Claptrap with Martin Totland and Mike the Lummox

Martin Totland
  • 5.0 (1)
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  • Updated Weekly

Two college friends intellectually banter and needle each other about business, technology, news, media, and more.

Episodes

  1. 07/07/2022

    #11 - Independence Day Edition

    This week, Mike and Martin talk about music streaming platforms limiting R. Kelly's reach after his sentencing to 30 years in prison and where the line is drawn between filtering and censoring, Mark Zuckerberg's questionable leadership skills on display during a call with Meta employees, Snapchat Plus' $3.99/month pile of shit, gas prices and what US Presidents can do to control the price of gas (hint: not much), before jumping into a fun News Speed Round, and ending on a brief philosophical discussion about what America is, what it's good at, what it needs to improve, and what changes we would make if we were a benevolent and omnipotent ruler of the US.  It's a great ep this week! Thanks for listening! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 51m

  2. 06/29/2022 ·  Bonus

    #10 - BONUS EP - Roe V. Wade

    Mike and Martin bring their wives, Lis and Libby, on the episode to hear their thoughts about the SCOTUS ruling that overturned Roe V. Wade.  We apologize for the diminished audio quality, a result of having to record four people speaking instead of the normal two.  *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    33 min

  3. 06/29/2022

    #10 - Economic Woes, Terror in Norway, A Jan. 6 Update, and Floating Cities

    It's a two-part episode this week!  In Part 1, Mike and Martin discuss the housing market cooling off, rideshare drivers getting Teslas to save on gas, a terror attack at two gay bars in Norway and whether religious convictions can make people commit hate crimes, AI imitating your dead relatives, Pinterest getting a new CEO, and whether floating cities can help alleviate the effects of rising sea levels.  PART TWO is in a separate bonus episode on the podcast feed and is about SCOTUS overturning Roe V. Wade! Be sure to give it a listen as we bring in our wives to hear what they think about it.  Thanks for listening! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 6m

  4. 06/22/2022

    #9 - We Get Philosophical

    Something is in the summer air in Miami and St. Louis and it's making us contemplative...maybe even philosophical. It's a departure from the norm this week on Claptrap.  We talk about the arguments for and against student loan forgiveness and attempt an analogy with coal vs. green energy and get gloomy and doomy about climate change. Mike expresses his rage over internet trolls, we get deep about assisted suicide and the dignity of deciding how to end a life of pain and misery, and how life's preciousness sinks in when you realize you only have this one life to get it right.  It's a different episode this week and we hope you like it.  If you do, please recommend us to a friendly.  *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 25m

  5. 06/16/2022

    #8 - The 1/6 Hearings, Gun Law Reforms, a Looming Recession, Coinbase, and Happy the Elephant

    We're chopping it up this week! In our longest episode to date we talk about: What we're reading and streaming recently, with some good recommendations for people to check out The main takeaways from the first two hearings of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol What is and isn't in the new bipartisan gun laws proposal from the Senate, and the hope for some long-overdue action on gun violence The signs of a looming recession, the stock market entering bear territory and what that means Coinbase laying off 18% of their workforce and how Mike feels about companies rescinding job offers (he does not like it) and finally, during another News Speed Round, plastic-eating larvae, a woman suing her ex's car insurance company for contracting HPV, Happy the Elephant's incarceration in the Bronx Zoo, Apple+'s deal with Major League Soccer, Delta Sky Lounge's major faux pas, and the ignominious death of Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  Thanks for listening, and if you like the pod, please tell a friend! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    2h 1m

  6. 06/08/2022

    #7 - Sheryl Sandberg's Legacy, Tik Tok's Clandestine Effort to Undermine Western Attention Spans, Boris Johnson, and Boob Sweat

    In episode 7, Mike and Martin discuss: why there was no episode last week and what the boys did over Memorial Day weekend A lawsuit against Amazon that might directly impact Mike's work-from-home costs! Musk threatening to pull out of the Twitter deal (Apologies for bringing it up - again) Sheryl Sandberg's legacy in the wake of leaving her COO position at Meta/Facebook A Texas law targeting Twitter's content moderation policies halted by SCOTUS Boris Johnson surviving a no-confidence vote DOJ charging Proud Boys with seditious conspiracy and a fun speedrun through some weird news, including the lady selling her boob sweat and farts in a jar, a climate activist throwing cake at the Mona Lisa, and white noise podcasts! It's a hot one! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 24m

