The High Tech Low Life Podcast: A Cyberpunk Media Retrospective

Repo Man is a movie about a punk kid venturing into an exciting career in the field of automobile reposession. When a government scientist with a super weapon goes rogue, all the repo men in town are out to find it because that's who you send to retrieve state secrets: the lowest dregs of humanity.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

This episode has a fresh intro to recap the insane antics of the week and offer up a few recommendations, then we dive back into Simon Morden's Equations of Life. Once again we are joined by Geoff from the Astronomica Podcast.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Astronomica: http://www.astronomicapodcast.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

Cover art by Gillyvor

It's another book episode, which means we are joined by Geoff from Astronomica to use our mushy little brains and read words on paper (or listen to someone else read them at us) and this time we are reading Equations of Life by Simon Morden. The book follows a Russian refugee living in the London Metrozone and the punishment he receives for doing one good deed.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Astronomica: http://www.astronomicapodcast.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

If you were an adolescent in 2002-2003, Equilibrium ruled. Equal parts Matrix-cool and not-at-all-subtle anti authoritarianism were the perfect mix for angsty young men such as your humble hosts. As an adult in 2026 it's still kinda rules, though the flaws may be slightly more apparent. Pre-Batman Bale, fresh off of LOTR Bean, and post Stella Diggs? Sign me the eff up.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

Blade Runner Black Lotus seems like it should be right up our alley. The problem is, it's boring. And not in a Blade Runner 2049 boring-because-not-a-lot-is-happening-but-interesting-because-you're-watching-characters-develop way, boring in a Surrogates way. Perhaps we were unfair to Black Lotus because we had just watched the aforementioned Surrogates, but if you don't want to be called boring, then be more interesting!

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

Surrogates is kind of a bummer. Not because it's exceptionally bad, or exceptionally squandered potential, it's just a waste of time that could be better spent doing almost anything else. It stands for nothing, it's trying to say nothing, it offers nothing. Most of the performances are people playing robots, and they act like robots. This movie is AI slop before AI slop was even a thing. Now that I've really sold it, listen to us talk about it for 2 hours.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

This week we have a fresh intro to discuss all the fun new dystopian things happening, and then we jump back into Transmetropolitan with issues 2-6.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

This episode will be covering the first six issues of the 1997 comic book Transmetropolitan. Transmetropolitan is a story about a guy named Spider, who is super cool 90s edgelord journalist, searching for truth in a remarkably prescient cyberpunk future. It's a lot to cover, and this is just the first 10th of the whole series, but consider this your intro to Transmet course.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

At last this bottom-feeding podcast gets a much needed injection of class and taste with 1981's Heavy Metal. A film for the discerning cine-o-phile. Ok so only about 1/5th of this movie can be considered cyberpunk, but that's good enough for us, so we are diving in. Cut yourself a line of Niborg and Loc your Nars in baby.

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

This week we are recapping 3 short films found on the internet. The first is a French film called Lost Memories 2.0 about a man searching for his lost love after a global computer crash. https://youtu.be/4WwC6CT92qw?si=AlBiIJk6BNKKl5m0

The Second is a Serbian Film called Anima about a cool dude trying to get "juice" for a mysterious reason. https://vimeo.com/992417940

And the third is a Malaysian film called The Masseuse, wherein a technician has to service the titular robotic Masseuse in the midst of an anti-robot movement. https://youtu.be/jeI2qXq0RRc?si=J0Jh9lW2Vg9Scyo0

The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla.

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com