The podcast that applies science to fictional worlds
Hello! This week we take a look at Scott Pilgrim. We discuss topics like vegans, hammer space, and considerations to keep in mind when assigning your stats. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to…
Hello! This week we start our discussion on everyone’s favorite first person shooter, Halo. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit…
Hello! This week we discuss more Faerie flavored folklore creatures. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit us at pedantichandwavium.com where…
Hello! This week we discuss the peak of video game story telling, Vigilante 8. We break down the powers that the characters have like electricity, sword, and bees. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us…
Hello! This week we discuss the hit reality show Stranger Things. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit us at pedantichandwavium.com…
Hello! This week we click around randomly on wiki that gathers super powers. So we discuss divination, chronomancy, and more! Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by…
Hello! This week we take a look at some treehouse of horror episodes of The Simpsons. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure…
Hello! This week we take some time to discuss some of the Arnold Schwarzeneggers best films like Predator and Total Recall. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or…
Hello! This week we discuss Sonic and why he gets to go so fast. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit…
Hello! This week we look to explain how magics work in Dark souls Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit us…
Hello! This week we take a look at why some people have quirks that turn them into super heroes in My Hero Academia. And drill down a little further into particularly weird quirks. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future…
Hello! Wow, feels like it’s been a while since our last episode. Sorry about that everyone. Turns out time management kinda gets away from you around holiday times and then it’s hard to get back on track. And what really helped us get on track was this Golden Compass. This week we figure out how…
Hello! This week we take a look at some more and very interesting SCPs. Like a TV that only displays a peculiar style of ice skating, I pigeon that also speaks English and Italian, a nefarious beach ball, and a crab! Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to…
Hello! This week we take a look at Cowboy Bebop. Hit touch on all our fan favorite topics like faster than light travel, artificial gravity, and drugs. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to…
Hello! This week we take a look at the very particular fairy mythos found in The Fairly OddParents. We discuss just how they change size and shape and how their wands work. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show…
Hello! This week we discuss vampires, in general. They’re kind of a tough nut to crack because vampires from different stories all seem to follow different rules. So we found some through lines like drinking blood and weakness to sunlight to highlight. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free…
Hello! This week one of us (and it might surprise you who it is) went and probably picked up one of those very cool breakthrough covid cases (the test should come back tomorrow). Thankfully the vaccine seems to have helped mitigate how bad things got but it turns out coughing into a live mic for…
Hello! This week we explore The Fifth Element. We hit topics like how food works in the future, floating cars, and why it seems so easy to unlock and use a doomsday super weapon. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for…
Hello! This week we discuss our distant future and Martian invaders while taking a look at the works of H.G. Wells Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or…
Hello! We found a rich vein of content a few weeks ago and we’re gonna keep at it. We’re still in Greek myth but we’re going to drill down on our boy Hercules. Granted, most of his labors are to chase a thing or wrestle a thing, or to hit a thing with a club….
Hello! We decided we liked covering mythology so much we decided to do it again. This week we dive into Greek myth. We cover some favorites like gorgons, sirens, wings made of wax, and Hades (the place, not the god). We also touch on Zeus shapeshifting, we avoid getting into why but we do touching…
Hello! This week we start taking a look at Norse mythology. Topics like how Loki shape shifts, that one time Loki got Balder killed, Mimir’s well, and Mimir’s head. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want…
Hello! This week we’ve been kinda busy and didn’t get a chance to record. So here is one of our favorite episodes again. You know we couldn’t get these pirate themed power rangers couldn’t get out of our heads. And side note, Geoff is going to try to start streaming games sometime and might even…
Hello! This week we take another crack at some hard sci-fi concepts like faster than light travel and how they manage it in Mass Effect. We also discuss why so many aliens are so similar to humans. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give…
Hello! This week we dig a little deeper into that good mascot content. We hit on some of your favorites like Mr. Clean, the scrubbing bubbles, and Chuck E. Cheese. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you…
Hello! This week we discuss, well, nothing actually. We maybe forgot about the time and missed our recording day. So here is one of our favorite episodes again to hold you over for another couple weeks. I’m sure by then at least one of us will have bought a calendar or remember how to be…
Hello! This week we will be exploring a couple aspects of the Shrekverse. We cover details like transforming from a beautiful human woman into a beautiful ogress. We stumble across Rumpelstiltskin’s advanced degree. And we touch on Pinocchio and the Gingerbread man for a while. All that and more this week. Get listening, you can’t…
Hello! This week we are, um, happy to present to you the idea of flat earth. We also flip the globular model on its head and explore the idea of hollow earth. And don’t even get me started on Atlantis in this description because we cover that too. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme…
