Imaginary Worlds

Many of us have imaginary friends when we’re young in the guise of a doll, stuffed animal or toy that give us a sense of comfort. Then we grow out of those characters – or at least we’re supposed to. We asked our listeners to tell us about their favorite childhood toys that are still around and providing them with a sense of comfort and security during the global health crisis. Featuring Nancy Farnsworth, Steve Romenesko, Jen Cresswell, Jean Klare and the artist Jennifer Maher Coleman who paints portraits of childhood toys.  Jennifer’s site Your Toy Portrait:https://yourtoyportrait.com/category/toyportraits/Jennifer and her husband’s band Architrave:https://architrave.bandcamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover the vibrant world of solarpunk, a genre envisioning a sustainable future through environmental consciousness. Experts discuss the hopefulness of solarpunk compared to cyberpunk's dystopia, emphasizing community and collaboration. Hear about the challenges of transforming our environments and how art and fiction can inspire real change. The podcast also features a thrilling tale of a vertical farm facing high-tech threats, showcasing the clash of innovation and tradition in agriculture. Tune in for an inspiring vision of what's possible!

Virginia Wilkerson, a game designer and master's student, recalls her experiences with the Corrupted Blood incident in World of Warcraft, highlighting its chaotic spread akin to real-life pandemics. Eric Lofgren, an infectious disease professor, draws parallels between this virtual outbreak and COVID-19, offering insights into disease dynamics. Meanwhile, Alexander King, an NYU game design instructor, discusses player behaviors during the incident, emphasizing community interactions and the balance of game design in crisis scenarios, revealing intriguing lessons for real-world health crises.

We're craving an escape into our favorite fantasy worlds, but fans are complaining that all the "retconning" is ruining their suspension of disbelief. Why is retroactive continuity so controversial? Olivia Dolphin and Hayley Milliman discuss how JK Rowling’s decrees have unraveled The Potterverse. Nick Randall and Mac Rogers grapple with recent revelations in Doctor Who. Laurie Ulster defends Star Trek’s familial reshuffling, I try to make sense of the Star Wars canon, and author Andrew J. Friedenthal explains why rewriting the history of fantasy worlds is similar to revising history in real life. Here’s a link to Andrew’s book on retconning:https://www.amazon.com/Retcon-Game-Retroactive-Continuity-Hyperlinking/dp/1496811321 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Good Place just ended after four critically acclaimed seasons, and it was one of several recent TV shows to imagine the afterlife as being far from paradise. Pastor and podcaster JR Forasteros and author Greg Garrett explore why pop culture heavens are being depicted as bureaucracies where the angels are overwhelmed or lost sight of their mission. And Todd May describes what it was like being a philosophy consultant on The Good Place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tracing the history of the superhero genre can reveal a lot about how we understand our own history, and how history gets whitewashed. Shawn Taylor, John Jennings and Art Burton look at how black superheroes evolved from a black Wild West lawman to HBO's Watchmen. And I talk with John Valadez about Mexican American masked vigilantes who may have inspired Zorro, and other masked heroes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2001: A Space Odyssey is considered a masterpiece, and a game changer for sci-fi on film. But the movie had a tumultuous origin story, and it was initially scorned by critics. Barbara Miller of The Museum of The Moving Image walks me through their new exhibit on the making of 2001. And I talk with author Michael Benson, actor Keir Dullea and Stanley Kubrick’s daughter Katharina about how Kubrick and his collaborator Arthur C. Clarke reached for the stars, but felt lost in space as they struggled to finish this incredibly ambitious project.Here’s the link to Michael Benson’s book:https://www.amazon.com/Space-Odyssey-Stanley-Kubrick-Masterpiece/dp/1501163930Here’s a link the Museum of the Moving Image’s 2001 exhibit:http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2020/01/18/detail/envisioning-2001-stanley-kubricks-space-odyssey/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to tarot cards, there is an artistry to designing a world of emperors, fools, priestesses, hermits and other iconic figures. But few people know about Pamela Colman Smith, the woman who illustrated the best selling deck of all time. Professor Elizabeth Foley O’Connor and author Susan Wands explain why Pamela Colman Smith was uniquely suited to design tarot cards that stimulate our intuition and our imagination – and how figures on the Rider-Waite (a.k.a. Smith-Waite) deck are based on a real troupe of famous actors, including Bram Stoker. Here's the link to Susan Wands' novel about Pamela Colman Smith:https://www.amazon.com/Magician-Fool-Susan-Wands/dp/1999764676 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick Stewart is reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the new TV series “Picard,” where the writers have promised a very different storyline on his arch nemesis The Borg. In our final installment on villains, we discuss why The Borg are a unique existential threat to the Star Trek ethos with the help of three academics who combine science fiction with philosophy in their courses. Featuring Kevin Decker and Christina Valeo of Eastern Washington University and Shawn Taylor of San Francisco State University.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As far as Star Wars fans are concerned, there is no greater hive of scum and villainy than the 1978 made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special. The musical variety program, which centered on Chewbacca’s family, is considered a hokey, misguided embarrassment. But entertainment writer Bonnie Burton and comedian Alex Schmidt think there’s something to love about The Holiday Special -- and it may be in canon after all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices