Episode 527: Punk Fades, Reefs Grow, Machines Rise

The Science Faction Podcast

This episode contains: Devon’s not having it with Dallas or New Found Glory (NFG), and don’t get him started on Paramount canceling Lower Decks. Also, what’s up with Harry Kim? Devon’s got some honest thoughts about his “shortcomings” and how NFG is “punk for preppy kids.” It’s all love though, as he and the crew have an “old crusty men talk about old crusty bands” moment. Plus, the reality check of the streaming era: no fanfare for new releases, no excitement for music anymore. What’s left for us aging punks?

Steven brings up NoFX’s final shows: Did anyone really want this? Punk rock legends bowing out—what’s next for the scene?

Future or Now: Ben takes us into the military’s latest climate change defense project—using oysters to fight hurricanes. Yep, DARPA’s Reefense program is building hybrid reefs combining manmade structures with live oysters to protect coastal military bases. Will it work? Rutgers and the University of Miami are giving it a go. Could this become the future of coastal protection for civilians too?

Learn more about DARPA’s Reefense project

Devon? Well, he’s stressing out—whether it’s dark matter or election results, he’s following it all and it’s not doing him any favors. Can we talk about gravity existing without mass while avoiding existential election dread?

Read more about gravity without mass

Book Club: Next week’s suggestions courtesy of Ben’s mom! Clive Barker’s Books of Blood series. We’ll be focusing on In the Hills, the Cities from Volume 1 and The Body Politic from Volume 4. Expect the weird and the grotesque in these horror short stories.

Check out the review of In the Hills, the Cities

Also on the table: Eventually we’ll be diving into The Langoliers by Stephen King from Four Past Midnight. There’s a cool Star Trek reference in there, so you know we’re excited.

Finally, this week we’re revisiting E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops. This 1909 classic predicted the tech-dominated world we’d all be living in by 2020. Spoiler: it’s not a happy prediction.