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.

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, right? He's also deep into a full-spectrum Percy Jackson immersion program: watching the movie, reading the books, and watching the new show. You can check out the show's current score here:
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/percy_jackson_and_the_olympians

This leads into Ben's latest tech spiral: trying to explain Valve to explain Steam to explain their new announcements. Yes, we're talking Steam Machine, Steam Frame, Steam Controller… all the greatest hits of "Valve makes hardware for some reason."

Devon is dealing with some extended-family logistics involving his sister-in-law and also took a firm stance this week: he hates Thanksgiving atmosphere. The vibes? Bad. The leftovers? Worse. Respect the honesty.

Steven stayed indoors and educated himself by way of extremely good YouTube movie documentaries. First up: a look at how Jurassic Park pulled off its groundbreaking effects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtlIhVDl-M

And then a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes of Interstellar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6qRaOr8YY

Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

Devon brings us the most brain-melting story of the week: physicists have now mathematically proven that the Universe is not a simulation.

A team from UBC Okanagan used Gödel's incompleteness theorem to demonstrate that reality requires a form of "non-algorithmic understanding"—something that no computational system can replicate. In other words: if this is a simulation, it's not one any computer could run.

Read the research summary here:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251110021052.htm

So the Universe might be fundamentally unsimulatable. Which is cool, unless you were really hoping to blame your life choices on a bored cosmic programmer.

We're jumping into a choose-your-own-adventure-style sci-fi story with "Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station" by Caroline M. Yoachim. It's weird, funny, sharply written, and perfect for discussion.
Read it here:
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/welcome-to-the-medical-clinic-at-the-interplanetary-relay-station/

We're covering "City Grown From Seed" by Diana Dima.
Content warning: domestic violence / domestic abuse.

This one is dense, metaphorical, unsettling, and beautifully written. It explores generational trauma, identity, and rebirth through surreal botanical imagery. Definitely one of those stories that sticks with you long after reading.
Find it here:
http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fiction/city-grown-from-seed/

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 rain, because sometimes community spirit just refuses to check the weather. And Devon? He keeps forgetting that he's technically a Texan now, which raises several questions about residency, identity, and barbecue obligations.

But the week wasn't all jokes—Ben also shared the sad news that Orion has passed. He was a very good boy, and the pod raises a collective toast. Ben's been spending time catching up on life, trying to relearn what "rest" even means, and also casually dropping the bomb that Affinity is now free. (Yes, really—go see for yourself at affinity.studio.) And while you're browsing, you can apparently rent Ben's actual mind at Penciledin.com, which sounds like a threat but is, in fact, a service.

Steven also let us know that the Fallout Season 2 trailer is out, so it's time to emotionally prepare for more post-apocalyptic chaos.

Devon kicks off this segment with actual real science: new research shows no clear link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and autism, which is a big deal considering how long that concern has been floating around. (Links to ScienceDaily and the BMJ included in the show notes for the skeptics and science nerds.)

Then we collectively decide: yes, we need to talk about Plur1bus. And we go deep.

This is a full-spoiler discussion, so skip ahead if you're still watching. We cover everything—from the protagonist who's also the antagonist, to the messy moral math of a hive mind, to Devon's incredibly passionate speech about wanting to understand hive-mind psychology. Steven brings up that Internet-as-proto-hivemind theory, and Ben drops several very good points as per tradition.

If you want episode breakdowns, the Wikipedia page has everything laid out neatly and also serves as a reminder that this show is way smarter than any of us expected when we hit "play."

We skipped Book Club this week because there was simply too much Plur1bus to process.

Next week:
We're reading City Grown From Seed by Diana Dima.
Content warning: domestic violence / domestic abuse.
You can read it for free on Strange Horizons.

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 The Big Door Prize (IMDb link)—a show full of mysteries, midlife crises, and a machine that tells you your true potential. He's also been watching Zen for Nothing and Piece by Piece, and we learn something shocking: Steven hates LEGO.

Steven's Space Drama
Speaking of Steven, he's wrestling with another defeat in Shatterpoint (at the hands of Christina's husband, again), and somehow this leads to him buying a Camtono. Why does he have one? No one knows. But we do get a heated debate about the LEGO Enterprise and whether Ensign Ro or Tasha Yar had the raw deal in Star Trek.

Devon's Hive-Mind Obsession
Devon's been watching Plur1bus on Apple TV and can't stop talking about how eerily well it captures collective consciousness. For a guy who insists he's an individual, he sure sounds like part of a hive.

Ben actually brings good news this time. Seriously. His pick is a hopeful piece on how Solarpunk is already happening in Africa—how communities there are skipping the outdated infrastructure of the past and heading straight into a sustainable, decentralized future. Read it here: Why Solarpunk Is Already Happening in Africa

Meanwhile, Steven turns up the heat—literally—with a wild story out of Death Valley. Scientists studying Tidestromia oblongifolia found it doesn't just survive in brutal heat—it adapts on the fly, rearranging its cells and genes to keep photosynthesizing when everything else would fry. It's a real-life lesson in evolution under pressure. (ScienceDaily link)

This Week: In the Forests of Memory by E. Lily Yu (read here) – a haunting, quiet story about memory, commerce, and humanity told through the eyes of a trader and a stranger. It's as poetic as it is unsettling.

Next Week: City Grown From Seed by Diana Dima (read here) – content warning for domestic violence and abuse. It's an eerie, metaphorical story that we'll unpack next episode.

Between Ben's apologies, Devon's hive talk, and Steven's LEGO rage, it's another week of chaos, sci-fi, and accidental enlightenment.

You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts—or watch our faces slowly melt under studio lights on YouTube.