No Agenda Show Episode 1810: "golfball"

Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Date: October 23, 2025

Overview

In this wide-ranging episode, Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak deconstruct media narratives with their signature wit and skepticism, focusing on recent breaking news in sports, internet outages, the evolution of digital content, AI scandals, global geopolitics, and the political firestorm over White House renovations. As always, they dissect mainstream reporting, poke fun at society’s digital hang-ups, and riff on the latest cultural phenomena—all while maintaining the irreverent, critical tone that defines the No Agenda ethos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NBA Betting Scandal & Media Hype

• Timestamps: 00:55–03:19
• Summary:
  The hosts react to breaking news of NBA player Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups being arrested in an FBI sports betting sting. Adam and John note suspicious betting patterns from a 2023 game and decry the "phoniness" of modern sports.
  • Insight: Prop bets and "underperformance" create opportunities for match manipulation, challenging the integrity of American sports.
  • Memorable Quote:

    "Your art is fake, your music is fake, your sports ball is fake. The world is fake and phony. Welcome, everybody, to the show." – John C. Dvorak [02:37]

2. Super Bowl Halftime: Bad Bunny vs. All-American Show

• Timestamps: 03:30–05:41
• Summary:
  Discussion of Bad Bunny as Super Bowl halftime performer, the emergence of an "All American Halftime Show" streaming concurrently online, and skepticism about shifting traditional viewing habits.
  • John quips that most people watch for the ads, but both hosts admit iconic ads are increasingly hard to recall.
  • Quote:

    "No one watches the Super Bowl for ads anymore." – John C. Dvorak [04:54]

3. Major Internet Outage: What It Revealed

• Timestamps: 05:47–07:44
• Summary:
  Analysis of a global AWS outage affecting platforms like Snapchat, Disney+, and McDonald's, and commentary on the centralization of internet infrastructure.
  • Adam and John advocate decentralization ("Decentralize or die") and mock the notion that essential infrastructure was truly interrupted.
  • Quotes:

    "No Agenda show downloads did not suffer from any glitch. The no Agenda stream, the troll room, everything kept on rolling because we decentralized. Decentralize or die, people." – John C. Dvorak [07:21]

4. McDonald’s Automation and the Push for Mobile Apps

• Timestamps: 08:31–10:30
• Summary:
  Frustration at McDonald’s drive-thru employees pushing the app, revealing corporate incentives to automate labor and phase out human interactions.
  • Quote:

    "They're trying to train every... to use your phone for everything so they can elim--- the drive-thru window..." – Adam Curry [09:37]

5. Instagram “Gore” Glitch and Monetization of Violent Content

• Timestamps: 11:44–19:21
• Summary:
  CBS report on Instagram’s algorithm glitch flooding users with graphic content, the rise of a "gray market" for ads between violent posts, and the questionable speed of legacy media reporting.
  • College students profit from "gore" content, while Meta claims efforts to restrict monetization.
  • Quotes:

    "A CBS News investigation found violent and graphic content depicting injury or death, known as 'gore', remains widespread on Instagram reels." – [16:01]
    "There's advertising going on in between the gore." – John C. Dvorak [16:42]

6. AI, Lawsuits, and Podcasting Opportunities

• Timestamps: 23:08–34:32
• Summary:
  The hosts mock Nvidia’s CEO for his leather jacket, dissect AI industry hype, and discuss a lawsuit against Google for AI-generated defamation.
  • They brainstorm AI-driven music publishing under a faux-pop star persona, Ashlyn Speed, and the microeconomics of the coming AI-generated content boom.
  • Quote:

    "Decentralize or die, people.... Now, this is the time to be the publisher for AI music." – John C. Dvorak [30:03]

7. Ukraine, Russia, and Geopolitical Maneuvering

• Timestamps: 35:04–52:50
• Summary:
  Deconstruction of diplomatic updates and sanctions surrounding Ukraine and Russia.
  • Trump administration’s sanction strategy, EU’s stance, and jet deliveries to Ukraine illustrate geopolitical posturing and virtue signaling.
  • The "letter of intent" culture in Europe is lampooned.
  • Quotes:

