where science meets fact meets fiction

  • Episode 596: The First Law and the Worst Lies

    Episode 596: The First Law and the Worst Lies

    This week we bounce from haunted literary labyrinths and gonzo chaos in Real Life, into falling space junk, AI hype experiments, and surprisingly clever cows in Future or Now — before wrapping up with Isaac Asimov’s Liar! and a discussion about robot ethics, emotional harm, and the danger of well-intentioned lies. Real Life Steven is…

  • Episode 595: Let’s Go Buy A Bigger Boat

    Episode 595: Let’s Go Buy A Bigger Boat

    This week’s episode had everything: halftime show skepticism, aquatic conspiracy theories, holographic ethics, and a little too much time in the Wasteland. We may have skipped science again… but we made up for it with sharks and Starfleet. Real Life Devon: Safe Bets and Stadium Spectacles Devon kicked things off with the Super Bowl halftime…

  • Episode 594: Hope, Ice, and Non-Human Intelligence

    Episode 594: Hope, Ice, and Non-Human Intelligence

    This week’s episode is a very real-life-heavy one, with winter storms, family travel chaos, sick kids, and a surprising amount of ice setting the tone. From a memorable Nashville trip and pop culture check-ins to a passionate Star Trek defense and thoughtful sci-fi discussion, we settle in for a conversational episode that leans into where…

  • Episode 593: The Horse Cannot Be Contained

    Episode 593: The Horse Cannot Be Contained

    This week we cover a little bit of everything, including a brutal browser puzzle game, new tabletop RPG pickups, meditation meetups, comic books, and a short film with a great twist. REAL LIFE Ben kicks things off talking about the puzzle game that has completely taken over his brain, Enclose the Horse (https://enclose.horse/). The goal…

  • Episode 592: A Vertiginous Experience

    Episode 592: A Vertiginous Experience

    Real Life Ben opens the show by talking about vertigo—both experiencing it firsthand and wondering if Devon might be dealing with it too. He shares that he was diagnosed with a mild case and offers genuinely useful advice: if you’re experiencing vertigo, see a doctor, figure out what caused it, and which side it’s affecting.…

  • Episode 591: Oral Frailties

    Episode 591: Oral Frailties

    Real Life We kick things off with a round of Real Life check-ins, because apparently none of us are allowed to simply exist quietly. Ben opens with Bedroom Talk with Ben Lawless, which is exactly as awkward, candid, and vaguely alarming as it sounds. No further clarification is offered, nor requested. Devon reports that snowboarding…

  • Episode 590: The Christmas Fallout

    Episode 590: The Christmas Fallout

    Real Life This week’s episode starts where a lot of us have been living lately: sick, tired, and mainlining comfort food. Steven is still sick for Christmas and counting, while Ben also got hit, which pushed Christmas celebrations down the calendar a bit. The upside? More chili. More Fritos. No regrets. Holiday illness also turned…

  • Episode 589: They Still Make These Films?

    Episode 589: They Still Make These Films?

    This week’s episode is a little different—Steven is out sick, so it’s just Devon and Ben holding down the fort. The result is a loose, thoughtful conversation that bounces from pop culture overload to philosophy, creativity, and the art of not trying so hard. Real Life  Devon kicks things off with a trip looming on…

  • Episode 588: Ben-nip and the Non-troversy

    Episode 588: Ben-nip and the Non-troversy

    Real Life We kick things off with Real Life, where Devon is suspiciously chipper and ahead on billing (don’t worry, it doesn’t last forever). Steven recounts The Great Lice Infestation of ’25, a saga that will echo through the ages—or at least the household laundry room. Ben crowns Sektori as his game of the year, describing…

  • Episode 587: Birthday Overload Apocalypse

    Episode 587: Birthday Overload Apocalypse

    Real Life We opened this week’s episode with real-life updates, starting with Steven’s full-on birthday blitz — his birthday, his kids’ birthdays, all packed into the same window. There was dinner out, a rowdy round of Ransom Notes, and the proud report that his kid nailed a fully successful sleepover. Parenting achievement unlocked. Devon, meanwhile,…