Coming Up
Fact: Everything by Morgan Saletta 01:35
Main Fiction: Malak by Peter Watts 32:30
Fact: Science News by J.J. Campanella 01:15:00
Interview: Space Command – Marc Zicaree
Narrator: Nicholas Camm
Engineering Infinity
What an awesome cover – makes me desperate to get to this episode. But no – I have to be faithful and anal and listen to the other 13 episodes in the back log.
Good work Morgan.
You might enjoy this article as well. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/12/macon_wreck_now_historic/
And I wonder if Fairwell is related to this BBC documentary:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qpjpr
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This reply was modified 11 months ago by
gav.
That was a very fine episode. Cracking main fiction, splendidly read, and it’s always nice to find someone else that shares my love for Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines books.
Loved the airships, Morgan.
I might also recommend the “Levithan” trilogy (by Scott Westerfield of “Uglies”, not Thomas Hobbes) for a fantastic twist on the airship theme. The “Levithan” of the title is a genetically modified living whale/airship that is engineered to produce its own hydrogen to fill its air sac. It’s so much fun.
Not to go off about other podcasts, but This also reminded me of “The Eckener Alternative” over on Escape Pod in March. http://escapepod.org/2012/03/01/ep334-the-eckener-alternative/ about the lengths one will go to for love of airships. 
Hey thanks for the kind words and good recommendations- i will definitely look into the Levithan series and the Eckener Alternative.
I too loved the main fiction.
Also Jim – your RANT about genetic tinkering hit the right spot with me. I remember being pretty shocked at the totally cavalier and obviously ignorant approach to genetic hacking taken in, I believe, a Wired article not so long ago. As an undergrad in San Francisco, I took a couple bio classes, including a genetics class funded largely with equiptment donated by Genentech then desperate to get techs to work for them. We had fun inserting a gene in a virus. Harmless stuff. But it’s very easy to see how someone could REALLY SCREW UP!
The main fiction was awesome – in spite of the transparent political bent (or at least it seemed to me). Very well written and well narrated. Very seldom is a non or at least only semi-sentient character so intriguing…
Also Mark Zicree’s project sounds pretty awesome. I headed straight over and donated. Really cool idea.
I’ll donate to Obama then that’ll be it for donations this year, I’m dried up. But all for good causes….
I’d like to weigh in on J.J.s “rant.”
Let me start by saying I enjoy the segment – I always learn something and, yes, I’m often inspired.
But his comments on biohackers rankled, and I’m just now understanding why.
I agree that messing around with genetics without understanding it could be disastrous.
I think what bothered me was that J.J. came down as heavy-handed, whether he meant to or not. What he seemed to be suggesting is that if you don’t have an advanced biology or genetics degree, you have no business doing anything in this field.
I think he missed the point behind the problem of gene hackers – that there’s a great desire for many average people to participate in useful research, but they have no productive way to do so.
These hackers are curious, scientifically minded people. That should be applauded. That being said, they are certainly misguided, but that only means they need to be re-guided, not condemned.
Why not suggest fold.it, where average people have used intuition to successfully solve real-world science problems where researchers and computers have failed?
Or go to scistarter.com, which is chock-full of hundreds of research projects requiring citizen scientists?
Anyone can grumble… Why not offer some solutions?
I’m trying to post a reaction to J.J., but it’s not showing up on this thread? Any help?
@acpracht Sorry you got caught up in the spam filters, they have been a bit aggressive lately…
Ah, thanks, Josh.
If you think spam filters are tough here, try posting something in pottermore… You get moderated for using a number for pete’s sake…
Having been the victim of the agressive spam filter over the past few months, all I can say is thank goodness for Josh… keep it up mate!
Peter and Nicholas – what a combination! A wonderful story, and a narration that brought it spectacularly to life – I was train-stop-missingly, walking-into-trafficly engrossed.
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