Wed, 24 April 2024
This episode contains: Everyone is here and accounted for, but earlier than usual. We talk about why. Steven played some Fallout Wasteland Warfare and watched the entire Amazon Prime Fallout series, because of course he did. Devon has been watching as well, Ben is still in progress. If you liked the show, you should play Fallout 4 (or maybe Fallout 76). Steven and Ben are watching X-Men '97 and if you're not, you're really missing out (Devon, looking at you). It's a mutant soap opera and we're here for it. Steven comments that it's not a Wolverine show, and that makes it different and makes it feel more X-Men-y. We chat about the Life/Death storyline in the show and in the comics. Ben is super excited to talk about Star Trek Discovery and it's latest time-loop episode.
Sweet Dreams Til Sunbeams Find You: 50 Years Later, This Apollo-Era Antenna Still Talks to Voyager 2. Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43), an antenna located at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, has been instrumental in space exploration for over 50 years. It is responsible for over 40% of all data retrieved by celestial explorers and is the only antenna capable of communicating with Voyager 2. DSS-43 was honored with an IEEE Milestone in March during a ceremony held at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. https://spectrum.ieee.org/apollo-era-antenna-voyager-2
This Week In Space: Astrophysicist explains science behind once-in-a-lifetime nova outburst that will light up the sky this year. The nova will create a "new" star in the night sky, and will light up sometime between now and September. It will be as bright as the North Star. We also talk about what a Type 1a supernova is. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-astrophysicist-science-lifetime-nova-outburst.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Ia_supernova
Book Club: The Long Game (The Far Reaches Collection) by Ann Leckie. https://www.amazon.com/Long-Game-Far-Reaches-collection-ebook/dp/B0C4QPCYZ4 Steven and Ben both read the short story, while Devon completely forgot. Boo Devon. Both Ben and Steven enjoyed the story, but had a few little nitpicks. We also talk about where this segment is going in the future. Next week: Void (The Far Reaches Collection) by Veronia Roth. |
Wed, 17 April 2024
This episode contains: It's our 501st extravaganza! Except due to technical difficulties, it’s not really. Steven tells us about the M. Night Shyamalan trilogy of Unbreakable, Split and Glass, which is now available on Netflix. Ben watched the classic 1991 Addams Family movie and Devon wonders if the new Munster’s movie by Rob Zombie is any good. It was panned when the trailer dropped but Devon thinks it actually looked kind of fun, and he’s a fan of Rob Zombie (more on that later). Devon also correctly identified MC Hammer as the artist who performed the theme for the Addams Family movie. Weird flex, but okay. https://www.imdb.com/title/ Ben talks about Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire again, which is like speed racer meets The 5th Element. Ben’s taste is very specific for Ben. https://www.disneyplus.com/en- Devon and his wife Jen started Dark City (on Tubi) but then switched to Fallout! Devon gives Fallout a positive review, despite some issues with inconsistent tone. Devon played the last three Fallout games to Steven’s surprise. Also, Deven gets cancelled for making fun of Polish people. We then lament the cancellation of Lower Decks, which will conclude with the upcoming 5th season. Will there be anymore animated comedy Trek?
Book Club: Just Out of Jupiter's Reach (The Far Reaches collection) by Nnedi Okorafor. This was different kind of story than we were used to. Steven drank the Kool-Aid and listened to this episode. Steven and Ben enjoyed it but don’t think it’s for everyone. Devon was lukewarm on it. We discuss the diverse cast of characters, new points of view and a different type of storytelling. https://www.amazon.com/gp/ Next week we will be discussing the story The Long Game by Ann Leckie. https://www.goodreads.com/ We conclude with a discussion of Rob Zombie being a vegan, a non-drinker and a non-drug user. Apparently he’s just like that normally. We also try to analyze his recent album titles, such as The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy and The Electric Warlock Acid With Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser. |
Wed, 10 April 2024
This episode contains: All three of your co-hosts are back to prove that 500 is just another number. We recorded on Rex Manning Day (you know, from Empire Records) and we missed First Contact Day (you know, from First Contact). Nobody remembers the Genetics Wars (you know, from nothing at all), or was it the Eugenics Wars? But you know what it really was today? It’s the Great American Eclipse! “I actually live in the path of totality” - Devon, and like several thousand more people. What kind of bedlam and absolute riot would there be at a ren faire during an eclipse? Shouts of “BURN THE WITCH” and whatever. Ben didn’t record last time because he had date night in the middle of Spring Break. Date night did NOT include seeing Dune, but did have terrible service, cold tacos, rain, and allergy medicine. Steven traveled to DisneyLand again (does he, like, live there now?) and there’s been some major updates to the tech in the queues for rides. Even with the new games you can play on your phone while waiting for the rides, the Peter Pan queue is just too skinny (it was made for people in the 1950s, and I guess we didn’t have an overweight problem in the US back then). Steven’s ready for war to never change, cause this upcoming week is the new Fallout TV show. You lucky dogs, reading this in the future… you’ve probably watched it all, haven’t you?
Death comes for us all and other light musings: What happens in the brain during the process of death? A woman named Patient One who suffered cardiac arrest became the subject of a study by neurologist Jimo Borjigin. When Patient One's brain activity was monitored after being taken off life support, unexpected electrical activity was still detected. Devon goes through the historical context on scientific interest in near-death experiences (NDEs) and consciousness after clinical death. More recent technological advances have allowed many more people to be resuscitated after cardiac arrest, providing new opportunities to study what happens in the brain during the dying process. Science may be on the verge of new discoveries about death, consciousness, and the relationship between the mind and brain. This odd mindset shift regarding death could cure procrastination forever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC4jcrB4RHc
What does an eclipse sound like? Once upon a time, there was light in my life / But now there's only love in the dark. (Ben sings it!) An app called Eclipse Soundscapes was developed to help blind and visually impaired people experience solar eclipses. It provides audio descriptions of the eclipse's progress matched to the user's location, and also includes recorded sounds of animals reacting to the dimming light as if night has come, and a "rumble map" feature allowing users to feel the eclipse's stages through vibrations on their smartphone screen. The app aims to make the experience of the eclipse more accessible through multiple senses. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/what-does-eclipse-sound-180964203/ https://eclipsesoundscapes.org/ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eclipse-soundscapes/id1262152991
Science fiction: Netflix’s Three Body Problem has dropped, and it’s so Game of Thrones in the best way. Ben presents Star Trek episodes 909 and 910. That’s right, Disco is back, baby! And it’s a wild Indiana Jones adventure this season, with strong ties back to a Next Generation episode that really should have been revisited a long time ago. Even though Devon and Steven poo-pooed Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire last week, Ben saw it, and he LIKED IT. Kinda weird Ben wasn’t excited about Ghostbusters: Afterlife before Steven gave his review of it all those years ago, and this time the tables have flipped. Kumail Nanjiani steals the show in the new Ghostbusters, but have you seen him in The Big Sick? Devon recommends. How do you like the new Science Faction website? It’s actually legible! https://sciencefactionpodcast.com/ Next week our book club will cover Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach (The Far Reaches collection) by Nnedi Okorafor. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4QR4SX7 |
Wed, 3 April 2024
This episode contains: Devon is single dadding it, while Jen is in Buenos Aires. Devon also admits that he didn't "get" Starship Troopers. Steven is about to spend soooooo much money at Disney, again. The duo go on and on about Easter, it's kinda pathetic. But then Devon starts talking about Kafka and a life sized Tinker Bell. Either you get it or you don't.
Robot Overlords: Scientists have decided that robots need to smile and everything is going to end soon, so why not? They built a robot face, then gave it a mirror so it could learn how to make faces like a human. Then it was trained on people smiling and learned to detect when a human is going to smile about 840 milliseconds before they do, so that they can make a co-expression with them. They named this robot 'Emo'. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240327154854.htm
This Week in Space: Two of the Milky Way's earliest building blocks identified. Astronomers have identified what could be two of the Milky Way's earliest building blocks: Named 'Shakti' and 'Shiva', these appear to be the remnants of two galaxies that merged between 12 and 13 billion years ago with an early version of the Milky Way, contributing to our home galaxy's initial growth. It turns out that the metals in some stars were a dead giveaway that they were much older than the stars around them. As amazing as this is, Steven gets distracted by the name Shakti and immediatly stars talking about the Jedi Shak Ti. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240321155515.htm
Book Club: Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches Collection) by Rebecca Roanhorse. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4QJBCFV?ref_=k4w_ss_details_rh Devon starts us out with a stellar summary of the story. We chat about the Genteel and make allusions to what they mean in the context of the story. Devon slips into some Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes to talk about the Cardassians and the Bajorans...and Nazis. Next book we will cover is Just Out of Jupiter's Reach (The Far Reaches collection) by Nnedi Okorafor. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4QR4SX7?ref_=dbs_m_aos_rwt_calw_tkin_4&storeType=ebooks |
Wed, 27 March 2024
This episode contains: Ben and Steven brave the spring sunday morning to bring you a 100% pure podcast experience. Where is Devon? Who knows?! Ben attended a symposium for work, and his badge did not work. Total Benergy. There was a live coding excercise where taco emoji were added to a website. Good? Bad? Who knows?! Steven is gearing up for a Fallout Wasteland Warfare game day and he is super excited to use his Gunner faction to melt some heads. Steven also has a double Disney trip coming up soon. Again?! Why?! We also talk some X-Men '97 and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. https://www.theverge.com/23794032/kizazi-moto-generation-fire-disney-plus-animation-streaming
Rama-lama-ding-dong: Montana traffickers illegally cloned Frankensheep hybrids for sport hunting. Conspirators used the genetic material of Marco Polo argali sheep from Kyrgyzstan to breed entirely new animals. We talk about how this real life John Hammond created his own private Sheep-rassic Park and then got caught. It's illegal if it's not on an island 120 west of Costa Rica. https://www.popsci.com/environment/sheep-hybrid-hunting/
Let's Talk: Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device. The adhesive neck patch is the latest advance by UCLA bioengineers in speech technology for people with disabilities. A thin flexible device adheres to the neck and translates the muscle movements of the larynx into audible speech. We also take this opportunity to talk about AI speech in movies and how hopefully in the future you'll be able to have a Darth Vader voice all the time. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/speaking-without-vocal-cords-ucla-engineering-wearable-tech
Movie Trailers: Here's a bunch of links to the trailers we talked about! Alien: Romulus Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The Penguin House of the Dragon (Black) House of the Dragon (Green) Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Star Wars: The Acolyte |
Wed, 20 March 2024
This episode contains: We start off with two hosts and are eventually joined by a third. We talk about Ramadan and fasting in religion. Steven has been spending money on the CCG Star Wars games, Star Wars Unlimited. Devon finally wakes up and joins us. Steven and Devon have been playing Helldivers 2 and Devon built the Lego Ornithopter from Dune. Devon talks about the recent Space X launch. https://www.youtube.com/watch? Ben played Cocoon on Xbox Game Pass. https://store.steampowered. Steven also talks about 3D printing for Shatterpiont, which has gone hard into Return of the Jedi. We are looking forward to the next season of Black Mirror, which will include a sequel to the Star Trek inspired episode “USS Callister.” And yet another Star Trek feature film has been announced. Should Star Trek even be a movie?
Lasers Make Everything Better: Earth Received a Message Laser-Beamed From 10 Million Miles Away in NASA Test. NASA successfully demonstrated a key technology for interstellar communication by laser-beaming messages across a distance of 10 million miles, approximately 40 times farther than the distance from Earth to the Moon. This achievement, part of NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, represents the first time that optical communications have been sent across such a distance.
Book Club: Devon returns from finally drinking some coffee. We read the short story by James S. A. Corey, “How it Unfolds.” This is a story of human Von Neuman probes, space exploration and love. We discuss how some good short stories could be expanded into full books. Next week we will be discussing “Falling Bodies” by Rebecca Roanhorse, which is also part of the Far Reaches Collection. |
Wed, 13 March 2024
Patreon only pre-pod: mike check, Devon’s epic phone and family journey, and only Siths deal in absolutes. Have YOU ever dealt with unreasonable family members? NEVER, I’m sure! This episode contains: We three hosts record on MAR10 day! Ben played so much Mario Kart, not in celebration but just alone, to be cool. Steven’s plans to watch comedienne Taylor Tomlinson in Los Angeles fell through. Steven finally played Fallout Wasteland Warfare for real, shout out to Gordon’s Good Games! Alliteration! What’s up David!? You Fallout Collector you! There’s a local Discord for tabletop games, and Steven has found his people. Ben watched 2010: The Year We Make Contact with his son, and that film holds up! It’s a hard sci-fi film made for normals (not quite like the first film 2001: A Space Odyssey). It’s almost like an entire season of For All Mankind, only filmed in 1984. Why don’t they make film versions of 2061 or 3001? Devon managed to survive an Ewok attack, and then proceeds to discuss doors and rooms. Ahem, SECRET doors for SECRET ROOMS! Devon’s R2D2 replica will get weathered if he puts it in a secret room for sure. Devon then considers making the ultimate scifi Halloween garage. Hey! Books are smart: Autogenerating a Book Series From Three Years of iMessages. Software engineer Ben Kettle wanted to be able to easily browse through old iMessage conversations from years past, so he developed a process to extract the iMessage database from iPhone backups, query it with SQL, and generate LaTeX source code to create printable books from the messages. How does one pronounce LaTeX? LAY-tek! He made an on-demand printed book containing the longest thread he’d had over three years. He had some issues supporting emojis, but was able to work around it. He split the conversation into three volumes and was able to inexpensively print paperback books through Barnes & Noble Press. The source code is available online for others to generate message books from their own conversation histories. We’re not going to make books like this… will you? https://benkettle.xyz/posts/message-book/ Brain matters: Lack of focus doesn't equal lack of intelligence -- it's proof of an intricate brain. A new study provides insights into how the brain coordinates focus and filtering of distractions to pay attention. Lead author and neuroscientist Harrison Ritz has a cool name! Researchers used an fMRI task where participants had to distinguish colors and motions of dots. The anterior cingulate cortex tracks task difficulty and directs the intraparietal sulcus to adjust its "focusing and filtering knobs" - increasing focus on relevant information like color and reducing sensitivity to irrelevant information like motion. This shows the brain coordinates attention through multiple regions working together, rather than a single capacity limit. Understanding these coordination mechanisms provides insights into both effective attention and attention disorders. The research suggests lack of focus does not mean low intelligence, but rather shows how complex the brain's coordination of attention is. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240308122958.htm Patreon only mid-pod: Did y’all finish Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix? Ben discusses. Remember Wizards First Rule / Legend of the Seeker?… Ben loved to get drunk and angry at the show. Will they get to do a live action Legend of Korra? That would be cool. 3 Body Problem (Netflix) reviews are out, Devon talks about it. Fallout trailer! What’s a good cadence to release streaming television? Book Club: You Have Arrived At Your Destination by Amor Towles. Devon picked this one because he really enjoyed Towles’ book A Gentleman in Moscow. The audiobook for You Have Arrived At Your Destination was read by David Harbor. We go over it. Is it about choice? Is it about a multiverse? It’s confusing, but not if you apply True Lies logic to it. We discuss predestination: How accurate can the prediction be? What affects the choices we make? If they can be that accurate, how much does feee will affect the outcome? Do we have free will at all? Do our lives fit a three act structure? What act are you in in your life? Is this act structure about what happens to you, or is it about the perspective you bring to your life? Are you just waiting to die? Is that bad or good? Which of three lives would you pick for your child? Ben gets irrationally angry at the possibility of a different structure for the story that is only hinted at. Steven and Devon give it a high rating, but Ben gives it 1/5 of a star out of 4 stars. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49665863-you-have-arrived-at-your-destination Next week, our book club will be covering How it Unfolds by James S. A. Corey. Patreon only post-pod: Next week, Devon may talk about Determined by Robert M. Sapolsky. Do you listen to books at 1x, like a MONSTER?! |
Wed, 6 March 2024
This episode contains: Devon, Steven and Ben all host this episode. Unfortunatly we end up talking about gurd and vomit right off the bat. Ben helped some kids play The Zone. Devon took another journey to Lousiana. Ben did a poem at an Ekphrastic poetry workshop, and it's good. https://beaconartshow.com/#gallery
Robot Overlords: AI outperforms humans in standardized tests of creative potential. In a recent study, 151 human participants were pitted against ChatGPT-4 in three tests designed to measure divergent thinking, which is considered to be an indicator of creative thought. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240301134758.htm
Brain Matters: Surprisingly simple model explains how brain cells organize and connect. A new study by physicists and neuroscientists describes how connectivity among neurons comes about through general principles of networking and self-organization, rather than the biological features of an individual organism. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240117143741.htm
Surprising Human Tricks: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise, study finds. Why electric bikes actually give more exercise than pedal bikes. A new study that found tai chi is more effective than aerobic exercise at lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension. Electric bikes provide more exercise than traditional pedal bikes based on multiple studies, this is because e-bike riders tend to ride for longer periods of time and distances since the motor assistance makes biking less strenuous, especially on hills. https://electrek.co/2024/02/20/why-electric-bikes-give-more-exercise/
Book Club: Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi. We discuss. Devon has some additional thoughts on last weeks story, Randomize. |
Wed, 28 February 2024
This episode contains: Steven and Ben host this all new leap year episode. Ben thinks about how his life would be if he had kids at an earlier age. Steven has also been going through a midlife crisis, which has caused him to start journaling. Steven wants to stop wasting his life on his phone using focus mode. “How I Setup My iPhone — So It Doesn't Ruin My Life...” https://www.youtube.com/watch?
It’s True, All Of It: Scientists scanning the seafloor discover a long-lost Stone Age 'megastructure'. In the fall of 2021, a marine geologist and students mapped the shape of the seafloor at high resolution and found something interesting. Not quite 70 feet below the surface, they stumbled upon a stone wall more than half a mile long that dated back to the Stone Age — one of the oldest such megastructures on the planet. In research published in PNAS, Geersen and his colleagues say this piece of ancient hunting architecture may have been used to corral and hunt reindeer, adding a level of sophistication to the prehistoric hunter-gatherers who lived 10,000 to 11,000 years ago.
This One’s For Devon: Deliverance Forevermore!: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? Some years ago, Matt Daniels wrote a great article on who has the largest vocabulary in hip-hop, comparing Shakespeare to famous hip-hop artists. What about Power Metal? People know metal or heavy metal but not necessarily power metal. Power metal has speed (remember that last song on Guitar Hero), clean vocals (you can understand the words, looking at you grind metal) and lyrics about dragons. Is it really only about dragons? Running Wild (2949 unique words) has the biggest vocabulary, followed by Helloween (2641) and Elvenking (2505). Bands from Spain, Germany and Finland have an average of more than 1600 words vocabulary; in comparison native countries like UK, US and Scotland have an average of 925, 1383 and 1501 words respectively. The most metal words are deliverance, defender, honour, forevermore, realm and the least are shit, baby, fuck, girl, verse. The most negative song is Condemned To Hell by Gamma Ray and the most positive There's Something In The Skies by Dark Moor. https://notes.atomutek.org/
Book Club: We read the short story by Andy Weir: Randomize. https://www.goodreads.com/ The next short story is Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi. |
Wed, 21 February 2024
This episode contains: We're recording just after Valentine's Day. Sorry, we didn't get you anything, EXCEPT FOR THIS PODCAST! Ben was a bit disappointed in Valentine's Day this year... he's also working on "not wasting his midlife crisis." He chats about layoffs and opportunities and productivity, but Steven thinks that perhaps Ben's having a midlife revelation. Ben's reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. Steven and Devon have been managing democracy in HELLDIVERS 2. Devon doesn't know how to define video games, or perhaps he knows too much how to define video games. HELLDIVERS is pretty much the video game equivalent of Starship Troopers, with all the satire involved. Steven also really enjoyed Blue Eyed Samurai on Netflix. Not science fiction, but it's worth your time. Guess what? Ben's dental company had a major data breach. It's time to freeze your credit FOR FREE at the following addresses to to avoid ID theft:
Unless you're planning on taking out a new credit card or buying anything in the next few days, you should freeze your credit. If they are asking you for money, you're in the wrong place. It took Ben 15 minutes to do it, big thanks to password managers. Ben is now the Credit Score Fairy.
This Week on the Internet: Not all TLDs are Created Equal. In light of the recent cancellation of the queer.af domain registration by the Taliban, the fragile and difficult nature of country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) has once again been comprehensively demonstrated. When the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, it fell foul of the EU’s rules for the registration of domains under the “eu” ccTLD. To register (and maintain) a domain name ending in .eu, you have to be a resident of the EU. When the UK ceased to be part of the EU, residents of the UK were no longer EU residents, and lost their .eu domain names. Also, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukranian Vice Prime Minister asked ICANN to suspend ccTLDs associated with Russia. While ICANN said that it wasn’t going to do that (they should change their name to ICANT), because it wouldn’t do anything useful, some domain registrars (the companies you pay to register domain names) ceased to deal in Russian ccTLDs, and some websites restricted links to domains with Russian ccTLDs. Generic TLDs (gTLDs) like .com, .net, .gov and other really cool new gTLDs like .rocks, .ninja, and .supplies are far better to register. https://www.hezmatt.org/~mpalmer/blog/2024/02/13/not-all-tlds-are-created-equal.html
This Week in Space: Tiny moon of Saturn holds young ocean beneath icy shell. Saturn's moon Mimas harbors a global ocean beneath its icy shell, discovered through analysis of its orbit by Cassini spacecraft data. This ocean formed just 5-15 million years ago, making Mimas a prime candidate for studying early ocean formation and potential for life. This discovery suggests life-essential conditions might exist on seemingly inactive moons, expanding our search for life beyond Earth. Guess where else we've discovered oceans? Devon says "Earth." Ben knows he got that info from SeaQuest DSV. Saturns rings may have always been there for us, but what have they done for us lately? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207120512.htm
Patreon-only mid-pod: Ben has changed his note taking game, using Obsidian. Steven has rewatched Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Will X-Men 97 be terrible or radical?
Science Fiction Book Club: This week we're doing a spoiler-filled review of the novella Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin. An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out eons ago. After all this time, there’s no telling how they’ve devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49669410-emergency-skin TLDR: Ben and Steven loved it, but Devon was a little lukewarm and wished it was longer and more nuanced. Next week in the Science Fiction Book Club we'll discuss Randomize by Andy Weir. Get it for free if you have Amazon Prime and be informed for next week's discussion: https://www.amazon.com/Randomize-Forward-collection-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B07VDJBKNJ |
Wed, 14 February 2024
This episode contains: Devon, Ben and Steven are here this week to give you live coverage of the Super....nah, just kiddin'. We do talk about the Super Bowl though, and with that comes Taylor Swift talk, becuase of course it does. Ben chats about roller derby practice and Devon wonders why us Californians get extra days off of school. We also talk about the death of baseball as it pertains to Star Trek Deep Space Nine. There is also some cricket talk and what would this episode be if we didn't talk about Bluey? Before we get to the science, Ben and Steven recount a gaming experience they had with The Zone RPG. We were not DISAPPOINTED.
