Episode 560: Rat Hustlers

Real Life

Things kicked off with stories from Friday night’s bonfire, where the nature of reality was hotly debated between toasted marshmallows. That conversation somehow spiraled into a serious (and slightly absurd) discussion about Noodles and Soba—Ben’s son’s pet rats—and the potential benefits of getting female rats fixed. Apparently, doing so can add about a year to their lifespan by preventing reproductive cancers, but the surgery’s cost is a tough sell when you’re in what Ben called “debt paydown mode.” Devon floated the idea of unscrupulous “rat hustlers” faking the procedure, which—frankly—feels like a dark Netflix documentary waiting to happen.

From there, it was a short hop to a conversation about whether rats lay eggs (they don’t), Jurassic Park’s “life finds a way,” and then straight into tearing apart Gremlins logic. What even is “midnight,” anyway? Local time? Greenwich Mean? Galactic zenith? And why are we trusting a kid instead of the old shopkeeper? Gremlins may now officially live in the “science fantasy/biological fiction” corner of the canon.

Saturday brought gaming with their friend Greg. They played Relic Blade, where Devon managed to escort a yak to safety despite Steven’s attempts at sabotage. Greg used a clever trick involving a D20 and gravity to determine movement direction, which frankly should be in the rulebook. They also played Marvel Dice Throne, where Devon’s Wolverine got obliterated almost immediately thanks to poor positioning and cruel dice. Then came Living Well, a minimalist dice game with retro 70s-style art and some satisfying ability upgrades. Plans to play Arcs got shelved after a medical emergency—Nicole was hit hard by the heat and ended up needing CPR at the hospital (despite having a pulse and breathing, which… yeah, it was a weird night). She's recovering now.

Future or Now

TV-wise, the gang wrapped up Season 4 of Love, Death & Robots—with highlights including a talking cat, an occult bomber mission, and gang warfare against colossal babies. Over on Amazon Prime, they watched the Secret Level take on Pac-Man, which was surprisingly grim and humanoid-heavy. Ben and his son also dove into Scott Pilgrim territory, rewatching the movie and starting Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which quickly turns into a clever alternate universe story that’s fun, stylish, and charming enough to inspire a trip through the graphic novels. Ben gave a thumbs-up to the newest season of Black Mirror, calling one episode a bit conceptually broken but championing another as a "new Callister."

Book Club

In Book Club, the crew dug into “Liking What You See: A Documentary” by Ted Chiang, from Stories of Your Life and Others. Framed as a mockumentary, the story centers on Caliagnosia—a reversible condition that disables facial beauty perception. The ethical and social ramifications are explored through interviews and propaganda, making the story feel eerily real. It raises questions about freedom, superficiality, advertising, and the influence of unseen tech on our minds. Tamara’s personal journey through switching Cali off and on again added a human element to the philosophical questions. Everyone agreed: it was a banger of a story.

Next up for Book Club: the first three chapters of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. Get reading!