SciFi Fandom audio feed

SFF_056b: Nikolai Tesla: The Man and the Myth

24 Jan 2011 13:04:03 GMT

Another bonus episode from ARISIA 2011: Description from the pocket program guide: "The genius "mad scientist" inventor and electrical engineer who brought us alternating current, powerful 3-phase electrical motors, dazzling lightning shows with his Tesla coil, and even a particle beam weapon. Come hear about Nikola Tesla, his life, and his inventions. Mario Di Giacomo, Jeff Hecht, John Monahan (m), Percival"

SFF_056a: Things Everyone Likes (but I don't)

19 Jan 2011 13:23:45 GMT

Bonus audio only episode from ARISIA 2011. Description from the pocket program guide: "Ah, "Star Wars," "E.T.," "Lord of the Rings," "Blade Runner," "Star Trek"—all so beloved, how can anyone not like them? This is a panel for people who haven't hopped on the bandwagon for these or other popular films. Find out why, and discover why you're not alone" (the discussion did not confine itself to films) Panel members: Karl G. Heinemann (m), Daniel M. Kimmel, Jennifer Pelland, Steve E. Popkes, Elayna Jade Smolowitz

SFF_055: Bad Science on TV

20 Sep 2010 16:48:21 GMT

At BOSKONE 47 panelists Jordin T. Kare, Chad Orzel discuss how TV and the movies do such a bad (and occasionally a somewhat better) job with representing science and what it can and can not do.

SFF_054: My Fandom's Not Dead Yet!

9 Aug 2010 13:17:12 GMT

Panel discussion at ARISIA 2010. Description from the program guide … Face it – your show’s canceled and it’s not coming back. There’s not going to be a sequel to that movie. It’s dead, Jim! So how do you keep the fandom alive? Does the release of new merchandise and the re-issued super collector’s edition DVD mean there’s still hope for more? Would you accept comic book, novels, or a “Battlestar Galactica” – style “reimagining” instead? Does it ever become time to just move on? (Heresy!) Panel members: Daniel Miller, Victoria Janssen, Cynthia A. Shettle, Melissa Honig, and James Zavaglia.

SFF_053: Fangs For The Memories

3 Jul 2010 01:31:12 GMT

Panel discussion at ARISIA 2010. Description from the program guide ...What makes "True Blood" distinctive among movies and TV shows about vampires? Is it just an "alternate lifestyle?" Can't we all just get along? And why are vampires so hot right now? Is this the best of the best, or do they have some toothy competition? Panel members: Misty Pendragon, Amiee Bouchard, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Mark L. Amidon, Karen Purcell DVM

SFF_052: Interview with Mike Dougherty of Browncoats Redemption

3 Jun 2010 13:32:50 GMT

The May 22, 2010 edition of the Sci Fi Saturday Night podcast with special gues Michael Dougherty, Producer / Director of the feature length fan film Browncoats Redemption

SFF_051: The Best Science Fiction Of 2009

26 Apr 2010 13:18:28 GMT

Description from the ARISIA 2010 program schedule. "What's outstanding in SF this year? Discuss the books and short fiction you're likely to hear about as nominations for Hugos and other awards for 2009 are made. What might you miss without the recommendations from our panelists?" Panel members: Gardner Dozios, James L. Cambias, Alexander Jablokov & Candra Gill

SFF_050: The Ethics Of First Contact

7 Apr 2010 17:02:59 GMT

Description from the Boskone 47 pocket program: "First Contact between humans and aliens is one of the lasting tropes of SF. "Lasers first" or "We come in Peace"? Sometimes the advanced aliens contact us primitive humans, and sometimes space-faring humans are doing the contacting. But once contact has happened, what is the moral dimension? Should an advanced race always hide itself from markedly less advanced races for fear of stunting their natural growth? Can it ever be moral to leave individuals in primitive poverty simply in hopes that their descendants might one day develop their own culture? Is the Prime Directive nothing but heartless selfishness? Can advanced peoples colonize a planet inhabited by primitives and live in peace with them? Is there any right answer here? Are there any useful object lessons from Terran history?" Panel members: Walter H. Hunt (m), Allen M. Steele, Vernor Vinge

