TBD - To Be Determined

Bill Williamson, Dan Kamm
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  • Science Fiction
  • Updated Biweekly

Classic scifi short stories ... some you know, some you don't. But all of them are worthy of another look.

  1. May 20

    Episode 33 - The Wreck of the Ship John B (Frank Robinson)

    Theme: This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on. Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. “The Cold Equations.” Films. The Towering Inferno. The Poseidon Adventure. Sharknado. The Island at the Top of the World. The Black Hole. Alien. Pitch Black. Aliens. Castaway. Passengers. The Martian. Ad Astra. TV episodes, series. Battlestar Galactica. Survivorman. Music. The Beach Boys, “The Sloop John B.”Ideas. The psychological impact of prolonged contact in close quarters. Boredom breeds crippling malaise. People need a sense of purpose. Anomie: “the profound sense of isolation, alienation, and lack of purpose that individuals experience when society's rules and values no longer clearly apply.” Corporate attitudes toward investment and resources mean that sometimes there is no real incentive to solve a recurring problem. Humans tend to willingly forget trauma. Colonial “shuttles” versus generational star ships. Living in realtime versus traveling in cryogenic suspension. Hikikomori: “are reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement.” Contemporary society has created pathways through which we can and do become socially isolated. We experiment with isolation at times. Humans require socialization until population density reaches a certain point, when the impact of socialization flips to the negative. Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Bill says definitely not a WTF story. Big hmmm, little whoa. Dan feel a stronger sense of Whoa than Bill. Previous episode: Arkady Strugotsky, “Wanderers and Travelers” Next episode: Frederic Pohl, “The Hated” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    47 min

  2. Jan 2

    Episode 32 - Wanders and Travelers (Arkady Strugotsky)

    Theme: Does this RFID tag make me look inferior? Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. R.A. Lafferty, “Encased in Ancient Rind.” Arthur C. Clarke, “The Sentinel.” Murray Leinster. “First Contact.”TV episodes, series. Star Trek. Star Trek: Next Generation. Babylon 5. Ideas. Soviet-era science fiction. Political philosophy. World building. Queries about similarities and differences among species on Earth and other places around the universe. Reflections on the relative intelligence (and by extension significance) of species. Ponders the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, and how it might compare to humans. What responsibilities do we have to other species? What responsibilities do they have to us? What is intelligence? What is reason? What is evolution and maturity? The Golden Rule as a guide for interspecies engagement. The Prime Directive. Alien abduction. Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Dan says Hmmm. Bill says yes, but with a sprinkle of Whoa.  Correction. Bill refers to the septopods as a subclass of octopi, then in fact they would be another order of cephalopod. A momentary lapse of biologic. Previous episode: Chris Neville, “The Forest of Zyl” Next episode: Frank Robinson, “The Wreck of the Ship John B” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    41 min

  3. 03/19/2025

    Episode 31 - The Forest of Zyl (Chis Neville)

    Theme: It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Murray Leinster, The Lonely Planet. Ursula K. LeGuin, “Vaster Than Empires and More Slow.” Stanislaw Lem, Solaris. Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations.” Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game. Jack McDevitt. Robert Heinlein, “They.” Films. The Happening.  TV episodes, series. That margarine commercial from the 70s. The Office. Ideas. Colonial expansion on a planetary scale. Links between recorded history and species survival. Erase history, erase humanity and all life on Earth. Genetic code is a form of recorded history. Sentient planets and plants. Can civilization advance if it cannot record its history or accomplishments? Gaia Hypothesis. Animism.What did we miss? James Tiptree, Jr., “The Last Flight of Dr. Ain.”Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. We gave it away early … a definite WTF tale. Previous episode: Ann Warren Griffith, “Captive Audience” Next episode: Arkady Strugotsky, “Wanderers and Travelers” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    32 min

  4. 02/21/2025

    Episode 30 - Captive Audience (Ann Warren Griffith)

    Theme: Paying your debt to Capitalism Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Ann Warren Griffith, “Zeritsky’s Law.” Henry Cuttner, “Nothing But Ginger Bread Left.” Arthur C. Clarke, “The Ultimate Melody.” Fritz Leiber, “The Girl With the Hungry Eyes.” Frederic Pohl, The Space Merchants. Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash. George Orwell, 1984. Films. Blade Runner. Music. Rush, “Subdivisions.”TV episodes, series. Commercials. The Super Bowl. Ideas. What if advertising were everywhere? Well … even MORE everywhere. What if it were a crime to ignore or block advertising? Do we live in a Capitalist surveillance society? We are conditioned to consume. What did we miss? The Truman Show for its ad placement. They Live for its subliminal messages about consumption. Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Bill wishes this was a WTF story, but alas. Dan says Hmmm.    Previous episode: Alexander Malec, “10:01 AM” Next episode: Chris Neville, “The Forest of Zyl” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    40 min

