Living in a Simulation
Imaginary Worlds24 Jun 2021

Living in a Simulation

Is it possible that we are living in an imaginary world? That is the premise of many science fiction stories, but some scientists have begun to wonder whether it’s not a fantasy. Perhaps what we think of as reality is a computer simulation and we’re basically just advanced versions of The Sims and don’t know it. I talk with video games entrepreneur Rizwan Virk about what advanced civilization might be lurking outside our reality, and how he draws upon real physics, The Matrix and Philip K. Dick to prove The Simulation Hypothesis in his book. And we’ll hear one of my favorite stories from the podcast Snap Judgment, where the journalist Stephanie Foo creates a version of herself in The Sims and discovers eerie parallels to her own life. “Sim Stephanie” was originally produced for Snap Judgment in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(301)

Bonus: Rise of The Villains Outtakes

Bonus: Rise of The Villains Outtakes

When I interviewed special effects artist Shannon Shea about The Terminator and other villains of ’84, we also discussed his experiences working on Terminator 2. He tells me about the many life-sized ...

7 Feb 202422min

Class of '84: Rise of The Villains

Class of '84: Rise of The Villains

This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define their genre or invent new genres. In...

31 Jan 202436min

Making Blue Eye Samurai

Making Blue Eye Samurai

I was blown away by the Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai. I’m not alone, it has 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the supervising director and producer of ...

17 Jan 202440min

Prologue to Ursula K. le Guin

Prologue to Ursula K. le Guin

In the 1960s, Ursula K. le Guin represented a changing of the guard in science fiction literature. She was part of a generation of novelists who questioned the colonist mindset which had influenced Am...

3 Jan 202448min

@ChristmasCarol: A Holiday Tale

@ChristmasCarol: A Holiday Tale

This week's episode is an original audio drama. In previous episodes, I’ve interviewed Captain Hook, vampires, colonists on the moon, and H.P. Lovecraft’s brain in a jar -- or at least actors playing ...

20 Des 202331min

Doctor Who's Power of Regeneration

Doctor Who's Power of Regeneration

In honor of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, I’ve rewritten my 2018 episode about Doctor Who with updates on how the series has evolved, and new insights I’ve had about Doctor Who since I made this epis...

6 Des 202338min

How One Piece Became King of the Backstories

How One Piece Became King of the Backstories

One Piece is one of the biggest franchises in the world. The manga and anime have broken records in sales and viewership. The live action adaptation on Netflix was a hit. And the series holds a specia...

22 Nov 202332min

Bonus: Norse Myths Outtakes

Bonus: Norse Myths Outtakes

My guests from the previous episode, Carolyne Larrington and Ada Palmer, had so many interesting things to say about Norse mythology and how much of it is still a mystery to us, I decided to compile s...

16 Nov 202326min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
alt-fortalt
aftenpodden-usa
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
popradet
wolfgang-wee-uncut
grenselos
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
synnve-og-vanessa
fladseth
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
min-barneoppdragelse
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
rss-frekvens-med-anine-olsen
rss-dannet-uten-piano