Cyberpunk Now – Ep46

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Eric

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Spork? Screw you, auto correct!

We make no excuses for our love of science fiction and our collective love of the cyberpunk genre. However, there are things from the “golden age” of cyberpunk (late 80s through the 90s) that have been overtaken by modern technology. In addition to that, it seems that we are closer to the dark future envisioned by cyberpunk authors than some might think.

We examine this through one of our favorite lenses… Shadowrun.

Cyberpunk Now – Ep46

Cast – Eric, Mike, Dan, (Mark), Jayson and Shawn

Running Time – 39:58

00:00 Action Nerds: Go! Promo

00:09 Intro

00:42 TANGENT: Perfect (?) Stranger

Item Mentioned: Perfect Strangers

01:00 On to the Topic

Item Mentioned: Shadowrun

01:44 TANGENT: The Trouble with Near Future Sci-Fi

Items Mentioned: Saved by the Bell, Neuromancer

03:10 Back to Topic

03:23 TANGENT: Star Trek the Original Series

Items Mentioned: Star Trek

04:38 Back to Topic

Items Mentioned: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Virgin Galactic

05:56 TANGENT: Mark’s Old Communicator and Lightsaber Construction

Item Mentioned: Motorola StarTAC

07:06 Back to Topic

08:00 TANGENT: Wolverine’s Medical Problems

Item Mentioned: Wolverine

08:27 Back to Topic

Items Mentioned: The Simpsons, Google Driverless Car, Jack Kerouac, Easy Rider, Ray Kurzweil, The Island, Tiny Lister, Warhammer 40K, Eisenhorn, Ravenor, Gattaca, Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried

21:20 TANGENT: No Sleep – The Eugenics Wars

Items Mentioned: Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine, X Files

22:20 Back to Topic

Items Mentioned: Chuck Palahnuik, Starbucks, Panasonic 3D TV, Square, Mobil Speed Pass, Barrett, Steve Austin, Blackwater, Predators, Sons of Guns, Anonymous, Hackers, WikiLeaks

33:29 TANGENT: Texas Ass High

Items Mentioned: Cyberathlete Professional League, Halflife TFC, GenCon, Bladerunner

34:47 Back to Topic

39:11 Outro

OFFICIAL TANGENT COUNT: 7

Guilty Pleasures – Ep45

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Eric

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:57 — 25.6MB) | Embed

We the disembodied heads of Krypton find the defendants…

We all have them (though most loathe to admit it). What activities or interests do you have that others may find silly or bizarre?

In this episode we address this, in our own way.

Guilty Pleasures – Ep45

Cast – Eric, Mike, Dan, Mark, Jayson and Shawn

Running Time – 27:57

00:00 Intro

00:30 Topic: Guilty Pleasures

Items Mentioned: Superman, Superman 4, Superman 3, Office Space, Darth Plagueis, Science Fiction Book Club, Dark Horse Comics

02:39 TANGENT: All Sith Star Wars Saga Edition Campaign

Items Mentioned: Star Wars The Old Republic MMO, Star Wars Saga Edition

04:57 Back on Topic

05:27 TANGENT: Mark’s Life Sucking Obsession

Item Mentioned: Mass Effect

06:26 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: World of Warcraft, Ruins of Castle Greyhawk, Harry Turtledove, Gen Con, 40 year-old Virgin, Role Models, Dragon Ball Z, Samurai Champloo, Adventure Time, Dungeons & Dragons, Venture Brothers, Metalocalypse, GI Joe, Silverhawks, Gold Rush, Bering Sea Gold, Jersey Shore, Audrey Hepburn, Bruce Campbell, Fallout, Red Dead Redemption

21:41 TANGENT: Skyrim

Item Mentioned: Skyrim

22:06 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Poison, Nickelback, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Yanni, Zamfir, John Tesh, Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek TNG CCG, Mazzy Star, Creed, Credence Clearwater Revival, Megadeth, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Foreigner, Journey, Survivor, Lithium, Nerf, Airsoft

27:14 Outro

OFFICIAL TANGENT COUNT: 3

Books – Ep44

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Eric

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:58 — 34.9MB) | Embed

If you haven't started The Wheel of Time, what are you waiting for?

Back in episode 8 (Inspiration… aka 4 Loko) we touched on a few books or series that we love, but we really didn’t give the medium a fair shake, so we’ve devoted an entire episode to them.

This is an episode loaded with recommendations. Please see the bottom of the show notes for a list (and links) of all authors mentioned.

Books – Ep44

Cast – Eric, Mike, Dan, Greg, Mark, Jayson and Shawn

Running Time – 37:58

00:00 Intro

00:30 Topic: Books

00:47 TANGENT: Episode 8 Inspirations & 4 Loko

01:09 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Audible, Gen Con

01:34 TANGENT: Audiobooks

01:56 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Stargate, Warhammer 40k

11:51 TANGENT: R A Salvatore and Mark

12:36 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Lord of Illusion, World of Darkness, Victoriana

18:06 TANGENT: Jayson’s Quest for Earthsea

Items Mentioned: sffchronicles.net

19:42 Back to Topic

20:00 TANGENT: Hollywood and the Horse-faced Woman

Items Mentioned: Armageddon, Deep Impact

20:51 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Kate Redding & Michael Kramer, Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowrun, Twilight 2000

37:12 Outro

OFFICIAL TANGENT COUNT: 5

Authors & Works Mentioned (in order mentioned with link to author’s page if available):

Ludlum, Robert – (Jason Bourne Series)

Hammilton, Peter F (Void Trilogy) – Pandora’s Star

Weber, David

Herbert, Brian & Anderson, Kevin J – Hellhole

McDonald, Sandra – Outback Stars

Martin, George R R – (Song of Ice and Fire) Dance with Dragons

Thorpe, Gav – (Horace Heresy) Deliverance Lost

Reynolds, Anthony – (Word Bearers) Word Bearers Omnibus

Abnett, Dan – Eisenhorn, Ravenor, Gaunt’s Ghosts

Flemming, Ian – (James Bond)

Crispin, Ann C – (Han Solo Trilogy)

Leonard, Elmore – Complete Westerns, 3:10 to Yuma

Willams, Sean (Star Wars) The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance

Carpenter, Leonard – (Conan) Conan and the Crimson Brotherhood

Lee, Bruce – Tao of Jeet Kune Do

Luceno, James – (Star Wars) Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Darth Plagueis

Stover, Matthew – (Star Wars) Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor

Salvator, R A – (Star Wars) Vector Prime

Gibson, William – Neuromancer

Weeks, Brent – (Night Angel Trilogy)

Zelazny, Roger – Lord of Light

Hearn, Lian – (Tales of the Otori) Across the Nightingale Floor

Yamamoto Tsunetomo – Hagakure

Miyamoto Musashi – Book of Five Rings

Parker, Ingrid J – (Sugawara Akitada) The Dragon Scroll

Kadrey, Richard – (Sandman Slim) Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead

Butcher, Jim – (Dresden Files)

Gaiman, Neil – Neverwhere, American Gods

Lovegrove, James – (Pantheon) Age of Odin

Le Guin, Ursula – (Chronicles of Earthsea)

Grahame-Smith, Seth – Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Pratchett, Terry

Adams, Douglas

Tolkien, J R R – The Hobbit, Children of Hurin

Leiber, Fritz – (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser)

Cook, Glen – (The Black Company)

Lyons, Steve – (Warhammer 40,000) Dead Men Walking

Traviss, Karen – (Star Wars: Republic Commando)/(Gears of War)

Jordan, Robert – (Wheel of Time)

Sanderson, Brandon – (Wheel of Time)

Heinlein, Robert – Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers

Asimov, Isaac

Clancy, Tom – Rainbow Six

Baldacci, David

Koontz, Dean – (Odd Thomas) Brother Odd

Ambrose, Stephen – Band of Brothers, Undaunted Courage

Priest, Cherie – (Clockwork Century) Boneshaker, Clementine, Dreadnought

Bellantine, Pip & Morris, Tee – (Ministry of Peculiar Occurences) Phoenix Rising, The Janus Affair

Stephenson, Neal – Snow Crash

Chuck Palahniuk – Rant

Editor’s Note:

Apologies for the sound quality. One or two of the mics were not configured correctly.

Absent Gamers – Ep43

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Eric

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:49 — 25.6MB) | Embed

This is what you are texted when you miss one of our games. Missed fortitude save, sorry Jayson.

Anyone who has gamed has had to deal with the gamer who is not there. Be it a family obligation, work, a booty call or even to go to the bathroom, sometimes players will not be able to make it to or have to leave the game.

This is how we handle that very common situation (and in a mostly immature fashion).

Absent Gamers – Ep43

Cast – Eric, Mike, Dan, Mark, Jayson and Shawn

Running Time – 27:48

00:00 Intro

00:30 Topic: Absent Gamers

Item Mentioned: Dungeons and Dragons

03:54 TANGENT: Jayson’s Savage Beating

05:05 Back on Topic

Items Mentioned: Shadowrun, Bioware

15:24 TANGENT: Out-leveling Leveling

Items Mentioned: Steve Kenson, Mutants and Masterminds, Gen Con