decipher SciFi : the show about how and why

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Conan the Barbarian ’82 What: Arnold is awesome and cuts through a bunch of bad guys on his quest for revenge. Directed by: John Milius Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow Featuring guest co-host Joe Ruppel, our co-bff Recommended and Related Media Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger Ahhhnold’s autobiography. He’s really inspiring for the three of us. Read it with your ears iTunes | Amazon Read it with your eyes iTunes | Amazon Science Fiction Film Podcast – Conan the Barbarian I like this show. See what happens when funnier people cover the same material as we did here. Check out the episode by itself Subscribe to their show RSS | iTunes | Google Play Music Conan the Barbarian the Musical

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix What: Dolor Umbridge shows up at Hogwart’s and Harry bands together a group of students in secret to form “Dumbledor’s Army.” Directed by: David Yates Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman Featuring guest co-host Eric Molinsky of Imaginary Worlds Recommended and Related Media Harry Potter Eric thinks the books are pretty great. You’re probably familiar with them? Read them with your eyes iTunes | Amazon Read them with your ears iTunes | Amazon Imaginary Worlds Podcast Eric’s really great show about scifi and fantasy – why we create them and how we suspend our disbelief. Get the thing iTunes | Google Play Music | RSS | Website Show Notes Scifi and Fantasy Our different aptitudes for processing fantasy. Fantasy tropes, internal consistency, Patrick Rothfuss. Wizard and muggle technologies Telegraphs, internets, owls and agentive magical paper airplanes. Other things too! The power of names “True name” magic in Harry Potter. IRL examples. Ancient Egypt, Medieval Europe, Jewish mysticism, Aronofsky’s Pi. Rothfuss again. Classism and wizard racism Wizard Hitler! Wizard warfare Magic bullet machine gun enchanted buckler wizards. Enchanted riot shields with a wand-hole in them. Other innovations. Characters The fascististic headmistress, Ballatrix, Luna, and other characters we wanted to note. Goodbyes Endicus showicus! Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon The Golden Compass What: Little girl has magic compass, goes north with an ARMORED POLAR BEAR to save many children. Directed by: Chris Weitz Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards Recommended and Related Media His Dark Materials By Philip Pullman The trilogy bearing The Golden Compass (the first book) on which this movie was based. It’s pretty good! It had a lot more going on that was basically not present in the movie. Worth a look. Read it with your ears iTunes | Amazon (1, 2, 3) Read it with your eyes iTunes | Amazon PBS Spacetime They have videos on dark matter and the multiverse! And many other topics. Show Notes Production Issues before, issues during, issues in the final cut. So many issues! How the movie lost much of the depth of the book. Scifi vs Fantasy Sciencey veneer over a big pile of fantasy. Maybe steampunk? Dark Matter Recognizing that dark matter makes no sense as an explanation for dust. Considering the public conception of dark matter way back when the book was written. Discovery and modern evidence. Bullet cluster. Baryonic matter. Dark energy or the cosmological constant. The Mind-Body Problem Familiars and daemons and souls. Dualism. Consciousness uploading. Metaknowledge. Polar Bears Polar bear evolution. Shrinking habitat. Hollow hairs and skin color and other adaptations. Blubber and keeping cool. Parallel Universes Svalbard! Aurora. The many-worlds interpretation. Goodbyes YESSSSSS, THAT IS ALL. Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Outlander What: Viking space Jesus stars in Beowulf, and then Predator. Get to the space-choppa. Directed by: Howard McCain Starring: Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Ron Perlman Featuring guest co-host Lee Accomando of Viking Age Podcast Recommended and Related Media Viking Age Podcast Guest co-host Lee’s show all about viking history! Get the thing iTunes | RSS | Google Play Beowulf Outlander is based on Beowulf, more or less. Chris really really likes this movie! It’s so cheesey and manly.

