Science Faction Podcast

Real Life We kick things off with a round of Real Life check-ins, because apparently none of us are allowed to simply exist quietly. Ben opens with Bedroom Talk with Ben Lawless , which is exactly as awkward, candid, and vaguely alarming as it sounds. No further clarification is offered, nor requested. Devon reports that snowboarding with his kids was actually great. No injuries, no disasters—just...

Real Life This week's episode starts where a lot of us have been living lately: sick, tired, and mainlining comfort food. Steven is still sick for Christmas and counting, while Ben also got hit, which pushed Christmas celebrations down the calendar a bit. The upside? More chili. More Fritos. No regrets. Holiday illness also turned into a surprisingly serious soda tasting panel. Steven gives a stro...

This week's episode is a little different—Steven is out sick, so it's just Devon and Ben holding down the fort. The result is a loose, thoughtful conversation that bounces from pop culture overload to philosophy, creativity, and the art of not trying so hard. Real Life  Devon kicks things off with a trip looming on the horizon, bringing equal parts snow, stress, and snowboarding . That spirals nic...

Real Life We kick things off with  Real Life , where Devon is suspiciously chipper and ahead on billing (don't worry, it doesn't last forever). Steven recounts The Great Lice Infestation of '25 , a saga that will echo through the ages—or at least the household laundry room. Ben crowns Sektori as his game of the year, describing it as the best Dreamcast game that never existed and somehow got a rem...

Real Life We opened this week's episode with real-life updates, starting with Steven's full-on birthday blitz — his birthday, his kids' birthdays, all packed into the same window. There was dinner out, a rowdy round of Ransom Notes , and the proud report that his kid nailed a fully successful sleepover. Parenting achievement unlocked. Devon, meanwhile, came in questioning reality: The Onion is sti...

Thanksgiving came and went, and somehow all three of us survived… though some of us survived more deviled eggs than others. Let's jump in. Real Life  Steven kicked things off with the tale of a very boring Thanksgiving that was only made notable by the sheer volume of deviled eggs involved. When you commit to making 36 eggs—times two —you're basically catering your own side quest. After recovering...

It's a big week over here, full of visiting parents, cosmic philosophy, and at least one host wrestling with the concept of leftovers. Let's get into it. Real Life  Ben is officially in pre-Thanksgiving hype mode because his mom is coming to visit (hi Martha!). There may or may not be a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the table—Ben is thinking about it, which is basically the same as committing...

This Week on the Pod: Rain, Parades, Hive Minds, and… Ben's Brain for Rent? This week's episode opens with a very rainy round of real-life updates. Ben has been slammed with work and declares—formally, officially, irrevocably—that poetry is better than parades. (He is fully prepared to defend this position.) Meanwhile, Steven reports that the local parade and festival still happened despite the ra...

Real Life It's another week of real life, questionable decisions, and sci-fi tangents. Does Devon Even Like Being on the Show? We ask the question no one dared to before—and yes, Devon does like being here. Just… maybe not for the reasons you think. Ben's Apology Tour Continues Ben kicks things off with an immediate apology for this podcast. Again. But he makes up for it by diving into Apple TV's...

Real Life  Time changed again. Why? Didn't we, as a society, vote on not doing this anymore ? Every clock reset feels like an act of collective gaslighting. Ben spent his week teaching classes at the Art-a-thon , where he also led a chaotic round of Werewolves featuring the now-immortal line: "I am a delicious villager." The kids apparently took that declaration at face value. Steven was also at t...

Real Life:  This week's episode kicks off with Ben wondering what would happen if idioms were costumes. Imagine showing up to a party literally raining cats and dogs or dressed as the elephant in the room. (We're not sure if that's genius or horrifying.) Steven reminds everyone to say it to our faces! — meaning, drop us a comment or suggestion. Seriously. We read them. Sometimes we even respond li...

Real Life  Ben was out this week, which left Devon and Steven to hold court—and as Devon reminded us, there are no kings here anyway. He showed up fresh from an event that apparently involved an axolotl costume (details were scarce, which somehow made it funnier), and immediately launched into a whirlwind of thoughts about upcoming elections, funding cuts to science, and the strange, ongoing colli...

It's another week in real life for the gang — or at least for most of us. Devon's down sick, so it's a two-man show featuring Steven and Ben navigating the bizarre crossroads of tech, food, and VR golf. 🏌️ Real Life Ben's been tethered to the job , but he still managed to escape reality long enough to join a virtual round of Walkabout Mini Golf — specifically the new Tokyo DLC — alongside Steven,...

