Science Faction Podcast

A science and science fiction based podcast hosted by two high school friends, and two college friends. Listen and learn and geek out. In this podcast, science meets fact, meets fiction.

Episode 584: Inheriting the Atom Bomb 11/19/2025

Episode 584: Inheriting the Atom Bomb This Week on the Pod: Rain, Parades, Hive Minds, and… Ben’s Brain for Rent? This week’s episode opens with a very rainy round of real-life updates. Ben has been slammed with work and declares—formally, officially, irrevocably—that poetry is better than parades. (He is fully prepared to defend this position.) Meanwhile, Steven reports that the local parade and festival still happened despite the rain, because sometimes community spirit just refuses to check the weather. And Devon? He keeps forgetting that he’s technically a Texan now, which raises several questions about residency, identity, and barbecue obligations. But the week wasn’t all jokes—Ben also shared the sad news that Orion has passed. He was a very good boy, and the pod raises a collective toast. Ben’s been spending time catching up on life, trying to relearn what “rest” even means, and also casually dropping the bomb that Affinity is now free. (Yes, really—go see for yourself at .) And while you're browsing, you can apparently rent Ben’s actual mind at , which sounds like a threat but is, in fact, a service. Steven also let us know that the is out, so it’s time to emotionally prepare for more post-apocalyptic chaos. Future or Now: Tylenol, Autism, and the Psychology of Hive Minds Devon kicks off this segment with actual real science: new research shows no clear link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and autism, which is a big deal considering how long that concern has been floating around. (Links to and the included in the show notes for the skeptics and science nerds.) Then we collectively decide: yes, we need to talk about Plur1bus. And we go deep. This is a full-spoiler discussion, so skip ahead if you’re still watching. We cover everything—from the protagonist who’s also the antagonist, to the messy moral math of a hive mind, to Devon’s incredibly passionate speech about wanting to understand hive-mind psychology. Steven brings up that Internet-as-proto-hivemind theory, and Ben drops several very good points as per tradition. If you want episode breakdowns, the has everything laid out neatly and also serves as a reminder that this show is way smarter than any of us expected when we hit “play.” Book Club (Sort Of) We skipped Book Club this week because there was simply too much Plur1bus to process. Next week: We’re reading City Grown From Seed by Diana Dima. Content warning: domestic violence / domestic abuse. You can read it for free on . /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/39098895

Episode 583: Trickle Down Electronics 11/12/2025

Episode 583: Trickle Down Electronics Real Life It’s another week of real life, questionable decisions, and sci-fi tangents. Does Devon Even Like Being on the Show? We ask the question no one dared to before—and yes, Devon does like being here. Just… maybe not for the reasons you think. Ben’s Apology Tour Continues Ben kicks things off with an immediate apology for this podcast. Again. But he makes up for it by diving into Apple TV’s The Big Door Prize ()—a show full of mysteries, midlife crises, and a machine that tells you your true potential. He’s also been watching Zen for Nothing and Piece by Piece, and we learn something shocking: Steven hates LEGO. Steven’s Space Drama Speaking of Steven, he’s wrestling with another defeat in Shatterpoint (at the hands of Christina’s husband, again), and somehow this leads to him buying a Camtono. Why does he have one? No one knows. But we do get a heated debate about the LEGO Enterprise and whether Ensign Ro or Tasha Yar had the raw deal in Star Trek. Devon’s Hive-Mind Obsession Devon’s been watching Plur1bus on Apple TV and can’t stop talking about how eerily well it captures collective consciousness. For a guy who insists he’s an individual, he sure sounds like part of a hive. Future or Now Ben actually brings good news this time. Seriously. His pick is a hopeful piece on how Solarpunk is already happening in Africa—how communities there are skipping the outdated infrastructure of the past and heading straight into a sustainable, decentralized future. Read it here: Meanwhile, Steven turns up the heat—literally—with a wild story out of Death Valley. Scientists studying Tidestromia oblongifolia found it doesn’t just survive in brutal heat—it adapts on the fly, rearranging its cells and genes to keep photosynthesizing when everything else would fry. It’s a real-life lesson in evolution under pressure. () Book Club This Week: In the Forests of Memory by E. Lily Yu () – a haunting, quiet story about memory, commerce, and humanity told through the eyes of a trader and a stranger. It’s as poetic as it is unsettling. Next Week: City Grown From Seed by Diana Dima () – content warning for domestic violence and abuse. It’s an eerie, metaphorical story that we’ll unpack next episode. Between Ben’s apologies, Devon’s hive talk, and Steven’s LEGO rage, it’s another week of chaos, sci-fi, and accidental enlightenment. You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts—or watch our faces slowly melt under studio lights on YouTube. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/39010055

Episode 582: The Law of Communal Dynamics 11/05/2025

Episode 582: The Law of Communal Dynamics Real Life Time changed again. Why? Didn’t we, as a society, vote on not doing this anymore? Every clock reset feels like an act of collective gaslighting. Ben spent his week teaching classes at the Art-a-thon, where he also led a chaotic round of Werewolves featuring the now-immortal line: “I am a delicious villager.” The kids apparently took that declaration at face value. Steven was also at the Art-a-thon, diving into unfamiliar crafts (the kind that require more glue than dignity). Between Halloween, Disney runs, and too much coffee, his week sounded like a montage of exhaustion set to “Hakuna Matata.” Meanwhile, Devon escaped into Weapons—a new dark comedy-horror streaming on HBO. It’s clever, weird, and surprisingly funny for something that involves, well, weapons. Steven immediately brought up Good Boy—another horror film with an entirely different kind of twist. Ben closed his week out by jumping into the Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown demo, a roguelike that lets players reimagine Voyager’s storylines with ship management and branching plots. Boldly go, repeatedly die, try again. Future or Now Ben’s been pondering the next phase of human-computer interaction. There are two paths, he says: cyborgs and rooms. The industry is obsessed with the former—wearables, implants, the dream of merging with our devices. But Ben argues the real frontier is communal computing: Dynamicland. was a physical space in Oakland where people worked inside the computer. Tables, walls, and objects became part of a shared computational environment. Programs weren’t hidden behind screens—they existed in the room with you. From 2017 until COVID, it was a place where anyone could walk in, code with their hands, and collaborate in the real world. It’s computing as a public utility, like a library—but for imagination. Meanwhile, Steven shared a video called “,” which feels like the opposite of communal computing. Instead of the room becoming the computer, you do. Devon called it cheating, but maybe it’s just evolution—painful, electric evolution. Book Club This week’s story was by Kelly Link—an emotional, cryptic sci-fi tale that left the hosts divided. Steven liked that the story existed at all, even if he couldn’t quite parse it. Devon wasn’t sure if he liked it—he wants narratives that make sense on the first read. Ben, meanwhile, appreciated how readable it was and actually liked the story, proving once again that literary comprehension may be inversely proportional to caffeine intake. Next week’s pick: by E. Lily Yu. Until then—reset your clocks, embrace communal computing, and remember: somewhere out there, a delicious villager is waiting. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38926740

Episode 581: Fuzzy Wires, Clear Minds 10/29/2025

Episode 581: Fuzzy Wires, Clear Minds Real Life: This week’s episode kicks off with Ben wondering what would happen if idioms were costumes. Imagine showing up to a party literally raining cats and dogs or dressed as the elephant in the room. (We’re not sure if that’s genius or horrifying.) Steven reminds everyone to say it to our faces! — meaning, drop us a comment or suggestion. Seriously. We read them. Sometimes we even respond like civilized humans. Devon went to a Halloween party with the Non-Religious Alliance of East Texas Facebook group (yes, that’s a thing), rocking a DS9 uniform costume that probably had at least three pips too many. Ben got a night off parenting duties for Kids Night Out and wants to shout out for turning his playlist into a full-blown psychedelic light show. Then Steven dives into a spoiler-filled review of Sinners — which Devon also saw. If you haven’t watched it yet, consider this your warning: spoilers abound, and apparently so do opinions. Future or Now Devon takes us up to near space with the week’s wildest headline: the object that struck a United Airlines plane wasn’t space debris… it was a weather balloon. Turns out, flight 1093’s busted front window was courtesy of one of humanity’s oldest sky spies, not falling junk from orbit. 📰 Read more here: Meanwhile, Ben is fed up with the internet’s ad problem — you know, those “No Adblocker Detected” pop-ups that ruin your vibe. He found a fantastic rant about how ad-driven web economics are slowly melting the internet into a soulless sludge of clickbait and autoplay. Check it out here: . As for Steven, he contributed… absolutely nothing. His words, not ours. 📚 Book Club: “Planet Lion” by Catherynne M. Valente 📚 This week, the crew explored the lush and poetic alien world of Planet Lion by Catherynne M. Valente (). Ben didn’t love the poetic style but admits he might’ve shortchanged the story by listening instead of reading — multitasking strikes again. Devon really enjoyed it, especially the layered, lyrical tone. Steven appreciated how alien the alien perspective felt — not just in design, but in mindset. Next week’s story: “The Game of Smash and Recovery” by Kelly Link (). As always — got thoughts, theories, or strong feelings about weather balloons or weird fiction? Say it to our faces! Drop a comment or join the discussion on our socials. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38830040

Episode 580: 11 Days VS 32 Years 10/22/2025

Episode 580: 11 Days VS 32 Years Real Life Ben was out this week, which left Devon and Steven to hold court—and as Devon reminded us, there are no kings here anyway. He showed up fresh from an event that apparently involved an axolotl costume (details were scarce, which somehow made it funnier), and immediately launched into a whirlwind of thoughts about upcoming elections, funding cuts to science, and the strange, ongoing collision between South Park and real-world politics. Meanwhile, Steven spent his weekend in the world of The Witcher: The Old World board game with Greg, slaying monsters, collecting trophies, and occasionally remembering to play the objective. Devon also caught up on Foundation Season 3, where he’s decided Brother Day now fully channels The Dude—if The Dude had an empire and a god complex. Future or Now Devon took us on a deep dive into the evolving shape of human unhappiness. Once upon a time, midlife was the low point—a universal “unhappiness hump.” But according to new global data, that hump is flattening out. Today, mental health is worst in youth and actually improves with age. The midlife crisis may be over, but something worse has taken its place: an age of early despair. Young people are struggling more than ever before, reshaping how we think about happiness across the lifespan. 👉 Steven followed that up with a warning: don’t drink the Kool-Aid—or the soda. A massive new study of over 120,000 people found that both regular and diet soft drinks are hammering our liver health. The risk of metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) jumps dramatically with more than one can a day—and “diet” drinks might actually be worse. Changes to gut bacteria and appetite regulation are the prime suspects. 👉 Book Club No story discussion this week, but next time we’re diving into Planet Lion by Catherynne M. Valente, a luminous piece of speculative fiction about faith, communication, and the limits of understanding alien minds. 👉 /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38744235

Episode 579: Beautiful Trash 10/15/2025

Episode 579: Beautiful Trash It’s another week in real life for the gang — or at least for most of us. Devon’s down sick, so it’s a two-man show featuring Steven and Ben navigating the bizarre crossroads of tech, food, and VR golf. 🏌️ Real Life Ben’s been tethered to the job, but he still managed to escape reality long enough to join a virtual round of — specifically the new — alongside Steven, some friends, and one of our lovely patrons. Turns out, there’s nothing quite like bonding over missed putts in low-poly Japan. Meanwhile, Steven’s week has been aggressively autumnal. Between a pumpkin painting and apple party (new listeners, it’s a thing), setting up a a on a Raspberry Pi 4, and cracking open the , he’s officially living his best nerd life. Ben, on the other hand, declared war on Microsoft. With Windows 10 heading toward its end-of-life, he’s switched to Bazzite Linux to avoid the sins of Windows 11. Cue righteous fury: “How dare you do what you do, Microsoft?” Also, the ROG Ally handheld PC is on the horizon — should we be excited or just emotionally prepared? 🍔 Future or Now Steven dives into a story that’ll make you rethink that bag of chips: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now dominate the American diet — and they’re linked to chronic inflammation, heart disease, and cancer. According to , people who eat the most UPFs show higher levels of hs-CRP, an inflammation marker. The takeaway? Maybe listen when Steven yells, “What’s in your mouth?! DROP IT!” Ben, ever the tech romantic, went down a rabbit hole about creating your own physical music formats — a nostalgic rebellion against the streaming void. Inspired by , he mourns the lost art of DropMix and Rock Band, both now relics of a time when music and play collided beautifully. 📚 Book Club This week we read — a time-travel tale told entirely through wiki edit threads. It’s short, it’s clever, and it’ll make you question what’s really editable in history. Next week: — an elegant, surreal journey through alien communication and memory. 👾 Listen now for the perfect mix of VR golf, processed snacks, Linux rebellion, and speculative fiction. 🎧 Available wherever you get your podcasts. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38594385

Episode 578: Fall Is Just Okay (But Demon Lords Are Great) 10/08/2025

Episode 578: Fall Is Just Okay (But Demon Lords Are Great) Real Life Ben’s decided that fall is… fine. Just okay. Leaves fall, pumpkin spice happens, and he moves on. His energy’s better spent testing out new hands-free necklace cameras—a totally normal sentence—and keeping Orion fed and happy. Meanwhile, Steven dove headfirst into Shadow of the Demon Lord, playing Velmar the Archivist, a character with a flair for ancient lore and possibly poor life decisions. Five hours later, the table survived, the dice were appeased, and Steven was still buzzing from the chaos. Devon, fresh from his cruise survival, gave us tales of ice skating, laser tag, and kid karaoke—the real high seas adventure. The boat did, however, dock somewhere that was apparently not Devon-approved. We didn’t ask for details. Some horrors are best left off-mic. Ben’s also been deep-diving into retro TV, revisiting Police Squad! after catching the fourth Naked Gun movie. Add in Marvel Zombies—a wild, tragic, and completely zany series that gave him Batman Ninja flashbacks—and you’ve got Ben’s viewing habits perfectly summarized: somewhere between slapstick and existential decay. Steven’s been championing Peacemaker, wrapping up season 1 and binging through the first seven episodes of season 2. He gives it a full-hearted recommendation—especially if you enjoy Superman references, alternate realities, and 80s glam metal in your superhero chaos. Devon, ever the connoisseur, dropped a bombshell: there’s a new Simpsons movie coming, and it might even be replacing a Marvel release slot. He’s cautiously thrilled. On the flip side, Alien: Earth got a collective “eh” from the group—though we all agreed its many storylines and editing quirks made for an interesting dissection. Future or Now We didn’t make it here this week. Too many good tangents. Book Club This week’s read was “They’re Made Out of Meat” by Terry Bisson—short, weird, and surprisingly heartfelt. The crew praised its simple but sharp worldbuilding-through-dialogue, and Ben compared its absurd tone to Ren & Stimpy’s close-up madness. For a kid-friendlier vibe, he also recommended The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Next week’s story: “Wikihistory” by Desmond Warzel, a time-travel tale told through forum posts. Want more weird science, deep-cut book talk, and bonus chaos? Join us on for unedited episodes, exclusive content, and our private Discord full of bad jokes and good vibes. Your support keeps the mics hot and the fall season just a little less “okay.” /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38514080

Episode 577: The Robot Pope Is Real 10/01/2025

Episode 577: The Robot Pope Is Real Real Life Devon’s not here this week—he ditched us for a cruise. Apparently, some doctors say cruises are floating petri dishes with barely any oversight on cleanliness. But not our Devon. He’s braving the high seas while Steven sits at home thinking, “You know what sounds better than hundreds of strangers sneezing near me? Literally anything else.” Meanwhile, Ben went to the Gamer Festival at the Madonna Inn, which looked like an absolute blast. Arcade machines, board games, and maybe too many people in themed t-shirts. He even stumbled across a longplay video of Stargate (Arcade) on YouTube (22K views after three years!) and got into Broom Service, a trick-taking board game where witches zoom around delivering potions. Steven, instead of heading to Gamer Fest, ran a Mutant Crawl Classics session. Mutants, post-apocalyptic chaos, dice rolling—it was all there. When he wasn’t GMing, he was kit-bashing his own mini robot out of spare parts. Award-winning, five-star author and robot builder? Normally, this is where we’d slide into our Future or Now segment—but with Devon off the grid (and possibly fighting buffet lines instead of time-travel paradoxes), we skipped it this week. Don’t worry, it’ll be back once he’s done living the boat life. We also touched on: A correction about Star Trek: Khan (there are 9 episodes, not 3—we messed that up). Parking Garage Rally Circuit, a Sega Saturn-inspired rally racer on Steam. It’s got ska, it’s got cars, and the holophonic audio makes you feel like you’re back in 1994. Rick and Morty Season 8, and the eternal question: which episode was the best? Book Club This week: We read Robert Silverberg’s 1971 short story “Good News from the Vatican.” It’s all about the election of the first robot pope, and yes, it’s as wild as it sounds. You can find it in Universe 1 or snag it Next week: We’re tackling Terry Bisson’s “They’re Made Out of Meat”—a classic piece of weird short fiction that asks: what if humans are just slabs of meat trying to talk? or . /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38427675

