Podcasts about Spider Robinson

Sometimes you just want to take a break from it all and find solace in some booze...and more importantly, good company. Of course, it doesn't help if your watering hole is constantly being invaded by aliens, vampires, talking dogs, and fairies...or does it? It certainly keeps things interesting. Spider Robinson's long-running Callahan's Place series, starting with Callahan's Crosstime Saloon in 1977, posits such a bar, and turns it into the kind of place you'd probably love to visit, even if you're not a raging Sci-Fi nerd. Come on in, friend, first drink's on the house! Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! Adam's Patreon Phil's Patreon What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky What Mad Universe?!? on Twitter Philip's Bluesky Philip's Twitter Adam's Bluesky Adam's Twitter What Mad Universe on Facebook What Mad Universe on Instagram What Mad Universe RSS Feed Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional music: "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin (c) 2024 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.

WoHos!What a year it has been for us at WoHo Central!We produced 30 shows this year, and Mac and I hosted 22. This episode we look back, evaluate, reevaluate, and reconsider what we enjoyed and did not enjoy last year.Mom's memory being what it is, here are some things discussed on the pod, plus the whole catalog of movies from 2023.From our hearts to yours, we hope you had a wonderful year and we look forward to another one with you. We love you and DON'T go into the basement!Mom has some symptoms of dyscalculia.Alberto Vazquez, the director of UNICORN WARS, was the director of BIRD BOY: THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN.TESTAMENT is the movie about nuclear war from 1983 that I recommend over THE DAY AFTER.Spider Robinson's character, Tom Hauptman, was imprisoned for 10 years, not 17. This may have been what I was thinking of. Who can say?TL/DR:Mom & Mac still hate V/H/S, The VVITCH, and Nicole KidmanMom's Made-up Categories for the Retrospective:Favorite First Watch Overall: Mac: WENDELL & WILD (Ep. 119) / Mom: THE WAGES OF FEAR (Ep. 117)Favorite Rewatch: Mac: BURNING (Ep. 116) / Mom: CANDYMAN (Ep. 105)On Second Thought: Mac: V/H/S (Ep. 109) / Mom: UNICORN WARS (Ep. 119)Least Favorite Watch Overall: Mac: MAD GOD (Ep. 100) / Mom: THE DAY AFTER (Ep. 96)Scariest Watch: Mom & Mac: THREADS (Ep. 96)Cringiest Watch Overall: Mom & Mac: V/H/S (ep. 109) & POLTERGEIST (Ep. 120)Favorite Performance: Mac: Jun Kunimura--THE WAILING (Ep. 113) / Mom: Paw Hee Ching--RIGOR MORTIS (Ep. 124) + Pat Healy--THE INNKEEPERS (Ep. Least Favorite Performance: Mac: Gary Gatewood--WENDELL & WILD (Ep. 119) / Mom: Julie Carmen--IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (Ep. 116) + Nicole Kidman--THE NORTHMAN (Ep. 106)Film that Surprised You the Most: Mac: THE INNKEEPERS (Ep. 114) / Mom: BLACK SHEEP (Ep. 102)Actor/Director You'd Like to See More of: Mac: Yoo Ah-in--BURNING (Ep. 116), Paw Hee Ching--RIGOR MORTIS (Ep. 124), Lee Chang Dong--BURNING (ep. 116), Robert Eggers--THE NORTHMAN & THE LIGHTHOUSE (Ep. 106), Ti West--THE INNKEEPERS & HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (Ep. 114), Henry Selick--WENDELL & WILD (Ep. 119) / Mom: Jayro Bustamante--LA LLORONA (Ep. 105) Support the showInterstitial Music Works is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/Theme by Charles Michel "Aqui"Interstitial MusicKumiko (edited)Coma-MediaSubscribe to the Podcast for a Special shout-out!World of Horror's InstagramMom's InstagramMac's InstagramDonate to Translifeline

The bookeis podcast is NOT ABOUT SPORTS BETTING!!! we are a group of friends who get together each month to discuses a different paperback drawn at random. We discuses children literature, horror, action, any paper back we know to be of quality writing. We have been recording our book club as a podcast since the end of 2016. I hope you enjoy this months discussion.

In this episode Marty sits down with Prof. Jaymie Matthews, astrophysicist from the University of British Columbia, to discuss the some of the solar physics in Robert J. Sawyer's ‘The Oppenheimer Alternative', as a follow up to our interview with Robert in Episode 2.  We cover a fair bit of ground with Dr. Matthews, who explains how his research career helped establish a new field of astronomy called helio-seismology, which probes the inner structure, size and age of our sun and other stars by measuring their vibrational modes of oscillation.  Along the way we discuss how this research has led to new capabilities currently used in the hunt for extra-solar planets, why having a fairly boring star is a good thing for life on earth, and that we don't need to worry about our sun suddenly exploding and vaporizing us all. We also discuss his contributions to another science fiction novel by Spider Robinson and Robert Heinlein, called Variable Star.Jaymie Matthews:  matthews | UBC Physics & AstronomyJaymie Matthews:  Jaymie Matthews | ideacityJaymie Matthews:  MOST (spacecraft) - WikipediaRobert J. SAwyer: Author Robert J. Sawyer: Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell Memorial Award-winning Science Fiction Writer (sfwriter.com)The Oppenheimer Alternative: Science Fiction Writer Robert J. Sawyer: THE OPPENHEIMER ALTERNATIVE Index (sfwriter.com)Spider Robinson:  Welcome to Spider Robinson's Official Website Variable Star: Variable Star - WikipediaBuzzsprout (podcast host):https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.comEmail: thescienceinthefiction@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/743522660965257/Twitter:https://twitter.com/MartyK5463

little red book and Kyptan enjoy the honor of interviewing Mercedes Lackey, author of over 140 books and the 38th Damon Knight Grand Master of science fiction and fantasy. They talk about raptor rehabilitation, convoluted writing estates, horses, hobbies, and of course Valdemar. Among the miscellaneous stories recommended in the episode are The World Well Lost and A Saucer of Loneliness, both by Theodore Sturgeon. Charles de Lint and Spider Robinson are also highly recced by Lackey for their expertise with short stories. Music: Galactic Damages by Jingle Punks Considering supporting The Legendarium on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/legendarium⁠ Reddit: ⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/thelegendarium/⁠ Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/FNcpuuA⁠ Twitter: ⁠@GreenteamPod⁠

Lunch on Laotian food with Cory Doctorow as we discuss how different D.C. seems to him now that he's a U.S. citizen, the way his remarkable evening hanging with both David Byrne and Spider Robinson put things in perspective, the lessons we learned (both good and bad) from Harlan Ellison, our differing levels of hope and despair at the current state of the world, the major effect Judith Merril had on the direction of his life, how an ongoing column he wrote for Science Fiction Age magazine predicted the next 20 years of his life, our differing opinions as to what it means when we say stories are didactic, how to continue on in the face of rejection — and then once we do, how not to become parodies of ourselves, the best piece of advice he didn't follow, our differing views on spoilers, what he recently came to understand about the reactionary message of traditional hardboiled fiction — and how he used that in his upcoming trilogy, knowing when to break the rules of writing, and much more.

It's time for our monthly Book Club meeting! Today we review The Callahan Chronicles, written by Spider Robinson, recommended to us by Michael Feir.Find Kelly & Company on YouTube! About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: - X /Twitter @AccessibleMedia - Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio - Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc - TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc - Email feedback@ami.ca

Vet Danielle Jongkind shares how humans are learning to communicate with their cats using cat-style communication. What bugs you about summer? On our Wellness segment, Frances Wong tells us how to deal with mosquitos and pesky insects the natural way. The NBA Draft is just two days away and the Toronto Raptors hold the 4th overall pick. What should they do with it? We discuss this and other NBA news with Randall Urban of NBA TV Canada. In September a team of Blind Hockey players will have their courage on full display as they inline skate 1000 kilometers from Windsor to Ottawa in support life-changing Blind Hockey programming coast-to-coast. We learn more about this with organizer, skater and advocate, Mark DeMontis. On our Parenting segment, Lucia Bellafante discusses how parents can support the stage of discovery during a child's development. It's time for our monthly Book Club meeting! Today we review The Callahan Chronicles, written by Spider Robinson, recommended to us by Michael Feir.Find Kelly & Company on YouTube! About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Learn more at AMI.ca Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: - X /Twitter @AccessibleMedia - Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio - Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc - TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc - Email feedback@ami.ca

Ms. Mariah and Ms. Jame discuss their reading selections through the hazy days of summer. Books mentioned include: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Callahan Series by Spider Robinson, All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson, Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson, Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson and The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. The movie Freaky was also mentioned. 

In this episode, the boys and Paul tell a tale of transformation, booksellers, and great bands. Paul's Insta: @paulvespe Phantasia Press: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasia_Press

In the '80s and '90s, Spider Robinson wrote a series of books about Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, a watering hole whose regulars included time travelers, aliens, mythological creatures, and the occasional talking dog. Ethan Poschman, co-host of the podcast A Special Presentation, Or Alf Will Not Be Seen Tonight, joins us to talk about why this story about storytelling needs to be a movie, or a series, or a little of both.

Hooky Canadian new wave and dubious German EBM are taken up in in this two album episode of We Have A Technical. Cygnets' "Isolator" and Bigod 20's "Supercute" are discussed, along with some talk about The Cure's recent "Disintegration" shows...and somehow Canadian sci-fi author Spider Robinson as well? Not sure how that happened, but the latest episode of We Have A Technical is coming at you regardless!

