Light On Light Through
484 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsPaul Levinson talks about TV, movies, politics, social media, outer space, good food, science fiction; occasionally reads from his science fiction stories, plays concerts of his music, interviews other authors
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Episodes
Review of The Rain
July 02, 2021 20:20 - 7 minutes - 8.16 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 184, in which I review The Rain. Blog post review of The Rain
Supreme Court Protects Student Right to Free Speech!
June 24, 2021 17:51 - 10 minutes - 11.5 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 183, in which I discuss the importance of the Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. US Supreme Court decision yesterday, which found that a high school's attempt to punish a student for using obscene language on her Snapchat violated the student's (Brandi Levy's) First Amendment rights. Read the Supreme Court decision here. Read blog post about the decision here. Interview with Avery and Lauren Doninger
Interview with Jay Kensinger about The Chronology Protection Case
June 19, 2021 18:09 - 1 hour - 114 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 182, in which I interview Jay Kensinger about "The Chronology Protection Case," the short film he made (now on Amazon Prime) from from my 1995 Nebula nominated novelette of the same name. See video of the interview Read the original story See the movie on Prime Video Jay Kensinger's account of how he made the movie complete, uncut radio play of "The Chronology Protection Case," recorded before a live audience at the Mark Goodson Theater in ...
Solar Eclipse, Politics, Online Learning, Origin of Covid, More
June 12, 2021 17:59 - 1 hour - 134 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 181, in which "Captain" Phil Merkel interviews me about the recent solar eclipse, politics, Phil Ochs, online learning, origin of Covid, defense of Dr. Fauci, and much much more (including a shout-out to the Applebee's in Batavia, New York, near the end of the episode).
Review of the Mosquito Coast: Well Bitten
June 05, 2021 19:15 - 18 minutes - 21.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 180, in which I review The Mosquito Coast, Season One. Blogpost written reviews: #s1-2: Edgy, Attractive, Enlightened, Important #3: Broadening Horizons #4: Charlie and the Gun #5: Charlie and the Gun, Part II #6: What Kind of Brother? #7: I'm Well Bitten
Review of Mare of Easttown: Jude the Obscure Near Philadelphia
June 04, 2021 17:22 - 8 minutes - 9.63 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 179, in which I review Mare of Easttown. Blogpost written review: Jude the Obscure Near Philadelphia
Review of Debris season one
May 27, 2021 22:07 - 37 minutes - 42.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 178, in which I review Debris, season one. Blogpost written reviews: Debris 1.1 Some Probability of Gems Among the Pieces Debris 1.2 Clones Debris 1.3 Trapped Out of Time Debris 1.4 Suspentia Belief Debris 1.5 Fine Tuning Debris 1.6 Fountain of Youth and Its Complications Debris 1.7 Ferry Cross the Moebius Strip Debris 1.8 Resurrection and Its Hazards Debris 1.9 Resets 1 (no review Debris 1.10) Debris 1.11 Connection...
Review of The Nevers, Part I
May 22, 2021 04:30 - 21 minutes - 24 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 177, in which I review The Nevers, Part I (episodes 1.1 through 1.6) Blogpost written reviews: The Nevers 1.1: Never Say Never The Nevers 1.2: Song and Gun The Nevers 1.3: Mary's Melody The Nevers 1.4: Who Needs to Be Found? The Nevers 1.5: "Mindful of the Roses" The Nevers 1.6: Sporific Terrific Listen to Sally Go 'Round the Roses
Double Review of Decades Apart
May 15, 2021 04:26 - 21 minutes - 29.5 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 176, in which I review a short film that I first saw in May 2020, and its Director's "Noir" Cut that I saw yesterday, May 14, 2021: Decades Apart blogpost reviews: Decades Apart: Worth Keeping Close Decades Apart (Director's Cut): Worth Keeping Closer See the Director's Cut on YouTube
Review of Stowaway: Breathless Realism
May 08, 2021 04:01 - 8 minutes - 10.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 175, in which I review Stowaway. blogpost review: Stowaway: Breathless Realism See also The Missing Orientation
Tenet: A Re-View
May 02, 2021 04:02 - 8 minutes - 9.92 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 174, in which I review, re-view, re-vu Tenet. Blog post review
Biden and the Republicans
April 29, 2021 22:29 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 173, in which "Captain" Phil Merkel interviews me about Joe Biden's speech to Congress last night, and how likely it is that Republicans in Congress will enact Biden's proposals into laws. We also discuss the police killing of innocent African-Americans and other current events, including Michael Collins' (RIP) contribution to getting humans out into space. MaryBeth Rikouski joins us in the discussion.