SFF_049: Keynote Speech at Boskone 47 .. Tom Shippey

7 Apr 2010 17:02:04 GMT

Description from the pocket program: “Our Special Guest looks back on 50 rewarding years of being a SF fan, and 40 much less rewarding years of being a professor of English, and asks: what created SF? And what made it so different, and so fascinating? It’s no good asking the professors. SF has produced a string of visions, shared and developed by a host of authors, but some of these are now running out of conviction (like NASA). What could give SF a boost? Are we looking at ‘Day Million’ or ‘The Dying Earth’?

SFF_048: Welcome To The Dollhouse

7 Apr 2010 17:00:56 GMT

Discussion panel at ARISIA 2010. Description from the program book: "Did "Dollhouse" improve in its second season before being canceled? Why has this been such a hard sell for audiences that loved Joss Whedon's earlier show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Should people be able to give up responsibility for their actions by renting their bodies out?" Panel members: Misty Pendragon, Howard G. Beatman, Mark L. Amidon, Brenna Levitin & Eric "In The Elevator" Zuckerman.

SFF_046: We Want It On DVD!

7 Apr 2010 17:00:07 GMT

Description from the ARISIA 2009 Program Guide: "There are so many cool genre shows and movies that aren't available on disk -- yet. Some of them may NEVER be available on DVD. Why?" Panel members Tony Finan, James Zavaglia, Peter Maranci & Adam Lipkin

SFF_045: 15 Years Of BABYLON 5

7 Apr 2010 16:59:17 GMT

Description from the ARISIA 2009 Program Guide: "It's been 15 years ... how has B5 changed SF on TV? B5 pioneered CGI, long-arc storytelling, and a novel-for-TV concept." Panel members: Hugh Casey, Michael A. Burstein, James Zavaglia and The Marvelous MERV

SFF_044: ALTERNATE WORLDS of SF

7 Apr 2010 16:58:13 GMT

Description from the Boskone 46 Program Guide: "What if Frankenstein hadn't been published? If Star Wars came out the day the Challenger exploded? If Heinlein had been a woman? What other interesting branchpoints can we imagine in the history of our genres themselves, and what would the alternative SF, fantasy, or horror scenes look like today?" The panel did stray from the subject somewhat, and often talked about 50's "pulp" SF fiction in both the US and UK markets. Panel members: Jane Jewell, Don D'Ammassa, Darrell Schweitzer, Fred Lerner, Lawrence Schoen & Farah Mendlesohn

SFF_043: TORCHWOOD

7 Apr 2010 16:57:33 GMT

Description from the ARISIA 09 Program Guide: "This is one of the world's hottest SF programs. Is it the cutting edge, or did it jump the shark with the shocking ending?" .. (of season two) Panel members: Samantha Dings, Robert Hafner, Toni Lay, & Jennifer Pelland

SFF_042: PUSHING DAISIES

7 Apr 2010 16:56:23 GMT

Description from the ARISIA 09 Program Guide: "Picasso siad, 'Good artists copy: great ones steal.' Pushing Daisies wears its influences openly... and yet transcends them and achieves something utterly original." Panel members: Mimi Noyes, Sonya Taaffe, Eric M. Van, Michael A. Burstein & Nomi S. Burstein.