Riffing off of Spider Robinson's first novel Telempath.

Let's just say I get the premise.

This episode we go through some short stories by Nnedi Okorafor in kabu kabu – kabu kabu, The Magical Negro, Spider the Artist, The Ghastly Bird, and The Baboon War. A bit of a refresh from the rougher time that we had with Binti. Next week just one very short story: Melancholy Elephants by Spider Robinson […]

Main Fiction: “You Don't Know My Heart” by Spider RobinsonMy Favorite Shorts collection by Spider Robinson Narrated by: Veronica GiguereVeronica Giguere (V.) is a storyteller of the spoken and written word. An audiobook narrator and science fiction author, she is the voice, producer, and one of four coauthors of The Secret World Chronicle podcast novel series (www.secretworldchronicle.com). She narrates across genres, but her favorites are science fiction and fantasy. When she’s not behind a microphone, she’s likely clutching a cup of coffee and catching up on her pop culture addictions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the final episode of season 2 of Invaders From Planet 3 (posted on the final day of 2017) we're joined by author, editor, columnist, podcaster and musician Spider Robinson. As we jump into our conversation, already in progress, Spider shares his thoughts about the loss of his wife and sometime collaborator, Jean; the passing of his daughter; and facing one's own mortality. He recounts his experience of dealing with a medical condition in his youth that caused his lungs to collapse frequently, the painful surgical procedure to cure it, and how listening to a Duke Ellington marathon on the radio got him through it. On the science fiction front, Spider talks about his longstanding love for the works of Robert A. Heinlein, starting with Rocket Ship Galileo. He also mentions some of his other favourites, ranging from the classics to more recent fare, like James Alan Gardner's All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault. He also discusses writers' block, and what Theodore Sturgeon once said about an extended break from writing. My conversation with Spider took place in October 2016 at the Vancouver Science Fiction Convention. Find out more about Spider Robinson on his website: www.spiderrobinson.com Visit iTunes to subscribe to Invaders From Planet 3 and download episodes, and be sure to rate the show while you're there!  

Mark Lefebvre interviews James Alan Gardner and Spider Robinson, co-editors of the Tesseracts Twenty: Compostela anthology.  Compostela means “field of stars” and is most commonly known from the Santiago de Compostela, which, for more than 1,000 years, has attracted pilgrims to walk to the cathedral that holds St. James the apostle's relics. The stories in this anthology in their own way tell the tale of futuristic travelers who journey into the dark outer (or inner) reaches of space, searching for their own connections to the past, present and future relics of their time.

This week Jesse and Kevin talk about burritos, great values in fast food, things that aren't pranks, things that are pranks, sitting in water, pointy bras, the OJ Simpson hidden camera show, farting on faces, how to pronounce Cedric, reverse mysteries, dueling Sherlocks, parenting advice, reading books above your age level, adaptations of Narnia, book reports, eggs Benedict Arnold, hypnotic zit powers, homestarrunner dot net (it's dot com), flash animation, things with really long names. (Recorded on May 15, 2017.) Links Cracked has a great video about why YouTube prank videos are bad. Don't abuse your children on YouTube or they'll get taken from you. Madonna had a slack-liner on her Super Bowl 46 half time show. Strike a Pose is a documentary about Madonna's backup dancers. The live performance of Madonna's Express Yourself is still incredible to this day. Sufjan Stevens released a Carrie & Lowell concert film. College Humor had an internet famous prank war. Jesse has some thoughts about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Columbo uses the lack of mystery to great effect. Sherlock uses excess mystery to mediocre effect. Kevin lives in fear of Spider Robinson eventually dying. Jesse and Kevin would read The Chronicles of Narnia to their children. Arrested Development is coming back for season five. Kevin loves Invader Zim. YouTube is filled with things that look bad/old but are still funny. Learn all about broats.

