The Economy of Nothing Podcast

Mike Bedont

The Economy of Nothing is a show about building something real in a world that rewards nothing. Part podcast, part experiment, part transmission from the void—this is where ideas get tested, stories get shaped, and the impossible might get made. Join us each week as we work in public and try to make meaning from the mess.

  1. 23h ago

    309 | The Genesis of Propaganda

    "You Got Got, Homie" After overdoing it on cotton candy at Planet Fun, the Captain and Mr. Green try to turn in a JJ Abrams "mystery box," but Green grows suspicious of a nervous drop-off attendant with a fake mustache; a botched scheme leads Skull and Skulk to use a one-time fourth-wall time device to rewind, extract a phone number, and finally secure the box. Back in the Moonshine, our duo then promotes their Patreon, YouTube membership, and mailbag, answers listener questions about surviving the war and which crayon tastes best, and riffs on email-comedy insults. Conversation pivots to legacy, death, and art's ability to evoke empathy, then to distrust of AI and tech's control of distribution. They read Genesis 19 on Sodom and Gomorrah, critique modern Bible wording (NIV/2011), discuss rewritten history, media slop, phone addiction, scams, vaccines/flu shots, and how games and social platforms condition "maxing" behavior. Visit the Website: https://economyofnothing.com Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/economyofnothing Buy the Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/economyofnothing Timecodes: 00:00 Third Cotton Candy 01:09 Turning In the Box 05:45 Deadpool Rewind Device 08:27 Patreon and the Mailbag 09:47 Which Crayon Tastes Best 15:30 Nothing Happens After You Die 22:33 Stop Making Me Do Slack 27:02 Everything I Know About Sodom Is From Year One 30:37 Genesis 19, New International Version 35:18 Why 2011 37:48 Fruit of the Loom Had a Cornucopia 42:52 Pigs at a Trough 45:37 Buc-ee's, Bathrooms and Dolly 53:01 Grogu vs Superman 59:41 You Just Got Got, Homie

    309 | The Genesis of Propaganda

  2. Oct 27

    308 | Indoctrination Theory

    Media Literacy, Propaganda Loops, AI Hype, and the Economy of Nothing   Visit the Website https://economyofnothing.com Join the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/economyofnothing Buy the Merch https://www.teepublic.com/user/economyofnothing Captain Tracy and Mr. Green discuss literacy as understanding unreliable narrators and how early religious indoctrination discourages questioning, creating mental loops reinforced by "safe spaces" that aren't safe. They argue people accept comforting narratives, confirmation bias, and virtue signaling, comparing Fox News and The Daily Show as predictable reassurance. The conversation critiques misinformation dynamics (Joe Rogan's interviews), Neil deGrasse Tyson's media role, and the idea that real change requires influential figures risking their status. They connect political complacency to historical warnings ("First They Came"), media's tendency to humanize bad actors, and fears about authoritarian rhetoric. They warn about financialization and AI-driven market bets, distrust of corporations and government, and an "economy of excuses" that sells convenience and subscriptions. They describe monetization shifting from products to time (Xbox per-minute cloud gaming), oppose Meta "Muse," criticize targeted ads, and urge boredom, accountability, and action rather than hope. Timecodes: 00:00 Literacy and Doubt 01:20 Unreliable History Stories 02:24 Joe Rogan and Experts 03:02 Tyson Versus Bill Nye 05:24 Comfortable Commentators 06:36 Risking Everything for Change 07:57 First They Came Warning 12:06 Media Makes Bad Heroes 14:33 The Apprentice Morality 18:08 Propaganda Comfort Loops 20:41 Virtue Signaling and Sides 23:24 Status Quo Warrior Mindset 25:46 Fixing News Standards 27:57 Bathroom Tokens and Value 29:50 Xbox Charging by Minute 34:10 Draw the Line on Meta 35:42 AI Laziness and Markets 38:03 Middle Class Myth 40:03 Labels and Dehumanizing 41:00 America Loves Punching Down 42:08 Bully Pulpit and Decency 42:54 Europe and Nationalism Shift 43:58 Pilgrims and Religious Myths 46:20 Empathy Versus Self Interest 48:11 Gig Economy and Phone Trap 49:28 George Washington and Power 50:26 Hamilton Debate and Media 59:54 OnlyFans and AI Porn Future 01:06:52 AI Scams and Targeted Ads 01:09:01 Stop Buying and Be Bored 01:12:17 Hope Is Not a Plan 01:14:57 Vote Now or Pay Later 01:17:25 They Lost Control of Him 01:19:03 Are We Having Fun Yet

  3. Oct 20

    307 | Welcome to Planet Fun

    The Skull Pirates are back with a plan more dastardly than data centers. The Captain and Mr. Green think they're on a classic Mystery Box delivery to Planet Fun, but they're broke, and nothing in this cosmos is free, not even a job. Visit the Website https://economyofnothing.com Join the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/economyofnothing Buy the Merch https://www.teepublic.com/user/economyofnothing Timecodes: 00:00 Tech Villain Biopics 00:52 Manufacturing Tech Icons 01:50 Nothing Good to Watch 02:12 Jackass Debate 03:35 Audio Shift Reset 03:44 Behind the Scenes Show 04:17 Fixing Episode Vibe 04:42 Skulk and Scoliosis Return 06:28 Mystery Box Basics 07:20 Planet Codex Rules 07:55 Rollercoaster Planet Pitch 10:54 Fun Trap Metaphor 14:29 Skulk's Trap Plan 17:37 Mission Objectives Loop 19:36 Naming Planet Fun 24:07 Getting Back in Character 25:33 Skulk's Planet Fun Setup 26:29 Heat and Pay Complaints 29:52 Boss Steals the Credit 32:06 Carny Trap Brainstorm 34:40 Breaking Character Editing Talk 37:01 Planet Fun Line Rants 38:41 Robots and Missing Humans 42:22 Tickets Fees and Bathroom Tokens 46:16 Security Bot Cliffhanger 46:52 Podcast Pitch and Outro

    307 | Welcome to Planet Fun

  4. Oct 13

    306 | All Filler, No Killer

    It's a long way back to the Dispatch, and the trip back doesn't pay. Captain Tracy and Mr. Green take a business retreat on the LLC's tab, account for a planet that exploded off the books, and weigh bringing in Mississippi as the liaison for good missions. Recorded 10/8/56,009. Projected return on the long haul: 100 credits. 00:00 Holiday Retreat Update 00:28 Like Subscribe Plea 01:01 Algo Switch Market Talk 01:53 Space Mission Lore 02:12 Planet Explosion Canon 03:17 Story Structure Debate 03:49 Mississippi Character Pitch 05:33 Mario Style Planet Ideas 06:16 Audio Fidget Complaints 07:59 Moonshine Setup Refresh 08:27 Signing Off

    306 | All Filler, No Killer

  5. Oct 6

    305 | Just Doing The Job

    Last week's episode tanked, a new nemesis shows up with a Tired Ben Affleck Batman voice, and the Captain shoots first. They pivot into an extended discussion criticizing modern franchise TV choices (including Marvel's Vision Quest and Green Lantern) while praising early Arrow, then move into political and cultural commentary about exhaustion, accountability, Title IX, and how norms around speech and politics have eroded. The episode finishes with a critique of AI hype in workplaces, complaints about meetings and management, reflections on education and "generations." Mr. Green wakes up in a Nothing Corporation hospital bed with a 37 monies bill, and a classic adventure is promised next week. Timecode: 00:00 Episode Flop Panic 00:56 Sponsor Needed Intro 01:46 News Cycle Burnout 03:05 Alan Michaels Backstory 04:35 Finding the Voices 08:49 Prison Bits and Improv 12:21 Bar Confrontation Scene 15:29 Reset to Marvel Talk 17:10 Superhero Shows Rant 19:17 Exhaustion and Control 20:13 Native History Parallel 22:55 Title IX and Gambling 23:54 MAGA Means Control 25:37 Cornell Tea Leaves 26:36 Say It To Faces 29:07 Truth And Confidence 31:36 Brittle Words Debate 38:45 Accountability And War 41:27 Muse And AI Hype 46:48 Real Work And Math 51:19 Generations Are Made Up 54:36 Newt Gingrich Warning 57:06 Future Truck Epilogue