Hello! This week we’ll dive into some of the intricacies found in Assassins Creed. Questions like: ancestral memory: how does that work? What cool things can half human and alien people do? Just what exactly these pieces of Eden are? Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach…
Hello! This week we’ll be discussing some of the slightly less crazy things going on in Dune. Topics include spice being both a totally normal drug that also allows for faster than light travel, a bunch of stuff with the Bene Gesserit, and how still suits keep the person wearing it cool and alive in…
Hello! This week we’ll be discussing the Legend of Zelda universe. We focus mainly on Majora’s Mask and look into just what those masks are and why they have such an effect on Link. Oh, we also explore little things like time travel involved. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always,…
Hello! This week we explore Steven Universe. We figure out how the crystal gems exist as sapient organisms and not just, you know, pretty rocks. We also discuss some of the powers that the different gems have such as controlling water, healing, and fusion. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always,…
Hello! This week we sneak into Dexter’s lab and poke around at the inventions. We stumbled across the animal atomizer, ant pants, and another thing… I honestly can’t pretend to understand the words Simon used to describe it, but they sure are convinced it is an actual thing that exists in the show. Thanks to…
Hello! This week we’ll be exploring everyone’s favorite park that is full of dinosaurs, Jurassic Park. We’ll be getting into just where all this dino DNA is coming from and why things went off the rails at the park. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out…
Hello! This week we’ll be drilling down into some of the very minor scientific flaws in the movie Armageddon. Some of the topics include how they got centripetal force backward, guns in space, and how that sneaky asteroid got so close without anyone noticing. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always,…
Hello! This week we scratch the surface of the deep and crazy worlds of Dr. Seuss. We explore why the Grinch is they way they are, what exactly it is that Horton hears, and why flowers grow out of peoples heads sometimes. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free…
Hello! This week we explore some not so great video games. Games like Rex Ronan: Experimental Surgeon, Captain Novolin, and Sneak King. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page…
Hello! This week we look at just what Inspector Gadget is. We also debate how they are able to fit so many gadgets to use. And because we nailed the explanations we also dip a little in the 100 Acre Wood and why Winnie the Pooh is able to walk around and do, you know,…
Hello! This week we will be taking a look at Futurama. We explore topics like Fry being his own grandfather, nibbler (yeah, just kinda a lot around nibbler), and the mutants that live in the sewers. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us…
Hello! This week we dip into some good Captain Planet. We will explore what Captain planet and Gaia are and why they have a group of small children in charge of some pretty fundamental powers of the Earth. We also discuss why heart managed to get looped into that whole mess. And as always, we…
Hello! This week we get into the fine details of some of your favorite movie monsters. This spooky fellows include Sharknado, Lavalantula, and an actual tire. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss…
Hello! This week we dip our toes in the deep well of fiction that is SCPs. To start these off we looked into a scar that maps a city, a mitten that rots hands that wear it, and a fan favorite weird murder statue. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always,…
Hello! This week we learn about the very good modular organic robots. Join us as we try to figure out what nonsense the writers of this intellectual property was trying to do with a proto dermis, the catch all metal that can kinda just make anything. We also try to explain what exactly Bionicles are…
Hello! This week we take a look at the Care Bears. We ask questions like why do they want to spread caring? How do they reproduce? How do they live on clouds? And what’s with No Hearts eyebrows? Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and…
Hello! This week we revisit cryptids, one of our favorite topics. Some of the friends we discuss include the Mongolian death worm, batsquatch and the Florida fan favorite, the skunk ape. Oh, and we finally got around to releasing the kraken! Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to…
Hello! This week we will be discussing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We touch on the good good mutagenic goop that made everyone’s favorite turtles and the various goop reversing things. We also learn a little something about Simon and his opinions on Krang. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always,…
Hello! This week we discuss the Thing from the 1982 film The Thing. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page or by email. And be sure to visit us…
Hello! We know this is earlier than usual but we are excited to bring you a special ouroboros where we discuss our rpg episode. In this episode we discuss how the characters and some NPCs worked. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us…
Hello! This week we join a handful of plucky breakfast cereal mascots as they escape the facility they’re housed in to join the world at large. That’s right, we finally got around to recording that role playing game we kept discussing. So please enjoy this special episode of Pedantic Handwavium. And be sure to visit…
Hello! In this episode we learn more about a simple card game. A simple card game that involves turning an entire city full of people into various artifacts and banishing people to the shadow realm. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions…
Hello! This week we dive into Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. And if you aren’t in the know it’s basically pirate themed Power Rangers. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics you want us to discuss through our contact page…
