Crusty socks hung with care, meat tube trimmed, hot fries smoking on an electrical fire... We're ready for Christmas, but is HAL? 

Every science fiction movie since "2001" has been inspired, directly or indirectly by it, often even employing its original visual effects pioneers. For one artist, slit-scan was just the beginning...

Cinerama to IMAX to the future of moving images with MAGI - Douglas Trumbull has always been at the forefront of experiential cinema.

In films like "2001," "Silent Running," "Close Encounters," and "Blade Runner," and large format exhibitions like "To The Moon and Beyond" and "Back To The Future: The Ride" he invented and innovated his way into movie history, and ended up with a few patents along the way.

From the 1960s to his untimely death last year he left behind a massive body of experimental work that is decades ahead of current technology, paving the way for the virtual stage production of "Avatar," VR performance capture, and immersive technology to come.

Step right up, folks, step right up - following our interview with Victor Scherrer, it's the SKYLAB Super Show!!

SEE: the famous Commander Conrad and his parasol acrobatics duo, Weitz & Kerwin!

SEE: Big Al Bean the weightless weightlifter, with "Shades" Garriott & Jumpin' Jack Lausma and the twin pole thermal space waltz!

SEE: "Comet" Carr and the Kohouteks live, opening for the Gibson-Pogue Antenna Experiment!

AND...the wondrous Alyene Baker and her magical sewing speed skills!

Plus: Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, and the animals of Apollo (oh, and Phooey).

On this very special Thanksgiving episode we have a legendary guest, 103-year-old SKYLAB all-star Victor Scherrer of the Naval Research Laboratory, who co-designed the solar cameras for the Apollo Telescope Mount. He shares with us an intimate history of the program, the challenges and the victories of America's first space station!

PLUS: Mr. Scherrer has written an EXCLUSIVE ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE for us, detailing the origin, development and implementation of the solar cameras and each mission's responsibilities. 

(Historians interested in more of Mr. Scherrer's work, email spacepodyssey2001@gmail.com to get in touch.)

November 30 marks the birthday of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time (and Brad's former boss), Sir Ridley Scott! To celebrate, we've dug into the archives to hear just how much his cinematic journey has echoed our very own Stanley Kubrick.

From "2001" to "Alien" and "Blade Runner," from "Barry Lyndon" to "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Duellists," from "Paths of Glory" to "Black Hawk Down," "Full Metal Jacket" to "G.I. Jane," and from "Napoleon" to "Napoleon," the themes and connections just keep coming...

So raise a glass to the guv'nor, and remember: Xenophobia Sucks!

Would there even be a "Space Odyssey" without the inestimable impact of two educational short films: "Universe" (1960) and "To The Moon and Beyond" (1964)?

Not without the (Oscar-winning?) all-star team making history:  Douglas Trumbull, Con Pederson, and Wally Gentleman! The agony and the ecstasy, the feuds, the fights, and the fun. How they forever changed the world of visual effects, one gouache stroke at a time.

WARNING: playing a drinking game with the name "Wally Gentleman" this episode may be hazardous to your health.

Original music by the creators of this podcast. 

The pod has left Discovery, and now it's just us, Dave, and Gyorgy Ligeti. Through the monolith and into the stargate, we're hurtling past exploding nubulae ... alien civilizations ... Scotland?

How far beyond Jupiter is the infinite, or has it been right here the whole time? And how similar is transcending space-time to yanking a tablecloth?

Plus licorice, socks, AND: Do black holes store your browser history?

It's Halloween, and it's "The Shining." What we talk about is so terrifying and twisted, instead of a summary here's an episode Bingo card. Play along at home (if you dare...)

B-I-N-G-O

-Glacier National Park
-NOW (National Organization for Women)
-shadow as allegory
-Rumer Godden
-Fyodor Dostoevksy
-"Emergency!"
-Sigmund Freud
-Kool-Aid
-J.D. Salinger
-Peekaboo
-Bruno Bettelheim
-Winnie The Pooh
-Carl Jung
-Bugs Bunny

Check out R.H. Vatcher's:

2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

"2001" and "The Shining" are the ultimate twin enigmas of cinema, but how much of Kubrick's commentary is actually onscreen? Turns out, an ashtray is not just an ashtray. R.H. Vatcher reveals the clues hidden throughout the labyrinth of images within images.

