Stars End: A Foundation Podcast
85 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWe’re a group of middle-aged guys who loved this series as teenagers. In season one we finished revisiting the original trilogy in anticipation of the TeeVee show.
Now that the show is here we won't just be enjoying it, we'll be bringing you our thoughts and predictions every week!
Hopefully, through this podcast, we'll bring you along for the ride. We want to do our part to bring this series to a new group of fans who are hopefully far more diverse than the three of us.
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Episodes
Stars End S5E08 - A Dog in Pain Emits Podcasts of a Kind That Are Well Understood By Other Dogs
April 13, 2024 15:24 - 55 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this episode, we talk about Chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Foundation and Earth, "Leaving Comporellon," "Forbidden World," and "Facing the Pack." I've largely stopped bothering with the spoiler warnings, but I'm going to spoiler enough in this episode description to warrant one. If you want to discover things as you read and you haven't read these chapters yet, you know what to do. Tau Ceti is the nearest "sun-like star" to Earth that isn't in a multiple-star system and so it's been a frequent...
Stars End S5E07 - There is a Kind of Free-Masonry Among Podcasts
March 24, 2024 20:55 - 1 hour - 34 MBWe talk about chapters 4 to 6 of Foundation and Earth. There's almost a framing sequence for this part of Foundation and Earth, "On Comporellon," "Struggle for the Ship," and "The Nature of Earth." At the outset, Trevize had bulldozed his way onto Comporellon by implying that Bliss and Pelorat are involved in illicit activities that can't be allowed to get back to the wife Pelorat does not have. By the end, it's Trevize who's plied a woman for information and favors with his masculine wile...
Stars End S5E06 - You Cannot Have a Reasonable Civilization Without Podcasts of Some Kind
March 16, 2024 16:39 - 57 minutes - 32.8 MBWe're diving into Foundation and Earth with Chapters 1 through 3. The story so far: When last we checked in, Golan Trevize had deduced that the ultimate answer to the ultimate question of Life, The Interregnum, and Everything was "Galaxia" and not "The Seldon Plan" or "42" as we had previously been led to believe. But still, he has his doubts. Like a proper mathematics student, he's uncomfortable unless he can show his work. And so, he and his two ape-descended companions, Pelorat ...
Stars End S5E05 - Once This Podcast is Attained All Sighs Become Sighs of Ecstasy
March 09, 2024 16:40 - 59 minutes - 33.2 MBIt's our final podcast on Foundation's Edge as we discuss chapters 17 to 20! My Mom, an unabashed fan of Joseph Campbell, frequently counseled me to "find my bliss." I think I've done pretty well. Collectively, though, we may have found our Bliss as we reach the closing chapters of our novel, "Gaia," "Collision," "Decision," and "Conclusion." Our heroes have arrived at Gaia, and all our principal characters are on the scene. Stuff is finally happening! This is as action-packed as an As...
Stars End S5E04 - The Podcast is a Powerful Dispenser of Odors
March 03, 2024 14:13 - 1 hour - 40.1 MBWe talk about chapters 13 through 16 of Foundation's Edge. We're finally up to the episode where we reveal that Apple TV's Foundation has been renewed for season 3! Not exactly ripped from the headlines. Also, the Great and Glorious Az wants us to know that, like spaceships, other planets have their own distinctive odors. It's true! Captain Kirk could have faced the Gorn on the Moon as astronauts tell us that moondust smells like gunpowder. The atmospheres of Venus and Mars contain hydr...
Stars End S5E4 - The Podcast is a Powerful Dispenser of Odors
March 03, 2024 14:13 - 1 hour - 40.1 MBWe talk about chapters 13 through 16 of Foundation's Edge. We're finally up to the episode where we reveal that Apple TV's Foundation has been renewed for season 3! Not exactly ripped from the headlines. Also, the Great and Glorious Az wants us to know that, like spaceships, other planets have their own distinctive odors. It's true! Captain Kirk could have faced the Gorn on the Moon as astronauts tell us that moondust smells like gunpowder. The atmospheres of Venus and Mars contain hydr...