Episode 576: Our Mass Outpaces Our Structure 09/24/2025

Episode 576: Our Mass Outpaces Our Structure This week’s episode covers everything from Metallica rumors to vehicular combat nostalgia, with some Star Trek overload and a short story about ants the size of Buicks. Real Life First off: is Metallica doing a farewell tour? Nope. , it’s not the end. Devon’s floating the idea of a Metallica Vegas residency though—because nothing says “hard rock” like the Strip buffet scene. Speaking of trips, Devon cruised back to Cozumel and reported in with the most lukewarm Superman review ever: “It was okay.” Much more enthusiasm went to Twisted Metal, which Devon swears is actually good TV. Ben’s week was a mash-up of retro and weird: revisiting the vehicular combat classic Vigilante 8 (alternate 1975, naturally) and driving headlong into —a game best described as Super Mario 64 colliding with Crazy Taxi in an alleyway. Steven had a great run in Shatterpoint, squaring off against Greg. Steven fielded Lord Maul and Count Dooku, Greg ran the entire Rogue One crew, and fun was had by all. Also, Ben dog-sat and chicken-sat for Steven. His payment? Eggs. A true barter economy. Future or Now Ben wasn’t going to let us off the hook without some Star Trek chatter. Two new official Trek series just dropped—including a preschooler show that Ben insists counts. He’s also tossing out theories about Jack Ransom connections and reminding us that Khan is on the way too. That’s… a lot of Trek. Maybe too much Trek. Steven meanwhile is hyped because , is now officially a thing. The USS Enterprise and a Type-15 Shuttlepod in brick form? Yes, please. Devon had nothing this week. (Hey, he’s allowed a bye week.) Book Club This week we dug into Edward Bryant’s 1979 short story giANTS, which dives into what happens when you ignore the Quick refresher: double the size of an insect, and its mass increases faster than its strength or breathing ability. Meaning giant ants would basically suffocate under their own bulk. Science ruins everything, but at least it makes for great fiction. Next week we’re jumping back to 1971 with Robert Silverberg’s Good News from the Vatican (found in Universe 1). , if you want to read along. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38341160

Episode 575: Yogurt, but Make It Sci-Fi 09/17/2025

Episode 575: Yogurt, but Make It Sci-Fi This week’s episode was a ride through everything from neighborhood drama to yogurt overlords, with plenty of science and sci-fi sprinkled along the way. Real Life Ben kicked things off with Five Nights at Freddy’s—because apparently, jump scares are just how he likes to unwind. From there, he veered into a wild story involving a crossing guard, a flag man, and threats from a community member that had us questioning if this was real life or the start of a low-budget thriller. Devon had politics on his mind (as he often does), and let’s just say it was… cathartic. Steven closed his section with a review of Mickey 17 (yes, the Bong Joon-ho movie starring Robert Pattinson), finally finishing Rick & Morty, and then going deep into the concept of an Alien Earth. Meanwhile, Ben reminded everyone to get your COVID booster while you still can. His advice? If you need to, just say you have asthma. “Who’s gonna check?” he asked. (Don’t tempt fate, Ben.) Future or Now Ben brought us back to his favorite corner of the internet: The Weird Wide Web. This time he found: A Pigeon Hadron Collider (), Computer shoes (), And a store that generates anything you type () Devon turned things more serious with some big Mars news. NASA’s Perseverance rover collected a sample called Sapphire Canyon from an ancient riverbed, and it could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life. and highlight the discovery’s potential—though, as Devon pointed out, politicians are already trying to spin credit in ways that don’t hold up. Steven brought us back to Earth (sort of) with the rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. , while , shows nearly 12% of Americans have already tried them. Effective? Yes. Side effects? Also yes. Book Club This week we read “When the Yogurt Took Over” by John Scalzi (), which you may know from its animated adaptation in Love, Death & Robots. Short, weird, and oddly plausible—because if dairy products do overthrow humanity, it’s probably our fault. Next week: we’re tackling Edward Bryant’s “giANTS” (1979), which you can find . Prepare yourself for some very big bugs. Devon also dropped some knowledge about Sean Carroll’s The Particle at the End of the Universe, tying our sci-fi chat back to real physics. That’s the roundup! Between pigeons smashing atoms, yogurt world domination, and Mars microbes, it was one of those episodes where the line between real science and sci-fi got blurry—and we loved every minute of it. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38255640

Episode 574: Cozy Apocalyptic 09/10/2025

Episode 573: From Breweries to Broken Biblical Logic 09/03/2025

Episode 573: From Breweries to Broken Biblical Logic This week’s episode had a slightly different vibe—Ben was buried under a mountain of work, so he wasn’t able to make it. But don’t worry, Steven and Devon had plenty to talk about. Real Life Devon’s mom was visiting, and he took a trip out to Milwaukee for baseball. Turns out the city is super clean… but also a little seedy after dark. Naturally, breweries came up (because it’s Milwaukee), and he hit up Broken Bat Brewery—complete with darts, wiffle ball, and the echo of a chant we kept repeating: Miller Miller! Meanwhile, Steven went full hobby mode. He finished painting Anakin, played Shatterpoint with Greg, and even reconnected with an old friend. On top of that, we dove into Alien: Earth with a quick mini recap and review. What Devon’s Watching & Reading Devon’s keeping up with Foundation season 3, which is still going strong with some big, interesting ideas. He also talked about The Battle for the Big Bang—sadly not available on audio—and continued his personal project of reading through the Bible. He’s been trying to make sense of how religion developed, comparing the Old Testament to the New Testament, and even mentioned James Talarico. Lots of deep thought packed into his reading stack. Future or Now Nothing in this segment this week. Book Club (Coming Up) Next week, we’ll be reading Terry Bisson’s Bears Discover Fire—a short story that basically swept the awards back in the early ’90s. It won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and a few others, and it even inspired Bisson’s later tongue-in-cheek story Bears Discover Smut. Bisson, who sadly passed away in January 2024, was a giant in short speculative fiction. He’s also the mind behind They’re Made Out of Meat—a must-read if you’ve never come across it. If you want to check it out before we dive in: So grab your copy of Bears Discover Fire in whichever format works best and get ready to talk talking bears, fire, and why this little story became such a classic. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/38075455

Episode 572: Alternate Universes and the Nature of Canon 08/27/2025

Episode 572: Alternate Universes and the Nature of Canon California, what are you doing? Rain in the summer? Hail in Tahoe? Absolute chaos. At least Steven’s chickens are thriving in this strange new climate—they’ve started laying eggs. A LOT of eggs. So many, in fact, that we’re considering a new Patreon tier: Egg Delivery from Steven. Fresh, farm-to-door… assuming you live close enough for him to walk them over. Gaming Corner: From Voyager to Vaults Ben dove deep into nostalgia this week with a first look at the Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown game. It’s got exploration, it’s got starships, it’s got Janeway energy. Check it out for yourself: ▶ 🎮 Meanwhile, Steven is geeking out over the Fallout Season 2 trailer—and its direct nods to New Vegas. Naturally, that raised the question: What’s the canonical ending to the game? Opinions vary, but the lore debate is half the fun. Oh, and in case you missed it: Fallout 5 has officially entered production. Start hoarding bottle caps now. Ben’s also still working on his short game in VR with Walkabout Mini Golf’s new Tokyo level. Neon lights, serene gardens, and… capybaras? Yep, you read that right. And if you’ve got a taste for tabletop chaos, Steven recommends Pirate Borg, a salty spin-off of the grimdark cult classic If you’ve ever wanted to fight skeletons with black powder pistols and a parrot on your shoulder, this one’s for you: Future or Now: Quantum Weirdness & Alternate Universes Ben found a wild take this week: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds might not be in the Prime Universe. Interesting theory, problematic delivery—watch at your own discretion: . Meanwhile, Steven went full science mode: Physicists have confirmed that angular momentum is conserved even when a single photon splits into two. It’s an experiment so precise, it’s basically like catching a needle in a quantum haystack. If you’re into photons behaving themselves, here’s the breakdown: Book Club: Worlds Without Men, Bears With Fire This week’s read: “When It Changed” by Joanna Russ. A colony on Whileaway has survived for 30 generations without men—until a crew of them shows up and decides to “fix” things. Classic, award-winning, and razor-sharp social commentary. Read it and join the discussion. Next week, we’re tackling “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson—a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning short story where, well, bears discover fire. They start holding campfires on highway medians. It’s about aging, wilderness, and the strange comfort of community. Read it and bring your s’mores. What do you think—should we actually launch the Egg Delivery Tier, or is that just inviting chaos? Let us know in the comments! /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37980185

Episode 571: Boy Band Calculus 08/20/2025

Episode 571: Boy Band Calculus Real Life Devon has been knee-deep in yard work, prepping and installing artificial grass and fixing up fences. But the real highlight was his trip to Milwaukee for some baseball—and of course, some Alice Cooper trivia because apparently Milwaukee and Alice Cooper are forever linked thanks to Wayne’s World. Ben gave us an update on Orion. He’s starting to lose his appetite, which is always tough. What do you do when your dog doesn’t want to eat? It’s something a lot of pet owners face, and Ben’s in the thick of it. On a lighter note, he’s been living in a world of Clue. Playing the board game, rewatching Clue: The Movie, and even checking out Cal Poly’s recent stage production where the ending changes each night depending on which solution the cast performs. (Yes, that’s as fun as it sounds)— Steven has been getting some gaming in. He had a Shatterpoint rematch with Christina’s husband—this time Steven lost, but it was extremely close. He also got to dive into This Is Not A Test, a post-apocalyptic skirmish game from Future or Now Devon started watching Dark on Netflix. It’s a time travel show, and while the subtitles/dubs can get a little weird, the slow-burn mystery is “pretty good.” Each character has a younger/older actor because of the show’s 33-year cycle, and by Season 3 it’s seriously complex. But the real question: is it a slow burn, or is it just a slog? Devon says it’s not hard to follow, but your memory has to do some heavy lifting. Devon and Steven circled back to Alien Earth. Their verdict: just alright. Some weird editing choices, decent acting, solid effects. The first episode had promise, but the second one dragged. Jury’s still out. Ben came in with a much happier update: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back with “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.” Yes, Spock had a Sehlat—a giant bear-cat pet—and the episode absolutely nailed it. Even better, Star Trek finally won another Hugo Award for the first time since The Next Generation’s finale. (Lower Decks took home two Hugos!) And because Ben can’t help himself, he also reminded us that Ryan North (yes, Dinosaur Comics Ryan North) had a hand in Book Club This week we read “2 B R 0 2 B” by Kurt Vonnegut. It’s a short satirical story set in a future where humanity has solved aging and disease—but keeps population at a strict 40 million. The catch? For every new baby, someone has to voluntarily die. Vonnegut being Vonnegut, it’s absurd, bleak, and a little too close to home. You can read it free on or even watch a Next week we’ll be reading “When It Changed” by Joanna Russ. It’s the Nebula Award-winning 1972 short story about a colony called Whileaway where all the men died off 30 generations ago. When a ship of men finally arrives, they announce their intentions to “restore balance”—but the women of Whileaway have no interest in being “fixed.” It’s sharp, powerful, and still incredibly relevant. You can or check out . /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37894055

Episode 570: My Journey to K-Pop Demon Hunters 08/13/2025

Episode 570: My Journey to K-Pop Demon Hunters Real Life Ben’s having a bit of an “old man yells at cloud” week. Everything is changing, young people adapt, old people stretch (sometimes), and Orion—our good doggo—is in late-stage kidney failure. Can the universe just… not for five minutes? Steven is counting the days until school starts again. When does he get his elusive “me time”? Devon? Out in the yard, living the Yard Work Man life, which means he’s off the show this week. The Domingues household is fully embracing lazy summer mode. Ben’s been watching K-Pop Demon Hunters—thanks to field-adjacent reporter Matt. It’s PG, but is it okay for kids who are spooky-sensitive? Think “My Little Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Speaking of Buffy—she’s coming back, baby. The new Slayer? She was in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Ben wonders: how old was she when they filmed this? Because slayers start at 18, right? Just because it dropped this year doesn’t mean it wasn’t filmed in the Before Times™. Steven’s deep in Star Wars: ShatterPoint. Played Christina’s husband again—this is a game about objectives, not just smashing plastic. Rematch today at 3pm. Future or Now Ben: Eh? Oh Well! – AOL is officially shutting down dial-up on September 30, 2025, after 34 years. Yes, apparently it was still alive. Email will continue, so Grandpa’s chain forwards are safe. Devon: Not here. So sad. Steven: Yum or Yuck? – New research points out that ultraprocessed foods are bad (shocker) and are tied to chronic health issues, especially in lower-income groups. Experts want clearer guidelines and systemic change. Book Club Next Week: 2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut – A short satirical look at population control in a future where disease and aging are gone, and the moral dilemmas of a society with strict population caps. or . This Week: Transience by Arthur C. Clarke – A masterclass in telling hundreds of thousands of years of history in just a few pages, all set on a single beach at the edge of a forest. Also: Foundation season 3, Wondla season 2, and how Star Trek: Strange New Worlds keeps poking the continuity bear. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37803455

Episode 569: Desert Suns and Distant Moons 08/06/2025

Episode 569: Desert Suns and Distant Moons Real Life Devon Gone again, off doing what families do. Probably eating responsibly and not playing Magic with middle schoolers. We’ll get a full download when he returns from the wilds of familial bonding. Steven Steven melted in Palm Springs last weekend. Like, cartoon puddle of clothes and glasses melted. It hit 112°F, and not in the fun "desert dry heat" way—it was more like a hairdryer set to regret. But he survived the heat and a surprise 65th birthday party for his mother-in-law. (Note: surprise party for a 65-year-old in 112-degree weather? Bold.) To escape the heat and socializing, Steven brought along Timeline by Michael Crichton, tore through the whole thing, and now he won’t stop recommending it. According to him, it’s “a pleasant, rollicking adventure of death and destruction in the Middle Ages.” Classic beach read, if your beach has trebuchets. Ben Ben relived his childhood glory this week by annihilating two 12-year-olds at Magic: The Gathering. Old deck, newer rules, zero mercy. He’s still basking in the smug warmth of that victory and considering building a commemorative statue of himself out of old booster packs. In nerdier news, Ben continues to experiment with Bazzite OS, a Linux distro that somehow convinced Forza Horizon 5 to run smoothly. He also tried out Wheel World, a cell-shaded, bike-themed Zelda-like that nobody asked for, but he’s glad it exists. Streaming from PC to handheld? He recommends: Install Sunshine on your PC Install Moonlight on your handheld device Plug in with Ethernet if you can Pray to the latency gods It’s working so far. Maybe this is the future. Maybe this is now. Future or Now Ben brought in a fascinating bit of anti-AI-fakery this week. Researchers at Cornell have developed a way to embed invisible “codes” into light, which act as hidden watermarks in videos. Basically: lighting at press conferences, buildings, or even Zoom calls could carry encrypted signals that make it easy to verify video authenticity later. It’s subtle, elegant, and extremely cyberpunk. The best part? You won’t notice the difference. But your editing software will. Check it out: 🔗 Steven countered with some good ol’ fashioned outer space optimism. NASA’s Europa Clipper recently flew past Mars and successfully tested its radar system (REASON)—which can detect structures beneath planetary surfaces. On Earth, we use radar to find oil. On Europa, we might use it to find oceans... or something hiding in them. More here: 🔗 Book Club This Week: We read All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. If you want to feel joy, sorrow, cruelty, and loss in a tight 3-page gut punch, this one's for you. It’s a story about kids, Venus, and the cruelty of the sun—or lack thereof. Also, the 1982 educational film adaptation is still seared into our brains. 📖 📺 📚 Next Week: Transience by Arthur C. Clarke. We’re diving into one of his lesser-known works about change, memory, and humanity’s inevitable drift. Clarke has a way of making even the quietest stories feel cosmic. 📖 📚 If your air conditioner broke, if you crushed children in a card game, or if you accidentally invented a futuristic video authentication system this week—welcome. You’re one of us now. See you next time. Stay weird. Stay cool. –The Team /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37705435

Episode 568: Bradbury Wasn't Kidding 07/30/2025

Episode 568: Bradbury Wasn't Kidding Real Life Ben spent the week playing nurse, but at least it was a summer cold—infinitely easier than juggling tissues and PTO requests during the school year. The only upside to a sick kid when the sun’s out? More cartoons, fewer emails. Hearing Ben wiping noses and handing out popsicles, Steven got nostalgic about Scrubs. Remember Scrubs? Wholesome chaos. Heartfelt weirdness. Probably due for a chaotic Gen Z reboot starring TikTok doctors and JD’s ghost AI. Devon was out of town. No details, just gone. Like a Vulcan on shore leave or a cowboy riding off into a logical sunset. We assume he’s fine. Or at least reading a very dense novel. Steven went full social butterfly with a jam-packed weekend featuring a wedding and a birthday party. Somehow in between the formal wear and paper plates, he managed to catch Fantastic Four: First Steps. And? He says it’s the best Fantastic Four movie he’s ever seen. Not necessarily the best Marvel movie, but undeniably its own thing: scientists-turned-superheroes faced with a moral conundrum, wrapped in bright tones and a vibe that says hope isn't dead, it's just been on vacation. Earth 828 (a sweet nod to Jack Kirby’s birthday) plays host to a story that takes a deliberate break from the usual “everything is pain” comic fare. Also, there’s now a universe where Matt Shakman didn’t make Fantastic Four, but instead gifted us a cheerful, boldly optimistic fourth Kelvin Star Trek movie. It lives only in our dreams and this . Sigh. Future or Now Ben, our resident Trekspert, has bucketload of Star Trek news from San Diego Comic-Con: Starfleet Academy got a first trailer, and introduced us to the U.S.S. Athena. George Takei and Tim Russ are teaming up in the Khan audio series, where we’ll get to hear Sulu and Tuvok in action. (We assume Tim Russ will sigh at Takei at least once.) Strange New Worlds Season 4 teased a bold new puppet frontier? Yep. Puppets. And then there’s the Gwarm. What is a Gwarm, you ask? It’s a , and before you know it, Ben and Steven are back in the Star Wars vs. Star Trek sandbox, flinging references like action figures. (We don’t stop them. It’s too entertaining.) Meanwhile, Steven was also reading science headlines between existential sighs. The latest? Allegro-FM just pushed material science forward by enabling simulations 1,000 times larger than previous ones. That’s like going from Tinker Toys to a Dyson Sphere. Or from The Pedestrian to a full Black Mirror season. Book Club This week, we read The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury. It’s eerie how much this story hits in 2025. A man simply walking at night in Los Angeles gets stopped by an automated police car because being outside is just too suspicious. It’s based on Bradbury’s real address, and it feels uncomfortably like reality. Mausoleum houses, ghostly TV glow, no sidewalks—just suburban stillness and surveillance. If All Summer in a Day is melancholy, this one’s… mournful. Next week we’re sticking with Bradbury and reading All Summer in a Day. Rain, Venus, longing, and memory. If The Pedestrian feels like now, All Summer feels like childhood—brief, beautiful, and barely remembered. You can or that captures the heartbreak with just the right number of slow pans and sad violins. That’s it for this week. Whether you’re dodging summer colds, traveling through alternate Marvels, or wondering if that sidewalk outside is still walkable, we’ll be here—talking Trek, reading Bradbury, and keeping the lights on. Let us know what you thought of Fantastic Four: First Steps. And if you’ve ever been detained by a futuristic car for taking a stroll, uh… blink twice? /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37610735

Episode 567: Regular Human Shenanigans 07/23/2025

Episode 567: Regular Human Shenanigans Real Life Ben showed up with a box of magic and a handful of links, and we spiraled from there. We started off with Piecepack, the infinitely expandable system of tile-based board games. If you haven’t seen it, The Infinite Board Game is a great intro — it comes with a full Piecepack set and over 50 games: 👉 Two standouts we tried: Whirlpool Pond (Tube Wars) — hilariously chaotic and surprisingly strategic. Steven said it reminded him of playing little games at a picnic table on camping trips. 🎯 Moto-X — a racing game with dexterity and movement rules that feel like they’re half-imagined and half-remembered, which is kind of perfect. 🏍️ Also, apparently 9-ball billiards now counts as a dexterity game when you’re a parent trying to entertain your kid for 20 minutes. Then we switched gears into silly, cooperative (ish), multiplayer chaos on PC: Boomerang Fu – you're food. You throw boomerangs. You die. You laugh. Regular Human Basketball – pure absurdity, controlling giant robots one switch at a time. Heave Ho – teamwork, trust, betrayal, and flailing limbs. We also checked out the very weird, very poetic, and very compelling little book Adieu Plane Snake: ✈️ Then it was time for ruffled shirts and tankards: The Central Coast Renaissance Faire is back! We are under strict orders not to talk about Greg, which means we definitely spent time discussing: Greg’s guild: The Free Men of the Brass Ring The benefits of being in a guild (tents, snacks, shade, and — let's be honest — drinks) Greg’s infamous “gutpuncher” tale, which should be written down for legal reasons How to put together your own costume (hint: check ) Steven’s costume is about 80% “rogue” and 20% “man lost in an upholstery store.” It works. And finally, we played two rounds of Arcs — a stunning galactic strategy game from Leder Games: 🌌 Ben crushed the first game with pure focused ambition Devon quietly outmaneuvered us in the second game Steven tried a blitzkrieg strategy and was immediately and thoroughly punished Future or Now Quiet week on the horizon-gazing front. No robot uprisings or biotech breakthroughs... yet. Book Club This Week: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury The house that keeps going after the people are gone. One of Bradbury’s best — eerie, poetic, and haunting. Next Week: The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury Another quiet apocalypse — a world where going for a walk makes you suspicious. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37521580

Episode 566: Skeletons Or It Didn’t Happen 07/16/2025

Episode 566: Skeletons Or It Didn’t Happen Real Life This week, Steven finally found a superhero movie that didn’t make him want to throw his popcorn at the screen. Superman (2025) has arrived, and according to him, it’s the best take we’ve had on the character in years. No origin story nonsense, just straight into Supes doing good and being good. James Gunn gets it—Superman is an immigrant, a boy scout, and a damn firefighter (not a cop). The moral core is there, the cape looks good, and apparently, if you hate it, it’s because it’s “woke”? Whatever. Steven liked it. You probably will too. Meanwhile, Devon has been dodging storms, not floods. He lives far from the Texas chaos but has had his fair share of wet weekends. That hasn’t stopped him from grinding away at backyard renovations. Fake grass is coming soon. In the process, he’s tearing out ivy and ground brush—bad news for copperhead snakes, which are venomous, and good news for anyone walking around barefoot. Speaking of venom: Ben brings us the delightful fact that some birds are venomous. No, really. There are birds that store toxins from insects and plants and use them to defend themselves. The pitohui says hi. Nature is weird. . Devon also dove into evolution this week, thanks to a Hank Green video about the great leap from water to land. Turns out the hardest problem evolution ever solved might just be how to turn gilled swimmers into four-limbed land mammals. Spoiler alert: it involves lungs, fins, and a lot of time. . Ben, when not thinking about venomous birds, asked an important question: What do people do for fun in Palmdale? The answer, apparently, is “hang out near electrical poles.” He also recommends the board game The Red Dragon Inn for those nights when you’re too tired to fight dragons and just want to drink with them instead. . Future or Now Only Steven showed up for this segment, and he brought ancient lion maulings. A new article describes a skeleton found in a Roman cemetery in York—with bite marks matching a lion’s jaw. It’s our first archaeological evidence of gladiator-style combat between a human and a lion, which is equal parts horrifying and fascinating. Steven points out that if curses were real, this would be prime material—digging up gladiator graves seems like an express ticket to ghost lion attacks. Book Club This week, we read The Last Question by Isaac Asimov, a story about entropy, immortality, the heat death of the universe, and one computer’s ongoing existential crisis. Devon raises a solid point: the story’s final punch line hits different if you grew up with the Judeo-Christian idea of divine creation. If not? It still works, but maybe not quite the same way. You could easily sub in other creation myths—or just throw in some Terminators and call it a sci-fi remix. Ben had Siri read him the story aloud via Mobile Safari and recommends the experience. or . Next week: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury, a classic tale of loneliness, technology, and automatic breakfast machines still flipping eggs long after humanity is gone. You can or . Oh, and if you missed it, —sort of. He’s being resurrected for Star Trek: The Last Starship, a new comic set in the far future. We have thoughts. Mostly confused ones. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37429620

Episode 565: Dark Energy, Glowing Yeast 07/09/2025

Episode 565: Dark Energy, Glowing Yeast Real Life Ben took a family trip down to San Diego just in time for the other fireworks night—turns out, there are often more fireworks on the 3rd of July than the 4th. Devon also caught a local 3rd-of-July fireworks show, which has started to feel like the real deal instead of just a warm-up. Ben: “More fireworks on the 3rd than the 4th, easily.” The trend continues. While Ben and Devon were oohing and aahing at sky explosions, Steven stayed home and got some solid mini painting in while the family was off in LA. No notes, just vibes. He and Ben also snuck in a round of Walkabout Minigolf on the Raptor Cliffs course—it's like someone built a coastal campground-theme park hybrid, then casually added actual dinosaurs. Possibly the greatest putt-putt theme of all time. Meanwhile, Ben’s been hooked on , an incredibly useful app that tracks wildfires and public safety alerts—especially important during peak summer heat. And no, Devon is nowhere near the Texas flooding that made national headlines on the 4th. Tragic and preventable, if we hadn’t gutted infrastructure funding and climate prep years ago. Steven got a chance to run Daggerheart, the new RPG system by (yes, spelled right this time). The system leans into storytelling with hope and fear dice—2d12 that keep every roll interesting. He nearly lost a copy to a chaotic-good Barnes & Noble employee, but ultimately triumphed. Future or Now Devon’s existential pick this week? A study suggesting that the universe might start collapsing... in only 7 billion years. . The researchers—drawing on data from the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument—predict we could be headed for a Big Crunch by year 33.3 billion. Honestly, we barely understand time and space now. Let’s not even get into how to measure it. Steven brought the yeast: to glow and produce billions of peptide-based drugs. It’s green tech, it's fast, it’s like if a lava lamp could cure cancer. Glowing drug factories made of yeast. We love science when it gets weird and useful. Ben’s deep in the sleep zone again—. Apple Watches, dream journals, and the fact that napping might make you literally see the world differently. Ben’s fully ready to enter his lucid dream coding era. Book Club Next week’s pick is Isaac Asimov’s classic: . You can also if you prefer the audio-visual route. It’s short, sharp, and cosmic in scale—perfect for a group read before the universe crunches itself into a cosmic raisin. This week, we tackled movies and memories. A great Patreon comment from Renee about the new Pixar-ish flick Elio: "My kids liked Elio, it just kept reminding me of Flight of the Navigator. Not exactly, and I haven’t seen it in a long time, but enough that I was like hmm... this kind of reminds me of something. Also, in the beginning, Elio stumbles into a museum place and there’s a speaker talking about Voyager and whatnot. I turned to my husband and was like, wait—is that Kate Mulgrew? And he said, 'I have no idea who that is.' Sigh, being married to a non-nerd. But yea, they had Capt. Janeway voice a section about the NASA Voyager program." Chef’s kiss. Quick movie reviews: Elio (Steven): ★★★¾ — good sci-fi intro for younger audiences. Flight of the Navigator (Devon): Still fun, though we forgot it has a 12-year time jump. How to Train Your Dragon (Ben & Devon): Ben called it a “competently done action movie,” Devon praised the depth and pacing—especially that final battle. Independence Day (Ben): . Devon’s stunned Steven hasn’t watched it more. Jurassic World: Rebirth (Steven): Don't. Just... don’t. Not even for hate-watching. And lastly: of Star Wars—yes, pre-Lucas tinkering—was recently screened in the UK. It’s official: Han shot first. If you're curious, the best fan restorations are the Despecialized Edition and 4K77, sourced from original 35mm prints. The Force is real, and so is the grainy, unedited magic. Let us know if you watched fireworks on the 3rd, if you’ve played Daggerheart, or if you're Team Nap or Team Yeast in the great future wars. And if you’re watching Elio, listen closely—you might just hear Janeway. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37350765

Episode 564: Becky Chambers Is My Therapist 07/02/2025

Episode 564: Becky Chambers Is My Therapist Real Life Ben Ben’s been quietly communing with the universe—and possibly with time travelers—through a book of accidental poetry called . These are poems born from Wordle guesses, wrangled into a strangely beautiful collection. The result feels like overhearing wisdom whispered from another dimension... or from your roommate’s weird dreams. Ben recommends reading it with an open mind and maybe a cup of tea. Or a flux capacitor. Devon Devon had to Dad some emails this week—calmly but firmly correcting errors from people who apparently do not know how email works. He also saw Elio, Pixar’s newest mid-tier offering. While it didn’t break any new ground for him, the cloning subplot raised a few existential eyebrows, and might be intense for younger kids. It’s fine. Just... Pixar-fine. Steven Steven survived another summer birthday party. For those keeping score at home, that’s a fairy-themed, girls-only pizza party in the park, followed by public swim chaos. Summer birthdays always mean competing with vacation season, but the magic of fairy dust and chlorine carried the day. He also dove into on Gamepass—a sci-fi survival game where the only way to make it through is to clone alternate versions of yourself. Each “Alter” has its own personality and baggage, forcing the player to confront wildly different versions of who they could’ve been. Existential dread with excellent lighting and resource management. Future or Now Ben There’s never enough Becky Chambers. Ben wrapped up , the final book in the Wayfarers series. It’s tender, slow, and full of aliens being thoughtful toward each other. No war, no chosen one. Just beings trying to communicate and grow. Want to nerd out even more? Check out the and marvel at Chambers’ world-building, where no one species gets to be “the default.” Steven Meanwhile, Steven’s still trippin’—on science. A new strengthens the case that humans were in North America at least 23,000 years ago. How? Fossilized footprints in ancient lakebeds at White Sands, New Mexico. Radiocarbon-dated mud backs up earlier studies, making this the third independent line of evidence. It’s a big deal—and a good reminder that science is often slow, muddy, and surprising. Devon This week, Devon is Future-or-Now neutral. Book Club We’re taking next week off—so catch up on chapters if you're behind, or just sit outside and let your brain breathe. It deserves it. This week we read Chapters 7 (“The Wild”) and 8 (“The Summer Bear”) of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. (Audible listeners, that’s Chapters 9 and 10.) We’re deep in tea monk territory now. Dex continues their journey into the unknown and meets challenges that aren’t dragons or monsters, but doubts and unspoken expectations. It’s a gentle reminder that even in utopia, people still struggle with meaning and self-worth. It’s deeply human—even when the characters aren’t. See You on Patreon If you’re already supporting us there—thank you. We’ve got bonus episodes, Discord chats, and weird side quests waiting. This week we’re sharing a sneak peek at our next theme episode and some alternate podcast titles we almost used. If you're not on board yet, . It’s like a summer birthday party, but with less sunburn and more sci-fi. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37259720

Episode 563: Aspergillus Strikes Back 06/25/2025

Episode 563: Aspergillus Strikes Back Real Life This week, real life got weird, itchy, nostalgic, and just slightly chaotic. Ben celebrated a birthday by dragging his family through a hike in tick-infested grass. Friendly reminder: Don’t go into the long grass. We’ve seen Jurassic Park, we know how this ends. Devon may or may not be living in Foreverware straight out of Eerie, Indiana. Start checking those Tupperware lids, folks. Steven escaped a house overrun with cousins the only way he knows how: board game store therapy. Here’s what we’re playing: is only $5 on Steam right now and it still rules. Devon showed us how to pull off some in-game stunts. Sadly, not applicable to real life. Steven got cozy with , a gorgeous little nature-builder where you balance habitats and critters. Ben brought in —a modular system that spawned classics like and 9 Ball. Steven also shouted out (playable with Piecepack!) and unboxed his shiny new copy of . Future or Now We talk a lot about the future, but this week, the past clawed its way back into the conversation. Ben shared a killer quote from Ray Bradbury: “I’m warning you now, so you don’t have to pay a psychiatrist 20 years from now…” It came from a great piece of writing advice for screenwriters, poets, novelists—anyone with a keyboard. TLDR: read other stuff, write other stuff. Don’t get boxed in. . Devon brought space horror to the table: a NASA satellite that’s been dead for 57 years just pinged Earth out of nowhere. Steven dove into the fungal unknown: scientists have turned Aspergillus flavus—yes, the tomb fungus found in places like King Tut’s burial site—into a potential treatment for leukemia. Cursed no more. Book Club We’re still steeped in the gentle robot comfort of Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built. This week, we covered: Audible Chapters 6–8 Book Chapters 4–6: An Object, and an Animal Remnants Grass Hen with Wilted Greens and Caramelized Onion (legit sounds delicious) Next week: Book Chapters 7 & 8 (The Wild, The Summer Bear) Audible Chapters 9–10 Bonus recommendation: Devon says you should read , if you want philosophy, talking apes, and big “what’s-wrong-with-the-world” energy. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37154925

Episode 562: The Robot Seems Fun, but the Kids are in Trouble 06/18/2025

Episode 562: The Robot Seems Fun, but the Kids are in Trouble Real Life Ben had a pretty heartfelt Father’s Day. The kind that makes you wonder what to do with all those sentimental cards—save them? Repurpose them? Wallpaper a studio? He’s thinking bigger: moleskin notebooks and sketchbooks as repositories for meaningful letters, doodles, and moments. He also caught You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at SLOREP, which delivered all the nostalgia and Peanuts poignancy one could hope for. Devon saw Annie live and reports back that yes, the sun did come out. Meanwhile, he was also boots-on-the-ground at the No Kings march in Tyler, TX, where roughly 1,000 freedom fans turned out to peacefully protest monarchy (fictional or otherwise). Steven joined a parallel No Kings march in Atascadero and followed it up with some Father’s Day chaos and a Mutant Crawl Classics game (ask him about severing arms for cybernetics). Also: he watched Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu and is delighted to report that the 800 A.D. Vikings segment delivers exactly what the title promises—Vikings versus Predator. It’s glorious. Future or Now Ben warns us all: Motörhead tried to tell you, but you didn’t listen. At Download Festival, moshing got so intense that . Authorities had to step in and tell everyone to dial down the wearable chaos. We now live in a world where jumping to Ace of Spades might trigger a 999 call. Rock responsibly. Steven, meanwhile, read on how old smartphones—millions of which end up in landfills—can be repurposed into micro data centers for public services. From bus tracking to marine research, your outdated Galaxy S6 may be the next scientific hero. As Moore’s Law slows, we ask: what if we used what we already have? Devon abstained this week. (Or did he transcend time itself? TBD.) Book Club: A Psalm for the Wild-Built This week we dug into chapters 2 and 3: The Best Tea Monk in Panga and Splendid Speckled Mosscap. The robot has arrived—and while it’s delightful, the kids in the book might be in spiritual peril. We unpack the loneliness and disconnection the humans seem to feel, and how it echoes the Jedi’s lack of attachments in Star Wars. There’s also a curious debate about genre: is this science fiction or fantasy? When your tech includes nearly-immortal pocket computers and self-aware robots emerging from the woods, the lines get blurry. Next week: chapters 4–6 (Audible 6–8), including “An Object, and an Animal,” “Remnants,” and a dinner scene featuring grass hen and caramelized onions. If you're not hungry by the end of it, you're stronger than us. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/37059760

Episode 561: In Search of Small Comforts 06/11/2025

Episode 560: Rat Hustlers 06/04/2025

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! /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36849495

Episode 559: Yesterday’s Dream was a Full Page 05/28/2025

Episode 559: Yesterday’s Dream was a Full Page Real Life Roundup Let’s address the elephant not in the room: Devon is dead. Well, not dead-dead. Just birthday-visit-family-IRL-dead. We pour one out for our absent co-host, and prepare for his resurrection next week. Meanwhile, Steven has been watching robots get wild. The Wild Robot, that is. The new animated flick has dropped (), and Steven's verdict is in: heartwarming vibes, metal clanking emotions, and just enough kid-friendly existentialism to make you question whether your Roomba has feelings. Also, did you know Black Adam shows up in DC League of Super Pets? Steven does. And he’s not okay about it. Then came Doom. And then came… more Doom. One minute Steven’s a casual fan, next he’s elbows-deep in lore breakdowns and watching two-hour YouTube essays on timeline chaos. Marines killing demons across dimensions? Say less. Just hand him the BFG and back away slowly. Oh—and he’s forging now. He didn’t elaborate. Just forging. Like, swords? Friendships? The future? Who knows. Steven contains multitudes. Ben, on the other hand, has been diving into his subconscious with dream journaling. The result? Vivid, borderline cinematic dreamscapes. Not terrifying at all. He’s also been getting deep with the Waking Up app, based on the book by Sam Harris. (). Ben reports that it’s good for mindfulness, bad for avoiding personal epiphanies. Use at your own risk. Future or Now Ben introduces us to Space to Bark, a bizarre, short dungeon crawler where you play as a first-person Dogman navigating an underground labyrinth. Created by , it features: Bark-based controls ([SPACE] to BARK!) Wobbly hand-drawn dog sprites Combat! Puzzles! Dogmen lore! Dogman95 isn’t just a pup with a dream—he’s a legend in training, guided by the sacred Dogmaiden. This is the kind of weird internet treasure we live for. Hat tip to for digging this one up. Devon, once again, is astral projecting or off the grid. No one really knows. Steven had… nothing. Just an existential stare. Book Club (but not really) This week’s book club has been canceled due to lack of effort. Blame Devon. Blame the Void. Blame our over-scheduled lives. Either way, we didn’t read anything this week, and we’re not sorry. Next week, however, we’re diving into “Liking What You See: A Documentary” from Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. It’s a short story about beauty, perception, and what happens when you turn off the part of your brain that notices appearances. It's Chiang, so expect deep thoughts and possible feelings. That’s it from us! Come back next week for more co-host resurrection, dream logic, robotic feelings, and maybe even a book. If you like what we do, bark into the void or support us on Patreon. Your choice. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36761340

Episode 558: Starts with S, Ends with T 05/21/2025

Episode 558: Starts with S, Ends with T Real Life Devon [Redacted silence.] Possibly building up for a season finale of his own. Or meditating on NASA budget cuts. Either way—stoic. Steven We wrapped Andor, and while it stuck the landing, there’s still one huge question: Where are Hera, Chopper, and the Ghost crew?! Justice for space moms and droid chaos: Also, Steven took us on a wild detour into Monopoly studies with college students—spoiler alert: inherited wealth makes people awful. Shocking, we know. Ben Fresh from science camp and rocking a healthy dose of jet lag, Ben managed to be late to his own poetry reading. But hey—archery, mountain biking, and night hikes do things to a man. Possibly became a druid out there. Future or Now Steven “Hand hand fingers thumb…” No, we didn’t start a toddler book club—Steven shared research that suggests chimpanzees drum with distinct rhythmic patterns depending on their subspecies. Which means your drummer friend? Maybe not that unique. Devon NASA is facing a 53% cut to its science budget under the proposed presidential plan. That includes major slashes to earth and space science programs. Meanwhile, human spaceflight would get a commercial makeover. We quote Devon’s son: “Does Trump believe in God?” Also, we’re apparently heading back to the moon—just, you know, without a weather report. Ben Ben took us on an emotional journey through the 2024 animated documentary Piece by Piece, which somehow manages to combine Lego stop-motion, Carl Sagan, and protest imagery into one transcendent experience. Trailer? Carl Sagan clip? “Happy”? But make it devastating: More? Book Club This week: The Evolution of Human Science by Ted Chiang What if human research became too advanced for most people to understand? No characters, just ideas. It’s written like a news article, and it's fascinating. Humanity has split into Normies and Meta-Humans, the latter genetically optimized before birth to the point that they operate on an entirely different intellectual plane. They use “DNT” (Digital Neural Transfer) and leave the rest of us behind with our podcasts and spreadsheets. Thought-provoking stuff. Included with Audible [if you’re listening along]. Next week: Liking What You See by Ted Chiang Yes, we’re doing another Chiang short, because why not dive deeper into techno-philosophical existential dread? (Roughly 1.5 hours—get reading!) Want more? Join the Discord. to get early episodes, bonus content, playlists, and the unedited chaos. And if you’re listening on YouTube—hit that subscribe button. Or don’t. But then we’ll tell the Meta-Humans on you. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36658735

Episode 557: You Can't Call Them Skin Babies 05/14/2025

Episode 557: You Can't Call Them Skin Babies Real Life Devon went full medieval this week with a trip to a Renaissance Fair—this one featuring permanent structures that actually looked “authentic” instead of slapped together by ye olde hot glue. There were swinging rides, wooden horses, and some legit jousting. Unfortunately, the real fantasy was thinking the kids would have fun. Big downer energy. Steven is gearing up for an Arizona trip but had to make a sudden detour into Best Buy territory after his TV gave up the ghost. On the plus side, Andor continues to be amazing and makes up for any consumer electronics woes. (It really is still that good.) Ben has seen Labyrinth (have you?), and he's here for the dream logic and David Bowie’s entire vibe. Also thrown into the cinematic blender: The Island and Cliffhanger. We’re now seeking out more films where geological or man-made features are basically the co-stars. Let us know if you have one. Oh, and Ben also saw the Slate all-electric pickup truck, which looked like something out of Black Mirror. Meanwhile, TVs just… work now? What a time to be alive. Future or Now Time for some spicy Star Wars takes. We got into it over which trilogy was better: the Prequels or the Sequels. Episode IX (The Rise of Skywalker) got roasted—Devon called it "the worst." Ben leaned sequel-side, arguing they’re better than the prequels overall. The breakdown went something like: Prequels: bad films, good plots Sequels: good films, bad plots There were also complaints about Starkiller Base, which feels like someone said “What if Death Star, but more?” But then there’s Andor, which everyone agrees is just pure excellence. So Star Wars can still be good when they let writers write. Our rankings for maximum judgment: Devon’s list: The Phantom Menace, The Force Awakens, Rise of Skywalker, Attack of the Clones, The Last Jedi, Revenge of the Sith Ben’s list: Rise of Skywalker, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi Your move, Internet. 📚 Book Club Next Week: We’re diving into Ted Chiang’s “The Evolution of Human Science,” which you can find in (also included with an Audible subscription, if you’re fancy like that). This Week: We read Jorge Luis Borges’ strange and unsettling tale . It’s Borges doing Lovecraft, but with fewer tentacles and more existential dread. We were all in until the end, where it kinda… fell off a cliff. Still worth the read for the vibes alone. Also relevant: this , because the story kinda goes there. New episode drops each week. Subscribe, tell a friend, and go re-rank your Star Wars opinions. We’ll wait. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36545070

Episode 556: Quesorios 05/07/2025

Episode 556: Quesorios Real Life: Devon would like to make one thing clear: queso is fine. Queso is acceptable. Just… not on everything, okay? Some of us still want to taste the actual food under the goo. That said, he did just survive a kid’s pool party, so maybe he’s earned the right to eat whatever the hell he wants — even fake grass, which he claims is "for winners." We’re choosing not to dig into that statement. Steven, meanwhile, embraced the full Force of May 4th with joy, lightsabers, and an animated binge of Tales of the Empire — now fully released and featuring everyone’s favorite dead-or-maybe-not-dead villainess Asaaj Ventress and the cowboy space bug bounty hunter Cad Bane. Is she still canonically dead? Who knows anymore. The rule is: if you didn't see the body dissolve, they can always come back. Also, Steven’s forge is officially up and running. That’s right — he’s now a blacksmith. We’re still waiting to see if this is a long-term thing or just a midlife crisis in steel-toed boots. Over in The Last of Us land, Season 2 Episode 4 dropped, and fans collectively screamed, cried, and probably tweeted GIFs because one of the game’s most beloved scenes finally made it to screen — and yes, they nailed it. In a good way. Not like a fungal-mutant-jaw-through-your-neck way. Ben went to a roller derby bout in Irvine (report: chaotic and excellent), wandered the capitalist labyrinth that is Daiso, and wants to remind you it’s Teacher Appreciation Week. So tell a teacher they rock, preferably with coffee, snacks, or a handwritten note of pure gratitude. Future or Now Ben brought us Writing Tools, a sleek, free, open-source app created by a high school student in Bangalore (hi, Jesai!) that gives Mac, Windows, and Linux users a system-wide writing boost via AI. It fixes grammar, summarizes content, and even helps you rewrite your angsty emails into something that won’t get you fired. Bonus points for working offline and being featured basically everywhere. Teachers, students, chaotic creatives — check it out . This also led us down the rabbit hole: Are LLMs bad? Short answer: not inherently. Long answer: come back next week for a full debate, complete with Devon’s skeptical eyebrows and Ben’s tech optimism. Devon watched Mickey 17, and the verdict is… “eh?” He appreciated the weirdness but didn’t feel like the weird ever came together in a satisfying way. Unlike Parasite, which he still recommends, Mickey 17 left him shrugging with existential confusion, which is not his preferred flavor of sci-fi. Steven hit us with some : researchers have engineered gut bacteria that can detoxify methylmercury in mice, even when those mice are on a diet of bluefin tuna. The mice — and their babies — showed fewer signs of mercury poisoning. This means your sushi habit may one day come with a side of helpful microbes. Until then, maybe cool it on the sashimi. Book Club: This week, we read A Brief Dance to the Music of the Spheres by Michael Kurland (from The Best of Omni Science Fiction, 1983). It’s a sleek, sharp short story that offers a fresh take on the Fermi Paradox: if there’s intelligent life out there, why haven’t we seen it? The story gives us a possible answer — one we won’t spoil here, except to say it involves jazz, physics, and a little cosmic humility. You can read it or listen to the adaptation . Next week: we’re diving into Jorge Luis Borges’ . Yes, it’s a Borges horror story. Yes, we’re terrified and delighted. Yes, Devon has thoughts. Got thoughts on queso, metal mice, or fictional villains who refuse to stay dead? Hit us up. And thank a teacher. Seriously. They’ve seen some things. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36474465

Episode 555: Not His First Time (Building A Lightsaber) 04/30/2025

Episode 555: Not His First Time (Building A Lightsaber) Real Life Devon just got back from Barcelona, where his sister-in-law’s wedding was equal parts joyful and medically confusing (house-wide illness, mystery IV drip, etc.). Between family chaos and questioning the overwhelming religious vibes, he managed to sneak in a tour of tapas bars—including Bobby’s Free, a barbershop turned speakeasy where you open a safe to get a drink. Also on the agenda: the Sagrada Familia, which still looks like Gaudí teamed up with an alien architect. and judge for yourself. Steven went full Jedi at Disney’s Star Wars Night on Batuu, adding more lightsabers to a collection that's now approaching General Grievous territory. He caught the live Storyteller Show (“shockingly emotional for a theme park thing”) and did some heavy-duty geeking out at the custom saber forge. Series two sabers are out now. Good luck, your wallet. Ben’s been working on his nap game. He’s reading Take a Nap! Change Your Life by Sara Mednick (), thanks to a recommendation from . Lucid dreaming, better brain function, and maybe—just maybe—a dream where he finally builds his own lightsaber. Also: Devon didn't watch , which we’re still not convinced is real. Future or Now Ben found to rewiring your brain—more philosophy than prescription, but helpful as a reminder: break bad loops, reframe your thinking, stay mindful. Simple ideas, not always simple to do. Devon brought the science bombshell: outside our solar system. It’s not a “we found aliens” headline, but it’s the strongest hint yet that something biological might be out there. Researchers are cautious, but intrigued. So are we. Steven recapped Andor season 2, episodes 1–3. The political tension is still top-tier, the pacing’s tighter, and the existential dread remains on-brand. Also, WondLa season 2 is out now (), if you need more sci-fi world-building in your queue. Book Club No book this week—we’re recharging. But next time, we’re reading “A Brief Dance to the Music of the Spheres” by Michael Kurland from The Best of Omni Science Fiction #6. , and don’t skip the illustrations—they’re wild in the best way. Back next week with cosmic dances, dream experiments, and at least one more lightsaber. /episode/index/show/sciencefactionpodcast/id/36375610

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