Hello! This week we discuss Transformers. You know the ones. The robots in disguise. Which, incidentally, how they disguise themselves is one of our talking points. We also discuss the AllSpark, Cybertron, Primus, and Unicron. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions…
Hello! This week we’re discussing Animal Crossing. We look into questions like: why are there so many sapient animal species? How can you keep big and very much still alive fishes in your pocket? We also discuss flower genetics. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out…
Hello! This week we discuss the Teletubbies. We explore questions like, what are they, why do they have televisions as part of their body, and why is the sun a baby. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics…
Hello! This week we discuss just a few of the intricacies involved in a language based magic and divination magic in particular. We also explore why dragon riders have such a strong connection with their dragon friends. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give…
Hello! This week we dive into Wallace and Gromit! We finally uncover how and why the moon is made of cheese, how mechanical pants work, and how people turn into were-rabbits. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future show topics…
Hello! This week we try to sort out the weird abominations that live in McDonaldland. We all know and fear Grimace. And all get out to vote for Mayor McCheese. But how many of us remember the dog(?) Sundae, or the fry kids? Learn about them and more this week. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for…
Hello! This week we dive into the thick of things (and by that I mean the very beginning of the series) in JoJo’s Bizarre adventure. We discuss things like vampires, gems, and breathing (I think). Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions…
Hello! In this episode we work out how Kirby works. We work out how and why he vacuums things and enemies into his terrifying mouth and how he takes their powers. We also explore Kirby flight and his relation to King Dedede. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free…
Hello! In this episode we dive into the world of The Witcher. Ever wonder how their magics actually work? How about why silver swords are more effective against monsters? Or why exactly what these so called “mutations” are that witchers get? Learn all of these things and maybe a little more with us. Thanks to…
Hello! In this episode we dip our toes into a pretty rich vein of handwavium, Trump tweets. That’s right folks; Things like why windmills are bad, vaccines are bad, light bulbs are bad. You know, normal things like that. Just lean back and enjoy the ride. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And…
Hello! In this episode we unpack one of the best sports movies of all time, Space Jam. In this episode we discuss how to steal and store a persons talent. We also, surprisingly, figure out just how cartoon physics work which leads to the real question: What restrains cartoon physics? Thanks to Joe Sopchak for…
Hello, and welcome back to real time and new episodes! This week we discuss The Matrix, the computer simulation we all maybe live in. But realistically we’re going to discuss the movies because we don’t want to upset the actual matrix. Some points of interest include are humans even good batteries? How do machines track…
Hello! Turns out planning around the holidays is very difficult and we did a bad job at it. So this week we’re bringing you back to one of our favorite episodes. That’s right, breakfast cereal mascots. We will be discussing how so many anthropomorphic animal mascots, like Tony the Tiger and the Trix rabbit, came…
Hello, and happy holidays! In this episode we tackle the questions and complex topics surrounding Santa Claus. Including things like how Santa manages to deliver presents to everywhere, how do reindeer fly, and how do the elves make all those toys. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to…
Hello! In this episode we hit up the Mystery Shack and explore Gravity Falls. With that in mind, there will be spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned. Now, there are a lot of things to discuss but today we are focusing some monsters. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free…
Hello! In this episode we dive into DC Heroes. We hit fan favorites Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and more. Aquaman is a fan favorite too, right? Anyway, we pick apart their various powers and work out way better explanations for them than DC could ever give us. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And…
Hello! In this episode we tackle pseudoscience. How difficult can it be to apply science to that, right? In this maybe controversial episode we discuss things like homeopathy, reflexology, crystal healing, and more. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out and give us suggestions for future…
Hello! In this episode we abandon our friends and timeline to go adventuring with The Doctor. On these adventures we work out how the TARDIS and regeneration work. We also explore a few different antagonists, such as the sontaran, the cybermen, the daleks, and more. Oh, and once we started to tease apart the sonic…
Hello! In this episode of Pedantic Handwavium we spoil the fun of all those SpongeBob memes you like so much (with links to pictures because we did a bad job explaining them). You know the memes, how does fire work underwater? How does a sponge lift cars? Sandy existing in the ocean floor just in…
Hello! In this episode we dive into Power Rangers. We figure out exactly what Rita Repulsa and Lord Zed are. We also learn how the power rangers suits and other gear work (and there is a lot of it). Oh, and we touch on casual topics like teleportation. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme…
Hello! In this episode we blindly jump into the weird fantasy of New Crobuzon with Peridido Street Station, a novel by China Mieville. We discuss normal things like robots gaining sapience and the Remade, people with their various human parts replaced with not human parts. We also have fun working out how the monsters work….