In this episode we discuss Space Opera and all the endless tangents. This is a LONG conversation (we almost split it in two, but we’re trying to catch up episodes to our current reading topic). We talk about losing our solid footing on genre definitions, defining the term “worldbuilding”, when re-reading books from your youth goes horribly wrong, wondering just what is up with those TV and movie tie-ins, misogyny infecting Sci-Fi classics (Oh, hello there Sad Puppies), the delight of scientists reading Sci-Fi, and so much more. Your Hosts This Episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Amanda Wanner Space Opera We Read (or kinda): Recommended Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (lukewarm recommendation by a reader who is deeply ambivalent about anything speculative, Sci-Fi, or Fantasy in nature) Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (not spectacular but a slow-burn, exploratory read) Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (difficult to like narrator warning) Ancillary Mercy (and the entire Ancillary Justice series) (HIGHLY recommended series) Accessing the Future: A Disability-Themed Anthology of Speculative Fiction edited by Kathryn Allan Lightless by C.A. Higgins Read Sassinak by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 1 by Tsutomu Nihei, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian Space Opera edited by Brian W. Aldiss (Features stories from 1900 (!) - 1972. Most are from the 1950s) More Adventures on Other Planets edited by Donald A. Wollheim Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis (Not so much Space Opera and not enough girl mechanic) The Year’s Best Military SF & Space Opera 2015 edited by David Afsharirad Did Not Finish Armada by Ernest Cline (read this Wikipedia article about a video game urban legend instead) Red Rising by Pierce Brown Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks (would try another one by this author) The Star Dancers by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Michael Rubens  A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge (so long - for 900+ pages, would prefer to try the better known A Fire Upon the Deep, which was recommended by another group member) The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (recommended to us - ran out of time this month; try it as an audiobook?) Koko the Mighty by Kieran Shea (really enjoyed Koko Takes a Holiday) Other titles and media mentioned Mass Effect video games are totally Space Opera, especially if you read all the internal game encyclopedia entries like Matthew. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (not exactly Space Opera but totally recommended) Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein - Military Sci-Fi or Space Opera?? Space Opera by Jack Vance - An opera troupe in Space Red Spider White Web by Misha Nogha The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Have you not read this yet? It’s short - go read it!) District 9 movie Firefly TV series & Serenity movie & the Firefly comics (pretty much all recommended highly) Please skip Sassinak and read Elizabeth Moon’s excellent connected series set in the world of Paksenarrion (Fantasy not Sci-Fi), or at least read the three books of The Deed of Paksenarrion. All those zillion Pern books (Science Fantasy series) by Anne McCaffrey Dune by Frank Herbert (hefty but worth a read - recommended) The Martian by Andy Weir (about space but not Space Opera and definitely recommended) Transformers: More than Meets the Eye, Vol. 1 (comic book series) (recommended even if you don't care about Transformers. Really! ) Ascension (Tangled Axon, #1) by Jacqueline Koyanagi (Meghan mis-spoke and called this book “Ascendent”) After Man by Dougal Dixon (so cool!) Octavia’s Brood edited by Walidah Imarisha, and Adrienne Maree Brown Samuel Delaney  - We discuss Dhalgren which is not space focused, but Delaney has a few space books to try. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, and Jay Kristoff (YA Space Opera - read before the month, recommended) A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix (read after the episode, recommended) Links etc. OK Go Upside Down & Inside Out (music video shot in zero gravity) The review of Ancillary Justice Anna tried to read without being spoiled for the book The Wikipedia article on Space Opera bring up many aspects of the definition we discussed and is worth a skim, at least. Scientists read sci-fi and have opinions about it Read some stuff (here, here, and here are a few to start with) about Sad Puppies if you care about issues of diversity in publishing, book awards, and media more generally. Check it out: Afro futurism Book Riot sympathises with Sci-Fi fans Xenoanthropology Questions What (the heck) is space opera? (We thought we knew! We were so naive.) What is Worldbuilding? Any suggestions of your favourite instances of worldbuilding? Is bug punk real? Who else wants a “Ten Rules to Break When Dating a Space Pirate” from Sarah MacLean? Are Star Trek tie-in novels Space Opera? What’s the relationship between Space Opera/space-based Sci-Fi and the history of Colonialism? Check out our Pinterest board and Tumblr posts for all the Space Opera people in our club read (or tried to read), and follow us on Twitter!

The Starvation Box © 2013 by Spider Robinson Music: Colin MacDonald.

Another Free Lunch © 2013 by Spider Robinson Reading: Chapters 3 & 4, THE FREE LUNCH by Spider Robinson. Music: Tim Minchin, The Creber Family, Michelle Creber, Gina Sposto, Doug Cox, Marcus Eaton with James Raymond, Dori Rubbicco Legge.

Pan’s Labyrinth on Broadway Live, online Spider Robinson lecture on writing science fiction TV tries Wonder Woman yet again Sea Breeze Recipe [Gift Suggestion] Darth Vader continues to be the best father ever in Jeffrey Brown’s Vader’s Little Princess SyFy winter programming. Poll: Who’s your favorite clone? Tonight’s guests are Justin Timpane and Daniel Ross […]

Coming Up Fact: Covering The Sofa by Skeet 02:30 How To Write Science Fiction with… Spider Robinson 06:00 News: Adam Pracht becomes Assistant Editor for StarShipSofa 08:00 Fact: Looking Back at Genre History by Amy H. Sturgis 09:00 Main Fiction: The Colour Least Used by Nature by Ted Kosmatka 22:00 Interview: Ted Kosmatka and Nicholas Camm 01:43:00 Promo: Crush Depth by Jeff... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We start with a quick shout-out to Rock and Shock 2012, where we had a great time! And then, we move directly into our conversation with tonight’s guest, Spider Robinson. Spider is an author, musician, podcaster, gentleman, and scholar. (I may have added those last two…) Tonight he’s here to talk to us about many […]

A Free Lunch © 2012 by Spider Robinson Reading: "The Littlest Dragon" by Seymour Hamilton; Chapters 1 & 2, THE FREE LUNCH by Spider Robinson. Music: Mose Scarlett; Folk Uke; John Boutte; Gale Mead; Scarlett, Washington & Whiteley.