Stars End S5 - Special Update 2024-02-24
February 26, 2024 04:20 - 8 minutes - 4.86 MBDateline – Terminus: It's sweet that you guys noticed that we hadn't commented on the news about Apple TV's Foundation being renewed for Season 3! But that isn't exactly what happened; we did, in fact, talk about it on S5E04. Unfortunately, we've all been super busy and the post-production train has a metaphorical Bishop's Claw on the tracks. Believe me, you don't want to mess with one of those. That episode will be out in a couple of days. But when the news about David Goyer and his sta...
Stars End S5E03 - We Are Not Children to be Frightened with Tales of Grandmother Podcast
February 10, 2024 20:13 - 53 minutes - 30 MBIn which we discuss chapters 9 through 12 of Foundation's Edge. Thanks to Avengers: Endgame lots of people know what the end of a chess game is called. This section of Foundation's Edge which includes the chapters "Hyperspace," "Table," "Sayshell," and "Agent" is much more like the beginning of a chess game, which is called the "opening." That's not nearly as evocative a title. It's mainly about shifting the pieces around in hopes that something will happen. And that's what's going on here...
Stars End S5E02 - Do Nothing Unless You Must and When You Must Act - Podcast
December 30, 2023 01:53 - 59 minutes - 34.3 MBIn S5E02 we talk about chapters 5 through 8 of Foundation's Edge. We're about 40% of the way into the book now and we're still introducing characters! This section introduces us to the Second Foundation including Stor Gendibal, Delora Delarmi, and First Speaker Quindor Shandass, and shows us that the Speakers' Table is a raucous affair. We also meet Sura Novi, a Trantorian farm woman who becomes important to Gendibal. We're also treated to an Asenion chain of reasoning describing how Jano...
Stars End S5E01 - At Odd and Unpredictable Times We Cling in Fright to the Podcast
December 18, 2023 02:44 - 58 minutes - 32 MBWelcome to our season 5 premiere in which we talk about the first four chapters of Foundation's Edge! Hello, True Believer! We're back! Again. And we're ready to dive into season five! You might recall the beginning of Season 3 when we made a pronouncement like this one. "On the Stars End Podcast, Foundation canon is represented by two separate, yet equally important kinds of seasons" the odd-numbered seasons, which discuss Asimov’s writings, and the even-numbered seasons that talk about t...
Stars End S4E13 - The Second Semi Semi Septennial Hari Awards Podcast
November 11, 2023 15:21 - 1 hour - 38.7 MBAfter recording weekly throughout Foundation on Apple TV+'s second season, we needed our own interregnum as we rebuilt the galaxy. We can't wait to show you our spiffy new water clock! But we're back! In our next episode, we launch season 5 of Stars End discussing the first four chapters of Foundation's Edge! But that's not the main event right now! You voted! We listened! Join us as we bring you the Second Semi Semi Septennial Hari Awards to cap off an excellent season, not just for Found...
Stars End S4E12 - I Can Already See That Wonderful Podcasts Lie Ahead
September 26, 2023 02:47 - 1 hour - 38.7 MBJoin us! It's our overview of Apple TV's Foundation Season 2 in the penultimate episode of Stars End's Fourth Season! There's still so much we don't know! Will Demerzel hunt down and kill Dawn, Sereth, and the baby? Who gave Hari a living body and why? Will Tellum emerge from the Aether to become the Mule? Did anybody remember to erase all the incest in C-17's brain when they woke up his pickle? Is the Prime Radiant becoming sentient? Just how many Hari's are there in a conspiracy, anywa...
Stars End S4E11 - Heres to Those Who Podcast and Ask Why
September 19, 2023 02:40 - 1 hour - 41.1 MBWhat a wild ride that was! This time we're talking about the season finale of AppleTV+'s Foundation, "Creation Myths!" Haven't seen it? Go! Watch it! Now! We'll be here when you're done! Then you can join us for the excitement! Not everybody gets out of this one alive! There are beginnings and endings, twists and turns, conclusions and preludes! Everything a great finale needs! And don't go away after this episode! Foundation season 2 might have concluded but we still have two more episod...
