where science meets fact meets fiction

Month: June 2025

  • 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,…

  • Episode 561: In Search of Small Comforts

    Episode 561: In Search of Small Comforts

    This week, Steven, Ben, and Devon record remotely to avoid the usual chaos (rat wrestling included). From blacksmithing birthday gifts to questioning the ethics of breakfast, it’s a classic episode full of heart, guilt, and sci-fi coziness. Real Life Devon’s work trip was mostly pointless, thanks to the other party being wildly unprepared. Meanwhile, Steven…

  • Episode 560: Rat Hustlers

    Episode 560: Rat Hustlers

    Real Life Things kicked off with stories from Friday night’s bonfire, where the nature of reality was hotly debated between toasted marshmallows. That conversation somehow spiraled into a serious (and slightly absurd) discussion about Noodles and Soba—Ben’s son’s pet rats—and the potential benefits of getting female rats fixed. Apparently, doing so can add about a…