The Voyage South © 2012 by Spider Robinson Reading: Prologue of Book I of the Astreya Trilogy, THE VOYAGE SOUTH, by Seymour Hamilton. Music: Kathleen Rubbicco, Strung, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ella Fitzgerald with the Ray Brown Quintet, Tony Dominelli, and Lord Buckley.

The poll:  who’s your favorite Buffy villain? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Intro Remade With Toys The Legend of Korra Doctor Horrible 2 is ready to film! AMC Theaters to host a Marvel movie marathon Spider Robinson’s Petition to preserve the CBC’s musical archive Graceful Woman Warrior Encyclopedia Britannica done with books Steve Carell involved in Magic […]

Poll:  Who do you want to see at next year’s Boston Comic Con? Help Spider and Jeanne Robinson’s daughter fight cancer / Spider Robinson’s daughter needs your help! Ghost Rider creator ubersued by Marvel The Superhero Movie Guilt Calculator On a lighter note: the Walking Dead Mid-Season return Tonight’s guest is Megan Higgins Gregory, creator of the […]

It's Time Now... © 2011 by Spider Robinson Reading: "Chronic Offender." Music: The Lovin' Spoonful, Spider singing Tim Minchin, Ann Earthling & The Planets, Nils Landgren & Michael Wollny, Joshua Penman and Akara, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Mose Scarlett.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #4: Militarization of Space © 2007 by Spider Robinson To my surprise, not even the wonderful Wizard Of Google can pin down exactly when the militarization of space became unstoppable. In the first place, China’s finally sussed out the secret to the Information Age: smother it with so much contradictory information nobody can say for sure just what you said, or when...much less why. And they’ve always known what to do about military information: lie.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #6: Space Law © 2007 by Spider Robinson Ask Elliot Ness. The power of a law—its meaning—depends on who’s committed to enforcing it, and how far they’re prepared to go. In David Milch’s HBO series Deadwood, nobody seems prepared to enforce much of anything, and perhaps you’ve seen the dire consequences of such anarchy: the rights of prostitutes were not respected, men were sometimes cheated, wealth and power and information lay in the hands of a few, undertaking was handled by voracious swine, and foul language was heard in public. Nothing like the shining civilization of laws we enjoy today.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #1: Space Tourism © 2007 by Spider Robinson I’ve spent several decades rebutting silly complaints about “money wasted in space.” Dollars have been spent getting there—but every single buck stopped here, on the ground, in the pocket of some smart person. Furthermore, every dollar NASA spent earned thirteen dollars back. Look what it got them: a manned space program that barely exists and has little future.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #8: Space Generation © 2007 by Spider Robinson The first thing “space generation” makes me think of is the quantum ramjet, a hypothetical star drive I chose as the motive force for the starship Charles Sheffield in VARIABLE STAR, my new collaboration with Robert A. Heinlein. It would make use of quantum fluctuations in the energy of the cosmic vacuum to propel a ship up to relativistic speeds quickly, without burning any fuel. No such engine has been built yet—but the engineer who proposed it, David Froning, mentioned parenthetically that if a quantum ramjet were ever built, it might very well create new universes, every second it was in operation, as a side effect. It’s kind of hard to top that for space generation.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #7: Space Society © 2007 by Spider Robinson “Space Society” is an ambiguous topic, just as “Space Art” was. There’s more than one way to interpret it. The easy way out would be to discuss some of the largest of the many organizations that exist to support the study of astronomy, cosmology, planetology and other space-related disciplines, or to encourage manned and/or unmanned spaceflight, or to promote orbital science, industry and/or tourism, or to call for demilitarization of space, or…

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #2: Sustaining the Planet © 2007 by Spider Robinson Sustaining the planet means widely different things to all of us—so let’s try and define our aim. The phrase surely isn’t meant literally. Terra was sustaining herself just fine for millions of years before the first oxygen-producing lifeforms infested her and wrecked her nice methane ecosystem, dooming entire phyla to extinction. Mother Gaia’s not alarmed by “global warming”: she’s survived vastly greater environmental changes more than once, and will again.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #3: Spirituality of Space © 2007 by Spider Robinson The spiritual impulse can be a dangerous thing when it goes public. Ask anyone who was in New York five years ago, or anyone still alive in Baghdad today...It’s hard to talk about spirituality without talking about religion, and most of the world’s religions are, whether they admit it or not, mutually exclusive. That’s the only way I can explain the odd fact that spirituality is one of the least-known attractions of space travel.

