The End of the World with Michael and Stu

We're going back to where it all began; that's right, it's aliens, this time those friendly aliens from Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We talk about the general optimism and lack of paranoia in the film, contrasting it with more recent "first contact" narratives. We also get into the grittiness of Spielberg's early films, a texture he seems to have mostly outgrown by his 1990s blockbuster era. While the movie may have less to say about politics and the hard realities of apocalyptic cultural moments than we would have liked, perhaps that very absence is in itself a lesson for us all.This episode contains spoilers for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

In honor of America's 250th birthday we are covering one of the landmark events in the nation's history, namely the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. We discuss why the assassination was so significant, the context of the recently concluded Civil War, and the precise nature of the conspiracy led by famous actor John Wilkes Booth. We detail Booth's outrageous actions after shooting President Lincoln, his attempts to flee "to Mexico" on a broken leg, and his eventual killing by the unforgettably strange Boston Corbett in the burning barn at Garrett's Farm. Dave Taylor's presentation on Booth's flight after the assassinationThe Abraham Lincoln Memorial Library and Museum's YouTube page (home of many interesting presentations on Lincoln's presidency and the assassination)The Rest is History Podcast on the Lincoln AssassinationSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are using a novel format to explore recent Supreme Court decisions. Stu presents Michael with a brief sketch of the case, Michael decides how he would rule, and Stu then reveals the actual decision arrived at by the justices. Topics covered include: gun rights, pollution, temporary protected status, immigration, transgender athletes in school sports, birthright citizenship, and internet age verification. Is Michael in step with the court, or is he just a bleeding heart liberal? To find out, you must listen!NPR on Trump's Immigration Policy and Population DeclineThe Guardian on Temporary Protective StatusThe Hill on Supreme Court Immigration DecisionsSCOTUS Blog on Transgender Athletes in School SportsSCOTUS Blog on Birthright CitizenshipPolitico on 2019 on FDR and Court-PackingSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing the recent New York congressional primaries which have announced Zohran Mamdani's arrival as a new political "kingmaker" in the Democratic Party. We discuss the three candidates, Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, go over the politics, and then chart the response from the centrist wing of the party, as led by Hakeem Jeffries. Is this a sign of hope for a more progressive moment in American politics? Perhaps!Stu also gives a brief overview of his recent month long jury duty service in Brooklyn Criminal Court.Democracy Now! on the New York Congressional PrimariesSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about the so-called utopian promise of the internet, the "information superhighway" as it was once known, and how it has, over the last thirty years, transformed into an information superhighway...to HELL. We look at some predictions and early ideas about the internet from the 90s before considering the critiques brought by Astra Taylor in the 2010s regarding the way the internet had been subverted by corporate interests. We also look at Lawrence Lessig's analysis of a "free culture" vs. a "permission culture" and how the internet has very much been made to resemble the latter. We conclude with a brief discussion of John Perry Barlow's "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" from 1996 and what it perhaps fails to consider.Lastly we think about the implications of all of this as we experience the rise of a similarly transformative new technological paradigm, AI and Large Language Models.Clinton Administration plans for the "Peace Dividend" in 1992Time Magazine in 1993 predicts the future of the internetAstra Taylor at Democracy Now on the Subversion of the Internet by AdvertisingLawrence Lessig's Free CultureA Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry BarlowSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing the Challenger space shuttle disaster, looking at what caused the shuttle to explode and how the aftermath specifically affected the psyche of the United States in the late 1980s. We also share personal recollections from the disaster, both as it happened and as a feature of our lives growing up as elder millennials. Challenger: The Last Flight on NetflixMajor Malfunction: A Recap of the Challenger Disaster on Youtube"High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we're discussing the April 28, 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union and its aftermath. We use the 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl as our guide, despite some of its historical inaccuracies and acts of dramatic compression. We note, in particular, how those very acts of dramatic compression in fact work as a metonymy for the residual Cold War ideology that animates much of the show, which seems very concerned with depicting the ways that Soviet bureaucracy contributed to the disaster while failing to adequately acknowledge how that same bureaucracy contributed to containing what could have been a much graver disaster. This episode contains spoilers for Chernobyl.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We're back covering a film that is directly in our wheelhouse this week, namely 2020's ridiculous apocalypse movie, Greenland, a Gerard Butler vehicle that explores what it's like to negotiate the aftermath of infidelity as the world around you is literally destroyed by fragments of a murderous comet. We get into all the timely news broadcasts, the Hobbesian AND Rousseauvian responses different people have to the end of the world scenario (interestingly it is the authority figures who behave well and the mere peons who turn into unbridled animals), as well as the ludicrous time wasting that occurs as a "planet killer" comet bears down on the earth. Classic stuff!This episode contains spoilers for Greenland. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are going over some recent news, including word of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the hypothetical "end" of the Iran War, the Pope's powerful statement warning against the hazards of AI for human dignity, and China's minor interventions in Cuba as that country comes more squarely into the sights of the United States. New York Times on the Ebola OutbreakNew York Times on the Iran War "Ending"Time Magazine on the Pope's EncyclicalThe Text of the Pope's Encyclical  Al Jazeera on China and CubaSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We're concluding our coverage of The Leftovers, going over the final season in detail. We debate the series' ending, entertain the hypotheticals offered within the show itself (Michael didn't have to think of one this week), and consider the parallels between the "sudden departure" and its aftermath and Covid-19 and its impacts on contemporary society. This episode contains spoilers for all three seasons of The Leftovers. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

After a 111 episode break, we're finally returning to one of our favorite shows about the end of the world, that's right, it's The Leftovers Season Two. To celebrate, we have recorded our longest ever episode. There are so many themes to dissect, characters to consider, hypothetical questions to ask...we had to do our best to do this tremendous season of television justice!As was just implied, the episode opens with a trio of Leftovers-related hypotheticals devised by Michael, and for once, he completely stumps Stu, in what is sure to be a highlight for all. This episode contains spoilers for the first two seasons of The Leftovers.Our Episode on The Leftovers Season OneSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are covering recent events in the news, including NBA playoff conspiracies, time travel conspiracies about the recent attempted shooting of President Trump, the "missing scientists" conspiracy (which maybe, just maybe, ties into the attempted shooting), and the Supreme Court decision that has gutted the Voting Rights Act. We go over a lot of "interesting" ground, including speculating about the nature of conspiracies and how they tend to reflect the historical context from which they spring. There's even a bit of light JFK discussion for the heads who are still eagerly awaiting or long-forecasted deep dive into that ultimate hornets' nest of conspiratorial thinking. Mike Rothschild on the "Missing Scientists" conspiracy at Talking Points MemoQAA Episode featuring Rothschild speaking on the same topicThe Louisiana Governor on the Supreme Court decisionAOC on the Supreme Court decisionSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we travel to the Americas to consider the Aztec conception of the afterlife. Unlike many of the cultures we have covered, the Aztecs put a great weight on the manner of your death in determining the location of your eternal (or not so eternal) rest. We also give a brief overview of the practice of human sacrifice, and the episode once again opens with more of Michael's patented hypotheticals.The theme music for this episode is "After Life" by No Sky God.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are going to Ancient Greece and exploring their vision of the afterlife. We talk about the judges in hell, about Hades, about all of our favorite denizens of Hades, such as Sisyphus, Tantalus, and Ixion, and we even relate the stories of Orpheus and Heracles and their journeys into the underworld. It's all here!We open the episode with one of Michael's brain-bending hypotheticals...this one...is perhaps the most outrageous one yet.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

Our occasional series, "A Brief History of the Afterlife," is BACK. This week we are covering the Zoroastrian vision of the afterlife, including the Chinvat Bridge, the four layers of heaven, the four layers of hell, Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, the historicity of Zoroaster, all of your favorites. While we don't get into any "hypotheticals" in this episode, there are searching questions about what, so far, may be the most appealing conception of the afterlife we've yet covered.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

It is finally here: the cybernetics episode! We go over the origins and basic concepts of the 20th century science of cybernetics, looking specifically at the work of Norbert Wiener and Gregory Bateson. We  draw on Stu's 2025 article "Cybernetics or the Evolution of Philosophy" from Do Not Research. We open the episode discussing Donald Trump's continuing bewildering comments on the Iran War.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell. We go over the film's approach to the utopian and apocalyptic potential posed by AI, getting into some of the areas the film neglects as we go. Characters familiar to listeners of the pod feature throughout, as do themes we have discussed in detail before, but the film offeres us a useful springboard for discussing in even more depth the issues inherent not just in the possibilities of AI, but more specifically in the possibility of talking about the possibilities of AI. It was an interesting conversation!Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about the recently anointed best picture of 2025, that's right, it's Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another. We discuss the film's "message" regarding revolutionary politics, while also delving into parallels between the movie and its source material, the fiction of Thomas Pynchon. Wilhelm Reich is also mentioned, albeit briefly, as another point of reference for the picture's depiction of the entanglement of sexual energies with revolutionary and counter-revolutionary tendencies. We open up discussing the continuing conflict in Iran and the new decision to deploy ICE Agents to "assist" at airports.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We're talking about the Iran War again, with a special focus on President Trump's incoherent statements regarding the war's status and aims.We open the episode talking about the Oscars and the recent Clavicular "phenomenon." Finally, someone has dared to put Clavicular's "language making" in the context of British Romantic Poetry.  The American Prospect on Renewable Energy as a National Security IssueThe Guardian on the Potential Helium ShortageMiddle East Eye on Israel's Incursion into LebanonDonald Trump's "difficult to parse" statement on the Iran WarGizmodo on Sam Altman's Concept of Intelligence as a "Utility"Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about the first ten days of the Iran War. We go over some of the horrific consequences we've already seen unfold across the region and attempt to suss out what the more long term impacts of this catastrophic event might be. We also try to get into the heads of the people who are spearheading this endeavor in the hopes of imagining what they might hope to achieve. Doomsday scenarios, such as the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons are considered as well.We also touch on the Anthropic/Pentagon "feud" and how it has served to whitewash Anthropic's long term plans for the use of Claude.The New York Times on the widening conflictThe New York Times on Anthropic vs. the PentagonTaylor Lorenz and Ross Anderson on Anthropic, OpenAI, and the PentagonSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about the alleged plan on the part of Meta to enable profiles to remain active after death, powered by AI. Of course Meta says this is just a "hypothetical" patent they have filed that they have "no intention of implementing" but we suss out the implications nonetheless, just in case, just on the off chance that this comes to pass. We then transition into a discussion of the 2013 episode of Black Mirror "Be Right Back" which anticipated the possibility of something like this happening by over a decade. We note, in particular, all the ways that this very prescient episode of TV in fact underestimates how ubiquitous, addictive, and world-altering the social media apps within our phones have turned out to be, so much so that this episode from thirteen years ago feels almost quaint.We open the episode discussing the recently launched strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel and consider what some of the potentially disastrous consequences of this endeavor might be.Business Insider on Meta's PatentOn teenagers's use of AI companionsCBS on a study of teen AI usage and psychosisSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are finally tackling Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan''s 2023 portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. We get into the dramaturgical choices made by Nolan in the film, we analyze the question of "theory vs practice," and we talk a little bit about the political implications of the Oppenheimer's actions. What happens when socialist leanings meet personal egotism? We also draw out the implicit comparison between Oppenheimer and his foil, Lewis Strauss, which the film goes to great pains to hammer into us, its audience.We open up the episode recapping Sam Altman's recent comments on the energy it takes to train an AI vs. the energy it takes to raise a human, and we also talk briefly about the New York blizzard. Oh and Barbenheimer is mentioned, as it must always be.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about Claude, the AI agent developed by Anthropic. Our window into this world is the recently published piece in The New Yorker by Gideon Lewis-Kraus, who spent a lot of time over the last few years talking to various folks at Anthropic. What we discover is, and this will come as a shock, a lot of discussion regarding AI's "power" and "reasoning" abilities, most of which can be dismissed as yet another iteration of the endless hype-cycle surrounding the project of LLMs more generally. The second half of the episode is devoted to the utterly forgettable recent film Subservience, starring Megan Fox as, wait for it, an AI powered robot helper who becomes homicidal! Despite the film's overt terribleness, it provides us with a vector for discussing the arrival of algorithmic slop filmmaking, and how this trend in Hollywood does not exactly help the industry in resisting the drive to ever more automated entertainment properties. Gideon Lewis-Kraus's piece in The New YorkerThis week's episode icon is a drawing of Claude Shannon, the pioneering mathematician and computer scientist for whom "Claude" is named. The title is a quote spoken in Hamlet by, who else, Claudius. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about information glut, particularly in the case of the recently released Epstein Files. How are we to deal with such a massive tranche of completely disorganized information? How do we sort the real from the fake, the jokes from the serious crimes? It's overwhelming, and we consider some of the psychic damage this mass drop of documents has already done. We also discuss the Moltbook fiasco, which has been revealed to be yet another AI hype fraud. Speaking of potential fraud, we also get into developments in betting markets, which seem...rife with potential conflicts.Lastly we check in on the ominous vagueposting of Aleksandr Dugin, philosopher of Putinism.Hesse Deni on Epstein Files induced insanityAdam Tooze reacts to news of Moltbook fraudGiannis/Kalshi theoryDugin vaguepostingSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing 90s failed blockbuster sci-fi Alien meets Hellraiser movie Event Horizon, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. This is, I believe, our shortest episode to date, and we spend most of our discussion pointing out the absurdity of many aspects of the film, while also attempting to get to the bottom of just what it was about this picture that so terrified a teenage Stu, because...let's just say we were not adequately frightened on this rewatch.We open the episode briefly discussing the newly released Epstein Files, a topic to which we will return next week in a full news episode breaking down the self-dismantling world in which we live. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are considering Yorgos Lanthimos's 2025 film, Bugonia. This picture ties into several of our interests: environmental collapse, societal collapse, aliens, Atlantis, it really is a smorgasbord of topics near and dear to our hearts. We both like the way the movie ties together these disparate themes and pins itself on three great performances by Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Aidan Delbis.We open the episode by talking about signs of political defeat for Trump in the wake of another egregious killing by border patrol agents in Minneapolis.  Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are doing a roundup of the world's news; we touch on the ICE incursion in Minneapolis and the various ways that has been interpreted, before moving on to discuss Iran and the protest movement there. We then consider Donald Trump's play for Greenland, which now seems to have been undertaken in response to his being denied the Nobel Peace Prize, if his letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister is to be believed. British bankers have been preparing for alien disclosure as this just might disrupt global markets, should it occur. We also go over recent incursions upon the freedom of the press under the second Trump administration before checking in with what has been happening in Venezuela. Lots of dark stuff stuff occurring in the world, but we end on a note of optimism. We open the episode by acknowledging the passings of Scott Adams and Erich von Däniken. Time Magazine on Protesters feeling betrayed by Donald Trump Democracy Now! on the erosion of freedom of the press under Trump 2.0Trump's letter to the Norwegian Prime MinisterBritish bankers prepare for alien disclosureNew slogan emerges in VenezuelaSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are returning to Stanley Kubrick, tackling his late masterpiece, Eyes Wide Shut. We discuss its resonances with the ongoing (neverending?) Jeffrey Epstein scandal, while also getting into some of its Freudian themes. We discuss the film's relationship with its source material, Arthur Schnitzler's brilliant Traumnovelle, pointing out the specific sort of dream logic that animates the movie's action.We open the episode by tossing around the hot new conspiracy about the Earth's "actual" population which as been "taking the internet by storm."Also, we don't mention it in the episode, but RIP Bob Weir.Bonesawmd's post on X about the Chinese population "conspiracy"Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing the United State's "action" in Venezuela which led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. We go over the implications of this for US foreign policy moving forward, what this means for the future of Venezuela, while also touching briefly on the long history of that nation. Does this action imply a shift in the future of US global strategy? Is the US stepping back from its engagements in Europe and Asia to focus on "dominating" the Western Hemisphere? Whatever it means, it's not looking good!We open the episode by discussing the plight of Scott Adams, who is apparently on death's door after following some ill-conceived medical advice. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece, The Shining. We get into Kubrick's famous "beef" with Stephen King, the author of the novel upon which the film is based, while also discussing the several angles of interpretation that have emerged over the forty five years since the film first premiered. Is the movie about the end of the world? You might not think so at first, but with the help of our old friend Frederic Jameson, by the end of this episode, you might just think otherwise. We also briefly discuss the brilliant psychoanalytical treatment of the picture offered by Cale Brooks. We open the episode with an update on one of our favorites, Sam Altman, who is now seeking a "head of preparedness" for OpenAI, whatever that means!Frederic Jameson, "Historicism in 'The Shining'"Cale Brooks, "What We Overlook in The Shining"Sam Altman's call for a new "Head of Preparedness" for OpenAISend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We did it. Somehow, we've made it to one hundred episodes. And this week we're going to celebrate by going over some of our favorite and least favorite movies from the first hundred, offering predictions on the future of American politics, and, most importantly, going through three of Michael's famed/hated hypotheticals. We even touch a bit on the afterlife. It's all here.Thanks to everyone who has listened to any of these first hundred episodes, we really appreciate it, and we're looking forward to providing cutting edge end of the world content for the next hundred episodes to come and beyond!A list of all the movies we've covered on LetterboxdSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are tackling 2007's I Am Legend, a film so bad not even Stu can pretend it is a "masterpiece." Much time is spent in pointing out the many problems with the main character's behaviors in the film (it stars Will Smith at the height of his powers), applying all we have learned from 99 episodes of examining end of the world scenarios. We also tear apart both equally terrible endings of the film.We open the episode by remembering the late, great Rob Reiner who passed away in tragic circumstances over the weekend. We also analyze the response to his passing by President Trump which was, how shall we say...deranged.This episode contains spoilers for I Am Legend.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are revisiting a 2016 New Yorker profile of Sam Altman by Tad Friend for insight into how we got where we now are with regards to AI and its seeming inescapable ubiquity. The article is quite revelatory, as it shows us Altman in a more nascent moment in his rise to "tech superstardom." And what do we find? A monomaniacal sociopath with dreams of infinite growth and little regard for the consequences of his actions on the lives of other people. It's quite amazing and quite depressing at the same time, but we managed to have a good time exploring this portrait of a fundamentally detestable person that grants its subject, a delusional and likely evil ghoul, the patina of respectability.We open the episode looking at a piece that suggests OpenAI, once the golden child of Silicon Valley, may have a difficult road ahead of it. Tad Friend's 2016 profile of Sam Altman in The New YorkerBloomberg on OpenAI's potential fall from graceSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are discussing the Heaven's Gate cult, which famously brought about its own end through mass suicide in March of 1997 as the Hale-Bopp Comet sailed past the Earth. We discuss the group's origins in the "cultic milieu" of the early 1970s and compare it to other new religious movements of the time including Peoples Temple, The Manson Family, and EST. The group's beliefs, an interesting fusion of New Age practices and Protestant Christian teachings, emphasizing individual self-transformation in order to ascend to a higher plain of existence, help us to situate them in the context of their era. We also explore connections to events in the 1990s such as the siege at Waco, the siege at Ruby Ridge, and the manifesto of the Unabomber in hopes of coming to a better understanding of the group's seemingly unthinkable decision to end their lives. Our guide for this episode is Benjamin E. Zeller's Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion, which looks at Heaven's Gate from the perspective of religious studies.The outro music this week is "Whenever You Find Me" by No Sky God.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are considering Sidney Lumet's 1976 classic Network. Written by acclaimed screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and featuring an all-star cast, the film examines the breakdown of the supposed objectivity of the news media in an age of hyper-capitalism. A prophecy of things that would come to fruition decades after it was first released, Network remains relevant today for its extremely cynical depiction of the corporate media landscape as well as for its anticipation of the way religious values have been transposed onto media properties. We, while finding much to like, also discovered much to criticize in this ambitious but flawed film.We open the episode with a sad note of memorial for Stu's late cat, Zimbra, who passed away over the weekend.This episode contains spoilers for Network.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are tackling Kathryn Bigelow's 2025 film A House of Dynamite which deals with one of our "favorite" nightmare scenarios, namely, a nuclear missile of unknown origin being fired at a major American city. We analyze the film's three part/three perspective structure and also discuss its controversial ending. We open the episode by discussing some of the revelations in the latest tranche of Epstein emails to be released and what they demonstrate about the true nature of people in positions of elite power.This episode contains spoilers for A House of Dynamite.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are charting some of the reactions (and overreactions) to last week's mayoral election in New York City wherein Zohran Mamdani emerged triumphant. Can Mamdani's campaign point the way for future Democratic Party successes, or is it an outlier that must be seen firmly in the context of deep blue New York City? We chart reactions from Third Way, Steve Bannon, Chuck Schumer, David Wallace-Wells, and more.We open the episode discussing the Democrats decision to fold on the government shutdown.Third Way on why Mamdani's policies won't work outside NYCPolitico interviews Steve Bannon on Mamdani's victoryDavid Wallace-Wells on the implications of Mamdani's winChuck Schumer's response to Mamdani's triumphSky News on Trump and Vance's response to MamdaniSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we're getting into Abel Ferrara's 2011 film 4:44 Last Day on Earth which follows an actor, Cisco (Willem DaFoe), and his painter partner, Skye (Shanyn Leigh), on....the last day on earth. With nods to some of our old favorites including Al Gore, the Norse conception of Ragnarok, as well as Joseph Campbell, the movie explores what two people go through when faced with the certain knowledge that the world will end at a specific time. We open the episode discussing Donald Trump's dire warning about the necessity of voting Republican if we want to avoid "destroying our lives." Very fun stuff!This episode contains spoilers for 4:44 Last Day on Earth.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week for Halloween we are covering "The Shadow over Innsmouth" by H.P. Lovecraft. We get into Lovecraft's troubling history of racism, showing how it works as a manifestation of the anxieties of white supremacist ideology. We also discuss the work of Mark Fisher, who has looked into Lovecraft's deployment of "the Weird." Lastly we consider Lovecraft's role in popularizing (inventing?) the idea that life on Earth was seeded by a mysterious race of "ancient aliens."To open the episode we talk about the shadow over the NBA in the form of the newly surfaced betting scandal, and go over the ways that the rise of legalized gambling stands as another sign of our society's rapid decline into a rent-seeking, extraction exercise for the ultra wealthy at the expense of the poorest among us.This episode contains spoilers for "The Shadow over Innsmouth."Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

Is our genetic makeup our destiny, or is there someway we can overcome the code on which our bodies and minds are based? This is the question asked by this week's film, 1997's Gattaca, written and directed by Andrew Niccol. We get into the reality of the eugenics-obsessed world presented by this picture while pointing out some of the...other aspects of reality this single-minded focus on genetic destiny allows the inhabitants of this film to overlook. We also discuss the recent Louvre robbery, thinking about the true meaning of "pricelessness." We then cover the "No Kings" protests.This episode contains spoilers for Gattaca. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We're finally covering the Norse vision of the apocalypse, Ragnarök. We go over the Norse pantheon of gods, Odin, Thor, Loki, all your favorites, and then we get into some of the events that presage the coming of doom before plunging fully into that doom itself, particularly the tragic death of Baldr done by the coward Loki. We also get into some of the classic Norse apocalyptic monsters, Fenrir, Jörmungandr, Hel, Garmr, and, of course, Surtr (who could forget Surtr?). It's a trip through Norse myth with comparisons to Greek and Christian visions of the end of the world thrown in for good measure.We open the episode by discussing the recent ceasefire in Gaza, with hopes that it finally holds and brings an end to this terrible war, while along the way noting some of the discrepancies of language still en vogue in the media when addressing the war. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We're finally tackling 1981's Mad Max 2 or The Road Warrior. One of the most influential post-apocalyptic films of the last fifty years, it is also considered to be one of the greatest action movies of all time. So of course, Michael is ambivalent about it, and Stu is OUTRAGED by that ambivalence. By the end will our hosts reach some kind of accord, or will this be a friendship-ending episode? To find out, you must listen.We start out by discussing Trump's recent threats to invoke the dreaded Insurrection Act in order to quell "riots" in Portland, Chicago, and other American cities. We speculate on what the goal of these threats might really be.Politico on Trump and the Insurrection ActSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we have bowed to pressure and are at last covering a 2013 National Geographic documentary called "How to Survive the End of the World: Zombie Earth." This is the first entry in a six part series to which we shall be returning periodically. The zombie apocalypse scenario set out in this infotainment feature is really about rabies, and not just regular, terrifying rabies, no. The documentary dares to ask, "What if rabies went airborne?"It's interesting to look back on this cultural artifact from the 2010s with the knowledge we now possess of how the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic played out, and we do just that in this episode, noting the things the documentary gets right and those things it gets...completely wrong...or misses entirely.We open up the episode by talking about YouTube's recent settlement with Donald Trump over his ban in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection. Has a golden age of free speech really begun, or is something else afoot?Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