Real Life Ben's decided that fall is… fine. Just okay. Leaves fall, pumpkin spice happens, and he moves on. His energy's better spent testing out new hands-free necklace cameras —a totally normal sentence—and keeping Orion fed and happy. Meanwhile, Steven dove headfirst into Shadow of the Demon Lord , playing Velmar the Archivist , a character with a flair for ancient lore and possibly poor life d...

Real Life Devon's not here this week—he ditched us for a cruise. Apparently, some doctors say cruises are floating petri dishes with barely any oversight on cleanliness. But not our Devon. He's braving the high seas while Steven sits at home thinking, "You know what sounds better than hundreds of strangers sneezing near me? Literally anything else." Meanwhile, Ben went to the Gamer Festival at the...

This week's episode covers everything from Metallica rumors to vehicular combat nostalgia, with some Star Trek overload and a short story about ants the size of Buicks. Real Life First off: is Metallica doing a farewell tour? Nope. Despite the headlines , it's not the end. Devon's floating the idea of a Metallica Vegas residency though—because nothing says "hard rock" like the Strip buffet scene....

This week's episode was a ride through everything from neighborhood drama to yogurt overlords, with plenty of science and sci-fi sprinkled along the way.   Real Life  Ben kicked things off with Five Nights at Freddy's —because apparently, jump scares are just how he likes to unwind. From there, he veered into a wild story involving a crossing guard, a flag man, and threats from a community member...

Real Life This week's episode is stacked—like a plate at  Boar & Barley (Ben barely survived, oh God). Speaking of Milwaukee, Devon had some things to say, and Steven dove into Rick and Morty season 8 on HBO—has the quality shifted? Plus, Marvel's Thunderbolts snuck its way into the convo. Future or Now  Devon brought us back to the Bob-verse world with Dennis E. Taylor's Flybot. He called it "enj...

This week's episode had a slightly different vibe—Ben was buried under a mountain of work, so he wasn't able to make it. But don't worry, Steven and Devon had plenty to talk about. Real Life Devon's mom was visiting, and he took a trip out to Milwaukee for baseball. Turns out the city is super clean… but also a little seedy after dark. Naturally, breweries came up (because it's Milwaukee), and he...

California, what are you doing? Rain in the summer? Hail in Tahoe? Absolute chaos. At least Steven's chickens are thriving in this strange new climate—they've started laying eggs. A LOT of eggs. So many, in fact, that we're considering a new Patreon tier: Egg Delivery from Steven. Fresh, farm-to-door… assuming you live close enough for him to walk them over. Gaming Corner: From Voyager to Vaults B...

Real Life  Devon has been knee-deep in yard work, prepping and installing artificial grass and fixing up fences. But the real highlight was his trip to Milwaukee for some baseball—and of course, some Alice Cooper trivia because apparently Milwaukee and Alice Cooper are forever linked thanks to Wayne's World. Ben gave us an update on Orion. He's starting to lose his appetite, which is always tough....

Real Life   Ben's having a bit of an "old man yells at cloud" week. Everything is changing, young people adapt, old people stretch (sometimes), and Orion—our good doggo—is in late-stage kidney failure. Can the universe just… not for five minutes? Steven is counting the days until school starts again. When does he get his elusive "me time"? Devon? Out in the yard, living the Yard Work Man life, whi...

Real Life Devon Gone again, off doing what families do. Probably eating responsibly and not playing Magic with middle schoolers. We'll get a full download when he returns from the wilds of familial bonding. Steven Steven melted in Palm Springs last weekend. Like, cartoon puddle of clothes and glasses melted. It hit 112°F, and not in the fun "desert dry heat" way—it was more like a hairdryer set to...

Real Life Ben spent the week playing nurse, but at least it was a summer cold—infinitely easier than juggling tissues and PTO requests during the school year. The only upside to a sick kid when the sun's out? More cartoons, fewer emails. Hearing Ben wiping noses and handing out popsicles, Steven got nostalgic about Scrubs . Remember Scrubs ? Wholesome chaos. Heartfelt weirdness. Probably due for a...

Real Life Ben showed up with a box of magic and a handful of links, and we spiraled from there. We started off with Piecepack , the infinitely expandable system of tile-based board games. If you haven't seen it, The Infinite Board Game is a great intro — it comes with a full Piecepack set and over 50 games: 👉 The Infinite Board Game Two standouts we tried: Whirlpool Pond (Tube Wars) — hilariously...