Science Faction Podcast

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 (IMDB link), 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. (Here's the app link). 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 ComputerJames, 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 Web Curios 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.

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: #ReleaseAndorTheRebelsCut 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. The longest drum solo in history begins now.

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.

Read about the cuts

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? Here. Carl Sagan clip? Also here. "Happy"? But make it devastating: This. More? Wikipedia's got you.

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. Support us on Patreon 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.

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.

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.

Next Week: We're diving into Ted Chiang's "The Evolution of Human Science," which you can find in Stories of Your Life and Others (also included with an Audible subscription, if you're fancy like that).

This Week: We read Jorge Luis Borges' strange and unsettling tale There Are More Things. 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 animated gif of a tesseract, 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.

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.

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 on GitHub.

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 mouse science: 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.

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 on Archive.org or listen to the adaptation here.

Next week: we're diving into Jorge Luis Borges' There Are More Things. 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.

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. Take a virtual tour 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 (link), thanks to a recommendation from Cool Tools. Lucid dreaming, better brain function, and maybe—just maybe—a dream where he finally builds his own lightsaber.

Also: Devon didn't watch The Naboo Movie, which we're still not convinced is real.

Future or Now Ben found a Reddit guide 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: astronomers may have detected a biosignature 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 (IMDb), 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. Read it here, 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.

Hey, it's a new week and your favorite trio is back—well, two-thirds of us, anyway. Devon is currently living his best life in Barcelona, probably sipping espresso in a narrow sunlit alley or arguing with someone about FC Barcelona tactics. Meanwhile, the rest of us have been busy with spring break chaos, Santa Cruz curiosities, and turning broken laptops into gaming slabs.

Steven hit up Santa Cruz for a classic California spring break trip. That meant a day at the boardwalk, a ride up the mountains on a steam engine to hunt Easter eggs with the family, and—yes—the infamous Mystery Spot. For the uninitiated, it's California State Historical Landmark #1055 and basically a physics-defying tourist trap nestled in the redwoods. It's $10 and you walk out wondering if your equilibrium is off or if you've just witnessed real magic. Verdict? Worth it. Especially if you enjoy a healthy mix of skepticism and whimsy.

Ben had the kind of spring break that only a tech tinkerer dreams of. He loaded Bazzite SteamOS onto his desktop (yes, it's real, and yes, it's cool: bazzite.gg). Then he cracked open a MacBook Pro with the dreaded FlexGate issue—1/10 on the repairability scale, even with help from ifixit.com—and turned it into a Steam-powered "SlabTop." Also in Ben's world: a visit from Mom, and a daycare full of cute dogs and chicks (the feathered kind, relax).

We also detoured into The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2. Let's just say the show continues to spark great conversation—and some tension between game purists and show-only folks.

Ben brought the indie darling GOTY (Game of the Year) Lushfoil Photography Sim to our attention—an atmospheric exploration game that's more about vibes than objectives. Think beautiful desolation and digital zen.

He also shouted out Radio Garden—a global map where you can spin the world and listen to live radio from just about anywhere. It's the chillest rabbit hole you'll ever fall into.

And for anyone trying to make sense of the digital mess that is our current internet, he also found this guide to misinformation-fighting tools. Even though it's aimed at journalists, it's super handy for the rest of us trying to tell real news from ragebait.

Steven took us on a hyperspace jump to Star Wars Celebration updates. Highlights? The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, Andor Season 2 (yes, please), Ahsoka Season 2, Maul: Shadow Lord, a new Star Wars: Starfighter movie, and Star Wars Visions Volume 3. Basically, it's a great time to be a galaxy-far-far-away fan.

We're taking next week off from Book Club (don't worry, we'll still be recording). But this week we dove into William Gibson's "Fragments of a Hologram Rose"—his first published story and a dense little piece of cyberpunk mood. It follows a man piecing together memories of his ex via a near-future tech called ASP (Apparent Sensory Perception). It's sad, it's moody, it's very Gibson. The whole idea of fragmented memory and identity hits especially hard in a world where we're all just scrolling, recording, and replaying everything.

We'll be back next week (with or without Devon depending on how good that Barcelona weather is). As always, hit us up with your thoughts, your favorite indie games, your weird spring break stories, or your take on who's actually in the right: Joel or Ellie. See you then!

