Synthesized Sunsets
Synthesized Sunsets
Podcast Description
Synthesized Sunsets is a podcast about speculative fiction and the future of popular culture. This podcast is tied to the magazine of the same name, so episodes will correspond to the current issue's theme. Your hosts are niche media enthusiasts Kevin and Gordon, who hope to put you on to some hidden gems and goofy ideas. Join us as we talk to members of the speculative fiction community and other future-forward thinkers! synthesizedsunsets.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores various themes including speculative fiction, romantic fantasy, and cultural criticism, with episodes centered around topics like the evolution of genres, the role of nostalgia in media, and world-building in storytelling. Examples include discussions about the 'Origins of Romantasy' and the implications of climate fiction in shaping our views on the future.
Synthesized Sunsets is a podcast about speculative fiction and the future of popular culture. This podcast is tied to the magazine of the same name, so episodes will correspond to the current issue’s theme. Your hosts are niche media enthusiasts Kevin and Gordon, who hope to put you on to some hidden gems and goofy ideas. Join us as we talk to members of the speculative fiction community and other future-forward thinkers!
Today marks exactly one year since the first post on Synthesized Sunsets. To celebrate the occasion, Gordon and Kevin take a look back at how it all began. We also discuss Kevin’s recent article, “Shunrō Oshikawa, ChatGPT, and the Birth of the “Pre-Translator””, as well as its follow-up post and the ways in which AI translation might (or might not) pave the way for a utopian multilingual Internet future.
It’s been a great season at Synthesized Sunsets, and we thank you all for reading! We’ll see you next season for the Hugo Awards!!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:12 – Episode Start
00:00:37 – Inspiration for Synthesized Sunsets
00:03:57 – How did Gordon react to being asked to co-host Synthesized Sunsets?
00:08:06 – Synthesized Sunsets was not originally super sci-fi focused
00:10:47 – Has Synthesized Sunsets become audience-captured?
00:14:39 – Favorite “core memories” of Synthesized Sunsets and the first post on Synthesized Sunsets: ‘The Wandering Inn’ Allows Us to Properly Fear the Sea
00:19:08 – Kevin did not expect to get particularly into visual art
00:21:37 – Synthesized Sunsets is less popular but more influential at this stage than Gordon + Kevin expected
00:25:02 – Has Synthesized Sunsets become audience captured? (cont.)
00:27:53 – Does Synthesized Sunsets plan to experiment with the form of fiction?
00:29:29 – Why haven’t Gordon and Kevin written more fiction?
00:31:43 – Hoping for more audience engagement / possible trivia events in the future
00:33:52 – Discussion of “Shunrō Oshikawa, ChatGPT, and the Birth of the “Pre-Translator”” begins
00:39:21 – Somewhat fair negative feedback of the article
00:40:35 – Attempting translation is a very novel experience
00:47:39 – Kevin would have done some things differently in retrospect
00:49:40 – How gatekeep-y is translation and is this good?
00:51:02 – Will monolingual translation ever become widespread?
00:52:21 – Kevin speculates about our glorious multilingual Internet future
00:56:07 – Conclusion and final recommendations
00:57:45 – Thank you to everyone who has supported Synthesized Sunsets! We are very grateful for your support!!
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