Episode 606: Deterioration Starts At 30
Science Faction Podcast
This week’s episode has a little bit of everything—local politics, a suspicious number of Star Trek–named kittens, some genuinely cool green tech, and a short story that hits you with an existential haymaker. Real Life Devon’s in a “life is… fine” zone, which is either stability or the calm before chaos—we’ll let you decide. That leads into a surprisingly interesting question: does a mayor’s party affiliation actually matter at the local level? Texas elections are happening right now, and it sparks a broader conversation about how much politics really trickles down...
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Episode 605: Pop Culture in Spaaaaaace
Science Faction Podcast
This week’s episode leans a little more literary than usual—less breaking news, more storytelling, and a surprisingly thoughtful mix of sci-fi, horror, and real-world weirdness. Real Life Ben kicks things off by consciously shifting gears—less doomscrolling, more reading. A noble goal, and honestly, one that might save his sanity. That theme carries through the episode more than expected. Steven brings in the tabletop energy with , diving into a recent session with Greg. Not only did he get some solid playtime in, he actually won—a rare enough event to deserve celebration. He breaks...
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Episode 604: Illusions and Enlightenments
Science Faction Podcast
This week’s episode drifts from real-life chaos into full-on simulation theory territory—because apparently that’s just how things go now. Real Life Ben’s week kicks off with a perfect storm: his mom’s in town, the power steering pump dies, and suddenly he’s asking the very real question—is it finally time to go electric? In the middle of all that, he stumbles across 1D Chess (), which somehow takes chess, removes a dimension, and still manages to be confusing. Devon spent the week getting absolutely wrecked by a mystery illness that took out the whole family. Not COVID, not the...
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Episode 603: We Broke the Episode
Science Faction Podcast
Special Note: This episode fought us. Hard. There was some extreme editing required, and yeah—you might notice a slight dip in quality. We hear it too. But we’re owning it, learning from it, and making sure it doesn’t happen again. Appreciate you sticking with us through the chaos. Real Life Ben kicks things off with a classic combo: in-laws, tacos, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. Somewhere in the middle of that, he also put together a wild Spider-Man 3 edit with a Twilight Zone twist—honestly, it’s worth your time: Steven’s house has officially entered a...
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Episode 602: Artemis II and the AI Art Problem
Science Faction Podcast
This week’s episode kicks off exactly how you’d expect: a mix of chaos, parenting wins (and losses), and just enough sci-fi to keep things on-brand. Real Life Devon’s been deep in the thick of family life—birthday parties, Easter egg hunts, and a firm stance on “No Kings in Texas,” which is either a political statement or just a man trying to maintain order in a house full of sugar-fueled children. Either way, it’s survival mode with style. Ben’s living that logistical nightmare we all eventually face: coordinating kids’ events, managing shifting social zones, and navigating...
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Episode 601: Thank You, Flea!
Science Faction Podcast
This week we bounce from toy-filled offices and pirate obsessions into brain-powered computers and philosophical robot chaos—before wrapping things up with a very French film discussion and next week’s Book Club pick. Real Life Devon kicks things off by giving some Texans a tour of his office—which, unsurprisingly, is packed with what can only be described as adult toys. Naturally, this spirals into a broader conversation about how we’re all just kids with slightly more expensive hobbies. No shame there. Ben brings us into the world of VR with Walkabout Mini Golf’s Hollywood course...
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Episode 600: Almost Shakespearean
Science Faction Podcast
This week we bounce from the eternal debate over pie superiority (and some truly questionable anti-pie opinions) into sci-fi revivals, strange travel stories, and the art of a good ending—before closing things out with a genuinely unsettling short story that may or may not leave you side-eyeing your bathroom forever. Real Life We kick things off with the most important topic we’ve ever covered: pie. Favorites, non-favorites, and a few takes that might genuinely damage friendships. No spoilers—but some of us have very strong opinions. Ben brings a little sci-fi hope (and caution) with...
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Episode 599: Devon Sold a Guitar for THIS?
Science Faction Podcast
Real Life This week’s episode begins the way many of our weeks began: confused, slightly annoyed, and one hour short on sleep thanks to the time change. Ben kicks things off by voicing what everyone is feeling — daylight saving time is rough. Losing an hour never gets easier, and the collective fog hangs over the whole episode like a mild but persistent headache. Devon isn’t exactly escaping the chaos either. Between a hockey game down in Louisiana and spring break activities with the kids, his schedule is all over the place. Add the time shift on top of that and it’s a miracle anyone...
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Episode 598: The Twenty Year Window
Science Faction Podcast
This week we bounce from weddings with questionable video evidence to universal vaccines, rogue dubstep artists named after shingles shots, and a time-loop story that left us… conflicted. Let’s get into it. Real Life Ben officiated a wedding. It was beautiful. It was meaningful. It was legally binding. There may or may not be video proof. Somewhere, there’s a phone with 3% battery and a shaky clip of vows. Or maybe not. Either way, two people are married and that’s what counts. If you’re going to officiate a wedding, here’s the lesson: double-check the recording situation. Memory...
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Episode 597: Yautja, Genetics and You
Science Faction Podcast
) and Tyler Elliott (), both of whom absolutely delivered. Tight pacing, sharp jokes, and the kind of live energy that reminds you comedy hits different when you’re in the room instead of watching clips online. Steven, meanwhile, has been locked into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and is fully endorsing it. Strong characters, grounded storytelling, and that classic slow-burn worldbuilding that rewards patience. On the tabletop side, his MCC game took a brutal turn when a player character died — goodbye Plank the Plantient. A true legend. A photosynthetic casualty. The kind of loss that...
info_outlineThis week’s episode had everything: halftime show skepticism, aquatic conspiracy theories, holographic ethics, and a little too much time in the Wasteland. We may have skipped science again… but we made up for it with sharks and Starfleet.
Real Life
Devon: Safe Bets and Stadium Spectacles
Devon kicked things off with the Super Bowl halftime show — Green Day and Bad Bunny sharing the stage. The big question: was Green Day the safe choice?
Are legacy punk bands the NFL’s version of comfort food? Reliable. Recognizable. Not too disruptive. Devon wrestles with whether the performance felt bold or carefully calculated — and what that says about the league’s broader decision-making.
It’s less about music and more about cultural positioning. When the biggest stage in America picks its soundtrack, what are they really trying to say?
Ben: Jaws, Mayors, and Weresharks
Ben watched Jaws with his son, and instead of simply enjoying the terror of a seaside predator, he zeroed in on the real villain:
The mayor.
What exactly is going on with this guy?
Ben proposes several theories:
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Is the mayor the shark?
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Is the shark a metaphor?
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Is this some kind of Ice Nine Kills-style symbolic horror?
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Or… is the mayor secretly a wereshark?
The conversation spirals in the best way possible. Spoiler alert: they don’t get a bigger boat.
Ben also makes a strong case that Starfleet Academy is not for everyone — but it is for him. That leads to a deep dive into holograms in Star Trek. Some holograms are “hard light” and physically interactive. The Doctor in Voyager was designed for short-term use… and then just kept going. What does that mean philosophically? Legally? Spiritually?
And somewhere in there, Ben cautiously circles around the fate of Captain Sisko.
Steven: Fallout Season 2 — A Love Letter or a Stall?
Steven brings us back to the Wasteland with thoughts on the Fallout Season 2 finale.
Devon, generally, is not thrilled. The season lacked momentum. The pacing felt uneven. Something didn’t quite land.
Steven counters with a structural theory:
The three main characters represent different player archetypes. Different play styles. Different moral approaches to the same broken world.
He also notes something important: there were a lot of Easter eggs. A LOT. For longtime game veterans, it was a treasure hunt. For casual viewers? Probably noise.
Steven’s bigger hypothesis:
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Season 1: Establish the world and characters.
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Season 2: The creators indulge in their favorite corners of the setting.
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Season 3: (Hopefully) we move into entirely new territory not tied to a specific game.
If that happens, the show might finally become its own thing.
Future or Now
There was, once again, too much Fallout talk.
Science gets skipped.
Again.
We promise nothing for next week.
Book Club
Next Week:
“Liar!” by Isaac Asimov
Read it here:
https://lecturia.org/en/short-stories/isaac-asimov-liar/23933/
Classic Asimov. Robots. Logic. Emotional complications. You know the drill.
This Week:
“The Orchard Village Catalog” by Parker Peevyhouse
https://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fiction/the-orchard-village-catalog/
Reactions were mixed — but thoughtful.
Ben: Loved the realistic corporate nonsense. Found it creepy and fascinating.
Devon: Felt it might be too open-ended, but still enjoyed it.
Steven: Didn’t fully “get it,” but appreciated the quality of the writing.
Which, honestly, is sometimes the best kind of sci-fi discussion — confusion paired with admiration.
Between halftime show politics, aquatic conspiracies, holographic sentience, and post-apocalyptic pacing debates, this episode covered a lot of ground.
If you’ve got thoughts on safe Super Bowl picks, weresharks, or where Fallout should go next, we want to hear them.
And maybe next week… we’ll finally talk about science.