Review of For All Mankind, Season 2
April 24, 2021 00:07 - 31 minutes - 36.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 172, in which I review For All Mankind (Episodes 2.2-29) on Apple TV+. Podcast review of For All Mankind, episodes 1.1 - 2.1 Blog post reviews of these episodes: For All Mankind 2.2: The Peanut Butter Sandwich ... For All Mankind 2.3: "Guns to the Moon" ... For All Mankind 2.4: Close to Reality ... For All Mankind 2.5: Johnny and the Wrath of Kahn ... For All Mankind 2.6: Couplings ... For All Mankind 2.7: Alternate History Surges ... For Al...
Review of Home Before Dark
April 18, 2021 21:58 - 7 minutes - 8.01 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 171, in which I review Home Before Dark on Apple TV+. Blog post review of Home Before Dark Further viewing: The Opinionization of Journalism Further reading: Review of Andrey Mir's Postjournalism
Review of Q: Into the Storm
April 13, 2021 17:36 - 9 minutes - 11.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 170, in which I review Q: Into the Storm. Blog post review of Q: Into the Storm. *Special thanks to my student, Kayla Auza (in my Digital Media and Public Responsibility class this term at Fordham University), who recommended that I watch Into the Storm.
Review of Shtisel 3: Cheesecake and Faith
March 29, 2021 20:30 - 6 minutes - 7.83 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 169, in which I review Season 3 of Shtisel. Blog post review of Shtisel. See also Unorthodox: Less and More than Shtisel the first interstellar seder in space takes place in this novel
Review of For All Mankind (Season 1 and Episode 2.1)
February 21, 2021 21:26 - 10 minutes - 12.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 168, in which I review For All Mankind (Season 1 and Episode 2.1) on Apple TV+. Podcast review of For All Mankind, episodes 2.2-2.10 Blog post review of For All Mankind Podcast reviews of other Ronald D. Moore TV series: Outlander: First Half Season Galactica Dylan Red Moon (2000) by David S. Michaels and Daniel Brenton The Missing Orientation -- why we've made so little progress on and beyond the Moon in our reality The Loose Ends S...
Review of The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
February 16, 2021 19:10 - 12 minutes - 17.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 167, in which I review The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, on Amazon Prime Video. If Groundhog Day is a 10, I rate The Map of Tiny Perfect Things a substantial 9. I explain why. further reading, blog post: Review of The Map of Tiny Perfect Things further listening: Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time
Opinions, Lies, and Polarization
February 04, 2021 04:09 - 36 minutes - 42.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 166, in which I discuss how opinions and lies compete with facts in today's media, and lead to increasing polarization. Further reading: Postjournalism by Andrey Mir Lying by Sissela Bok Thanks University of Notre Dame for the image.
Twitter Ban of Trump Was Right, Even Though It Violates the Spirit of the First Amendment
January 25, 2021 23:02 - 25 minutes - 28.9 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 165, in which Brian Standing on WORT-FM Radio (Madison, Wisconsin) interviews me about why I think Twitter's banning of Donald Trump was the right thing to do, even though that violates what I call the "spirit of the First Amendment". We also discuss why I think government should keep its hands off social media. Further reading: I'm A First Amendment Scholar, and I Think Big Tech Should Be Left Alone Paul Levinson On the Power of Power and A...
Insurrection, Trump, Impeachment, More
January 11, 2021 22:26 - 58 minutes - 67.2 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 164, in which Captain Phil on WUSB-FM Radio (Stony Brook, New York) interviews me about last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump, the prospects of his impeachment, and more. Further listening: Episode 156: Why Did So Many People Vote for Trump?