This week's episode kicks off with Devon missing in action, attending a wedding and recovering from, well… life. Also, he's apparently deep into building off-brand LEGO, which raises some very important questions: How many pieces? How many regrets?

Meanwhile, Ben survived a 5.2 earthquake and checks in to let us know that everyone's safe. He also shares a couple links to Desert Child, an indie hover-bike racer/RPG that mixes hip-hop, ramen, and pixel art vibes—and may or may not be rolling onto Xbox soon thanks to some juicy UI integration rumors.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/844050/Desert_Child/

https://isthereanydeal.com/game/desert-child/info/

https://www.theverge.com/news/633478/microsoft-xbox-steam-games-support-ui

Steven's life update is more... fluffy. Literally. He's in line to pick up baby chicks for the backyard flock (Black Sexlinked and Smokey Pearl, if you're curious), and discovers that mailing baby birds is a surprisingly common thing. Also, he's deploying next-level parenting tricks by disguising fun surprises as errands. The dad game is strong.

Also: The Last of Us S2 premiere dropped and Steven gives it a glowing 10/10. We talk a bit about how the show mirrors the game—and why it's working so well.

Ben also brings us something very important: The Naboo Movie. It's real. It's glorious. It's here: watch it now.

Ben drops some cosmic perspective with a planetary fact that blew our minds: All the planets in our solar system could line up between the Earth and the Moon. That includes Pluto, for those of you still rooting for the little guy.

Steven introduces us to Mad Mouse—no, not a Disney spinoff. This is about AI mapping mouse brains. A new model simulates how the mouse visual cortex responds to images. Basically, it's science fiction getting closer to just… science. Read the study here.

This week, we took a listen to the first episode of It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton, featuring "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death" by Caroline M. Yoachim. It's a short, beautiful, gut-punch of a story about love across time and space—a real Gordian knot of feels. Check it out on Lightspeed Magazine.

Next week we'll be diving into "Fragments of a Hologram Rose" by William Gibson, part of his Burning Chrome collection. It's a short one—just 15 minutes—and dripping in cyberpunk atmosphere.

And if you're wondering about the Star Trek side of our brains: yes, we saw the new Strange New Worlds trailer. Yes, it looks wild. Yes, we're watching. Peep it here.

Real Life: This week's episode has movie madness, creepers, princesses, and ducks with vendettas. Devon took a deep dive into the Minecraft Movie—yes, it's real, and yes, it might haunt him forever. Steven watched Disney's live-action Snow White and has thoughts... strong ones. Meanwhile, Ben got cartoon-punched in the face (in the best way) by The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (IMDb). Think: Bugs Bunny meets alien invasion.

Future or Now:

Solar Panels on Canals? Yes, Please: Ben brings us Project Nexus—the U.S.'s first solar panel canopy system over irrigation canals. The $20 million pilot is up and running in California's Turlock Irrigation District and could be a game-changer. Benefits include reducing water evaporation, improving quality, and cutting down on canal maintenance. Also? Clean energy. Read more

TV Necromancy: Devon reports on shows coming back—some you missed, some you didn't know you missed, and a few you assumed were never coming back. Television's not dead. It's just rebooting.

ba-ba-ba-BA-baaaaaa: Steven delivers the science: a Western diet can mess you up in just two weeks. Inflammation, weakened immunity, and long-term disease processes all kick in fast. But the good news? Switching to a traditional African diet (think fiber, fermented foods, veggies) can start reversing the damage just as quickly. Check it out

"Book Club":

This week we read Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson. A short story that drips with classic cyberpunk vibes, data couriers, and one incredibly dangerous dolphin. Devon didn't totally connect with it, but Steven loved the gritty worldbuilding and its ties to Neuromancer. Ben was onboard for the full ride—hacker noir, neon grit, and all.

Next week: We're tuning in to It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton (link) and covering "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death" by Caroline M. Yoachim (read it here). Time travel and heartbreak? Sign us up.

Real Life: This week's episode is packed with real-life chaos, sci-fi intrigue, and some good ol' tabletop talk. Devon's 4-year-old had to audition for attending a school, and guess what? It's a little stressful! Audible is now offering free content to subscribers, kinda like The Great Courses. Steven brings us part two of our City of Mist saga and shares his latest D&D session with the kids using *Peril in Pinebrook*, a free starter adventure. Also, D&D vs. City of Mist—how do they compare? Oh, and the neighbor's dog ATE one of his chickens. Not cool. Ben recommends the first episode of Storytime with Wil Wheaton (https://wilwheaton.net/podcast/), where he narrated the incredible time travel love story "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death" by Caroline M. Yoachim (https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/rock-paper-scissors-love-death/). You know how people will move heaven and earth for their loved ones? What if they moved time itself? We may cover this in an upcoming Book Club, watch out for that. Plus, Win or Lose, Pixar's new show, is a WIN.

