📢 My book, Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works, is out 28th April. 🚨🚨 “an incredibly engaging popular science book that illustrates why we should care about good quality evidence.” Preorders *really* help! 🙏 @princetonupress.bsky.social press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Journalist Tereza Pultarova discusses her path from covering space exploration to reporting on defense technology after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. plutopia.io/tereza-pulta...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "The Lost Episode of Star Trek" is actually a whacky montage of bits clipped from various episodes. "Captain, are you all right? What about the ship?" youtu.be/AUMZaR52YaA?...

Stephen Dulaney says AI is a powerful but risky partner that can boost human work, but it still needs judgment, ethics, testing, and oversight. plutopia.io/stephen-dula...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Steven Spielberg manifests his fascination with UFO possibility in "Disclosure Day," set for summer blockbuster release. At SXSW he said "I have a very strong sneaking suspicion that we are not alone here on Earth right now." youtu.be/RWgbu7uWLw0?...

In this Plutopia podcast episode, futurist and data analyst Anne Boysen argues that today’s AI systems, especially large language models and emerging AI agents, are being adopted far faster than their reliability, transparency, and testability justify. plutopia.io/anne-boysen-...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: If the invading enemy in a film is an alien from outer space, as in "War Machine," does that make it science fiction? Or is it an explosive, mindless action film? youtu.be/AFuE1LRxm80?...

Marc Abrahams discusses the Ig Nobel Prizes, awards that honor real achievements that make people “laugh and then think.” Also the “Annals of Improbable Research,” highlighting unusual but meaningful work ranging from pasta physics to fingernail growth studies. plutopia.io/marc-abraham...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: “Project Hail Mary” sends a mission from Earth to Tau Ceti to solve a cosmic mystery threatening our sun. The fate of two civilizations may depend on an unlikely interstellar partnership. youtu.be/m08TxIsFTRI?...

Dr. Roy Casagranda discusses Iran’s modern history, the rise of the Islamic Republic, and the rapidly escalating conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. youtu.be/1t7Z0hgntJQ?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "Paradise" season 2 begins on the post-apocalypse surface of earth, where there are a few survivors, and where Xavier Collins has gone to search for his wife Teri. Mayday! youtu.be/wQfqQ-oIXiA?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Set in the post-Burn 32nd century, "Starfleet Academy" follows the first new class of cadets in over a century, led by 400-year-old chancellor Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter). The show's commitment to decency riles anti-woke conservatives. youtu.be/rHDDzcyNWGs?...

Gareth Branwyn discusses “Dreaming for Creatives,” which focuses less on dream interpretation and more on mining the “dream-time mind” for creative material. youtu.be/ydATw6jinr0?...

On the Plutopia podcast, Shira Chess, author of "The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse," discusses how online culture has always been shaped not just by code and commerce but by myth, ritual, and “enchanted logic.” plutopia.io/shira-chess-...

Jon Lebkowsky sits down with @Doomscroll for a thoughtful Mastodon interview on digital culture, healthy online communities, decentralization, platforms vs. humans, and the fragility — and resilience — of democracy in the internet age. Read the full Q&A: plutopia.io/jon-lebkowsk...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: A young predator, considered the runt of the clan by his father, stalks the invincible Kalisk on planet Genna with the help of a legless and seemingly stranded corporate synth. A furious, alien coming-of-age tale: "Predator: Badlands." youtu.be/43R9l7EkJwE?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "Repo Man": A suburban punk named Otto finds himself in pursuit of the inexplicable. "It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness." youtu.be/3nPEM5d-MtQ?...

Ken MacLeod joins the Plutopia News Network to explore politics in science fiction—failed systems, rising nationalism, and fractured societies—while reflecting on the hardest part of writing as he finishes his 21st novel: plot. plutopia.io/ken-macleod-...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: For a break from authoritarian apocalypso, see the full-length "Creature from Galaxy 27,” a 1958 potboiler, a fun terrible film. Alien invasion would feel quaint right now. youtu.be/b36ZW8xOSII?...

Just a reminder that Plutopia News Network is raising money to fund our 2026 podcast expenses. Even a small contribution helps - we want to stay ad-free. gofund.me/d3f9e327f

Adam Roberts discusses his new critical book "Fantasy: A Short History," and what it means to “suspend disbelief” in fantasy and science fiction - on the Plutopia News Network podcast. youtu.be/IwLz41iwvv0?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "Bugonia" explores a human version of Colony Collapse Disorder, observed by the strangest set of beekeepers. youtu.be/bd_5HcTujfc?...

Dave Evans discusses the nature and spread of online misinformation and introduces Does It Square?, an AI-assisted fact-checking tool designed to help users pause, evaluate claims, and ground conversations in shared facts. plutopia.io/dave-evans-d...

Support the Plutopia News Network via our GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/support-pl...

streetartutopia.com/2026/01/11/c... This is apparently mural art and I hope they do actually exist- quite remarkable if so. Scroll down!

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: After Alexander undergoes “The Copenhagen Test,” someone hacks his mind—seeing through his eyes. Disaster for an intelligence analyst… or an opportunity his agency might exploit? youtu.be/cfTcNb104NI?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Some think "The Great Flood" is all wet, but it's fast-paced action sci-fi with an interesting twisty premise. youtu.be/SYF0MxHVAR0?...

Cory Doctorow discusses his book ENSHITTIFICATION: how platforms lure users with quality, pivot to serving business customers at users’ expense, then squeeze both sides for maximum profit. plutopia.io/cory-doctoro...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "Strange Days" is a wild sci-fi thriller set at the dawn of Y2K, and ending with a 12/31/1999 end-of-millennium (Y2K) New Year's Eve celebration as backdrop. Happy New Year, Y2K+26! youtu.be/epJKjZHXzYU?...

Paul Robbins discusses his publication, The Austin Environmental Directory's focus on resilience: backup power during grid failures, clean-energy research, looming water shortages, food security, green cleaning products, and Austin’s environmental organizations. plutopia.io/paul-robbins...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: First official trailer for Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" dropped this week, and it's looking profoundly weird and compelling. "People have the right to know the truth!" youtu.be/nKIpb7fQaMI?...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidaze from the Plutopia News Network!

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: A bit of Christmas season sci-fi... In "Trancers" a cop from the 23rd century follows a criminal mastermind with psychic powers to December 1985. youtu.be/P84mvtrZemc?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" (1961): Nuclear tests alter the earth's axis and nutation, causing devastating climate change. Good 8 minute overview at youtu.be/Yj15_3WVE2k?...

Author Bruce Schneier joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss his new book Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship. Schneier frames democracy as an information-processing system that aggregates citizens’ preferences into policy. youtu.be/Ui1eP5cASN0?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "Stranger Things" season 5, the Hawkins crew organize to search for Vecna in the upside down and rightside up, as the sinister Wolfpack and Dr. Day search for Eleven. (If you're not following the series, this post is gobbledygook.) youtu.be/PssKpzB0Ah0?...

Happy Thanksgiving from Plutopia News Network!

Happy Thanksgiving from Plutopia News Network!

Plutopia News Network's YouTube channel has 457 videos and counting! www.youtube.com/@PlutopiaNew... Support us via Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/plutopia?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "Watch the Skies," teenager Denise, believing her father was abducted by a UFO, engages with an organization called UFO Sweden that he had founded to solve the mystery of his disappearance. youtu.be/7onngmmMZhA?...

In the latest episode of the @plutopia.io #podcast we interview @susansegfault.bsky.social Ben Collier about his new(ish) biograophy of the Tor Project: plutopia.io/ben-collier-...

Dia de los Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: the Frankenstein story is the genesis of modern science fiction, and filmmaestro Guillermo del Toro has created a stunning reimagining of the tale, considering the themes of creation, humanity, and isolation. youtu.be/9WZllcEgWrM?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Halloween 1938: Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre presented a radio version of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," a newscast simulation so realistic that some thought it was real. Here's a recording of the broadcast...Happy Halloween! youtu.be/LWJqTXoVPTo?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Check out "Just Iconic Rewinds" on YouTube. They collect "weird facts" about various classic sci-fi films. Last night we learned facts about "The Monolith Monsters," a sci-fi film about monster rocks from outer space: youtu.be/3ig5prwS7RQ?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Vincent Price is Robur, the "Master of the World" in this 1961 steampunk film, about as epic as American International Pictures could get with its low budget vibe. Robur is like Captain Nemo, but airborne. youtu.be/AsJruGxyHBE?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: David Cronenberg's "The Shrouds" is a meditation on death, loss, and the power of grief. A grieving tech entrepreneur creates "GraveTech" for a live, 3D view of the decomposing corpse of loved ones. youtu.be/vwh1Fob4VKs?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "Long Distance," an asteroid mining vessel crashes into a barren planet, and a survivor learns that he's not alone. Fast-paced, intense tale of tale of endurance. youtu.be/zPDGiJGIgyo?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: 1961 Italian sci-fi potboiler "Battle of the Worlds" pits Claude Rains against a zombie planet threatening Earth. Full color, cool 'lectronic soundtrack, low budget but fun to watch. Full movie: youtu.be/FEhUitAddYs?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Roger Corman’s cult clunker "Creature from Galaxy 27" (aka "Night of the Blood Beast") streams on YouTube, colorized. A cheesy Alien precursor: the creature implants embryos in humans. youtu.be/b36ZW8xOSII?...

Hugh Forrest, former President and longtime programming lead for Austin’s famed South by Southwest Festival, joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss shifting from running massive events to consulting on smaller community-focused experiences. plutopia.io/hugh-forrest...