Review of Bridgerton: Alternate Jane Austen
January 03, 2021 21:26 - 6 minutes - 7.5 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 163, in which I review Bridgerton, and say it's an alternate history Jane Austen story. Read this review: Bridgerton: Alternate Austen
Review of the Blumhouse Horror Quartet
December 23, 2020 20:13 - 15 minutes - 17.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 162, in which I review four Blumhouse horror movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Further reading, written reviews: The Lie Black Box Evil Eye Nocturne
Review of The Queen's Gambit
December 04, 2020 01:06 - 6 minutes - 7.89 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 161, in which I review The Queen's Gambit, reported today (3 December 2020) in The Hollywood Reporter as "atop the Nielsen streaming chart" for the second week in a row. Further reading: my blog post review of The Queen's Gambit
Review of The Undoing
November 30, 2020 22:49 - 18 minutes - 20.6 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 160, in which I review the just-concluded limited series on HBO, The Undoing.
Tiger King: A McLuhanesque Perspective
November 26, 2020 20:06 - 8 minutes - 9.56 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 159, in which I offer a McLuhanesque perspective about Tiger King, Netflix's runaway smash docu-series. Further reading: McLuhan in an Age of Social Media Video with Jesse Ventura mentioned in the podcast
Why Did the Polls Get So Much Wrong Again in 2020 US Election?
November 22, 2020 23:52 - 20 minutes - 38.3 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 158, in which I discuss why the polls got so much wrong, again, in the 2020 US Presidential election. They did predict that Biden would win, which he did, but by smaller margins in several states than projected in the polls. And he lost Florida and Ohio, which the polls said he would win. Why did this happen, again (it happened in 2016), what can be done about it, and what are the implications of this failure in polling for the future? Further ...
Review of The Crown season 4
November 19, 2020 20:27 - 7 minutes - 9.09 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 157, in which I review The Crown season 4 -- the best season so far in this superb series. Further listening: Review of The Crown seasons 1-3 Further reading: Review of The Crown Season 1 ... Season 2 ... Season 3 ... Season 4
Why Did So Many People Vote for Trump?
November 10, 2020 01:55 - 12 minutes - 14.7 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 156, in which I consider why more than 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in the just concluded Presidential election. Further reading: Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm
Truth Wins in the Marketplace of Ideas, Even When Situated in Social Media
November 07, 2020 19:23 - 11 minutes - 13.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 155, in which I put Joe Biden's victory in some philosophic context: it offers proof of John Milton's argument, way back in the Areopagitica, that truth can win in the marketplace of ideas, even when situated in social media. [painting by Paul Zeaiter, Sydney, Australia]
Grounds for Optimism the Day after the Election
November 04, 2020 20:41 - 5 minutes - 6.58 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 154, in which I explain how Joe Biden is winning the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
U.S. Senate vs. Twitter
October 30, 2020 22:47 - 47 minutes - 54.8 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 153, in which I dig into the issues raised by the appearance of the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee at the end of October 2020. In a nutshell, the issues boil down to violating the First Amendment vs. Violating the Spirit of the First Amendment. Relevant reading: Postjournalism by Andrey Mir
Review of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
October 25, 2020 07:05 - 9 minutes - 10.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 152, in which I review Borat 2: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Why the US Gov Going after Google is Not a Good Idea
October 23, 2020 21:25 - 29 minutes - 34.1 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 151, in which I argue that the U. S. government pursuing anti-trust action against Google is not a good idea. My reasons range from media evolution, which responds to human needs, taking care of information monopolies as it did regarding Microsoft's near-monopoly in the 1990s, to Trump's real reasons for going after Google. Links to articles and books mentioned in the podcast: Google Abuses Its Monopoly Power over Search, Justice Department Sa...
Running Scared
October 08, 2020 19:51 - 8 minutes - 9.71 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 150, in which I discuss Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2nd 2020 Presidential debate because it was virtual (online not in person) which would allow him to be easily "cut off". Further reading (blog post): Running Scared: Trump Withdraws from Second Presidential Debate
Review of Utopia
October 04, 2020 20:35 - 7 minutes - 8.21 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 149, in which I review Utopia,now streaming on Amazon Prime. Further reading (blog post): Utopia: More Fun than the Real World
Review of Raised by Wolves 6-10
October 02, 2020 22:36 - 16 minutes - 19 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 148, in which I review episodes six to ten of Raised by Wolves. Further listening: podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3 podcast review of Raised by Wolves 4-5 Further reading: Mind at Large: Knowing in the Technological Age review of The Silicon Man The Silk Code
Trump Ban of TikTok Violates the First Amendment
September 18, 2020 21:39 - 30 minutes - 35.3 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 147, in which I offer a lecture I gave just last night -- the night before Trump's ban on TikTok was announced -- about why that ban violates the First Amendment. I discuss such issues as why the public's right to know protects non-American media in the United States, why entertainment is and has long been protected under the First Amendment, and Trump's real reasons for the ban. Further reading: TikTok, the First Amendment, and the Public's ...
