Geeknights With Rym + Scott

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the vicious smartphone upgrade cycle. Try to use your phone for more than a year or two at least. In the news, Apple has to halt new Apple Watch sales, Adobe gives up on buying Figma, and Scott had fun on the Star Wars ride at Disneyland.Related LinksForum ThreadThe Smartphone Upgrade CycleDiscord ChatThe Smartphone Upgrade CycleThings of the DayRym - Why do Americans Pronounce it Zee?Scott - Battle of Cherbourg (1864)

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss The Murderbot Diaries. They're pretty good, and you should read them.Related LinksForum ThreadThe Murderbot DiariesDiscord ChatThe Murderbot DiariesThings of the DayRym - weevilsScott - Sleepbaseball

Tonight on GeekNights we review Ahoy (2022). In the news, kids want Robux for Christmas, ByteDance is restructuring Nuverse in a "retreat" from gaming, and Nintendo has to make an 18+ version of the N64 app.Related LinksForum ThreadAhoy (2022)Discord ChatAhoy (2022)Things of the DayRym - 2017 Ohio State Drum Major TryoutsScott - No-Bullshit Games

Tonight on GeekNights, against the backdrop of ongoing tech layoffs we talk about layoffs. (No, neither of us has been laid off). In the news, New York's Clean Slate Act is good news for millions of people trying to get their lives back together, Apple shocks the world by adopting RCS, andRelated LinksForum ThreadLayoffsDiscord ChatLayoffsThings of the DayRym - The Insane Engineering of the F-16Scott - RECOIL - Retro Computer Image Library

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Cobalt Core. It's a cross between Slay the Spire and FTL, taking the best aspects of both. It's also super cute. In the news, the Pickleball people are facing increasing drama, and it's good to "cheat" at Pokémon. We also make fun of AMD for a while.Related LinksForum ThreadCobalt CoreDiscord ChatCobalt CoreThings of the DayRym - AI Tom Scott talks about SneedScott - Better Rockem Sockem Robots

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym and Emily review Star Trek: Lower Decks. Based in part on the high concept TNG episode Lower Decks, it's worth your watch. If you've never seen any Star Trek before, perhaps try the first episode of this and the first episode of Strange New Worlds to see if it's your cup of tea.Related Links Things of the Day

Tonight on the 18th anniversary of the first episode of GeekNights, we review The Jackbox Party Pack 10. It's got the streamlined TKO 2 and a trivia game that's like the ones we like. In the news, Rym keeps playing Overwatch, Super Mario Wonder is good fun, and Deltarune 3 and 4 will come out sooner than anticipated.Related Links Forum Thread The Jackbox Party Pack 10 Things of the Day Rym - i could probably beat ramiel in a fight Scott - This is an Aaronson Oracle

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider scams. In the news, the first malaria vaccine slashes early childhood mortality, Hookworms used to ravage the southern United States, the statue of the traitor was melted into slag, and Travis Dermott singlehandedly forced the NHL to change a terrible policy.Related Links Forum Thread Scams Things of the Day Rym - Nothing's Working Out - Waluigi Scott - Puzzmo

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the the idea of remote access. In the news, here's a list of all the tech layoffs so far in 2023, and Twitch changes its simulcasting guidelines.Related Links Forum Thread Remote Access Things of the Day Rym - Star Trek + Design Scott - Homeward

Tonight on GeekNights we are back with a new web site! In the news, there is tragic war in Israel and Palestine, the House is paralyzed by Republican incompetence, Twitter has destroyed itself in a way that requires us to invoke the "Jack Thompson Rule," and Apple makes a minor change to podcast downloads.Related Links Forum Thread GeekNights Thursday - Back with a New Web Site Things of the Day Rym - Bohemian Rhapsody in 9 different scales Scott - Castlevania Speedrunners Discover Nuclear Fusion

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the Warwick Applefest. If we can review a concert or a convention, we can review a small town apple festival. In the news, America has yet another political crisis as Republicans oust their own Speaker of the House while engaging in extreme pettiness, and there is a "crisis" in ticket reselling arbitrage after people aren't that interested in seeing Travis Scott live for some reason.

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Counter-Strike 2. We have been playing some form of Counter-Strike since 2000... We reviewed Counter-Strike in 2006 and Counter-Strike GO in 2012. In news that is as little as it is late, Unity backs down on much of their new monetization model, Epic lays off 16% of its staff, and Scott GeekBites Heretic's Fork.

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Janelle Monáe Age of Pleasure Tour which we saw at Radio City Music Hall. It's a hell of a show and you must go to it if you can. In the news, "Detroit Pizza Kitchen" is a lie, the Nikon Z f cometh, the WGA lifts its strike with a huge victory, and the evil companies lose their bid to block a minimum wage for delivery workers in New York.

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the current state of search engines and why Google increasingly doesn't work anymore. In the news, iOS has multiple zero-day zero-interaction vulnerabilities (update your devices immediately) and Reddit is trying to embrace the worst parts of phpBB. 12 years ago we gave two short talks about how game mechanics (and UX design) literally make the communities that use them.

Tonight on GeekNights, we review and discuss PAX West 2023. The new venue is fantastic and it felt a lot like PAXes from the golden age of PAX. In the news, Scott suffered Airport Adventures yet made it to Chicaco, Steam (and our Steam accounts) are 20 years old, and the Unity game engine destroys itself with an actively hostile monetization model that is somehow worse than we expected from their 2022 merger with evil.

Tonight on GeekNights, in light of Twitter's dying husk removing the ability to block people, we consider the concept of "blocking" in social platforms. The root problem is, as always, the twin evils of advertising and capitalism. In the news, the inability to warn the residents of Maui to the rapidly escalating wildfires requires significant government technology investment, and Dolby Atmos FlexConnect might prove interesting for home theatre setups.

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.

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,

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.

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.