  5. 01/03/2025

    Episode 29 - 10:01 AM (Alexander Malac)

    Theme: Justice, fast-food style Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Alexander Malac, Extrapolosis. Harry Harrison, The Stainless Steel Rat series. Daniel H. Wilson, Where’s My Jetpack? Alice Glaser, “The Tunnel Ahead.”Films. Star Wars. Running Man. Judge Dread. RoboCop. Blade Runner. TV episodes, series. Firefly. Judge Judy. The People’s Court , Judge Mathis. The Hot Bench. Ideas. Vehicular homicide. Smart vehicles in surveillance cities. Instant, data-driven justice justice. Science fiction as a collection of (among other things) cautionary tales.Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Dan says it falls between Hmmm and Whoa. Bill says no WTF, but plenty of the other two. Previous episode: Thomas F. Monteleone, “Chicago” Next episode: Ann Warren Griffith, “Captive Audience” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    46 min

  6. 11/30/2024

    Episode 28 - Chicago (Thomas F. Monteleone)

    Theme: If I had a million robots ... Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Dean Koontz. Monteleone, The Time Swept City. Fritz Lieber, “A Pail of Air.” Roger Zelazny, “For a Breath I Tarry.” Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations.” Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Cyril Kornbluth, “Marching Morons.” Harlan Ellison, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.” Jack Williamson, “With Folded Hands.”Films. Colossus. The Planet of the Apes film series. Finch. I, Robot. Wall-E. Star Wars. TV episodes, series. Car Talk. Star Trek (the original series). Ideas. Automated, smart cities. Robots. Post-apocalyptic Earth. Human devolution. What does it mean to be human?Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Dan says … hmmm at best. Maybe we need to add Meh to the scale? Bill says yep.  Previous episode: Roger Zelazny, “For a Breath I Tarry” Next episode: Alexander Malec, “10:01 AM” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    39 min

  7. 05/21/2024

    Episode 27 - For a Breath I Tarry (Roger Zelazny)

    Theme: What does it mean to be human? Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Roger Zelanzny, Chronicles of Amber. Neil Gaiman, Sandman. The Bible. Isaac Asimov, Bicentennial Man. Jack Williamson, “With Folded Hands.”Films. Bicentennial Man. AI. Blade Runner. I, Robot. Finch. TV episodes, series. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ideas. Literary sci fi. Mythological connections. Logic is once again the defining characteristic of humankind, even in a post-human world. In that context, the story asks … what does it mean to be human? What role does emotion play in defining humanity?Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Bill says it is designed to be a Hmmm tale. Dan agrees. Previous episode: Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” Next episode: Thomas F. Monteleone, “Chicago” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    56 min

  8. 03/20/2024

    Episode 26 - There Will Come Soft Rains (Ray Bradbury)

    Theme: Our house … is a very, very, very smart house Episode ConnectionsAuthors, stories. Sara Teasdale, “There Will Come Soft Rains.”  Dean Koontz, The Demon Seed. Alan Weisman, The World Without Us. James Tiptree Jr., “The Last Flight of Dr. Ain.” McSweeney’s.com. Fritz Lieber, “A Pale of Air.” Larry Niven, “Inconstant Moon.”Films. The Demon Seed. I, Robot. Back to the Future. Mad Max. Planet of the Apes. Winnie the Pooh. TV episodes, series. Ray Bradbury Theater. The Jetsons. The Jeffersons. Life After People. Little House on the Prairie. Ideas. Nuclear holocaust. Automated houses. "Life" after the apocalypse.Whoa - Hmmm - WTF. Dan says it is definitely a Hmmm story to begin with, but maybe a little bit a Hmmm - wtf. As in WTF did you humans do? Bill says it is a bit of Whoa because there are no humans. Previous episode: James Tiptree Jr., “The Last Flight of Dr. Ain” Next episode: Roger Zelazny, “For a Breath I Tarry” Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseLink: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    35 min
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About

Classic scifi short stories ... some you know, some you don't. But all of them are worthy of another look.

Information

  • Creator
    Bill Williamson, Dan Kamm
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2021 - 2024