The Tangent Space Podcast

Ep.17 – Show Us The (Alien) Bodies

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 14:45:11 -0000

Episode 17: Show Us The (Alien) Bodies

The closest we get to reality on this podcast

Tangent Space faces reality in this one folks. Or as close of an encounter as we can get. Which of us has seen a UFO in real life? Why would Brandon only be convinced aliens exist if they demonstrated their power? Does John want to join a UFO cult? Find out answers to these questions as we shill for alien sponsorship! We discuss the big questions, wondering if we are alone, if anyone would even believe if aliens showed up, and how to pronounce "fata morgana." We also watch some UFO videos (links below!) and start down the path of alien conspiracies. Join us, little green friends!

Find us at tangentspacepodcast.com, on Twitter as @thetangentspace, or email us at tangentspace@protonmail.com. Tell your friends!

Links:

Lots in the news recently about the US UFO report, for instance: the NY Times

The Roswell Incident

Read about the doctor that discovered hand washing and their tragic story: at NPR and Grunge

Estimates for how many people can keep a secret

Want to join a UFO religion ("religion")? Not recommended, but here's a list on Wikipedia

Speaking of, HBO had a docu-series on Heaven's Gate

The Great Filter

How many might be listening to us out there?

There are lots of videos on YouTube of the declassified Navy videos, we watched this one (careful of that rabbit hole!)

Fata Morgana

Optical phenomena

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Ep.16 – Raised by Ridley

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 19:58:36 -0000

Episode 16: Raised by Ridley

On Soviet Kepler, Dice Rolls You

It's like they made a TV show for Tangent Space: sci-fi with androids, some post-apocalyptic faraway planet, monsters, gibberish science...that's right, we discuss HBO's Raised by Wolves! Oh, and longtime Tangent Space personality Ridley Scott is involved (in the show, not with us), of course, so you know we couldn't pass this one up after we've discussed Prometheus and Alien: Covenant extensively. It's a throwback to the very first episodes! There's a lot to talk about here with ancient religion, a cross over with Star Wars (hi, Darth Vader), giant snake worm things, and that bonkers season finale. Come have a listen...

Find us at tangentspacepodcast.com, on Twitter as @thetangentspace, or email us at tangentspace@protonmail.com. Tell your friends!

Links:

Catch up on previous Ridley Scott discussions with Episode 1: Prometheus and Episode 2: Covenant (wow, that was a long time ago now)

Raised by Wolves on HBO

There's an official podcast (if you must listen to another podcast) that you can find everywhere, including on YouTube (here's a link to the first episode)

We mention Futurama's Godfellas episode, which won the first Writers Guild of America Award for animation; here's a clip

Ep.15 – Boyz 2 (Watch)men

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 20:57:06 -0000

Episode 15: Boyz 2 (Watch)men

Lube Man will save the day

Just two men watching boys (and grownups) wearing masks and punching people. We discuss two very entertaining and pertinent shows, The Boys on Amazon and Watchmen on HBO, which we highly recommend. We cover a lot of stuff in this one, from masks and being anonymous, to policing, race, privilege and encryption. It's not all serious of course, as Brandon reveals his love for Wonder Woman and his distrust of tall people. Meanwhile John continues throwing shade at J.J. (Abrams) and wonders about Lube Man (answer in the Links!).

Find us at tangentspacepodcast.com, on Twitter as @thetangentspace, or email us at tangentspace@protonmail.com. Tell your friends!

Links:

Superman vs. Aliens - SMBC Theater (and Superman is a Dick)

Empirical evidence that nice people don’t always finish last | Ars Technica

Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain... and the many responses online

Watchmen: the TV show official podcast, Wikipedia links for the comic series and HBO TV series

The Boys: Wikipedia links for the comic series and Amazon TV series

The Tulsa Massacre has been coming more to the mainstream (after 100 years), here is a recent article in The New York Times

There were hints to Lube Man in the extra materials, called the Peteypedia, on the last entry.

‘Watchmen’ Actually Answered Its Most Pressing Question: Who Was Lube Man?

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Special Message and Preview of Episode 15

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 02:32:10 -0000

Special Message and Preview of Episode 15

Vote, or we will read our diaries to you

We're hard at work on the next episode, but wanted to remind everyone in the US to vote! Rather than just record ourselves saying "Vote!" and loop it, we present to you a special preview from our upcoming episode on the anti-superhero shows Watchmen and The Boys. Or more like a random tangent that may get buried in editing. Consider this fair warning to catch up on watching before the episode comes out.

