In My Expert Opinion

Have no fear, listeners, for Abby and Sarah finally reveal how to make a real-life Philosopher's Stone! This week is all about Genshin Impact, the great work of alchemists, and some recipes that are questionably about food. . Resources: 1. Read, J. (1933) "Alchemy and Alchemists." 2. Timmermann, A. (2003) "An Edition of the Medieval Alchemical Poem 'Verses Upon the Elixir.'" 3. Timmermann, A. (2013) "Introduction to a Corpus of Middle English Alchemical Poetry." 4. Crichfield, G. (1983) "The Alchemical 'Magnum Opus' in Nodier's 'La Fee Aux Miettes.'" Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

We're back from our hiatus and on a new Thursday release schedule! This week, Marcus and Abby jump through the multiverse as they try to record this episode, explain the man behind the many-worlds theory, and find some hope in our parallel existences. . Resources: 1. Byrne, P. (2008) "The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Persona 5 is a fever dream of a JRPG, so it's no surprise that the protagonists' friendships are labeled with the major arcana from a tarot deck. From Italy to France (but DEFINITELY not Egypt), tarot cards have been used for gaming, divination, and just generally looking cool. Also, the French are liars sometimes.

This week we discuss Mass Effect and faster-than-light travel. Scientists may not have figured out how to make it work yet, but we crack the solution wide open. Spoiler alert: it's hatred. . Resources: 1. Baez, J. (1998) "Is Faster-Than-Light Travel or Communication Possible?" 2. Lentz, E. (2021) "Breaking the warp barrier: hyper-fast solitons in Einstein-Maxwell-plasma theory." 3. Brobrick, A. (2021) "Introducing physical warp drives." 4. NASA. "Dark Energy, Dark Matter." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In this episode, we continue our discussion of Battlestar Galactica and AI. We go into more details about the underlying technology, and how decentralization can save us from a dystopian future. Also, our love of Michael B. Jordan. . Resources: Joshi, N. (2019) “7 Types of Artificial Intelligence.” Hintze, A. (2016) “Understanding the Four Types of Artificial Intelligence.” Rodriguez, J. (2020) “Decentralized AI in 5 Minutes.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

