GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider what it would take to make a haunted house to actually cause a fear response in the likes of us, while Rym recalls his experiences at The Terror on Church Street. But before that, Rym survived Brazil (a.k.a. New York State income tax), The GoPro3 Black exists, and we debate the ramifications of arresting people who attempt, but fail at, terrorism.

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the board game (Traders of) Genoa. Scott still has terrible luck at FTL, while Rym appears to be cheating. Monaco is coming to both the Xbox and the PC (you should buy the latter version), and you should recall that we had Andy Schatz, its creator, on GeekNights long ago! X-Com has answered all of Rym's prayers, but he still won't buy it. The New York Comic Con happened, but had no real gaming content and nothing of note to cover. (Or, possibly, we're just super jaded by a decade of conventions and some years of living in New York). Also, Hearts! Don't forget Burning Con 2012 and this week's NerdNYC Board Game Night!

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the delightful Gravity Falls. But first, Scott is buying an new pillow, I want you all to contribute to #ikuharaWorld, we're not bothering with the New York Comic Con this year, the Madoka Magica movie did indeed make it to the United States, and we discuss Pitch inflation. Also, in the spirit of Halloween, prepare yourself for the visage of Frankenstein's Monster, aka a hockey goalie in the days before facemasks. The GeekNights IRC channel is rocking! Also, we need to know if you want us to do one or more of: An episode-by-episode analysis of Shoujo Kakumei Utena, OR, Scott muckspreading. Finally: Ultra Relax!

Tonight on GeekNights, in light of the results of a recent US congressional investigation's findings against Chinese firm Huawei, we talk a bit about hardware exploits and security concerns on a high level. But, before that, Rym's Lenovo X230 had some issues, Scott learned of the tragic ring of fire, Raising the Bar reveals a horrifying reality, and Rumble 2012 was streamed with an amazing degree of incompetence. Also, PAX East badges are on sale, and will sell out.

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we bring our review and thoughts of G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, published in 1908. It's an Edwardian thriller following a policeman sent to infiltrate the grand anarchist council only to find that it's full of other policemen with similar intents! It's an amusing and relatively enjoyable work, but it would be greatly served by a loose re-imagining in a modern format. But first, we discuss Mr. Bubble, a ridiculous real-life sitcom-esqe request on Reddit (and the futility of such a thing in light of modern media), and whether cold or warm water hydrates one's body with greater speed (this becoming merely a vehicle, or dare I say, a pretense, for, shall we say, an argument). For your reference, Scott's Choice for the next book will be The Name of the Wind.

Tonight on GeekNights, as our triumphant return to business as usual, we review the fantastic FTL. We also review Organ Trail: Director's Cut and Ten Thousand, as well as the masterful book Characteristics of Games. Look for us at Burning Con '12: The TRIADUMVIRATE, but not at the New York Comic Con (where nothing looked interesting enough to apply for press passes this year). Be sure to check out our new GeekNights IRC channel (and check out this delightful little web page about IRC).

Tonight on GeekNights, we share some of our thoughts on PAX Prime and PAX Dev 2012, descending rapidly into a ridiculous argument over the League of Legends tournament present therein the former. In the news, Valve's Greenlight gets a fee and its first ten titles, and World of Warcraft has been secretly watermarking your screenshots.

Tonight on GeekNights our guest hosts from Those Darn Cats! present Ub Iwerks, the largely unsung co-creator of Mickey Mouse. But before that, they GeekBite the obscure film "All This and World War II" and the anime Humanity Has Declined.

Tonight on GeekNights, back (temporarily) from travel, we complain at length about the growing size of cell phones, and then launch into a tech news roundup of everything important we've missed. In a very particular order: GoDaddy fails us for the last time, nearly everyone wants Google Fiber, surveywalls replace paywalls, Amazon backs out of their no-opt-out ads on the Kindle Fire, at least one person throws a hissy fit about Microsoft's handling of the Do Not Track option, and "free market ideology" correlates with all sorts of crazy.

Tonight on GeekNights, we prepare for PAX Prime and PAX Dev, but not before playing copious amounts of CounterStrike: Global Offensive now that it's live. You may recall a very old show we did about CounterStrike, and CS:GO has done nothing but rekindle that flame. In the news, Nintendo Power has run its course, as has the ill-fated OnLive.

Tonight on GeekNights we review another comic lent to us by Timo with The Ranks of the Black Order (Les Phalanges de l'Ordre Noir), a brutally honest and compelling tale echoing the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. In the news, the MOCCA is being subsumed by the Society of Illustrators. Expect a dearth of shows in the nearing future between PAX Prime/PAX Dev, a great deal of personal travel, and CounterStrike: GO.

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk very, very generally about paying for things with technology. We also talk a bit about Jewish weddings, Facebook's continued decline, and the Amazon Cloud Player.

Tonight on GeekNights, as somewhat of a crab people episode, we present the fascinating topic of tickets (in light of PAX Prime 2012 selling out in record time). Scott GeekBites Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress (recall our interview with Tarn Adams, creator of said Drf Frtrss) and Rym GeekBites Venture Brothers. Rym made a pony video mashup with The Powerpuff Girls (but didn't make it his "Thing of the Day") and Scott has some video of his Summer Streets ride set to the best song in the world. We also, entirely driven by fancy, narrate a Youtube video about a cat).

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym is back from Brazil, and we consider tournaments in a general sense in light of the 2012 Olympic Badminton scandal. Rym also has some thoughts on Guns of Icarus Online after playing a bunch of it this past weekend. In the news, we consider EA's patently ludicrous copyright lawsuit against (an admittedly deserving) Zynga. Also, don't forget that we'll be at PAX Prime and PAX Dev, talking about ethics of game design (among other things)!

Tonight on GeekNights, we present our candid advice on the value of certifications for computer professionals, especially if they already have university degrees. But first, Scott goes to great lengths to justify the purchase of his new computer (ahead of the UEFI UFIA), and we warn all of you that several disruptions to the GeekNights schedule are imminent, including Djangocon, The FPL Latin America Trading Conference, PAX Prime, and PAX Dev.