Stream the movie: Amazon Arrival What: Aliens arrive, and talk communicate with a human linguist. In this second episode on the film,  we cover all of the language stuff! Directed by: Denis Villeneuve Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Featuring guest co-host Nick Farmer, linguist, creator of The Expanse’s Belter language Recommended and Related Media Arrival Really, go see this movie. Pause the show, see the movie, and then resume. It was so good! Everything by Ted Chiang We’ve recommended The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate for its treatment of time travel, but I’m expanding on that here to recommend everything by friend-of-the-show Ted Chiang. The story on which the movie is based, Story of Your Life, in this collection iTunes | Amazon Ted’s guest co-host appearance on decipherSciFi Ted’s author page at Amazon Nick Farmer He’s a linguist! And a conlanger, technically. His website Nick Farmer Linguist His Twitter @nfarmerlinguist Show Notes Sapir-Whorf AKA linguistic relativity, and why it is a very very wrong thing. A warm and fuzzy idea that turns out, after facing science, not to reflect reality well. Nick really really wants to set the record straight on this matter. Spoken Alien Language Considering the possibilities. Different modalities. Language need not be sound-based! ASL. Frequencies of sound. Written Language Heptapod B! Bending over backwards to figure out a way for alien languages to break the linearity of time. Alien Writing System The complexity of deciphering alien writing systems. Extradimensionality. Stephen Wolfram wrote the software to create the logograms. Human language analogies. Mapping ideas and words and concepts is REALLY complicated. Goodbyes Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Minority Report What: Tom Cruise running and a future justice system where technology can predict murders before they are committed. Directed by: Steven Spielberg Starring:  Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Coillin Farrell, Max Von Sydow, Peter Stormare Featuring guest co-host Eliot Peper, author Recommended and Related Media Cumulus by Eliot Peper A near-future techno thriller by our guest co-host! It was really rather good, you should give it a look.

Stream the movie: Amazon Arrival What: Aliens arrive, and talk communicate with a human linguist. Directed by: Denis Villeneuve Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Featuring guest co-hosts Jolene Creighton, managing editor at Futurism.com Adrian Falcone (@AdrianBFalcone), internet nerd Recommended and Related Media Darmok The classic ST:TNG tale of alien communication. Get the thing iTunes | Amazon Everything by Ted Chiang In the episode Adrian recommends The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate for its treatment of travel, but I’m expanding on that here to recommend everything by friend-of-the-show Ted Chiang. The story on which the movie is based, Story of Your Life, in this collection iTunes | Amazon Ted’s guest co-host appearance on decipherSciFi Ted’s author page at Amazon Alien Math UI guru Jeff Raskin’s alien arithmetic brain-teaser from forever ago. Adrian’s white whale.

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Star Trek Beyond What: Star Trek WITH EXPLOSIONS for the third time Directed by: Justin Lin Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella Featuring guest co-host Jolene Creighton, managing editor at Futurism.com Recommended and Related Media The United Federation of “Hold my beer, I got this” Genius Star Trek headcanon. Read the whole thing Tumblr Deep Space Nine Jolene and Dan both think DS9 is the best Star Trek. Stream it iTunes | Amazon The Trouble with Teleporters by CGP Grey Show Notes Lament Our love for Star Trek and how this does or does not fit. Drone Swarm Drone swarm tactics. Realizing they’re robots. Explosive Decompression It is all manners of unpleasant. Universal Translator Christopher’s revelation. IRL real-time translation software. Skype Translator. Security Systems And bad design. Teleporters Breaking phsyics. Weaponization. Goodbyes I’m a doctor, not an <x> Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon The Island of Dr Moreau What: Marlon Brando goes to island, does creepy things to animals Directed by: John Frankenheimer Starring: Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Mark Dacascos, Ron Perlman Featuring guest co-host Joe Ruppel, history nerd Recommended and Related Media The Limits of Individual Plasticity by H.G. Wells Wells explored some ideas in this essay that would eventually form the basis for The Island of Dr. Moreau. Read the essay Google Books Frankenstein (feat. Joe Ruppel, History Nerd) : decipherSciFi Episode 29 A lot of commonalities that we were surprised to find between Moreau and Frankenstein. And this was a good episode! So check it out. Listen to the episode on this very site Show Notes Vivisection Definitions. Victorian science and protest movements. John Hunter and the John Byrne Irish Giant. Behaviourist views of animal feelings. Humans as an animal Coming to terms with our place in nature in Wells’ time. Natural selection vs selection by Moreau. Individual plasticity and heredity More vivisection. Human body modification and evolution. Religious analogy The “father” and the “laws.” Should we do x? Chris plays the amoral scientist monster every time we ask this question. Carnivore vs herbivore Moral of the story: Moreau really should have bred a race of herbivores. Would have side-stepped a lot of issues. Transhumanism Strategies in evolving humanity and combining with our replacement life form. Goodbyes No goodbye here, but a test  – if you’re actually reading this, go ahead and send us an email at the address below and tell me your favorite sci-fi movie you’d like us to cover.libysn Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon John Carpenter’s The Thing What: An alien life form threatens humanity at an antarctic research facility Directed by: John Carpenter Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David Featuring guest co-hosts Caelum Rale, artist Ryan Bingham, lawyer Recommended and Related Media Lee Hardcastle’s The Thing Claymations These are all wonderful