Future or Now:

Like Brains, But Better: Electrical and computer engineers have developed a 'Super-Turing AI,' which operates more like the human brain. This new AI integrates certain processes instead of separating them and then migrating huge amounts of data like current systems do.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250326123554.htm

This Week in Space: NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has detected the largest organic (carbon-containing) molecules ever found on the red planet. The discovery is one of the most significant findings in the search for evidence of past life on Mars.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/03/nasas-curiosity-rover-has-found-the-longest-chain-carbon-molecules-yet-on-mars/

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasas-unexpected-discovery-of-the-largest-organics-on-mars-explained

"Book Club":

This week we covered three thought-provoking stories by Scott Base:

The Giving Man: https://www.badspacecomics.com/post/giving-man

A billionaire sacrifices everything, including the world, to try to fight his cancer. Living forever through the heat death of the universe.

Scour: https://www.badspacecomics.com/post/scour

The rings of Saturn are not what we thought. They're made of BONES.

Hell and Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXVBlC3hmoc

No body survives Venus.

Next week: we're tackling Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson—a cyberpunk adventure that's still eerily relevant today. https://youtu.be/aIwYxSuAzDA?si=SgcfWqx1cyiBoO1F

Real Life

This week, Steven got his hands dirty—literally. Between digging, yard work, and wrestling with a modem that decided to give up on life mid-game, it's been an eventful time. Speaking of games, we dove into City of Mist, where Greg has to decide: is he the "Crusty DM" or simply sporting a "healthy patina of experience"? Devon, meanwhile, is a street shark (but NOT the cartoon kind), Steven's embodying Job (maybe the biblical one?), and Ben's teenage runaway Lily Chow has freed a djinn her parents were up to no good with. Good times, until technology betrayed us.

Outside of RPGs, we had a Margaritaville party (because sometimes you just need to lean into the chaos), and we gave Let's Summon Demons a solid 4/5. Meanwhile, Devon tried out Harmonies—a game in the vein of Cascadia—and highly recommends it. If you want to check it out, here's the link: Harmonies on BGG. Oh, and Devon's also been watching Daredevil: Born Again, so we'll probably hear more about that soon.

Ben, on the other hand, watched Flow (IMDB), an indie Latvian/French post-apocalyptic film with animals, boats, and a slow but gorgeous vibe. Sci-fi? He says yes. Thrill ride? Not quite, but definitely worth a watch.

Future or Now?

Ben took a deep dive into his cosmic worldview this week, courtesy of a Substack quiz designed to help pinpoint one's beliefs about reality. Turns out, he hovers somewhere between animism, Gnosticism, and multiverse theory—because why pick just one? He also explored Emergent Materialism, the idea that consciousness and social phenomena are more than the sum of their physical parts, while Steven proudly waved the banner of Reductive Materialism: "We're all just atoms and molecules—deal with it!" Devon, ever the skeptic, leaned into Pragmatic Instrumentalism: "Do we even know what reality is?" And of course, the multiverse debate made an appearance. Do we really buy into it? We debated it all… while channeling our inner Matt Murdock.

Steven also brought up some interesting research on how we misinterpret our dogs' emotions. Humans have a habit of projecting their own feelings onto their pets, leading to misunderstandings about what they actually need. Here's the study if you want to check it out. Ben, meanwhile, admitted that his labrador has him trained rather than the other way around—because, let's face it, food is the ultimate motivator.

Book Club

This week, we discussed To Be Taught, If Fortunate: Votum by Becky Chambers. Topics ranged from chirality and molecular handedness to the ultimate decision-makers in the universe. Steven had thoughts about the book's ending… and let's just say he made sure we all heard them. Repeatedly.

Next week, we're diving into three stories by Scott Base: The Giving Man, Scour, and Hell and Back (watch here). If you want to read along, now's your chance!

That's it for this episode! Let us know your thoughts, especially if you have strong opinions on RPG archetypes, cosmic worldviews, or whether your dog is secretly running your life. Catch you next time!