At long last we are covering Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien. We go over how the film is really about, surprise, capitalism, and how the ultimate aim of capitalism is to discover the perfect war-making commodity, in this case, a merciless killing machine unburdened by illusions of "morality," as one character puts it. Great movie, really fun to discuss, and we were even joined briefly by a special cat guest as we were discussing the prominent role in the film played by Jones, the crucial feline crew member.We open the episode by going over the recently declared (by RFK Jr and Trump) connection between Tylenol and autism. What's next, Aleve is actually responsible for cancer? We consider the ominous implications of being governed by a cadre of people who seem to exist entirely in a world of illusion of their own making. This podcast contains spoilers for Alien.The New York Times on Trump and RFK Jr.'s Tylenol and Autism Announcement Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

This week we are talking about 2022's Triangle of Sadness. Directed by Ruben Östlund, the movie looks at class divisions in three stages, zooming out from the troubles in an individual romantic relationship, then looking at class as it works on a luxury cruise, before finally depicting a kind of post-apocalyptic, Lord-of-the-Flies-with-adults situation on a seemingly deserted island. Beautifully made and at moments hilarious, we both felt there were times when the film was a bit heavy-handed, and we both had trouble deriving a "thesis" from what the picture depicts. How are we meant to understand the depths of its ironies? Is it completely black-pilled? We open the episode by discussing the media reaction to the recent, murderous events in Utah. What does this bode for the future of political relations in the United States?This episode contains spoilers for Triangle of Sadness.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