Hello! In this episode we puzzle out how animorphs work. Come along and find out how the antagonists, the Yeerk, take people over. And of course we discuss the Andalites. And how could we forget about the Hork-Bagir. Oh, and we also touch on humans morphing into animals, I guess that’s kind of relevant to…
Hello! In this episode we dive into a world of magical ponies and pony adjacent friends. Follow along as Simon helps Geoff wrap his head around pony lore and discusses the various flavors of pony. Then we learn about all the magnets that clearly exist in these ponies. We also tangent a bit on the…
Hello everyone! In this episode we discuss Avatar (the movie, not the cartoon). Topics of conversation here include: how can people control organic copies of an alien? We also discuss the plants and animals in this world because Simon needs to know why everything is able to physically connect and communicate with everything else. Also…
Hello everyone! In this episode we dive into and tear apart the established canon of Marvel super heroes. We discuss healing factor with Wolverine, the Hulk hulking out, web slinging with Spiderman, teleporting with Nightcrawler, and so many more. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free to reach out…
Hello everyone! In this episode we break down some of your most loved creatures that may or may not exist. We delve into the relationship between the military and the Mothman. We also discuss the habits and genetics of Bigfoot, Chupacabra nutritional requirements, and the Loch Ness Monster. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme…
Hello everyone! This week we dive into the crazy world of the Mushroom Kingdom. First off we tackle a whole bunch of the sentient creatures in this world including goombas, koopas, and more. We also try to work out how the various power-ups from the games work (and it goes off the rails so fast)….
Hello everyone! In this episode we discuss Avatar (the cartoon, not the movie). Topics of conversation here include: how can people control the four classical elements, why can they only control one, and why can the avatar control them all? We also discuss the animals in this world because Simon is nice enough to let…
Hello everyone! This week (a little late thanks to holidays) we discuss Fullmetal Alchemist. In this episode discuss homunculi and their powers. We also touch on the horrors that are chimera. Oh, and we also figure out what the human soul is. Thanks to Joe Sopchak for our theme music. And as always, feel free…
Welcome back everyone! This week we discuss Pokemon! In this episode we consider if people eat their pokemon friends. And have you ever wondered how pokeballs work? We have and it might be terrifying. We touch on potions and berries (and Simon learns that sometimes a berry is just a berry). We also spend maybe…
Welcome back, we’re now on our regular bi-weekly broadcast schedule! This week we discuss the magics of Harry Potter. This quickly leads to the ramifications of conservation mass and energy as wizards use their wands to seemingly create mass and energy. Other main talking points include what might be involved in apparition, the ethical concerns…
Welcome back, everybody! This week we aim high and take on hard sci-fi. Turns out it’s a pretty high mark that is hard to hit if you don’t give it much forethought. In this episode we get frustrated with established lore while finding an explanation for cylons. We also tackle more mundane, and easier, problems…
What’s this? Another new episode of Pedantic Handwavium so soon? That’s right listeners! Just for you we decided to release a second episode in one day! This special second launch day episode is on breakfast cereal mascots. We will be discussing how so many anthropomorphic animal mascots, like Tony the Tiger and the Trix rabbit,…
Welcome to Pedantic Handwavium! For our first episode we’re jumping straight into the deep end and discussing Star Wars. We already hear you asking, “How many scientific issues could there possibly be in something as solid as Star Wars?” Well, don’t you worry, there are so many. In this special hour long inaugural episode we…
Hi all. This is a quick introductory episode of our new podcast Pedantic Handwavium! This episode we just introduce ourselves and give you a small taste of episodes to come. We plan to release new episodes every other Tuesday so be sure to come back and listen to our first proper episode in a few…
