McGST Podcast

Joanne and I discuss the difficult subject of assisted dying in our 100th episode. There is a tiny bit about Trump at the end. Sorry...

Jo and I have a chat about rioting, a new government, immigration and some other stuff. Usual positive topics!:)

Joanne and I discuss unfairness and Artificial Intelligence. Will the latter help the former? Music by Tom Munch More at McGST.com

Joanne and I ask two questions in this episode- Is a 20 year old today as resilient as a 20 year old was 30 years ago? How do we fix the NHS, and by association the UK? Music by Tom Munch.

A quick rant to myself about how the UK government has negatively impacted my life over the past 12 years, and how they dealt the final blow just a few weeks ago. Music by Tom Munch.

Some questions from me to Joanne- How real is empty nest syndrome? Where does the UK go next? Managed to end up debating trans rights… Do you regret buying a cockapoo? Final thoughts: The un-ultra Apple Watch Ultra Music by Tom Munch.

In this episode Tom and I discuss the following- Trade unions: have they lost their power? Are workers suffering? Is this a natural change that is unavoidable? How long has Boris got left? The recent Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade Music by Tom Munch More at McGST

My recent experience dealing with ASUS on a Chromebook repair. What's the next big thing and do we even need it? Is life meant to be hard? Music by Tom Munch.

We make them more human than they are. I didn't have much time to edit this one so the sound may be ropey in places. Music by Tom Munch.

Joanne and I discuss our ignorance of other people's lives and answer some questions- Would you take in a refugee? You talk a good left-wing game. Sam Why do you stick with Apple? The products are so boring and closed-down. Kennie - Related from this tweet- 'Apparently, Russia has now blocked the App Store. This means Russian users won't be able to install any apps, download VPNs or perform any software and security updates. It also means that Putin's grip internally is getting tighter and tighter!' Hope Murray is OK at the moment. Will you get another dog and if so, would you get another Cavalier? I adore mine. Liza Why don't you do YouTube? Surely blogs are dead. Kevin Music by Tom Munch. Created by McGST.

Jo and I discussed our desire to change where we live, the jobs we do and so much more in the latest episode. It seems that we are not alone as the following from The Sunday Times states- Just when we thought we had the pandemic beaten, it brings a further wave of pain: we are burning out and dropping out en masse. New figures show that midlife Britain is in peril of doing a Reggie Perrin — leaving its work clothes piled on the beach and disappearing. Official figures last week showed that since the start of the pandemic in 2020, nearly a quarter of a million Britons aged between 50 and 65 have left paid work altogether and are not actively seeking new jobs. Music by Tom Munch.

Why is Boris Johnson still Prime Minister? I think I know why. The explosion of complaints over Jimmy Carr's World War II joke is worrying. Site update: running out of space... Music by Tom Munch.

The Withings Scanwatch is the best hybrid watch I have used to date, and possibly the best fitness watch of all. Music by Tom Munch.

Tom and I talked for some time about ideas to improve the lives of everyone and how we should be levelling up opportunities. We inevitably discussed moving on from Covid and, at the end, fell back into old ground. It went on for longer than I expected so maybe ignore the last 20 minutes!;) References- 12 "myths" about education in Finland debunked End State by James Plunkett Inside Barnet hospital Music by Tom Munch

I tried to be positive when looking back on 2021, I really did. I failed of course, but I am more positive about 2022. Thanks for visiting the site and listening to the podcast this year. I hope you all have a peaceful and safe Christmas and New Year. More at McGST.com. Music by Tom Munch.

I this episode I discuss, with myself, if the tech we use today could cause health problems in the future when we realise what effect they have on us. Music by Tom Munch.

This was quite a long discussion between Joanne and I, but we covered a topic that has been on our minds for some time. Is women's mental health talked about more because it is often linked with milestones in their lives? Is men's mental health not talked about because men themselves don't talk about it? Do men suffer from the manopause when their partners suffer from the menopause? Music by Tom Munch.

What have we learned about dealing with Covid one year later? In the UK, not a lot... Where have our margins for creativity gone? Are we all using our tech the same way now because the tech brands want us to do so? Music by Tom Munch.

For how long can someone go to work where the fear is strong? It's not just a stressful job, it's not just busy, it is scary... Music by Tom Munch.

We will have a new Prime Minister by Christmas… Music by Tom Munch.

Why I won't be upgrading to the iPhone 13 or Apple Watch series 7 for two very different reasons... Why I shouldn't really be thinking about upgrading any device. Why Biden and Johnson are talking nonsense... Music by Tom Munch.

Alice and I discussed gender (again), AirPods Pro, paper books and a few other select subjects. Music by Tom Munch.

Myself and Alice sat down to have a chat and we managed to cover quite a few topics such as resilience, education and the differences between our generations. It was an enjoyable discussion. Music by Tom Munch.