  7. 05/25/2022

    #6 - Texas School Shooting, Apple's VR Move, Snapchat Tanks, Ukraine's First War Crimes Trial, & American Hospitals' Secret Prices

    In episode 6, Mike and Martin discuss: - the most recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas - Apple's first steps into the AR/VR world - Snapchat stocks dropping 45% and its ripple effects - Ukraine's first war crimes trial of a Russian soldier, and the Russian UN diplomat resigning with a bold statement, and - How American hospitals' arbitrary pricing screws patients and makes everything worse.  It's a hot one! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 13m

  8. 05/19/2022

    #5 - Live Streamed Mass Shootings, Musk's Buyer's Remorse, Finland & Sweden joining NATO & North Korea's COVID Problems

    In this week's episode of Claptrap:  - Mike and Martin discuss the most recent entry in the Annals of Uniquely American Horror: live streamed mass shootings, namely the massacre at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY, and the parallels between the shooter's motivation and Tucker Carlson's embracement of the so-called "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory.  - Mike gives us the latest on Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter and his obvious case of buyer's remorse.  - Martin tells Mike about NATO bolstering its eastern defenses by welcoming Sweden and Finland to the alliance. - Martin takes a look at North Korea's COVID outbreak, lack of vaccines, and South Korea's offer to help.  - Mike talks about the futuristic dreams of flying cars, how the technology already exists, and the practical problems hampering large-scale adoption. Give it a whirl! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 19m

  9. 05/11/2022

    #4 - Press Freedom, the road to 2024, Peloton's Big Crash, and the Metaverse

    In this week's episode of Claptrap, Mike and Martin talk about: the 2022 World Press Freedom Index and the importance of independent journalism in autocratic regimes, Tim Snyder's bleak predictions for the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election, the collapse of the NFT market, Peloton's post-pandemic crash, Meta/Facebook's huge bet on the metaverse, and the less depressing stories of a 2000 year old postcard, and wunderkind Benjamin Choi's $300 mind-controlled prosthetic arm. Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 37m

  10. 05/04/2022

    Ep. #3 - SCOTUS leak, NY Times vs. Tucker Carlson, Amazon Buy with Prime, and Inflation For Dummies

    Happy Wednesday! Mike and Martin are back with a piping hot serving of podcast, this time with a brand spankin' new intro jingle! In this week's episode of Claptrap, Mike and Martin briefly talk about the SCOTUS leak signaling the end of Roe v. Wade, before moving on to the New York Times' tripartite analysis of Tucker Carlson and his highly conspiratorial and racist worldview, then a longer discussion about Amazon's huge, new feature called Amazon Buy with Prime, and ending with a useful brief on inflation and the dysfunctional American housing market. Follow Claptrap on Instagram! Mike is on Twitter and Instagram! Martin is on Instagram, too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    1h 14m

  11. 04/27/2022

    #2 - The Reboot: Twitter + Musk = 3, CNN+'s demise, Netflix's nosedive, streaming over-saturation, Libs of TikTok, and CO2 vodka

    Happy Wednesday folks! On this episode of Claptrap, Mike and Martin dive headfirst into why they changed the name of their show after just one episode, Elon Musk coming one BIG step closer to owning Twitter and possibly destroying/saving free speech (depending on who you ask), Netflix stock tanking after their Q1 earnings call and the over-saturation of the streaming subscription market, why the Washington Post and Taylor Lorenz missed the mark with their "exposé" of the woman behind the "Libs of TikTok" account, and an innovative company making vodka out of CO2. It's a hot one! Follow the show on Instagram!!  Follow Mike! Follow Martin!

    1h 14m
  12. #1 - Pilot - Elon Musk/Twitter, CNN+'s slow start, InfoWars bankruptcy, media misinformation

    04/20/2022

    #1 - Pilot - Elon Musk/Twitter, CNN+'s slow start, InfoWars bankruptcy, media misinformation

    In this pilot episode of Claptrap, Mike and Martin talk about Elon Musk's (maybe) bogus offer to buy Twitter and take it private, about whether CNN+ is doomed to fail and why Mike holds the distinguished title of being one of the very few CNN+ subscribers, the contrasting approach of Norwegian media vs US media of correcting mistakes, a brief touch on pandemic misinformation, Florida's slow start in becoming a tech hub, and more.  *** Claptrap is a podcast and passion project of old friends Mike the Lummox and Martin Totland - featuring weekly chats about business, media, and news.

    1h 12m
  • 12 Episodes

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Two college friends intellectually banter and needle each other about business, technology, news, media, and more.

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