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...

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...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: An astronaut returns from space with a mysterious alien infection in "The Quatermass Xperiment," the first of four Quatermass films, now remastered in 4K. We could do with more Quatermass these days. youtu.be/6Scm9my7Vaw?...

New @plutopia.io: our conversation with pioneer James L. Wayman on the history of biometrics. "People never have what you think they're going to have where you think they're going to have it.", plutopia.io/james-l-waym...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "There must be security for all, or no one is secure." We could use a visit from Klaatu about now. youtu.be/ASsNtti1XZs?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: "Alien: Earth" is partly about arrival of the infamous Xenomorph on planet earth, and partly about a world in which synthetic humans or androids are an emerging technology - synths, cyborgs, and hybrids. youtu.be/ZbsiKjVAV28?...

Acclaimed journalist John Seabrook joins Plutopia to discuss The Spinach King, his powerful new book about family, capitalism, and the dark legacy of Seabrook Farms, once a frozen food empire in NJ. A personal journey into buried truths. plutopia.io/john-seabroo...

Plutopia podcast: Chris Tomlinson joins us to unpack his reporting on the July 4th floods in Central Texas — why they were predictable and preventable — and to warn that American democracy is being endangered by aggressive redistricting and other election-rigging tactics. plutopia.io/chris-tomlin...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: The new screenlife "War of the Worlds" adaptation features Ice Cube as a government surveillance pro whose discovery of a secret plot is catalyzed by an alien invasion. Not great cinema, but an interesting approach to a classic story. youtu.be/sjlLLmURlEg?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Sci-fi fans make trailers for imagined films, including this AI-generated trailer for a "Battlestar Galactica" reboot featuring Rami Malek, Willem Dafoe, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence. Good choices? youtu.be/4oxLLEql9sc?...

Cyberpunk author Pat Cadigan joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss her new novelization of the classic Japanese sci-fi series "Ultraseven." Also science fiction’s role in shaping cultural perspectives, the challenges of AI, and the increasing dangers of misinformation. plutopia.io/pat-cadigan-...

Philosopher Charles Herrman discusses his lifelong study of honor and dignity as cultural forces, framing them as a dichotomy shaping societies and conflicts worldwide. plutopia.io/charles-herr...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: The 2025 reboot of Superman delivers a more relatable, emotionally complex hero: less invincible, more human, and unapologetically progressive. Also a hyper Krypto, diverse metahumans , and a battle with Lex Luthor's surreal villainy. youtu.be/OfpXgjP4AOs?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the robot Gort was an alien AI in humanoid robotic form. In the story that inspired the film, "Farewell to the Master," the bot (as "Gnut") was actually the master over Klaatu. youtu.be/K6iF5sINVns?...

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "Alien Hunter," a cryptographer probes a mysterious object on the Antarctic ice. The eerie setting echoes "The Thing from Another World." Watch: youtu.be/HTNbj0HbhJg?...

Its been ruddy ages since I did a podcast, so here is a very recent interview that I did about buildings archaeology and Mythbusting with @plutopia.io ... complete with some fetching artwork that I *think* might be AI 🫣😉 plutopia.io/archaeology-...

Buildings archaeologist James Wright unpacks 25 years probing cellars, attics, castles, pubs, and church walls. Wright explains how he marries fieldwork, archival sleuthing, and dendrochronology to challenge cherished legends: plutopia.io/archaeology-...