Stars End S4E10 - Podcasts End Gracefully - Everything Else Ends in Shock and Horror Falsely Certain of Tomorrow
September 11, 2023 02:32 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBHoo, boy do we go on about Foundation, S2E09, "Long Ago, Not Far Away" In this one! We're joined by Special Guest, Morgan, aka @AsimovPosting on the Dead Bird App. The Stars End Podcast! This time, 42% longer and with 10% real fruit juice! Jon had the right idea, the only way to summarize this one is to watch the entire thing! So go watch it! Now! Otherwise, you know, spoiler alert and all that! But, let's at least whet your appetite! We get a big chunk of back story for Danee... er... ...
Stars End S4E09 - If the Podcast Can't Put Its Thumb on the Scale What's the Point of Having a Thumb?
September 04, 2023 01:11 - 1 hour - 44.7 MB“If the Podcast Can’t Put its Thumb on the Scale, What’s the Point of Having a Thumb?” I don’t know, but l do know that we talk about Foundation, S2E08, "The Last Empress" in this episode! Just who is "The Last Empress?" In the real world, Roxanne Dawson deserves the gig! She directed the best two episodes of season one and with this outing, she’s outdone herself! Could it be Enjoinder Rue? That would require a complicated plan involving Brother Dusk, a time machine, and a bottle of Focus ...
Stars End S4E08 - Its a Bloodless Podcasting Coup
August 29, 2023 02:30 - 1 hour - 45.9 MBWe're joined by friend of the show, Travis Johnson, as we talk about Foundation, S2E07, "A Necessary Death." That title sure sounds dreary so it's hard to believe that it's attached to an episode that's just so compulsively watchable! This episode is so compulsively watchable that no fewer than three characters IN the show are themselves watching the show. And that's last week's episode! It's so compulsively watchable that next week's episode is rumored to consist of nothing but characters ...
Stars End S4E07 - It Takes a While Yet for the Decay to Reach the Podcast
August 21, 2023 13:18 - 58 minutes - 34.2 MBWe discuss Foundation, S2E06 "Why The Gods Made Wine.” We hope that we haven’t spoiled you with all the great guests lately, but this week it’s back to just the three of us muddling along. And speaking of spoiling, as always, we’re working on the assumption that if you’re listening you’ve watched the episode. It’s up to you, but if you don’t want the latest episode of Foundation to be as spoiled as a swig of sour milk you know what to do! If you were hoping for a Hari-centric episode you ...
Stars End S4E06 - The Whole Point of the Podcast is that the Future Isn't Set in Stone
August 14, 2023 15:31 - 1 hour - 44 MB"The Whole Point of the Podcast is that the Future Isn't Set in Stone" in which we discuss Foundation, S2E05 "The Sighted and the Seen" This week media analyst, Fordham professor, and Renaissance human Paul Levinson joins the conversation! That Beatles reference below, Paul? That's for you. Here's the usual spoiler warning. If you haven't, go watch the episode. We'll be here. Foundation, Season 2 seems to be leaning even harder on comic relief and sexy time than it had been. Still, the p...
Stars End S4E05 -The Podcast Itself is Inconsequential When Measured Against the Scale of the Galaxy
August 07, 2023 15:21 - 1 hour - 40.4 MBIn which we talk about Foundation, S2E04 "Where the Stars are Scattered Thinly." We're joined this week by Joel McKinnon, host of Seldon Crisis, another excellent Foundation Podcast! As the season slows down a bit to focus on some of the significant plotlines we get the closest thing to a special Valentine's Day episode that this show could possibly do. Meanwhile, Gaal, as the narrator, tells us repeatedly that "Psychohistory does not give a damn about how you monkeys hook up." I'm paraph...
Stars End S4E04 - Even He Said That Kind of Podcast Can Drive Someone Mad
July 31, 2023 13:38 - 1 hour - 48 MBIn which we discuss Foundation, S2E03 "King and Commoner." It's an episode for old friends! Remember Bel Riose from Foundation and Empire? We finally get to meet him in the AppleTV+ universe and he's refreshingly like his counterpart from the source material, steadfast and impressive. We also meet Hober Mallow who maybe has a sprinkling of his namesake from the book but appears to be a mashup of several other characters including a big dollop of the Outrageous Okona from Star Trek: The Ne...
