The High Tech Low Life Podcast: A Cyberpunk Media Retrospective

We are back from break and ready to take on one of our most requested and anticipated properties: Shadowrun. Man be meeting magic and machine up in here, folks. Don't go into this expecting a lot of coverage of Shadowrun as a game, our wheelhouse is lore, not game mechanics, so we focus on the story and what came to pass to get us to where we are in the 6th world. We are also happy to be joined by Ben from Pink Fohawk and Dean from nullsheen.com

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.

Pink Fohawk: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fKd0STUvxIlaqOdPu7ejE?si=8cdb8600091647eb

Dean: https://www.nullsheen.com

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

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

We are back from break and ready to take on one of our most requested and anticipated properties:  Shadowrun.   Man be meeting magic and machine up in here, folks.  Don't go into this expecting a lot of coverage of Shadowrun as a game, our wheelhouse is lore, not game mechanics, so we focus on the story and what came to pass to get us to where we are in the 6th world.  We are also happy to be joined by Ben from Pink Fohawk and Dean from nullsheen.com

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.

Pink Fohawk: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fKd0STUvxIlaqOdPu7ejE?si=8cdb8600091647eb

Dean:  https://www.nullsheen.com

Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

Cover art by Gillyvor

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

We're almost back, baby! On this mini-ep we talk about some aesthetic changes to the pod, and announce our big Season 3 premiere episode coming next week. Also read a couple of emails for good measure.

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

I know, podcast "seasons" are dumb, nevertheless we are about to take a break and figured we'd kick out one more episode to cover the insane dystopian week we've had and read a few listener questions and comments. Enjoy the heat and stay safe out in them streets!

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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

This week ya boys dip their toe into one of the more popular dystopias of the modern era: The Hunger Games, specifically the prequel A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And like any good quest into uncharted territory, they dare not go alone. Thankfully, Kristen from the Astronomica podcast has been kind enough to join us and lend her considerable expertise. Yes, I'm aware that Josh is actually quite familiar with the franchise but will you just let me have the metaphor? Writing these things every week isn't as easy as it looks. Anyway, lets get hungry!

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

While it may not be very cyberpunk, Sneakers is still well worth a watch and does kinda share some vibes skirting the edges of the genre. Who doesn't like a good caper? Who doesn't like this cast? Who doesn't like watching a blind man drive a panel van full throttle over a multi-level parking lot? Cyberpunk it isn't, but a fun and well-made movie it very much is.

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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

What a strange bit of media Captain Laserhawk is. Basically an extended commercial for a video game company, ripping off every cyberpunk trope in the book, you might expect it to be straight garbage. Against all odds, however, it actually pulls off a fun and interesting little tale with some depressingly familiar dystopian world building. Kudos to Ubisoft, I guess!

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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

In Time has an awesome concept. What if time was literally currency? What if centuries were horded by an elite that used the market to control and subjagate the majority of the population who had to toil and stress for every hour in the day? Sounds like fertile ground for cyberpunkery! Unfortunately this story is not told very well, and the result is kind of boring and hamfisted, and certainly not helped by some of the worst performances given by actors that we usually expect much better of. In the end, 2 hours of your life watching this movie feels like you overpaid. Hopefully 2 hours of this podcast is at least fair market value, maybe not a stellar deal, you could probably do better at another podcast, but at least it isn't a waste? I'm lost in the time metaphors lets press on.

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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

Screamers is a solid little under-the-radar, mid 90's sci fi film. It has some quality dialogue, interesting story adapted from a Phillip K Dick novella, and some surprisingly solid special effects from a time period when the effects on low budget movies were frequently less than special.

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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

After a freshly recorded introduction to discuss the various horrors and delights of the week, we rejoin our podcast in progress recapping The Fifth Element. The back half of the movie is even more insane than the front, due in no small part to the introduction of Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod, famous space radio DJ? Twitch streamer? Podcaster? We're gonna call him a podcaster. I know I'd like and subscribe.

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds

Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife

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