year cultural tour through the major pop culture and historical events of their lifetimes—starting with 1985’s Back to the Future and ending in 2025 with AI and global disillusionment.

Expect reflections on:

Chernobyl, Cobain, and Obama

Die Hard, The Matrix, and Mean Girls

The iPhone, Gangnam Style, and Google

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of Trump

Whether Nirvana was actually any good

Why Jurassic Park still slaps

And how The Simpsons is the Shakespeare of their generation

It's a nostalgic and occasionally absurd audit of growing up in the shadow of late capitalism, blockbuster movies, and dial-up internet—just two guys trying to remember what happened between floppy disks and ChatGPT.

Hashtags:

#Turning40 #PopCultureNostalgia #AndyAndRoger #BackToTheFuture #MillennialLife #NirvanaDebate #SimpsonsLegacy #JurassicPark #TrumpEra #MatrixReloaded #PodcastThrowback #iPhoneRevolution #GenXMillennials #CulturalRetrospective #DigitalAge #LifeInThe80s #RememberThe90s #2000sCulture #AI2025 #PodcastDiscussion

Engage with us on social media:

Website:

http://themiddle.site/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_middle_podcast/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@themiddlepodcastandyroger

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Middle-Podcast/100089236832534/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheMiddlePC

Email:

the.middle.podcast.au@gmail.com

Sign up to our subscriber email list:

Visit our website: http://themiddle.site/

Or click: https://forms.gle/4qATmU2yiHgjZrej8

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE

Episode 141 – Tough decisions

Andy and Roger open the episode with a theatrical recount of their recent hot pot experience at a place called "Master Cow," where a bronze cow statue serves as both meat platter and smoke machine. Despite Andy’s long-standing disdain for hot pot, the deluxe meat-and-dry-ice display, decent broths, private room upgrade, and $7 beers manage to win him over—though not enough to make it a 40th birthday destination.

The conversation then shifts as Andy makes a surprising personal announcement: he’s finally bought a MacBook. This sparks a lively debate between the Apple-enthusiast Roger and long-time PC loyalist Andy about tech loyalty, UX trade-offs, and the perils of adapting to a new ecosystem.

In the second half of the episode, they respond to the harrowing case of a childcare worker charged with over 70 child sex offences. They examine the difficult and emotionally charged fallout, including public calls to bar men from working in early childhood care. Roger candidly shares his discomfort with male carers, citing personal and cultural reasons, while Andy cautions against creating policy based on fear and stigma. They explore whether policy responses can protect children without veering into moral panic or discriminatory territory.

Finally, the episode turns to the chaos surrounding New South Wales’ selective school testing debacle, reigniting a long-standing debate. Andy argues the entire system is elitist, segregationist, and a blight on public education. Roger, reflecting on his own near-miss with James Ruse, offers a more conflicted take, defending immigrant work ethic and the perceived meritocracy of selective schools—while acknowledging the cost to childhoods and mental health.

Hashtags:

#HotPotWars #MasterCow #AppleVsPC #MacBookSwitch #SelectiveSchools #JamesRuse #ChildcareDebate #MaleEducators #NSWPolitics #ChildProtection #TechTalk #ParentingPolitics #CulturalTaboos #PublicEducation #AndyAndRoger #PodcastAustralia #MacbookM2 #ChildSafety #SelectiveTest #EducationSystem

Engage with us on social media:

Website:

http://themiddle.site/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_middle_podcast/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@themiddlepodcastandyroger

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Middle-Podcast/100089236832534/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheMiddlePC

Email:

the.middle.podcast.au@gmail.com

Sign up to our subscriber email list:

Visit our website: http://themiddle.site/

Or click: https://forms.gle/4qATmU2yiHgjZrej8