The Phantasmagorical Think Tank

It's the end of the world!

Theme Music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Selected Bibliography:

Heaven's Gate: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/heavens-gate-cult-members-found-dead

Hilarious apocalypse predictions: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessmom/2018/06/14-hilarious-apocalypse-predictions/

Why we're obsessed with doomsday: https://www.newsweek.com/doomsday-postpone-again-heres-why-were-obsessed-end-world-according-psychology-670860

The Big Bang: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/09/21/the-big-bang-wasnt-the-beginning-after-all/#7767e91d55df

The Heat Death and Big Rip: https://phys.org/news/2015-09-fate-universeheat-death-big-rip.html

Hello there!

Scott and Matt share their compliments and criticisms of Star Wars IX.

Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Matt's monologue, followed by a post-monologue discussion.

Penn and Teller clear cups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8osRaFTtgHo

Penn and Teller Saturday Night Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwkmgqbYXdE

Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Scott monologues about the nature of morality, revisiting some of the ideas discussed in Episode 5.

Check out this visualization: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTyvorrhUP8VpIroHV_WDtBEun59prrl/view?usp=sharing

Theme music is Levitation by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Back to basics. In this episode, Scott and Matt discuss free will and urban legends.

Follow along the urban legends segment with this optional slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ExeRiEaWH0M1odkvQLe48fD4Kao6oiy08dC-9_B2JIU/edit?usp=sharing

Use of copyrighted music falls under the Fair Use policy, as per Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. Music Credit: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, Revolution 9 by The Beatles, and Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles

Theme music is Levitation by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Matt and Scott have constructed interactive, bifurcating stories for each other, which the other gets to experience. Which path will kill you? Which path will win?

Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here:https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ

Five friends conduct a quirky exercise in creative writing.

Bibliography and Additional Resources

Our Exquisite Corpse Project in paper form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W1_i78P6el40Kd7FqtyiB3ZITE6gNA-J/view?usp=sharing

Full movie of Olde English’s Exquisite Corpse Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3fXT63Zs8M

Trailer for Olde English’s Exquisite Corpse Project: https://vimeo.com/41669721

Theme music is ‘Levitation’ by Mabeha. Listen to the track here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ

The stone colossi of Rapa Nui. The Fermi Paradox. An Idiolect Test. Boy, is it good to be back!

Bibliography and Additional Resources

Rapa Nui (1:07)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/el-gigante-and-the-stone-moai-of-easter-island

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/easter-island-moai

https://www.easterisland.travel/easter-island-facts-and-info/moai-statues/

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/v/voyage-moai

NOTE: The story Scott told about ecological disaster on Rapa Nui might actually not true. Check it out:

 https://www.livescience.com/616-view-easter-island-disaster-wrong-researchers.html

Fermi Paradox (18:09)

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a24826/riddle-of-the-week-12/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc

Idiolect Test (40:29)

https://www.britannica.com/topic/idiolect

Music Credit

'Levitation' by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ

'Seasons' by DJ AG: https://open.spotify.com/track/7Ag8UznbBqMBS5Hl4GwNrD

Is morality objective, subjective, or somewhere in between? What makes a story fantastic? Just how unreliable is the human mind? Matt and Scott welcome you back to The Phantasmagoria Think Tank.

A huge thank-you to Yasmin, Tray, and Selena for guest-starring in this episode.

Additional Resources

Sam Harris' Moral Landscape: https://samharris.org/books/the-moral-landscape/

Kantian Philosophy (Crash Course): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw

Contractarianism (Crash Course): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Co6pNvd9mc&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNgK6MZucdYldNkMybYIHKR&index=38

Pixar's 22 Rules of Phenomenal Storytelling: https://www.slideshare.net/powerfulpoint/pixar-22rulestophenomenalstorytellingpowerfulpointslideshare/1

Rewrite of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSQJ9W4SxiQ

Sir Frederic Bartlett and The War of the Ghosts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p00f8n47

The Plight of Roger Newman: https://www.tes.com/lessons/QIuxYy2U9ZCWpw/introduction-to-early-american-history

Theme music is "Seasons" by DJ AG: https://open.spotify.com/album/6KF0kxLurhP9eRF94fB2cP

Can a computer convince Matt and Scott that it’s a human? What should a fantasy author know before writing his or her tale? Can you be 100% certain about something and still be wrong? Matt and Scott investigate these cognitively salubrious quandaries in the fourth installment of their quirkily euphonious podcast.

Bibliography & Additional Resources

The Turing Test

The Imitation Game (2014): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/ 

Eliza: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/ego/eliza 

A short documentary about Eliza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMK9AphfLco 

Mitsuku: https://www.pandorabots.com/mitsuku/ 

About the Loebner Prize: https://www.aisb.org.uk/events/loebner-prize 

Sanderson’s Laws

Sanderson himself explains his laws: https://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/ 

Hello Future Me explains his take on hard magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMJQb5bGu_g

Unexpected Hanging

The Rest of Us explains the Paradox of the Unexpected Hanging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxlCiV_axQ0 

Music

Urban Jungle 2061: https://soundimage.org/sci-fi/ 

Epic Boss Battle: https://freepd.com/epic.php 

La Citadelle: https://freepd.com/romantic.php 

Vinylpunk: https://www.freemusicpublicdomain.com/royalty-free-dance-trance-techno-music/ 

Seasons: https://open.spotify.com/search/results/seasons%20DJ%20AG