Podcast Episode 24: Humor and Science Fiction

Ira NaymanWhat if we could keep up with the news in alternate realities? Well, this week The Genre Traveler chats with Ira Nayman, creator of the Alternate Reality New Service, which does just that! In addition to getting the low down on the “news service,” we chat about Philip K. Dick, Terry Pratchett, humorous science fiction, his comic influences and science fiction as a suitable mask for socio-political commentary, as well as some advice for aspiring writers.

To help defray the cost of hosting the podcast, archived episodes greater than four months old will be made available for sale at $0.99 per episode.

Duration: 34:07
File Size: 39.1 MB

Mentioned in this Episode:

The ABCs of Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke

Science Fiction Comedy

The Hulot films of Jacques Tati

Msr Hulot films by Jacques Tati
  • Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953) – aka Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
  • Mon Oncle (1958)
  • Play Time (1967)
  • Trafic (1971)

The Enemy Papers by Barry B. Longyear

The first novel in the series is Enemy Mine, which was adapted into a feature film starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. The remaining two books are The Tomorrow Testament and The Last Enemy. The underlying theme of all three books is prejudice. The Enemy Papers by Barry Longyear

Moore’s Law
“A long-term trend in the history of computing hardware. The quantity of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. The trend has continued for more than half a century and is not expected to stop until 2015 or 2020 or later.”

For more information about Ira or the Alternate Reality News Service:

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.