If you are looking for a happy and cheery podcast episode to listen to you may want to avoid this one. We found ourselves falling down a rabbit hole and we struggled to get out of it, but alas everything we discussed is actually happening. Seriously, DON'T LISTEN! Would you vaccinate your child? A third wave is incoming because of so many completely avoidable problems. Music by Tom Munch.

There is no misspelling in the title of this podcast. Fweedom Fighters are real. In this episode Tom and I discuss the following- How do we fix education to make it suitable for 2021? It appears that a lot of what we teach children, and how we do it, is purely out of habit and tradition. Is Google right to want to pay employees less if they work from home? What is the philosophy behind mask wearing and is it really a stepping stone to more tyrannical things in the future? Tom and I very much disagree on this topic. Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

I started off by talking about competition, with myself, while waiting for my daughter in the car. Excuse the sound quality, but I only had my iPhone handy at the time. When I got home the conversation continued with my son, Thomas, and we began with a quick discussion about trans athletes followed by competition. It's fair to say that we went deep on the subject of whether competition is a good or bad thing, or if it is inevitable. Music by Tom Munch

Joanne and I discuss Laurel Hubbard's participation in the Olympics as a transgender athlete. We thought we knew where we were with the subject until the end and then it hit us. It came to us that this cannot be resolved in a way that would satisfy the majority, if anyone. Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

Questions- I got married last year and am looking forward to many years of happiness. What's the secret? You two seem very happy together. Lucy You both speak highly of Apple products. What other brands do you like and / or rate as highly as Apple? Douglas Sick of NHS people moaning. You get a 3% pay rise when many people have lost their jobs and homes. Many of us would kill for your job security! Billy You are woke. I hate woke people and you are a coward for taking comments off your site. Why are you hiding comments? Septre Are we all victims of confirmation bias? Music by Tom Munch

Likely my shortest episode yet in which I talk about my instincts with regards to where the Apple Watch will go next, and how the Garmin Instinct compares to it. They are polar opposites in literally every way, but Apple has the room to kill it overnight. Music by Tom Munch.

A very short episode in which I discuss, with myself, how the UK's freedom day is going so far. Music by Tom Munch.

“Surely the infection rate + the pinging app + Monday's potential free for all = a potentially unfathomable nightmare. Why does it feel like the government is in complete denial about this? It's absolutely bonkers.” James O'Brien “Boris Johnson's plan to lift virtually all of England's pandemic restrictions on Monday is a threat to the world and provides fertile ground for the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants, international experts say. Britain's position as a global transport hub would mean any new variant here would rapidly spread around the world, scientists and physicians warned at an emergency summit. They also expressed grave concerns about Downing Street's plans.” From The Guardian. Joanne and I discuss the above (again…) Should we vaccinate children to protect adults? Why do some people believe that taking the knee is so offensive? I ended up editing this out of the episode because we didn't feel comfortable with some of the observations we came up, this will be revisited next time. The Garmin Venu 2s beat the Apple Watch series 6 for Joanne. Why? I like the Garmin in theory, but not in practice. And would a rugged Apple Watch kill Garmin? Music by Tom Munch

The ‘nocebo effect' is new to me, but it may answer a lot of the questions I have had over the past year about the differing ways people have handles the pandemic. The ‘luxury effect' details a recent experience in a high-end jewellers that made me feel completely alien to the world of luxury. Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.com.

A quick talk about personal responsibility and masks. Who exactly is the government protecting with their new unlocking in the UK? Image via The Times. Music by Tom Munch.

Joanne and I answered some of your questions to start- Any good new music recommendations? Matt Why have you not done YouTube? Marie No government has succeeded with Covid. We need to accept it is here for years! Get over it! Stan What 1st and 3rd party apps can you not live without? Tyme Why end the site? Robson And then we discussed the relevant merits of Garmin and Apple for fitness and smartwatchery… Thanks for listening to the podcast over the past year. Really do appreciate the questions and feedback you guys sent in. And thanks to Tom Munch for the music which has accompanied each episode.

Joanne and I discussed three questions that has been sent in and then we tried to cover near impossible topics including how long we will have to live with Covid for and if we are in fact all living in a version of the Hunger Games. Music by Tom Munch.

Are we stuck using Amazon and does the company have too much of a lead to ever be caught? Are we stuck with covid restrictions for years to come and are we heading back to exactly how we were pre-covid? Thought on being the parents of adults. Music by Tom Munch.

The need to create is undeniable for many of us… Music by Tom Munch.

A quick chat with Alice about- The Royal Family Megan and Diana Black + white does not = black God A new beginning Psychopaths Music by Tom Munch.

Some thoughts about why we tend to prefer to fix things rather than preventing a problem from happening. “Climate change is a political problem of the future. A government of now isn't interested in doing anything that costs them money NOW. Covid is different because they have to do something now.” Simon. “I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one Shaun & Joanne. Most people don't care. Most people don't care as they don't see or feel the effects of the climate change themselves. Or what they do see is so gradual that it doesn't register. Many also know that it won't really effect them. It is the future generations that will really pay the price. Here in the UK and other developed countries we don't feel the effects quite the same because we have the systems that hide the impact. Our waste magically disappears, we don't have massive amounts of rubbish littering our shores. Perhaps if more waste washed up on our beaches some would think differently. The habitats most impacted by climate change are not on our doorstep, albeit everything around us is being affected in some way. Perhaps if we watched in person massive chunks of the ice caps melting or saw the Amazon rainforest on fire we might feel differently. We can all make a change. Small changes add up. You don't loose weight by going to the gym once. Constantly doing so over weeks and months helps shed the weight. It is the same with the environment . If we did turn down the thermostat or take 1 less car trip then it does make a difference. Small, steps over time make a difference. Multiply this by the millions of people and slowly but surely. I am no eco warrior, but in the last 2 years I have made big steps in being better to the planet. We drive less, if we can. I still have 2 cars, but it is very likely we will be down to 1 in the next few months. I do my best to reduce my plastic use. I do more to reuse. I recycle more items, including those that don't go in normal household recycling. I am far from perfect but I now make more conscious decisions. People turn a blind eye most of the time thinking there is a solution on the horizon, but the solution will ultimately take all of us. We need to ask our employers to make a changes. We need to think more about where we spend our money. We need to think about who we bank with and what we invest in. Most of us have pensions that invest in some of the most polluting companies in the world. If we began to switch to more ethical or environmental investments perhaps things would change? With a shift in demand comes change. Unfortunately the demand is still focused too much on not being environmentally conscious. It needs governments to put in place legislation ultimately to drive big change. Reward those that take positive steps and penalise those that don't. But, unfortunately it probably won't be until the next generation of politicians are in power that we see this change as we have too many of the old guard in place.” Jon. Music by Tom Munch.

Do any of us really care about climate change? Probably not is the conclusion Joanne and I came to... Music by Tom Munch. by McGST.com.

Tom and I had what was supposed to be a quick discussion about a couple of topics. It went on a bit… We covered the following- Racism in the UK How do you solve big cultural issues such as race and gender? Should we celebrate difference more? Footballers ‘do' deserve to be paid more than nurses. Are people too stupid to help us get through the pandemic? Does our government have too much power? Trump! Political obsession Are pro-lifers treated unfairly? Oh Canada If you woke up tomorrow morning and were Prime Minister? Music by Tom Munch.

Over the past year Tom Munch has been entertaining his fans through Facebook and while doing so he has had to learn upwards of 40 new songs a week to fulfil requests. In a troubling time for all of us we start off by answering a few music-related questions, but the discussion goes much deeper into what music means to all of us, and in particular in times of crisis. The result surprised me and it ended up likely being the best McGST episode to date (don't tell Joanne I said that...). What difference does recording or playback quality make? Why is modern music louder? What instantly turns you off of new music? How do you find new music? Do you know people with near identical tastes in music? Why do music and smells bring back such vivid memories? How important is music in times of crisis or illness? You can find out more about Tom at TomMunch.com and also read his blog which offers some insights into his deeper thoughts on music and the world around him. The music in this episode is of course by Tom.

In this episode I answer the latest questions sent in by yourselves. Some people are getting angry...

Joanne and I discuss #notallmen and it turned out to be quite a wide ranging discussion. References: the tragic Sarah Everard case and this thread by Julie Cohen. Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

What makes a mechanical watch special? There are almost too many reasons... Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

What makes the not so special Apple Watch special? It's a conundrum... Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

What makes the Kindle so special? Is it because of everything it cannot do? Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.

In this short episode I try to answer a simple question. What makes the iPhone so special? Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.com.

Somehow we got to episode 50 in which Joanne and I discuss the following- Should bullies be forgiven for what they did at school? Why do we let governments govern? QUESTIONS- Cats or Dogs? Millie I want a 50th birthday Rolex, but my wife is against the idea even though we have the money for it. Any ideas? Stan If we were told tomorrow that we have to lockdown for another year what would be the first thing you do? Terry What next for the podcast? Jane Music by Tom Munch. More at McGST.com.

I intended to talk to Alice about the way we use casual sexism in speech, but we needed up discussing gender fluidity, gender-specific toys for children, gay / straight / bisexual, men and women, fathers and daughters, and mums and sons. She opened my old eyes to a younger world. Music by Tom Munch.

In this episode Joanne and I discuss the right to citizenship, socialised healthcare (the good and the bad) and digitised analogue tasks. It was quite a low key epode and I was pondering whether to record it again when we were less tired, but I think it just about stands up. Music by Tom Munch.