Review of Amazing Stories (2020) on Apple+ TV 1-5
September 12, 2020 20:48 - 22 minutes - 25.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 146, in which I review all five episodes of Amazing Stories (2020) now on Apple+ TV. Further reading: Amazing Stories (2020) 1.1: "The Cellar": The Tops Amazing Stories (2020) 1.2: "The Heat": Life after Life Amazing Stories (2020)1.3: "Dynoman and the Volt!": Sweet Superpowers Amazing Stories (2020)1.4: "Signs of Life": Happy Revivals Amazing Stories (2020)1.5: "The Rift": Time Travel and a Candy Bar
Review of Raised by Wolves 4-5
September 11, 2020 20:52 - 9 minutes - 10.6 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 145, in which I review episodes four and five of Raised by Wolves. (Cameo by Tina) Further listening: podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3 Further reading: Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion blog post reviews: Raised by Wolves 1.4-5: Halfway to Dune Raised by Wolves 1.1: Fast Action and Deep Philosophy Raised by Wolves 1.2-3: More than Meets the Eye
Review of Raised by Wolves 1-3
September 04, 2020 16:42 - 9 minutes - 11.4 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 144, in which I review the first three episodes of a powerful new science fiction series, Raised by Wolves. Further reading: Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion blog post reviews: Raised by Wolves 1.1: Fast Action and Deep Philosophy Raised by Wolves 1.2-3: More than Meets the Eye
Report on Day Two of the 2020 Republican National Convention
August 26, 2020 18:15 - 6 minutes - 7.23 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 143, in which I offer my assessment of the second night of the 2020 Republican National Convention: lies. Further reading (blog post): Report on Day 2 of 2020 Republican National Convention: Lies Further listening: Four nightly assessments of the Democratic National Convention: Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day Two Podcast take on 2020 Democratic Nat...
Captain Phil interviews Paul Levinson about the 2020 Democratic National Convention
August 25, 2020 23:07 - 50 minutes - 57.2 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 142, in which the inimitable Captain Phil (on WUSB Radio) interviews me again, this time about the 2020 Democratic National Convention, conducted virtually, which concluded last week. Special treat: Phil plays "Samantha" from my new album, Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time, right before the interview. Further listening: 1. Four nightly assessments of the Democratic National Convention: Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Da...
Report on Day Four of 2020 Democratic National Convention
August 21, 2020 05:30 - 9 minutes - 10.3 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 141, in which I offer my assessment of the fourth and final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day Two Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day Three Further reading (my blog): Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 1 Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 2 ...
Report on Day Three of 2020 Democratic National Convention
August 20, 2020 04:34 - 5 minutes - 6.31 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 140, in which I offer my assessment of the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day Two Further reading (my blog): Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 1 Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 2 Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 3
Report on Day Two of 2020 Democratic National Convention
August 19, 2020 04:44 - 6 minutes - 6.86 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 139, in which I offer my assessment of the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One Further reading (my blog): Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 1 Report on the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 2
Report on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One
August 18, 2020 05:11 - 7 minutes - 14.2 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 138, in which I offer my assessment of the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Further reading (my blog) Report on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 1
Report on Day One of 2020 Democratic National Convention
August 18, 2020 05:11 - 7 minutes - 14.2 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 138, in which I offer my assessment of the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Podcast take on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day One Further reading (my blog): Report on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 1 Report on 2020 Democratic National Convention, Day 2
Defending the Postal Service
August 15, 2020 18:52 - 8 minutes - 9.62 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 137, in which I explain why I think we Americans must do everything in our power to defend the US Postal Service from the current, all-out Trumpian attack. Further reading (my blog post): Defending the Postal Service
Kamala Harris: The First Step Back from the Precipice
August 12, 2020 22:56 - 7 minutes - 8.3 MBWelcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 136, in which I explain why I think Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate is America's first step back from the precipice. Further reading (my blog post): Kamala Harris: First Step Back from the Precipice