Episode 19 << Click to Listen

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Robin Wasserman, author of the young adult science fiction novel Frozen (previously titled Skinned), joins us to discuss hacking Harvard, working in publishing, and writing about the future.

Panel Topic: Consciousness Transference

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Introduction

0:00 Introduction by Tor.com

0:38 Dave and John introduce the show

Interview: Robin Wasserman

02:51 Interview begins

03:04 Some of Robin’s favorite SFF when she was growing up

03:35 How Robin got into science fiction, and on being a closet fan

05:09 Robin talks about Skinned and importing consciousness into a machine

07:14 Accidental dystopia: world-building for Skinned

08:31 Robin’s novel Hacking Harvard: “A geek My Fair Lady.”

09:30 Her experience at Harvard and favorite classes, and the class that inspired Skinned

12:16 The Defecating Duck: some of the more interesting automata that Robin studied

13:23 Robin’s life working in publishing, and how it slowed down her panic as a writer

16:06 The transition from editor to writer

17:19 Crashed and Wired, the sequels to Skinned

19:13 On the state of YA science fiction

22:31 Interesting feedback from Robin’s readers

24:21 The Seven Deadly Sins series, soon to be a Lifetime movie

26:09 The humor in her work

27:52 Coming up from Robin: murder mystery/crypto-thriller The Book of Blood and Shadow

28:55 Interview ends

Dave and John think deep thoughts about transferring human consciousness

29:01 YA science fiction: Hunger Games; Uglies (John’s review of Uglies can be found here)

33:08 Mind uploading, both as a science fiction and fantasy trope

35:13 Transporters and the ‘continuity of consciousness’ problem

36:50 James Patrick Kelly’s “Think Like a Dinosaur”

37:22 In which we learn that this trope really bugs John, and why

39:51 Star Trek: Voyager and the transporter malfunction

42:22 The thought experiment of the mechanical brain

44:53 Dave proceeds to REALLY FREAK OUT PODTERN with scientific facts! (Good luck sleeping after this bit)

47:29 On the subject of souls

49:24 Regarding death and Heaven

51:12 Preserving great minds: Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds;Kiln People by David Brin; the Cymechs of Dune

54:35 Gene Wolf’s Book of the New Sun

56:04 And now for something completely different: The Man With Two Brains; Freaky Friday; Vice Versa

58:34 Dave once again attempts to corrupt our youth with tales of computer vandalism, and apologizes to a former teacher

01:02:13 Show wrap-up

Bonus Links!

The New York Review of Science Fiction

The KGB Reading Series

Gothamlit Mailing List

SF in SF

Next week: Eli Kintisch, author of Hack the Planet

Thanks for listening!

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