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #5: Space Art © 2007 by Spider Robinson It’s probably apocryphal—the best ones usually are—but one of my favorite quotations is what Mahatma Ghandi is supposed to have responded when asked what he thought of Western Civilization. They say he replied gently, “That would be very nice.” A lot of people will give you some variant of that same response if you ask them about space art. “Great idea. Somebody should try that.” “What space art?” I draw blanks with the idea all the time at social gatherings. Nobody seems to realize there is any.

Life Goes On © 2011 by Spider Robinson Music: Naming the Twins, Corbin Keep, Slide to Freedom, Crosby-Nash, Across the Borderline.

In this interview, Spider and the entire cast hit on a range of topics. Ever the consummate gentleman, we discuss his beginnings and relationship with Ben Bova and Isaac Asimov, remember his wife Jeanne, how Mike Callahan was born, the state of politics, writing, music and whatever else wandered into the conversation. Join us as […]

Bianca's Hands © 2011 by Spider Robinson Reading: "Bianca's Hands" and "Godbody" by Theodore Sturgeon. Music: McCarthy, Richards & Legge; Colin MacDonald; Crosby & Nash.

Dr. Ben Bova (author of more than 115 books about science and science fiction) is today's featured guest. Topics: extreme human longevity, which Dr. Bova expects and endorses; why lasers are the ultimate weapon of defense against incoming missiles, and why the U.S. won't be defended by them until after the Obama Administration is out of office. He also describes his participation in the Vanguard Rocket program just before and just after the Russians shocked the United States out of complacency by placing humanity's first satellite into earth orbit; his work popularizing science and science fiction while at Omni and Analog Magazines, as well as in his Grand Tour series of novels about human civilization spreading out from earth and colonizing our solar system; and some of the now-famous authors he discovered in the slush pile while they were yet unpublished, such as Orson Scott Card and Spider Robinson. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 26, 2009 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 40 minutes] (This interview was recorded on July 12, 2009 at LiberyCon in Chattanooga Tennessee where Dr. Bova was the convention's Literary Guest of Honor.) Ben Bova is an award-winning author of more than 115 books of fiction and nonfiction. He has been involved in science and technology since the birth if the space age, and has worked with film makers and television producers such as Woody Allen, George Lucas, and Gene Roddenberry. He is President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He was editor of Analog Science Fiction magazine for seven years.  After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni Magazine. He has been the science analyst on CBS Morning News, and has appeared frequently on Good Morning America and the Today show.  

K7 Comment Line: 206-350-6909The long awaited Episode 80.  Cue the fireworks.Part 1 -- Starting at the BeginningIncoherent rambling about numbers.  Wind thingies.  Popping sounds.  Stuff about having more stuff.  I like Pie.Part 2 -- Christmas GiftsI got a nice compliment from Spider Robinson after commenting on his podcast, "Spider on the Web."  I think.  I don't always understand people, though.Part 3 -- Young JuniusMy review of Seth Harwood's new audiobook, on Podiobooks.com, and on his own site.  By the way, Seth's first novel "Jack Wakes Up" will be released on Amazon on May 9, 2009.  You can pre-order, if you'd like...Amazon: Jack Wakes Up: A Novel Themes: "Hot Swing" and "Continue Life" from Kevin Macleod.IDSL Tune: "A Tiger Dancing" from Heiruspecs on Garageband.com, and on their new site. 

K7 Comment Line: 206-350-6909The long awaited Episode 80.  Cue the fireworks.Part 1 -- Starting at the BeginningIncoherent rambling about numbers.  Wind thingies.  Popping sounds.  Stuff about having more stuff.  I like Pie.Part 2 -- Christmas GiftsI got a nice compliment from Spider Robinson after commenting on his podcast, "Spider on the Web."  I think.  I don't always understand people, though.Part 3 -- Young JuniusMy review of Seth Harwood's new audiobook, on Podiobooks.com, and on his own site.  By the way, Seth's first novel "Jack Wakes Up" will be released on Amazon on May 9, 2009.  You can pre-order, if you'd like...Amazon: Jack Wakes Up: A Novel Themes: "Hot Swing" and "Continue Life" from Kevin Macleod.IDSL Tune: "A Tiger Dancing" from Heiruspecs on Garageband.com, and on their new site. 

Authors David Drake, John Ringo and Jeanne Robinson are among the guests, as are Peter Stampfel (associate editor at DAW books), Doctor Travis S. Taylor (scientist, author and discoverer of two exoplanets) and a few very brief comments by Spider Robinson. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the July 1, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 110 minutes] --- Topics include: [1] News-briefs concerning: Jim Baen's stroke, coma and death; China going to the moon; the claim that diamonds are only semi-precious stones; the first World eBook Fair; the latest mind games that online crooks play; the third annual Death Stacks tournament (a game invented by your host); and this show being nominated for a Parsec Award. [2] Co-author of the bestselling Stardance novels, Jeanne Robinson, tells of her Stardance Project which originally had her scheduled for a Space Shuttle ride into orbit, then was temporarily shelved due to the Challenger Disaster in 1986, but is now back on track thanks to recent advances in CGI film making. (Spider Robinson, her husband and co-author, makes a few brief comments.) [3] Peter Stampfel, associate editor at DAW books, explains problems with the new Google Books project which plans to make searchable pretty much all the text of all the books in the world. Also, Peter Stampfel's current musical project: a compilation of one song from every year in the 20th century. And as a bonus we include a song he wrote and performed from his CD You Must Remember This, entitled: Take Me Away. [4] Chapter eight in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black. [5] Doctor Travis S. Taylor (scientist, author and discoverer of two exoplanets--planets which orbit stars other than our sun), talks about exoplanets, how planets are born, and the anticipated discovery of many new earths. He also describes how amateur astronomers can now discover these extrasolar planets using off-the-shelf, store-bought equipment. The interview also covers his Hard Science Fiction novel Von Neumann's War which he co-wrote with the bestselling author John Ringo. This novel asks the question: how would we defend ourselves if our solar system was invaded by billions of self-replicating robotic Von Neumann machines. [6] David Drake on the weakness of science fiction as prediction and the accumulation of historical errors in popular culture. [7] John Ringo disputes the idea that the Singularity is an event that could actually occur, as well as the practicality of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

Authors Greg Bear, Vernor Vinge, Spider Robinson and Nancy Kress are joined by this year's winner of the Phillip K. Dick Award, M.M. Buckner; and the actress Lydia Cornell who played Ted Knight's daughter, Sara Rush, on the TV comedy Too Close for Comfort. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the May 1, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 72 minutes] --- Topics include: [1] This year's winner of the Phillip K. Dick Award, M.M. Buckner, gives the blow-by-blow on what it feels like to win such a prestigious and career-changing award. [2] Once we all have our brains wired (or wifi'ed) directly into the internet, Greg Bear warns that we'd better have powerful firewalls protecting us from hackers. Anyone who doesn't may have to spend a lot of time with their brain in the shop. [3] If the much talked-about singularity never comes to fruition Vernor Vinge suggests that there may be severe limits on how far we develop advanced nanotechnology and artificial intelligence; limits which might make technological immortality a goal we can never reach. [4] Chapter six in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black. [5] Spider Robinson discusses SETI and speculates on the remarkable science of Nicola Tesla. [6] Nancy Kress on three brief subjects: Faster than Light Travel (FTL); SETI verses theology; and medical life extension verses technological immortality. [7] A celebrity interview with the actress Lydia Cornell who is most famous for playing Ted Knight's daughter, Sara Rush, on the TV comedy show Too Close for Comfort.

Authors Vernor Vinge, Greg Bear and Spider Robinson are joined by the astronomer Doctor Greg Matloff and the actor Jordan Marder from American History X, Virtuosity and LA Confidential. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the April 8, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 100 minutes] --- Topics include: [1] When asked who I should interview about the future, more of my guests mentioned this man's name than any other. Vernor Vinge has spent decades describing a catastrophic future event which is simultaneously alluring and disturbing. Finally, a definitive explanation of The Singularity. [2] Greg Bear discusses that for which his fiction is best known: speculations on nanotechnology. What can we expect both near term and long term? What about assemblers and the ultimate results of nanotech? And what about nanotechnological immortality? [3] Another installment in our serialization of the novel: Bones Burnt Black. [4] Will our next earth be better than this one? Spider Robinson thinks it might. He also admits that Faster Than Light Travel is impossible, but he's quick to point out that, as humans, impossible is what we do best. [5] How soon will the world run out of oil? And what will it mean to the balancing act between global warming and the next ice age? Doctor Greg Matloff provides facts and defines questions. [6] A celebrity interview with the actor Jordan Marder from the movies: American History X, Virtuosity and LA Confidential as well as Clive Barker's film Lord of Illusions.

