In mini episode 41.1 of Rabbit Hole of Research, Joe, Nick, and Georgia reunite to unpack the time-twisting conversations from Episode 41: Crimes in Time with author Lee Matthew Goldberg. They revisit the ideas behind Goldberg’s books Miles in Time and Time Fixers, and respond to listener Alex’s questions about time travel rules in Tenet, standout sequels like Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight, and the intriguing “pedestrian paradox.” The crew dives into the Novikov self-consistency principle, swaps pop culture references from Donnie Darko to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and shares book recommendations like Oona Out of Order and Sea of Tranquility. Joe also spotlight upcoming events, including the Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories release party and his Dragon Con appearances.
It’s science for Weirdos
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Future Events:
Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories – Book Release Party
August 27, 6:00 PM – Comfort Station Logan Square, 2579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
A celebration of the new anthology Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories, featuring live readings by over 10 authors, including Joe. The evening includes an all-Chicago DJ set by Plastic Crimewave, followed by an 8:00 PM screening of the German silent film Journey into the Night with a live score by Ira Glass (band).
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/761531809703016/
Order: Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology
Dragon Con 2025 – August 28–September 1, Atlanta, GA
Joe appears as an Attending Professional with five events:
Aug 29, 10:00 AM – Did a Wizard Do It? The Physics of High Fantasy (L401-L403, Marriott)
Aug 29, 1:00 PM – Sinners: The Devil at the Door (Centennial I, Hyatt)
Aug 30, 1:00 PM – Reading Session: Jotham R. Austin, II (Marietta, Hyatt)
Aug 31, 7:00 PM – Pantsing or Plotting? (Embassy AB, Hyatt)
Sept 1, 10:00 AM – Enchanting Realms: Black Voices in Fantasy! (Hanover AB, Hyatt)
Upcoming Episodes
EP42: Broken Futures – Trauma and the Human Condition (Aug 20) with author Ben Tanzer
EP43: Animal Swarms (Sep 3) with science communicator Josh Fisher
EP44: H20MG – Lake Michigan, Life, and Everything in Between (Sep 17) with author and activist Maud Lavin
Links, Resources, and Topics Mentioned in mini and/or full episode:
Books & Authors
Lee Matthew Goldberg – Miles in Time, Time Fixers –
https://leematthewgoldberg.com/
Margarita Montimore – Oona Out of Order
Emily St. John Mandel – Sea of Tranquility, Station Eleven
Jason Pargin (formerly David Wong) – John Dies at the End, This Book is Full of Spiders, Zoe Punches the Future in the Dick, If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe
Stephen King – The Dead Zone, Firestarter
Films & TV
Christopher Nolan – Tenet, The Dark Knight
James Cameron – Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Donnie Darko – Richard Kelly (Director)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – John Hughes (time loop fan theory)
High Town – TV series
Science & Theory References
Pedestrian Paradox – Causality loops causing the very event you try to prevent
Novikov Self-Consistency Principle – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novikov_self-consistency_principle
Science & Fiction Connections in Episodes
Pedestrian Paradox – A causality loop where an attempt to prevent an event (e.g., a pedestrian accident) inadvertently causes it, illustrating the dangers of timeline interference.
Novikov Self-Consistency Principle – The concept that past events are fixed, and any time travel action was always part of history, preventing paradoxes.
Mental Time Travel – The idea that memory and imagination allow us to “travel” to past and future points in our lives without physical time machines.
Fan Theory in Fiction – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off reinterpreted as a time loop, explaining the character’s improbably perfect day.
Reinventing Time Travel Tropes – Works like Oona Out of Order, Sea of Tranquility, and Miles in Time showing fresh spins on well-worn time travel mechanics.
Items Promised for the Show Notes
Film – Tenet (Christopher Nolan, 2020) – mentioned by listener, Alex.
Film – The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan) – referenced in Alex’s sequel comment.
Film – The Dead Zone – Stephen King adaptation mentioned by Georgia, with discussion about Christopher Walken’s role and the pedestrian paradox.
Film – Donnie Darko (2001) – Joe references it as another time travel-related story not discussed in the full episode.
Fan Theory – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off time loop – Instagram fan theory about Ferris reliving the day until perfection.
Book – Oona Out of Order (Margarita Montimor) – time travel novel mentioned by Georgia.
Book – Sea of Tranquility (Emily St. John Mandel)– Georgia mentioned this novel with time travel themes.
If we missed anything, comment or email us and we’ll get the info to you!
Images From the Basement Studio:
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