Implausipod

Welcome to the Implausipod.  This episode covers a number of short segments, starting with some thoughts on the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike actions and what that means for Media Consumption (and commentary), as well as a dive into feedback and mail that the channel has received over the last year, addressing questions from the most important part of this show: the listeners. Reach out to the show Support...

What does the relationship between a 40 year old game console company, and ancient internet protocol, and American Online have to teach us about the current issues faced by new users to the Fediverse?  Let's find out on this episode of the Implausipod. References: Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (1987). _A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia_. University of Minnesota Press. De Zen...

What are "recursive publics" and "social imaginaries", how have they impacted the development of the modern internet, and what impact do they have on the state of the internet in 2023 with the implosion of Twitter, Reddit, and the rise of the Fediverse?  Stay tuned as we take a 50000 foot view of the rise of the public sphere of geeks. References: Anderson, B. R. O. (1991 [2006...

Getting started with a brief rundown of an old article that details the rise of the Audience Commodity: Smythe (1977) "Communications: Blindspot of Western Marxism" we use that to explain the recent events of the internet of the last month or so, including the Twitter-pocalypse, the Reddit Meltdown, the rise of ChatGPT, and some general media theory too. Other links and references: Baran...

The Implausipod returns to cyberpunk with an look at the first two episodes of The Peripheral, the adaptation of the 2014 William Gibson novel that aired on Amazon Prime on October 21st, 2022.  In this podcast episode, we take a look at the show about communication between two future dystopias, and provide some background behind the tech that appears on screen. Mild spoilers may exist for those wh...

In episode 6 of the Implausipod we'll continue our exploration of Appendix W with one of the more direct inspirations for the Warhammer 40000 universe and the iconic space marines or Adeptus Astartes, with the appearance of the OG Mobile Infantry from Starship Troopers, with by Robert A. Heinlein in 1959!   In it we discuss the origins of the military sci-fi subgenre, the origins of some icon...

Living in our cyberpunk present, sometimes we need to break the ICE.  This ICEbreaker is a quick hit on a current event or story from the last week, and how it links with the cyberpunk literature of the past.  These episodes are outside of our main story arcs, more like a rapid-fire bonus episode. In this episode, we'll take a look at a "demon" in the internet, that keeps appearing...

In episode 5 of the Implausipod we'll start our exploration of Appendix W, with a timely look at one of the inspirations for the space hulks within the Warhammer 40000 universe, and a surprise visit from a monster originally introduced in the pages of Rogue Trader: the enigmatic Enslavers! These both appeared in S01E08 of British sci-fi series Space:1999, and it ended up being an influence on...

Welcome to episode 4 of the Implausipod, introducing the Appendix W. Originally introduced on our blog last year (find it here: https://implausi.blog/?cat=17 ),  the Appendix W is a collection of the titles that defined the Warhammer 40000 universe and it early development, drawing on titles from science fiction, comics, movies, tv, anime, and heavy metal album covers. Reach out to the show Suppor...

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Implausipod.  In this episode, we're taking a quick look at the subgenre of science fiction called cyberpunk.  It's been mentioned a few times in the first few episodes, so I thought it warranted a closer look.  So we'll draw a through line between Bladerunner and the Matrix, and from Neuromancer to the Diamond Age, and touching on the intervening points....

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Implausipod! In this episode we'll look at the use of genre in Westworld, centred around Season 4 Episode 3 Annees Folles .  The show has had an deep and ongoing relation with genre since it's beginning, and has grown since Season 2.  Westworld asks us if genre is an aesthetic, which can be transposed upon the structure of the media that we participate with? ...

Welcome to the Implausipod!  I'm your host Dr Implausible.  In this episode, we offer a brief introduction, and then discuss some of the broader themes of arising out of Season 4, Episode 2 of HBO's "Westworld" series, originally airing on 2022-07-03.  We offer a quick comparison with Jonathan Nolan's earlier work and cyberpunk science fiction, before looking at the some b...