GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, having somehow never talked about Quake (except for Quake Live in 2009, we discuss Quake 2 and the Quake 2 Remaster. In the news, the Atari 7800 is back legit, Charles Martinet is moving on, and Marvel Snap is paying people to watch Twitch streams with .pngs in their app.Related LinksForum ThreadQuake 2 RemasteredThings of the DayRym - Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Chess GambitScott - Tour de France - Drinking Raids

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the concept of Halls of Fame. In the news, the ravages of climate change have caused an ongoing crisis in Hawaii, and the fascists lost an election in Ohio,Related LinksThings of the DayRym - Say LessScott - Michael Chabon's Book Store

Tonight on GeekNights, we review PitchCar (1995). It's a flicking game. It's a sport. It's pretty fun. In the news, a livestreamer guy caused a riot in New York for which he is facing charges, Gen Con continues to live up to its reputation with a disaster over unmanaged Lorcana lines (remember Lorcana is the subject of a lawsuit from Upper Deck) and some extremely identifiable nerds who stole $300k worth of collectible cards from the floor.Related LinksForum ThreadPitchCar (1995)Things of the DayRym - What's with those big helmets?Scott - CLAW MASTER

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's short and worth a read, but it's not going to blow your mind like some people on the Internet are saying (unless you haven't read much science fiction). A little Singularity, a little Instrumentality, and a story told partially as an epistolary.

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss when, how, and if you should upgrade your technology. From phones to cameras to TVs to skis, it comes mostly down to what problem you're trying to solve. In the news, Web Environment Integrity is a potentially worrying but not yet apocalyptic threat to the World Wide Web, the BBC has launched its own journalism Mastodon, and the US has a new nuclear reactor.Related LinksForum ThreadUpgrading Your TechThings of the DayRym - Feed the Machine - Metropolis Music VideoScott - Bruce Lee and Me

Tonight on GeekNights, we review two games by the legendary Sid Sackson: Can't Stop (1980) and All My Diamonds (1969). They're both worth playing, but for different reasons. In the news, Overwatch League is in deep trouble along with much of the global esports ecosystem.Related LinksThings of the DayRym - German Community Gardens (Schrebergarten)Scott - Chip Player JS

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the surprising challenges of throttling and rate limiting. In the news, Twitter rate-limiting reading twitter and broke Tweetdeck while also blocking non-logged-in views , Norway has 100 years of phosphate rock deposits, and the US Supreme Court is wholly illegitimate.Related LinksThings of the DayRym - Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker Montage - 24 ClipsScott - A Candid Conversation with Miles Davis

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss worker placement as a game mechanic. We intend to turn this into a series of shows and panels following on from Mastering Game Mechanics as presented at PAX East 2013. In the news, Marvel Snap's Conquest mode is fantastic, and Valve is dropping Battle Passes for Dota 2 because "nobody buys them."Related LinksForum ThreadGame Mechanics: Worker PlacementThings of the DayRym - its not always about the money spidermanScott - Zone of Death

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the food that is served on airplanes and in airports. You're trapped there, and they know it. In the news, Donald Trump is arrested again, and the Boomers are dying out but somehow Henry Kissinger is still alive.Related LinksThings of the DayRym - The Balearic SlingScott - Creative Astrophotography

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It might be the best cinematic animation ever made. It's the longest animated film every produced by an American studio at 140 minutes. It's a classic for all time. Everyone should watch it immediately. You will never see Rym and Scott this giddy about anything. That aberration alone warrants that you must watch this film as soon as possible. In the news, the American northeast is a dangerous hellscape currently, Hayao Miyazaki's "How Do You Live" hits theaters July 14th and there will be no trailer, and Image Comics leaves Diamond Distributors.Related LinksThings of the DayRym - The End of HoneysuckleScott - his Man Makes 3,000+ Bagels by Hand Every Day

Tonight on GeekNights, we briefly consider when and why to adopt a new technology. In the news, Apple WWDC 2023 brings a $3,500 AR/VR headset in 2024 (we've talked about AR (Augmented Reality) before), and Reddit is pulling a Twitter and possibly destroying the best third party app it has.Related LinksThings of the DayRym - The FIRE TOILETScott - Learn x86-64 assembly by writing a GUI from scratch

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. Steeped in allegory and endlessly interpreted, it is a fantastic book that is well worth your read.Related LinksForum ThreadGeekNights Book Club: The Satanic Verses

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It's one of the best pieces of entertainment software ever made. 11/10. S-Tier. A case study in good game design. Just go play it if you aren't already. In the news, Overwatch 2 is banning 5,000 cheaters a week, Street Fighter 6's control modes are looking pretty good, and Wizards of the Coast called the Pinkertons on a youtuber.Related LinksForum ThreadThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomThings of the DayRym - THE CARTWHEEL - Banned Shot Put Technique!Scott - Rating Strangers Shots

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Makoto Shinkai's 2022 film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり). It's a road trip movie about shared and distant trauma. And a chair. In the news, The Owl House stuck the landing and Shin Kamen Rider is screening in the US!Related LinksThings of the DayRym - ALL Old Modem Sounds (300 baud to 56K)Scott - Material Properties Database

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the noise that computers make. It used to be a lot worse, but most of you are probably too young to have experienced this era. In the news, Rym went to a Star Trek convention, Google supports passkeys, actually read this article and not just the headline, and Rym is running in the New York Marathon in November!Related LinksForum ThreadComputer NoiseThings of the DayRym - The Heisenberg uncertainty principleRym - The more general uncertainty principleScott - Counter-Strike Steganography for Ukraine