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon The Exorcist What: Two priests fight a little girl. Directed by: William Friedkin Starring: Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller Featuring guest co-host Adrian Falcone (@AdrianBFalcone), internet nerd Recommended and Related Media You Are Twoby CGP Grey CGP Grey Youtube The Exorcist – Killapalooza These guys did a really good job covering the whole Exorcist series on their really good podcast. Get the thing Doublefeature.fm Show Notes Editions Theatrical vs “The Version You’ve Never Seen.” Demons Devils, demons, pazuzu, deception. How do people get possessed? Different theories. Supernaturalism Supernatural detective work. Priest losing his faith. “Real” Exorcism The Catholics. The Rite of Exorcism. Bureaucracy. Serious vs loosey-goosey exorcisms. Simple vs Easy Explanations Occam’s razor. Science. Latin Tradition. Latin as the language of ancient evil. Ecclesiastical latin. Order of Operations Medicine -> fringe medicine -> call a priest! Horror The ways this movie is timelessly excellent and scary. Parenting. Demon Battle Plan Demons might not be the best at planning, OR we might be inconsequential nothings to them, OR creating a rift between god and his people is their job. Goodbyes I need re-assignment, Tom. I want out of this job. It’s wrong. It’s no good. Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon 28 Days Later What: 28 Days Later introduced us to fast zombies: the worst kind of zombies. And Cillian Murphy being awesome. Directed by: Danny Boyle Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson Featuring guest co-host Jolene Creighton, managing editor at Futurism.com Recommended and Related Media Shaun of the Dead Jolene’s favorite zombie movie. One of the best for sure, and a great comedy to boot. Get the thing iTunes | Amazon Dead Island Colbert and I had a truly delightful time playing these games together in co-op. Get the thing XBox One | PS4 | Steam Brookhaven Experiment for HTC Vive This HTC Vive VR experience is all the rage at the Futurism offices. Get the thing if you have an HTC Vive Steam Show Notes Lab Safety Security in researching highly contagious zombie viruses. Animal liberation. Biological Infection Viruses, parasites, R0, monkeys. Infection rates. Bloodborne illness. Zombies Zombie taxonomy. Do these count as zombies? A disgreement. Fainting goats. Preparedness CDC recommendations. Weapon choice. Get on a boat. Hospital Escape Cillian Murphy’s wiener. Playing God. Goodbyes AAAAAARRRRGHGHHHHHHGH! Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Bram Stoker’s Dracula What: Vlad rages against all kinda of things as revenge for losing his wife. Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola Starring: Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins Featuring guest co-host Joe Ruppel, history nerd Recommended and Related Media Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Bram Stoker Victorian vampire fiction! When men were men, and women were helpless and needed their virtue safeguarded by said men. This is where we got our major idea of the modern vampire. Good times. Read it with your eyes Project Gutenberg | iTunes | Amazon Read it with your ears Librivox | iTunes | Amazon Dracula (1931) Classic Lugosi Dracula. Get the thing iTunes | Amazon Show Notes Keanu We love Keanu. But that accent! Oy vey. And standing across from Gary Oldman, no less. Vlad Vlad history lesson. Spikes in the butt. Motivations. Elizabethan Sexuality Promiscuity, puritanism. Syphilis. Bloooood. Vampire Rules How to vampire. Eating/drinking Blood Maasi blood drinking. Blood preparations in various world cuisines. Blood fetishes? Science vs Supernaturalism In the period and place. Goodbyes The children of the night. What music they make. Feedback? Please Contact Us contact@decipherscifi.com Amazon and iTunes links include our affiliate codes. If you wouldn’t mind helping us out a tiny bit, go ahead and use them to buy/stream something. Thanks!

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Robinson Crusoe on Mars What: Robinson Crusoe… on Mars! Directed by: Byron Haskin Starring: Adam West, Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin Recommended and Related Media The Martian Matt Damon is pretty much Robinson Crusoe…. on Mars! But without more humor, and less slavery. Get the thing iTunes | Amazon Our podcast episode about The Martian Space settlement sciencey bits, water on mars, other things. Our episode on the movie above! It’s good.

Stream the movie: iTunes | Amazon Planet of the Apes What: Charlton Heston gives the apes what for. Directed by: Franklin Shaffner Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Daly, Linda Harrison Recommended and Related Media Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari No big deal, just the complete history of humankind.