Episode 10 << Click to Listen

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Tom Rogers, author of Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics, joins us to talk about exploding cars, battles in space, and the problem of scale in the insectoid world.

Panel Topic: Hard Science Fiction

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Introduction

0:00 Introduction by Tor.com

0:46 Dave and John introduce the show

Interview: Tom Rogers

02:55 Interview begins

03:11 Tom’s background and how he got interested in science

04:36 Flashing bullets, exploding cars and the website that resulted

10:15 Nuclear bombs: the solution to incoming asteroids?

11:12 The problems with blowing up alien space ships

13:30 The wheelbarrow as munitions delivery system

14:13 Do we need to worry about giant ants any time soon?

15:30 Find out which movie Tom thinks is scientifically the worst movie of all time

16:35 Don’t despair, fellow geeks—there are a few movies with reasonably good science!

18:34 The limitations of humans and cybernetic counterparts

21:01 More movies that get some things right

22:23 Tom’s opinion of the recent Star Trek movie

24:36 Feedback from movie fans

26:03 How to get better scientific realism in movies

30:33 End of interview

Dave and John talk about science in science fiction

31:36 Dave’s fall from grace: Red Shift Rendezvous by John E. Stith

37:04 Other stories that combine hard science with some necessary fudging: Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein; Larry Niven’s The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton. Discussion of telepathy and mental powers as an SF trope, The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

44:02 The Kheper scale, Grading SF for Realism; also see The Moh’s Scale of Scientific Hardness

46:29 Created worlds in science fiction: Larry Niven’s Ringworld; Hex and “The Other Side of Jordan” by Allen Steele (which can be found in Federations); Iain M. Banks’s Culture series and story collection State of the Art; the work of Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space, Zima Blue and Other Stories, Deep Navigation, and Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days

53:09 Dave and John have some advice for movie makers

55:37 More on the new Star Trek movie, and what’s the deal with sexy aliens? Whatever it is, John won’t judge you.

58:28 Dave and John explain the Singularity

01:00:39 Show wrap-up

Next week: Alexandre Phillippe, director of The People vs. George Lucas

Thanks for listening!

Show notes compiled by podtern Christie Yant. Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.