    "Is this just virtue signaling? This doesn't sound like a real deal at all." – John C. Dvorak [45:01]
    “We’re on the war option.” – John C. Dvorak [52:08]

8. US–Australia Critical Minerals Pact & Rare Earths

• Timestamps: 53:28–57:26
• Summary:
  Analysis of a new US-Australia deal on critical minerals, sparking debate on supply chain fragility and just-in-time logistics reliance.
  • AI-computer voice breaks down real capabilities of Australian rare earth processing.
  • Quote:

    "Watch this space. In other words, no." – Adam Curry [56:26]

9. Council on Foreign Relations and Trade Policy Rant

• Timestamps: 58:07–64:22
• Summary:
  Peter Navarro's speech on the dangers of deindustrialization, TPP, and the CFR’s policies, drawing comparisons between economic and national security.
  • Adam and John debate whether Navarro is sincerely lecturing or knowingly needling CFR members.
  • Quote:

    “You cannot project power if you surrender production. You cannot deter a great aggression when your supply chains run through your opponent's ports.” – Peter Navarro [62:14]

10. French Louvre Jewel Heist and Bureaucratic Incompetence

• Timestamps: 64:06–66:04
• Summary:
  Amused reaction to a $102 million Louvre jewel theft, with thieves donning hard hats and exploiting new management’s ineptitude.
  • Gender/diversity hiring decisions are mocked.
  • Quote:

    "All you need is hard hats and a clipboard and you can do anything you want." – John C. Dvorak [64:06]

11. White House Ballroom Renovation Outrage

• Timestamps: 66:16–89:41
• Summary:
  Detailed coverage of Trump’s controversial White House ballroom addition and the media’s "pearl clutching" reactions. NPR, CNN, and Inside Edition all present outrage about historic preservation and ethics concerns.
  • Discussion of private funding sources, possible corporate branding, and the hyperbolic analogies drawn.
  • Quotes:

    "Is this portion of the ballroom brought to you by Pfizer?" – John C. Dvorak [73:07]
    "This is just an extension of No Kings ... whatever it is, just be mad at Trump." – John C. Dvorak [79:18]
    "The White House is a living building ... but this is really the biggest addition since the 1940s." – Historic Preservation Guest [83:31]

12. Government Shutdown, SNAP Benefits, and Food Security

• Timestamps: 90:13–102:49
• Summary:
  The hosts break down congressional gridlock, the shutdown’s effects on SNAP/food stamp recipients, and the cultural responses across demographic lines.
  • Collection of viral, often profane, social media clips of people threatening theft if SNAP benefits are cut.
  • Banter on dependence, fraud, and alternatives (food banks, informal networks).
  • Quotes:

    "So you could do like a trial balloon in the press." – Adam Curry [45:37]
    "The problem is ... the dependence on this to the tune of ... $60 billion per year." – Adam Curry [103:10]

13. War on Beef and Food System Alternatives

• Timestamps: 111:34–119:59
• Summary:
  President Trump’s controversial move to import Argentinian beef draws ire from US ranchers, as Adam & John recommend buying directly from local producers, promoting decentralization in the food system.
  • Quote:

    "BeefMap.com—find a rancher near you...Drive up and you can buy a lot of beef for relatively little amount." – John C. Dvorak [113:35]

14. AI, Podcast Economics, and Media Model Rants

• Timestamps: 123:07–128:45
• Summary:
  Discussion of podcast advertising history, the collapse of banner ad revenue, and No Agenda’s value-for-value philosophy as an antidote to algorithmic platforms and ad buyers’ “dumbness.”
  • Quote:

    "When the first ads came ... they were getting $100 a thousand, ... Now I've heard as low as 75 cents, down from a hundred dollars." – Adam Curry [127:05]

15. Dutch Anti-Immigration Protests and European Policy

• Timestamps: 169:56–177:00
• Summary:
  Analysis of grassroot protests against asylum centers in the Netherlands, the clash between nationalist protesters and pro-immigrant leftists, and Ursula von der Leyen’s EU policy statements.
  • Quotes:

    "Legal migration is welcome, and we will need more of it. But illegal migration is not." – Ursula von der Leyen [176:45]
    "This is just what she's saying ... we're bringing in a whole new replacement." – John C. Dvorak [176:45]

16. Gaza/Israel: Body Swaps and Annexation Drama

• Timestamps: 181:00–184:00
• Summary:
  Media reports on the corpse exchange in Gaza under the Trump ceasefire plan, and ongoing Israeli parliamentary maneuvers to annex West Bank land.

17. Closing Banter: Podcast Community, Donations, and AI Mixes

• Timestamps: 190:02–218:07
• Summary:
  Classic end-of-show community engagement: reading producer notes, reflecting on 18 years of No Agenda, technical tips, and playful AI-generated music mixes.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "Your art is fake, your music is fake, your sports ball is fake. The world is fake and phony. Welcome, everybody, to the show."
  – John C. Dvorak [02:37]

• "Decentralize or die, people."
  – John C. Dvorak [07:21]

• "They're trying to train every... to use your phone for everything so they can eliminate the drive-thru window..."
  – Adam Curry [09:37]

• "There's advertising going on in between the gore."
  – John C. Dvorak [16:42]

• "No one watches the Super Bowl for ads anymore."
  – John C. Dvorak [04:54]

• "Is this the new Barry Weiss editorial ship? Is Barry Weiss behind this?"
  – Adam Curry [19:21]

• "This is just virtue signaling. This doesn't sound like a real deal at all."
  – John C. Dvorak [45:01]

• "Memo to CFR: You cannot project power if you surrender production. You cannot deter aggression when your supply chains run through your opponent's ports."
  – Peter Navarro [62:14]

• "Is this portion of the ballroom brought to you by Pfizer?"
  – John C. Dvorak [73:07]

• "We're not letting Silicon Valley steal your audience now. We don't have an audience. Luckily, we have producers."
  – Adam Curry [125:24]

Additional Memorable Moments

• Wild tangents on podcast ad economics and the importance of value-for-value as a content funding model.
• Outlandish but pointed arguments about the future of automated fast food, AI-generated music stables, and the infiltration of AI in legal liability.
• Recurring jokes about “Hollywood boy” Dana Brunetti and friendly ribbing over golfing skills and podcast scuffles.

Useful Timestamps for Major Segments

• NBA Betting Scandal: 00:55–03:19
• Super Bowl & Ads: 03:30–05:41
• Internet Outage & Decentralization: 05:47–07:44
• McDonald’s Automation: 08:31–10:30
• Instagram gore content: 11:44–19:21
• AI lawsuits/music: 23:08–34:32
• Ukraine/Russia coverage: 35:04–52:50
• US-Australia minerals: 53:28–57:26
• CFR/Navarro: 58:07–64:22
• Louvre heist: 64:06–66:04
• White House ballroom: 66:16–89:41
• SNAP benefits/shutdown: 90:13–102:49
• Beef/food system: 111:34–119:59
• Podcast ads/model: 123:07–128:45
• Dutch protests/EU: 169:56–177:00
• Gaza/Israel annexation: 181:00–184:00

Tone & Language

• Original, irreverent, skeptical: Adam and John use sarcasm and dry humor, lampooning both mainstream and alternative media, often with in-jokes for their producer-listeners.
• Banter-heavy, yet incisive: The show alternates between sharp deconstruction and self-aware asides about their own community, sustainability models, and topical knowledge.

Closing

With episode 1810, No Agenda delivers another marathon of media deconstruction, digital culture commentary, and contemporary folklore, all while inviting their listeners to be active producers in the show’s continued longevity and resistance to mainstream capture.

Summary prepared for listeners who want a comprehensive yet lively recap of No Agenda’s “golfball” episode—complete with direct quotations, segment highlights, and all the subversive, pearl-clutching fun that defines the show.