Our Opinions Are Correct

It's time for our state of the galaxy address. We’ll be talking about how humans figured out that we are living in a galaxy, and how science fiction represents other galaxies. We're also joined by Molly Peeples, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University, who studies where galaxies come from, and what they’re actually made of. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

One science fiction author has influenced the leaders of the tech industry more than any other: Ayn Rand, who preached radical selfishness in Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead. How has Rand's vision shaped the technology we use today? To find out more, we talk to philosopher Matt Zwolinski and author Matt Ruff. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Sometimes, a story is set in a place that isn't just a location. It's a character. How do places come alive? We discuss hauntings, homelands, and what it means to write a landscape that is more than backdrop. Joining us is Jesscia Johns, author of Bad Cree, to talk about how place figures into her novel about a monster who stalks Treaty 8 territory in Alberta, Canada. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Star Trek is back in a big way: we've had three live-action TV shows and two animated shows recently, with more stuff on the way. But what does Star Trek mean to us now? And what do we want from Star Trek today? To get deeper into these questions, we did a mind meld with Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Summer is almost here, and there's no shortage of amazing books, movies and TV shows to read by the pool. (Or wherever you consume your entertainment. We don't judge.) How can you make sense of all these options? We have you covered. Here's our totally correct guide to all the best science fiction and fantasy to check out! Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Ten years ago, Silicon Valley promised us smart houses that would light rooms as we walked into them, turn on the music, and do our shopping. And it never happened. We talk about how the smart home has its roots in Charlie Chaplin movies, sewing machines, and home economics classes. Guest Jacqui Cheng, former editor-in-chief of gadget guide Wirecutter, joins us to us to discuss the culture of smart home electronics. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Games are packed with astounding worldbuilding, and Dungeons & Dragons is perhaps the worldbuildiest of all. We take a deep dive into the game’s transformation from from a Satanic threat in the 1980s, to a wholesome, cozy world that has inspired a swashbuckling new movie and adorable novels like Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. And then we’re going to talk about worldbuilding in Charlie Jane’s Unstoppable trilogy. The third and final book, Promises Stronger than Darkness, came out this month! Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

When tech whizkids are caught behaving badly, they're just being "brilliant jerks." And the figure of the charismatic-but-bratty genius inventor is everywhere these days. We look at how the isolated, tormented mad scientist in science fiction evolved into the sexy asshole that everyone wants to be. And we talk to Christopher Cantwell, co-creator of Halt and Catch Fire and recently writer of the Iron Man comic, about how Tony Stark has changed. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

If you haven't read any short stories in a while, it's a great time to get back into them. A ton of truly excellent books of short speculative fiction came out recently, and wondrous new tales are appearing in magazines all the time. We talk about some of our favorite new books of short stories — and we offer some tips for writing some short fiction yourself. Works mentioned: All the Hometowns You Can't Stay Away From by Izzy Wasserstein Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, ed. Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Zelda Knight  New Suns 2, ed. Nisi Shawl White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link Falling in Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu Lost Places by Sarah Pinsker Evil Flowers by Gunnhild Øyehaug The Wishing Pool by Tananarive Due Never Too Old to Save the World: A Midlife Calling Anthology, edited by Alana Joli Abbott and Addie J. King  Sunday Morning Transport Escape Pod Podcast Starship Sofa Podcast Asimov's Science Fiction  The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Analog Science Fiction Lightspeed Magazine Uncanny Magazine Strange Horizons Tor.com Clarkesworld Magazine NIghtmare Magazine Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

This is the first in a series of monthly episodes we’ll be doing about how Silicon Valley appropriates and misinterprets science fiction. Silicon Valley executives claim to be inspired by SF, but mostly they use it retroactively to justify their products, often missing the more complicated, nuanced ideas embedded in the original stories. Today we’re going to tackle the hype cycle around A.I., which borrows liberally from the post-scarcity, post-human visions of Iain M. Banks in his Culture novels. It’s time for … the Culture vs. ChatGPT! Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes