Origin of The Barycenter Project

The idea for The Barycenter Project has its origins in the talk radio era of the late 90s. I was working on the weekends as a producer for a group of local talk radio show hosts. During the week I worked for an Internet Service Provider. I worked with businesses that wanted to use email, build a company website, and connect their networks to the Internet. 

One weekend, I pitched an idea to my fellow producers and the hosts. I wanted to create and host a local talk radio show for the fans of science fact and science fiction in our radio audience. The show would invite the audience to call in and ask local experts from the world of science fact (computer builders and website coders) and the world of science fiction (artists and makers that were using the World Wide Web to create and share their stories and art) about the Internet and related technology. 

While the concept of the show was well received, the show itself never made it past the concept stage. 

In the decades since, I have had the immense good fortune of meeting with and learning from scientists, technologists, makers, writers, producers, and a myriad of dedicated professionals from both the worlds of science fact and science fiction. These amazing humans have shared their knowledge, their wisdom, and their perspectives with me, and it has had a profound impact on my life. I am grateful for their patience with my questions and their willingness to share their insights with me. 

Today, WiFi is almost everywhere. Smartphones with apps give us the power to connect with anyone, anywhere, at anytime. One-click ordering is a lifesaving gift for many. Watching videos on any subject you can imagine is commonplace. Playing video games with multiple players all over the planet brings cultures and generations together to experience new adventures. 

In addition to all of this, the breadth and depth of scientific information available nearly instantly to our species is astounding. 

In many ways, science fiction has become science fact in ways no one thought possible. 

In many ways, science fact is influencing science fiction in ways not previously imagined. 

Both the worlds of science fact and science fiction orbit around their common center of science. Science gives us tools, processes, and laws that help us better understand the universe. Our species is healthier, stronger, more creative, and hopefully a bit wiser due to our embracing science. 

The Barycenter Project is a celebration of science fact and science fiction. The just cause of the project is to celebrate both the skepticism of science fact and the imagination of science fiction in the pursuit of scientific discoveries that make our planet a better place for all.

The Barycenter Project seeks to engage with fans of science fact and fans of science fiction across the world. Part of my effort in this engagement will be a podcast. The guests will be from across the branches of science fact and the genres of science fiction. Our conversations will be about the benefits and challenges of scientific discoveries and how these discoveries affect the human condition. The links to the podcast episodes will be shared on this site and our social media channels.  

I am also in the planning stages of a live, single-day hybrid event that you and the podcast audience can attend in-person and virtually. As I finalize the event location, keynote panelists, and exhibitor information, I will share the information with you.  

I am thrilled that the idea for The Barycenter Project is moving forward. I am elated to be able to share this project with you through the podcast, social media, and the live event. I look forward to connecting with you and celebrating the worlds of science fact and science fiction!

Brian Taylor

Founder, The Barycenter Project

Creating a Podcast for The Barycenter Project

One of the things that I am the most excited about is creating a podcast for this project. The process of putting a podcast together takes me back to the time I worked in broadcast radio. I am often asked, "Have you ever worked in radio? You have this voice that sounds (insert kind compliment here)." First, I am truly grateful for such warm comments. Second, yes, I have worked in radio. It has been many years since that time and I treasure those experiences. Here is a summary of the radio stations I worked at...

KSIT 104.5 FM, Rock Springs, Wyoming (“The Top of the Rock”)

It was the late 80s and this was my first radio gig. The station had an AOL (Album-Oriented Rock) format with a mix of pop chart hits. I started on the overnight shift and shortly became the host of “The Brian Taylor Morning Show”. I also provided voice-over talent for numerous commercials.

KBZN 97.9 FM, Salt Lake City, Utah (“The Breeze”)

In the mid 90s, I worked on Sundays as part of the “Smooth Jazz Weekends” team. In addition to voicing commercials, I also was the guest host for the midday, afternoon drive, and Saturday announcers when they were on-location or on vacation.

KCNR 860 AM, Salt Lake City, Utah

In the late 90s, I was a weekend producer for a group of radio talk show hosts that brought the “Hot Talk” format to the Salt Lake City market. In addition to producing the broadcast I was the first person the callers would talk to.

Which World Are You From?

When I started thinking about how I would put this project together, it occurred to me that there are two distinct worlds that most fans of science belong to. (NB: I feel that the word ‘world’ best described these two very different yet inextricably connected groups of science enthusiasts)

One is the world of science fact.

One is the world of science fiction.

Upon these two worlds there are nations, groups, and clubs that have gargantuan passions for the real, the rational, the predictable, and for the imaginary, the heretical, the improbable.

And, yes, a fan of science can claim to be of both worlds. I would say that a person claiming dual citizenship would have to choose the world on which they reside most of the time. While our species is mobile, you still need a place that you call home.

These two worlds, being of approximately the same diameter and somewhat equal in mass, orbit each other in a binary system. The balance point for the mass of these two worlds is the barycenter. In a similar manner, the world of science fact and the world of science fiction orbit around their common center of science.

Let us return to the world of science fact for a moment.

On this world, the nations seek to find out the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of the universe. They invoke skepticism and rigor in testing an idea, even when (especially when) the idea smashes into the biases of those performing the tests. Science fact can lift your sense of wonder to new highs and crush your expectations with new lows. It cares not for how dispassionate or heartfelt your reasoning is; it only knows that the laws and the rules of the universe are there for us to work with as best as the human animal can.

This world has given us the ability to grow more food, to live in disparate climates, and to fend off the viruses and bacterium that would consume us without hesitation. This world has created the means for us to harness electricity, to reshape the surface of our planet, and to send envoys to our neighbors in the solar system. This world has discovered ways to eradicate our species rapidly through nuclear and biological weapons and increasingly through climate change. This world reaffirms that we must be as vigilant with our power to do wrong as we are with our power to do right.

We will now take our leave of this world and journey to its companion, the world of science fiction.

On this world, the nations seek to find out the ‘how come’ and ‘why not’ of the universe. They appeal to the tendrils of our imaginations, even when (especially when) coaxing a new idea into reality grates against the tried-and-true of what our species is comfortable with. Science fiction can embrace the finest parts of our species’ cultures, arts, and creativity, envision an ideal world for all to thrive upon. Science fiction can condemn our human race through suppression of thought, barbaric acts of unchecked power, and eradication of our entire species from the cosmos. This world reaffirms that our proclivity to imagine the impossible and make good thing happen must be balance with our need to foresee and prevent unintended harm as best we can.

As we leave the world of science fiction, we take a moment to view this world and the world of science fact from the vantage point of the barycenter. From here, we have the ability to enjoy the differences and the similarities of these worlds. We can learn about new discoveries that sustain our lives and fulfill our imaginations. We can use our hands to build better widgets, our intellect to design better processes, and our hearts to empathize with our fellow fans of science. We can be a citizen of one while being a fan of both.

Which world are you from? Be it the world of science fact or the world of science fiction, I look forward to connecting with you.