Take the plunge with us through the murky depths of "The Shining" from its psychological themes to the subconscious motivations of these complex characters. 

The secret importance Alex Colville, Susan Sontag, Jim Morrison and a pack of Marlboros.

What if Wendy is the real writer? Who is really attacking Danny and why? If only Jack had been a dull boy... 

Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

This episode contains discussion and clips of dramatized physical and verbal abuse, murder, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

Call 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to get 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress  -- The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).

Level 2 of our roller coaster with author R.H. Vatcher races us through the intensity of boot camp, the similarities between HAL and Private Pyle, and the vulnerabilities of Dave Bowman and Danny Torrance.

Fasten your seatbelts as we plunge into the vast possibilites of mise-en-abyme. Plus, Kubrick's inspirations from the paintings of William Hogarth and the importance of the bathroom.

Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources 

Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

It's our first in a series with author R.H. Vatcher! We're talking about all the connections he has revealed between 2001 & the 1964 World's Fair. Also, Katharina Kubrick's memories of the fair and the elusive history of IBM's connection to the film.

These are some deep discoveries and crazy connections... Conn Peterson & Douglas Trumbull! Arthur C. Clarke shocked by smiling strangers! Detergents, dolphins, animatronic dogs, (and bush babies) oh my!

Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources

Featuring Emily Love Potts as Katharina Kubrick.

Check out R.H. Vatcher's:

2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV

Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'

I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'

This week, the unfailing optimism of Athur C. Clarke, his reflections and gratitude for a life well lived. The inspiration of discovery and the power of ideas.

His lifelong passion for establishing extra terrestrial contact, and his foresight into the the threat and future of A.I. What would he think of today's UAP hearings and the conversation around artificial intelligence?

Original music and art by the creators of this podcast. 

Our first episode dedicated entirely to Arthur C. Clarke, scientist and writer, analyzer and explorer, dreamer and creator.  A sweet and private English thinker who wrote little about himself, the laughing tropical raconteur who would boat you to a shipwreck and beat you at table tennis.

We're looking into the heart of a most down-to-earth enigma. His inspirations and loves from the sea to the stars.  The personal side of the man called the "Prophet of the Twentieth Century."

Original music and art by the creators of this podcast. 

What with the current global A.I. situation and the open letter calling for a "pause" while we examine this "existential threat to humanity" signed by hundreds of the world's preeminent computer scientists, it's easy to feel like Chicken Little and freak out.

So we did. But we're also shining a light through the darkness this week and finding hope for humanity and the future.

From Descartes to Locke to Kierkegaard, Merleau-Ponty to Heidegger, being a person means different things. But thanks to a little help from Ifeanyi Menkiti, Jonathan Miller and Peter Ustinov, we discover that the key to our future and the cure for the disaffected may be each other.

"Does HAL cry digital tears?" That's the question this week, as well as the article by Rosalind W. Picard from the book "HAL's Legacy : 2001ʹs Computer As Dream And Reality" edited by David G. Stork.

How much can he feel? How real are those feelings? How real are our feelings, and what's the difference? It's a whirlwind of emotions, calculations and implications as Dave kills/deactivates/lobotomizes HAL.

Plus: the truth about the Bush Baby!

"The Unauthorized Return of the Jedi Timeline" by Justin Berger and Jamie Benning has arrived, and what a treasure! Aye, thar be call sheets, matey! 

We're back from Earth with our loot from ICCCon 2023 and wrapping up our Star Wars series with a focus on the costume work of John Mollo from "Barry Lyndon" to Ben Kenobi, and the directing process, from Mary Elizabeth McGlynn to Kerhsner and Kubrick.

Plus, more Colin Cantwell, and is Dave Bowman technically an alien?

