Episode 503: WHO’S YOUR DADDY? Mando’s your daddy!
Science Faction Podcast
This episode contains: These three fools are back at it this week. Steven’s had a rough go with little sleep, and he really enjoys the new videogame Manor Lords (are those two things related?). Ben’s super excited to play the new Venice course in Walkabout Minigolf. All we can say is “Good Job, Mighty Coconut!” Devon’s had a rough go of it too, what with dealing with extended family staying at his house. There’s also been car troubles. TEST THE BATTERY! FIX THE GARAGE DOOR! GET IN THE CHOPPA! Steven had a different experience this week: he attended the DisneyLand Star Wars night...
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Episode 502: Remember It
Science Faction Podcast
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...
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Episode 501: Welcome to Human Talk with These Idiots
Science Faction Podcast
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...
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Episode 500: The Path of Totality
Science Faction Podcast
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...
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Episode 499: Binary Choices Only
Science Faction Podcast
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...
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Episode 498: The Problem is PEOPLE
Science Faction Podcast
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. ...
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Episode 497: Slow Down for Treknobabble
Science Faction Podcast
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. Ben played Cocoon on Xbox Game Pass. 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...
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Episode 496: True Lies Logic
Science Faction Podcast
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...
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Episode 495: A Red Flag for Humanity
Science Faction Podcast
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. 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. Brain...
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Episode 494: It's Crisis Time
Science Faction Podcast
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...” Ben reminds us at the phone should be the tool, not you. Ben is having an Obsidian Obsession. Steven recommends Pacific Drive, which has big Half Life 2 vibes. We also talk about the live action Avatar on Netflix....
info_outlineThis 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.