The debate about whether AI are really human is a key feature of Battlestar Galactica, so this week we discuss the history of real-world AI, the philosophy behind AI personhood, and the ways in which computers “dreaming” mimics human behavior.  . Resources: Anyoha, R. (2017) “History of AI.” Rescorla, M. (2020) “The Computational Theory of Mind.” Cole, D. (2020) “The Chinese Room Argument.” Wilkin, H. (2017) “Computers Dreaming.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our last episode for The Viscount Who Loved Me, Abby discusses pall-mall, croquet, and late-1800s feminism. Speculative Friction is our bite-sized spinoff podcast about the nonfiction side of romance novels, to be released when Marcus and Sarah are otherwise occupied. . Resources: Sterngass, J. (1998) "Cheating, Gender Roles, and the Nineteenth-Century Croquet Craze." Music: "Grab A Partner" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week Abby talks about another phobia from The Viscount Who Loved Me: thunderstorms! Which is more electric: lightning, or the romance between Anthony and Kate? Listen to get the facts so you can decide! Speculative Friction is our bite-sized spinoff podcast about the nonfiction side of romance novels, which will come out when Marcus and Sarah have other obligations. . Music: "Grab A Partner" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Abby hosts solo this week to talk about The Viscount Who Loved Me and bee allergies! This is our first Speculative Friction episode, a series about the nonfiction side of romance novels, which will come out when Marcus and Sarah have other obligations. I don't know whether you're more likely to feel your pulse racing from the sexual tension or the anaphylaxis. . Music: "Grab A Partner" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week, we leave fantasy behind and jump into science fiction with Battlestar Galactica (especially the mini series). Cylon sleeper agents play a large role in the show, so we discuss a few real-life examples of spies for comparison. So say we all! . Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week, we continue talking about Skyrim and dive into the world of crime. While their real-world counterparts of the medieval period probably didn't exist, we at least have the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild to support us in these trying times. . Resources: 1. Blakemore, E. (2020) "Was the medieval order of assassins a real thing?" 2. Tiffany, D. (2005) "The Rhymes of the Canting Crew." 3. Dash, M. (2013) "Islam's Medieval Underworld." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Hey, you. You're finally awake—just in time to hear our episode about Skyrim and blacksmithing! We discuss the philosophy of the mechanical arts, the history of blacksmiths in the Western world, and some… interesting smithing-related terminology. This one is EXTRA NSFW. For real. . Resources: 1. Walton, S. (1991). “An Introduction to the Mechanical Arts in the Middle Ages.” 2. Light, J. (2007). “A Dictionary of Blacksmithing Terms.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our last* X-Men episode, we discuss the shortcomings of a popular analogy, racial diversity in Uncanny X-Men, and some Black comic book history. We also talk about Kevin Bacon and a guy who kind of looks like him! (*for now) . Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our second episode about the X-Men and other mutants, we discuss trans metaphors and the conflict between assimilation and rejection, with a special focus on Mystique and Rogue. . Resources: Alexander, D. (2018) "Faces of Abjectivity: The Uncanny Mystique and Transsexuality." D'Agostino, A. M. (2018) "'Flesh-to-Flesh Contact': Marvel Comics' Rogue and the Queer Feminist Imagination." Loadenthal, M. (2014) "Professor Xavier is a Gay Traitor! An Antiassimilationist Framework for Interpreting Ideology, Power, and Statecraft." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our first episode about the X-Men and other mutants, we discuss LGBTQ+ representation in the comics, including allegory for real-world history and issues. This episode is part one of two about the X-Men as queer allegory. . Resources: Miller, P. (2003) "Mutants, Metaphor, and Marginalism: What X-actly Do the X-Men Stand For?" Lund, M. (2015) "The Mutant Problem: X-Men, Confirmation Bias, and the Methodology of Comics and Identity." Century, S. (2019) “X-Men as a Queer Metaphor.” Adkins, J. (2016) "'These People are Scared to Death': Congressional Investigations and the Lavender Scare." Ayres, J. (2016) "The X-Men and the Legacy of AIDS." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week we have a guest expert, Frances Cole, to talk to us about hybrid animals in the real world and in Avatar: The Last Airbender! The critters in Avatar sure are cute, but biologically… not so likely. . Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our third Avatar: The Last Airbender episode we talk about martial arts and some funky physics necessary to make bending possible in the real world. We also definitely don't talk about Korra! (Narrator: they definitely did.) . Resources: Rousseau, R. (2017) "An Introduction to Chinese Martial Arts Styles." St. Clair, J. (2020) “The Real Martial Arts Styles That Inspired Avatar: The Last Airbender Bending.” Steele, Z. (2020) The Physics of Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Avatar: The Last Airbender kicks off with Aang emerging from an iceberg, so this week we launch into cryonics. Some of it is scientific, and some of it . . . really isn't, but people are still willing to shell out thousands for a chance at resurrection. . Resources: Sherman, K. (1980) “Historical Synopsis of Human Semen Cryobanking.” Gillett, C. (2021) “Comprehensive survey of United States internet users' sentiments towards cryopreservation.” “Guide to Cryonics Procedures.” Cryonics Institute, cryonics.org. Huxtable, R. (2017) “Cryonics in the Courtroom: Which Interests? Whose Interests?” "Scientists' Open Letter on Cryonics." Biostasis: The Science of Cryonics, biostasis.com. Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our first Avatar: The Last Airbender episode we discuss the four classical elements in Buddhist, Persian, and Greek antiquity. Content warning: repeated use of the word “moist.” . Resources: Hammerstrom, E. (2015) The Science of Chinese Buddhism. Cho, F. (2014) “Buddhist Mind and Matter.” Habashi, F. (2000) “Zoroaster and the Theory of Four Elements.” O'Connor, J. (2000) “Empedocles of Acragas.” Curd, P. (2020) “Presocratic Philosophy.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our last One Hundred Years of Solitude episode, we delve into the development of photography and imagine a beautiful, but made-up, love story between its early inventors! . Resources: Tobisch, V. (2019) “Highly Photosensitive Daguerreotypes and their Reproduction: Physico‐chemical Elucidation of Innovative Processes in Photography Developed around 1840 in Vienna.” Motamedi, J. (2010) “A Brief Guide To Becquerel Daguerreotype.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week, we dive into a differential diagnosis of the insomnia plague in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Gabriel García Márquez's fictional disease is a classic example of magical realism, but it also shares some interesting, wild, and frightening characteristics with real-world diseases that affect us today. . Resources: Rascovsky, K. (2009) “‘The quicksand of forgetfulness': semantic dementia in One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Velásquez-Torres, A. (2020) “The Insomnia Plague in Fictional Macondo.” Koch, C. (2016). “What a Long-Ago Epidemic Teaches Us about Sleep.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In an uncharacteristically serious episode, we discuss Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, magical realism as resistance to oppressive forces, and the United Fruit Company's destructive power in Central and South American history. . Resources: Henry, A. (2018) “Struggling Against the Injustice: The Historical Context and Social Justice in Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Oberhausen, L. (2014) “Empowering the Oppressed in 20th Century Literature through Magical Realism.” Sahraei, M. and Deiri, M. (2014) “Reflection of magical realism in Marquez‘s One hundred years of solitude and Moniru Ravanipur‘s Ahl-e Ghargh (The Drowned)." Rozak, R. (2017) “The Truth Behind Banana Republic.” Baltimore County History Labs Program, “Background on the Guatemalan Coup of 1954.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes place on a hellmouth, so this week we dive into the historical and religious origins of hellmouths, as well as their representation in art and theater. This one gets wild—we'd like to officially apologize to our moms. . Resources: Schmidt, G. (1985) The Mouth of Hell in Medieval Art and Thought. Schapiro, M. (1942) “Cain's Jaw-Bone that Did the First Murder.” Rust, K. (2018) “Welcome to the Medieval Hellmouth: Hellmouth Illuminations and their Correlation to Fantasy and Pop Culture.” Konstantinova, I. (2013) “Borgesian libraries and librarians in television popular culture.” Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has its own vampire lore, but there are folklore traditions for vampires and vampire-like creatures around the world, from demonic women to shapeshifting fireflies to vampire controversies. And if you're feeling inspired, send us your own Dracula fanfic after the show. . Resources: Barber, P. (1988). Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality. Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our first Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, we talk about the science of vampires, including possible medical origins for the myths and what biologists would have to do to make a real-life vamp. There's a lot of blood in this one, folks. . Resources: Schwarcz, J. (2018) "Chemistry catches up with the myth of vampires." Laine, V. (2017) "Making a vampire." American Chemical Society Reactions. (2019) "Are Vampires Real? Of Course Not, But . . . " Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Tolkien's philological pursuits were a cornerstone of his writing, and The Hobbit is no exception. In this episode we discuss Old English linguistics and the story of Beowulf, which Tolkien cites as one of his primary inspirations for The Hobbit. Don't play this episode too loud—you'll anger the neighbors. . Resources: Risden, E. (1998) "Beowulf, Tolkien, and Epic Epiphanies." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This week, we hop into The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, and the origins of dragons. Tolkien might've had a pretty clear idea of where his dragons came from, but the story isn't so simple in our world. From fossil records to rain and drought, people have a lot of theories on how and why humans came up with these mythical beasts. . Resources: Mayor, A. (2000) The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times. Jones, D. (2001) An Instinct for Dragons. Campbell, J. (1988) "The Hero's Adventure" (Episode 1). Blust, R. (2000) "The Origins of Dragons." Blust, R. (2019) "Why Dragons Are Bisexual." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In our last episode about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood we go hardcore on lore before diving into anthropological perspectives on human sacrifice. If the worldbuilding parallels to real-world history (looking at you, Nazis) aren't your thing, feel free to skip to 31 min 10 sec to hear how we've sacrificed each other throughout the ages to show everybody who's boss. . Resources: Spinney, L. (2018) "Did Human Sacrifice Help People Form Complex Societies?" Spinney, L. (2019) "When did societies become modern? 'Big history' dashes popular idea of Axial Age." Choi, C. Q. (2018) "Unearthing secrets of human sacrifice." Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

This episode is about the seven deadly sins and how they manifest as bad guys in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. From classical philosophers to grimy monks to the Pope himself, all sorts of people have weighed in on what things will get you sent to hell (or to a demi-plane inside a monster's stomach). . Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

In this episode we dive into the history of alchemy and how it influenced Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Our real-world alchemists were a lot less powerful than the ones in the show, but they definitely had no shortage of...let's say, creative solutions. All science has to start somewhere! . Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music. [All views expressed are our own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which we are affiliated.]

Welcome to In My Expert Opinion! Join Dr. Marcus Cole, Sarah Ward, and Abby Cole as they explore the nonfiction side of speculative fiction (with varying levels of expertise). Episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays starting February 16, 2021. Music: "Dance Robot ACTIVATE" by Loyalty Freak Music.