Stars End S4E03 - The Podcast Squirms in my Grasp Like an Angry Cat
July 24, 2023 13:26 - 1 hour - 36.4 MBWe talk about Foundation S2E02 "A Glimpse of Darkness." A general, a priest, and a warlord walk into a bar. The priest says, "If you thought the season premiere of Foundation had a lot going on, buckle up!" The second episode, "A Glimpse of Darkness," zips by at a breakneck pace! Join us for the conversation! As always, there are lots and lots of spoilers. You have been warned! If you haven't seen the episode, watch it now or dive right in! It's up to you! This one has it all! Lightning! ...
Stars End S4E02 - God Made Podcasts to Compensate Those Who Cannot Afford Revenge
July 17, 2023 15:03 - 1 hour - 39.7 MB“In Seldons Shadow” One of the things you can say about Foundation the TeeVee series is that they throw down one hell of a season premiere! And this one is fresh! It’s like a brand new TV show that isn’t a brand new TV show. Let’s talk about it! It’s up to you, of course, but there are spoilers-a-plenty for Foundation, S2E01, “In the Shadow of Seldon” here. If you don’t want anything spoiled, run right over to the nearest screen and watch the episode! We’ll be here when you’re done! We’...
Stars End S4E01 - If There is a War, We Will Podcast
July 11, 2023 19:54 - 58 minutes - 33.1 MBWell, The First Interregnum has ended. Season 2 of Apple TV+s Foundation is just three days away. The goal for our season 3 was to make the gap between the TeeVee seasons seem to fly by quickly! We hope it seemed like less than 30,000 years! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with us! That's the raison d'être for season 4 of Stars End, we'll be recording weekly for the duration, bringing you the best analysis of each episode of the Apple TV+ program as it airs as quickly as humanly possible. ...
Stars End S3E37 - Asimovs Foundation Podcast and Philosophy
July 08, 2023 20:27 - 1 hour - 37.5 MBI podcast, therefore I am. Or is it, "I podcast, therefore I philosophize?" If you've listened to some of our recent episodes, you might think it's the latter as recently we're delved into topics like free will and pondered whether there's an objective morality beyond things that we might be programmed with, like societal norms or the Three Laws of Robotics. Well, if you like that stuff, you'll love this episode! There's a new book out called Asimov's Foundation and Philosophy (AF&P), a co...
Stars End S3E36 - Never Hoard Your Silver Podcast
June 23, 2023 19:53 - 1 hour - 39.9 MBSometimes we bury the lede in the title so let's rectify that straightaway: featuring special guest Melinda Snodgrass! We've never been shy about our obligatory Star Trek references and as we've undertaken our long, strange trip through Asimov's Robot Novels and some related short stories, those references skewed sharply in the direction of The Measure of a Man, which is in my opinion "the moment when The Next Generation earned the right to call itself Star Trek." It's great TV and great SF...
Stars End S3E35 - Who Really Cares What a Podcast Looks Like Or Is Built Of Or How It Was Formed
June 11, 2023 20:09 - 1 hour - 43 MBWe finally know that season 2 of Apple TV+'s Foundation will begin on 14 July. Rather than tackling another novel, we're wrapping up season 3 of Stars End with short stories and guests. In our next episode, we're both pleased and proud to announce that we'll be interviewing Melinda Snodgrass, author of the first truly great episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the source of many of our Star-Trek-related digressions, "The Measure of a Man." But in the meantime, for this episode, w...
Stars End S3E34 - That Thou Art Mindful of the Podcast
May 21, 2023 01:50 - 46 minutes - 26 MBAsimov's story "...That Thou Art Mindful of Him" has an interesting pedigree. It was initially commissioned for an original collection entitled, Final Stage: The Ultimate Science Fiction Anthology edited by Edward L. Ferman and Barry N. Malzberg. The intent of the anthology is compelling. Here's how the editors described the premise. "The assumption was that science fiction — that branch of literature, half beast, half-civilized —sits upon perhaps, a dozen classic themes, which, in various ...
Stars End S3 E33 - Use the Podcast But Not to Justify Needless Harm to Individuals
May 14, 2023 02:10 - 1 hour - 39.9 MBWe interrupt our regular program! Dateline: Capitol District, Trantor This just in: AppleTV+ has announced the premiere date for Foundation, Season 2: 14 July 2023. That means that we, at Stars End will be wrapping up Season 3 of the podcast and strapping in for Season 4! Release Date! Trailer (which you can find here)! New Episodes! We'll talk about it! You'll listen! It's a psychohistorical necessity! Meanwhile still in season 3, we reach the climax of not merely Robots and Empire but...