Ben is The Password Fairy: I Know What Your Password Was Last Summer... and we talk about why. Ben tells us of old passwords, how they are typically cracked and why having passwords at all is not a great idea. We talk about password creation, and the different options available to have super secure passwords that you would never have to memorize. https://labs.lares.com/password-analysis/
Don't Worry, This Is Not A Threat: Low voice pitch increases standing among strangers. According to researchers, if you're looking for along-term relationship, or to boost your social status, lower the pitch of your voice. Researchers found that lower voice pitch makes women and men sound more attractive to to potential long-term partners, and lower pitch in males makes the individuals sound more formidable and prestigious. Devon tells us about Elizabeth Holmes from Theranos, and how she lowered her voice as part of her schemes. Steven and Ben had no idea who she was, and Devon was shocked. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240208142418.htm
Science Fiction: Ben is ready to talk about B words! We start of with a lengthy chat about Barbie, which Ben just watched, and we talk about which awards it was nominated for (and which it was snubbed). Ben then once again talks some Beacon 23, which we recommends. Finally, we get a chat about Babylon 5 and Ben tells us the plans for season 4, and how that impacted season 5.
Book Club: We're starting a book club, kinda! Steven recently found some amazing short fiction, and we've decided to start a sort of book club. Our first story that we're going to read id "Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin. It can be found as part of the Forward Collection on Amazon Prime. If you're Devon, you can pay extra for the audio version, or just use the kindle app and get it for free (with Prime of course). We'll have a spoiler filled discussion on this story next week and announce the next title to read. Join the discussion! Read a Book!
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Wed, 7 February 2024
This episode contains: We’re coming to you from a rainy Sunday. Devon is BORING, but also has rearranged a room in his home. Ben has Star Trek trivia night, which Steven had to miss to play D&D (BG3 actually). Ben’s team won, of course. Ben then gives us some of his great Star Trek team names. Also, Ben showed up in costume. Steven’s family is healthy. Steven finished a full game of Core Space and paint some minis. Steven also got to watch a movie: Self Reliance on Hulu.
Brain Matters: The theory that consciousness is a quantum system gains support. Hameroff and Penrose’s Orch Or Theory sees consciousness as the outcome of a quantum collapse of a wave function. https://mindmatters.ai/2024/ Other reading: Quantum Approaches to Consciousness. https://plato.stanford.edu/ Wikipedia: Quantum mind
Da-Na, Da-Na, Da-Na: First-ever sighting of a live newborn great white. Great whites, the largest predatory sharks in the world with the most fatal attacks on humans, are tough to imagine as newborn babies. That is partially because no one has seen one in the wild, it seems, until now. https://sciencedaily.com/
Hurt Me Plenty: “Can it run Doom?” (Gut bacteria edition). Ramlan explains her bacterial grid display model and how it fits into the wider " Doom runs on everything" tradition. Simulated 1-bit, 32x48 cellular grid runs at a blazing 0.00003 fps. https://arstechnica.com/
The Big Question: Time travel is possible, but only into the future. How far would you go? Why? Time travel is possible, but only into the past. How far would you go? Why? Rules: Travel is one way. You can affect the past/future, but may result in a different timeline. You cannot bring anything with you. We discuss.
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Wed, 31 January 2024
Pre-pod Patreon-only: Is Matt our constant? A blank minute with Flint Lawless, Palworld and AI, your parents aren’t cool anymore This Episode Contains: Steven and Ben grace your ears this time 'round, having a chill time. Why are we on our best behavior when Devon’s around? He’s not our dad! Ben has to get dad energy sometimes when dealing with crossing guard stuff, especially when it turns into fight club. The Domingues house has been sick, so that’s been really disordered. He’s excited to continue to overdose on the board game Core Space (Thanks Damon!) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/240271/core-space. Ben’s sketchbooks he’s been creating are now on Amazon! A Woman Holding a Weasel: Cats versus Sailboat: Come On You Apes, You Wanna Live Forever?! The fountain of youth is… a T cell? It’s Osmosis Jones meets Palworld: Scientists have discovered that T cells can be reprogrammed through genetic modifications to target and eliminate senescent cells, which accumulate in the body with age and contribute to inflammation and age-related diseases. When these modified "CAR T cells" were used to clear senescent cells from mice, the mice showed benefits like lower weight, better metabolism, and protection against conditions like obesity and diabetes. Even a single dose of CAR T cells early in life provided lifelong protection in mice. This suggests reprogrammed T cells could potentially be developed as a "living drug" treatment for aging and age-related disease that only requires one administration. The fountain of youth is ... a T cell? Reasons To Never Leave The House Again: Disney Unveils the HoloTile Floor, Inching Us Closer to a Real-Life Holodeck. Alongside announcing that Lanny Smoot will be the first Disney employee besides Walt to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Disney also shared one of his newest projects called the HoloTile floor, which just may be a game changer for VR and could bring us ever closer to experiencing the Holodeck from Star Trek. This floor is made up of a bunch of tiles that all work to keep people in the center of them. The HoloTile floor can do more than just let people walk on it, as it can also move objects around. In a video, we see an object being moved around the floor and an arm extending at the corner of the screen, as if they were using the Force to move an object. Disney Unveils the HoloTile Floor, Inching Us Closer to a Real-Life Holodeck - IGN Can we just stop for a bit and talk about how amazing it is that we’re putting man-made structures on the moon for the first time since 1972? Japan’s lunar lander landed. Mid-pod Patreon-only: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On follow-up, Droids in training at Galaxy’s Edge, Droid Lightsaber Caddies Science Fiction: Did we need a mashup of Simpsons and AKIRA? No, but it’s pretty awesome! BARTKIRA! Ben finished A Closed and Common Orbit, and his son knows that TRON is superior to TRON: Legacy but seriously, why do modern CGI films have trouble making amazing cinematography a la TRON: Legacy? How come modern CGI blockbusters are so sterile in their cinematography? We have some thoughts but this video sums it up: https://youtu.be/VvLk9G9XuPw?si=e3PmXJCHktxomoR8 Yo, there was a TRON 2.0 video game in 2003 and it was originally meant to be a canon sequel to the original? You can get it on Steam and on GOG: https://store.steampowered.com/app/327740/TRON_20/ https://www.gog.com/en/game/tron_20 Post-pod Patreon-only: Ben finished Star Trek Resurgence |
Wed, 24 January 2024
This episode contains: Devon, Ben and Steven are all bright eyed and bushy tailed this fine episode. Steven played Palworld until 4am, and Ben doesn't recommend playing the Xbox version. Ben had an amazing poetry reading with Rock Star Poets. Devon has had some plumbing issues, but he's going to solve them (spoiler, he didn't), plus it's snow-ish in his part of Texas. Steven and Devon both missed the latest Walkabout Minigolf course, but Ben fills us in on the amazingness of it. We eventually get to the science...
Follow up to Moon's Haunted: What Went Wrong With Astrobotic's Moon Lander? And What Happens Next? Instead of landing on the Moon, Peregrine is set to burn up in Earth's atmosphere later this week. Re-entry won't pose any safety risk to anyone on the ground. A valve between the spacecraft’s oxidizer tank and a tank of high-pressure helium got stuck in the open position, so there wasn't enough oxidizer for a safe landing on the Moon. https://www.inverse.com/science/astrobotic-moon-lander-peregrine-what-happened
Supposed Cicadapocalypse: Cicadapocalypse Returns To The US With First Double Brood Emergence In 221 Years. We talk about the emerging cicadas, specifically Brood 13 and Brood 19, which emerge every 17 and 13 years, respectively. We also talk about sensationialized journalism, and how these cicadas emerging isn't really that huge of a deal, although only happening every 221 years is cool. Their brood locations don't really overlap, so there isn't much to panic about.
Science Fiction: Ben gets a recommendation from Patron Joe: Star Trek: The Next Generation: Mirror Universe Collection which leads us into a chat about the Mirror Universe. We're getting Nintendo 3DS Emulation on the Quest, which is an amazing sentence. The 3DS famously had two screens, so it is difficult to emulate on one screen. However, in a virtual display, both screens are easily seen. https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-3ds-emulator-citra-vr/ Steven recentlt watched a breakdown video of Back to the Future Part 3, and that leads to a little chat about BttF and breakdown videos. Plus, Ben has to bring up the 'B to the F: The Novelization' tumblr account that is wild. https://btothef.tumblr.com/ Check out the Heavy Spoilers channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXzSQszt78 We also talk more about Beacon 23, since Ben has now watched it and he gives us a little breakdown of what to expect in the show. Devon recommends Bodies, a Netflix mini-series which has some time-travelish components. That's all folks! See you next week!
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Wed, 17 January 2024
This episode contains: Steven and Ben take the reins while Devon is off at his son’s birthday party. We discuss relaxing mornings, and delightful dinners. Shout out to Barley & Boar which has some high end, delicious food and phenomenal drinks. Also, make sure to ask for the specials. Steven spends the Christmas cash that was burning a hole in his pocket. He bought Castle Panic and Core Space. (https://boardgamegeek.com/ (https://boardgamegeek.com/ Ben tells us about his new book design. Also, check out Ben’s poetry reading on January 20, 2024 at 2 p.m. in the SLO Library Community Room at 995 Palm Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. Ben is very excited so you better attend!
Magic Time!: Largest diversity study of 'magic mushrooms' investigates the evolution of psychoactive psilocybin production. https://www.sciencedaily.com/
I Brake for Machine Learning: Why autonomous trucking is harder than autonomous rideshare. Freeways were supposed to be easy. What happened? https://kevinchen.co/blog/
Science Fiction: We discuss the trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom, Beacon 23, For All Mankind (including discussion of the final episode with SPOILERS and were the show might go in the next season), and Star Trek in For All Mankind. And of course, so much more!
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Wed, 10 January 2024
Pre-pod Patreon-only: The joys of passive agressively pretending you didn’t hear what other people say, 2022 is now 2 years ago (when did that happen?). This episode contains: Three hosts check in for the first episode of the new year. Steven’s speech impediment comes back for a hot moment. Devon fervently rejects New Years resolutions, because as his wife says “he’s perfect the way he is.” Why wait till New Years to make yourself better? Ben resolved to not see a barber this year, as he’s shaved his head. Steven wonders about the bandaid on the back of Marcel’s skull in that OLLLD movie “Pulp Fiction.” We go through all of Ben’s discovered fears about having a completely bald head. Steven’s now getting a bunch of bald head stuff in his algorithm. But really Steven’s just geeking out over Remedy’s newest video game “Alan Wake II,” but he’s been a fan since the original “Max Payne.” Hey, what’s up with our newest member/non-member Dave? We guess some Patreon members cancel because they were looking for a different Science Faction podcast. Video Game Talk with Devon: 13-Year-Old Boy Becomes The Only Human To Ever Complete Tetris. Hell has frozen over and Devon talks about the only game he’s ever played: Tetris. (Naw, he’s played other games. I digress.) Want to up your game? Tap buttons faster. An AI player can get up to level 237 recently, but a human player has crashed the game at level 157, essentially “winning” an unwinnable game. Eventually a glitch happens where the game switches from reading instructions from the code to reading the RAM as if it were code. Devon played Tetris as a kid on his computer, but Steven and Ben were Game Boy Tetris fans. We’ve seriously got to see the new Tetris film, and also stop snacking in the evenings. Ben recommends flossing nightly and going to the dentist yearly. https://www.iflscience.com/13-year-old-boy-becomes-the-only-human-to-ever-complete-tetris-72267 Rawr: 'Juvenile T. rex' fossils are a distinct species of small tyrannosaur. How do scientists distinguish between young dinosaurs and a completely different species? Turns out it’s really hard to do. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240102190920.htm Moon’s haunted: White House responds to Navajo Nation request to delay mission that would land human remains on the moon. This week a commercial flight to the moon will carry human remains (among other things) to the lunar surface. Ben considers the ecology impact of humans and our waste (including human remains) on ANY environment, terrestrial or otherwise. Devon discusses whether anyone should change how they are behaving based on other’s opinions. This is all vanity, and is dumb, but perhaps there is an ethical angle we should consider. Mid-pod Patreon-only: details on “corpses on the moon,” anybody can have a podcast… but does everyone deserve to be heard? One Piece anime adaptation, cheap anime, roller derby showers and glow parties. A Big Question: Does knowledge have intrinsic value or does it need to have a practical use to have value? We spend a lot of time discussing what value even is, and whether it’s important to synthesize data with a more complete understanding of unrelated information. 2024 is all about Tetris, T-Rex, and Tiny bits of yourself on the moon. Post-pod Patreon-only: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. |
Wed, 3 January 2024
This episode contains: All three amazing hosts lead the charge into the New Year, but have a few things to get off their collective chests first. Devon's got a wild child on his hands, and details some holiday destruction. Ben has had enough with his hair, and took matters into his own hands. Steven got a chance to let his true Disney self out, and finally played Lorcana (with Ben). He also finished a video game, which hasn't happened in a long time. Who wants a cart racer that's Disney themed? Ben and Steven do.
Let's Talk About the Public Domain: Mickey, Disney, and the Public Domain: a 95-year Love Triangle. What's going in here? It's complicated. Disney pushed for the law that extended the copyright term to 95 years, which became referred to derisively as the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.” This extension has been criticized by scholars as being economically regressive and having a devastating effect on our ability to digitize, archive, and gain access to our cultural heritage.
https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/
Science Fiction: We do some movie reviews to round out the year. Ben and his kid watched 1984's Gremlins. Devon watched Leave The World Behind, and tries to do a spoiler free review. Devon also finally watched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which goes about as expected.
What We're Looking Forward To In 2024:
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! |
Wed, 27 December 2023
This episode contains: Welcome to our post-Christmas episode. We discuss how the world’s going to hell, personally and socially. Devon thinks hating the year that’s gone by is a meme but Steven and Ben present there reasons why the world is actually burning down. We then move on to discussing our Christmas’s and Ben not doing his homework. Also, Ben made a youtube video for his mom: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Ben then teaches us all about Kwanzaa. Ben reminds us that all holidays are “made up.” In the spirit of Umoja we celebrate unity. https://www.
100 Positive News from 2023: Despite not planning on doing science on this episode, Ben felt guilty about not doing his homework an so brought some science:
https://www.gapminder.org/
Science Fiction: Steven and Devon both watched some movies. Ben did not however, but he still gives us his summary of the movies based on the trailers. Steven saw Rebel Moon: Part 1: A Child of Fire. Ben thinks a child emerges from a lava planet, who then leads a ragtag group of minors against a fascist government from another planet. Steven says he got about 80% correct. Rebal Moon is Star Wars. That’s all. Zach Snider outdoes himself with the slomo. We note that there will be a directors cut. Devon saw Oppenheimer. Ben thinks this is a science film about the man that worked on the atom bomb. Devon gives a not so brief summary of the movie and ultimately recommends it. Devon also talks about the book The Oppenheimer Alternative by Robert J. Sawyer. Devon also saw The Creator. Ben thinks the AI attack LA and then become monks, then there’s a new AI in town in the body of a human child. Then humans want to destroy it as the perceive it as a threat. Devon then gives us his honest opinion that the movie is not that good.
See Y'all Next Year! 2024 IS GOING TO BE THE BEST |
Wed, 20 December 2023
This episode contains: It’s December, it’s a big battle getting through the month, and Ben and Steven just can’t wait to be done with 2023. Ben is left alone by his family for the afternoon, and did a real long bike ride! All was well and good until he got a flat. Luckily he has friends. Friends with trucks. Steven was out of town hanging out with Devon, and they didn’t record a podcast. Instead he and Devon hung out IRL with their D&D group, playing an “artisinal cooperative experience” called Oathsworn. Lots of fun but not an easy game to play. The companion app to the game was narrated by Jeor Mormont himself, James Cosmo. Is Jeor just another way to spell “Jeff?” No, Steven. Ben then talks more about biking, specifically in the rain. Oathsworn: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251661/oathsworn-deepwood Robot Uprising: OpenAI's reported 'superintelligence' breakthrough is so big it nearly destroyed the company, and ChatGPT. Thanks to our Patron Joe Kohr for suggesting this article! ChatGPT, or as the French say “Cat, I Farted”, is reportedly dealing with a breakthrough towards a generative AI gaining “superintelligence,” or reasoning outside of it’s programmed models. As in, it will be no longer “faking it”. Now, there’s a new OpenAI research group with the goal of developing safeguards against superintelligence. This all reminds Ben of something he heard on another podcast: where there’s a potential for using generative AI to create apps… but what if there’s no more productivity apps anymore? Where you ask questions and get data presented to you? The operating system could remove the need for productivity apps, because in 10 years the ways we interact with our phones and computers will be different. Steven runs a website but he doesn’t GO to websites. Where does anybody learn things on the net now? Social media? Empire and the East India Trading Company: the first company with shares. The podcast about generative AI creating apps: https://www.relay.fm/connected/479 Empire Podcast: https://pod.link/1639561921 Tonight on The Ocho: ‘You didn’t just succeed, you Exceled’: Sydney man dubbed the ‘Annihilator’ wins spreadsheet world championship. You might not have known this, but there’s a Microsoft Excel World Championship. Now that your mind has finished exploding, you can watch it yourself. This year was newsworthy not because of it’s existence, but because the winner this year was eliminated in the first round. The values Andrew Ngai received from the first round didn’t match the answer key… but it turned out the answer key was WRONG! We then continue to yak about EVE Online for a bit. One of the contestants eliminated in the finals thanked his wife, who “never made fun of me, even once, for competing in the Microsoft Excel world championships.” Ben gets made fun of for doing the dishes! Watch the championship here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGdPE_C9u8&t=288 Science Fiction: Has For All Mankind got too much character drama this season? Steven and Ben disagree. Steven wishes there was something more Mars-y on Mars, like red dust everywhere. You know, science fiction stuff! Netflix got The Batman and got Steven to drop everything and watch it yet again. Amazon got Merry Little Batman and got Ben to drop everything and watch it for the first time. Ben a synopsis of the really adorable film where Batman’s son has a Home Alone Batman moment. This Batman has definite Devon energy. Is that enough Christmas Batman for Ben? Not in the slightest. Ben played five hours of Batman: Arkham Origins, the most ignored Arkham game. But… it’s actually good? And Ben just shut his eyes and pretended it’s not an Arkham game at all, since the voice cast does not include Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. It looks good, for a ten year old game. |
Wed, 13 December 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Devon lead the charge this week because Steven is tired. Devon took his kids on The Polar Express, and everyone was wearing pajamas. Ben just realized that when a kid is in a sport, it consumes the entire family. Ben has a confrontation with a random. How does a pork dish taste like steak?
Gone Rogue: Gigantic Wave in Pacific Ocean Was Most Extreme 'Rogue Wave' on Record. Rogue waves are fun and terrifying; they are rare giant waves that can capsize boats. A 58 foot high wave, three times the height of the waves around it was recorded by a buoy in 2020. Rogue waves were thought to be ocean folklore until an 85 foot wave struck an oil-drilling platform in 1995. The intensity of rogue waves are measured against 'normal' waves around them. We talk about the differences between tsunamis and rogue waves. https://www.sciencealert.com/gigantic-wave-in-pacific-ocean-was-most-extreme-rogue-wave-on-record
This One's For The Birds: Researchers Taught Parrots to Video Call Other Parrots. The parrots were taught to make calls to other dometic parrots using Facebook Messenger. The researchers wondered if given the choice, would the birds call each other? The answer is yes. Strong social dynamics started to appear. The calls lasted 5 minutes, and some of the birds created strong bonds (and still call each other after the study). Devon questions how making a video call is different from the 'mirror test'. Did pirates domesticate parrots? Devon is "well read" because of South Park and The Simpsons. https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/04/21/parrots-talking-video-calls/
Science Fiction: Devon is reading and listening to Sun Eater series: Empire of Silence which is well written but borrows liberally from other scifi. Ben talks about the lit-verse of Star Trek novels. Ben has been reading the Typhon Pact series of Star Trek novels and is on book 4, Paths of Disharmony. Devon continually re-watches Star Trek and loves Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation, Enterprise and everything Trek. Do some alien cultures in Star Trek come across as too racist or stereotypical?
Patreon Only: Steven bails, Notion Problems, Another Disney Trip and Switzerland. |
Wed, 6 December 2023
This episode contains: Steven, Ben and Devon are all present for this episode. This episode drops on Steven’s birthday. We discuss real v fake Christmas trees, the Guardians of Galaxy Holiday Special, Beep Beep I’m a Sheep by LilDeuceDeuce, letting kids use Discord, and Devon’s trip to Great Wolf Lodge.
Stop Calling Me: Receive robocalls or text message spam? Help shut the spammer down. Most reputable telecom carriers don't want unsolicited messages on their network or phone numbers. In order to disconnect their abusive customers, they need to hear about the abuse. That's where you come in. Here's how to report abuse to the telecom carrier that is responsible for the spammer's phone number – so the carrier can terminate their service.
Hot Rocks: A new solar system has been found in the Milky Way. All 6 planets are perfectly in-sync, astronomers say. The innermost planet completes three orbits for every two by its closest neighbor. It's the same for the second- and third-closest planets, and the third- and fourth-closest planets. The two outermost planets complete an orbit in 41 and 54.7 days, resulting in four orbits for every three. The innermost planet, meanwhile, completes six orbits in exactly the time the outermost completes one.
Big Question: Assume that in the future there will be huge leaps in human augmentation. Given a scale from completely human to completely machine, how far would you choose to augment yourself with robotics? What parts would you augment and why?
Ghosts with Sh*t Jobs |
Wed, 29 November 2023
Pre-show Patreon Only: Void Train and other train games, Fallout 4 This episode contains: A chill post-Thanskgiving episode with Steven and Ben. Turns out people get tired after eating smoked turkey and phǒ (phǒ real? phǒget about it), at least people over 40. Good times with family. These kids are talking and love Bluey. If you’re of a certain age, you may not know Bluey, but you should. Are there new Bluey episodes? Not yet, but there is a new Bluey video game. Ben apologizes for talking about old Steam Deck issues, but he’s really not sorry, is he? Anyways, the most recent update (3.5) fixed the issues his son had, so this is just an old man shouting at the cloud. BTW, 30 years ago was not 1970, Steven. You poor thing. Steven was not prepared for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off on Netflix, which looks like the comic book, has all the actors for the movie, and then runs with a “What If?” story, completely changing the Scott Pilgrim story at a fundamental level. Our patron Renee met Mark Hamill while she and her family were all dressed like Leia. Mark Hamill is so lucky. Ben asks Steven to go on a date to see The Abyss Special Edition for his birthday, but it’s in Santa Maria, and Steven will never spend another birthday in “that hellhole” if he can help it. Brain Matters: Our brains are not able to 'rewire' themselves, despite what most scientists believe, new study argues. According to the article, two scientists argue that the commonly held belief that the brain can rewire itself and repurpose regions for new functions after injury or deficit is flawed. Through analyzing previous studies, they found no compelling evidence that areas like the visual cortex of blind individuals or uninjured areas after stroke took on entirely new functions. Instead, they believe the brain enhances existing latent abilities through learning and repetition, not completely changing functions. So for example, when someone loses a finger, the area for that finger already got some input from neighboring fingers, it just enhances that after amputation. Their view is that understanding true brain plasticity limits is important for patient expectations and rehabilitation approaches. The brain's ability to adapt comes from hard work, not magical reassignment of resources. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231121175335.htm Pure energy (like that song from Information Society, and Leonard Nimoy): Generating Power on Earth From the Coldness of Deep Space. This article discusses the concept of generating power on Earth by utilizing the coldness of deep space. It explores the principles of thermodynamics, thermoelectric power generation, and radiative cooling. The article also presents various prototypes and experiments conducted to harness energy from the coldness of space, including the use of selective emitters and negative illumination photovoltaic cells. While the technology is still under development, it shows potential for powering low-power electronics and lighting, offering a sustainable energy solution. https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy-from-cold Mid-show Patreon Only: Limp Bizkit is making a comeback? Maybe you don’t want to hear it. Science Fiction: Steven finally saw The Marvels with his wife. He liked it, but his wife was lost. Why is that? Well, if you haven’t seen Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Wandavision, Secret Invasion (but not really), LOKI, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuANTumania, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Endgame or X-Men: The Last Stand, maybe you’re gonna be a little lost. Steven and Ben both agree: that’s a little much for the normies, but it’s also a little much for these tired old comic book nerds (like our valiant podcast hosts). With so much discussion about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ben says we’ve got to talk about something else, so what does he do? It’s DC time. My Adventures with Superman is a cartoon on Adult Swim and Max that is worth watching, and Ben gives just enough spoilers to whet Steven’s appetite. Maybe you would like it too. Steven always forgets that Superman is Ben’s jam, at least when anybody other than Zach Snyder is at the helm. What is Ben’s favorite Superman movie? Wouldn’t you like to know. Post-show Patreon Only: The Flash movie, we have thoughts on how to fix the MCU |
Wed, 22 November 2023
This episode contains: Three hosts again this episode. We talk about Kevin Bacon, Ben has returned and is now known as Numbers. We have an audio diary (that we share with the world). Devon shares a personal story and is now relieved, we chat a bit about Lethal Company and invite Ben to join. Ben tells us all about Patch Quest and the joy he's having with his son. Steven shares how he's brainwashing his kids into enjoying Pokemon (not really). https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720/Lethal_Company/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1347970/Patch_Quest/
Finally, Am I Right?: Please make more USB-C cables like this. Elgato has make a great teleprompter that also has a great USB-C cable that ships with it. Their latest USB-C cable has the bandwidth and USB type imprinted on the connector. A lot of USB-C cables have unknown data speeds, charging speeds or both. More companies should adopt this labeling standard. https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/6/23948486/usb-c-cables-marking-speed-power-delivery-elgato
BONES!: Printed robots with bones, ligaments and tendons. Researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique. This makes it possible to 3D print special plastics with elastic qualities in one go which opens up completely new possibilities for the production of soft robotic structures. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231115113428.htm
Science Fiction: We talk about For All Mankind season 4, episode 2: Have A Nice Sol. Steven talks about his theory for the season arc. Ben watched The Marvels and gives us his non-spoiler review about his "fun film". Then we talk about the spoiler post-credit scene. Devon gets bored and breaks a toy. Steven and Ben watched LOKI and talk about the season finale and what it means for the future of the MCU. Spoilers for the ending of LOKI season 2. Devon argues about how movie flops might make Marvel change their business strategy, and Ben and Steven have a rebuttal. Ben has finally read "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers, and describes it as 'a space opera with no heroes'. |
Wed, 15 November 2023
This episode contains: This is a throwback episode to the old times, before the Dark Times when Ben came. Steven and Devon host the show. We talk about the difficulty of scheduling a time for four people to get together consistently, Devon talks about having his neighbors over for dinner and how over-achieving they are, and the cost of success. Although, what is success? Steven is still dealing with sick kids and his own recurring illness. We also read and respond to comments from our Patrons.
Brain Matters: Rats have an imagination, new research suggests. Researchers have developed a novel system to probe a rat's thoughts, finding that animals can control their brain activity to imagine remote locations. https://www.sciencedaily.com/ Devon also talks about reading Blindsight by Peter Watts and his recent foray into reading about consciousness. Blindsight by Peter Watts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Other Minds: The Octopus, The Sea and The Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter-Godfrey-Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Fire Sale at the Lefttorium: Left-handers aren't better spatially, gaming research shows. By asking participants to download and play a video game that captured user information and tracked navigational challenges, researchers were able to measure demographic data -- including hand preference -- and activity from more than 420,000 international participants, across 41 different countries. They found that left-handers were neither better nor worse than right-handers at the tasks, clarifying a long-running debate about the links between handedness and spatial skills. https://www.sciencedaily.com/
Science Fiction: We discuss the season premiere of For All Mankind, which Steven realizes he did not finish. We talk about the alternate history between the last season and this season, the events of the new episode and where the show might be going. We also talk about the first three episodes of this season of Rick and Morty. Devon enjoys the show more on rewatch. Steven then tells us about Lethal Company. |
Wed, 8 November 2023
This episode contains: It’s just Ben with his son, special guest host Flint Lawless! Ben’s got COVID, Steven’s vomiting all over the place and Devon’s in California. Does anyone want to really listen to all that?!?! Instead, Flint and Ben chat about COVID quarantines, Halloween, and how awesome friends are. Everybody wants to be a cat, Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at: Cats Make Nearly 300 Different Facial Expressions. Cats can sometimes get a bad rap for being aloof or not emotive. Compared to dogs, felines tend to be more subtle with how they express themselves—perhaps with a mere flick of an ear or curl of their whiskers. A study has found that cats use nearly 300 distinct facial expressions to communicate with each other. The findings suggest that cats' facial expressions provide information about their emotions and social behavior, and could potentially help humans better understand and communicate with their feline companions. This study may even one day lead to an app that can decode cat facial expressions. Turning old rotary phones into music streamers: Flint and Ben wax poetic about spinning wax. But what if it was even less convenient to listen to your music? Sometimes more convenience is cool, sometimes less is cooler. You pick up the rotary phone and it welcomes you in a bit of a sleepy voice with the words: “Hello, dial zero to listen to music”. Why zero? It is zero because it is the most satisfactory number to dial. Then you get to listen to a directory of your playlists, and choose using a two digit number. Dial the number of songs you want randomly played from the playlist, and then hang up. Voila, your music is now streaming to your speakers. https://vasilis.nl/nerd/turning-old-rotary-phones-into-music-streamers/ Science Fiction: Flint and Ben review the 908th episode of Star Trek: “Old Friends, New Planets.” It’s the fourth season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and we also by extension review the fourth season as a whole. What do you get when the Ferengi make a Genesis device? Then it gets fun when Flint gives Ben the rundown on how awesome the new 1.7 update for Trailmakers is. Trailmakers finally is going to space with the biggest map they’ve ever made, with several fascinating planets. Flint’s building spaceships to explore the cosmos. Flint’s even got a hot take on the lore behind the planet Doon (his theory is it was originally a water planet). Furthermore, there have been big updates to character customization. We wrap up the episode with last words, and Flint knocks it out the park. |
Wed, 1 November 2023
This episode contains: Three hosts for three times the fun! Steven is drinking some coffee from Green Day and Oakland Coffee, have you heard there's a new album coming? Ben's brother gives us some feedback on space mining and fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress We chat about how to read more by listening more. How do you read / listen to books? Step Up 2 Tha Streetz: 8,000 steps a day to reduce the risk of premature death. A study has identified, for the first time, the optimal number of steps at which people would gain the greatest benefits. We talk about how most people have some sort of pedometer on them in the form of a smartwatch or phone, but getting out there to take the steps can still be a challenge. To be clear, there are no health deficiencies if you walk more than the suggested 8,000 steps. Steven once logged over 20,000 steps (while at Disneyland). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231026131551.htm How's Your Pokedex coming? ASH - Ai Pocket Field Guide. Inspired by the legendary Pokedex, ASH was developed as a digital artifact that could help children connect and learn about and protect the biodiversity that surrounds them every day. This looks like an amazing thing that all children should have to help them explore the natural world around them...but we can't find a buy button. Is this a real product or just a concept? We can't tell, but the idea of ot being real is intriguing! https://www.finh.cc/ash?ref=sidebar This Week in Space (but really 30 years ago): How would we know whether there is life on Earth? This bolf experiment found out. Thirty years ago, astronomer Carl Sagan convinced NASA to turn a passing space probe’s instruments on Earth to look for life — with results that still reverberate today. In 1989 the Galileo spacecraft was launched, and later pointed at Earth to see if we could detect "life" which would give us a powerful control for when we would eventually probe exoplanets (which had yet to be discovered). Very cool. Steven is reminded of a mission in Starfield where an old generation ship is discovered at an already colonized planet. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03230-z Big Question: How many personal liberties would you give up for health and safety? We have quite a discussion this week, covering everything from gun control to different constitutional amendments, plugging into and out of the Matrix, Covid quarantine restrictions and fatigue, physical and mental health vs community responsibilities, personal liberties, governmental trust, revolutions and rebellions, and a whole lot more!
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Wed, 25 October 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben are kid free! We revisit Scream, the first one, and how it relates to Dawson’s Creek. Also, how to use walkie talkies to move the moon. Steven discusses the fun of paranormal reality shows. Ben reminisces about the Blair Witch Documentary. Steven gives us an updated on his homelife and dealing with Covid.
I See You!: Molecular age of the eye determined. A team of researchers have mapped almost 6,000 proteins from different cell types within the eye by analyzing tiny drops of eye fluid that are routinely removed during surgery. The researchers used an AI model to create a 'proteomic clock' from this data that can predict a healthy person's age based on their protein profile. The clock revealed that diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and uveitis cause accelerated aging within specific cell types. Surprisingly, the researchers also detected proteins associated with Parkinson's disease within eye fluid, which they say could offer a pathway to earlier Parkinson's diagnoses. https://www.sciencedaily.com/
Can You Dig It? Space is starting to look like the better mining operation. Space agencies in Japan and the United States recently sent spacecraft to investigate, nudge, or bring back samples from these hurtling space rocks, and after a rocky start, the space mining industry is once again on the ascent. Companies like AstroForge, Trans Astronautica Corporation, and Karman+ are preparing to test their tech in space before venturing toward asteroids themselves. https://arstechnica.com/
Science Fiction: Rick and Morty is back but hard to watch without cable. Ben assures us that Rick and Morty is still Rick and Morty despite not having Justin Roiland. The Lower Decks episode Caves is awesome. We also discuss ALF, possible Lower Decks style Star Trek novels, Steven finishes One Piece live action, Foundation is a good show but not fun, Star Trek Department of Temporal Investigations, and more! |
Wed, 18 October 2023
This episode cotnains: Steven and Ben have a low-effort, high stress-relief episode. Nothing matters anymore: Steven’s world is on fire with COVID hitting his house again, and it’s looking to derail Steven’s wife’s 40th birthday plans. Well, they were secret 40th birthday plans that Steven has worked really hard to set up, and now are in peril. Some days, Steven just needs a nap and a juice box. Ben prefers the term “house spouse” to “stay at home parent,” but Steven HATES it. Devon isn’t here because he went to Omega Mart in Las Vegas: that crazy fever dream/theme park/grocery store. Ben’s mom is recovering well from surgery, and Ben has dealt with stress by forgetting a bunch of stuff he actually did do and escaping into Elden Ring.
Clean your room!: Air purifiers aren’t enough to clean your home from wildfire smoke. After a wildfire, if you want to stay healthy indoors, it’s not enough to just open windows. Volatile Organic Compounds can stay in floors and walls. How do you get rid of them? CLEAN UP! Mopping, dusting and vacuuming can get those VOCs out of your surfaces. Good luck if you have popcorn ceilings, like Ben does. Ben remembers finding patterns and images in the popcorn ceiling back in high school. Steven remembers the word Pareidolia: the perception of random images, especially faces, in random shapes and lines.
Science Fiction: Where does Steven go for a pick-me-up when he’s down? Enter Peacock’s own Twisted Metal. Thanks for the recommendation, Devon. After three episodes, Steven sees it’s a decent show. It walks a fine line between being absurd and serious, but it’s all still believable within the show. Steven and Ben wonder what is going on with LOKI in season 2. Like, what’s up with X-5? Oh that’s right, this is a TIME TRAVEL SHOW. We’re all experiencing temporal whiplash. Maybe they’ll tell the rest of the story at another time? For all time, always. Ben’s son is not into this season, but is begrudgingly allowing us to watch LOKI instead of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Can you believe that Disney showed surprising restraint by not peppering the MCU’s version of 1977 with a bunch of Star Wars posters? The late-1980s McDonalds is incredible, now Ben wants an apple pie. Remember when McDonalds had lore? The McDonalds Cinematic Universe with the Hamburgler and fry guys and all the nostalgia! Is Sylvie’s manager a young Mobius?
We talk even more after the break: Let’s talk about Fallout Wasteland Warfare! Steven’s never played the tabletop game, but he’s excited about painting a Frank Horrigan figurine from it. Do you even Fallout, fool?: https://falloutfacts.com/fallout-frank-horrigan . Ben’s learning to git gud noob in Elden Ring, after noping out of it half a year ago. Big thanks to JumpinProductions for their Noob’s Guide for Elden Ring: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvSjDM1TnnA_lZWYp4N8hqj6IKNv3P7tc. In contrast to Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are power fantasies. Steven tells Ben about i-frames. The real game is timing. Giant disgustingly beautiful enemies? Run around them! Stormwind Castle has incredible detail showing ancient battles and sense of place. Is Elden Ring the game of the decade? How could we know? After A LONG TALK about Elden Ring, Ben recommends 3D Sen VR: an NES emulator that makes ye olde Nintendo games 3D diaramas and it’s incredible. http://www.geodstudio.net/ We rank Batman movies, and Steven continues to sing the praises of The Batman, even over the Nolanverse. It’s so good, mainly because it brings in the detective side of Batman. |
Wed, 11 October 2023
This episode contains: We have all three hosts this week, and you know what that means...a lot of faffing about until we get to the science. We talk about Ben's kid's Junior Roller Derby, Devon's upcoming trip to Las Vegas and the Omega Mart, and Steven tells us his crazy story about going to LA to look at a 1959 Hillman Minx. We also chat a bit about Indigenous People's Day and German heritage. Shut Up and Take My Money: Google open-sourced a hat shaped like a giant keycap—and it actually types. Ben attempts to convince Steven that this device is amazing and not completely dumb. This giant hat can be used to "type" by pressing on it in various orientations. This is totally not a joke. This is real. They even offer files to make one of these on your own. Steven offers a $100 bounty if you prove that you make one of these. Big Question: Has the invention of the atomic bomb made the world a more peaceful place? We discuss mutually assured distruction, threats of war, what we would have done if nukes were never invented. Devon introduces us to the Nuke Map so you can experience existential dread anywhere. We also chat about post-nuclear rebuilding with Twisted Metal, Dollhouse and Neal Stephenson books. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ Science Fiction (?): Devon tells us all about his experience watching the Netflix show One Piece. We talk about the anime, and the show's weirder elements. Patreon Only: Steven does Psyrreal, LOKI season 2 premired and we give some analysis, and we talk Ahsoka finale and where the story goes from here. |
Wed, 4 October 2023
This episode contains: All three hosts are present and accounted for. Devon wants to go big for Halloween. Devon and Steven had a weekend long date where Devon tried Pumkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and played a ton of games. This included Wingspan, Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps, and D&D. Steven was the DM for a Jurassic Park themed D&D session. Steven and Devon then argue over the quality of the hotel they stayed in. Meanwhile, Ben went to a wedding and ended up living it up in San Diego with his sister. Ben also teaches us about Kava Kava root and then we argue about it. (https://www.healthline.com/ (https://sciencebasedmedicine.
The Beautiful Future: Humane Finally Shows Off What the Ai Pin Looks Like Ahead of November 9 Unveil. The intelligent clothing-based wearable uses a range of sensors that enable natural and intuitive compute interactions and is designed to weave seamlessly into users’ day-to-day lives. The device is privacy-first, with aspects such as no wake word and therefore no ‘always on’ listening, reflecting Humane’s vision of building products which place trust at the center. The Ai Pin, which does not need to be paired with a smartphone or other companion device, includes AI-powered optical recognition and a laser-projected display, all powered by an advanced Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm Technologies. https://www.inverse.com/tech/
Big Question: How important is play in living a healthy and fulfilling life? Warning, we start with some dark jokes. Ben gets philosophical, Steven hates washing dishes, and Devon wants to play RPGs with his kids. |
Wed, 27 September 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben are joined by Ben's son playing video games in the background. When do you get "you time" when you're a parent? Steven's looking for that time. Ben suggests recontextualizing "you time" by indoctrinating his son with Star Trek. With two kids: turns out when one kid wants something, the other doesn't. Why do kids want to fight things that COULD BE FUN!??! JUST GET IN THE CAR! I guess "giving things a chance" is a form of maturity. Ben is going to a kids birthday, and then his friend's wedding. Is this the Science Faction Therapy Hour? HELL NO.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/
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Wed, 20 September 2023
This episode contains: Devon and Steven start out this episode lamenting Ben's absence. We talk about Devon's upcoming trip to California, and Steven's journey with the Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps game. Devon is going to a sort-of costume party while dressing up as a starfleet officer with an alien chestburster coming out. We also chat about kids and xenomorphs. Steven's house should have burned down, but several thousand dollars later, everything is fine.
This Week in Space: Water world? Methane, carbon dioxide in atmosphere of massive exoplanet. K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as big as earth, has revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide. It could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface. We chat about how we could possibly know anything about this planet. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230911141059.htm
Spit Take: Why People Hate Words Like "Moist". This one is all about word aversion. We talk about how the New York Times and the Guardian asked it's readers for words they had an aversion to. Some responses were: moist, slacks, loin, panties, crevice, phlegm, bulge, nugget etc. It turns out that word aversion may be caused by the literal sound of the word and/or it's connection to bodily functions. Or is it just pop-culture? We also talk about our own experiences with these words. https://www.iflscience.com/why-people-hate-words-like-moist-70709
Science Fiction: Ben joins us for the sci-fi side of this episode. We talk about the latest episode of Very Short Treks, Moopsy (from the episode of Lower Decks from last week) and Megastructures from this week's episode. Devon tells us all about Little Shop of Horrors, and it's alternate ending. Ben and Steven chat about Simulant, a movie that was recommended to us by a listener (Thanks Tom!). Ben makes connections to the game Detroit: Become Human, and Steven had some issues with the unfocused nature of the story. Simulant definitely has some great ideas and it worth a watch.
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Wed, 13 September 2023
This episode contains: We’re caffeinated and ready to podcast. Devon and Steven stayed up really late last night playing Baldur’s Gate3. Steven’s AC is not working and Ben is getting a new microwave. Ben had his first roller derby experience.
This Week in Space: The closest planet to Neptune turns out to be... Mercury. While Mercury is the innermost planet in the Solar System, on average it spends more time closer to Earth than Venus does. This applies to all the planets the solar system, including Neptune. To identify our closest neighbor, engineers affiliated with NASA, Los Alamos National Observatory, and the US Army's Engineer Research Development Center built a computer simulation to calculate the average proximity of Earth to its three nearest planets (Mars, Venus, and Mercury) over a 10,000-year-period. Because of the way the planets align during their respective orbits, the model shows that Earth spends more time nearer to Mercury than either Venus or Mars. https://www.iflscience.com/
Here In My Car I Feel Safest of All: Connected cars are a “privacy nightmare,” Mozilla Foundation says. Data privacy protections are almost nonexistent when it comes to automobiles. Today, the Mozilla Foundation published its analysis of how well automakers handle the privacy of data collected by their connected cars, and the results will be unlikely to surprise any regular reader of Ars Technica. The researchers were horrified by their findings, stating that "cars are the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy." https://arstechnica.com/cars/
Big Question: What are some small but transformative moments you’ve experienced with technology? Devon’s answer: cars and music. Steven: CDs, cells phones and no ringtones. Ben: phone calls “in stereo,” Hearing an orchestra tune up when booting my PS3 for the first time, and silencing unknown callers. |
Wed, 6 September 2023
Patreon-only preshow: Do people have to cite their sources at ITT Tech? Steven says no. Steven got some Marvel Studios blind bag LEGO, gave a Patreon member one of his 80s Storm minifigs. Ben waxes poetic on the joys of opening trading cards, and rails against collecting things that are “maybe” worth money. Was 90s collectible culture a manifestation of the side-hustle? How cool is it to make indie films? This episode contains: Morning podcasting is a very different vibe than evening podcasting. Twitter is dead, long live notes. Will these notes be a novel? If you're interested in reading a novel about bounty hunting, touch base with Steven. Bounty hunters are cool. How do they work? Cowboy Bebop live action is good, but if you've seen the anime, don't watch it! It's terrible compared to the anime. What a trip!: Psychedelic Therapy May Be Coming To A VR Headset Near You. Hallucinogenic drugs may have positive effects in fighting depression, PTSD and substance use disorders. What if psychedelic drug-based therapy didn't require drugs at all? A small study published in March 2023 found that those who spent time using a VR program called Psyrreal, which attempts to mimic the hallucinogenic experience in virtual reality, had significant decreases in depressive symptoms two weeks after treatment. Ben tried the VR program Psyrreal, as a 45 minute experience, and felt a distinct connection to all things. What an incredible experience, only using visual and auditory sensations. You can try it too, for free, if you have a VR headset and a computer capable of running it. https://www.inverse.com/health/psychedelic-therapy-in-virtual-reality Psyrreal VR: https://psyrreal.mozellosite.com/ Be Naked Like a Mole Rat: Longevity gene from naked mole rats extends lifespan of mice. We need to live longer. In a groundbreaking endeavor, researchers at the University of Rochester have successfully transferred a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice, resulting in improved health and an extension of the mouse's lifespan. Naked mole rats, known for their long lifespans and exceptional resistance to age-related diseases, have long captured the attention of the scientific community. By introducing a specific gene responsible for enhanced cellular repair and protection into mice, researchers at Rochester have opened exciting possibilities for unlocking the secrets of aging and extending human lifespan. Did you know that naked mole rats live up to 41 years?!?! The researchers previously discovered that HMW-HA is one mechanism responsible for naked mole rats' unusual resistance to cancer. Compared to mice and humans, naked mole rats have about ten times more HMW-HA in their bodies. After good results adding HMW-HA in mice, we're almost ready to test on humans. Would this break society? Almost certainly, but it probably will break it for the better! We dream about societal impacts from genetic modification. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230823165402.htm Patreon-only midshow: Star Trek Lower Decks season 3 is now free on Youtube and a few other places, in prep for season 4. Ben describes Psyrreal in greater depth. Steven's kids love Ralph Breaks The Internet. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a gateway to all the Disney. Ben and his kid loved Ron’s Gone Wrong, even though it's similar to Next Gen. Science Fiction: Starfield: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/starfield Ben can’t play yet because he’s cheap. Steven says SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY. Steven waxes poetic about his new galactic-sized timesink. The music in Starfield is the best part. Except for paying 500 credits for lemonade. 10/10 game of the year. Secret Little Haven: https://ristar.itch.io/secret-little-haven Ben was captivated by a visual novel that replicates using an operating system circa May 12, 1999. You take the role of Alex, a young trans girl that discovers herself through fandom, chats, and the early internet. It takes about an hour and a half. It helped Ben contextualize the challenge of being your authentic self, from a Trans perspective. You can also get it on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/827290/Secret_Little_Haven/ We chat about episode three of Ahsoka, which really opened things up a bit in terms of characterization. The journey has began. Could Star Wars have a story with the scope of Foundation? Steven doubts it. The Flash is now on Max. Ben says watch it! It's a movie that has nothing to lose. You'll like it, especially if you know about Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future. Is it time for a Batman Beyond project with Michael Keaton? We cast the project with a bunch of previous Batmen. |
Wed, 30 August 2023
This episode contains: Everyone is here this week! Steven chats about camping, and spider attacks on a lake. Ben watched Super Mario Bros. in a field with a bunch of rude youths. We revisit the biolocks on guns debate with input from a special listener. Insane in the Membrane: Woman’s mystery illness turns out to be 3-inch snake parasite in her brain. A woman in Australia had many symptoms that did not point to a specific disease. Eventually doctors found a snake parasite in her brains. She may have been infected after foraging for warrigal greens. Biologically Speaking: Pig kidney xenotransplantation performing optimally after 32 days in human body. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health have transplanted a genetically engineered pig kidney that continues to function well after 32 days in a man declared dead by neurologic criteria and maintained with a beating heart on ventilator support. We discuss the family and why they would or would not allow testing to continue before the body is laid to rest. We also talk about companies owning genetically engineered animals. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230816114156.htm Soapbox Time with Steven: Paper drinking straws may be harmful and may not be better for the environment than plastic versions.'Eco-friendly' paper drinking straws contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals, a new study has concluded. Researchers tested 39 brands of straws for the group of synthetic chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Paper straws were most likely to contain PFAS, with the chemicals detected in 18/20 (90%) of the brands tested. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230825122044.htm Science Fiction: Ben talks about Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go and how its a "Perfect Saturday morning cartoon" with an all-star voice cast. Ben (and his son) also watched My Adventures With Superman on Max and enjoys it very much. There is also a slight connection to Star Trek Lower Decks! Devon (as well as Steven and Ben) watched Ahsoka and he tells us his opinions on the first two episodes. Spoilers: he did not like it. All three of us interpreted a specific scene very differently. Devon is curious about Thrawn, but isn't confident the show will deliver. Ben and Steven both enjoyed Ahsoka, and Steven talks about links to other Star Wars properties. Also, Chopper is a total war criminal, and we're here for it. |
Wed, 23 August 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben helm this episode. Ben discusses his Chess Renaissance (https://www.youtube.com/@chessplus). Steven tells us about the first week of school and delicious freedom. Ben shares some feedback from a listener about biolocks on guns.
Vaccination Fixation: Fall COVID shots will boost protection against latest subvariants, Moderna says. Pfizer vaccine also reportedly effective against the latest omicrons in mice. New malaria vaccine works well in infants, offers adults layered protection. New vaccine targets a distinct stage in the malarial parasite's life cycle.
Squeezing Electricity from a Stone: Energy-storing supercapacitor from cement, water, black carbon. Engineers have created a 'supercapacitor' made of ancient, abundant materials, that can store large amounts of energy. Made of just cement, water, and carbon black (which resembles powdered charcoal), the device could form the basis for inexpensive systems that store intermittently renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731151603.htm
Science Fiction: ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Season 2 Clip Reveals Legacy Returns; Producers Confident In Finding New Home. https://trekmovie.com/2023/08/05/star-trek-prodigy-season-2-clip-reveals-legacy-returns-producers-confident-in-finding-new-home/ We also discuss Star Wars: Ahsoka. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano |
Wed, 16 August 2023
This episode contains: Ben's "the problem" this week and Devon's going back to school. What would Devon's show be like? Kindergardner Lawyer! Steven's hanging in there for the end of Summer. When the kids are in school, that's when the stay-at-home parents get a break. Ben loves his Coinops Legends 4 on the Steam Deck. Arcade goodness. Steven is going through the Ahsoka Essentials on Disney+. Watching Ahsoka's chronological story (as opposed to airdate order) is very satisfying. Just keep talking about AI: AI-powered grocery bot suggests recipe for toxic gas, “poison bread sandwich." An AI-powered recipe bot has been made to help you use up leftovers in new recipes. What if a recipe AI was given harmful ingredients? From ammonia and bleach you get "Aromatic Water Mix". Devon joins the show in the middle of Ben's sentence. "Aromatic Water Mix" is made of ammonia and bleach, but at least it's non-alcoholic! If something is AI powered, turn up your skepticism. Ben drops the mike, but HE'S NOT DONE! Thankfully the recipe AI has been adjusted to no longer accept "invalid ingredients." Steven was one of those kids with a floppy disk of the Anarchist's Cookbook. Information isn't evil. It's what you do with it.
Let's get tatted up!: Tattoo technique transfers gold nanopatterns onto live cells. Researchers have developed a way to tattoo living cells with nanowires. Flexible devices molded to curved surfaces used to be incompatible with living cells. Used to be. We're close to attaching circuits to living beings to create bionic devices and biosensors. Nearer to adjusting humans, we can use lithography to print circuits on clothing. We're closer and closer to Cyberpunk 2077 levels of bio-augmentation. What if a firearm was bio-coded to you? Would that lower child firearm deaths? If people start using bows and arrows instead of firearms, maybe they'd make that a hobby? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230810141018.htm
Science Fiction: Happy Birthday Devon! Here's all the things you hate! How does one say the word "Hegemony?" Strange New Worlds ended the season with a horror episode, and a cliffhanger. This season's finale of Strange New Worlds felt like a Voyager cliffhanger. Welcome to Strange New Worlds, Scotty! "And does he move like a REAL Gorn?" Devon asks, unironically. It's been four years since Strange New Worlds was announced, and only 20 episodes. Wow. We really didn't cover much Secret Invasion. Wonder why? Secret Invasion should have been a Samuel L. Jackson story, should have pushed story farther. What's up with the giant statue taking over half the ocean? TELL BEN. The Eternals should have been more popular. Loki Season 2 is looking incredible. So the TVA is in Deadpool 3? Whoa. Will Deadpool 3 be the death of the Fox Marvel universe? Hugh Jackman is glad to be in the Wolverine suit, doesn't have to get as jacked for Deadpool 3. Andor production is on pause due to the strikes. Steven provides an update. Steven is so excited about Ahsoka. You should be too! Is Slayer or Dragonforce more appropriate for kids? Devon weighs in. Anakin and Ahsoka have never been in the same scene in live action yet! Will this be The Book of Ahsoka? Not all bad guys are Sith, but all Sith are bad guys. Devon's hurt about what was done to Lightyear. Post-show Patreon only: Steven gushes about Baldur's Gate 3. Ben recommends Rivals of Aether. Star Trek: Resurgence is legit. Support your local library. |
Wed, 9 August 2023
This episode contains: Devon, Ben and Steven are all excited for their kids to go back to school! We talk about school supplies, magnet schools and space camps. You Did What?!: They just bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print, and they regret nothing. $1200 will get you a 22 volume print encyclopedia. Ben is excited, but Steven isn't convinced. Devon once had a Star Trek encyclopedia. https://www.amazon.com/How-Invent-Everything-Survival-Stranded/dp/073522014X https://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-Rebuild-Civilization-Aftermath-Cataclysm/dp/0143127047 Exploits!: Social media algorithms exploit how humans learn from their peers. In prehistoric societies, humans learned from members of their ingroup or prestigious individuals. Social media algorithms are misaligned with social instincts which can lead to large-scale polarization and misinformation. We talk quite a bit about social media and the "how" and "why" of what shows up on our social media. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230803113015.htm Big Question: What two questions would you ask to get the most information about who a person truly is? We work together and spitball what these questions should be. Many revelations are had. In the end, we each have our own answers. Also, Ben learns that the Alien movies are all about genetalia. And Devon is a pervert. |
Wed, 2 August 2023
This episode contains: All three of us are here on this cosmic journey. We all discuss having to be solo dads for a few days. Ben tells us about Goose, a 4 month old pig at the State Fair. Then there’s “X” for some reason. Is it Alive?: GPT-3 can reason about as well as a college student, psychologists report. The artificial intelligence language model GPT-3 performed as well as college students in solving certain logic problems like those that appear on standardized tests. The researchers who conducted the experiment write that the results prompt the question of whether the technology is mimicking human reasoning or using a new type of cognitive process. Solving that question would require access to the software that underpins GPT-3 and other AI software. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm
Water, Water Everywhere: Dissolving circuit boards in water sounds better than shredding and burning. UK-based Jiva Materials makes Soluboard, printed circuit boards (PCBs) from natural fibers encased in a non-toxic polymer that dissolves in hot water. That leaves behind whole components previously soldered onto the board, which should be easier to recover. Infineon, Germany's largest semiconductor manufacturer and maker of components in cars, Raspberry Pis, and industrial equipment, has produced demo boards using Soluboard's tech.
Big Question: At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore? What makes us human? Why does it matter? We discuss all this and more! |
Wed, 26 July 2023
This episode contains: We got listener feedback this episode... FOR A DIFFERENT PODCAST! Did someone just learn to swear? Wouldn't it be cool if we were guests on some other Science Faction Podcasts? Why did we name this show Science Faction? Remember the Pure BS Podcast? We shout out "PS4 Tom." Nobody gave Devon a PS4. He's sad about it. I didn't have enough time to have the AI write a title for this one... so this is it: Google demos “unsettling” tool to help journalists write the news. Remember when Ben used AI to help write poetry? Now Google wants journalism to use AI too. Google's "Genesis" AI tool for journalism writing has been called "unsettling". Buzzfeed, CNET, and Gizmodo have all had pushback for publishing AI-written articles. Remember when io9 was shamed for an error-filled Star Wars article? https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/io9-ai-generated-star-wars-article-errors-1235662194/ Asking AI to write an article about Terminator is how we get Skynet. Will AI one day become indispensible to writers, as word processors are today? Reuters article formatting is so strict, perhaps AI could be trusted to help write it. If we spend money watching movies AI has written, we'll get more AI written movies. Devon probably never would have been a lawyer if it wasn't for spell check. If AI is now writing articles, it is tremendously important for good editing. When AI makes up information, and it does, we've been calling it hallucinations. Did y'all hear about the AI-generated South Park fan episode? https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/18/maybe-showing-off-an-ai-generated-fake-tv-episode-during-a-writers-strike-is-a-bad-idea/?mrfhud=true The first few seasons of South Park are a completely different show than now. Authors wrote movies to be movies, not to be churned into a language learning model. How much do extras make in a movie? If it's nothing, you should be paid. We make wild assumptions about how Hollywood works in this episode. Why is Hollywood so pervasive? Maybe we've had enough and will watch indie films? Science Fiction: Ben unveils his high school playlist: lots of pop music! Canadian rock! French hip-hop! Honor the past with Ben and his high school playlist, only for Patreon supporters. Steven reviews 65: Adam Driver shoots dinosaurs. It's by the numbers, but good! Adam Driver plays a spaceship... driver? Steven considers Adam Driver's huge hands. 65 has appropriately sized raptors. Did y'all see the Star Trek Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover? It was incredible to get a surprise Star Trek episode. Thanks SDCC! Ben learned his son can't handle zombies. Thanks Star Trek Strange New Worlds. If you've never seen Lower Decks, you'll be a bit lost in the latest Strange New Worlds. Lots of love for the NX01 in the latest Star Trek Strange New Worlds. Strange New Worlds' animated opening credits were incredible. Big Question: We discuss how having all media available at all times is affecting the next generation. We no longer have novelizations and trading cards based on TV and movies. Ben's son doesn't listen to his dad anymore for suggestions on video games. "Deep Space Nine is, like, the second best Star Trek series." - Ben's son. Bluey is back, y'all. We talk about the episode "Space". After pod Patreon-only, we talk the latest season of Black Mirror and The Bear. |
Wed, 19 July 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Steven do their worst (by which I mean their best) this episode. No Devon no cry. Ben went to a Renaissance Faire with his son and tells us all about it. Steven and his wife had a date night, with tacos. Light, Keep It Light: Light-based “LiFi” is stunningly fast, notably fragile—and now standardized. Wireless communication now has a choice between radio and light waves, but this choice comes at a cost. LiFi has a ability to be extremely fast, but requires line-of-sight to be successful. We're looking forward to future developments! Aaaaauugggghhhhh: Surgical and engineering innovations enable unprecedented control over every finger of a bionic hand. A multidisciplinary team of surgeons and engineers have crafted a bionic arm with unparalled functionality. This prosthetic arm required rewiring nerves, osseointegration, and AI algorithms to function. It's amazing. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712165138.htm Science Fiction: Ben and his son watched Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which prompts a conversation about Transformer movies. But really, they got a very specific fact about technology and games from 1994 WRONG and it really bothers Ben. Steven chimes in with some Stormtrooper facts (that he stole from the YubNub Podcast) and also talks about the SAG-AFTRA strike. Ben is excited to talk about the best new episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Steven is trying to catch up on Foundation. |
Wed, 12 July 2023
This episode contains: All three hosts are with us on the case. Devon complaints about the bad food in East Texas and what makes a good pizza. Steven then tells us about the Threads and Twitter war. Ben tells us about the chaos of his son’s birthday party and Devon tells us about his long drive to and from Virginia.
Evolutionarily Speaking: Why do animals keep evolving into crabs? Crabby bodies are so evolutionarily favorable, they've evolved at least five different times. So why does this process, known as carcinization, keep happening? https://www.livescience.com/animals/crustaceans/why-do-animals-keep-evolving-into-crabs
Never Smile at a Crocodile: From 1907 until its relocation in 1953, the area of Lincoln Heights was home to what the Los Angeles Times dubbed “the city’s most exotic residents”: a thousand-strong collection of alligators that welcomed visitors every day of the year to see, pose with, and even ride them. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/los-angeles-alligator-farm https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-03-me-19132-story.html
The Big Question: Would it be more frightening to discover that humans are the most advanced species in the universe or that we are far from being the most advanced species in the universe?
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Wed, 5 July 2023
Pre-pod Patreon-only: This episode contains: We're just loving life this episode. I don't know what it is about being 40. It sucks, is what it is. Ben burns the bottoms of his feet off at a water park. Steven drove down and back from Disneyland to surprise his family. For real. Shout out to the Yub Nub Podcast and Tim Barnes! We got to have him back on. Mickey's Toontown has a new ride?!?! Sweet! Can we just throw money away to fix our problems? Or do we have to do hard work? Ben saw the musical Once at the SLORep. It was incredible! Happy birthday to Ben's wife! We're curious why you listen to this podcast! Let us know at sciencefactionpodcast@gmail.com This Week in Space: Galaxies are not scattered randomly across the universe. "The nearby universe" is one of our favorite phrases ever. "The epoch of reionization" would be a killer prog-metal album. Is the formation of life a consequence of the universe going to high entropy? Entropy is very misunderstood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxL2HoqLbyA Cosmic web strands make Ben think of Orbitz: https://www.tastingtable.com/1185720/what-were-the-floating-balls-in-90s-soda-orbitz-made-from/ 90s kids! What's up! Remember the Orbitz flavor Pineapple Banana Cherry Coconut? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230629173611.htm I'm angry about the internet and I'm gonna talk about it: Reddit API changes are imminent. Here’s what’s happening to your favorite apps. Ben misses how great Reddit was. RIP Apollo. Some apps are surviving the Reddit-ocalypse. Shout out to Narwhal 2! Why do we need 3rd party apps for Reddit? Lack of features, mostly. Will Lemmy replace Reddit? "I replaced social media with micro-journaling for a year" by Struthless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFvdHfhVIsQ When's the last time you searched for content on the web, instead of having it presented? If you write down small problems, most of them will not matter in 10 days. Do y'all have things that nag in your craw? Do they bug you after ten days? Ben's been writing a diary in the notes app, and he talks about intentionality. Kids should use Breath of the Wild rules to pick who gets which sword in a play fight. Should you listen to Ben about quitting social media? Does he even use social media? If you're concerned about where your attention is going, you have choice. Science Fiction: We're talking a lot about our upcoming Patreon-only High School playlists. How great is Limp Bizkit's Mission Impossible theme? Take A Look Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3UHMV3jrZk Steven finally saw Across the Spiderverse! We do a full spoiler-filled review. How cool is it that the first half hour of Across the Spiderverse is the Gwen Stacy movie? Even without a lot of hip hop in Across the Spiderverse, the music is still amazing. Donald Glover's love of Spider Man was a big inspiration for Miles Morales. Steven and Ben saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny together. Spoilers ahead! The Temple of Doom was a silly film, which works for kids despite the rest of the film. Ben anticipated a different film from the trailer of Dial of Destiny. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has mostly incredible CGI. |
Wed, 28 June 2023
This episode contains: Steven made Devon and Ben post-pone recording, sorry guys! Ben had a birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN, and Devon visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, super cool. Oh yeah, Steven watched the end of Rogue One and the beginning of A New Hope in succession and has some thoughts. We then talk a bit about the Oceangate disaster. Pump Up The Water, Pump It Up!: We've pumped so much groundwater that we've nudged Earth's spin. Scientists estimate humans have pumped 2,150 gigatons of groundwater and moved it elsewhere, shifting our polar motion by nearly 80 inches. On geologic time scales, polar drift can have an impact on climate. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230615183147.htm Come Sail Away With Me: Drones take to the waves: Saildrones are getting data where people can’t. Saildrones are sailboat like uncrewed surface vehicles predominately powered by wind and solar power. Saildrones have a "mission as a service" model where they collect data for scientists. Big Question: Has the internet been a net benefit or detriment to humanity (Social media in particular)? Should we shut it down? We quite a long discussion about the uses of the internet, mis-information, information bubbles, how we can move beyond social media, how to be skeptical around the internet and much more. It's a doozy. Patreon Only Post Show: Devon and Steven chat about streaming services and how awful everything is becoming and why.
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Wed, 21 June 2023
This episode contains: We're your dads this week. Turns out Steven knows how to introduce a damn podcast. We argue how many weeks it's been since Devon's been on the podcast. Oh no, we started singing Barenaked Ladies this episode. Does anybody think our podcast is better when Steven is choking on cat hair? Steven's the Houdini of the podcast. Death-defying at every turn. Devon and his kids were putting together Lego on Father's Day. There's a new franchised Lego store around Devon: Bricks and Minifigs. Devon got the new Treehouse Lego set, and Steven is totes jelly. Steven got the Lego house from Up... and shoes. Happy Father's Day. Ben got a toolbox shaped like Mjonir and a card that says "Happy Person Father Day." Is Benergy hereditary? Or is it contracted? Looks like Ben's gonna put up drywall, and knows nothing about it. The drywall guy. Steven and Ben checked out our local watering hole, the Raconteur Room. Super chill. Steven found some people who also get migraines from hops. Instead of recording this podcast we could have went to a metal show at Dark Nectar. Ben will totally go to shows with Steven. Honey, where are my pants? Scientists conduct first test of a wireless cosmic ray navigation system. Ben has a joke just for the Lego Movie fans. What's better than GPS (in certain situations)? muPS! GPS sucks when it encounters ground and water. muPS doesn't have this problem. Ever wondered all the things that muons have been used for? There's so many things! What's your deal, muons? Well, they decay. Check out the episode of Miikshi about Cosmic Rays, which covers the same research. Justin T. Lee not only made Miikshi, he also made ST:TNG Animated and Voyager Animated. https://news.muographix.u-tokyo.ac.jp/2023/05/15/filmmakers-interview-justin-t-lee-and-lindsay-lee/news-local/ AaaH!CHOOO! Better understanding of how genes make us prone to allergies. This year has been way worse for Steven's allergies. He's trying a new med. Allergies rank as the 6th most prevalent cause of chronic illness in the U.S. Learning more about how allergies work can help uncover possible remedies for them. Looking to control allergies? Let's start looking at the ETS1 protein. The Golden book The Shy Little Kitten is really messing Steven up. What would an Avengers team from Golden Books look like? Steven keeps prompting songs from the other hosts on this podcast. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230615105331.htm Patreon only Mid-pod: Our Patreons get a new playlist as a gift from ya boi Devon C! Steven does not remember The Dear Hunter, despite Devon's knowledge dump several times. Big Question: Is this the discount episode? 3 big questions for the price of 1! Would you rather have proof of intelligent alien life or true general AI? We discuss. Would true general A.I. be cool with us as planetmates? How about aliens as neighbors? What if knowing about intelligent aliens actually united humanity? Probably wouldn't though. We had the opportunity to unite and kill something evil on our planet for 3 years. No way. Ben makes another Star Trek V reference. Devon leaves him hanging. Is our hope for AI only to subjugate and enslave another life form? How amazing will it be when AI can build personalized curriculums for students? Would you rather self-driving cars everywhere or affordable low-orbit space tourism? What if low-orbit space tourism was as affordable as a cruise? If cars weren't important anymore, urban design would be completely revolutionized. People should get licenses to share a road with self-driving cars. Would you rather have faster than light space travel or mind uploads to computers? Ben wants the singularity. Functional immortality. Devon wants to be Mayor of the Matrix. Would FTL travel be worth it if you can't make your ship look like the Millenium Falcon? We haven't had a clip show in a while. Probably not for a while longer. |
Wed, 14 June 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben record together from Ben’s house. We talk life insurance, college, life experience, and aches and pain from sleeping. We also decide that Devon’s wife is a super hero. Not Funny: Researchers discover that ChatGPT prefers repeating 25 jokes over and over. When tested, "Over 90% of 1,008 generated jokes were the same 25 jokes." All responses were grammatically correct. However, some of the responses were nonsensical, such as: Why did the cookie go to the gym? To get a-cookie-dized. How to Create a Neural Network (and Train it to Identify Doodles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfMk-kjRv4c&ab_channel=SebastianLague This is the T-1000, That’s What This is: Liquid metal sticks to surfaces without a binding agent. Everyday materials such as paper and plastic could be transformed into electronic 'smart devices' by using a simple new method to apply liquid metal to surfaces, according to scientists. The study demonstrates a technique for applying a liquid metal coating to surfaces that do not easily bond with liquid metal. The approach is designed to work at a large scale and may have applications in wearable testing platforms, flexible devices, and soft robotics. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230609160620.htm Science Fiction: Our Patrons get a fun surprise! We then discuss cartoons v. animated features, Steven identifies which movies have been morphed into Avatar: The Way of The Water, Ben continues to watch Silo, Steven is on the hype train for Starfield and more! |
Wed, 7 June 2023
This episode contains: Everyone is back this week! Steven continues his Star Wars rewatch. Ben has issues with Steven telling his he listens to sad music. Devon chimes in on the music chat. We decide to make some playlists to share with our Patrons. Unlimited Power: Scientists Successfully Transmit Space-Based Solar Power to Earth for the First Time. Caltech conducted a power transfer experiment using the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment, or MAPLE. They beamed solar power from space to Pasadena. Gotta start somewhere. https://gizmodo.com/scientists-beam-space-based-solar-power-earth-first-tim-1850500731 You Did It, You Blew it Up, You Maniacs!: They plugged GPT-4 into Minecraft—and unearthed new potential for AI. ChatGPT generates objectives to help an agent explore Minecraft and improve the bots skill over time. We use this as a jumping off point for exploring different uses for ChatGPT in our lives. Big Question: Do we value experiences based on how shareable they are? We chat quite a bit about how to even parse this question. We end up talking a bit about our hobbies and how we share them with our kids. Science Fiction: Steven watched Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, alone. We talk about if you need to see the Holiday Special first (we recommend it, but it's not required). Minor spoilers for a bit of the movie, but nothing major. Steven had some issues with Adam Warlock. We talk a bit about Marvel's (and Disney's) Jonathan Majors problem. Ben and Steven are excited for The Marvels, and Steven hypothesis that Secret Invasion will allow the MCU to retcon whatever they want with Skrulls. |
Wed, 31 May 2023
Pre-show Patreon only: This episode contains: Happy Birthday Devon! We recorded a podcast without you! Don't remember a birthday? You can remember a BELATED BIRTHDAY! Ben is giving his wife 40 gifts over 40 days for her 40th birthday. Steven says Ben is a good gifter... and should give him more gifts. Ben thanks Big Door Prize for the idea of 40 gifts for turning 40. Steven makes fun of a hat that Devon wears while boating, but he rocks it NGL. We giggle like idiots for most of this show. Oh Man, Vacation’s Coming: More structure, fewer screens makes for healthier kids in the school holidays. Ben gets grizzled about the terrible screen-filled present we live in. Advertising revenue is more important than the health of the populace? #NoMoreScreens. Ben wishes his son was a foodie. So sad. He eats to live, not lives to eat. A study in Australia showed that kids are generally less healthy during school holidays. At what age do children get different levels of independence? Like, making their own snacks? On holidays, kids watch a whole lot more screens. How bad is this? We suggest setting limits on screen time for kids on holiday. When we were kids, we found things to do. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230414113518.htm So I Listened to Another Podcast: Trip to alphaSyntauri | Welcome to Macintosh. I guess we now know how to pronounce Moog. Thanks Welcome to Macintosh! Charlie Kellner created a synth on an Apple ][, and it was used for TRON sound effects. The Dolphin Research Center used alphaSyntauri on Apple ][ to communicate with dolphins. Obviously, dolphins love TRON. https://www.macintosh.fm/episodes/3 You Know What Else Makes Sense To Me?: Tetris on a chicken nugget is the game as it was meant to be played. Ready to play Tetris on a chicken mcnugget? This is the 40th anniversary of the chicken mcnugget! Hooray for 1983! But can the chicken mcnugget run Doom? Tetris will celebrate 40 years next year, as it was made in 1984. You need a chicken mcnugget 4 times the size to play Tetris on it. Steven and Ben sing Korobeiniki (the Tetris song) on this week's show. They're only making 400,000 mcnugget-Tetris machines. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/05/finally-you-can-play-tetris-on-a-giant-chicken-nugget/ Mid-show Patreon only: Science Fiction: Spicy take from Steven: cooking is just following directions. We love balancing chemistry equations... can someone make a balancing equations game? Silo is a great show, and Devon is an absolute legend. The compact disk was invented in 1983. Steven never knows what Ben is talking about. Isn't Silo just a Fallout show? Nay. This about life IN the vault. Silo is about how a society has been shaped to live underground for hundreds of years? Steven digs how non-linear the storytelling in Silo is. Does Silo out-LOST LOST? Shoutout to Jason Gurley this week, and his "Greatfall: A Silo Novel". Silo gets five stars out of three from us. You read that right. Jason Gurley's "Eleanor" is incredible. Steven read Jason Gurley's "The Dark Age" on the day his first daughter was born. Whoa. Steven's coming to terms with Anakin's character in the Star Wars prequels. Anakin is a deeply damaged individual, lost his mom and replaced her with Padme. Did Anakin use force powers to make Padme love him? Gives a different context to his creepy dialogue. Once Anakin is betrayed by Padme, he cuts off the "force love" and Padme dies from withdrawals? Clone Wars Anakin is very different from prequel movies Anakin. Men in Black holds up. Great film. Men in Black was a Marvel comic... could we see the MiB in the MCU?!? The Men in Black and Starship Troopers: Roughnecks cartoons were big for Ben in High School. Steven had a tape of Ghostbusters from TV, edited for content. Funny! Are y'all ready for seeing Mariner and Boimler in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Post-show Patreon only: |
Wed, 24 May 2023
Full title generated by Chat GPT: "Interstellar Metamorphosis: Unveiling the Science of Star Wars, Evolution, and Disney" This episode contains: We have the classic line up of Steven and Devon on this episode. Steven loved the food at Galaxies Edge and so found a Star Wars cookbook. We then discuss the closure of the insanely expensive Galactic Starcruiser. Devon tells us about his upcoming “vacation” in the Ozarks. Something About Death: Evidence of conscious-like activity in the dying brain. A small study finds intriguing brain wave patterns in comatose patients who died following cardiac arrest. A new study provides early evidence of a surge of activity correlated with consciousness in the dying brain. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230501163628.htm Evolutionarily Speaking: Perfection: The Enemy of Evolution. Freedom to miss the optimal mark opens a wide range of new designs over time. Evolution is a sequence of design changes happening on their own in a discernible direction; it never weds itself to a single point on a drawing board. An evolving system or animal is free to simply go with what works. Not so much that its performance suffers greatly, but enough that it opens access to other options near the so-called optimal design. With scientists often looking to nature for clues to solve challenges, they should also free to miss the optimal mark and open a wider design space over time. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230501163628.htm Science Fiction: Devon tells us about the new show Apple Plus show Silo, based on the book series Wool, which we kind of read some of (minor spoilers). Steven is doing a rewatch of Star Wars. We then have an in depth discussion of just how bad the Star Wars Prequals were, and attempt to do some minor re-writes.
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Wed, 17 May 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Steven, the healthy hosts, lead the charge this week. Thoughts and prayers to Devon. We talk a bit about importing hate, and protesting against it. Racism should be called out and shamed, consistently and constantly. Then we talk about The Lion King in all of it's iterations, for far too long. The Disappearing Computer: The Disappearing Computer: An Exclusive Preview of Humane’s Screenless Tech by Imran Chaudhri. This Ted Talk had an amazing demonstration of a screenless tech future. We talk about the amazing tech, and what could be possible in the future. What would happen if this thing became popular and we all had bodycams on at all time? Time for a DNR, Do Not Record. We discuss if this tech is 'building the tower higher' or 'building something new'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsQO5u7-NQ Science Fiction: Steven has completed about 95% of Star Wars Jedi Survivor and give a mini very light spoiler review. He's not at all embarrassed to say he wants to go visit the Pyloon Saloon. Ben watched Crater, the Disney Plus hard sci-fi kid roadtrip movie. He very much enjoyed it. Steven is still working his way through the first season of 12 Monkeys, and admires its consistency. Finally, Ben has been playing the VR game Into The Radius and while he enjoys it, he thinks it's more Steven's speed. We've done it again Watson!
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Wed, 10 May 2023
Pre-pod Patreon only: The world only exists for us as long as we're alive. Ben's favorite epitaph: "Anyway, it's only other people who die." This episode contains: Devon's been a skeptic as long as he remembers. Spoiler alert about Santa this week. If something doesn't exist, would it be PC to say they're a non-corporeal being? Ben can't remember when he discovered the truth about Santa, maybe because he wasn't traumatized. If anybody deserves presents more than anybody else, it's orphans. Ben got his son a drum set. The kid gets the heart of a musician. If you're starting drumming, get a used set on Craigslist, don't spend more than $300. Did you know you can use Youtube videos of Rock Band to learn songs on drums? Makes sense. Mind Reader: Reading The Mind with fMRI and AI. Researchers have been able to decode words subjects were thinking by reading their fMRI scan. If someone is looking at a giant letter E, it physically maps to the cortex, and the E appears there too. AI has been trained on fMRI scans to help decode and reconstruct language. Everyone's brain is unique: AI can't decode your fMRI based on other's training. Mind reading won't work, probably ever, since everyone's brain is unique. https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/reading-the-mind-with-fmri-and-ai/ Old white guys can shut the hell up: Former head of Roscosmos now thinks NASA did not land on the Moon. Why is an angry old man who is a moon-landing denier at all newsworthy? BECAUSE HE'S WRONG. NASA really did land us on the moon. Denialism should be recognized and shamed. The Soviet's Luna 15 mission was in orbit around the moon during Apollo 11. So many people spent so much effort to land humans on the moon. A win for humanity! Ben recommends the "Apollo 11" documentary from 2019. It's 99% fresh on RT. Big Question: What would you do if the world was ending tomorrow? Would that change if it was ending next year? Steven joins us for the back half of the show... the fun half? Let's talk about death. Remember Steve Carrell's movie "Seeking A Friend for the End of the World"? Also a Chris Cornell quote. If the world was ending soon, society would collapse. At a longer timeframe, society would adapt. Would you let your children know if the world was ending soon? Ben hopes to approach the end of the world with a little apocaloptimism. If the end of the world was coming, Ben would try cooking tiramisu. What's the worst that could happen? Steven suggests the darkest possible thing to do if the world was ending tomorrow. With the end of the world coming in a year, would you Bill and Frank it? If the end of the world was in 100 years... wait, are we talking about climate change?! If it's 100 years to the end of the world, let's all build rockets! Work together! Steven doesn't have a bucket list. Should he? Recommendations: Ben talks about the SO MANY Firefly comics out there on Comixology Unlimited. It's really tricky to write the dialog right in Firefly comics. Devon's been watching Daisy Jones and the Six on Amazon, really cool rock n' roll drama. Daisy Jones and the Six seems like it's based loosely on Fleetwood Mac. NOFX has got some real great albums recently. So cool they've been around for 40 years. Steven is digging season 2 of Star Wars Visions. The present, past and the future walked into a bar. Things got real tense. |
Wed, 3 May 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Steven steer the boat this episode. Ben has been going to the Kite Festival yearly. Steven is home with the kids while his wife lives it up in Hawaii. Steven bought more LEGO while his wife is out of town. Light At the End of the Tunnel: Small acts of kindness are frequent and universal, study finds. A study found that people around the world signal others for assistance every couple of minutes. The research, which examined behaviors in towns and rural areas in several different countries, revealed that people comply with these small requests for help far more often than they decline them. The findings suggest that people from all cultures have more similar cooperative behaviors than prior research has established. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230424162911.htm Why is This Even a Question? Nuke-launching AI would be illegal under proposed US law. On Wednesday, US Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Representatives Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), and Ken Buck (R-Colo.) announced bipartisan legislation that seeks to prevent an artificial intelligence system from making nuclear launch decisions. The Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act would prohibit the use of federal funds for launching any nuclear weapon by an automated system without "meaningful human control." Science Fiction: Roddenberry site offers virtual USS Enterprise Bridge Tours, Star Wars Jedi Survivor spoiler talk (very light), and more! 765874 - Regeneration (4K): |
Wed, 26 April 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Devon finally recap their visit to Austin, Texas. There were live shows, uncharted adventures and gaming, oh my! Ben was not only left out of their adventures, but his house is still causing grief. Oof. https://uncharteredadventures.com/ Machine Learning Makeover: Iconic image of M87 black hole just got a machine-learning makeover. Using PRIMO (principal-component interferometric modeling), scientists used data from the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) and 30,000 simulated images of black hole to produce a high fidelity image of the black hole at M87. It's amazing. Diggin' A Hole: The Deepest Hole Ever Dug By Humans Had To Be Destroyed. The Kola Superdeep Borehole was 40,230 feet deep, but only has 4.5 stars on Google. Huh. We chat about the history of the hole and what science can be done with a superdeep holes. 14 species of fossilized microorganisms were found among other things. (But no screaming.) https://www.iflscience.com/the-deepest-hole-ever-dug-by-humans-had-to-be-destroyed-68110 Big Question: Is there inherent order in nature or is it all chaos and chance? We chat about this, quite extensively. We talk about nature, observation, self-organization, entropy, heat-death, the circle of life and being zen. It's quite the discussion. Star Trek Picard: The third and final season is over, and we give our thoughts. We very much enjoyed the finale, and we talk about all the things that worked in favor of the show. Which begs the question: what happened with the first two seaons?! We're fully prepared to say goodbye to Picard, but we're all in on a Star Trek Legacy show. 12 Monkeys: Steven had such fun with the third season of Picard, that he investigated another Terry Matalas show, 12 Monkeys. Sure, it's based on that awesome movie, but it's also so much more.
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Wed, 19 April 2023
This episode contains: Welcome to the Ben Lawless podcast. Lawless: The Ben Story. Y'all seen the movie Lawless? Ben hasn't yet. Was it good? Devon's not here tonight, because of... dinner? With his wife? We still would love a tour of the Mighty Coconut offices. They're doing great work. Steven pitches a series of Walkabout Minigolf courses to Mighty Coconut. Wouldn't you love to play minigolf through the backlots for scifi movies? We pitch minigolf courses based on alien invasions and Buck Rogers. Did you know that Mighty Coconut made Pigeon: Impossible? Which Spies in Disguise is based on? What if there was a minigolf course based on Pigeon: Impossible? Steven is pivoting from podcasts to putting, and pigeons. Ben needs a vacation from his vacation, amirite? Ben's son wanted to watch Speed Racer 2. Ben's heart broke to tell him the truth. Emile Hirsch wants to do another Speed Racer movie! Get the Wachowski's onboard. http://screenrant.com/emile-hirsch-speed-racer-return-hopes-response/ Ben is SO STOKED about the Apple TV+ Speed Racer show helmed by J.J. Abrams. Let's make the Speed Racer Extended Universe a thing. Today in the Weird Wide Web: Chrome will support WebGPU! What the hell does that mean? WebGL is cool and all, but WebGPU is going to revolutionize graphics on the web. Remember how Apple told Adobe "No Thank You" about putting Flash on iPhone? Ben does. Steven wonders why the name Mozilla sounds so familiar... Hint: he uses Firefox. Sometime in May, WebGPU is coming to Chrome! Ben is so excited. Ben is telling you: Arc is the best web browser ever. Steven and Ben argue whether Bing is a browser. Ben has worked in web development for the last 14 years. Feels like 40. Ben called it years ago: Microsoft finally stopped making their own browser engine. Symphony of Scent: Making sense of scents: Deciphering our sense of smell. Remember the five senses? They're cool, right? What is smell? When do things start and stop smelling? Steven wonders. Scientists have created the first 3D picture of how an odor molecule activates an odorant receptor. "We need to see it so we can science it!" - Steven. Smells are somehow like hitting keys on a piano to produce a chord. Devon could explain it. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230315132416.htm Science Fiction: The Big Door Prize on Apple TV+ is really good. Is it scifi? Ben thinks so. If you were in The Big Door Prize, would you want to hear your "life potential?" Getting big Tales from the Loop vibes from The Big Door Prize. Are there similarities between The Big Door Prize and Machine of Death? Steven really enjoyed the ending of Shrinking on Apple TV+. The Bad Batch's third season will be its final. We finally talk about Star Wars Celebration this episode. THREE NEW STAR WARS MOVIES?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?! The Filoni film is going to wrap up the Mandoverse? Hate that term btw. So... Grogu trained with Luke for 2 years?! We are digging the trailer for Star Wars Visions Season 2. The claymation looks incredible. Ben finally watched the first Hotel Transylvania. Cool flick! We spoil Star Trek: Picard's 3x09 Vōx because you have to spoil it to talk about it. Now we know why Ro Laren didn't use the transporters!
Pre-pod Patreon-only: Ben monologued about sleep for 49 minutes. |
Wed, 12 April 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben survived Easter to bring you this podcast. Steven’s continuing sickness has taken a turn. Steven did some research and found out he has Cricopharyngeal spasms. Steven also tells us about his history with anxiety. Ben has a full stand up arcade machine, which is hooked up to a steam deck. Ben has returned to live poetry reading. This Week in Space: A scientific salad for astronauts in deep space. The ingredients were chosen for their nutritional value, as well as how easy they’ll be to grow with the limited room and resources available on a spacecraft. https://astronomy.com/news/2023/03/a-scientific-salad-for-astronauts-in-deep-space Mr. Peanut Dusts Off His Monocle: First-of-its-kind mRNA treatment could wipe out a peanut allergy. Peanut and tree nut allergies affect millions, yet there’s only one approved treatment. But a major breakthrough might be around the corner, with scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) testing a world-first mRNA medicine packaged up in tiny nanoparticles that not only reversed peanut allergies in mice but equipped the body with the microbiological tools needed to stop the often-life-threatening condition developing. https://newatlas.com/medical/mrna-treatment-peanut-allergy/ Mostly Video Games: Steven tamps down his ego and decides to let Ben talk on the rest of the episode. We talk about Biomutant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomutant Spaceborne 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1646850/SpaceBourne_2/ and then the Super Mario Brothers Movie. (no link, you already know what it is) Ben then tells us about the end of Hello Tomorrow! (SPOILERS) |
Wed, 5 April 2023
This episode contains: We talk about April and it's Fools. Ben did some axe throwing, and his kid out-paced him. Devon attempts to get his kids to be quieter this episode, to varying degrees of success. Steven sick. This Week in Space: Scientists observe flattest explosion ever seen in space. Explosions in space are almost always spherical, but this one was not. What is an FBOT? Fast Blue Optical Transient, and it is very rare, first discovered in 2018. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230330210745.htm Some Good News? Maybe?: Renewable energy outpaced coal this year. According to the Energy Information Administration, wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and geothermal generated 21% of US power in 2022, exceeding coal by 1%. Natural Gas, which is a fossil fuel, still generates a lot of power. The US is having trouble with it's aging power grid, making connecting renewables more difficult. https://www.popsci.com/environment/renewable-energy-generation-coal-2022/ Big Question: How come we’re not more jazzed up as a society about climate change? We talk about the struggles of climate change and how difficult it is to even imagine changing things in our current society. Steven talks about the Apple TV+ show Extrapolations and how it tells our future story. Our final answer? Vote. Science Fiction: We couldn't be all dour this episode, so we lighten things up with some talk about The Mandalorian and Picard. We're having issues with Mando, but Picard is finally firing on all cylinders. Neat. |
Wed, 29 March 2023
This episode contains: We’re three podcasters who are probably not playing jump rope right now. Steven talks about the Nightmare on Elm Street films. They are… not good. Remember the Sam Goody in the mall in Santa Maria? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Ben had some poetry drama; Conflict with another poet. What?!?!? How?!?! Is Ben party to the silencing of women throughout history? He doesn’t intend to! Should we rewrite our tagline? It’s a show about science and… big questions? The bridge on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is SO WELL LIT. Steven finished A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers. So good. It’s the End of Days, JTRO: The Internet Archive has lost its first fight to scan and lend e-books like a library. Ben can’t remember the name of the film “The FP.” Publishers have sued The Internet Archive for being a digital library. Save the library! The Internet Archive allows borrowing a book for an hour. It led to Ben purchasing those books. Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, music, websites, and more. How can you help http://archive.org/ ? http://blog.archive.org/2020/06/14/how-can-you-help-the-internet-archive/ The Live Music Archive is incredible: https://archive.org/details/etree Let your local library know what books you want! That’s how they know how to spend funds. The best part about Hyperstudio is me! Little Glass Slippers: Scientists finally figure out why the water bear is nearly indestructible. Steven brings an article from the before times of 2017. We were so young then. Tardigrades can be dried out for decades, then come back to life with water. Amazing! Water bear don’t care! Instead of dying when drying out, tardigrades turn themselves into glass! Our website is terrible. We’re sorry. Join our Patreon! http://patreon.com/sciencefactionpodcast Big Question: Is the prime directive actually ethical? What is the prime directive? Don’t interfere with the development of a young species. Can we work together as a species to create harmony and warp drives? Aliens haven’t contacted us because we’re monkeys with nuclear weapons. In our talk about the prime directive, we talk a lot about The Orville and The Bobiverse. Remember when Wesley was sentenced to death for stepping on flowers? Devon schools us on Star Trek history and the prime directive.
Patreon-only pre-pod: The Ben Lawless story: Nothing is different, but everything has changed. Will Steven ever learn how to use Notion? Not this week! We make a pact to watch Extrapolations on Apple TV+ for next week’s show. Is it possible to make climate change exciting? Can the end of everything be kinda jazzed up somehow? #ClimateChange We apologize for interrupting Devon’s writing music with recording a podcast. Hey Steven, cancel your showtime subscription after the trial! We can’t remember what we talked about in our podcasts. |
Wed, 22 March 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Ben grill Devon as to why he was not on the last episode. The answer is sleep. Ben had a weird bug so took a day off work. Devon keeps complaining about his kids, who can be heard in the background. Ben is applying to be the president of the PTSA. Steven has been making his "old wife" play a new Star Wars deck building game. Ben recommends the Humble Bundle: Walmart Has Everything: A bug expert went shopping at Walmart—and made a historic insect discovery. The giant lacewing had seemingly disappeared from eastern North America over 50 years ago. “The fact that this insect was spotted in a region that it hasn’t been seen in over half a century tells us something more broadly about the environment.” F’ing Finally: FCC orders phone companies to block scam text messages. First robotext rule requires blocking of texts from invalid and unused numbers. The Federal Communications Commission today finalized rules requiring mobile carriers to block robotext messages that are likely to be illegal. The FCC described the rules as the agency's "first regulations specifically targeting the increasing problem of scam text messages sent to consumers." https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/03/fcc-orders-phone-companies-to-block-scam-text-messages/ Big Question: Would you be able to tell if time had been altered in some way? |
Wed, 15 March 2023
This episode contains: Just Ben and Steven on this episode, sorry not sorry. We kick off everything with a quick chat about the 2001 film 'The One' w/ Jet Li. Why? No idea. Steven and Ben are playing single dads, because wives need a break too. A lot of Mario Land 2 talk, and Steven makes some bold declarations. Steven is steadily introducing his kids to video games and scifi. Wall-E is a gateway movie. We played some VR mini golf with listener Josh. Thanks Josh. Clicktacular: Bin, app, and subscription combo pledges a cleaner kitchen, environment. Mill is a company that wants to send you a trash can with wifi capabilities that will process your food waste, so you can mail it back and it can be used to feed chickens. Steven is enamored by this idea. https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/new-service-wants-to-turn-your-food-waste-into-chicken-feed/ Brain Buzzing: Scientists complete first map of an insect brain. It took scientists 12 years to fully map a fruit fly larva brain: all 3,016 neurons and their 548,000 connections. The fruit fly brain map showed features that were reminiscent of machine learning architectures. First the flies, then comes mice. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230309164711.htm Science Fiction: Since it's only the two of us this week, we decide against a 'big question' and instead catch up on some science fiction we've been consuming. Picard season 3 has been outstanding, with it's first four episodes collectively being a new TNG movie. It's great, and stands on it's own without the need of watching season 1 and 2. The first two episodes of season 3 of The Mandalorian have been released and we point out some cool stuff that it's doing. Steven especially likes seeing 'live action Mandalore'. We also call out The Bad Batch for doing it's best to glue three trilogies together, and mostly successful. Finally, Ben informs us of the cute as heck sounding Dogs In Space on Netflix. Why send dogs to space? Loyalty. Thanks Josh.
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Wed, 8 March 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Devon's relationship is on the rocks, according to Steven. Things have finally settled down this week for Steven's family, since the holidays. Steven's now officially an old man, says him. Would you throw a rave at a 5 year old's birthday party? With whistles as party favors? Ben's super stoked about Owen Davies releasing Farscape Remastered in 4K. Shout out to the Farscape subreddit! If you like space muppets who fart helium and pee fire, watch Farscape. Steven had a bunch of fun 'stream tweeting' Star Trek: Picard s3e03. Everyone is disappointed that Steven hasn't seen Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Steven's gotta clear his schedule for 89 hours of DS9. Ben wishes he could rewatch DS9 for the first time. This could be the I WISH I WAS WATCHING STAR TREK podcast. Paint by numbers: Scholars unify color systems using prime numbers. RGB and CMYK? Get outta here. It's time for the C235 color system. In CMYK, K stands for Key Black. Now you know! How could C235 colorize DNA codons? This article does not go into that. CMYK is subtractive color theory, where everything adds to black. RGB is additive color theory, where all colors add up to bright white. C235 is a color system based on prime numbers, and doesn't make sense unless you see the image at https:/ [www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/976375](http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/976375) Steven eats some focaccia bread baked by his daughter. Good job, young one! Go colors! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230302114200.htm
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/world/keanumycin-fungus-killer-discovery-scn/index.html The Big Question: How important is it to 'belong' to a fandom, and what does it mean to give it up? Is the entire concept of 'fandom' manufactured? Fandom has been important as a shortcut to find people who have like interests. As good as fandom can be to connect people, beware of the toxicity. The importance of fandom is based on what the fans get out of it. We talk about growing up and finding other Star Wars and Star Trek fans. Did corporations ruin fandom? They didn't used to use fandom to sell stuff, right? A fandom became a found family, people you could share jokes with about the subject. Will the next Metallica album be good? The singles have been alright. We have a lot of hot takes on the Big Question about fandom this week. Devon changed his mind about the quality of the last two seasons of Enterprise. Ben is a positive person who tends to like everything. How does he feel about Harry Potter? JK Rowling's views on trans rights and human rights are abhorrent. How does Ben feel about Harry Potter being read in his son's class, given Rowling's views? Canceling Harry Potter would be similar to banning books. The cultural value is in the conversation. Godzilla (1954) is EXCELLENT, Ben talks about watching it and it's cultural significance. 1956's Godzilla: King of the Monsters is terrible; they Americanized and removed all mention of H-Bombs and Nagasaki. Godzilla (1954) is like watching an H-Bomb walk around Tokyo causing the same destruction in slow motion. Is there a direct correlation between subreddits and fandom? So... spoiler alert? Godzilla died at the end of Godzilla (1954). How strange it spawned the franchise! We talk about Tom Cruise's personal beliefs and whether we can differentiate between the actor and the art. Where do you draw the line about creator's beliefs, and when you choose not to support it? Roblox is a digital narcotic for children... but it's fine? I guess? The cheapest way that eggs are made, the ways those chickens are treated is terrible. Shout out to carrots! You're a cool veggie. |
Wed, 1 March 2023
This episode contains: Steven, Ben and Devon are all present and accounted for on this all new episode. Southern CA is getting snow for the first time is like forever. Steven had a mini family reunion while Ben is helping his sister-in-law move out. Devon saw Nate Bargatze live in Shreveport LA. Bramble Pie Company: https://www.bramblepiecompany.com/ Stop in Name of Love: Traffic Lights Need a Fourth Color, Study Says: Here's Why. As more autonomous vehicles (AV) begin driving American roads, those roads need to change with them. One research team proposes a white light that allows AVs to leverage their impressive networking capability. These white light would signal human drivers to simply follow the car in front and could decrease traffic delays significantly Sorry Florida: A Giant Destructive Blob Is Headed For Florida, And It Stinks. Reports are forecasting that a gargantuan blob of sargassum seaweed has accumulated in the Atlantic Ocean and is headed for the US state, bringing with it millions of tons of odorous seaweed. https://www.iflscience.com/a-giant-destructive-blob-is-headed-for-florida-and-it-stinks-67696 The Big Question: How would you make a truly multi-playing pinball game? We then meander a little and talk about Jeffrey Combs, the Fallout tv show, Hello Tomorrow on AppleTV and The Last of Us. Only then do we finally end this monstrosity. |
Wed, 22 February 2023
This episode contains: Devon, Ben and Steven all record in the same room again! It's crazy! Devon tells us about his travels, and Ben tries to QA a Tesla. It's a whole thing. Only one Science and no Big Question this week because we have Sci-Fi to talk about. Robot Overlords: Researchers Discover a More Flexible Approach to Machine Learning. Liquid neural nets can transform their underlying algorithms on the fly. They are based on the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system. Nonlinear equations, worm nervous systems, and liquid neural nets are all here. Picard: We talk about the first episode of the third season of Star Trek Picard. There are a lot of nits to pick, but we are generally optimistic about this final season. We start off with some complaints about seasons 1 and 2, but it seems season 3 has rectified some of those. We have deep discussions about Captain Shaw, The Orville, and ship refits. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania: SPOILERS. Devon and Steven just watched it, Ben watched it a few days before and we do a deep dive. We talk about plot, characters, editing, Kang and how there was a bit of dissappointment in all of those things. Steven attempts to explain Kang, and we all try and figure out M.O.D.O.K. In there end, there was little consistancy, which is consistant with other Ant-Man movies.
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Wed, 15 February 2023
This episode contains: Devon doesn't feel the valentine's spirit this week. Ben's kid loves Trailmakers, Ben used barter.vg to trade for the game. "Are we back to bartering?" asks Steven. Did we ever stop? Steven knows about bartering thanks to Fallout 1. Devon & Ben watched the Superbowl. Steven went to a SB party but didn't watch it. Steven is really enjoying Hogwarts Legacy. Steven recognized Ben was way too stressed out over debt in our Traveller game. Ben learned that he had more fun in an RPG by making it a "yes day." We don't want to be Murder Hobos in RPGs. Context around the term "murder den" is helpful. This Week in Space: Ring discovered around dwarf planet Quaoar confounds theories. There's a ring around the dwarf planet Quaoar just outside the solar system. How is the dwarf planet Quaoar pronounced? Devon tries his best. Quaoar has rings further away from the planet than we thought possible. The Roche limit is the zone where a planetary ring can be created. Scientists discover planets by observing their gravitational pull. THE YEAR 2000! I mean 2038: Remember the year 2000? Destiny's Child was huge. Y2K was a thing. Is Y2K behind us? Maybe! Y2K38 is upon us. It's the Epochalypse! Unix time started 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970. What's a Unix system? Got an iPhone or an Android? You have a Unix system. Watch out! The Epochalypse bug will happen 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038, and all 32-bit systems will crash! When was Unix first created? Development started in 1969. We can solve the Epochalypse by going 64-bit, and give us 292 billion years more time. In 2038, do you think Destiny's Child will make a comeback? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem The Back Half: Devon encourages our Patrons to keep doing what they're doing. We talk about some feedback we got from a Patron! You know Ben has a Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary. Silly Ben said Roget's Thesaurus, meant Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary. The Big Question: Is technology making many jobs obsolete? If so, should we have a universal basic income? We talk the iterative nature of societal development. Are white collar jobs becoming obsolete too? YEP! Should government slow the pace of tech to ensure worker's can keep up? No. We talk about how cool universal basic income would be. Ben grew up a welfare kid: his parent's had govt support, and Ben is grateful. Ben's family had the benefit of society helping people, and made Ben who he is. Steven talks about how life changed after getting laid off. Life would have been easier for all of the hosts with universal basic income. Do you think less people would be willing to work with universal basic income? The 1980s concept that more money = happy life is not true. A good emergency can financially derail anybody. Is there a solve? Just because some people leech off a system, does it mean we shouldn't have nice things? Is offering help with conditions really offering help? Is it fully altruistic? Which other social programs would be superceded by universal basic income? How can we fix the inflation problem with universal basic income? Minimum wage is not a living wage. Would universal basic income be a living wage? Will Devon go to the robot-run McDonalds in Texas? Time will tell. Kurzgesagt Universal Basic Income video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl39KHS07Xc
Patreon Only: Patreon-only pre-show: "Up is go!" The Lost in Space movie has a cool level of 1 million, says Ben. Devon has trouble with embedding websites in Notion, and he's frustrated. Devon doesn't know what a fuzzy search is. Even if you're a boomer on TikTok, you can say "get off my lawn" to mean gatekeepers. Ben is happy to be a house spouse. Patreon-only mid-show: Have you guys heard about bit flips from cosmic rays? Devon has. Steven: Player's Guides are trash, now that we have the internet. Next week we'll be recording in person! All three of us! Maybe talk Quantumania. Patreon-only post-show: We talk Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. So touching. Devon likes the book Anxious People. There's a reason for the different zombies in The Last of Us. That new Flash trailer looks fun. Ever wanted to know why Ben is pissed at a Star Trek novel? |
Wed, 8 February 2023
This episode contains: We discuss how 2/5/2023 feels like it should be the future, but totally isn't/ Devon won big at Texas Hold'em, but not in Texas. Ben has a story about a frog and a banana. Devon also weathered an ice storm, his house not so much. We have suspect we have very special listeners. This Week in Space: Will Machine Learning Help us Find Extraterrestrial Life? SETI is using machine learning to check 150TB of studied data, and found 8 signals of interest that were previously looked over. We talk about radio waves, and how this machine learning can sift through the noise coming from Earth. And then we talk about Futurama. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230130130512.htm What the Crazy Kids are Doing: Carbon capture is here—it just isn’t evenly distributed. New York City apartment towers are going to get smaller carbon capture facilities. These facilities will be able to remove carbon dioxide and expel it as "beverage grade". Then, it will be used in concrete as building material. A win-win! https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/carbon-capture-is-here-it-just-isnt-evenly-distributed/ Science Fiction: We talk about the upcoming Picard Season 3. We talk about the failings of season 1 and 2, and the hope that Ben has for season 3. A hope that Devon and Steven are beginning to share, as an insider who hates nu-trek has seen the season and "gushed" about it online. Big Question: What age is it appropriate to introduce children to The Matrix? Ben shares his experience watching the movie with his 9 year old, and seems disappointed that he wasn't blown away. Steven soapboxes about how The Matrix needs to be put into context of the world of 1999, which is vastly different from the current century. Devon seems apathetic, but also has a big brain and figured out the Matrix twist from the trailers. Here's a good one: does watching Star Trek innoculate you against The Matrix?
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Wed, 1 February 2023
This episode contains: All three hosts are here, slowly rotating around the sun, to bring you science and science fiction. Devon explains why he can’t record this afternoon (the answer is football). Ben tells us about the ongoing woes of being a home owner. Steven and Ben talk about playing Walkabout Mini Golf on VR. Listen To This: MusicLM: Generating Music From Text. MusicLM is a model generating high-fidelity music from text descriptions such as "a calming violin melody backed by a distorted guitar riff". MusicLM casts the process of conditional music generation as a hierarchical sequence-to-sequence modeling task, and it generates music at 24 kHz that remains consistent over several minutes. https://google-research.github.io/seanet/musiclm/examples/ Riffusion’s AI generates music from text using visual sonograms. Riffusion is an AI model that generates music from text prompts by creating a visual representation of sound and converting it to audio for playback. It uses a fine-tuned version of the Stable Diffusion 1.5 image synthesis model, applying visual latent diffusion to sound processing in a novel way. Big Question: What sci-fi universe would you want to live in? What if you had to support your current family and could not count on being a hero in that story? What if Skype kept disconnecting you?
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Wed, 25 January 2023
This episode contains: Ben joins Steven in person, and Devon phones it in this week. Your heart has ventricles and… dorsicles? No Ben; It’s atriums. Steven reminds us that he knows the beginning of a Barenaked Ladies song. Devon chats about his first cruise! TLDR: It was… about as he expected. Was Devon on a cruise long enough to get scurvy? Are drink packages on cruise ships worth it? Everything's still wrong with Ben this week. Looks like one of Ben's bedroom walls will need to be replaced. FEMA declared the recent rainstorms in California an Avengers-level event. Ben is getting his septic tank pumped this week. Goodbye wooden deck. Ben found a lot of surprising things when crawling under his house. You wouldn't illegally download a house, would you? Steven needs a break from his vacations. Listen to Steven guest host the Plastic Plesiosaur podcast this month! Brain Matters: Orienteering may help fight cognitive decline. Orienteering is a new sport, kinda like extreme hiking. Devon is our resident sports advocate and expert. De-stress and unplug with Orienteering, and improve your cognitive fitness. The recent study about Orienteering is self-reported, so we're kinda skeptical. Ben loves exploring new routes in his town. Steven & Devon say "no thanks." Steven thought Ben was going to murder him when driving him the wrong way home. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230120154924.htm Charge it! Could gravity batteries really store excess renewable energy? Gravity batteries could theoretically be located in abandoned mines. Gravity batteries are one of the few ways to generate energy without steam! Gravity batteries are not feasible: maintenance costs outweigh the benefits. We chat about hydroenergy between two lakes. Why do all our tech advances go back to the Romans? Thanks, middle ages! Steven's kids just watched Ratatouille for the first time... is it for kids? Steven has a quick Rant-atouille. Ben invites Steven to come over and watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. https://www.techspot.com/news/97306-gravity-batteries-abandoned-mines-could-power-whole-planet.html Mid-pod Patreon only: Renee reminded Steven he's talking about Bridgerton. Devon recommends the second Downton Abbey film. Doesn't recommend the first. Devon lawyersplains Downton Abbey to Ben. He could go on for a half hour, easy. Ben guesses the footmen in Downton Abbey are the ninjas working for Shredder. Science Fiction / Big Question: We gush about The Last of Us, video game and show. Cordyceps is a real fungal thing that set up the premise of The Last of Us. We compare The Last of Us to a couple other zombie media. The Walking Dead refers to the people still left... just like The Last of Us. Starting The Last of Us with scientists in a 1968-era show is a good choice. Anna Torv is FANTASTIC in The Last of Us, AND Fringe. Watch Fringe. Wanna see more Pedro Pascal? We recommend Prospect. Did anybody see the FBI marriage subplot in Sonic 2 coming? Devon did. Big question this week: we are old men grumbling about streaming services. HBO Max has been doing Ben dirty, y'all. Babylon 5 going away and a price hike? The Remastered version of Babylon 5 has been incredible. Could HBO Max have waited a little after The Last of Us premier to raise price? Is it time to begin rotating streaming services? Should we go back to physical media? When we bought shows that weren't revoked? Who would be hurt most from rotating streaming services? Is it just time for us to grow up? Devon grew up 30 years ago. Git gud n00bs. Devon recommends Kevin Can F**k Himself on AMC. After-pod Patreon only: Devon tries to tell a joke. He gets there eventually. Joke Orienteering is our new sport: here's a map, let's find the punch line! We like Wednesday despite it being a Tim Burton show. Why did Tim Burton spend 25 years making movies that didn't speak to Ben? Wednesday gives Ben some Pushing Daisies vibes. Tim Burton was an Imagineer! That explains a lot, in a good way. Steven and Devon gush about The Last Kingdom. Very fast paced show. Slow book. Steven LOVES having maps in books, especially The Last Kingdom. The same characters are in both The Last Kingdom and Assassins Creed: Valhalla. Ben would love to take a nap every day. We say good night to Devon, and then Steven and Ben WE KEEP ON RECORDING! Steven tries to get Ben to name the people he hates. |
Wed, 18 January 2023
This episode contains: Ben and Steven in the same room recording. Ben has a week of disaster. Steven is guesting on Plastic Plesiosaur Podcast. Devon is nowhere to be seen. Magnets, How Do They Work?: Qi2: How Apple might finally harness MagSafe by giving it away. We talk about the future of phone chargers, and how everything being compatable is a complete win. https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/3/23538131/qi2-wireless-charging-apple-samsung YUMMMM: Why chocolate feels so good; it is all down to lubrication. We talk about the science of lubrication in terms of chocolate. Fat is neccessary. We also ponder the ramifications of this science and the 'fake meat' industry. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230113112804.htm Big Question: Why are anachronistic elements in fiction so cool? We talk about Willow and dark City before Steven goes on his rant about Star Trek not being anachronistic but Star Wars is. Ben dives into tvtropes.org and we investigate the 'film' Kung Fury. Ben goes off topic and tells us about Lil Gator Game and his son, but then we refocus and talk about different sub-tropes of anachronisms. Steven finds that he doesn't like unexplained future-tech in the past. Lastly, Steven dives into Century by Alan Moore and spoils the whole thing. Patreon Only: We talk about Babylon 5, The Bad Batch and A Psalm for the Wild-Built. |
Wed, 11 January 2023
This episode contains: Steven and Devon host this all new episode while Ben rests. Devon tells us about his upcoming cruise and his work ethic leading up to a vacation. Steven talks about California’s torrential rain, including his trip to Disney during a storm. Devon then tells us about his day at The Great Wolf Lodge. She’s a Brick House: Riddle solved: Why was Roman concrete so durable? An unexpected ancient manufacturing strategy may hold the key to designing concrete that lasts for millennia. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230106144441.htm Drink Up: Good hydration linked to healthy aging. Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a new study. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230102100941.htm Sci-Fi/Big Question: We discuss whether immortality is possible, what technologies may help us achieve immortality and the social impact immortality would have. We also discuss our own feelings about mortality/immortality. We end up discussing whether a digital copy is the same as the original person, the fact that even if you are “immortal” you're still going to die eventually, and the heat death of the universe. |
Wed, 4 January 2023
This episode contains: Ben likes new things! Devon says hi. Devon's sick again. Can you tell? Steven says not to thank people for doing their job. What do you think? Disney Dreamlight Valley seems cool. What should someone do if they're totally burned out by Disneyland? Vacations with kids are just trips. Devon and Steven are done chasing kids. Steven's kids don't like Star Wars land at Disneyland. Not yet. Shut up when I'm talking to you!: Being assertive: Reduce stress, communicate better. Assertiveness is not necessarily natural. It is a learned trait. Passive behavior can lead to stress, resentment, and feelings of victimization. Being assertive creates self-confidence, empowerment, and honest relationships. Passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive behavior all damage relationships. Just "No." is a complete sentence. You don't need to explain yourself. Formal assertiveness training is available through mental health professionals. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/assertive/art-20044644 Assertiveness Training - Fact Sheets Power Slave: National Ignition Facility achieves fusion ignition. Fusion could power our society in future decades with clean & limitless energy. Scientists used fusion to get more energy out than put in, after ignition. Fusion would be a big step towards the U.S. net-zero carbon economy goal. All electricity, coal, nuclear plants are just complicated steam engines. Fusion: two light nuclei combine to a single heavy nucleus... SO MUCH ENERGY. Could we have wireless energy? You know, without touching? Steven dreams. To our patrons: thank you for listening. And we're sorry. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221213102033.htm Science Fiction: High On Life is on Gamepass! Steven discusses the first ten minutes. The Red Letter Media lads have an MST3K cameo in High On Life. (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedLetterMedia/comments/zmbole how_to_find_the_rlm_lads_in_high_on_life/) Steven killed a kid alien in High On Life. Shame on him. He should play a more civilized game... like Fallout! Was this new Star Trek DS9 comic "The Dog of War" written by A.I.? It's nuts! What happens when you smash a Corgi Dog into Deep Space Nine? The Dog of War. (https://screenrant.com/star-trek-dog-war-ds9-sequel-new-series/) Poets nearly burned Ben at the stake for suggesting to use A.I. to help write. Is writing music performed by a computer similar to A.I. generated art? Devon rocks too loud at night when he's recording music. Rock finds a way. Is it weird when a composer can write a song they cannot play? Devon muses. Is there any difference in using a thesaurus vs. having an A.I. help write? How do solos get affected when nobody is playing the song? Check out Riffusion, generating music from text using visual sonograms. (https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12 riffusions-ai-generates-music-from-text-using-visual-sonograms/) What is a solo for? Steven says it's about emotional peaks. When describing a group of cyborgs AND androids: Try the term "macheeple". |
Wed, 28 December 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben record on Christmas Day, because they hate their families! Just kidding. Steven talks about his Covid filled Xmas, and Ben regales us with tales of his kid's broken arm. What joy! What Merriment! Merry Crisis. Robot Overlords: We talk about the physical intelligence of ant and robot collectives. Harvard researchers designed a team of relatively simple robots that can work collectively with simple commands. The RAnts use photormones to successfully escape a corral. Neat. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221221135358.htm Grumpy Cat of Birds: Ben introduces us to the Tawny Frogmouth, and you'll never be the same again. It's an amazing bird that isn't an owl, but kinda looks like one. Native to Australia and New Zealand, it is an ambush predator that simply swallows it's prey with it's giant mouth. So cool. Also, Steven gets schooled on cultural appropriation, but it's cool because Fight Club. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tawny-frogmouth Big Question: We talk about eugenics and Star Trek. Why is starfleet against the victims of eugenics? Two different shows have currently have plot threads dealing with this idea and we try to figure it out. Also, we learn about eugenics. Black Adam: Ben reviews Black Adam. Steven attempts a re-write. We also chat about the politics of hollywood and how it influences storytelling. |
Wed, 21 December 2022
This episode contains: Steven is back “in studio” with the rest of us after having his internet completely replaced. Ben’s son may have broken his arm, if Ben could only open the CD to see the x-rays. Devon then tells us about his recent time in California, which includes playing Death May Die. Batter Up: Affecting baseball friction with different substances. In baseball, even the smallest detail can tip the scales in favor of the batter or the pitcher. A recent publication has highlighted how rosin powder helps maintain a more constant friction when pitching, something that could bring about a fairer playing field in Major League Baseball. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221215104734.htm
Science Fiction: Devon discusses the end of the second season of Avenue 5. We then review the most recent season of Rick and Morty, which just came to a close. Ben talks about Star Trek: Prodigy. This leads to a discussion of episodic TV v. serialized story telling. And so much more!!! (not really).
Patreon only: We discuss the use of AI in creative arts and who should get the credit for the final product. |
Thu, 15 December 2022
Pre-pod Patreon-only: Devon remembers meeting Ben's cat. He still has the scar. This episode contains: Ben leads the show, Steven phones it in, and Devon holds on for dear life. Devon has to go to "mandatory" parties for work. Steven's internet is unreachable, so he phones it in this episode. Ben was on the edge of the power outage that hit 5000 people. Ben describes the indescribable fun of the card game No Thanks. Ben's kid won 9 straight games of X-Men vs Street Fighter against Steven and Ben. Jurassic Boom: No supersonic boom for dinosaur tails. The Diplodocid tail did not break supersonic speeds, despite earlier claims. Diplodocis tails were 12 m long, weighed 1.5 tons, and moved up to 33 m/s! A sonic boom occurs at 340 meters per second. Did Diplodocis have a huge-ass neck, or huge ass-neck? Devon's kids are gonna know what a sonic boom is, by golly! Devon's son wants to be a treehouse architect. Steven knows one who does that. Steven workshopped some other titles for Devon's article: "Must Go Faster Must Go Faster" and "Dun-dun-dun-duuuun dun-dun-dinosaurs (sung to the Indiana Jones' theme)". https://phys.org/news/2022-12-paleontology-supersonic-boom-dinosaur-tails.html We've got to go back, Kate: Fifty years later, remastered images reveal Apollo 17 in stunning clarity. 50 years ago, on Apollo 17 the last astronauts went to the moon (for now). Nobody's heard of hasselblad cameras. Why aren't they hasselgood? Remastered photos of Apollo 17 look incredible, but the captions are fire. In case anybody is curious, the crew of Artemis III is diverse. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-team/ The moon has an incredible amount of dust and dirt. Astronauts get grimy. Apollo 17 was the 1st mission with a scientist on the moon: Harrison H. Schmitt. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/12/fifty-years-later-remastered-images-reveal-apollo-17-in-stunning-clarity/ Science Fiction: Big thanks to Joe Kohr for Steven's birthday gift of Steam cash! Hide and Seek in Among Us is super fun, and different enough from the game. Ben didn't finish the Star Trek: Prodigy episode before recording this week. R.I.P. Kirstie Alley at 71: Saavik from Wrath of Khan. Devon used to watch every sitcom that existed in the mid- to late-90s. Remember Herman's Head? Pepperidge Farm does, and so does Devon. Devon has an encyclopedic knowledge of 90s sitcoms. Why did they recast Saavik between Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock? Money. Devon rewatched the 1st season of Enterprise, and let's just say he's whelmed. Enterprise lacks the high concept scifi that even season 1 of TNG had. Devon wonders if Herman's Head is streaming somewhere... Enterprise could use more space-borne aliens. The original idea for Enterprise was for s1 to be on Earth, building the ship. Ben remembers the show Roswell, and there was a crazy Enterprise tie-in. Steven wonders if Jonathan Frakes is a little nuts. No reason, just wonders. The film Clockstoppers is a little self-explanatory, don't you think? |
Wed, 7 December 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben (and others) attended Steven's birthday party, and we talk about the awesome fun times we had. Devon wasn't there, sorry Devon. However, Devon and Ben pooled their resources and bought Steven a Steamdeck for his 40th, which is amazing. Buyer Beware: Handshake Domains: Blockchain Powered DNS Is Here, But Should You Use It? Ben explains what a DNS is, the control and attempted decentralization of web domains and his recent purchases. You should also check out https://lawless.rocks. Last Week in Space: NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to the Moon sets the stage for routine space exploration beyond Earth’s orbit – here’s what to expect and why it’s important. We talk about the successful launch of the Artemis 1, what it's going to do, and how it's going to return. We also cover Artemis 2 and 3, which we are very excited for. Science Fiction: There was a lot to cover this week. We recap the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 trailer, a Japanese indy film called Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (which was filmed on an iPhone), the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the shortest talk about Star Trek Prodigy Ben has ever done, and finally we talk about Undone season 2. Oh, and The Bear, which isn't scifi but is still amazing and you should watch it.
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Wed, 30 November 2022
This episode contains: The three of us are here and ready to talk sci-fi, and only sci-fi. However, we first talk about what makes a “gentleman” and recount our Thanksgiving day experiences. Science Fiction: We discuss Andor’s first season, what we liked about it, and what we might expect from season two. There are a lot of SPOILERS. We end up talking about Andor for half the episode. Ben and Steven then talk about Disney’s Strange World. Ben has been looking forward to this movie for years, while most other people still don’t know it exists. This also has some SPOILERS. Devon is still there, we think. We quickly talk Rick and Morty, then move on to Wakanda Forever. Steven and Ben then tell us all about Wakanda Forever with, again, SPOILERS. We then discuss Marvel Phase Four in general. Also, The Rocketeer. |
Wed, 23 November 2022
This episode contains: Ben will not be cooking turkey this Thanksgiving, instead it's poached salmon! Ben battled Devon's ghost on Geometry Wars 2, doubling Devon's high score (he got 12,676,335 if anyone is asking). Devon lost his leg in the Geometry Wars. "Remember the Slaughter" is a pretty good band name. Is somebody writing down our cool band names? "Annus Horribilis" is another great band name. It means "unfortunate year." Steven recommends the band "The Sword." They rock. Listen to them. This COULD BE a music recommendation podcast, but Steven rejects that idea. Devon introduces us to Swamp Pop instead of talking Science & Science Fiction. Sleep, Data. Sleep: Artificial neural networks learn better when they spend time not learning at all. During sleep, the brain is super busy repeating what we've learned in the day. Catastrophic Forgetting happens with neural networks: it's when new info overwrites old. "Computational Biology" is a rad band name too. Our development in neural network's sleep patterns can be applied to humans. Avenue 5 handled time delay comms, with AI that predicts conversation. We butcher discussing gender diversity during the Trans Day of Remembrance. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221118160305.htm Mmmm, yumm 😋: Oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire to cook food, researchers report. Easily catching fish was a major development in human life. Thank you fish! 780,000 yrs ago humans first cooked fish. Before we thought it was 170,000 yrs. Researchers found fish teeth at a dig, saw they were heated = Cooking! Fishing is a safe way to hunt. Except if we're watching Jaws. Fishing also allowed our brains to get better. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221114111017.htm This Week in Space: Pristine meteorite found within hours of hitting Earth. Everything was great till the UK Fireball Alliance attacked! 1.3 lbs of asteroid rock was found within 12 hours of landing. Most meteorite finds aren't very fresh. A meteorite find in Winchcombe is the best you can get without going to space. https://astronomy.com/news/2022/11/pristine-meteorite-found-within-hours-of-hitting-earth Science Fiction: Devon caught up on Avenue 5, and he digs it. The in-show show about Avenue 5 in Avenue 5 is hilariously terrible. There's comedy gold in mob mentality in Avenue 5. On Star Trek: Prodigy, The Protostar and the Dauntless start their showdown! The Ship was the 100th ep of DS9, and Timeless was 100th of VOY. Connections! The Outrageous Okona's Billy Campbell was in PCPA in Santa Maria and was The Rocketeer! Is Lower Decks really canon? Yes, Devon. Steven asks what a reptilian Xindi is. It's... complicated. We talk the upcoming Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds crossover. We don't talk about Andor too much, but we find time to bash Rise of Skywalker. Do you think K2SO will show up in Andor's last episode? We talk about a lot of Alan Tudyk. Watch Resident Alien. Devon says it's good. The new Disney film Strange World comes out this week! Alan Tudyk is in it too! Inside Job = Archer + Rick & Morty. A comedy where conspiracy theories are real. Devon gives Inside Job 4 out of 4 stars! 3 is too little, but it's not perfect? What's worse than raining cats and dogs? Hailing taxi cabs! |
Wed, 16 November 2022
This episode contains: Three old men chat about their relative closeness in age. Ben and Steven played the fantastic science fiction RPG Traveller! Devon attended a BBQ and had some real talk with his kid about chicken. Go, Ninja, Go!: Rats bop to the beat. Scientists have found that rats nod along to music, just like humans do. We talk about these implications. Also, Steven took the long way around for a TMNT joke. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221111155715.htm Busted: Innocent man freed from prison after 35 years, thanks to an old episode of Mythbusters. A man was jailed for admitting to lighting a molotov cocktail with a cigarette, which we know (from science and Mythbusters) to be impossible! He has since been freed. Rock You Like A Hurricane: NASA says its SLS rocket is good to go for a launch attempt next Wednesday. High wind gusts were within tolerance, and the rocket will be launched (spoilers, it was launched successfully!). Science Fiction: Ben tells us all about Avenue 5, the basic plot and the latest season. We're intrigued. Steven mentions the cancellation of WestWorld with only one season to go. We all talk a whole lot about the 9th episode of Andor, "One Way Out!". What an amazing show. Ben tells us about the Studio Ghibli short Grogu and Dust Bunnies. Finally, Ben talks us through the latest episode of Star Trek Prodigy, which has some very interesting links to The Original Series. |
Wed, 9 November 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben continue to cast without the delightful presence of one Devon Craft. We discuss out upcoming Traveller game (an amazing science fiction role playing game). Steven then tells why “today was not a good day for Steven.” Because of this, Steven is not prepared and so this is a much looser episode. So we talk about FTL, which Steven has not played since 2015, the Battlestar Galactica board game, and the recent history of indie video games. Steven brings up RimWorld, Tin Can, The Last Starship, and Cyberpunk 2077. Ben tells us about Plunder Panic, a patriate video game. Science Fiction: Ben tells about the 856th episode of Star Trek or the 11th episode of Star Trek Prodigy. The Borg return in this “super good episode.” Star Trek Prodigy also has a video game, which Ben has of course played. Ben also knows what the fourth Star Trek film might have been. Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth were going to team up somehow. We also discuss Ghostbusters, including the 2016 film and the animated show, because why not? Ben informs us of MythBusters Junior. It’s been a few weeks but we finally catch up on Andor. We discuss why Andor is such a good show… and more! |
Wed, 2 November 2022
This episode contains: Around these parts, there's spooky and then there's spoopy. Steven says nope. Halloween can stick around year-round if you ask Ben. Ben found a house with severed limbs in the yard, but one was half a real rat. Steven's kids said no to Halloween decorations. They wanted Harvest Decorations. Stores are carrying skeletons for creatures without bones. Like octopuses. Whoops? And your welcome?: US embassies may have accidentally improved air quality. 2008 was great! Steven and Ben had great jobs and would NEVER get laid off. 2008 was also when Geometry Wars 2 came out. In 2008, US embassies installed air-quality monitors and tweeted amounts hourly. Can regulators be shunned to improve air-quality by the power of tweeting? Purely informational intervention from US to improve air-quality. Maybe the regulators should crack down on the quality of our podcast. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/us-embassies-may-have-accidentally-improved-air-quality/ The D in DNA stands for Dubstep: Ancient viral DNA in human genome guards against infections. Viral DNA in our genomes are antivirals protecting cells against modern viruses. Steven correctly pronounces "endogenous!" Suppressyn has two S's and a Y, but the Y isn't where you think! Oh wait it is. Reverse experiments aren't just saying the word "experiments" backwards, Ben. Hauntingly futuristic: we say thank you to our DNA. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221027154145.htm What is Dead may Never Die: Pebble, the OG smartwatch that may never die, updated to work with Pixel 7. Ben misses his Pebble. Recharging an Apple Watch every 2 days is TERRIBLE. The Apple Watch is a remarkable piece of tech, but if you want a WATCH... shrug. Pebble watches just got an update to support Android's 64-bit OS on Pixel 7. The Pebble Smartwatch: What is dead may never die. We have a story that only applies to those "rockin" the Pebble smartwatch. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/pebble-a-2013-smartwatch-updated-to-work-with-2022-pixel-7/ Science Fiction: Episodes 863 AND 864 of Star Trek on this week's podcast. Lower Decks: "The Stars At Night" are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas! Don't you need people to crew a starship to determine what good to do? How cool would it be if every California-class had a Texas-class escort? Evidently Jean-Luc Picard loves mummies. Shaxs finally got to eject his warp core! The M5 Multitronic Unit from TOS and the Texas-class AI are two peas in a pod. Badgey returned in a post-credit scene. If you wanted to start Star Trek: Prodigy on episode 11... you could but why? Ben recaps the Diviner's plan in Star Trek: Prodigy from months ago. The rest of Star Trek: Prodigy's first season has been compared to The Fugitive. Ben says Star Trek: Prodigy's 11th episode was rad. You should watch it. Tales of the Jedi: Ahsoka episodes are fun, Dooku episodes are incredible. Liam Neeson is back! Who deleted Camino from the archives? Now we know. What happened to Yaddle? Now we know. Will we ever see how EXACTLY Palpatine has returned? House of the Dragon is an amazing show about terrible people. Brothers named Arik and Erik? Man, screw this show. The first season of House of the Dragon was just setting up the upcoming game. Fallout's 25th anniversary is this year! Steven played it in High School! Steven reminisces about buying Fallout in EB Games in the mall back in the 90s. |
Wed, 26 October 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben attended a well behaved dinner together. Devon contimplates shock collars for his kids. Oh, and Ben has another job. Neat. Brain Matters: Lab-grown brain cells learn to play PONG, may be sentient. Both Steven and Devon report on new findings on human and mice neurons integrated into a silicon chip and taught how to play PONG. If some red flags are raised, you'd be right. https://nerdist.com/article/lab-grown-brain-cells-played-pong-may-be-sentient/ Can You Hear Me Now?: Cheaper hearing aids hit stores today, available over the counter for first time. $799 for over the counter hearing aids, down from $2,000-$8,000. Steven shares his sister-in-law's hearing troubles. We discuss health care a bit. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/cheaper-hearing-aids-hit-stores-today-available-over-the-counter-for-first-time/ Science Fiction: Steven champions "A Closed and Common Orbit" the second book of the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. Ben reviews "Werewolf by Night" the new MCU Special Presentation. Devon (with many interruptions by Steven) talks about Andor and what is working for him with the series. After Devon departs early, Ben talks about the latest episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and informs Steven of all the nonsense that he missed. |
Wed, 19 October 2022
This episode contains: It's been a long time since the three of us have been together in one podcast. Ben's been boogie boarding with his son and has learned some interesting things about waves and tides. Steven is doing fine, just fine. We discuss pumpkin art, or “part.” Devon is tired, so tired. Ben also won an arcade machine from work. Boom Goes the Dinosaur: Impact that killed the dinosaurs triggered 'mega-earthquake' that lasted weeks to months. Some 66 million years ago, a 10-kilometer asteroid hit Earth, triggering the extinction of the dinosaurs. New evidence suggests that the Chicxulub impact also triggered an earthquake so massive that it shook the planet for weeks to months after the collision. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221006160638.htm We Got Wet: Dinosaur-killing asteroid triggered global tsunami that scoured seafloor thousands of miles from impact site. The miles-wide asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago wiped out nearly all the dinosaurs and roughly three-quarters of the planet's plant and animal species. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221004105010.htm I Love to Laugh, He-He-He-He: Neuroscientists unravel the mystery of why you can’t tickle yourself. New study shows how tickling, playfulness can address key questions about the brain. Science Fiction: Lower Decks returns to form with a new episode/sequel to the holodeck movie Crisis Point. Steven and Ben completely spoil the season finale of She-Hulk. See concluded after three seasons. Ben says this was a really good show. Ben also tells us about the dystopian future envisioned in Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp. |
Wed, 12 October 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Devon record on a glorious Sunday afternoon. Where's Ben? It's fun to have Nicole Lawless on the show (ep421) as an actual science person. Devon woke up in a good mood, until he watched the Star Trek: Picard trailer. That Star Trek: Picard trailer was TOO DARK. Brighten it up! Devon continues to work on removing the tree stump. With fire. When Devon removed the stump, did he shout "STUMPFEST"? Steven and Devon drool over the new Lego Razorcrest. Lego just bumped up all their prices due to inflation. Crazy. Steven finally gets a day off from single dad duty after Martine's recovery. Ok ok ok, where's Ben? Lego: so much money for plastic in different orientations. Evolutionarily speaking: Dead fish breathes new life into the evolutionary origin of fins and limbs. Evolution is AWESOME. Devon's 4yo. asked "when were chickens invented?" Devon talks evolution. Previously, our galeaspid fossils only had heads. Now we have a whole fossil. Primitive creatures on earth either had fins or limbs. Not both. If it wasn't for one measely asteroid, the dinosaurs would still be here. Is there a dinosaur planet out there? Is that where Ben is? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220928113007.htm Stressed friend: Dogs can smell when we're stressed, study suggests. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220929133419.htm Common gene variant linked to COVID mortality: Presence of the APOE gene can predict cancer, dementia, and COVID severity. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220921093000.htm
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Wed, 5 October 2022
This episode contains: Ben and special guest (his wife) Nicole are your hosts this episode! Where are Devon and Steven? Who cares! What is an Avocado Elbow? The answer may surprise you. Peckers and Protection: Woodpecker heads don’t absorb shocks — but some crustaceans do. Wood-peckers don't get concussions mostly because their brains are smaller and oriented different. The snapping shrimp has a sort of hooded helmet protecting the head. She's Just Doing a Die Hard: Deepfake Bruce Willis may be the next Hollywood star, and he’s OK with that. We talk about Bruce Willis and the other deepfakes that Hollywood has done. Science Fiction: In a previous episode, Devon talked about his enjoyment of the Uncharted movie. This episode, Ben and Nicole (who have both enjoyed the Uncharted video games) have some issues with the movie. B&N also talk about the third season of See, and if you're not watching it, there is a large swath of this episode that will be nigh unintelligible. Ben is surprised it took 3 seasons to get to cannibals. Lastly, the bonded pair talk about that Deep Space Nine episode of Lower Decks. Ben wanted Sisko to be his dad, and Nicole relates to Tendi, the "nerdy badass". |
Wed, 28 September 2022
This episode contains: All three of us come together on a Monday morning to mostly talk about DART and Andor. Devon tried to burn down his backyard while Steven’s wife came home from a work trip with Covid. Ben has gotten his fourth Covid vaccination. This Week in Space: NASA is hitting an asteroid with a space ship. NASA's DART mission hits asteroid in first-ever planetary defense test. After 10 months flying in space, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) -- the world's first planetary defense technology demonstration -- successfully impacted its asteroid target on Monday, the agency's first attempt to move an asteroid in space. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220927095429.htm https://www.space.com/nasa-dart-asteroid-impact-preview https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dart/in-depth/ Steven also notes the new images of Neptune taking by the James Webb Telescope. Science Fiction: We discuss the new Disney Plus Star Wars TV Show: Andor. It’s really good. Steven thinks Devon needs to give it a watch. We also talk about the other Star franchise with Lower Decks. We talk about how the conspiracy theorists on Lower Decks reference one of the most gruesome episodes of TNG: We end with Steven’s review of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. |
Wed, 21 September 2022
Pre-pod for our Patreon-only crew: This episode contains: We got a storm on the Central Coast, a week after we were burning to death. This episode, Ben accidentally calls Devon "William." Steven won't stop with the joke. Another branch from the same oak tree falls on Steven's house. "I'm not talking unless it's on the podcast & I'm getting paid for it." - Devon Previously on... THE SOLAR SYSTEM: Lots of strange things about Saturn can be explained by a destroyed moon. Saturn's axis wobbles around dramatically. Scientists hypothesize a moon of Saturn scraped the surface and created the rings. How many moons does Saturn have? 83, with two more unconfirmed. Small moons are condensing out of Saturn's rings. On a galactic timescale, Saturn is violently changing right now. Saturn's rings are theorized to only be 100 million years old. Saturn may be in an orbital resonance with Neptune, they get weird together. Jupiter has 80 rings. Devon's noticed that number keeps going up. Saturn is the ringleader of this whole "Solar System" operation. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220721101508.htm Blacked Out: Emergency Text Alert ‘Saves’ California From Blackout. Steven thinks 78˚ F is still way too hot. A Flex Alert SMS went out to ask Californians to conserve energy. Ben would like to think that better energy infrastructure is being developed. Things don't change for the better unless we get a little uncomfortable. Stopping reliance on fossil fuels is imperative. Not everyone in CA will get electric cars on the same day, so calm yourself. Nuclear power is green energy. We should not have abandoned it in the 70s. What if solar power got so efficient a house wouldn't be connected to the grid? https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62832775
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzfpyo-q-RM&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell Science Fiction: Flamin' Hot Mountain Dew, and the things it leads to, By Dr. Suess. Ben didn't totally hate Flamin' Hot Mountain Dew. Steven thought it's like whiskey without getting drunk! We talk about character generation in Travellers. Ben's character in Travellers is named Bucket "Buck" Hahn. Very well educated. The hosts reminisce about playing Fiasco, an amazing DM-less RPG. Devon's rewatching the original Quantum Leap. Is ye olde Quantum Leap now called "The Original Series?" or "The First Leap?" In TOS, was Hikaru Sulu originally an Astrobotanist or a Physicist? Answer: He was Head of the Physics Dept. They gave Pavel Chekov the Monkees haircut originally for sex appeal. Are the people making Lower Decks super horny? Towels and underwear and sex everywhere. "We got an ancient mask situation over here!" Not a new thing on Star Trek. "Bonks" are where humans used to keep their money. Devon and Steven get way into the ethics of holodecks. Ben brings the popcorn. Devon and Steven use a lot of euphemisms for sex in the episode. Post-show for our Patreon-only crew: |
Wed, 14 September 2022
This episode contains: Why is Ben under the weather? Why does Devon think he can play full court basketball? Why doesn't Steven talk about his vacation? https://www.amazon.com/Millies-Natural-Organic-Gluten-Free-Vegetable/dp/B075JQRZ34/ Wheels Driving Around My Brain, Driving Me Insane: Bridgestone has put more than $100M into eco-tires made of shrubs. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum) is better than typical petroleum-based rubber. We're super excited about this, because no matter what powers your car, it's gotta have wheels. It wasn't me!: Stone age surgery: Earliest evidence of amputation found. There was a successful leg amputation 31,000 years ago. Oh, and Australian scientists like to pull pranks, apparently. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220909160834.htm Science Fiction: Steven breaks down the first episode of the sixth season of Rick and Morty. Ben tells us all about the 856th episode of Star Trek, which is an episode of Lower Decks. Devon takes a deep, deep breath and talks about his re-watch of Star Trek The Original Series. Oh man, is he excited about it. We even plan a bonus episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D9c3bY2UrA Rick and Morty S6E1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qikSy3oGE6I Lower Decks intro comparison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/These_Are_the_Voyages_(book_series) |
Wed, 7 September 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben are doing okay despite the current heatwave. Ben introduces the grandfather paradox to his son while Steven worries about his chickens. Now, science!
Smell Ya Later!: Scent of a friend: Similarities in body odor may contribute to social bonding. An electronic nose relying on body odor chemistry may predict whether we are likely to 'click' with a stranger. Researchers have found that people may have a tendency to form friendships with individuals who have a similar body odor. The researchers were even able to predict the quality of social interactions between complete strangers by first 'smelling' them with a device known as an electronic nose, or eNose. These findings suggest that the sense of smell may play a larger role in human social interactions than previously thought. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220627125010.htm Double Meat Burgers: How sustainable are fake meats? Checking whether plant-based burgers may have lighter environmental footprints. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09/how-sustainable-are-fake-meats/ Science Fiction: We discuss: Lower Decks, The Sandman, See, She-Hulk, House of the Dragon, and Rings of Power. The brevity of these notes brought to you by: sick Devon.
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Wed, 31 August 2022
This episode contains: Ben Lawless here to talk about the 4,747 ep of Star Trek... NOPE! Not this time! An episode with just Devon and Steven. Ben's out cause he was tired. Waah-waah. Apparently American Standard Toilets have a 3-inch hole. That's news to Devon. Devon & Steven have been fixing house stuff, flinging $%^* across the bathroom. Bob Villa was a real guy, Steven. He also was Tim's nemesis on Home Improvement. We're not the DIY House Podcast. This is a podcast about science & science fiction. Aw, Trippy, Man: Man's Digits Turn Blue Due To Rare Side Effect Of Heavy Cannabis Use. Cannabis arteritis causes necrosis after heavy cannabis use, but is very rare. There's been only 50 cases between 1960 and 2008. If you start getting gangrenous fingers, consider stopping using cannabis. https://www.iflscience.com/mans-digits-turn-blue-due-to-rare-side-effect-of-heavy-cannabis-use-65022 Existential Crises: Risk of volcano catastrophe 'a roll of the dice', say experts. Nice use of dice rolling sound effects by Steven. Forget asteroid collision. You may die from a large volcanic eruption. The world is unprepared. There is a Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge. Whoa. The CSER says we have been underestimating the risk of volcano eruptions. 1815 was the year without summer, after a magnitude 7 eruption in Indonesia. Just another thing to add to your list of existential crises to worry about. Volcanic Devastation is still a pretty cool band name. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220817135557.htm Science Fiction: Still just Steven and Devon during the science fiction portion. House of the Dragon seems like a good mix of early and latter Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon is an adaptation of a book with unreliable narrators and has a narrower focus than Game of Thrones, to it's benefit. The Sandman is high concept weird stuff, but SOOO GOOD. Steven says Devon would love The Sandman just for the visuals, and so would you. Why can't She-Hulk look as good as The Sandman? Is She-Hulk just a cameo show? There's something missing. Devon liked Pam & Tommy on Hulu, with Lily James, Sebastian Stan & Seth Rogen. Somehow, Devon's on a real Home Improvement kick this episode. Will Ben ever forgive us for talking about Star Trek without him? Boimler works at a raisin vineyard?! Star Trek Lower Decks has amazing writing. Rick and Morty is returning soon! Devon enjoyed rewatching the last 2 seasons. Devon says Beavis & Butthead Do The Universe is... not bad? Devon is really enjoying Little Demon on FX, with Danny DeVito and Aubrey Plaza. Steven and Devon don't know how to end the show without Ben there. |
Wed, 24 August 2022
This episode contains: We gather in the morning this week, have a cup of coffee and discuss our lives. Ben's house is being destroyed on purpose, Devon languishes about Chuck E Cheese and their non-ticket tickets and Steven is less full of hate...but time will tell. Here in my car, I feel safest of all: Physical buttons outperform touchscreens in new cars, test finds. Tests were performed to pit touch screens against physical buttons while driving. Spoilers: physical buttons appear to be safer. https://www.vibilagare.se/nyheter/physical-buttons-outperform-touchscreens-new-cars-test-finds Beliefs?: We talk about why belief in conspiracies is sometimes adaptive and logical. Belief in conspiracies may be justified and adaptive in war, occupation or colonialism but maladaptive in times of prosperity and peace. Biologically speaking: Scientists change blood type of kidney, offering new hope for thousands of transplants. If the wrong blood markers enter our systems, they'll be attacked by our natural defense mechanisms. Using a normothermic perfusion machine, an enzyme snipped away markers that defined the kidney's blood type. So cool. Science Fiction: Devon talks to us about finally watching Prey. We talk a bit about our likes and dislikes, but we generally recommend it. Devon also watched Predator 2... and we also talk about our likes and dislikes but can't really recommend it. Devon laments watching Alien too young. Ben tells us some Picard season 3 news, and brings a whole bunch of hope. We have a general chat about the state of Trek, old vs. new and also Spock casting. Steven HAS to talk about She-Hulk, and while he can't really recommed it yet, the series does show promise, to the initiated. It won't change anyone's mind. Ben ends the episode talking about I Am Groot and the darkness hiding within Groot. |
Wed, 17 August 2022
This episode contains: Devon’s back so we have a full house on this ep. Steven is not in the best of moods, Devon is just chillin’ and Ben is not comfortable with where this podcast is going. Devon tells us about his recent trip to Maine and rock climbing. Ben and Devon also compare their track balls. Does it still whip the llama's posterior?: Winamp, the best MP3 player of the 1990s, just got a major update. 5.9 RC1 Build 1999 focuses on modernizing Winamp's foundation for more features. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/winamp-of-all-things-gets-its-first-update-in-4-years/ Yucky Batteries: The bacteria powering a truly green revolution in personal electronics. Team engineers biofilm capable of producing long-term, continuous electricity from your sweat. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220802153311.htm Science Fiction: We discuss the new season of Bluey, briefly. Devon then gives us his review of this season of the Orville (mostly positive). Devon was going to watch Prey but decided to just watch the Red Letter Media review instead. Steven is not happy about this. Steven tells us about Paper Girls and we discuss the conclusion of season 3 of For All Mankind. |
Wed, 10 August 2022
This episode contains: A 9 year old trash-talked Ben's Mario Kart skills. Steven went to a climbing gym with his daughter and he's still alive! The auto-belay is an awesome piece of rock climbing tech. Belaying is just Batman-ing in reverse. Mechanical advantage: A 'nano-robot' built entirely from DNA to explore cell processes. Did Yoda write this article? How cool is DNA? It's the coolest. 1 piconewton is a trillionth of a Newton: the force of a finger clicking a pen. Steven can't find a clicky pen to save his life. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220728075911.htm Here's one for all the kids who set the toy aside to play with the box it came in: DIY Tinycade aims to bring Alt Ctrl games to the masses. Make your own game controllers with items you can find in a grocery store. Love Nintendo Labo but don't want to spend $70 USD? Check out Tinycade. The controller makes the game, dictates how you interact with it. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/08/make-your-own-cardboard-diy-arcade-games-with-tinycade/ Science Fiction: Steven thinks Lightyear was weird, but super good and enjoyable. Buzz is a broken man, his friends growing beyond his mistakes. Ben watched Rambo, Alien and Terminator way too young. Does Ben's therapist listen to our show? She could take good notes. We talk about Prey, originally titled "Eat Prey Love", the Predator prequel. Spoiler alert: Prey is about the Predator hunting things. Beautifully shot. We wonder what Devon will complain about regarding Prey. Ben loved The Wilds Season 2, but the cliffhanger was meh. Bummer it's canceled. Do a graphic novel or an audio drama to end The Wilds, please and thank you. Turns out episode 9 of For All Mankind season 3 was not the finale. Huh. Danny went through so many emotions in 5 seconds when he wasn't blamed for the Martian drilling accident. Can For All Mankind season 3 end progressive? A gay POTUS should be celebrated. Filming has begun on Furiosa! We're stoked. |
Wed, 3 August 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Ben rule supreme this episode. Ben walks us through birthday twins and Steven talks about rolling 2D6, whatever that means. Ben also talks about some games he's been playing while recoving from some very minor surgery. Oh and we look at some Webb telescope images and compare them to Hubble. https://www.webbcompare.com/index.html Oh god, oh god why?!: Researchers turn dead spiders into 'necrobotic' grippers. Spiders don't have bones and muscles, but hydraulics and blood, and when that blood is replaced (via scientist) with air, the legs become grippers. It's a whole thing, and you probably shouldn't watch the video. https://www.cnet.com/science/biology/researchers-turn-dead-spiders-into-necrobotic-grippers/ Blue moon, I saw you standing alone: UCLA scientists discover places on the moon where it’s always 'sweater weather'. People could potentially live and work in lunar pits and caves with steady temperatures in the low 60s. We talk about the possibilities of living on the moon in these temperate pits. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/places-on-moon-where-its-always-sweater-weather Science Fiction: We talk about Nichelle Nichols and her lifetime achievements. Ben thinks season 3 of Picard looks good. Steven spoils/spills the beans on the Fallout tv show. Ben gives us some details on the second season of Babylon 5. Steven tells us all about Paper Girls. Ben has really enjoyed the second season of The Wilds. Of course we talk about the latest episode of For All Mankind, The Sands of Ares. |
Thu, 28 July 2022
This episode contains: Steven and Devon have been playing D&D. Ben’s son has discovered his love for the ocean. Devon is home alone and is dealing with a multi-week long ear infection. We discuss the Google researcher who was fired for claiming Google has achieved AI. https://www.engadget.com/blake-lemoide-fired-google-lamda-sentient-001746197.html Robot Overlords: Robot dog learns to walk in one hour. Like a newborn animal, a four-legged robot stumbles around during its first walking attempts. But while a foal or a giraffe needs much longer to master walking, the robot learns to move forward fluently in just one hour. A computer program acts as the artificial presentation of the animal's spinal cord, and learns to optimize the robot's movement in a short time. The artificial neural network is not yet ideally adjusted at the beginning, but rapidly self-adjusts. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220718122229.htm This Week in Space: The inner solar system spins much more slowly than it should. Now, scientists may know why. The researchers used computer models to simulate an accretion disk of 1,000 charged particles colliding with 40,000 neutral particles in magnetic and gravitational fields. They found that the interaction between the neutral atoms and a much smaller number of charged particles results in positively charged ions, or cations, spiraling inward and negatively charged particles, or electrons, moving outward toward the edge of the accretion disk. Meanwhile, the neutral particles lose angular momentum and spiral inward to the center. Science-Fiction: We discuss For All Mankind, The Orville, Marvel Phase 5 and 6 reveals and Star Trek announcements at the San Diego Comic-Con and more! |
Wed, 20 July 2022
This episode contains: Asheville, NC is called The San Francisco of Tennessee. Devon ventures into the Biggest Bass Pro Shop, a pyramid in Memphis. Steven isn't going if there's no LEGO store. Ben's kid and Steven's kid are both going to the same summer camp. AWKWARD. Ben got a wetsuit and has been boogie boarding, lots of happy endorphins. Steven doesn't get a "runner's high." He gets cranky, tired and angry. DO NOT SWIM IN THE ALGAL BLOOM. Do NOT let your kid play in it! Maybe today you could put the past away: New ‘988’ mental health crisis hotline launches Saturday. Dial 988 for mental health help. No busy signal, no hold. Just help. Mental health crisis calls shouldn't go to 911. Use 988 instead. Text too. Local mental health help is far better than nationwide help. 988 replaces the old National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/15/23219962/988-mental-health-crisis-suicide-hotline-lifeline Monkeying around: Monkeypox Is Continuing to Surge Across the U.S. https://gizmodo.com/monkeypox-is-continuing-to-surge-across-the-u-s-1849183213 The most amazing thing that happened all week: First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b MAY HAVE H20 WATER!!! Thanks Webb Telescope! https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages Science Fiction: Steven wasn't as into Ms. Marvel as Ben. Of course Ben loved it. He's a child. Marvel is taking their time getting to the X-Men in the MCU. Ben schools Steven on proper pronunciation of characters in the MCU. Who cares? Ben tries to convince Devon to watch Ms. Marvel using reverse psychology. A spoiler-filled discussion of Thor: Love and Thunder this week. "Thor: Love and Thunder was a decent, if janky movie." - Steven. There's a good edit of Thor: Love and Thunder, but it's not in theaters. We talk about New Eden, the 6th episode of For All Mankind. Remember when Danielle and the Soviet commander wrestled to be first on Mars? The kerfuffle about the astronaut who comes out on Mars is super interesting. |
Wed, 13 July 2022
This episode contains: Join Steven and Ben this week but not Devon, who is on vacation. We chat a bit about dad stuff and video games w/ the kids. Steven has gotten back into 3D printing. Ben wants a better way to sort his games on Humble Bundle. Never Swallow the Dentic: Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth. We chat about magnetic fields to direct the motion of a robotic microswarm. Then we detour and talk about our own dental hygene and health. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220705194142.htm Man's Best Friend: Ice Age wolf DNA reveals dogs trace ancestry to two separate wolf populations. We chat about when and where wolves were domesticated and how we know that. And we reiterate: we do not deserve dogs. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220629121135.htm Science Fiction: Steven didn't do his Star Trek homework, as always, Ben picks up the slack and talks about the season finale to Star Trek Strange New Worlds. This is a spoiler filled chat, so beware. Steven talks about Stranger Things season 4, and rounds out something that he thought worked really well. We also touch on The Boys but not enough, so tune in next week.
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Wed, 6 July 2022
This episode contains: Best friend of the show Matt was mauled by a dog, so Ben took him to the ER. A WILD STORY. "They don't give ice cream in the ER?" asks Devon. Shout out to team "Dad Bod" on season 2 of Floor Is Lava. Get new shirts guys. There are no words: People are getting explosive gastroenteritis at the Grand Canyon. Amazing story full of poop jokes about the Grand Canyon by Beth Mole for Ars Technica. Thanks for the chuckles and the coverage of norovirus, Beth! Turns out if you vomit at the Grand Canyon, you gotta take it out with you. Steven isn't impressed by erosion, but Ben loved seeing the Grand Canyon. This week in space: Surprise solar storm with 'disruptive potential' slams into Earth. A G1-class solar storm hit earth at 1.57 M miles per hour on 6/25, disrupting satellites and creating strong auroras as south as Oregon. Possibly unrelated: there was a giant sunspot in June, 2.5 times the size of earth. How do EMPs make electronics turn off? We'll look it up later. https://www.livescience.com/surprise-solar-storm-hits-earth Science Fiction: Need a Lola 3D printed from Kenobi? Renee found it for us on Thingiverse. We suggest a few kid-friendly podcasts instead of our show. For All Mankind episode three was exactly what Ben wanted from the show. On Patreon-only: Ben sings the Skype song mashed up with A-Team theme. Book recommendations for roadtrips, Devon's noises, blinking and all about Memphis. |
Wed, 29 June 2022
This episode contains: We get together on a Sunday to discuss how our weekends are going. Devon had a pool party and Ben is sick. Steven celebrated his kid’s birthday. Anyway, science: Big Fish, Small Pond: New bacterium roughly the size, shape of an eyelash smashes size record. The discovery greatly expands the scope of known microbial diversity. This Week In Space: Scientists release first analysis of rocks plucked from speeding asteroid. Samples from asteroid Ryugu suggest it's leftover from formation of the Sun billions of years ago. Scientists have now begun to announce the first results from the analysis of a handful of dirt that Hayabusa2 managed to scoop off the surface of a speeding asteroid. What they found suggests that this asteroid is a piece of the same stuff that coalesced into our sun four-and-a-half billion years ago. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220609195011.htm Science Fiction: We discuss the final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ben gives us his review of Lightyear, Devon gives his review of this season of The Boys, and more! |
Wed, 22 June 2022
This episode contains: We have a full on dadcast this week. We talk about our respective Father's Days and then Ben talks about linux for a while. You know that old friend who always got you in trouble...: The ghost of Internet Explorer will haunt the web for years. Internet Explorer is finally retired. We talk about why it stuck around for so long, and how it's maiming the internet. https://www.wired.com/story/internet-explorer-dead-security-risks/ This Week in Space: NASA Insists All Is Well as the Webb Telescope's Mirror Gets Dinged. The Webb Space Telescope has taken damage but it should still be okay because of the forward thinking designs of it's creators. https://time.com/6188507/webb-telescope-mirror-damage-nasa/ Science Fiction: Steven gives his review and spoiler filled rendition of Jurassic World Dominion. He gets into the weeds and doesn't really get out. We chat about the first two episode of the third season of For All Mankind. We're split on how the show is doing post Ronald D. Moore. Steven asks Devon about Top Gun Maverick and Devon talks more that he has in the past 5 episodes combined. Oh boy does he like Top Gun. We round out the episode with Ben giving us his review and recommendation of Calls, the Apple TV award winning original. |
Wed, 15 June 2022
This episode contains: Extra Super Special Guest Tim Barnes joins Ben and Steven this episode. While he's here to push his new show Maurice on Mars on Comedy Central, we talk about a ton of stuff he's done, like writing for Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, the new All That on Nickelodeon and also Warped! (Not to mention his podcast Yub Nub where he talks Star Wars with his co-hosts.) Lend Me Some Sugar, I Am Your Neighbor: NASA plans to get Ingenuity through the Martian winter. We talk about just how cold it gets on mars and how that will affect Ingenuity. https://www.wired.com/story/nasas-plan-to-get-ingenuity-through-the-martian-winter/ Robot Overlords: Google engineer put on leave after saying AI chatbot has become sentient. A Google employee thinks that their AI has the ability to express thoughts and feelings equivalent to a human child. We talk about some of the stuff the AI chatbot said, and the ramifications of creating true AI. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/12/google-engineer-ai-bot-sentient-blake-lemoine Science Fiction: Tim Barnes tells us all about Maurice on Mars, the animated show he wrote and does voice work for. We talk about it's creation, influences, and about how quickly history can be erased. Then it's on to Episode 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi! Steven does a recap and everyone else has to listen. Ben give us the low-down on Strange New Worlds and another classically animated Trek, this time tackling Voyager. https://trekmovie.com/2022/06/12/watch-star-trek-voyager-in-the-style-of-the-animated-series-creator-interview/ Don't forget to click these links! Tim Barnes: https://www.timbarnescomedy.com/ Maurice On Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju1jaIzmEZw&t=9s Uncertain Life: https://www.uncertainlifecomic.com/ Yub Nub Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yub-nub/id1544376247 |
Fri, 10 June 2022
This episode cotnains: We make episode 404 and didn't make a FILE NOT FOUND joke. FAIL. Ben finds podracing engines at an airplane museum. A new droid in Galaxy's Edge!? Steven's got the scoop on the C units. Did you know Chopper was cursing a bunch in Star Wars Rebels? Check out the newest ice cream flavor: The Wrath of P'Khan! In the immortal words of Outkast: What’s cooler than being cool? Researchers Made Ultracold Quantum Bubbles on the Space Station. Scientists have produced tiny bubbles of extremely cold gas atoms on the ISS. NASA is able to take quantum paradoxes and make them visible to the naked eye. When rubidium cools to absolute zero, they become a new state of matter. Steven doesn't believe that the Magnetic Fields are a band. Is Baby Universe a really cool indie band? We don't look it up. https://www.wired.com/story/researchers-made-ultracold-quantum-bubbles-on-the-space-station/ Take that, pig! Confused Cops Stop Driverless Car. San Francisco police pulled over a driverless car, but didn't file a citation. Give us driverless cars? Yes please! What kind of license is necessary for a driverless car? Most driverless car errors are actually human errors. If our roads were suddenly filled with driverless cars, it'd be super safe. https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2022/04/14/confused-cops-stop-driverless-car/ Science Fiction: Steven does a light review of the first episode of season 2 of The Wilds. Stranger Things Season 4 Part 1 has been super good. The first episode of The Orville: New Horizons could have cut 25 minutes. Let's talk about the 848th episode of Star Trek. Spock Amok! It was great! Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part III spoilers this episode and whoo-ee, this was great. James Earl Jones was Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part III, but got help. Steven gets excited about the glow and reflection off lightsabers. Patreon-only content: Extreme parenting! Ben's designed 65 books since 2005. Heteronormativity in The Power of Now. The rituals we use to get to sleep. Dot-matrix printers and zen. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. Space Boy! |
Wed, 1 June 2022
This episode contains: All three amigos are present this episode. Devon talks about his birthday, and Ben and Steven had a BBQ. Welcome to summer, I guess. Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Haptics Device Creates Realistic Virtual Textures. USC Viterbi computer scientists have created a user-driven haptics method. We talk about potential uses. https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/05/virtual-textures-i-cant-believe-its-not-wood/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220521093332.htm A Few Centuries Ago in Space: Rare Book From 1698 Reveals Belief In Extraterrestrial Life On Saturn And Jupiter. We talk about how Christiaan Huygens used logic of the time to figure out what alien life could be like. Science Fiction: We talk about the first two episodes of the Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's filled with spoilers, so beware. We also talk about how the show Ahsoka is pretty much going to be live action Rebels. We then chat about the episode Momento Mori from Star Trek Strange New World, and the Gorn. We wrap things with talking about Love Death and Robots episodes and what we liked. Oh that Jibaro is amazing. |
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