In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast, Josh and Ryan give their own totally unique take on the movie of the summer: Guardians of the Galaxy. But before all of that, Josh and Ryan recount
the week's adventures in video games and roleplaying games (mostly Minecraft). Ryan re-creates Inspector Gadget in the Tri-Stat system, sparking a nerdly discussion on what exactly the limits of
Gadget's powers are. Then we discuss neuroplasticity and the Vulcans from Star Trek, and the interaction between culture and biological evolution of brains and behaviour.
Feedback-generating question: imagine you find an infinity gem from Guardians of the Galaxy, and assuming you know for sure what it is, but you don't know any Marvel characters or how to contact them, do you turn it over to your government? If not, what do you do with it?
References and Recommendations
Guardians of the Galaxy, of course: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/
A build that Josh made in Minecraft: http://imgur.com/a/sSZxB
Tri-Stat Roleplaying System: http://tristat.wikispaces.com/
Steven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature
Cutie Honey (2004 Japanese film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutie_Honey_%28film%29