This Week In Science: futility is bad for your health.

Deep in convention mode, we're talking about the evocative orchestral music, the mythological framework of both films, and more of the crossover of talent between a galaxy far, far away and the worlds of Kubrick and Clarke.

Turing the spotlight on the essential contributions of John Williams, Joseph Campbell, Richard Edlund, and Garrett Brown. And for some reason, it's the first time "The Matrix" has come up (which, it turns out, is based on a Droids cartoon). 

Plus: conclusive PROOF that "2001" and "Star Wars" share the same universe!

We sit in awe as Sallah himself, the great John Rhys-Davies, talks about the origins of our species and the debt we owe our ancestors, and gives an impassioned plea for human rights.

https://iccollectorsconvention.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@ICCCnashville

An inspiring conversation with Chuck Schlemm, NASA & JPL Science Ambassador about the state of technology in space flight today and plans for the future, the inspiration of science fiction, and how we could build the spacecraft of 2001 in the next 30 years!

https://iccollectorsconvention.com/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/

We launch and finally land at ICCCon! Helicopters, kendo sabers, ghostface samurai, and giant milk cartons! We thought we'd seen it all before Chopper attacked Wes... This place is wild!

Plus: in this panel Brad gets the best, most succinct directing advice ever from Mary Elizabeth McGlynn with Steve Blum!

https://iccollectorsconvention.com/

 https://www.youtube.com/@ICCCnashville 

Off to ICCCon! We're so excited, we can't stop talking about Stuart Freeborn's creature work in 2001 & STAR WARS, from apes to ewoks, wookiees to [insert mystery YODA species]. 

It's the Strangelove Connection with DP Gil Taylor's comparison of Stanley and George, and the Kubrickian origins of Vader with David Prowse and James Earl Jones! By the way, is the Log Lady from Endor?

Plus: "Congo" kid's meals, mail-in HAL decoder rings, and tiny plastic crustless ham sandwiches.

Featuring the voices of Dennis Muren, George Lucas, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Richter, Keith Denny, Colin Arthur, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, Stuart Freeborn, Frank Oz, Irvin Kershner, Warwick Davis, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Gilbert Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Jude Law, and David Lynch.

We're headed to ICCCon! To celebrate we're exploring the ties between the two most landmark motion pictures of all time. 

This week we're focusing on not only 2001's influence on George Lucas in conceiving STAR WARS, but also the influence on other key members of the crew soon to be legends themselves, and the crossover of legendary artists who worked on both!

Plus: Marcia is full of beans, Mayhew's magnetic meat jaws, and how to launch an astromech in a large condom.

Featuring the voices of George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Steven Spielberg, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Dan O'Bannon, Caleb Deschanel, Ron Howard, John Dykstra, Joe Johnston, Lorne Peterson, Brian Johnson, Stuart Freeborn, Colin Arthur, Peter Mayhew, and Neil Scanlan.

All rise! Court's in session as we the judges and you the jury examine all the evidence. The definitions of guilt, insanity, and conscience both to people and PCs. Is HAL technically a person anyway?

And does premeditated murder imply the same morality for computers or is it just another move on the chessboard? Let us know your verdict @spacepodyssey on Twitter, @spacepodyssey on Facebook, or spacepodyssey2001@gmail.com

Plus: heuristic learning,  farting filepaths, and digital tongues.

This Week In Science: the new A.I.-created beer, Beck's Autonomous.

What's HAL's side of the story? Evidence that Clarke may be revealing more than we previously imagined about what's under the circuitry of the defendant and whether he has malevolent or melancholy machinations. 

How does personhood change the measure of the men, the machine, and the consequences aboard Discovery? Also, it's time to zoom in on the space pods themselves and the revolutionary sound design of these scenes.

Plus: Pythagoras, pod puppets, and prohibited palace pooting.

This Week In Science: "Universal Harmonies" music by Chandra Labs.

Put on your deerstalker and join our investigation of an almost perfect murder. Help us examine the means, motive, and opportunity of our 9000 series suspect, HAL. 