Stars End S3 E32 - The Very Word Podcast is Taboo in Polite Society
April 19, 2023 20:04 - 1 hour - 33.9 MBWe hit some big, philosophical issues in this episode. As a mathematician, it seems odd that I'm frequently the one to point out that some things can't be quantified. We're reaching the limits of quantifiability with the Three Laws of Robotics, just as we did with Psychohistory. How do you quantify harm? Take the First Law, for example. Even within a single human, there's psychological harm or physical harm, at least if you're Giskard. How do you compare the two? It's not even possible to m...
Stars End S3E31 - Ceterum Censeo Delenda Est Podcast
April 02, 2023 23:50 - 57 minutes - 33 MBJoanne and I stayed in a hotel one night last week and I was delighted to discover a pancake robot while exploring the continental breakfast. I know that sounds pretty damn cool, but it was disappointing. Do you have a mental picture of a pancake robot? Whatever it is, I'd wager it isn't a box. This one looks like a box. Today the feeling is more akin to bewilderment. I searched for a picture of the pancake robot and got a truly absurd number of hits. There are lots of pictures and cartoon...
Stars End S3 E30 - Keep Your Mind on the Podcast and Do Not Let the Trailing Off of a Single Thread Affect You
March 11, 2023 15:25 - 1 hour - 38 MBJoin us as we continue our journey through Isaac Asimov's masterpiece Robots and Empire, as we delve into chapters 7 through 10. In this episode, we take a closer look at "The Overseer," "The Settler World," "The Speech," and "After the Speech," as Asimov continues to link his major works into a future-historical tapestry. We see how The First Law of Robotics can be undermined as foreshadowed in The Naked Sun. We witness Gladia becoming the true successor to Elijah Baley's legacy as she ...
Stars End S3E29 - Humanity Whether in the Form of Earthpeople or Spacers Must Podcast
February 20, 2023 00:52 - 1 hour - 36.4 MBJoin us as we continue to wind our way through Robots and Empire, the final book in Asimov's Robot series, even if you count collections of short stories. In this episode, we discuss chapters 3 through 6. "The Crisis," "Another Descendent," "The Abandoned World," and "The Crew." In these chapters, the Great and Glorious Az establishes Robots and Empire as an important bridge between the Robot Stories, the Galactic Empire Novels, and the Foundation Saga; it's both a prelude and a coda. ...
Stars End S3 E28 - I Do Not Ask You to Like the Podcast - I Ask You to Trust It
February 12, 2023 14:37 - 44 minutes - 23.5 MBIf you're a fan of Issac Asimov, you probably like robots, the Three Laws of Robotics, and characters having long, expository conversations about interesting ideas. If that's true, then Robots and Empire is the book for you! It features, except for when the plot forces its way in, our two favorite robots, Daneel and Giskard, having long, expository conversations about the Three Laws of Robotics. Jon is quite outspoken about how those are his favorite bits. Dan and I are more apt to keep ...
Stars End S3 E27 - Everyone Believes in the Freedom of the Podcast - It Should Be Right There in the Constitution
January 21, 2023 14:56 - 1 hour - 34.6 MBIt's human nature, it seems, to celebrate round numbers, 40th birthdays, 20th wedding anniversaries, 10th high school reunions, and so forth. New Year's Day 2000 was a huge deal even though, as Arthur C. Clarke was quick to point out, the third millennium CE didn't start until 2001. Early on, we poked a bit of fun at this tendency, culminating in episode eight, because eight is a very round number: It's "10" in base eight, "20" in base four, and "1000" in base two. That was also when we ...
Stars End S3 E26 - It is from this Point On, Earth Itself that is the True World of the Podcast
January 14, 2023 18:49 - 49 minutes - 28.1 MBThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police, it is said, "always get their man." I haven't checked, but I'm confident that's been updated. "Always get their human" might not work perfectly in the context of Asimov's Robot Novels, so let's settle on "always get the perpetrator." A perpetrator could be an animal, vegetable, or mineral. In Elijah Baley's time, millennia in the future, it isn't clear whether New York City has grown to include parts of Canada but it isn't likely. If it had, Lije would...