    305 | Just Doing The Job

  6. Sep 29

    304 | the Ballad of Alan Michaels

    New Nemisis Just Drops + Mailbag Special  The crew opens by designing a nemesis. Alan Michaels needs an eyepatch, a cut over the eye, and a better jacket, and the same magic accidentally turns Greenie's target into an orc. The golden egg mission stalls out in a Draconaria tavern, where nobody has any canonical money and Scotch Captain is not helping. Fan letters arrive on glitter scrolls. An AI expert with a nuclear engineering PhD says humans get replaced within a century, a listener in Australia asks for that philosophy book (The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant), and another has a plan to kidnap George Lucas over Darth Talon. A final email about selling out and the Kevin Hart brand closes the mail. From there it's hope, randomness, and "move fast and break things," then Mitch McConnell, dead internet ads, and the birth of Hopper, Mr. Green's baby dragon. It ends with a tavern egg hunt that goes nowhere and a take on why Idiocracy is a movie about average intelligence, not doom. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 00:19 Designing Alan Michaels 02:07 Kingpin Alter Ego Roast 03:07 Greenie Orc Thumbnail 04:58 Monies and Scotch 07:25 Scroll Mailbag Begins 09:49 Zach the AI Expert 12:18 Hope, Randomness, and Poker 22:10 AI Nukes Conspiracy Spiral 25:57 Philosophy Book Recommendation 29:04 Kidnap George Lucas 30:11 Darth Talon Debate 31:22 Kink Shaming Rant 34:05 Selling Out Email 37:33 Nicknames and Insults 38:26 Mitch McConnell Spiral 40:07 Dead Internet Ads 42:54 Draconaria Dragon Lore 49:24 Stolen Egg Tavern Scene 57:48 Idiocracy Outro Take

    304 | the Ballad of Alan Michaels

  7. Sep 22

    303 | Ignorance Isn't a Shield

    The crew opens with a hard benchmark for what makes a good day (spoiler: a "10" doesn't exist), spirals into $6-gas economic doom, and lands on why earnestness might be the whole point of the show. That gives way to a real-talk detour on ignorance, avoidance, and the stuff nobody wants to look at directly; before it all resolves back in Draconaria with an egg heist, asteroid-mining skepticism, and a full derail into Mr. Green's new mouth. Ends, as always, at a tavern halfway to the castle. Got a better idea? Email us at economyofnothing@gmail.com — Mr. Green will read it personally and never recover. Check out the episode page for links and lore Timecodes 00:00 Rating a Four 01:44 Six-Dollar Gas Predictions 03:39 Earnestness Is the Brand 04:29 Jon Snow Energy 05:54 GoT Rewatch Derail 07:21 Nobody Wants to Touch This 10:39 History Crash Course 13:39 Russia, China, India 14:59 Fossil Fuels and Faith 19:29 Steal the Egg 23:59 Aliens in the Elevator 27:28 Asteroid Mining Is a Grift 31:13 Moon Base Doubts 33:06 Mars Manifest Destiny 34:30 Trail of Tears 36:40 Mythmaking vs. History 37:41 Should Kids Learn This 39:24 Selling Life Skills 40:37 Deep State Rabbit Hole 42:08 Apathy by Design 45:37 Elon's Howard Hughes Arc 49:18 Tech Progress Rant 49:46 Mr. Green's Mouth 58:42 Walk to the Tavern 01:01:08 Canon Reset 01:03:24 Tavern Wrap

  8. Sep 15

    302 | I'm a Wizard from the Future, Greenie

    Captain Tracy and Mr. Green riff on animation details like eyebrow color and how facial expressions shape communication, then veer into consumer trends and sponsorship jokes (Stanley cups, DeleteMe, a headset). They discuss AI industry leaders calling for slowed progress, arguing companies use fear when greed fails, and debate AI's real capabilities and data/privacy risks. The conversation broadens to capitalism, history, and how power overrides ideals, plus frustration with paying to "cut the line" (Disney FastPass and grocery "slotting" fees). They complain about nonstop markets, 24-hour trading, subscriptions for everything, and time as the real currency, with tangents on Bitcoin, social media addiction, and environmental worries. In a skit at the Nothing Corporation, Mr. Green buys a new mission to Draconaria to recover a stolen golden egg, debating ethics and pay, before closing with a fan comment and more banter about roles on the show. Timecodes: 00:00 Meet Captain Tracy 00:06 Eyebrows and Expression 02:25 Stanley Cup Capitalism 04:25 Sponsor Talk and Privacy 06:14 AI Leaders and Fear 12:05 History and Power Cycles 17:40 FastPass and Pay to Win 21:56 Time as Real Currency 23:55 Markets Bitcoin and 24 7 Trading 26:14 Subscriptions and Tesla Rant 29:17 Robot Mission Briefing 33:55 Golden Egg Invoice Twist 37:24 Steal the Golden Egg 38:53 No Trinkets Allowed 39:50 Crew Wallet Roast 41:47 Mailbag and Comments 45:30 Doomscrolling Rant 50:06 Reading the Review 52:47 Star Wars Dynamic Talk 01:03:38 Mr Green Merch Plea 01:09:09 Sponsors and Patreon Pitch 01:10:14 Signing Off Chaos

    302 | I'm a Wizard from the Future, Greenie
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5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The Economy of Nothing is a show about building something real in a world that rewards nothing. Part podcast, part experiment, part transmission from the void—this is where ideas get tested, stories get shaped, and the impossible might get made. Join us each week as we work in public and try to make meaning from the mess.

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