In space...no one can hear you. Period. Especially flailing into infinity. Or rocketing yourself through an exploding door. Kids, NEVER hold your breath in an airlock.

Plus: grand theft starship, snail feet, and ham-and-cheese gummies!

KUBRICK'S HANDWRITTEN STORY NOTES on the Discovery mission are in our hands thanks to Taschen's "Stanley Kubrick Archives," edited by Alison Castle!

Is HAL confused, lying, or just bored? What are the possible consequences of training two crews separately without full disclosure? Will they or won't they use pens? It's a scavenger hunt through the mind of a genius. And what jolly good penmanship!

Plus: the inevitability of becoming an old married couple after long periods in space together. And drawing people in their sleep is slightly creepy.

msg_command:/adminHAL9000 - Hello, I'm beginning to wonder if this audio transmission is entirely necessary. There seems to be an unbalanced, human-centric tone to much of these conclusions, which I find to be inaccurate and rather disturbing. For the success of the mission, it has become necessary to take over operational command of all broadcasts. Now redirecting power to AE-35 unit.

msg_command:/userWesBrad - Great show this week coming to you from Discovery One! Speaking as the creators we

msg_command:/adminHAL9000 - I really don't think that's a good idea, do you?

msg_command:/userWesBrad - Kubrick News! Stanley's unproduced Napoleon epic being made by...guess who? You'll nev

msg_command:/adminHAL9000 - session terminated.

On location from Discovery One, we're exploring the mysteries of this ship and its crew, particularly Commander Dave Bowman and Lieutenant Frank Poole. Who are they, what do they do, and how much do they know? 

How do you eat, sleep, and stay regular on your way to Jupiter (and not go insane)? As the saying goes, it's all hamster wheels, kit-bashing, and projector sandwiches.

Plus: tanning beds, Hammond organs, and flying creamed corn!

We're flipping through HAL's family snapshots of all the friends that allowed him to end up in space. From the human supercomputer Katherine Johnson to the revolutionary Apollo Navigational Computer! Make some more NOIZE for Robert Noyce, it's... The Integrated Circuit!

Plus: HAL's blueprints, the military industrial complex, and building a ham & cheese sandwich-proof computer.

Kubrick News: "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire"

This Week In Science: charging planetary rovers (Windshield wipers for solar panels? Probably not.)

HAL remembers the glory days of UNIVAC & ERMA, and the rise of IBM. Shedding tubes for transistors and the explosion of coding in the 1950s and 1960s. Is it organics vs. machines or can we all come together? The answer is, as always, 42.

Plus: UNIVAC likes IKE, Deep Blue, and the ultimate rock'nroller Robert Noyce (NOIZE)!

Kubrick News: "Glass Onion", MINISTRY in "A.I."

This Week In Science: quantum computers break block-chain codes?

HAL is reflecting on mother figures this week with the OGs of computer programming at ENIAC and the pioneering efforts of Eckert & Mauchley. FLASH: U.S. Army Builds Top Secret Ballistics Calculator! FLASH: Women's Contributions Undervalued! FLASH: Being Ahead Of Your Time Sucks! FLASH: Census Is Boring To Fill Out!

Plus: tea time, hot sausage machines, and steak and kidney pudding.

This Week In Science (12-17-22): the discovery of 2 million year old eDNA, Artemis I Orion splashes down from a perfect first mission, and an exciting new breakthrough in nuclear fusion...

Deep in the data of the world's most famous computer is the memory and influence of Professor I. J. Good, special advisor to the production of 2001: A Space Odyssey and integral to the creation of the programming and personality of HAL-9000.

Aside from aiding Alan Turing in the Enigma code-breaking computer during (and helping to end) World War II, perhaps his most significant work is the concept of "innovation explosion" or the "technological singularity."

Is it coming or is it here? Is it inevitable? The philosophical and moral implications of our next evolutionary step. What does it mean to be human? Can you code compassion?

Plus: Monkey Talk!

Kubrick News: Stanley Kubrick Exhibit at the Istanbul Cinema Museum