Fascinating Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gear Based Technologies

Daniel J. Glenn
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Physics
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Making your favorite fictional technology a reality

  1. Aug 19

    Ep. 225 Gnomish Technology (that looks like magic)

    What if the greatest magic in the D&D world was actually technology? In this season 10 finale of FGGGbT we celebrate the gnomes: D&D’s most exuberant, most creative, and most explosion-prone technological pioneers. They dig into gnomish clockwork constructs, airships, and the philosophical question at the heart of every gnomish invention: is it poorly executed, or is it just missing safety features? Daniel J. Glenn argues mediocre execution. Dr. Michael Dennin and Ben Siepser argue it’s the purest form of “fail fast” engineering — and the debate gets surprisingly heated. Along the way they explore gnomish technology that mirrors real-world inventions — the Cup of Infinite Water (a pocket fire hose), the Magical Alarm Clock (which may wake you with a fireball), Hare’s Legs spring boots (ankle support sold separately), the Excessively Thin Hat of Excessive Coolness (remove before leaving extreme heat), and the marble-dispensing escape buckle that definitely won’t trip you up. They also talk dark vision goggles, the physics of cat eye reflectivity, the engineering of miniaturization, and why gnomes are the ultimate anti-capitalists — inventing purely for the joy of invention. Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 225 Gnomish Technology (that looks like magic)

  2. Aug 12

    Ep. 224 Psionic Creatures

    What do a brain-eating squid creature, a giant praying mantis, and a snake person have in common? They’re all psionic — and that’s about where the similarities end. In this episode of FGGGbT, we tackle the most challenging taxonomy of the season: psionic creatures. Unlike the undead or the Fey, this group has almost nothing in common except one thing — the power of the mind. They kick things off with the most iconic psionic creature in D&D: the mind flayer — part Cthulhu, part Billy Corgan, all terrifying — breaking down their reproductive cycle (ceremorphosis), their elder brain hive mind, and whether their brain-eating habit is a dietary preference or a biological necessity. From there they explore the Githyanki and Githzerai — two genetically identical races who responded to mind flayer subjugation in completely opposite ways, one militaristic and dragon-riding, one monk-like and meditative — before moving to the Thri-kreen, the praying mantis creatures whose entirely open telepathic society raises a disturbing question: what would a world with no mental privacy actually look like? They also dig into the Yuan-Ti and their cold, emotionless psionic manipulation, the convergent evolution of psychic powers across wildly different species, and the Elan — a human who voluntarily transforms into an entirely new psionic creature — asking whether gaining mental powers is enough to make you a different species entirely. Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 224 Psionic Creatures

  3. Aug 5

    Ep. 223 Creatures of the Forest

    What separates a pixie from a sprite, a brownie from a hag, and a nymph from a siren — and why does any of it matter? In this episode of FGGGbT, we tackle one of the most ambitious taxonomy projects of the season: building a complete classification system for the Fey. Unlike the undead, who are defined by their deadness, the Fey are defined by their otherness — their deep, fundamental connection to nature and the feywild. Using six core classification categories — former mortality, degree of humanity, power hierarchy, corporeal vs. non-corporeal, elemental connections, and relationship to mortals — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Siepser work through the full roster: pixies, sprites, brownies, leprechauns, satyrs, centaurs, dryads, nymphs, treants, and hags. Along the way they debate whether satyrs are evil or just really fun at parties, why the centaur is nature’s original cyborg, whether hags are actually villains or just very aggressive conservationists, and how every Fey creature ultimately represents some aspect of nature brought to life. They also introduce a simple four-bucket framework for understanding the Fey: helpers, tricksters, enchanters, and corruptors — and how every bargain with the Fey falls into one of those categories. Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 223 Creatures of the Forest

  4. Jul 29

    Ep. 222 Taxonomy of the Undead

    What separates a skeleton from a lich — and does immortality inevitably make you evil? In this episode of FGGGbT, the Brain Trust — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Siepser — tackle one of the most ambitious projects of the season: building a complete taxonomic classification system for the undead. Using six core categories — physical presence, soul spectrum, voluntary vs. involuntary transformation, dead-then-reanimated vs. transformed-while-living, life force alteration, and sensitivity to pure things — they systematically break down skeletons, zombies, mummies, ghosts, banshees, liches, and vampires with the rigor of scientists and the enthusiasm of lifelong D&D players. Along the way they debate whether mummies are just high-quality zombies, whether a ghost can choose to stay or is forced to linger, and whether the vampire or the lich is the true apex undead predator. They also tackle the big philosophical question at the heart of all undead lore: does immortality inevitably lead to evil? Ben Siepser’s argument — that anything divided by infinity equals zero, making all moments meaningless — might just be the most elegant explanation for why every lich eventually goes mad and every vampire eventually stops caring about the living. Whether you’re a dungeon master building your undead roster or just someone who’s always wondered what actually separates a mummy from a zombie, this episode has the answers. Episodes we discussed: Fascinating Nouns ep. 276 about Near Death Experiences The great Fascinating Fights series! Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 222 Taxonomy of the Undead

  5. Jul 22

    Ep. 221 Psionic Magical Items

    What if crystals could store your personality — and eventually become sentient? In this episode of FGGGbT, the Brain Trust — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Sieper — dive into the fascinating world of psionic magical items, exploring the real science of crystals, information theory, and the question that haunts AI researchers and D&D players alike: when does something stop being a tool and start being alive? We break down two categories of psionic items — crystals and tattoos — through the lens of materials science, electronics, and quantum physics. We explore how dorjes work like crystal capacitors with discrete energy symmetries, why they can only store odd numbers and never more than 17 charges, and how the Psicrystal — grown from a shard of a psionic’s own personality — maps perfectly onto modern AI development and information theory. Dr. Dennin introduces Claude Shannon’s information theory (yes, the guy who coined the word “bit”) and explains why psionics aren’t just manipulating energy — they’re manipulating the fundamental probability structure of reality itself. We also dig into psionic tattoos, why their information density is limited by the resolution of ink on skin, and why you should probably vet your tattoo artist very carefully before letting them encode your psychic powers. Finally, we tackle the big question: at what point does a growing Psicrystal cross the line from clever storage device to sentient being — and is wisdom just being too old and tired to care? Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 221 Psionic Magical Items

  6. Jul 15

    Ep. 220 Magical Item Combinations

    What happens when you put a Sphere of Annihilation inside a Bag of Holding? In this episode of FGGGbT, the Brain Trust — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Sieper — go deep on magical item combos, the science of extradimensional space, the world's most powerful glue, potion mixology, and the surprisingly complex question of when a sword becomes a person. We kick things off with the Bag of Holding — how its constant weight hints at real theories of gravity and extra dimensions — before combining it with the Sphere of Annihilation (a dense ball of antimatter in a magical containment field) and exploring the three probabilistic outcomes, including a spontaneous rip in space-time that sends your party to a random time period. Then we tackle Sovereign Glue, why no substance in our world truly sticks to everything, and the hilariously impractical physics of storing oil of slipperiness in a bottle. We also dive into potion mixology — why mixing potions in your body is random (your gut biome matters), what quantum wave interference has to do with making a potion permanent, and why you should always read the label before chugging two potions at once. Finally, we explore sentient magical items: Black Razor, Night Blood, and the Professor Orb — and debate whether these items contain trapped souls, emergent AI, or something else entirely.

    Ep. 220 Magical Item Combinations

  7. Jul 8

    Ep. 219 Mastering Magic Items

    What makes a magical item truly magical — and how many is too many? In this episode of FGGGbT, the Brain Trust — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Sieper — dive deep into the science, physics, and storytelling behind D&D magical items, and things get wonderfully chaotic. We explore how magical items are created through the fantasy equivalent of metal alloying and materials science — from Damascus steel to samurai folding techniques — and how the concept of magical attunement maps perfectly onto impedance matching in electronics. We break down the difference between a non-magical plus one sword (medieval ergonomics) and a truly magical weapon, why magical weapons can harm magical creatures when ordinary ones can’t, and how luck itself might be a form of short-range time travel or quantum probability manipulation. Then we get into the really fun stuff: the Cloak of Billowing, the Luck Blade, the Cursed Shield of Missile Attraction, the Bag of Beans, the Folding Boat (which turns out to be an excellent murder weapon), and the ultimate chaotic device — the Deck of Many Things. Plus, does drawing a card that gives you a castle reveal fate or create it? And did your rich uncle have to die for that to happen? Whether you’re a dungeon master looking for inspiration or a player obsessed with magical loot, this episode is for you. Topics Covered: How magical items are created: alloying, Damascus steel & samurai folding Magical attunement vs. non-magical attunement (medieval ergonomics) Why magical weapons harm magical creatures Impedance matching & the three-item attunement limit Luck as quantum mechanics, divination & short-range time travel The Luck Blade, Cursed Luck Stone & Shield of Missile Attraction The Bag of Beans, Deck of Many Things & wild magic items Favorite magical items: Cloak of Billowing, Folding Boat & Nolzur’s Marvelous Pigments Cursed items — liabilities or creative opportunities? Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 219 Mastering Magic Items

  8. Jul 1

    Ep. 218 Schools of Magic

    What if the eight schools of D&D magic were actually eight fundamental forces of the universe? In this episode of FGGGbT, the Brain Trust — Daniel J. Glenn, Dr. Michael Dennin, and Ben Sieper — break down all eight schools of magic through the lens of real science, from particle physics and chemistry to neuroscience and quantum mechanics. We explore how the eightfold way in particle physics maps perfectly onto the eight schools of magic, and introduce the theoretical “magon” — the fundamental particle of spellcasting. Then we go school by school: Abjuration as proton-like defensive particles, Conjuration as spacetime manipulation, Divination as probabilistic quantum prediction, Enchantment as brain chemistry and pheromones, Evocation as pure chemistry-based destruction, Illusion as electromagnetic sense manipulation, Transmutation as nuclear physics, and Necromancy as life-force control. We also debate which school is the most dangerous, the most easily abused, and the most morally complex — and why charm, illusion, and necromancy form a uniquely troubling trio. Whether you’re a D&D wizard trying to pick your school, a science nerd who loves fantasy, or just someone who wants to know how a fireball is different from a cone of cold, this is the episode for you. Topics Covered: The eightfold way in particle physics & the “magon” Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Transmutation & Necromancy The science behind each school: chemistry, nuclear physics, neuroscience & quantum mechanics Which school requires the most energy? The ethics of necromancy, enchantment & illusion Real-world parallels: mirages, pheromones, nuclear reactions & optical illusions Listen to all our episodes on magic: The Magical World of….well MAGIC! Facebook Twitter Support the show by buying cool merch at Glennco Designs!

    Ep. 218 Schools of Magic
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Making your favorite fictional technology a reality

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