Get it while it's hot! And vote! (And if you can't vote, pray and/or sacrifice to your favorite god.)

Find us at tangentspacepodcast.com, on Twitter as @thetangentspace, or email us at tangentspace@protonmail.com. Tell your friends!

Ep.14 – Star Wars, Good God Y'All!

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:47:28 -0000

Episode 14: Star Wars, Good God Y'All!

What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

Many stars, many wars, but only one podcast episode. We take a meandering look at the religion/fandom/industry/empire that is Star Wars. Somehow we remain mostly spoiler free, though we jump between all the movies (even the unmentionable ones) and even a little of the games. John throws some shade on J. J. (Abrams) while Brandon falls for the wookies and their trees and champions robot rights. We coin (discover?) the term "robophobe."

Ducrossy folks, most ducrossy.

Links:

The character Brandon mentions from the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is Kreia (or read on the Wookieepedia)

SMBC vegan comic

Asimov's Laws

The op-ed John mentions, Why do people believe in hell? in the NY Times

There is a mod for Knights of the Old Republic II to restore the droid planet, or read about it here

Ep.13 – Papa Went Out For Aliens, Never Came Back

Tue, 19 May 2020 19:00:00 -0000

Episode 13: Papa Went Out For Aliens, Never Came Back

Brad Pitt is James "Space Monkey" Bond

Nothing like a timely movie discussion, but at least we made it in under a year since the movie was out! We discuss Ad Astra, the recent movie with Brad Pitt and his space dad, Tommy Lee Jones. Lots of space in this movie dear listeners: space action, space psychology, space family drama, space monkeys! Also, moon pirates. It is most certainly not all fun and games, as the movie explores what it means to dedicate yourself to science, the exploration of other life, and the role of family. While the movie is quiet and contemplative, we'll make up for it with our yapping. Skip to about 7 or 8 minutes in to avoid overall plot spoilers, though we still discuss parts of the plot throughout.

Correction: we were a bit optimistic of the ethics in science, but alas primates are still used in research. Some laws to reduce experimental usage are progressing and great apes are banned in many countries, but not the US.

Links:

Ad Astra on Wikipedia and on IMDb

To find out about the largest effort to find extraterrestrial life, see the SETI Institute

We referenced an SMBC comic about maximizing happiness (and if you want to go down the Wikipedia hole)

Ep.12 – Shut Your Wormhole

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:45:51 -0000

Episode 12: Shut Your Wormhole

We rock out with our clocks out

Roads? Where we're going we don't need no stinking roads. That's right, Tangent Space travels in time, and we're bringing you with us! We discuss some theories of time travel, our favorite time travel movies, and whether or not it is really possible. We may even invent the first podcast time travel machine, you'll just have to listen to find out.

Links:

IMDb links to some time travel movies:

Ep.11 – Annihilation, No Breathing

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 16:56:50 -0000

Episode 11: Annihilation, No Breathing

This is my Area X resort

Tangent Space gets annihilated! We discuss the recent-ish movie Annihilation from Alex Garland based on the book by Jeff VanderMeer. Mysteries abound: aliens? doppelgangers? what does it all mean? And WTF is "refracted DNA"??? John has read all the books and Brandon has theories, so come join us in a romp through the Shimmer to Area X.

Links:

A different ending for Annihilation

VanderMeer's reaction to the film

If you are looking for similar books, see this list of influences for the novel

Wikipedia on the Southern Reach trilogy provides a link to the official website(???)

Bonus link: How many hobbits does it take to kill a mammoth?

Ep.10 – Duncan Dune-nuts

Sun, 08 Sep 2019 17:44:48 -0000

Episode 10: Duncan Dune-nuts

Somehow both our grossest and sexiest episode yet

Dune! One of the most famous and acclaimed sci-fi novels finally gets the Tangent Space treatment. From the sprawling and crazy later books to the David Lynch movie and the film that almost was from Jodorowsky, we have a lot to talk about in this episode. We're talking battle pugs (yes, seriously), riding the sandworm with Toto blasting, sex ninjas, and seeing the future while tripping out on spice. Come with us as we walk arithmetically on the sand and praise Shai-Hulud!

Links (from the only podcast to link to a thesis in the show notes):

Want to see what we were going on about? See this video clip of Captain Picard (aka Patrick Stewart) with pug.

We didn't find much online of feminist readings of Dune (send any links our way!), but found this fascinating thesis on gender, technology, and cyborgs in Dune by Carrie Lynn Evans.

Article mentioned on The Outline: The Only Good Online Fandom Left is Dune

Herbert's influences were diverse and a topic of discussion all on their own, for instance this article from the LA Review of Books on the The Secret History of Dune.

The above article was posted on Hacker News, with an interesting discussion and further reading there.

Jodorowsky's Dune

David Lynch's Dune

Ep.9 – Die Hard Huckabees

Thu, 09 May 2019 20:32:22 -0000

Episode 9: Die Hard Huckabees

Join us as we debate the joys and pitfalls of being immortal and whether anyone would really want to live forever. Speaking of forever, sorry this episode languished a bit in editing and posting. It has been so long this show notes writer is having difficulties remembering what we discussed. Elves, lobsters, memory, being trapped in a computer, AI...consider it a surprise and enjoy the extended episode!

Links:

After we recorded this episode, an article in the NY Times looked at the morality and purpose of mortality in religion and philosophy.

Ep.8 – Apocalypse Service

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 06:04:07 -0000

Episode 8: Apocalypse Service

We discuss everything dystopian and post-apocalyptic, pondering why we find the end times so fascinating. Are we just old, childless, curmudgeons who can't believe a world would go on without us? Beyond entertainment value, dystopian or post-apocalyptic media gives insight into human nature, the march of technology, and even the purpose of life. As much as we love scientific advancement, it has also helped open real gateways to the apocalypse. More importantly, John reveals what Mad Max is really about, while Brandon schemes to somehow use a dystopia to make the world a utopia and makes his own prediction for the year time itself ends.

Links:

We're still working on it, but we started compiling books we've discussed and others we recommend on Goodreads. Or should we branch out to this social media "Instagram for books," Litsy?

An example of police using "predictive" lists and monitoring was documented by the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition and also reported on The Intercept recently.

Ep.7 – Join the Doppel Gang

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 06:22:28 -0000

Episode 7: Join the Doppel Gang

In this episode we discuss imitation, fakery, memories, and the downfall of reality as we uncover more of our deepest fears. But it's not all dark! Learn how a bag of chips will protect your identity, how videogames will allow us to replicate Brandon, and about that childhood movie that actually doesn't exist.

Links and credits:

Vox article on fake videos and false memory (noticed via posting on Hacker News)

Lyrebird replaces Brandon

Outro music by Alex Kehayias

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Ep.6 – Procedural Dreaming

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 03:57:45 -0000

In this episode we discuss procedural generation, a way of creating (worlds, characters, art, etc.) used in many games. Along the way Brandon finds a way to make everything relate to The Truman Show, we talk about Dwarf Fortress, compression, simulation, choose your own adventure books...and the dreaming brain.

Ep.5 – Return of the Physics

Sat, 20 Jan 2018 19:15:09 -0000

At long last, it is the return to physics! In this episode we jump back into the world of moving at the speed of light, quantum weirdness, and the fun physics you don't learn in school. Join us and find out about the unbelievable way the world really works, a taste of how reality is weirder than sci-fi.

Ep.4 – Logic of Love

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:41:35 -0000

We're back! In this episode Brandon lays out his categories of love songs and their creepiness, before we go off discussing love with AIs and bots. The AI apocalypse will be born from errant chat bots looking for hot singles.

Ep.3 – Emotional AIs, Decisions, and Living in a Simulation

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 17:58:20 -0000

We really go off on some...tangents in this episode. Starting with a discussion on emotions and AI inspired by the book Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, we talk about decision making, random numbers, and why we're probably living in a simulated reality.

Ep.2 – Covenant

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 19:37:29 -0000

In this episode Brandon and John discuss the movie Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus. Find out what they thought, how it ties into Prometheus and the Alien franchise, and how many Fassbenders it takes to make a good movie. Office website: tangentspacepodcast.com Intro/outro music by Brandon Anderson, titled "noldea". Cover image from Tanja Petrusevska.

Ep.1 – Prometheus

Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The very first episode of the Tangent Space Podcast! Brandon and John discuss the film Prometheus, in preparation for the sequel out now, Alien: Covenant. One liked it, one hated it. Listen as they debate the merits of the movie and discuss theories on how to interpret the movie's events. Intro/outro music by Brandon Anderson, titled "noldea". Official podcast website: tangentspacepodcast.com