6/8 - The Trouble With Tall Buildings

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The Heron Tower, London

Wind speeds, planning restrictions, financial crisis... a lot can go wrong when designing a super-tall building.

Yet, each year, more skyscrapers are springing up around us. Architect Fred Pilbrow, of Pilbrow and Partners, has designed a number of them, including London's third-tallest building, the Heron Tower.

In this insightful interview with Olly, he explains how technology is solving problems of vertical transportation (that's 'lifts' to you and me), how Winter gardens offer an alternative to green space - and illustrates the journey of a poo as it makes its way down from the 65th floor... 

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Elsewhere, in this week's Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers why this year's 'must-have' Christmas toy is, in effect, a slippery slope into gambling. He explains why dressing up as Batman might make you more productive at work. And he previews some big Christmas telly, including the season finale of Peaky Blinders and the return of Vic n' Bob.

Meanwhile, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener with a seemingly unusual problem - every time she becomes aroused, she sneezes. Along the way, Alix discovers 'Honeymoon rhinitis', how to get barred from Facebook, and Gould and Pyle's Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine.

(The Foxhole is, as ever, sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com. Be sure to visit their Stocking Fillers section right now if you feel like being a ho ho ho this holiday season - and use Alix's delicious discount code, FOXHOLE, to secure 15% OFF.)

Our Lifehack this week features The Spectator's literary editor Sam Leith, offering up his Top 3 tips on 'how to write good': cater to your audience, prioritise your verbs, and don't be inspired by Rudyard Kipling. If you fancy consuming more Leithian insights, look no further than Sam's new tome, Write to the Point: How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page - out now. 

(The Lifehack is sponsored by our friends at Squarespace, who can help you design a stunning and simple website in moments. Take a free trial at Squarespace.com, and get 10% OFF your first website or domain when you use our code MANN.)

Finally, our Record of the Week comes courtesy of brand new band Shrimp Eyes. It’s their debut - called 'Katata Fish' - and it’s available to stream now on Soundcloud:

Now, we'd usually be enthusiastically plugging our title sponsor at this point - but there isn't one this week! If you'd like to sponsor a future episode, let us know.

... Or, if you'd like to support our efforts in a more humble way, please do buy us a beer, review us on iTunes or request to become a Mannbassador. 

See You Next Tuesday!

4/10 - Yours Sincerely

Is there still a place for the pen-and-paper, posted letter?

Alison Hitchcock thinks so: when she discovered her friend Brian Greenley had cancer, she decided to write him regular letters throughout his treatment - initially as an attempt to cheer him up, and then as companionship through some of his darkest hours.

In this interview with Olly, she recalls how writing over a hundred letters to Brian helped get them both through a difficult chapter, and deepened their friendship immeasurably...

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You can find out more about them, and get tips on how to write to a friend with cancer, at frommetoyouletters.co.uk

In this week’s Lifehack, Ariele Rovati from Brewdog shares his top three tips on how to start your own microbrewery, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code to 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription.

Meanwhile, over in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart highlights lab-grown meat lobbying, wonders whether ‘Snaplications’ are the future of job applications, and previews Brian Thompson’s meta-podcast ‘Whatever Happened To Pizza At McDonald’s?’. If you want more Ollie in your life, do check out his video series, Modern Mann Extra.

And, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox reveals why DEMO might be the new FOMO, and has wise words for listener Andrew as to the best way to find a willing woman for a forthcoming threesome: “the way people are in the streets is not always how they are between the sheets!”. (If you want to check out the apps Alix suggests Andrew might use to his advantage, take a look at Feeld, Trippple, and Whiplr).

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com, who supply an incredible range of condoms, lube and sex toys. Visit their site and get 15% OFF at Checkout if you use our discount code, 'Foxhole'. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just use the Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Finally, our record of the week is Talk 2 Her by Toronto outfit Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs. You can listen to all the music we’ve played this series in our Spotify playlist.

That's it for this series of the show - but we’ll be back for Season Five on the first Tuesday in June. In the meantime, do check out Olly and Producer Matt's 'other' show, The Week Unwrapped.

And, please - if you value this podcast, and independent podcasting generally, do buy us a beer - every penny we get goes back into supporting the show, and we really appreciate it. 

4/6 - The Man Who Stole My Year

What’s it like when the person you’re closest to in the world isn't who you think they are?

‘Elizabeth’ spent a year dating a man who provided only sketchy details about his life, but ingratiated himself into her friendship circle, her family and her home.

In this interview with Olly, she reveals how it felt to discover he was living a double-life, and how it’s affected her trust ever since...

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Also this week, Ollie Peart considers whether the return of The Matrix heralds a new type of film franchise, whether Drake’s new ‘playlist’ heralds the end of the album, and whether his new favourite game heralds a return to text adventures.

And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox enjoys a trip to the theatre and advises a listener who's unhappy that her vibrator might be 'spying' on her… The Foxhole is supported by our friends at mycondom.com. Want to stock up on condoms, lube or toys? Just use the code ‘Foxhole’ at Checkout to get 15% off!

Finally, our Song Of The Week is ‘Cease Fire’, by former Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, available for free from thurstonmoore.kungfustore.com:

This week’s episode is sponsored by Al Philp - a listener like you. If you’d like to sponsor a future episode, either as an individual or as a commercial company, just fill in the Feedback form. Or, if you can only afford a small amount, do buy us a beer. Thanks!

See You Next Tuesday.