SF authors Greg Bear, Spider Robinson and Nancy Kress are among the guests; as are experts in robotics, demographics and nanotechnology; along with the actor Michael Berryman, who may be best known as the star of Wes Craven's original version of the motion picture: The Hills Have Eyes. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 25, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 77 minutes]  Topics include: [1] Technological Immortality: when nearly everyone in the world is really, really old what kind of civilization will we have? The bestselling author, Greg Bear, paints a strange picture of the future. He also speaks about his movie deals, his involvement with The Science Fiction Museum in Seattle and his books, one of which, it turns out, is in publishing limbo. [2] Computers implanted in the human body and wired into the human brain. Nancy Kress, the award winning author, points out that we already have a little of this but that far more is on the way. [3] Non-lethal warfare and Non-violent religions: pointed comments from the bestselling author, Spider Robinson. [4] Another installment in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black. [5] How will nanotechnology change our wars? From battlefield nanotech that protects and augments the individual soldier, to nanotech manufacturing which may destabilize the global economy and lead to future wars: this, from Mike Treder, the Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. [6] A veteran of the televised Battle-bot competitions, Lionel Vogt (noted futurist and transhumanist) tells about some of the robots he has built. [7] An essay by your host entitled: Why you will get two completely different answers if you ask a biologist or an evolutionist the simple question: 'Why is water clear?' [8] The coming Latino dominance of the USA. Within sixty years the USA will be a Latino nation in the same sense that Brazil and Argentina are now. Based on current demographic trends, this does not seem a possibility but an inevitability. David Pascal, a marketing consultant, describes the statistics. [9] Two thousand people singing happy birthday to, and then a brief celebrity interview with, the actor Michael Berryman who may be best known as the star of Wes Craven's original version of the motion picture: The Hills Have Eyes.

SF authors David Brin, Spider Robinson, Nancy Kress and Joe Haldeman are guests; as are Mike Treder (on nanotechnology), David Pascal (on cryonics) and from Red Dwarf (the award winning British science fiction TV comedy series) a celebrity interview with the British actress and stand-up comedian Hattie Hayridge. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the March 11, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 79 minutes]  Topics include: [1] The future dominance of women in America, and the hypocrisy within our government over the funding of global warming research. David Brin (bestselling author and scientist) tackles both of these subjects. [2] Spider Robinson (bestselling author) explains why, thanks to the internet, it is no longer possible to think you are weird (even if you are), and how this has changed us. He also describes how he learned to appreciate technology the hard way: by living without it. (And once again, as an added bonus, you will hear a song from Spider's CD, Belaboring the Obvious. This one is called Oblivion.) [3] Another installment in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black. [4] How long until we fall into the next dark age? The award winning author Nancy Kress discusses this, and describes how malaria is spreading to villages higher up the sides of African mountains because the habitat of the malaria causing mosquito is expanding, apparently thanks to global warming. [5] Will Hillary Clinton be sacrificed by the Democrats? The award winning author Joe Haldeman worries that Hillary's own party may not prove to be the strong ally she will need to win the presidency in 2008. [6] Hacking nanotechnology: the future of NanoWarez. The world's hackers will someday shift their focus from turning your computer against you to turning your nanotech devices and implants against you. Just how dangerous this might get is described by Mike Treder, Executive Director of The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. [7] Foreign cryonics: the French have outlawed it, the Brits are with us, and the Russians secretly researched a lot more during the cold war than they are willing to share now. And what about pre-death freezing? It's still illegal everywhere, but the Scandinavian nations are lax on suicide. Might they be flexible about freezing the terminally ill? David Pascal (noted marketing consultant who specializes in Social Marketing) shares his considerable knowledge. [8] Why science has become so much more powerful than religion (an essay by your host). [9] A celebrity interview with the British actress and comedian Hattie Hayridge, who played Holly the computer (after the computer's sex change) on the award winning British science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf.

SF authors Spider Robinson and David Brin are among the guests; as are a mayor, the head of a nanotechnology organization, the legendary science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein (but only very briefly), and the TV star Erin Gray from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Silver Spoons who shares the inspiring story of how she broke into show biz. Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the February 25, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 91 minutes] Topics include: [1] Robert A. Heinlein passed away in 1988, yet his name will appear on a brand new novel due out in September of 2006. This novel is a collaborative effort between the late legend and a younger, newer talent: one of Mister Heinlein's greatest fans: the award winning author, Spider Robinson. I asked Spider how this unusual collaboration came to be.(Following his interview, as an added bonus, you will hear the title song from Spider's CD, Belaboring the Obvious, which he wrote for his wife, Jeanne, eleven years ago while she was away in a Buddhist monastery for three months.) [2] Are we making serious mistakes in how we're conducting the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? David Brin (the award winning author and scientist) is convinced that we are. He also describes his own answer to the puzzle of why the universe seems so completely empty of intelligent life: a situation often referred to as the Fermi Paradox. [3] Another installment in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black. [4] What's the difference between molecular manufacturing, nanotech assemblers and nanites? Mike Treder, executive director of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, makes it clear. [5] Cryonic SWAT teams, and what you should do before the body of your friend or loved one rots. David Pascal describes what to do in those critical hours between an unexpected death and cryosuspension. [6] Hillary vs Condoleezza. Both political machines are gearing up for the match of the century. Will 2008 be the year that America gets it first woman president? I posed this question to a Republican insider: Scott Dean, the Mayor of Harlem Georgia. [7] A celebrity interview with Erin Gray, the actress who played Colonel Wilma Deering in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as well as Kate Summers in the TV series Silver Spoons.