Peter Schwartz has been working as a futurist and scenario planner for more than 45 years, and he says the pandemic is an event like no other in his lifetime. But he also remains optimistic about where we can go from here. Total SF host Peter Hartlaub interviews the Salesforce senior VP of about his future-obsessed childhood, the changing attitudes about surveillance in the U.S. and the consulting work he's done on iconic movies - including "Sneakers," "WarGames" and "Minority Report."

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album Community and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb..

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"Pearls Before Swine: comic strip artist Stephan Pastis was a lawyer who hated his job before starting the strip 20 years ago. The Santa Rosa resident still feels pressure to perform, which has led to some of his best work — including recent strips tackling the COVID-19 crisis. Pastis also talks with host Peter Hartlaub about co-writing the Disney+ "Timmy Failure" movie, meeting his hero Charles Schulz — and he pays tribute to his favorite independent bookstores.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album Community and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb..

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Romance novelist Jasmine Guillory joins host Peter Hartlaub to talk about the five novels she's written in the last three years, including the new one "Party of Two." The Bishop O'Dowd grad and lifetime East Bay resident talks about her love of Oakland, why she like to include food details in her writing and her favorite romantic movie. Guillory and Hartlaub also pay tribute to local bookstores - explaining how listeners can support indies during the pandemic.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album Community and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb..

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Total SF welcomes Judd Winick, author and former "The Real World" cast member, to talk about the 20th anniversary of his AIDS education graphic novel "Pedro and Me" — and to pay tribute to his favorite Bay Area comic book shops. To kick off Total SF indie bookstore month, Winick talks about his successful new series "Hilo," what kept him and his family in San Francisco and why local book stores are worth fighting for.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album Community, and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

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Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight talk about what they've been reading during the shelter in place, and pay tribute to the Bay Area independent bookstores and comic book shops they hope will survive. Selections include "The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory, "What Unites Us" by Dan Rather and "Cool Gray City of Love" by Gary Kamiya.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

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Chronicle theater critic Lily Janiak joins host Peter Hartlaub to talk about her bike-first lifestyle as a critic, and her thoughts about the future of bicycling in San Francisco. With the San Francisco Chronicle's new The Throughline section mapping out a possible biking/walking future, Hartlaub and Janiak suggest a few priorities — and offer listeners help feeling more comfortable biking into the city.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community."

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The San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan is once again at the center of the reporting on a new homelessness project, talks about his own experience with homelessness. He also introduces two songs that he's written about the homeless, and recalls his early music career, which included busking in the UK and New Zealand.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

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Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho and food writer Justin Phillips return to Total SF to introduce their new podcast Extra Spicy. Ho and Phillips talk to host Peter Hartlaub about how they met, the story behind their awesome new salsa logo design and how the themes of race and diversity in the food world are more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ho, Phillips and Hartlaub also make a strong case for Guy Fieri.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album Community. Cable car bell ringing by eight-time champion Byron Cobb.

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After last week's death of David Perlman at age 101, host Peter Hartlaub and reporter Kevin Fagan pay tribute to the legendary former Chronicle science writer, who started at the newspaper in 1940 and worked until his 2017 retirement. After the tribute, we play our 2019 interview with Perlman, celebrating his 100th birthday. Perlman talks about his start at the newspaper, how he became a science writer, coverage from the moon landing to the AIDS crisis and his feelings about retirement at age 98.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community."

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