SFF_041: Global Warming: Facts and Myths (and All That Jazz)

7 Apr 2010 16:55:38 GMT

Description from the Boskone 46 program guide: Last year the sea ice grew, reversing a trend. Global warming is proven, but how bad can it be, really? And would it be so terrible to someday have no snow for Boskone? Panel members: Vince Docherty, Mark L. Olson, Chad Orzel & James Morrow

SFF_039: The Appeal of the Lawless Elite

7 Apr 2010 16:54:05 GMT

Panel discussion at BOSKONE 45. Description from the Program Guide. Panel member Patrick Nielsen Hayden has said, "Much of the genre works by appealing to our wish that the world's extra-legal violence be under the control of the kind of smart people we admire. The Second Foundation and the X-Men ... and, for that matter, the Scooby Gang and the Laoudry .. are all, to some extent, basically the Ku Klux Klan, except that the extrajudicial violence they carry out is (we're assured) merited and just." Panel members: Karl Schroeder, Paul Park, Alexander Jablokov, Beth Meacham, and Patrick Nielsen Hayden.

SFF_038; Battlestar Galactica ENDINGS: ROLL YOUR OWN

7 Apr 2010 16:52:29 GMT

Panel discussion at BOSKONE 45. Description from the Program Guide: "Looks like we may never get an official end to the series. But hey, we're SF fans: we'll make one (heck, several) up. Conversation may also include but should not be limited to discussion of how BSG is (was) the awesomist esseff teevee evah!" Panel members: MaryAnn Johanson, Jennifer Pelland, Michael A. Burstein, Jeffrey A. Carver, and Craig Shaw Gardner

SFF_037 Tunguska at 100

7 Apr 2010 16:51:20 GMT

Panel discussion at BOSKONE 45. Description from the program directory: "On June 30, 1908, something leveled 2000 square kilometers of Siberian forest, producing a fireball from the sky which knocked pine trees over like matchsticks near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Russia. Such an explosion today over more populated areas could lay waste an entire city. What was it? (Do we know, yet?) What are some of the older theories, and why were they discredited? How likely is a repeat? How common are events like this? Are there any other historical records? Whould we expect there to be?" Panel members: Chad Orzel, Jeff Hecht, and Brother Guy Consolmagno

SFF_036: Harry Potter: Movies vs Books

7 Apr 2010 16:50:15 GMT

Panel discussion at Arisia 2008. Description from the Program Directory: "Does knowing how the book series ends change our anticipation for the last two films? Are there actually fans of the movie series who haven't read the books? (No spoilers from book six or seven permitted at this panel)" Panel members: Michael Sharrow, MaryAnn Johanson, Susan Haniford Crowley, jan howard finder (The Wombat), Resa Nelson.

SFF_035: 10 Years Of StarGate

7 Apr 2010 16:49:18 GMT

Panel discussion at Arisia 2008. Description from the Program Directory: A discussion and farewell toStarGate SG1. How did it affect SF television? Will Stargate:Atlantis have similar long legs? Panel members: Terri Osborne, MaryAnn Johanson & James T. Henderson Jr.

SFF_034: Star Trek, Does It Have A Future?

7 Apr 2010 16:48:32 GMT

Panel discussion at 3 Pi-Con, August 2008 in West Springfield, MA.

SFF_033: Firefly, The Best Series In The Verse

7 Apr 2010 16:47:26 GMT

Panel discussion at 3 Pi-Con August 2008 in West Springfield, MA. One of the panel members is Keith R.A. DeCandito who wrote the novelization of the movie Serenity.

SFF_031: Why Don't We Believe in UFO's?

7 Apr 2010 16:46:38 GMT

Panel at Boskone 45. Description from the program book: "Is it true that SF readers are less likely than the general public to believe in the existence of UFOs, drive-by probes by Gray aliens, etc.? Is it that we're more scientifically informed, or just less open-minded than we think? Is there any good evidence for these phenomena generally? Why is this stuff not likely to be true? What evidence whould it take to convince us? Panel members: Glenn Grant, Eric M. Van, Jennifer Dunne & F. Brett Cox

SFF_030: Modern SF&F Radio Drama in New England

7 Apr 2010 16:45:25 GMT

Panel at Arisia 08. Description from the program directory: "Join the producers of several New England-based audio theater projects in a discussion of their work and of the mediums's viability for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror storytelling. The panel will include the producers of 'Red Shift', 'The Fantastic Fate of Frederick Farnsworth the Fifth', 'Second Shift' and others."