We've gone back to a total classic of the apocalypse genre, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, to mark our return from our "brief sojourn" in the realms of the afterlife. We get into all sorts of stuff about childhood traumas caused by the film, the desirability of voiceover in movies, the ATM-hacking skills of young John Connor; it's all here. We open the episode by discussing the recently revealed "birthday letter" and consider what its implications might be, both for Trump's future and for his taste in art.We then segue into a recent article from Politico about the "inevitability" of AI being integrated into the US's nuclear defense program and why that might be...a bad idea.This episode contains spoilers for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.Politico on AI, escalation, and potential nuclear warSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

In the final installment (for now) of our afterlife miniseries, we are considering the ancient Vedic Religion, the ancestor of modern Hinduism which arose in northwestern India in the second millennium BCE. We talk about the idea of being reincarnated in other realms (as opposed to in this world), and the different factors that might alter the realm in which one finds oneself. We also get into various hypotheses about where the Vedic religion came from, discussing the Indo-European peoples as well as the mysterious Indus Valley Civilization whose script remains as yet undeciphered. The episode opens with another one of Michael's afterlife hypotheticals, speaking of hypotheses. Next week we'll be back to covering the end of the world as we usually do. Theme music is from "After Life" by No Sky God. Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

Moving in a parallel direction to our last topic, we are going over the afterlife beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians this week, touching on mummification, the pyramid texts, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and the elusive Field of Reeds. We compare the classless afterlife of the Mesopotamians to the highly stratified beliefs of the Egyptians, while also noting that, for the first time in our series on the ancient world, there is an idea of an eternal paradise at the end in this vision. We start the episode with another one of Michael's mind-bending afterlife hypotheticals. This one he has not posed to hundreds of people...yet.Send us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

It's part three of our foray into the history of the afterlife, this time with a focus on Ancient Mesopotamia and the legendary Epic of Gilgamesh. We go over the conception of the afterlife presented in the poem, which is very egalitarian if not very comforting, and we then move on to consider the second half of the tale, which focuses on Gilgamesh's attempt to achieve immortality. This episode contains spoilers for The Epic of Gilgamesh.An English translation of the Epic in PDF formSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu

In the second installment of our afterlife miniseries we delve into the prehistoric realms, discussing the earliest evidence we have for some kind of a belief in the afterlife in prehistoric, neolithic peoples. We also consider the Neanderthal and Denisovans, cave paintings, early totemic art, and the practices of ceremonial burial. We also touch on Göbekli Tepe and other early ritual sites and end up by making reference to skull cults, everyone's favorite type of cult. We open the episode with one of Michael's brainteasing hypotheticals about the afterlife. Images of Göbekli TepeExamples of Plastered Human SkullsArt from Chauvet CaveThe Harbin CraniumSend us Fan Mailhttps://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-Bhttps://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu