SciFi

So many of the stories we love use Moby Dick as the example of an obsessive focus on a goal, but do you know the actual story? Moby Dick expert and all around geek Ilse joins me to talk about this book and what it has to say about disability, queerness, race, class, and so…

Do you like your hilarious medieval satire mixed with some biting social commentary? Want to know what this Discworld thing everyone keeps talking about it is? Want to know the Boots Theory of Economics from Sam Vimes? Rob McKenzie joins me to talk about Discworld, focusing on The Watch series of books.

What can an 1899 newsboy strike teach us about the WGA & SAG strikes today? What can be done when the corporations you’re fighting control your ability to get your message out? And what place do singing and dancing play on a good picket line? Becky Allen and I dive into these questions and more…

Let’s talk Robots! We started the conversation with the Micro SF quote and that led to a discussion of AI in our own world.

Let’s talk Spiderverse! Among all the incoherant screaming about how good this movie is we get into ethical questions like Miguel vs Miles, the way this movie handles representation, and all the comic book connections to the movie. You can find his comic book thoughts on his podcast, Hype is My Superpower, https://hypeismysuperpower.podbean.com/ See him…

Guardians 3 raised some importan questions about how we treat animals, & Paul Hoppe joins me to talk about them. This episode came out of listener feedback and we also address a listener question about great power, great responsiblity, and the relationship between podcasters and listeners.

If you could turn off your brain at work, create an entirely different version of yourself to get through the day, would you? Would that work version you create have its own rights? Can the body be severed from the body? The TV show Severance explores these questions and more, and Rob McKenzie joins me…

Danielle and Erin join me to talk about The Last of Us: the choices made by the characters and what the show (and game) says about our conception of heroes & villains, with bonus content about Pedro Pascal and Thirst. Erin McGowan is a Twin Cities-based cosplayer. she/her, who is new to cosplay and LOVING…

Matthew and Paul discuss the Rings of Power and possibly write a better description at some point.

Paul and I talk about the value placed on human life at different ages, in our own society and that of the stories we love. Is the death of a child more tragic than the death of an adult? Does a story need to show us a child in danger to establish emotional stakes? And…