THE SCI-FI PODCAST EP 14: The Science of Star Wars

Posted on November 26, 2015 by IcarusArts

Welcome to The SciFi Podcast, ~~a wretched hive of scum and villainy~~ a bi-weekly podcast focused on in-depth discussion of all things Science Fiction. The SciFi Podcast features three hosts—Mattroid, Solo, and Station!—and frequent guests. Each episode we look at a science fiction theme or franchise and take the discussion where no show has gone before.

This episode we bring back our real life friend and a real life physicist, Brian “The Brain” Patchett, to get his insights on the use of science (and pseudo-science) in the Star Wars saga. Brian teases lightsabers and gives us a full rundown on speeders, blasters, warp drives, deflector shields, The Death Star and more.

We also officially welcome Brain into the fold, updating his status from “special guest” to “contributor” … but contributing what, exactly? Well, besides guesting on great podcasts like this that will melt YOUR brain, OUR Brain writes incredibly-interesting essays for the site about the real science behind filmic fiction. If you haven’t read his “Brain Blogs” you are truly doing yourself a disservice. The most applicable to this week’s episode is his most recent essay, “Laser vs. Plasma, Sword Battle of Doom!,” or as Matt says “All About Lightsabers,” but they are all great.

Theme music courtesy of I Hear Sirens, featuring Matt on bass and Liz on keyboard. Hear more of I Hear Sirens ethereal, instrumental, post-rock at BandCamp. Podcast production and artwork SpaceWolf.
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BRAIN BLOG: Laser vs. Plasma, Sword Battle of Doom!

Posted on November 17, 2015 by IcarusArts

Original Star Wars concept art by Ralph McQuarrie

1 STARKILLER AND HIS TRUSTY LAZERSWORD

Stories abound on the internet these days about early drafts of the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas made the move from Starkiller to Skywalker, from Bogan to The Dark Side, and since when is Biggs Luke’s brother? But most importantly for this essay, he went from Lazersword to Lightsaber, (check out starwarz.com for more). Both of which are terrible misnomers, even though the latter is far cooler sounding. Unfortunately both regular light and light amplified by the stimulated emission of radiation are completely useless as a weapon, or a tool, or anything beyond a fancy colored flashlight for finding your way through a dense jungle cavern. So let’s do this . . .
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THE SCI-FI PODCAST BONUS: The final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Posted on October 27, 2015 by SciFiHost

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Hey, space cadets! It may be mid-week, but we’re bringing you some fun bonus sci-fi content. Our podcast normally features three hosts—Mattroid, Solo, and Station!—and we look at a specific science fiction theme or franchise and take the discussion where no show has gone before.

But in this special bonus episode we’re doing things a little differently. Here, Matroid and Solo discuss the latest (and final) trailer for upcoming fantasy film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Always a dynamic duo, these two spend some time theorizing on the unknowns of the coming film, discuss a scenario in which both may end up crying in the theater, and they even struggle through an embarrassing situation as both fumble for several awkward minutes to find a popular, easily discoverable image on the internet. Unedited, in all it’s glory.

What you’ll hear:

-A bad recording due to Mattroid’s stupid phone!
-Discussion of the 3rd and final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer and more!
-Details on how to be a part of another spectacular giveaway! Collectable Star Wars figurines, courtesy of show sponsor Yo Joe Depot, will be given away to a listener in the -first week of November – listen to the episode for details!

BRAIN BLOG: The Physics of Ant-Man or The Science of Small

Posted on August 12, 2015 by IcarusArts

Artwork by the very talented Rodolfo Reyes via the Poster Posse

1 THE SCIENCE OF SMALL

Shrinking ourselves down to the size of an ant has long been a popular theme in science fiction. Movies such as Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Innerspace, Fantastic Voyage, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, and many more have depicted shrinking in various forms or another, all culminating in the same result; I was big, now I’m small. But how realistic is this? Have these movies portrayed the science of small correctly, or are there scientific issues far beyond what is portrayed on the silver screen?

To address these questions and more, we will take a look at the 2015 release of Marvel’s Ant-Man and the modern physical laws that come into play in the movie.
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THE SCI-FI PODCAST EP 2: “The Chosen One” in Science Fiction and Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Posted on March 20, 2015 by IcarusArts

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Welcome to The Sci-Fi Podcast, ~~a wretched hive of scum and villainy~~ a bi-weekly podcast focused on in-depth discussion of all things Science Fiction. The Sci-Fi Podcast features three hosts—Mattroid, Solo, and Station!—and frequent guests. Each episode we look at a science fiction theme or franchise and take the discussion where no show has gone before.

On this episode of The Sci-Fi Podcast, we welcome guest Cody Clark for our discussion of the fantasy concept of “The Chosen One” as it relates to and is utilized in the science fiction genre. We’ll also give you our review of the recently released 2015 film Jupiter Ascending, another chosen one film from the creators of The Matrix.

Theme music courtesy of I Hear Sirens, featuring Matt on Bass and Liz on keyboard. Hear more of I Hear Sirens ethereal, instrumental, post-rock at BandCamp. Podcast production and artwork by SpaceWolf who can be found podcasting at Movie Stream Cast and Horror Movie Podcast. You can also follow him on Twitter @IcarusArts.

Show notes after the jump.
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