Stars End S3E25 - The Law Wisely Considers a Podcast an Incompetent Witness
January 02, 2023 19:59 - 1 hour - 34.6 MBHappy New Year! Today, 2 January, is National Science Fiction Day here in the States, and not coincidentally, the birthday of Dr. Asimov, aka the great explainer, aka the Great and Glorious Az. Happy Birthday, Issac! It's also National Buffet Day and World Introvert Day. Make of that what you will. Thus, today we're dropping a special episode of the Stars End Podcast, our first musical episode! Well, kinda. There's a bit at the end where we talk about music and songs that would be apr...
Stars End S3E24 - Do Not For Your Own Sake Test the Force of Our Podcast
December 09, 2022 21:50 - 53 minutes - 32 MBIn a departure from our recent episodes, we have breaking news! Well... probably! The Midgard Times tells us that Apple TV+'s Foundation has been renewed for a third season. No word yet on when season two will premiere, but there's more information that you'll need to listen to learn! Who is The Midgard Times and how did they manage to scoop the competition for this vital information? We don't really know! We can tell you though that if you're looking between hard-hitting journalism li...
Stars End S3E23 - There is Not Really Much Use in Cross-Examining a Podcast
November 13, 2022 16:22 - 55 minutes - 31.1 MBCross-examinations are a staple of teevee. On Law and Order, there is a plethora of great scenes where Jack McCoy presses the defendant until they break and inadvertently provide irrefutable evidence against themselves. Lije Baley wants us to believe there is no benefit to cross-examining a robot, but teevee and Captain James T. Kirk argue against this. Consider this scene from "The Ultimate Computer," restored to the intended version that was prevented by copyright issues. Ironic becaus...
Stars End S3E22 - There is Something to be Said About a Podcast That Makes One Smile
October 29, 2022 20:06 - 50 minutes - 29.3 MBThis is the city, Eos, Aurora. It's the city of the dawn on the planet of the dawn. It's the largest and most important city on the oldest and most important Spacer World. Mostly, good things happen in Eos, the Robotics Institute is in Eos as is the planetary government. Sometimes bad things happen; things that require a lot of discussion. Was the victim even alive? Was this even a crime? Questions that need answers. When that happens, I go to work. I carry a badge. Friday, Octobe...
Stars End S3E21 - The Podcast Has a Notoriously Short Memory
October 20, 2022 19:30 - 49 minutes - 29 MBObligatory Star Trek reference loading… Do you know what a “teaser” is? You probably do, but just in case I’ll tell you anyway. A teaser is the bit of a teevee episode that precedes the opening. Nothing much happens in a teaser except to set up the action and hopefully grab your attention. A wedding on the Enterprise is interrupted by a red alert. A landing party beams down to Cestus III to find the outpost destroyed. Chekov screams in terror because he’s been startled by an inexplic...
Stars End S3E20 - A Small Podcast Yet to the Humans Involved Astonishingly Large
October 02, 2022 13:36 - 54 minutes - 31.6 MBWe didn't set out to do it, but we did it. What, you might ask? We've created an episode that's an excellent jumping-on point for anyone who's been itching to try the podcast, but doesn't know where to start. How? Well to start with, we're talking about a short story. You don't need to read the books or watch the shows we talk about to enjoy the podcast, but we certainly understand if want to! We're talking about "Mirror Image" from Robot Visions, in which Lije Baley and R. Daneel Oliv...
Stars End S3E19 - We Must Teach Ourselves to Face the Podcast
September 10, 2022 12:43 - 57 minutes - 32.2 MBI learned something today. Did you know that when Elements are named to honor cities the Latin names for the cities are used rather than the common names? The funny thing is that this is true even if the city has no Latin name. This is how we get the name for holmium, which is named after Stockholm or rather after "Holmia" which is the Latin name for Stockholm that the chemist made up. This is from the essay "Names! Names! Names!" by the good doctor. It's all about naming elements and, ...