SFF_029: What is LARP, and Why Would I Want To Do It?

7 Apr 2010 16:44:25 GMT

Panel discussion at ARISIA 08. LARP is Live Action Role Playing. Panel members give us a look into the LARP world, what it is, how it is usually done, and where to find local (Boston area) events. Panel members: Anna Bradley, Chad Bergeron, Mark Waks, John Bacon & Michael Ventrella.

SFF_028: Mind If We Pick Your Brraains? The Zombie Panel

7 Apr 2010 16:43:03 GMT

June is ZOMBIE MONTH at Science Fiction Fandom !! Part 2: a panel discussion at BOSKONE 45. Description from the program directory: "Suddenly the undead are all around us. Last year a top-selling comic featured a zombie Spider-Man. Brad Pitt and J. Michael Straczynski are said to be bringing to life a movie of Max Brooks's zombie apocalypse novel World War Z. The spring Zombie Walk to Harvard Square gets bigger every year. If you know anything about this, please help us answer a few questions. Where did this zombie idea come from? Why such staggering popularity? What do zombies really want? Hey, why are you looking at us like that?" Panel members: Seanan McGuire, Sonya Taaffe, John Langan, Michael Swanwick & Bob Eggleton.

SFF_027: THE LIVING DEAD

7 Apr 2010 16:42:11 GMT

June is ZOMBIE MONTH at Science Fiction Fandom !! Part 1: a panel discussion at ARISIA 2008. Description from the program scheudle. "Forty years after George Romero gave us NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD his zombies still walk among us in remakes, new films from Romero himself, and astonishing recent movies from others ranging from SHAUN OF THE DEAD to 28 WEEKS LATER. Why is the SF/horror subgenre so enduring? What are its classics and which are merely athe walking dead?" Panel members: Michael A. Horne, Garen Daly, Tim Lieder, Adam Lipkin Also available as an audio mp3 file My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-b9b44ca9bc61bd3997ecc4ccc7862ee1}

SFF_026: Non-Genre Films that Fans Love

7 Apr 2010 16:39:59 GMT

Panel discussion at ARISIA 2008. Description from the program schedule: "There's nothing fantastic about MEMENTO, but it somehow feels like science fiction. What other realist movies are especially attractive to fans of SF and fantasy? What are the qualities that make them feel like genre? Panel members: Julie Tenney, Sonya Taaffe, Eric M. Van & Adam Lipkin.

SFF_025: The Rise of Modern Science

7 Apr 2010 16:35:50 GMT

Panel discussion at Boskone 45. Description from the program schedule: "What happened in the Middle Ages which lead to the rise of modern science? Why did it happen first in Europe and not elsewhere? How did science grow if the Middle Ages were really an "age of faith" without reason?" Panel members: Michael F. Flynn, Brother Guy Consolmagno, and John Farrell

SFF_024: Will 2008 Be The Year When eBooks Make It?

7 Apr 2010 16:34:30 GMT

Panel discussion at Boskone 45. eBooks are Electronic-Books .. books without paper (dead tree books). eBooks have been around in various forms for years, but are gaining in popularity. You can now buy dedicated eBook readers, but at this point they are still fairly expensive. Just what is needed for eBooks to be a success? Panel members: Don D'Ammassa, Charles Stross, Darlene Marshall and Ellen Asher.

SFF_023: Debate: Star Wars vs Star Trek: Looking Deeper

7 Apr 2010 16:31:31 GMT

Debate panel at the 2008 Arisia con. Description from the Pocket Program: "This panel is one of the new debate panels at Arisia. It is built around the question of which series had a more profound impact on society at large and fannish society in particular. As with all such debates, the question is unanswerable, but it gives us a wonderful way to deeply explore a very interesting question." Panel members: Star Wars side: Ian Randal Strock (www.sfscope.com), Hugh Casey, MaryAnn Johanson (moderator), Star Trek side: Jeff Warner & Jim Zavaglia.