where science meets fact meets fiction

  • Episode 571: Boy Band Calculus

    Episode 571: Boy Band Calculus

    Real Life  Devon has been knee-deep in yard work, prepping and installing artificial grass and fixing up fences. But the real highlight was his trip to Milwaukee for some baseball—and of course, some Alice Cooper trivia because apparently Milwaukee and Alice Cooper are forever linked thanks to Wayne’s World. Ben gave us an update on…

  • Episode 570: My Journey to K-Pop Demon Hunters

    Episode 570: My Journey to K-Pop Demon Hunters

    Real Life Ben’s having a bit of an “old man yells at cloud” week. Everything is changing, young people adapt, old people stretch (sometimes), and Orion—our good doggo—is in late-stage kidney failure. Can the universe just… not for five minutes? Steven is counting the days until school starts again. When does he get his elusive “me…

  • Episode 569: Desert Suns and Distant Moons

    Episode 569: Desert Suns and Distant Moons

    Real Life DevonGone again, off doing what families do. Probably eating responsibly and not playing Magic with middle schoolers. We’ll get a full download when he returns from the wilds of familial bonding. StevenSteven melted in Palm Springs last weekend. Like, cartoon puddle of clothes and glasses melted. It hit 112°F, and not in the…

  • Episode 568: Bradbury Wasn’t Kidding

    Episode 568: Bradbury Wasn’t Kidding

    Real Life Ben spent the week playing nurse, but at least it was a summer cold—infinitely easier than juggling tissues and PTO requests during the school year. The only upside to a sick kid when the sun’s out? More cartoons, fewer emails. Hearing Ben wiping noses and handing out popsicles, Steven got nostalgic about Scrubs.…

  • Episode 567: Regular Human Shenanigans

    Episode 567: Regular Human Shenanigans

    Real Life Ben showed up with a box of magic and a handful of links, and we spiraled from there. We started off with Piecepack, the infinitely expandable system of tile-based board games. If you haven’t seen it, The Infinite Board Game is a great intro — it comes with a full Piecepack set and…

  • Episode 566: Skeletons Or It Didn’t Happen

    Episode 566: Skeletons Or It Didn’t Happen

    Real Life This week, Steven finally found a superhero movie that didn’t make him want to throw his popcorn at the screen. Superman (2025) has arrived, and according to him, it’s the best take we’ve had on the character in years. No origin story nonsense, just straight into Supes doing good and being good. James…

  • Episode 565: Dark Energy, Glowing Yeast

    Episode 565: Dark Energy, Glowing Yeast

    Real Life Ben took a family trip down to San Diego just in time for the other fireworks night—turns out, there are often more fireworks on the 3rd of July than the 4th. Devon also caught a local 3rd-of-July fireworks show, which has started to feel like the real deal instead of just a warm-up.…

  • Episode 564: Becky Chambers Is My Therapist

    Episode 564: Becky Chambers Is My Therapist

    Real Life BenBen’s been quietly communing with the universe—and possibly with time travelers—through a book of accidental poetry called Adieu, Plane Snake. These are poems born from Wordle guesses, wrangled into a strangely beautiful collection. The result feels like overhearing wisdom whispered from another dimension… or from your roommate’s weird dreams. Ben recommends reading it…

  • Episode 563: Aspergillus Strikes Back

    Episode 563: Aspergillus Strikes Back

    Real Life This week, real life got weird, itchy, nostalgic, and just slightly chaotic. Ben celebrated a birthday by dragging his family through a hike in tick-infested grass. Friendly reminder: Don’t go into the long grass. We’ve seen Jurassic Park, we know how this ends. Devon may or may not be living in Foreverware straight…

  • Episode 562: The Robot Seems Fun, but the Kids are in Trouble

    Episode 562: The Robot Seems Fun, but the Kids are in Trouble

    Real Life Ben had a pretty heartfelt Father’s Day. The kind that makes you wonder what to do with all those sentimental cards—save them? Repurpose them? Wallpaper a studio? He’s thinking bigger: moleskin notebooks and sketchbooks as repositories for meaningful letters, doodles, and moments. He also caught You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at SLOREP,…