Stars End S3E18 - There is no Podcast Without a Podcaster
September 03, 2022 13:54 - 54 minutes - 31.6 MBYou know what? Solaria is weird. Looking back over our podcast, it turns out that a lot of Asimov's work is weird. Solaria may not be Mycogen-weird, but it's pretty weird. Last time we were introduced to the extreme isolation of Solarians and the preponderance of robots. Those were weird. And that seeing vs. viewing thing? That was weird too. This time? Murder attempts where only Asenion robots are present? Weird. Fetuses grown in vats? Weird. Child farming? Weird. A plot to m...
S3E17 - A Podcast in a Frenzy Can Do Surprising Things
August 13, 2022 21:15 - 59 minutes - 32.2 MBSome things can't be seen. If you've listened to our podcast, you know that we've bemoaned the fact that although there was a BBC adaptation of The Caves of Steel, we cannot see it because all known copies of the original tapes have been destroyed. Did you know that there was also a BBC adaptation of The Naked Sun? It came out in the third season of Out Of The Unknown and starred Paul Maxwell as Elijah Bailey and David Collings as R. Daneel. We can't see that either. You'd think that th...
Stars End S3E17 - A Podcast in a Frenzy Can Do Surprising Things
August 13, 2022 21:15 - 59 minutes - 32.2 MBSome things can't be seen. If you've listened to our podcast, you know that we've bemoaned the fact that although there was a BBC adaptation of The Caves of Steel, we cannot see it because all known copies of the original tapes have been destroyed. Did you know that there was also a BBC adaptation of The Naked Sun? It came out in the third season of Out Of The Unknown and starred Paul Maxwell as Elijah Bailey and David Collings as R. Daneel. We can't see that either. You'd think that th...
Stars End S3E16 - Podcast and Sin No More
July 31, 2022 22:30 - 51 minutes - 28.2 MBIt was right about this time last year one of us got up in the middle of the night to share the latest Foundation trailer with you on <StarsEndPodcast.Wordpress.com>. This year there was a sneak peek of Foundation season 2 at San Diego Comic-Con. More than a week later we haven't seen it anywhere. If that's about generating interest, they're missing the mark. Luckily, we have our own news! Our very own Jon Blumenfeld stars as Librarian Homir Munn in "Search by the Foundation, Part 1" on...
Stars End S3 E15 - I'm sure that if non-Asenion podcasts were ever designed or if the mathematical theory were worked out we'd hear of it
July 24, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 39.1 MBWe're not an etymology podcast even though we sometimes make up our own words. Nevertheless, if you follow our blog you've recently read about the origins of the words "robot" and "robotics." Asimov has been known to make up his own words too. In fact, he's credited in the Oxford English Dictionary as the originator of the word "robotics." In this episode, we learn the origin of the word "Asenion" through a miraculous combination of brilliance, scholarship, and real-time detective work w...
Stars End S3 E14 - There are Rs that Can Do Your Podcast and Mine
July 07, 2022 14:23 - 1 hour - 40.9 MBJust over a century ago, the word "robot," derived from the Czech word "robota" which means "forced labor," was introduced to the English language in the play R. U. R. by Karel Čapek. In it, a scientist has created artificial humans, called "roboti" or "robots." Robots replace workers in factories, then become the basis of the economy. Eventually, the robots revolt, supplant humanity and ultimately cause humankind's extinction. In this episode, we start discussing Asimov's The Caves of S...
Stars End S3 E13 - The Creation of the Podcast Was Looked Upon as the Prime Example of the Overweening Arrogance of Humanity
June 21, 2022 14:49 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBWell, we're between books this episode, so we decided to read "The Robot Chronicles" from the Great and Glorious Az's Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection. It's an essay in which Asimov discusses his robot stories, their inspirations, and their milestones. So far, I've found Gold enjoyable. It contains the last of Asimov's science fiction short stories, essays about his stories, and essays about writing Science Fiction. He insists, by the way, that Science Fiction be abbreviated "S...
Stars End S3E12 - Softly Beaming, A Steady Light of Hope... the Stars End Podcast
June 13, 2022 20:22 - 1 hour - 35.4 MBAre you troubled by premonitions of unsavory equations or non-standard beverages? Do you experience feelings of dread from your grandfather's office furniture? Have you or anyone in your family experienced prestidigitation, clairvoyance, astral projection, or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia? If the answer is yes, don't wait another minute! The Second Foundation is for YOU! Our courteous and efficient staff is on call 24 hours a day to serve all your psychohistorical prediction needs! I...